A Shared Delight: Letters from Father Christmas

Letters from Father Christmas

by J. R. R. Tolkien

Last year, I thought a long time about something we might read together in Advent and Christmas that would be enjoyable for everyone, for my senior, freshman, seventh grader, and fifth grader. I wanted this last season before my oldest went off to college to be a time of renewed joyfulness. My plans were thwarted dramatically by life events, but this book was a resounding success, even if it did take until March to finish it.

I decided to buy this book for all the kids for St. Nicholas's feast day, so it was standing on our mantle on the morning of December 6th. My kids were drawn to it immediately. When I caught my youngest reading it, I encouraged him to study the illustrations but to try to avoid the text, so we could all appreciate it together.

Tolkien wrote letters to his children every year, signed by Father Christmas, richly illustrated. Reflecting somewhat their own lives and their growth over the years, the letters range from the absurd to the serious. 

It was perfect for us. We all delighted in the stories and illustrations, but I also felt poignantly the sense of time passing and children aging. Tolkien as a father was made more present to me than to my children, but that didn't matter. I hesitated for far too long to buy this book, perhaps a little daunted by the price, but it was worth every penny.

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

Go Midwest!: Family Grandstand

Family Grandstand

by Carol Ryrie Brink

I heard about this book in one of my Facebook groups and thought it would be a fun one to read aloud. It's about the family of a professor, so of course it would be appropriate for the family of a professor! It's not exactly like our family, because the university in the book is a supposed to be a large public university with a popular football team, but when the family adopts an enormous black dog that threatens to eat them out of house and home, it felt almost too close to home!

Luckily, all turns out well for Susan, George, and Dumpling, as well as our own kids and our enormous puppy, Ajax.

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

Durrell's Zoo: Menagerie Manor

Menagerie Manor

by Gerald Durrell

I added this book to my PaperBackSwap.com wish list as soon as I read My Family and Other Animals. In this book, Mr. Durrell is grown and beginning a zoo, one he hopes will allow a dedicated staff to breed captive populations of animals endangered in the wild.

It's just as fabulous as My Family and Other Animals. There are plenty of hilarious mishaps like the attempt at recording a television program, back when television was a new experience, and chasing a tapir through a farmer's field in the middle of the night. It's also a fascinating look at building a zoo and the beginnings of animal population management. Wonderfully, Jersey Zoo still exists.

While there are some descriptions of animal bodily functions, this book is a more suitable for reading aloud than My Family and Other Animals. I intend to add it to our nature read aloud list for next year and I think everyone will be delighted.

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

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 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!

Survival in a Beautiful World: Summer of Little Rain

Summer of Little Rain

by Aileen Fisher

I found this book on PaperBackSwap.com and requested it solely because we have enjoyed her poetry. For the past few years, I've been rotating a nature book in with our read-alouds. We finally found time this year for Summer of Little Rain. In it, Fisher describes the experiences of a male squirrel and a female beaver over one summer, a summer of drought and therefore struggle and great change. Her descriptions are delightful.

Suddenly, with plumed tail waving, he whirled away from the safety of his home trees and headed for the deep woods. Adventure filled the air. His quivering nostrils caught it from every direction and made him daring. In his domain of fewer than a dozen trees, he knew every branch by heart--the strength of the smallest twig, the length of every leap, the merits of every hiding place. In strange trees he would have to take his chances. But suddenly he felt like taking chances!

My children adored this book, from the 15-year-old down to the 8-year-old. I was concerned about the tragedy of a true-to-life nature story, but there were no tears even when predators struck and one of the animals died. (I think there were two squirrel and two beaver deaths.)

The Squirrel accepted the loss of his youngster as he accepted drought and other calamities. Young ones came and young ones went. In a month or two the surviving youngsters would strike out on their own. The Squirrel and his mate would probably never see them again. That was the way of life.

Nestled in the descriptions and animal action are myriad facts of the natural world. Squirrels and beavers, of course, but also rivers and trees and weather and predators. Fisher includes their entire worlds and shares "secrets" we know but the animals don't understand.

It's a shame this book is out of print. If you see it, or others by Aileen Fisher, when perusing book sales and used bookshops, don't be afraid to take a chance.

I received nothing for this post; all opinions are my own. Links above to Amazon and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

An Italian Childhood: Nino

Nino

written and illustrated by Valenti Angelo

I picked up this book at a book sale because I saw Valenti Angelo's name. I have two books illustrated by him which are both lovely (The Book of Psalms and The Long Christmas) and decided I wanted this one no matter what the story was like. Luckily, it's just as wonderful as the illustrations.

Nino does not have much of a plot; there's no dramatic crisis or trauma. It tenderly describes Nino's early childhood on his grandfather's farm in Italy in 1905. Nino and his dedicated mother and grandfather work the prosperous farm and run the household. His father is away in America and has been for many years, planning to earn the money for his wife and child to join him. There is no such tension in the book, but I feared the impending separation which the book resolves perfectly.

Over the course of the book, Nino has "adventures" like traveling to a larger town to have his picture taken, the Easter celebration, attending a fair, and Christmas. His family attends the local Catholic church, which is a part of their lives in an integral way. Their home is often open as they host friends and neighbors, revealing a rich life of relationships and joy.

Nino is an aspiring artist and often experiences a great joy in the simple beauty of his world.

