2015-2016 Fairy Tales

I decided in 2015-2016 to take a break in the beginning of the year from the Flower Fairy Tale Books collected by Andrew Lang. I believe I started with the theme of "beautiful versions of fairy tales I happened to find at our library" and ended with a book on our shelf.

For whatever reason, we struggled to read fairy tales every week during that school year; perhaps I just scheduled too many outside activities. Here are the few we did read.

In 2015-2016, First Son was in sixth grade, First Daughter was in third grade, Second Daughter was in first grade, and Second Son was still a preschooler.

Aladdin and the Enchanted Lamp retold by Philip Pullman with gorgeous illustrations by Sophy Williams - I selected this book from our library because I loved the illustrations so much. There are lots of versions of the tale of Aladdin, but I do think this is one of the better ones. We enjoyed it, reading it over a few weeks rather than all at once. It's longer than a standard picture book.

Merlin and the Making of the King by Margaret Hodges with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman - This is another one where there are lots of versions, but I tend to love everything by Margaret Hodges and especially with illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. The stories retold by Hodges tend to be ambiguous in the more mature scenes but without just glossing over immoral behavior, so you may want to pre-read anything from her books. I don't have this book on my shelves, either, so I can't quickly skim it to highlight anything particular in this one. I split this one into multiple readings as well. You would want to spend at least a week on each of the four stories.

Melisande by E. Nesbit, illustrated by P. J. Lynch - This is a fun fairy tale with a twist from Nesbit, one of my favorite authors.

The Book of Saints and Heroes by Andrew and Lenora Lang

I have received nothing for this post. Other than the last book by Lang, these were all books I checked out from our library. Links to Amazon and Bookshop are affiliate links.

2015-2016 Memory Work: Sixth Grade, Third Grade, First Grade

This is just a quick post to share the kinds of poems and verses the kids memorized in their respective grades. I remember early on I would have trouble discerning which options were too difficult.

Now, in 2020, I have a big binder of poetry and prayers for them to look through and choose their own. (That's the reward they get when they memorize something - something else to memorize!) I generally choose the Scripture verses unless a child specifically asks for something. They come from readings we've done, catechism books, Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, or just verses I happened to like.

I've written before about how we practice our memory work.

First Son's Sixth Grade Memory Work

Poetry

• Paul Revere's Ride by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow - This took him more than a year to memorize, but he learned the whole thing. He was able to immediately notice that our favorite picture book version is missing a verse (for no explicable reason) and, four years later, can still recite it from memory.

Memory Verses

• James 1:19-20
• 1 Peter 5:7
• Daniel 3:26-27 - First Son picked these verses.

First Daughter's Third Grade Memory Work

First Daughter loves memory work. She practices multiple times a week, even on days she doesn't work with me.

Poetry

• Yellow Butter by Mary Ann Hoberman from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• Bird Talk by Aileen Fisher from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• The Little Elf by John Kendrick Bangs from Poems to Learn by Heart
• Dad's cell phone number
• Anima Christi
• Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam from Poems to Learn by Heart
• I Heard a Bird Sing by Oliver Herferd from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• The Kitten by William Wordsworth from Primary Language Lessons

Memory Verses

• 1 John 4:18-19
• Hebrews 13:16
• Isaiah 40:31
• 1 Peter 5:7

Second Daughter's First Grade Memory Work

Poetry

• Toad by the Road by Joanne Ryder from Forget-Me-Nots: Poems to Learn by Heart
• Catch a Little Rhyme by Eve Merriam from Poems to Learn by Heart
• her birthdate and birth city
• Prayer After Meals
• The Bluebird by Emily Huntington Miller from Primary Language Lessons

Memory Verses

• Jeremiah 31:25
• Psalm 31:24
• John 6:35

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links.

2015-2016 Family Read Aloud List

It's make-up work time on the blog, I guess. I never posted our family read alouds for 2015-2016. That school year I had a sixth grader, third grader, first grader, and a preschooler.

Many of these can be found in the literature recommendation on the Mater Amabilis™ site.

Easter, 2016

The Complete Tales of Peter Rabbit and Other Tales by Beatrix Potter - Our edition is out of print, but this is a complete one. My sentimental favorite is a set of miniature original tales Kansas Dad bought at Oxford when he was there for a conference and I was home with lots of little ones.

The Father Brown Reader II: More Stories from Chesterton adapted by Nancy Carpentier Brown - The second volume is more serious than the first in that in contains stories of murders rather than just thefts. Additionally, there is a suicide. A few times, too, I had to walk my eight year old through the conclusion as often it is not explicitly written out.

The Animal Family by Randall Jarrell, decorations by Maurice Sendak

Francie on the Run and Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum - These are the second and third books in the Bantry Bay series and are fantastic. The publisher has frequent sales and many other wonderful books.

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

The Big Alfie and Annie Rose Storybook by Shirley Hughes - My two youngest (seven and five when we read it) loved these sweet stories of Alfie and Annie Rose just living life. I loved the wedding story that showed a black couple getting married with Alfie as the ring bearer. There's no mention of race in the text, just the illustrations depicting different races celebrating family life together.

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit

Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry - We finished this book just in time to leave on a cross-country camping trip that included the Grand Canyon. The children loved the book and were thrilled to talk about it all over again when we were visiting the park.

Audiobooks

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes - We listened to this audiobook from the library (read by Cary Elwes!) and loved it so much, I bought it on Audible during a recent sale. If you love The Princess Bride, you will love this book, though you may want to pre-listen to it.

D'Aulaire's Book of Greek Myths - This is a wonderful book, of course, but it's also a very enjoyable audiobook. Even Kansas Dad appreciated it.

A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming - This is a really fun story!

We also listened to the Series of Unfortunate Events books, but I didn't think they were that great.

I have received nothing in exchange for this post. All links to Bookshop and Amazon are affiliate links. Most of these were probably library copies, but it was so long ago I can't remember!

Second Son's Kindergarten and First Grade Book Lists

I started some reading lessons with Second Son, my fourth and youngest child, during his pre-kindergarten year, focusing on phonics using Doodling Dragons and alphabet books. Read about that loose plan here.

Once he had mastered the letters and basic phonics, we started lessons in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading (skipping the first 26 lessons on the letters). Each day, Second Son and I would work through a lesson or two (or half a lesson, depending on how it went) and then we'd read a book together. Sometimes we'd alternate paragraphs and sometimes pages. Gradually he increased how much he read until by the end he was reading whole chapters aloud to me.

This plan worked very well for Second Son. However...if I were just starting out to teach multiple children to read over the next decade (as opposed to having taught four children to read over the past decade), I would be very tempted to buy the Foundations series. (This is not an affiliate link and I've never seen it in person.)