The boat sped through the water with sudden jerks. Nino watched the sky, fascinated by the flashes of lightning. The wind that had risen all in a moment moaned and swept over the marshes, whipping the tall grass with rustling sounds. The tall poplars bent as though turning their backs to its fury; they looked like black giants in the night. It began to rain, big drops that glistened like pearls as they fell, and the surface of the canal, so still a moment ago, broke into a thousand dancing bubbles.

There are many descriptions of life on the farm and in the village to show how people lived in Italy in the early 1900s. There are olives to be pressed, grapes to be stomped, pigs to feed, and grain to harvest.

There is a description of gypsies in the fair chapter that doesn't quite meet today's standards. I suppose the substandard treatment of gypsies in literature is an accurate reflection of yesterday's prejudices, even why they are not purposefully being derogatory. My kids have heard about gypsies before (from when we read The Good Master), but I think I'm going to see out a book we can to counteract some of this disrespect. (Suggestions welcome.)

Mater Amabilis™ Level 1A year 1 includes Italy in the list of countries for People and Places with Red Sails to Capri. I adore Red Sails to Capri and will not give up my last chance of reading it aloud to Second Son. It's unlikely anyone would want to substitute Nino for Red Sails to Capri because Red Sails to Capri is likely much easier to find at a more reasonable price. But...if you had to make a substitution, this book would be delightful. I intend to read both of them aloud next year. I've also found a used copy of what appears to be a sequel to Nino called Golden Gate and I bought it. Just because I wanted it.

I purchased Nino used (and Golden Gate) and received nothing in exchange for writing this post. These opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links and will grand a small commission if you follow a link and make a purchase.

New Life Thanks to a Lion's Mane: The Story of Doctor Dolittle

The Story of Doctor Dolittle

by Hugh Lofting

Books of Wonder edition, with very limited text changes
by Patricia C. McKissack and Frederick L. McKissack

While familiar with the story of Doctor Dolittle, I don't think I read the book until a few years ago. I was dismayed at the report of an African prince who wanted to turn himself white. When originally published in 1920, this plot point was not seen as an indication that all Africans would prefer to be white or even that white was better. In the foreward, Patricia and Frederick McKissack explain their belief that Lofting:

created the Prince Bumpo episode to show children that sometimes people foolishly try to alter themselves to be more attractive to others.

The focus was never intended to be his color but rather on his unnecessary desire to change his appearance at all. Taking into account Lofting's original intention, the McKissacks changed the text:

After careful, considered study, we made changes that were limited to the following: reworking the episode in which the African prince, Bumpo, wishes to become white; deleting two offensive phrases elsewhere in the book; and changing the word country when referring to the continent of Africa.

Prince Bumpo no longer wants to change his skin color from brown to white. Instead, he wants to grow a lion's mane. After the hair growth potion works and Prince Bumpo releases Doctor Dolittle, the doctor feels badly:

It was the King, his father, who had us locked up. Bumpo's problem is he doesn't understand there is no need for him to become a lion to be strong and brave. I wonder if I ought to go back and tell him that. But then again, it might be better for him to learn it on his own.

Some people may be horrified at a change like this, but I thought this point was deleterious enough that I had decided never to read this book to my children. I had this beautifully illustrated version on our shelf but it sat neglected until First Daughter asked if she could read it. I agreed, but warned her about the prince and we talked a little about how erroneous it is to believe that any skin color (white or brown) is better than any other. She read it and reported to me there wasn't anything about a prince changing his skin color. What a surprise! I hadn't realized this edition was different than the original.

My children hear and read a lot in old books that we would find offensive today and usually we just talk about it and move on, but the idea that lighter skin color is preferable is a pervasive and insidious evil that demeans most of the children on earth. The slight changes in the text of The Story of Doctor Dolittle allow the silly and lighthearted story and the delightful doctor to avoid any taint from such a thought.

Mater Amabilis™ lists this book as a classic read aloud for Level 1B (first grade). I plan on reading this book aloud next year, when my youngest is already in second grade, and I expect it to be a great favorite.

Cultivating Living Beauty: A Tree for Peter

A Tree for Peter

by Kate Seredy

I found this on a blog post (unfortunately long forgotten) of Advent read-aloud books. Kate Seredy's writing is as beautiful and lyrical as always, even when describing the wretched conditions of small Peter, a squatter with his mother in an abandoned house in a garbage dump.

Then they were floating on the shining little waves, small Peter and his friend, with Pal between them. Peter's heart was bursting with the Sunday feeling. He had no words to go with the way he felt; all the words he knew seemed dull and gray. The Sunday feeling was bright as the sunshine and sharp as the little waves around the boat. It would not stay down but spread into Peter's cheeks, making them pink and hot; it crept into his eyes, making them shine like stars, and finally it burst out into a laughing sentence:

"The sun is dancing inside me, Mr. Peter!"

In the book, big Peter appears only to small Peter with gifts of time and beauty and life (a tree). Small Peter accepts these gifts and transforms them into renewed life for the entire community. It's sweet and touching, if a little simplistic in its description of people lifting themselves out of poverty. Even so, I think it will make a lovely read-aloud for us so it's on the list for Advent 2018.

Nature Study as a Life: The Girl Who Drew Butterflies

The Girl Who Drew Butterflies: How Maria Merian's Art Changed Science

by Joyce Sidman

I happened upon this book in a library search while searching for something else. Maria Sibylla Merian is not entirely unknown to me as we've read Summer Birds: The Butterflies of Maria Merian. This book, though, is a much more developed biography which incorporates aspects of the culture, industry, and geography of the European world during her lifetime in order to understand her better. It's a biography, but one so bursting with other kinds of information it could fit just about anywhere in a homeschool curriculum (science, nature study, art, poetry, photography, history, and geography, to name a few subjects).

The story of Maria Merian's life is told in twelve chapters, each named after a phase in a caterpillar and butterfly's life cycle, beginning and ending with Egg. They parallel the periods of growth and change experienced by Merian. Throughout the book are maps, photographs, reproductions of engravings and paintings (many by Merian) and quotes from Merian's writings. While it's possible her art was not entirely responsible for changes occurring in scientific studies at the time, Merian's life was remarkable. At a time and in a culture where women were excluded from professional lives by law, she persevered in artistic and business pursuits.

Her personal life was not ideal. She leaves her husband, eventually seeking sanctuary from him in a religious community until he abandons his attempt to convince her to return home with him. He then divorces her and leaves her to financially support their daughters. Undaunted, she not only succeeds in supporting them, but travels to South America to study insects and create a stunning book of her observations.

But her extraordinary skills set her apart. She had the curiosity of a true scientist, the patience it took to raise insects, and the superb artistic skill necessary to share her observations. In short, she was quietly engaged in some of the finest insect work of her time.

This lovely book is going on our read-aloud schedule for next year, when Second Son will be in second grade, the year I order caterpillars we can watch turn into butterflies. I think much of it will go over his head (he'll be eight) but he'll understand enough, and the others will learn a great deal. I hope, too, they feel a little more inspired when we're on our nature walks and pulling out the nature journals.

There is another book on Merian, published just a week earlier. Our library doesn't have a copy and it has fewer pages (according to Amazon), but it might also be interesting: Maria Sibylla Merian: Artist, Scientist, Adventurer.

I checked this book out from the library to read it and received nothing for this review, but the links above are affiliate links to Amazon.

Memories of Christmas: A Child's Christmas in Wales

A Child's Christmas in Wales

by Dylan Thomas

illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

This book has been on my list for a few years as something I might read aloud to the kids during Advent and Christmas. It's a short book and one we should be able easily to finish with time to read a second book as well.

Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet, writes about the Christmases he remembers as a boy, all jumbled up together in his mind. It's rambling and delightful, overflowing with irreverence and warmth and family. Though the text is prose, it's lyrical with sentences like:

All the Christmases roll down toward the two-tongued sea, like a cold and headlong moon bundling down the sky that was our street; and they stop at the rim of the ice-edged, fish-freezing waves, and I plunge my hands in the snow and bring out whatever I can find.

The first memory is that of a fire, swiftly doused by the fire brigade.

And when the firemen turned off the hose and were standing in the wet, smoky room, Jim's aunt, Miss Prothero, came downstairs and peered in at them. Jim and I waited, very quietly, to hear what she would say to them.

She said the right thing, always. She looked at the three tall firemen in their shining helmets, standing among the smoke and cinders and dissolving snowballs, and she said: "Would you like anything to read?"

Because, of course, the greatest reward in the world is a book to read!

The list of presents reveals the universality of gifts, both those "Useful" and "Useless." There's an essential illustration of the "crocheted nose bag" in the version I checked out of the library.

There are lots of references to smoking and drinking which didn't bother us because we read lots of old books that mention such things.

I have a paperback copy of this book (picked up at a library book sale), illustrated by Edward Ardizzone. That copy was put away with our Christmas things before I had time to read it, so I check out one from the library illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman (linked above). I love the Schart Hyman illustrations; they suit the nostalgic tone perfectly. I also checked out the edition illustrated by Chris Raschka, but didn't care for it at all.

Nature Journal Inspiration: The Curious Nature Guide

The Curious Nature Guide: Explore the Natural Wonders all Around You

by Clare Walker Leslie

Many years ago I read Keeping a Nature Journal and was inspired. It helped me feel more confident going out on nature walks with the children, but it wasn't the kind of book I would have read out loud to them.

Now, though, we have The Curious Nature Guide! I added a "nature" reading to our meal-time reading this year, mostly to accommodate Pagoo which I'm reading out loud for (probably) the last time for my youngest. When I saw this book at the library, though, I knew I was going to read it to them first.

It's full of beautiful illustrations, examples and sketches from the author's own nature journals, and the kind of prompts that make nature study easier to manage. Designed for people who might be noticing the natural world around them for the first time, even those who might live in populated cities, it's small steps are also perfect for young people faced with a blank journal page during nature study. Even after a few years under our belts, I thought the suggestions in the book would be helpful to my children.

There are a few main sections, but no chapters proper. We read a few pages at a time once or twice a week (with a break when I had to return it to the library).

2016 Advent Books: Picture Book a Day, Read Alouds, and Poetry

Yes, 2016. You read that right. I never posted last year on what we did and I'm going to pretend it was on purpose so I could inspire some Advent planning just in time for this year!

If you don't already know, some crazy people wrap a picture book to open each day during Advent (or between Christmas and Epiphany). Yeah, I'm one of those crazy people. This all started because I love picture books and because our kids don't actually open many presents from us, so we get a little present-opening fun throughout Advent. I don't buy all the books; I just go ahead and wrap library books. The kids know some of these books have to go back to the library and don't seem to mind.