So here you'll first find all the books Second Son read for our reading lessons. Given that he's read all seven of the Harry Potter novels and is currently working his way through Stormy (which I haven't read) and a graphic novel version of The Odyssey (which I'm not necessarily recommending for your seven-year-old), I probably didn't challenge him enough. I suppose that's what happens when you're the fourth and last; I didn't want to skip any of my favorites and I wanted to let him read whatever he wanted out loud to me.

Unless otherwise noted, these are books we owned. I would grab a handful of books and let him choose one. These are therefore only loosely in reading-level order.

• A Bug, a Bear, and a Boy by David McPhail
• Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff
• Danny the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff
• Walpole by Syd Hoff
• Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
• Little Bear by Else Holmelund Minarik
• Danny and the Dinosaur Too Tall by Syd Hoff (library) - Second Son found the Danny and the Dinosaur books hilarious, so we checked some out from the library.
• Danny and the Dinosaur and the New Puppy by Syd Hoff (library)
• Danny and the Dinosaur Go to Camp by Syd Hoff (library)
• Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
• Happy Birthday Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff (library)
• Bear's Loose Tooth by Karma Wilson
• Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel
• Oscar Otter by Nathaniel Benchley (library)
• Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
• There's No Place Like Space by Tish Rabe (library)
• Days with Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
• Frog and Toad Together by Arnold Lobel
• Cookiebot by Katie Van Camp - one of our favorites
• Findus Moves Out by Sven Nordqvist (library) - I adore Findus and even have a little stuffed Findus that sneaks around our house, entertaining us with bizarre antics.
• When Findus Was Little and Disappeared by Sven Nordqvist (library)
• The Fox Chase by Sven Nordqvist (also called Findus and the Fox) (library)
• A Story of Saint Blaise by Brother Franklin Cullen
• Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay - I wrote all about Lulu on the blog; she's terrific!
• Lulu and the Dog from the Sea by Hilary McKay
• Daisy Dawson Is on her Way by Steve Voake
• A Story of Saint Benedict by Brother Ernest
• Hot Fudge Hero by Pat Brisson - I just love this book and its sequel (Bertie's Picture Day).
• Bertie's Picture Day by Pat Brisson
• Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm by Carla Stevens
• The Bears on Hemlock Mountain by Alice Dagliesh
• Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner - A little sad, so be prepared or pre-read.
• The King's Equal by Katherine Paterson
• The Giants' Farm by Jane Yolen
• A Lion to Guard Us by Clyde Robert Bulla

First Son's lists: kindergarten and first grade. In comparison, they are generally much harder much faster than Second Son's list. Since they both read well and neither of them hate me (or reading), perhaps this is some slight evidence that there's a lot of leeway for mistakes in this business of teaching someone to read.

First Daughter's first grade list is here. She doesn't have a kindergarten list because I didn't read "real" books with her until she had finished the lessons in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading.

Second Daughter's kindergarten and first grade book lists, which I only posted last week.

We are officially done teaching reading here on the Range!

Second Daughter's Kindergarten and First Grade Book Lists

Second Daughter just finished her third grade year in 2018, so of course it's time to post her kindergarten and first grade books.

In her pre-kindergarten year, Second Daughter and I read some alphabet books (though not as extensively as I did with Second Son) and played lots of phonogram games from the Phonogram and Spelling Game Book. She's always loved games. Then we worked through the lessons in The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading. With First Daughter, I waited until we finished all of the lessons before reading any "real" books, but I realized later that wasn't necessary. With Second Daughter, we started reading books together after her official lesson each day so she could have some actual stories along with her phonics.

First, we alternated paragraphs. (I would read one, then she would read one.) Then we moved up to pages. Eventually, she would read half of a chapter or a whole chapter out loud to me.

The combination of The Ordinary Parent's Guide to Teaching Reading and reading books together worked very well. She can read! If, however, I were just starting out to teach multiple children to read over the next decade (as opposed to having taught four children to read over the past decade), I would be very tempted to buy the Foundations series. (This is not an affiliate link and I've never seen it in person, but I did purchase and use Essentials with First Son and, a little, with First Daughter, and I have heard good things about Foundations.)

Unless otherwise noted, all of these books are from the library.

The kindergarten books (2014-2015):

• The Lion and the Bird by Marianne Dubuc (library) - I remember this sweet day.
• Henry and Mudge Under the Yellow Moon by Cynthia Rylant (purchased at a library book sale)
• Harley by Star Livingstone
• Henry and Mudge The First Book by Cynthia Rylant
• Henry and Mudge and Annie's Perfect Pet by Cynthia Rylant
• Tye May and the Magic Brush by Molly Bang
• Curious George: A Home for Honeybees by H. A. Rey
• Henry and Mudge in Puddle Trouble by Cynthia Rylant
• Henry and Mudge in the Green Time by Cynthia Rylant
• Mouse Soup by Arnold Lobel

The first grade books (2015-2016):

• Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel
• Blaze and Thunderbolt by C. W. Anderson
• Henry and Mudge in the Sparkle Days by Cynthia Rylant
• Dinosaur Time by Peggy Parish
• Sammy the Seal by Syd Hoff (own)
• Henry and Mudge and the Forever Sea by Cynthia Rylant
• Henry and Mudge Get the Cold Shivers by Cynthia Rylant
• Daniel's Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla
• Hot Fudge Hero by Pat Brisson (own) - Such a good book!
• Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps by Cynthia Rylant
• Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel (own) - Second Daughter still enjoys this book, years later!
• Little Sister, Big Sister by Pat Brisson (own)
• The Giants' Farm by Jane Yolen (own) - This book has a candy recipe in the back that First Son still likes to make!
• Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter and Connie Roop (own)
• Saint Germaine and the Sheep by Eva K. Betz (own) - She also read the other books by Betz published by Neumann. They are beautifully bound books and make good gifts.
• A Grain of Rice by Helena Clare Pittman (own)
• The King's Equal by Katherine Paterson (own)
• Anna, Grandpa, and the Big Storm by Carla Stevens (own)
• The Shoemaker's Boy by Joan Aiken (own)
• Lulu and the Duck in the Park by Hilary McKay - I wrote about this series before.
• Saints for Girls from Neumann Press (own)

I posted First Son's first fifty books of kindergarten. Apparently I intended to post more but never did and I suspect I don't even have them written down anywhere. Here's the list of books he read with me in first grade.

First Daughter didn't have any kindergarten books (because I was waiting to finish The Ordinary Parent's Guide), but here are her first grade books.

Reading Around the World with Picture Books 2015-2016: Asia

As you can see, I'm still finishing up drafts from years ago. These are the books we read when focusing for a year on the countries, culture, and geography of Asia back in 2015-2016. That year, I had a sixth grader, a third grader, a first grader, and a preschooler. These books were mainly for the younger two, but the third grader often listened in as well or read them on her own.

** I've used two asterisks to mark the ones we enjoyed the most.

Unless I state otherwise, these books were all checked out from the library.

The Littlest Matryoshka (Russia) by Corinne Demas Bliss, illustrated by Kathryn Brown begins with a woodcarver in Russia who sends a beautiful set of nesting dolls to an American toy store. The littlest one is bumped off the shelf and goes through a few adventures before being reunited with the set. There's a note in the back about nesting dolls in general and the ones lovingly and carefully crafted in Russia beginning in the 1890s.

** The Gigantic Turnip (Russia) by Aleksei Tolstoy and Niamh Sharkey, with illustrations by Niamh Sharkey, is a hilarious retelling of Tolstoy's short story. The old man and old woman eventually call on all the creatures on their farm to pull the gigantic turnip. Second Daughter and Second Son adored this book. They anticipated what would happen but were still delighted to see each page turn and the expected events depicted.

** The Blessing Cup (Russia) by Patricia Polacco is the story of a young family of Russian Jews trying to escape persecution is aided immeasurably by a kind doctor and a real cup that embodies hope and love for the author's family.

The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship (Russia) retold by Arthur Ransome, pictures by Uri Shulevitz, is a fun standard fairy tale in which the third son wins all in the end. Uri Shulevitz is not my favorite illustrator, but the pictures are bright and colorful.

** Magic Maestro Peter and the Wolf (Russia) is an audio CD of the Prokofiev symphony complete with narration and demonstration of the traditional Russian instruments. It also includes a brief biography of Prokofiev. The very best tracks are not available as MP3s so be sure to find a copy of the CD. Our library has one and we've checked it out many times over the years. Along with the CD, there are many versions of the story available in picture books. My favorite is Peter and the Wolf by Sergei Prokofiev, translated by Maria Carlson and illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak

The Noisy Paint Box: The Colors and Sounds of Kandinsky's Abstract Art (Russia) by Barb Rosenstock, illustrated by Mary Grandpre is a little biography of a fascinating artist who probably had synesthesia which allowed him to "see" sounds.

The Sea King's Daughter (Russia) retold by Aaron Shepherd, illustrated by Gennady Spirin, is simply magnificent. The illustrations by Spirin are magical though the text is a little dense for very young listeners. There is a pronunciation guide for a few of the names.

** The Chiru of High Tibet by Jacqueline Briggs Martin, illustrated by Linda Wingerter is the true story of one man's quest to protect the chiru, an animal unique to Tibet. It's a beautifully illustrated tale of perseverance and hardship on a scientific expedition. There are a few photographs at the end.

Cherry Tree (Himalayas) by Ruskin Bond, illustrated by Allan Eitzen tells of a young girl who learns about growth from her grandfather as they watch and care for a growing tree. Apparently there is another book by Bond with the same title written about a boy rather than a girl. I haven't read that one, but just from the cover I'd guess the illustrations aren't as inviting as the Eitzen ones.

** Kami and the Yaks (Nepal) by Andrea Stenn Stryer, illustrated by Bert Dodson is one of my favorite picture books full of beauty and bravery.

All the Way to Lhasa: A Tale from Tibet retelling and art by Barbara Helen Berger is a parable showing a humble young boy and his yak struggling but persevering in a journey to Lhasa, a holy city. This book has small amounts of text and vivid pictures making it a good choice for young listeners.

** King for a Day (Pakistan) by Rukhsana Khan, illustrations by Christiane Kromer is exactly the kind of book for Reading Around the World. A young Pakistani boy, confined to a wheelchair, dominates the skies with his sleek homemade kite during the festival of Basant. He conquers the bully next door and soothes his victims.

The Lotus Seed (Vietnam and the United States) by Sherry Garland, illustrated by Tatsuro Kiurchi, tells of a lotus seed treasured by a grandmother who collected it the day she saw the emperor cry in Vietnam then carried it to America when she fled her war-ravaged Vietnam.

The Story about Ping (China) by Marjorie Flack, illustrated by Kurt Wiese is a familiar story to most of us. (own copy, probably received as a gift many years ago)

** Ruby's Wish (China) by Shirin Yim Bridges, illustrated by Sophie Blackall, is one of my favorite picture books. (copy from PaperBackSwap.com)

The Leaky Umbrella (Japan) by Demi is no longer available at our library and I'm afraid I don't remember it well enough to say anything other than that we read it.

** On My Way to Buy Eggs (Taiwan) by Chih Y. Chen is one of my favorite picture books. It's sweet and simple and conveys some of Taiwanese life through the joyful experience of a young girl on a short errand.

The Runaway Wok: A Chinese New Year Tale (China) by Ying Chang Compestine, illustrated by Sebastia Serra, is one of the silly stories I always try to include for the little ones.

** Brush of the Gods (China) by Lenore Look, illustrations by Meilo So, is an "imagined version" of Wu Daozi, one of China's greatest painters at the height of classical Chinese civilization. I love the beautiful and vibrant illustrations.

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China by Ai-Ling Louie, illustrated by Ed Young, is the story of a young girl in southern China mistreated by her stepmother.

** Mulan (China) by Li Jian, translated by Yijin Wert with the Chinese characters remaining on the page, is an excellent Chinese story to share because it is not an Americanized version of the legend of Mulan, but one written and illustrated originally for a Chinese audience.

** One Grain of Rice (India) by Demi is one of those picture books you can read over and over again, focusing on the mathematical concepts, the gorgeous illustrations, or the Indian parable. (own)

Dim Sum for Everyone! (China) by Grace Lin is a brightly colored book celebrating a happy family dinner at a restaurant, enjoying the different little dim sum dishes. It's limited text is perfect for little listeners and there's more information on the dim sum tradition at the back for grown-ups and older readers.

** Rabbit's Gift (China) told by George Shannon, illustrated by Laura Dronzek, is based on a folktale from China in which a gift is passed from friend to friend until it is shared by all. It's sweet and welcomes the anticipation of little ones as they guess who will receive the gift next and what will happen to it.

Daisy Comes Home (China) by Jan Brett is a sweet story of a little girl with a flock of happy hens, all except one who is the outcast. One night, she floats away on the adventure of a chicken's lifetime and learns how to establish her place on the roost. It's not exactly a true depiction of chicken behavior, but it's close enough to be fun. The illustrations are classic Jan Brett with hidden pictures in the background.

The Bee Tree (Malaysia) by Stephen Buchmann and Diana Cohn, illustrated by Paul Mirocha, is a story of respect, family, tradition, and accomplishment. I absolutely love one stunning illustration in particular, showing a rain of sparks from the upper branches of the bee tree. The text is a little heavy for very little ones, but my five year old and seven year old were entranced for the whole book.