Every year I think about not wrapping a picture book a day because my kids are getting older, but so far I've just kept it up. This year there are only three weeks of Advent so it seems silly to give it up when it's so easy! So I'm going to wrap some this year, again.

Last year, Advent was as long as possible because Christmas was on a Sunday. Most of our books were repeats from previous years and you can find those by perusing some of the other posts, but I thought I'd write about the ones that were new to us.

Last year, in 2016, First Son (turned 13 during Advent) wasn't very interested in the picture books. First Daughter (10) just wanted to read them aloud, so she mostly read them after one of the younger two (ages 8 and 6) opened them. They took turns, somehow, all handled on their own.

Here are the picture books that were new to us in 2016 (all library books):

The Christmas Cat by Efner Tudor Holmes, illustrated by Tasha Tudor - This was one of Second Daughter's favorites last year (when she was 8). I checked it out again this year and she remembered it with joy. A shivering cat finds a new home with a loving family on Christmas morning.

Just Right for Christmas by Birdie Black, illustrated Rosalind Beardshaw - This book is reminiscent of one of my absolute favorites, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, but it's easier to get from our library. Second Son (6 last year) remember this one and immediately grabbed it to read when I checked it out again this year. A bit of cloth provides Christmas presents for a ever increasing number of people and animals in smaller and smaller increments.

Latkes and Applesauce: A Hanukkah Story by Fran Manushkin, illustrated by Robin Spowart - Though I still can't decide if a Hanukkah story is perfect for Advent reading or if we should avoid Hanukkah stories in deference to those of Jewish faith. We read it because I loved the story of a generous family who shared all they had with a stray cat and dog and were rewarded with a Hanukkah miracle.

The Christmas Boot by Lisa Wheeler, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney - I love Pinkney's illustrations and they complement well this story of a lonely woman who finds a miraculous boot. In the end, she has to return the boot to its rightful owner but is left with an even better gift.

This First Christmas Night by Laura Godwin, illustrated by William Low - This book uses a sweet and simple text to set the stage for the first Nativity and it's wonderfully illustrated. It's perfect for even the littlest ones who are so easily overwhelmed down by lengthy Nativity picture books.

Christmas in the Country by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Diane Goode - This is a nice little book about a girl remembering Christmas at her childhood home with her grandparents.

One Night in a Stable by Guido Visconti, illustrated by Alessandra Cimatoribus - This is the Nativity story from the point of view of a lonely ox who, seeking for his master, finds many to invite into the warmth of his stable. I feel like the illustrations are the main benefit of this book; they're unusual in their colors and geometry.

Findus at Christmas by Sven Nordqvist - Oh, how we love Findus in all his books! This book has a lot of text, probably too much for very young listeners. Findus the cat and Pettson his owner-friend, are quirky and wonderful. They make the best of every ridiculous situation. In this book, they celebrate Christmas in the best way - with generous friends and neighbors. Read all the Findus books!

Mary's Song written by Lee Bennett Hopkins, illustrated by Stephen Alcorn - This is another lovely picture book on the Nativity, beautifully illustrated. This one encourages us to be quiet and contemplate the infant Jesus, cradled in his mother's arms as she quietly sings to him.

Poetry:

The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore, illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat - Every year we read a version of this poem. Though I own a couple, I tend to choose a new one from the library. This one has a lovely pop-up at the end of the poem.

Then we continued to read from The Oxford Book of Christmas Poems edited by Michael Harrison and Christopher Stuart-Clark. We started this in 2015 and will continue it in 2017. I haven't decided if I'll read a poem a day from it instead of our current poet (Langston Hughes) or if I'll read from it once a week during our poetry time. This has a wide variety of poems and we're enjoying it.

Read-Alouds:

Usually, I replace our "fun" read-aloud during Advent with something holiday-related. Last year, we read I Saw Three Ships by Elizabeth Goudge which is a sweet tale. A small girl spends her first Christmas after her parents die with her spinster aunts. There's a friendly but distraught French man, a wandering uncle, and an open window for the angels. Of course, three ships arrive on Christmas morning amidst great rejoicing. I had checked it out using inter-library loan, but bought a used copy at a very reasonable price the July before I read it aloud.

On our way to my parent's house after Christmas, we also listened to an audio version of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I love reading Dickens but the audio version read by Tim Curry was fantastic. This year, we're going to listen to a version by Simon Vance. (I purchased both of these audio books on sale from Audible in 2016.)

Past Advent-Picture-Book-a-Day Booklists

• 2010 list (the first year we did this activity)
• 2011 first week of Advent 
• 2011 second week of Advent
• 2011 third week of Advent
• 2011 fourth week of Advent
• my favorite five (or seven) Christmas picture books (2012)
• an additional Christmas book for My Favorite Picture Books (2012)
• 2012 new and noteworthy Advent picture books 
• My Twelve Books of Christmas (written in 2013)
• 2013 and 2014 Advent Picture Books, a Selection
• 2015 Advent Books

Finding Your Passion, Responsibly: Ballet Shoes

Ballet Shoes

by Noel Streatfeild

This is one of the books recommended by Mater Amabilis™™ Level 1A (second and third grade) which we had never read. (So we're getting to it on the second year of the third child, though I wish we hadn't waited so long.) I hadn't pre-read it, but another homeschooling family read it last year and recommended it as well. The kids and I absolutely loved it. I wondered how three girls growing up learning dance and acting would interest all of them, especially the 13-year-old boy, but I think the Shakespeare helped.