The Boy Who Drew Cats (Japan) retold by Anushka Ravishankar, illustrated by Christine Kastl, and The Boy who Drew Cats adapted by Margaret Hodges, with illustrations by Aki Sogabe. I wrote about these two picture books here.

** Yuki and the One Thousand Carriers (Japan) by Gloria Whelan, illustrated by Yan Nascimbene, tells of a young girl traveling on more than 300 miles for her father's new position. It's beautifully illustrated with many examples of haiku. (library) - library no longer has

Grass Sandals : The Travels of Basho (Japan) by Dawnine Spivak, illustrated by Demi, is an interesting book on the famous Japanese poet, Basho. Each page contains a haiku, a Japanese character and its meaning, and text describing some of the few facts we know about Basho. It's beautifully illustrated and nicely incorporates history and poetry.

Issun Boshi: The One-Inch Boy (Japan) by Ichinori is a retelling of a Japanese folktale in which a tiny boy overcomes an ogre to save a beautiful girl. The illustrations are overlays of yellow, orange, and blue, very different from most other books we have read.

The Boy from the Dragon Palace (Japan) by Margaret Read MacDonald, illustrated by Sachiko Yoshikawa, is a Japanese folk tale about a flower seller who receives the blessing of a young boy after giving flowers to the Dragon King by sprinkling them on the sea. He's annoyed, feeding the boy shrimp, but the snotty boy sneezes out money and other treasures. My kids loved this book; they laughed hilariously at the snotty boy. The message of thankfulness and contentment is welcome, but it was a little too gross for my own taste.

Three Samurai Cats: A Story from Japan retold by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Mordecai Gerstein (Japan), is a folktale that delighted all of the children. As I was reading it, the twelve-year-old and the nine-year-old crowded around along with the two younger ones. A big ugly rat has taken over a palace. Three samurai cats come, one by one, to battle him. The oldest and seemingly weakest is the last to come, and conquers in a surprising way. The illustrations are entertaining. The rat is despicable. There was much cheering at the end.

Yumi and Kimonos (Japan) by Annelore Parot were great fun. Both the younger children enjoyed them. I wrote about them earlier on the blog here.

Hopefully this post gives some good ideas for Reading Around the World with Picture Books in Asia, but the best strategy is to search your own library's catalog for appropriate books. I've had excellent results by searching for individual country names.

I have received nothing for writing this post. Most of these books were ones we checked out of our local library. Links above are Amazon affiliate links and I do receive a small commission if you follow a link and make a purchase.

Water and Life in First Grade: Rivers and Oceans

Rivers and Oceans

Young Discoverers series

by Barbara Taylor

(also part of The Earth: The Geography of our World)

This is the book recommended for Mater Amabilis™ Level 1B (first grade) Earth Studies. I've now used it four times with four different children along with the excellent schedule of lessons as recommended by Mater Amabilis™, which we follow almost exactly.

In this little book are the very basics of understanding water on earth: the water cycle, underground water, rivers, lakes, oceans, waves, and water pollution. The topics are mainly covered in one or two main paragraphs and lots of full-color illustrations and diagrams. There are many suggestions for little demonstrations you can do at home with materials you probably have on hand, most of which are included in the Mater Amabilis™schedule for you.

In addition, Mater Amabilis™ recommends regular visits (six or seven) to a local water environment. We've been lucky for the last few years to have access to a friend's bit of river which we visited regularly during our nature study time; it's easily the favorite place of the children. Over time, we've seen the river running high, overflowing its banks, and running drastically low. We've seen prints of deer, raccoons, and dogs in the sand near the river, frogs leaping from the edge, and surprises like an armadillo and a bald eagle. The children tried building bridges of sand and crossing rivulets with logs...which I tell myself must be educational somehow. Visiting some other local water environments encouraged comparisons and allowed us to see other phenomena, like the ice forming on top of the water of a little pond and only at the edges (when ice never formed on the river). It can be difficult to find an appropriate place or to make the effort to go where children are likely to get sandy and wet, but the fruits are worth it.

Years ago, I collected a few picture book titles from the library that match up with the topics in the Rivers and Oceans study. In the beginning, I put these in a picture book basket. We don't have a picture book basket anymore (pause for no-more-preschoolers-sigh). For Second Son, I sometimes read them aloud, sometimes gave them to him to read, and sometimes just let them sit on the library book shelf.

On the water cycle:

Water Is Water by Miranda Paul (on the blog here, library copy)

Rivers of Sunlight by Molly Bang and Penny Chisholm - This book is a little busy in its illustrations for my taste, but it shows how water moves, changes, and flows throughout the world. It's much more than the water cycle. (library copy)

On freshwater life:

A Drop of Water by Gordon Morrison - on the blog here. (library copy)

Pond by Gordon Morrison - This book follows the life of a pond through the seasons of a year. It's a lovely picture book of the natural world. (library copy)

On great rivers of the world:

Sacred River: The Ganges of India by Ted Lewin - Lewin is a masterful illustrator and world traveler who treats subjects around the world with respect and grace. (purchased at a library book sale)

Hottest, Coldest, Highest, Deepest by Steven Jenkins - This book covers more than just water around the world, but Jenkins provides illustrations that place geographical features in perspective in his excellent style. (library copy)

On municipal water:

The Magic School Bus at the Waterworks by Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen - a typical Magic School Bus book with good descriptions and illustrations of how cities clean and manage water. (library copy)


Just for fun:

Water Sings Blue: Ocean Poems by Kate Coombs, illustrated by Meilo So - The poems are enjoyable, but the illustrations are perfect. (library copy)

Wave by Suzy Lee - a wordless picture book of a girl and a wave, surprisingly wonderful. (used copy from PaperBackSwap.com)

The Big Big Sea by Martin Waddell (on the blog here, used copy from PaperBackSwap.com)


I purchased Rivers and Oceans long long ago, used, from somewhere. This review is my own opinion and I did not receive anything for it. Links to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.)

Second Daughter's Masterpieces: Early Elementary Artistic Pursuits

Artistic Pursuits

Early Elementary K-3, Book One

An Introduction to the Visual Arts

This book is not recommended in the Mater Amabilis™ curriculum but some others in the series are. After using one of the later books with First Son and First Daughter, I decided to try this one to make sure I was getting art time with Second Daughter and to provider her with an opportunity to use something besides crayons and markers.

I have 2013 edition. This is just a book. There is a new edition that includes a book and a DVD illustrating artistic techniques. See the new edition and video lessons here. I can see how the DVD might be nice, but Second Daughter didn't have any trouble trying out the techniques in her book and it's nice not to have to be always going over to the TV to watch something.

This book provided lots of opportunities for Second Daughter to focus on artistic skills with materials unfamiliar to me (water-soluble wax pastels) or ones I might have anticipated as too daunting on my own (like the sculpture). Every lesson provides some background and a connection to real artists and their work, including artists lost in antiquity whose work remains in archeological digs, and an example of student work that encouraged my daughter in an attempt that might not match what she sees in her mind's eye.

Each lesson follows a similar pattern:

• A page on how and why artists make art,
• A page showing a piece of art with a few guided discussion questions,
• And a project page with a project for the student and a very few simple descriptions of artistic techniques or instructions for a new kind of media.

I read the pages with Second Daughter and then set her up for her art project. I think by the end of third grade, she probably could have read and worked without me.

There are 36 lessons in the book, enough for one lesson every week, but rarely have I done a full 36 weeks for a K-3 student. Plus, it's nice to have more flexibility with younger students to skip lessons during Advent or Lent, for example. So I spread Book One over two years for Second Daughter (second and third grade). We both enjoyed it so much, though, that I did purchase Book Two in the hopes that Second Son will be able to do even more. I probably wouldn't bother with a formal study like this in kindergarten, but it might be fun to start it in first grade as long as a student didn't get frustrated.

Second Son will use this book next year, in second grade. Second Daughter is going to move on to Elementary 4-5 Book One. First Daughter has completed the Elementary 4-5 book and we liked it, but I haven't written a full review on the blog.

This is an example of art produced by Second Daughter in lesson 5, when she was early in her second grade year. She was supposed to paint a picture from a photograph and chose a kangaroo rat.

Near the end of the book, Second Daughter (nearing the end of third grade) was able to create a handful of sculptures.

Above, we have Kansas Dad. Below is her rendition of her bearded dragon. (I nicked a bit of his tail off, but Kansas Dad fixed it later.)

The picture at the beginning of the post shows Second Son's art box almost ready for school. I bought four boxes like this, one for each student, and they work beautifully. Everything they need is right in the box (excluding things like water or newspaper, etc.) and they can carry it to the table or even outside. I labeled the sides with different washi tape to make it easy to see which one they need.

Here's the list of supplies with my notes:

• ebony pencil - I bought this box of ebony pencils about three years ago and we've been using them ever since. The kids each have one in their art boxes and most of us have them in our nature study bags. They've held up really well and I still have extras in our art supplies.
• vinyl eraser - We use this kind of eraser for everything. I've always bought them when back to school shopping in the fall at our local super-store. They each have one in their art boxes and in their pencil boxes and I keep one with my supplies.
• set of soft pastels - I bought this set on Amazon. We've had success with this brand in the past. It is easy for pastels to get broken and smushed together so the colors are mussed, but this box stayed safely in Second Daughter's art box and survived the study quite well. (We have a larger communal set that's always with our art supplies for "whenever" use.) She used about a third of the black, but the others are all still nice and long, definitely plenty for another child or two. I'm just moving this set to Second Son's box.
• sketch or drawing paper pad - I generally buy a few of these when they're on sale at our local Hobby Lobby. While the kids do most of their drawing on cheap printer paper, I like to have some nicer paper if they want to make a serious drawing or make a gift. Second Daughter didn't use her whole pad for this study, but she absconded with it for her own person use, so Second Son will need a new one.
• a set of watercolor crayons - I bought this set of water-soluble wax pastels and they are fantastic. The colors are bright and blend well. After the course, they have barely any use so there is lots of life left in them for Second Son.
• #8 round watercolor brush - I had trouble finding one at our local hobby store, so I bought this one on Amazon. I'm no expert on paintbrushes, but it seems nice. All three older kids have one and they have used them for the past two years on various projects; they just live in their art boxes.
• watercolor paper pad - I bought this one, though at our local hobby store during a sale. Second Daughter used exactly 15 of the 30 pages, so I anticipate Second Son having enough paper for the study. However...these are such great pages for all watercolor work, I might get an extra one so they can make more than the minimum paintings.
• heavyweight construction paper - I bought a assorted package at our local hobby store and have plenty left for Second Son. (I kept this stash separate for our "everyday" cheap construction paper.)
• assorted tissue paper - I bought a package at our local super-store, which was kept with our gift wrap and had to be frequently replaced. If I had kept it separate, one package would probably have been sufficient for both Second Daughter and Second Son.
• a pair of scissors - We have lots of these roaming around.
• 4 or 5 lb of gray self-hardening clay - I bought this at our local hobby store, but I think it was the same as this one on Amazon. You could probably stretch this for two children if they were doing the study at the same time, and were satisfied with small sculptures. Second Daughter used it all and would happily have used more.
• cotton cloth - The project for lesson 33 is an oil pastel painting on cotton cloth. We skipped this one because a piece of cotton cloth is the only supply I didn't buy and stock at the beginning of the study. It happens in the lesson talking about embroidery and I decided it was alright to skip it since Second Daughter does actual embroidery. I may try to figure something out for Second Son.
• glue stick - This isn't listed with the official supplies, but there are a few lesson activities that require some kind of adhesive.
• binding materials - The last activity is the making of a book that requires some kind of binding: stapler, hole punch, etc. I would imagine most homeschooling families would have something appropriate available.

I noticed a lot of art supplies go on sale during Amazon's Prime Day last summer (in 2017), so it might be worth checking to see if that happens in the future.

I purchased Artistic Pursuits Early Elementary K-3 Book One new and have received nothing in exchange for writing this post. All opinions are my own. Any links to Amazon are affiliate links. Links to the Artistic Pursuits site are not affiliate links.

Our Homeschool: Poetry in 2017-2018

Poetry is a part of our culture studies loop: Three or four times a week, depending on our schedule, we loop through these subjects:

• Shakespeare
• Poetry
• Shakespeare
• Picture Study

You can read more about the loop scheduling here. (I've moved Fairy Tales to our read-aloud loop since writing that post.)

Shakespeare gets double-duty because it includes review of our memorized passages. (Here's an example of what Shakespeare looks like for us.)

During this poetry time, I pull a book of poetry off the shelf and I read a handful of poems. Generally I keep going for about ten minutes or as long as we are all interested. Then I put in the book mark and we pick it up again the next time Poetry rolls around. I do not discuss meter, rhythm, rhyme, or other such things unless someone asks a particular question. I do sometimes explain a word if it's one they might not know. Mostly, though, we enjoy poetry together. Here are the books we read over the 2017-2018 school year.

Classic Poetry: An Illustrated Collection selected by Michael Rosen has a carefully selected collection of two or three poems by prominent poets in roughly chronological order, but I was disappointed at the times only a portion of a poem was included without any indication that it was just a portion. I don't mind excerpts of poetry for younger audiences; I just like to know. There was a nice sentence of two to introduce each poet. We started it last school year but didn't finish, so I picked up where we left off at the beginning of the year. (There's a newer version available, but we read the old one from our library.)