Pauline, Petrova, and Posy help support a home filled with lovely boarders. I was a little sad reading about Petrova's close relationship with the only man in the home, Mr. Simpson, who lives there with his wife. He indulges Petrova's fascination with motorcars and airplanes, letting her work in his commercial garage and sometimes even taking her to fields where they go up in planes. It's so thoughtful and innocent and nothing like that would be possible today. I certainly wouldn't let my ten-year-old girl go off with a man every Sunday.

There are two more books which I probably won't read aloud, but which I expect First Daughter at least to read voraciously as soon as they come home from the library next week.

Please note, the author's name really is spelled "Streatfeild."

Faith and Vikings: Beorn the Proud

Beorn the Proud
by Madeleine Polland

This book is recommended in RC History's Connecting with History volume 2, which we finished in the first term this year. I read this aloud to the children based on their recommendation without reading it ahead of time and we all enjoyed it immensely.

There are some disturbing events in the book. Ness's village is attacked by Viking raiders and she is the only survivor, captured by a young Viking and kept as his slave. On the way home, the raiders stop at a remote monastery and again attack. Ness sees monks plummeting from high towers to their deaths.

Though distraught at the loss of her village and family and at her plight as a slave, Ness is always cognizant of the opportunity to lead Beorn, the Viking boy who captured her, to the Christian faith. Beorn makes no similar effort, but his actions and words often show the faith of the Vikings in pagan gods. Ness does not denigrate his beliefs, which I found a good example of evangelism for the children.

Sorry for the boy, she tried to think with sympathy of his pagan ways even if they horrified her, and to understand that they meant much to him. This was no time to try and tell him they were wrong.

Throughout the book, we encountered many aspects of Viking culture that expanded on what we read about in other books during the unit.

At one point, before leaving Ireland entirely behind, Ness has the chance to kill Beorn and escape. She stands above him with a knife but does not attack.

Ness was too confused to be angry. She had had the chance in one moment to dispose of her enemy and gain her freedom, and she had not been able to take it. She did not know whether she had lacked the courage for revenge or whether she had been given the grace to resist the temptation to kill. 

Beorn's father dies and he discovers a plot to kill the king. Escaping his home, they arrive in time to help thwart the attempt and save the king. Beorn's foolish pride endangers him and his people but he is blind to the threat. When Ness tries to reason with him, he attacks her faith, asking the kind of questions we all ask when tragedy befalls Christians.

I listened long enough to your talk of humility and your God of gentleness. He cares, you say, for those who serve Him! How has He cared for you? He has allowed you to lose your home and your family."

She can only answer, "You have not yet walked all your road!"

In the end, it is Ness's faith in her family and her Lord that save them all.

This post is my honest opinion. I purchased this book, probably from the publisher during one of their frequent sales. The links to RC History are affiliate links.

May and June 2017 Book Reports

Richard Halliburton's Complete Book of Marvels: The Orient by Richard Halliburton - link to my post (purchased used copy)

The Breadwinner: An Afghan Child in a War Torn Land by Deborah Ellis is recommended as a possible fiction supplement to a short study of Afghanistan in the Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history lesson plans. First Son will be using those plans next year for eighth grade, though I haven't decided whether we'll have time to include Afghanistan. It's the story of a young girl who ends up dressing as a boy in Taliban-controlled Kabul to earn money for her family after her father is arrested. Through the course of the story, the reader learns about the changes in Kabul from the wars and the occupation by the Taliban. There are a few graphic descriptions of things like soldiers cutting off the hands of accused thieves, people shot in the streets, and bodies left to be eaten by dogs, but they are not unnecessarily gory or excessively described. (library copy)

Homeless Bird by Gloria Whelan is another Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history supplement book. A young girl in India is married to a sickly boy who dies, leaving her a widow with a mother-in-law who resents her. With the assistance of others, she gradually learns to support herself and begins a new life. This is a sweet story that reveals much about Indian life and culture. When Koly is abandoned by her mother-in-law, she sees poverty and callousness as people live and starve in the streets, but not in a way I'd refuse to share with my 10 year old (though it's the 8th grader that might be reading the book). I did think it odd that Koly didn't consider supporting herself with her exquisite embroidery earlier in the novel, especially because her mother earned extra money that way herself. (library copy)

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo, another Mater Amabilis™™Level 4 history supplemental novel, shows some of the horrors of World War I from the point of view of a remarkable horse. It begs a little in believability if in no other way than that the horse understands a variety of languages. It's a good way to tell the story, though, because while the injuries, deaths, and sufferings of the soldiers and people of Europe are depicted, most of the bloody action of the war is removed from the action. (requested from PaperBackSwap.com)

Lassie Come Home by Eric Knight is the original Lassie book. I read this aloud to the kids (13, 10, 8, 6) and they all adored it. Highly recommended as a read-aloud of adventure, devotion, and virtue. We also watched a few episodes of the Timmy show and the original movie, Lassie Come Home, which did a surprisingly good job of following the book. (book and movie were library copies)

Blessed Miguel Pro: 20th-Century Mexican Martyr by Ann Ball - link to my post (purchased from the publisher)