The House of a Mouse by Aileen Fisher, illustrated by Joan Sandin - We've memorized many of Aileen Fisher's poems, so when I saw this book of poetry available I picked it up. It's a whole book of poems about mice. The youngest two especially enjoyed it. I was, as always, conflicted about poems about sweet little field mice because I pretty much hate them whenever they find their way into our house. But they are sweet little poems for little folks. (own, from PaperBackSwap.com)

The Frogs and Toads All Sang by Arnold Lobel, color by Adrianne Lobel - This is a book of silly frog and toad poems. We read it in one sitting and the younger children especially enjoyed it. (library copy)

A Whiff of Pine, a Hint of Skunk: A forest of poems by Deborah Ruddell, illustrated by Joan Rankin - And another book of silly poems. These are certainly more amusing than edifying, but it was highly enjoyed. (library copy)

Walking the Bridge of Your Nose: Wordplay Poems and Rhymes selected by Michael Rosen, illustrated by Chloe Cheese - And yet another book of silly poems. I read these aloud, but often found myself needing to show the words of the poem so the kids could see the puns and jokes. I think they were best appreciated when the kids read them aloud themselves. They definitely loved reading them aloud. It was fun for me to watch the younger ones as they figured out the jokes. (library copy)

Peaceful Pieces: Poems and Quilts about Peace by Anna Grossnickle Hines is a book of poetry around the theme of peace. The poems were a bit uneven in quality, with some I liked very much and others I found forced or awkward. The kids' favorite was From a Story in the Paper about a snake that made friends with its intended food, a hamster. (library copy)

Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems by Gail Carson Levine with illustrations by Matthew Cordell is a whole collection of poems written in the style of William Carlos Williams's This Is Just to Say. Most of them are entertaining, but the best of them are written as if by fairy tale or Mother Goose rhyme characters. The kids had fun yelling out the character before I flipped the book to show the illustration. The illustrations are all pen and ink and purposefully ragged; not my favorite illustrations, but variety is good when reading aloud to four children. (library copy)

During Advent, we read from The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems, which we've been checking out from our library every December for a few years now. I just start where we stopped the year before. It has an expansive collection, though sometimes I think the page layouts are erratic. (library copy)

Overall, our poetry for the year leant much more to the humorous than in years past. This was a good balance for our single poet studies. As with the books above, I didn't make a real "study" out of any of these. We read one poem each day until the book was finished. I like the Poetry for Young People series because the selections are already edited with young people in mind. I might not always have chosen exactly the same poems, but I'm willing to make concessions when they've already done the work. My children appreciate illustrations on every page. There is also usually a brief introduction for each poem which I read aloud before the poem.

Walt Whitman (purchased used)

Langston Hughes  (library copy)

William Butler Yeats (purchased used)

This post contains my own opinions. I've indicated which books we own and which we checked out from the library. I received nothing for writing this post. The links above to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are all affiliate links.

Saints to Read Aloud: Holy Friends

Holy Friends: Thirty Saints and Blesseds of the Americas

Written by Diana M. Amadeo

Illustrated by Irina Lombardo with Augusto Curreli

In the early grades, Mater Amabilis™ has lots of recommended books for saint studies. For first grade (Level 1B), they recommend Once Upon a Time Saints and More Once Upon a Time Saints. I wrote briefly about them after First Son's first grade year. After that, though, we started using them in our history studies so I have found other saint stories for first grade. Some people prefer to use alternate texts, too, because the stories aren't strictly biographical, instead including some inventive details.

First Daughter read Loyola Kids Book of Saints by Amy Welborn. We read it over two years. In kindergarten, I read aloud and she narrated. In first grade, she finished the book reading the stories independently before narrating them. I wrote about it here. Second Son might have been able to read the stories this year, but they were a little long overall and I wanted something that would last only one year.

Second Daughter read Saints Tell their Stories by Patricia Mitchell. I read the stories aloud and she narrated them. You can read about that book here.

Last year, in kindergarten, I read Saints and their Stories by Maria Loretta Giraldo to Second Son (which I wrote about here). These stories are longer than in the Mitchell book. Thinking long-term, the Mitchell book would work well in kindergarten and Saints and their Stories in first grade. Of course, as I'm writing this post in April 2018, Saints and their Stories is outrageously expensive at close to $50. So you shouldn't use it unless you or your library owns it. I was lucky enough to receive it as a review copy.

When I went looking through our first grade books, I decided to make another change. Instead of Saints Tell their Stories, which is lovely and would have worked perfectly, I decided to read Holy Friends. I bought this book used years and years ago when I cobbled together an American history study for First Son when he was in first or second grade. I just wanted a reason to read it aloud again.

In Holy Friends there are two and a half pages of text and a lovely full-page glossy illustration for each saint. There are thirty chapters, but actually more than thirty people because some chapters are about groups like the North American martyrs (St. John de Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, among others). With thirty chapters, it's easy to schedule off weeks for Advent and Holy Week and still finish in 36 weeks. Or, keep reading and finish early.

They are grouped by country and, of course, only include saints from North and South America. Many of the saints were missionaries from Europe, but a few were born in the Americas. The book was written in 2005, so some of those shown as blessed in the book are now saints.

• St. Marie of the Incarnation Guyard (Canada)
• St. Kateri Tekakwitha (Canada)
• St. Andre Bessette (Canada)
• St. Junipero Serra (US)
• St. Theodore Guerin (US)
• St. Damien Joseph de Veuster (US)

The saints are organized by country and include saints from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, and the United States. I appreciated a book focused on the saints of the Americas because we were able to learn about a few that are less well-known as well as some with closer connections to us in the United States. There are marvelous examples of sacrificial love for the indigenous people of the Americas (like St. Peter Claver and St. Katharine Drexel) and saints and blesseds of non-European ancestry are included like St. Martin de Porres (Spanish father and indigenous mother) and St. Kateri Tekakwitha.

Second Son is an older first grader; he turned seven before the school year began. He may have been able to read the stories independently, but I preferred to read aloud to him to help with pronounciation and understanding.

Regardless of the saint book you choose, consider adding in a calendar exercise. Second Son loved finding the month and day of the feast day so he could mark our calendar. At first, it was just a scribble; by the end of the year he would usually write the saint's first name. When the feast day came around, even if we couldn't remember the saint (remember the scribbles?), I would let the kids have a piece of candy for dessert. This addition took only a few moments, but helped us easily incorporate months into our first grade year.

I purchased this book used years ago. The opinions here are my own. The links above to Amazon are affiliate links.