The King's Thane by Charles Brady, Beowulf by Michael Morpurgo, and Beowulf the Warrior by Ian Serraillier - link to my post (library copies of The King's Thane and Beowulf, Beowulf the Warrior purchased from the publisher)

Old Sam and the Horse Thieves by Don Alonzo Taylor is the sequel to Old Sam, Dakota Trotter, one of our favorite books. I finally bought a copy and read it as we began our summer. Old Sam continues to astound everyone except Johnny, right up to the end when he helps catch actual horse thieves. There is a shootout at the end of the book. Bodies are lying as if on a battlefield. The actual events are just described to the twelve-year-old narrator, though, so it wasn't too gruesome to read aloud. (purchased from the publisher)

Kingfishers Catch Fire by Rumer Godden - link to my post (purchased used on Amazon)

Dead Souls by Nikolai Gogol - link to my post (purchased used on Amazon)

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame - I'd tried to read this book a few times to the children and never made it through it, but I kept seeing it as a book that should be read. So I finally got the audiobook which I've found to be a good option for books I have trouble reading aloud myself. Kansas Dad listened to this with us. We found it a rather odd book. I'm glad Toad learns his lesson, but it seems a shame he had to escape prison to do it. (We have a copy illustrated by Michael Hague from years and years ago and an unknown source, but we listened to this Audible audiobook.)

The Long-Legged House by Wendell Berry - link to my post (library copy)

The Book of Saints and Heroes by Andrew and Lenora Lang - link to my post (copy First Son received as a gift)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol. 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• Prayer and the Will of God by Dom Hubert van Zeller (March 2017)
• Joan of Arc by Mark Twain (April 2017, with my book club)
• A Century of Sonnets edited by Feldman and Robinson (May 2017)
• Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (June 2017)
• A Room of One's Own by Virginia Woolf (June 2017)
• The Good Master by Kate Seredy (June 2017)

The italic print: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). Try Audible - another affiliate link.

Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap.com are affiliate links. Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

Life in the Tide Pools for People who Live in Kansas: Pagoo

Pagoo by Holling Clancy Holling

Pagoo is recommended in Level 1B of Mater Amabilis along with Nature Study. I read it aloud years ago, when First Son was in first grade. I remember enjoying it myself but the children were not as interested. That year, we read one chapter a week for twenty weeks. I think I skipped it the year First Daughter was in first grade. This year, Second Daughter was in first grade, and we were hoping to visit a state that actually has tide pools, so I knew I wanted to read it again. I decided, however, to make it a family read-aloud. We read about a chapter a day (sometimes twice a day) over a few weeks and did not narrate it.

Little Pagurus--"Pagoo" for short--floated at the surface of the sea. Pagurus (Pa-gu-rus) would grow into a two-fisted Hermit Crab--if he could make it.

The book follows Pagoo from a hatchling to an adult hermit crab, introducing all sorts of marine biology and fascinating creatures. Holling is a master story-teller and illustrator. One full page color illustration appears for each chapter, but the other pages usually contain black and white sketches in all the margins.

Pagoo delighted Second Daughter (age 7), the book and the hermit crab. She loved listening to his adventures, looking at the pictures, and talking about what was happening in the story. The older children (First Son at ate 12 and First Daughter at age 9) loved the book as well, much more than they did the last time we read it.

Maybe, just maybe, we'll see an actual hermit crab when we visit the ocean!

March 2016 Book Reports

More Catholic Tales for Boys and Girls by Caryll Houselander - link to post. (purchased copy)

Everything Must Change: When the World's Biggest Problems and Jesus' Good News Collide by Brian D. McLaren - link to post. (Kansas Dad's copy)

Mrs. Pepperpot's Outing by Alf Proysen - I thought I found a Pepperpot book on Mater Amabilis's prep level page (preschool and kindergarten), but it's not there so now I'm not sure. Wherever it was, I requested this one from PaperBackSwap because our library didn't have any of the Pepperpot stories. In this quirky books, Mrs. Pepperpot shrinks to the size of a mouse and hilarity ensues. I intend to read this aloud next year, mostly for the benefit of my youngest who will be six and just starting kindergarten. I imagine they'll all enjoy it. (received through PaperBackSwap.com)

Hickory by Palmer Brown - I found this on a list of summer or spring read-alouds and thought the cover looked lovely. In fact, the entire book is physically lovely. The binding and slightly thicker pages are of excellent quality. The illustrations are delightful. The story, though, is a little ambivalent. Hickory is a mouse who leaves the farmhouse to make his home in the meadow where he befriends a grasshopper. In the fall, when the grasshopper expects to die, they decide to journey south where it's always warm. And that's how the book ends, with them wandering southward. I plan to leave it out with the library books so the kids can read it if they like, but I'm not going to read it aloud. (library copy)

Mystery of the Roman Ransom by Henry Winterfield (purchased copy) - This book is recommended by our history curriculum for Roman times (find it here). It's a mystery that mixes a few historical people and actual events with an imagined group of young boys that find themselves in the thick of things. The author shows every-day life in ancient Rome without "teaching" and the story is enjoyable. I read this one aloud, but the older two read the first book in the series, Detectives in Togas, on their own. That one is recommended as a read aloud for the unit before but I didn't have time to read it aloud. (received through PaperBackSwap.com)