Second Son's Secret and Not-so-Secret Thoughts: Me Journal Review

Me: A Compendium

created by Wee Society

Second Son is in first grade this year and, as I mentioned earlier this week, I like to choose a journal to complete together for one of our lessons. Somehow I stumbled on this one while wandering Amazon and decided to try it rather than my original plan to order the same one I'd used with First Son.

It was spectacularly successful. Second Son loved every page of this journal and the older kids were clamoring for their own copies.

First of all, the quality of the book is excellent: well-bound hardcover, thick pages, and bright bold colors on every page. The prompts are varied, covering the standard (trace your hand, name, age, etc.) and the unusual like "If I had a castle this would be my flag" and "This is me doing my signature dance move."

There were a few pages where the prompts led to an answer in words, which I would generally write for Second Son, but there were a lot that resulted in pictures. Because Second Son's drawings are a little unorthodox still, I would generally label them for future reference. Some of the more unusual and interesting results:

Number of steps from his bed to the front door: 18 (he counted)

The name of his band, if he had one: Fulcrum 

The room of his dreams: a full size bed, a flat screen TV, a Wii U, a swimming pool, and a vending machine.

What he would pack to go to outer space: water, all the Harry Potter books, electric shaver to cut my hair, food (bread, cheese, Doritos), toothpaste, toothbrush, favorite Lego box, Mousy Mouse (his stuffed animal kangaroo rat), and his Kindle

Number of jumping jacks he can do before he gets tired: 100 (and he did X-jacks!) 

We were also delighted to discover the inside of the book jacket has room for all sorts of "super secret" things and the cover of the book itself has room for personalization.

We did realize it was nice to have a book weight like this one to hold the book open as Second Son drew his pictures. He used his beeswax crayons for his drawings, but I think the pages are thick enough even for thin markers.

This was easily Second Son's favorite lesson. I had planned to compete just two or three pages a day, but we usually did two of three spreads (his interpretation). Working once a week, we finished it this month. He immediately carried it off to show to all his friends and family, excepts for the secrets on the inside of the dust jacket.

Hopefully he'll eventually let me have it back to save with his school memories!

I purchased this book new on Amazon and have received nothing for this review, but the links above are affiliate links.

Reading Around the World in Picture Books 2014-2015: Africa

These are the picture books we read when Reading Around the World with a focus on the continent of Africa. Oh so long ago, my children were in fifth grade, second grade, kindergarten, and diapers. My fifth grader usually did not sit with us while we read these books, but he was around and they hung out with our library books for the full month we had them.

** I've used these two asterisks to mark the books we enjoyed most of all.

The Storytellers by Ted Lewin (Morocco) tells of Abdul and his grandfather in the market in Fez, Morocco, lavishly illustrated by Lewin. (His illustrations always make me want to travel.) (library copy)

The Butter Man by Elizabeth Alalou and Ali Alalou, illustrated by Julie Klear Essakalli (Morocco), is a story of hunger told within a loving family. It's authentic and touching. Though young children may be distressed to hear of a hungry child, it's good to introduce these themes to children over time so they understand our obligations to care for all people. (library copy)

** Mirror by Jeannie Baker (Australia and Morocco) - Baker shows a family in Australia on the left and, turning pages the other way, a family in Morocco on the right. The illustrations are beautiful and I love how she attempts to show the similarities and differences between the families in an understanding way. (library copy)

Ali, Child of the Desert by Jonathan London, illustrated by Ted Lewin (Morocco), is the story of a young boy who is separated from this father in a sandstorm while traveling in a caravan. He is offered hospitality and invaluable aid by a Berber and his grandson. (library copy)

Bintou's Braids by Sylviane A. Diouf, illustrated by Shane W. Evans (West Africa), is told in the voice of young Bintou who desperately wants braids for her short fuzzy hair. At the baptism of her baby brother, she sees all the other women and their beautiful braids, and wanders off sadly only to discover boys in need of help. Her quick thinking earns her some beautifully decorated hair of her own. This is a sweet book for young girls with all kinds of hair. (library copy)

** Tug of War by John Burningham (Nigeria) is a retelling of a Nigerian folktale of wisdom and strength, and inspiring lots of laughter. (library copy)

** The Hatseller and the Monkeys retold and illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite (West Africa) - Many may be more familiar with this tale as it is shown in Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business, but I love this West African version. The illustrations are delightful. (library copy)

** I Lost My Tooth in Africa by Pende Diakite, illustrated by Baba Wague Diakite (Mali) is a book written by the illustrator's daughter, hoping desperately to lose her tooth while she's visiting extended family in Africa so the African tooth fairy will bring her a chicken. It's a nearly perfect book for showing children in America what family life and love looks like in Mali. (library copy)

My Baby by Jeanette Winter (Mali) tells of a woman making a bogolan, a cloth painted with mud, for her baby, depicting the natural world in the painting. (library copy)

** Rain School by James Rumford (Chad), written by a man who taught school in Chad when a member of the Peace Corps, tells of a school built by the community at the beginning of the year that is broken down by the seasonal rains after nine months. It's a celebration of education, beautifully illustrated. (library copy)

** My Name Is Sangoel by Karen Lynn Williams and Khadra Mohammed, illustrated by Catherine Stock (Sudan and the United States), is the story of a young boy who immigrates to the United States to escape the war in Sudan that killed his father. Bewildered by his new surroundings, he finds it impossible to explain to his new classmates how to properly pronounce his name...until he discovers a creative solution. Catherine Stock's illustrations are wonderful, as always. The themes of the book are a big deeper and harsher than most picture books, but I think the value is worth the risk. Read ahead and decide for your own family. (library copy)

** The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela: A Tale from Africa by Christina Kessler, illustrated by Leonard Jenkins (Ethiopia), is the story of Almaz, a girl who wants to keep bees and collect the best honey. Turned away by the male beekeepers of her village, she is encouraged by the young Orthodox priest. It's a brilliant book of problem-solving and perseverance. (library copy)

The Perfect Orange: A Tale from Ethiopia by Frank P. Araujo, illustrations by Xiao Jun Li (Ethiopia), is a tale of a young girl who travels to her ruler to share with him a perfect orange. Her generosity is rewarded while the greed of another is thwarted. (library copy)

Muktar and the Camels by Janet Graber, illustrated by Scott Mack (Kenya and Somalia), is the story of an orphan who shows himself to be adept at caring for camels and in so doing finds a place for himself in the world. (library copy)

** Head, Body, Legs: A Story from Liberia by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Liberia), is a fun tale describing how arms, legs, a head, and a boy joined together. (library copy)

** Mrs. Chicken and the Hungry Crocodile by Won-Ldy Paye and Margaret H. Lippert, illustrated by Julie Paschkis (Liberia), is the hilarious story of a chicken who outwits a crocodile. (library copy)

** Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia by Verna Aardema, illustrated by Joe Cepeda (Liberia), is a tale of wisdom and goodness, wonderfully illustrated. (library copy)

One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference by Katie Smith Milway, illustrated by Eugenie Fernandes (West Africa), is based on a true story of a young boy who takes out a loan to buy a hen, the beginning of a flourishing egg business. It's text-heavy for younger children, but a fascinating introduction to micro-loans for older elementary students. I also ask my children to read this book in third grade when they do a little financial literacy study. (library copy)

The Spider Weaver: A Legend of Kente Cloth by Margaret Musgrove, illustrated by Julia Cairns (Ghana), is a brilliantly illustrated origin tale of kente cloth, common in many African nations. (library copy)

** The Village that Vanished by Ann Grifalconi, illustrated by Kadir Nelson (unspecified country or area), features a young girl who courageously leads all the people of her village across a hidden bridge to escape marauders searching for people to sell as slaves. The text is a bit long but it's worthwhile for those ready for it as it portrays some of the fear and tragedy of slavery in a successful escape from it altogether. Nelson's realistic illustrations are presented uninterrupted by the text, which appears on white space next to them. (library copy)

** Once Upon a Time written and illustrated by Niki Daly (South Africa), is the sweet story of a young girl who struggles to read but flourishes in the imaginary escapades with her Auntie Anna. With perseverance and practice under the supporting gaze of her Auntie, she succeeds in achieving fluency. The setting of this book gives glimpses into life in Africa while connecting us with the familiar school setting. (Even though we homeschool!) (library copy)

Mama Wangari (Kenya) is an inspiring woman who deserves a place in any picture book study of Africa. She attended college in Kansas which gives us an even more personal connection here on the Range. There are quite a few books featuring her life and work. In addition to reading a few picture books, we watched this video (more than once).

** Seeds of Change: Wangari's Gift to the World by Jen Cullerton Johnson, illustrated by Sonia Lynn Sadler, is probably my favorite, if you can only read one, though young children may tire of the amount of text. The colorful illustrations will delight children of all ages. Mama Miti: Wangari Maathai and the Trees of Kenya by Donna Jo Napoli, illustrated by Kadir Nelson, is a more lyrical book with less details. The illustrations fill the pages with vibrant color. Even I enjoy looking through this book again and again. Wangari's Trees of Peace: A True Story from Africa by Jeanette Winter, is less detailed story with more gaps. The illustrations are not as lavish as those of Nelson, simpler but suited to the setting. (all library copies)

** The Mangrove Tree: Planting Trees to Feed Families by Susan L. Roth and Cindy Trumbore with collages by Susan L. Roth (Eritrea), tells the true story of a scientist who guided the people of a village to improve their lives by planting mangrove trees. Ecology, botany, creativity, generosity, and perseverance...all presented in poetic repetitive text for younger listeners and more detailed text for older readers. The collages contrast the bright clothes of the villagers against the browns of the land before it's transformation. (library copy)

** The Most Important Gift of All by David Conway, illustrated by Karin Littlewood (unspecified, but I think Kenya),  is a beautifully illustrated book about a little girl who goes in search of love to give to her new baby brother. It's African, but her family is as lovely a family as you'd want to meet anywhere. (library copy)

** My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tolowa M. Mollel, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (Tanzania), is one of my favorite picture books and also appears in our third grade literacy study. It's about family and perseverance, prudence and joy. Read it! (library copy)

First Come the Zebra by Lynne Barasch (Kenya) is an encounter between a Maasai boy and a Kikyua boy, from two cultures who employ land differently and yet find common ground. It is an decent story for the presentation of overcoming differences, but the illustrations are merely adequate. (library copy)

** Ah, then we read the Elizabeti books, just wonderful books! Elizabeti's Doll, Mama Elizabeti, and Elizabeti's School by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, illustrated by Christy Hale (Tanzania), all feature Elizabeti and are definitely among our favorite pictures books! (We own Elizabeti's Doll and checked the other two out from the library)

** The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer, pictures by Elizabeth Zunon (Malawi), is based on the true inspiring story of a young boy in Africa who builds a windmill from scraps to power a light bulb using only his ingenuity and a book from the library after he's been forced to leave school. I love the illustrations for this book, a combination of collage and paintings. For those who want to learn more, the middle grade book of the same name is also excellent. (library copy)

** How the Guinea Foul Got Her Spots retold and illustrated by Barbara Knutson (a Swahili tale) - another favorite picture book. (library copy)

Jamela's Dress, Happy Birthday, Jamela, and Where's Jamela?, all by Niki Daly (South Africa) share the life of Jamela in a sweet fun way, especially for little girls. She gets into exactly the kind of trouble an American girl might find, but always manages to come out on top. There are other Jamela books as well, but these are the ones our library had. (library copies)


** Where Are You Going, Manyomi? by Catherine Stock (Zimbabwe) is one of my absolute favorite books! You can find the book online here. (owned, from a member at PaperBackSwap.com)

** Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters by John Steptoe (Zimbabwe, mostly) is like a fairy tale in which the more generous daughter receives her just reward. My daughter loved this book so much, she insisted we buy our copy, albeit a much loved and repaired one from a library book sale. (owned)

Gugu's House by Catherine Stock (Zimbabwe) is another Catherine Stock book, this one sharing the beautiful painting and sculpture of Gugu, Kukamba's grandmother, as well as a story of recovery. It's based on an inspiring woman in Zimbabwe. (library copy)

The Herd Boy by Niki Daly (South Africa) tells the story of a day in the life of a young goat herder. We see his world and his bravery, and his dream of being president. (library copy)

Under the Baobab Tree by Julie Stiegemeyer, illustrated by E. B. Lewis (unspecified, but maybe southern Africa) is mostly the musings of a brother and sister as they walk through the African countryside for a gathering "under the baobab tree." We see a bit of what sometimes happens under the tree and therefore glimpses into the lives of the Africans who live near-by. In the end, they are gathering to worship God. (library copy)

We also read a book of poetry called Off to the Sweet Shores of Africa and Other Talking Drum Rhymes by Uzo Unobagha, illustrated by Julia Cairns. The poet was born and raised in Africa and the illustrator lived in Botswana for nine years. It's a lovely book we've enjoyed many times.

I'm sure there are many new picture books set in African countries. When I was first putting this list together, I copied a list of all the countries in Africa and then searched our library catalog for each country's name. That's how I found most of these books. Do that yourself and you'll find not only potentially lovely new picture books, but a wealth of picture books set in Africa you can check out of your library for only the cost of your taxes, which you've already paid!

The links above are all affiliate links to Amazon, which means if you click on one, put something in your cart, and order it within a specified length of time (whatever Amazon decides), I receive a small commission. You can also find these books by searching by title on Amazon or at your library.