The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit - Six children find their family in financial difficulty after their mother dies and attempt various methods to procure riches - rescuing rich men in distress, wielding a diving rod, digging for treasure in the garden, selling poetry...they all have idea. Their naivety and generous natures win many friends, inspiring them to see the world anew. I stumbled once while reading it when I encountered one particularly unacceptable word. (I wonder how Librivox readers deal with such things; I suppose they read it. I skipped it, the whole sentence in fact.) It's not my favorite E. Nesbit novel, but it was worth reading aloud and my children enjoyed it. (library copy)

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson - link to my post. (library copy)


Books in Progress (and date started)

• Norton Anthology of English Literature Vol 2 (sixth edition) (August 2014)
• For the Children's Sake: Foundations of Education for Home and School by Susan Schaeffer Macaulay (January 2015, with my Start Here book club)
• Humility of Heart by Fr. Cajetan Mary da Bergamo (February 2015)
• Towards A Philosophy of Education (Charlotte Mason's Original Homeschooling Series) by Charlotte Mason (May 2015, with my Start Here book club)
• Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen (November 2015)
• City of Saints: A Pilgrimage to John Paul II's Kraków by George Weigel (February 2016)
• A Triumph for Flavius by Caroline Dale Snedeker (March 2016)

The italic print: Links to Amazon are affiliate links. As an affiliate with Amazon, I receive a small commission if you follow one of my links, add something to your cart, and complete the purchase (in that order). 

Links to RC History and PaperBackSwap are affiliate links.

Other links (like those to Bethlehem Books) are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

A Missionary Love in California: Father Junipero Serra

Father Junipero Serra by Ivy Bolton 

I found this book in a lovely old hardcover edition at a used book booth last summer. I wanted to read it to the children as Father Serra was to be canonized in the fall (2015), we were learning about the time period in American history, and we were hoping to plan a camping trip to California for the following year. It just seemed right. I skimmed the text a little, but did not read the whole thing before reading it aloud to the children.

After great trials and patience, St. Junipero Serra was finally allowed to journey to California and serve the Native Americans (called "Indians" in the book, of course) there.

Monterey would be his home. He would have many weary journeys up and down the coast and one exhausting one to Mexico, but always home would be here in the place he loved best on earth.

As he gazed over the land, he probably imagined the mission, buildings, and gardens that were to come.

Just now there was a beach of dazzling whiteness, a shaded river--and the blue Pacific as far as the eye could reach. This was the scene of his lifework, and here were his spiritual children whom he loved so well. Junipero Serra asked for nothing more.

The book, written in 1965, described the Native Americans in less than ideal terms, though their actions are likely taken directly from actual accounts of the soldiers and missionaries in the area. They stole items, attacked the missions (to steal), and murdered at least one of the friars.

St. Junipero Serra begged for leniency for the attackers. When the local military leaders remained firm, he appealed to the Viceroy in Mexico, and was received it.

Father Serra yielded in lesser things, but in the affairs and the care of the Indians he was adamant. They were to be free. They were to be properly paid and properly housed. Any effort to enslave or ill-treat them roused his indignation and he would carry the matter to the viceroy as soon as possible.

Despite Father Serra's love for the Native Americans and his insistence that they be treated well, it's clear from the text that the Spanairds did not understand or respect them as we would now (hopefully). The author also isn't quite as respectful as we would expect of a more recent book, but I was able to talk a bit with the children as we read and we have lots of other books that address issues of respect and acceptance.

I'm not sure what was going on with the children, though.

The children were Father Serra's closest friends. They were forlorn little things, very much neglected till they were old enough to be of some use. Father Serra had been horrified when he found that the chiefs were willing to give the children away, not only the girls but boys, too, in exchange for pieces of cloth and old iron hoops. A battered hat was worth a lad of eleven.

The book seems to be often based on letters Father Serra wrote and his diary, so I suppose something like this must have happened but I have to believe the priest misunderstood something here.

An attack by Native Americans on a settlement is described as well, one precipitated by the poor decisions and governance by the military and political authorities despite the warnings and pleading of the missionaries, at least as described in the book.

He [the chief] had expected gifts and large gifts and they were not forthcoming. The settlers themselves had been chosen with no care. Many of them were not white men but mulattoes and Mexican Indians. They scorned the tribesmen among whom they had settled and, worst of all, destroyed the corn crops, the Indians' most precious possession. Starvation threatened the Yumas, who had been one of the wealthiest of the western tribes.

The ensuing attack was terrible: all the men were slain, the women and children taken into captivity (though all were later ransomed or rescued). I was careful while reading this part to the children but it wasn't too explicit and they seemed to accept it.

In the last chapter, after St. Junipero Serra had died, the author places him within the history of California.

Father Serra had made the trail to California. He had laid the foundation of a Golden State. He had built not only for his own nation but also for another, a great free country which would stretch from ocean to ocean, whose life lines would cross the continent and bind it into one United States. He had brought fruits, cattle, grain and civilization to a desert land and a forgotten race. He had made the wilderness blossom as the rose.

She continued:

Father Serra was ahead of his time. His ideal was always freedom built on the love of God and man. He had no race prejudice and he fought that evil valiantly when governors and captains would have enslaved the Indians or complained because they were treated the same as the white settlers. There was to be no difference between Indians and colonists, Father Serra maintained, and he saw to it that in the missions there was none.

The children and I enjoyed this book and were exposed to many of the hardships and conflicts of the early Spanish missions. There remains to this day controversy over St. Junipero Serra's role and that of the missions in conquering the Native Americans of California, so it's appropriate for some of that tension to appear within the book. It seems to me that St. Junipero Serra went farther than others in his time to love and serve the Native Americans, even if he fell short compared to what we know now.

Pegeen and a Sale!

Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum

This is the third in the Bantry Bay series by Hilda van Stockum, which includes The Cottage at Bantry Bay and Francie on the Run. I've read them all aloud to the children, experiencing them right along with them because I didn't read any of them ahead of time. These delightful stories follow the antics and every day lives of a family of five children in Ireland, including twin boys. In Pegeen, a young girl befriended by Francie on his adventures in Francie on the Run, visits after her Grannie dies while awaiting word from her guardian uncle in America. She's half-wild but innocent, sweet-tempered, and fiercely devoted to Francie and his family. The children and I fell in love with her! More than once, we lost track of time while listening (or reading aloud).

The Catholic faith of Pegeen, Father Kelly (her priest who guides her while awaiting news from her guardian), Francie, and her family all shine through the pages, though never pedantic. When Pegeen worries her grandmother will feel out of place in the grandeur of heaven, Father Kelly comforts her.

Father Kelly's lips twitched. "Surely ye don't believe that God would promise us happiness an' then pay no attention to our wishes, trying to please us with what we don't want?" he asked, playing with Pegeen's curls. "Ye may be sure He knows exactly what Grannie would like most, an' He'll give it to her. For 'Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man what things God hath prepared for them that love Him.'"

The children romp over the fields in a manner befitting the wonder celebrated in Poetic Knowledge and the freedom mourned in Last Child in the Woods. Francie and Liam, twins about seven years old, imagine themselves warriors in past battles.

They made quick work of them, slaughtering everyone mercilessly, but they still had to destroy the guns. That was the best fun of all. Liam came with his arms full of dry sticks and Francie found some matches in his pocket. Very soon they had a bonfire as elegant as the real one must have been, some two hundred and fifty years ago. In fact, it was such an excellent one, and they had chosen their spot so well, that with a little encouragement Mr. Dolan's hayrick would have joined in the conflagration. Luckily the farmer spotted it in time, chasing the boys with a few bitter words and smothering the lovely flames with shovelfuls of earth. The twins watched it from a safe distance.

"No one'll ever let us have a bit of fun," said Francie, mournfully.

The author knew Ireland intimately and must have loved it. The descriptions lure us to Ireland as surely as they encourage us to delight in the beauty of our own homes.

Pegeen stepped out into the road, digging her bare toes into the dew-drenched earth and swinging her kettle merrily. She loved to surprise the first meeting of the sun with the blushing sky, before the day had properly begun. Over grass and low shrubs lay light webby cloaks sparkling with jewels. These the fairies had left behind when they fled with the night, Pegeen knew. A rabbit loped across the way, scattering drops like a fountain as he burrowed hurriedly under the bushes. Pegeen sniffed the sharp autumn smells and filled her lungs with new air.

Mother, Father, Francie, Liam, Pegeen...they are all real. Mother says, speaking of a pet rabbit:

"I was vexed with the beast, an' that's foolishness, for he only does what nature has taught him to do. But there, it's hard to keep a family going an' keep your temper as well."

When Pegeen asks her if she likes real babies:

"I like 'em a sight too much for me own good," said Mother crisply.

Later, Mother tells a story. It was like seeing our family as I imagine it (and perhaps not as it is in real life). At the end, tears are in her eyes.

"But Own chose the right thing, didn't he?" asked Pegeen. "There's nothing to be sad about, is there?"

"Arra, leave her alone. Mothers do be having tears tucked in the corners of their eyes that will come out, regardless," said Father.

My children laughed and nodded knowingly.

Irish folktales and history are woven throughout the book, too, just as tales of the American Revolution or St. Nicholas might in our own family. Pegeen surprises and enthralls the local teacher and her classmates with a recitation of one of the tales of Cuchulain. Later, she imagines herself in heaven and sees her revered heroes there.

She saw King Conor with his purple mantle and Emer, Cuchulain's wife, who possessed the six gifts of womanhood: the gift of beauty, the gift of song, the gift of sweet words, the gift of ready hands, the gift of wisdom, and the gift of modesty.

Six gifts worth pursuing.

We just finished this book last Thursday and I was delighted to see Bethlehem Books announce a Mardi Gras sale because I was forced to write about it promptly so I could tell you all about the sale as well.

On Monday, the 8th (today!), and Tuesday, the 9th, Bethlehem Books is offering 51% off all print and ebooks with coupon code mardi51 at checkout.

In addition to the Bantry Bay series, Bethlehem publishes the wonderful Fairchild Family series (which I wrote about here), and the Mitchells series (mentioned here and here).

We have also enjoyed many of their historical fiction publications: Victory on the Walls, Hittite Warrior, God King, The Winged Watchman, The Reb and the Redcoats, Old Sam Dakota Trotter, Nacar the White Deer, Madeleine Takes Command, and Archimedes and the Door of Science. (Just to mention a few.)

Basically, I have come to trust this publisher and therefore feel confident in recommending them and sharing about their current sale.

I receive nothing from Bethlehem Books for this post or if you make a purchase. I bought Francie on the Run and Pegeen for the Kindle at a similar sale last year. (I bought an old hardcover edition of The Cottage at Bantry Bay on Cathswap years ago.) The Amazon links above are affiliate links.