April 2022 Book Reports

Katharine Drexel: Friend of the Oppressed by Ellen Tarry - I read an older version of this book from Ignatius Press's Vision Saints series with the subtitle Friend of the Neglected. The books in this series are written at a good level for 4th-8th grades. I pre-read it before assigning it to my seventh grader last year as part of her American history studies. The book describes the life and calling of St. Katharine Drexel, who gave her life and her great wealth to teach and care for Native Americans and African Americans at a time when many others discriminated against them. She is one of my favorite saints. I liked this book, even though I think if it was written today some of the language used would be different. (purchased used)

Rilla of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery - This was my very favorite book in the Anne series when I was a teenager. In the past few years, I've read the entire series again, looking forward to this one. It did not disappoint. A few of the incidents poor Rilla endures in the book seem to depict her less highly as a woman than I would like, now that I'm a mother myself, but the strength and courage of the people who suffered at home during World War I is inspirational. It would be an excellent choice for a sensitive young reader not ready yet for a more graphic book about the war itself. (purchased audiobook)

A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry - link to my post (received as a gift)

Beowulf: A New Translation by Seamus Heaney - link to my post (purchased new)

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

A Study of Virtues: How to Be a Hero

How to be a Hero: Train with the Saints

by Julia Harrell

I bought this book as a baptismal anniversary gift. It's a book in three parts, each one devoted to cardinal virtues (prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance), theological virtues (faith, hope, love), and "Little" virtues (humility, obedience, patience, gentleness). Each chapter first defines the virtue, tells the story of a saint who exemplifies the virtue, includes a short prayer, and some leading questions encouraging the reader to grow in that virtue.

The saints are a good mix of familiar and less common ones: Pope St. John Paul II but also St. Charbel Markhlouf, for example. 

There were two points I noted that might need discussion. In the story for fortitude and Saints Peter yu Tae-chol and Agatha Yi, I would have appreciated, for this age, an explicit statement in the text that turning yourself in during a persecution is not necessary; that God wants us to live. Later, in the chapter on love, Bl. Chiara Badano visits a friend with chicken pox when everyone else stays away because they are afraid to catch the disease. A year ago, I wouldn't have noticed it, but in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, I think you might want to mention that it is also sometimes an act of charity to act to limit the spread of disease. Those are good opportunities for discussions, though.

The chapter on Bl. Dina Belanger was one of my favorites, one I think particularly suited to children. Her obedience to her spiritual director and her parents in the timing of her entrance to religious life is rewarded with a glimpse of the way God can work in our lives.

The description recommends it for children aged 9 to 11. That seems about right to me. I've added it to my son's list for spiritual reading this year; he's 10. It's an excellent book on the virtues, though it does seem a little bland sometimes compared to some of the more beautiful older books we have read. I'm not replacing anything in our lessons, just adding this as an option for him to take to adoration and read silently before Jesus in the Eucharist.

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

Such a Lovely Book!

The Door in the Wall

by Marguerite de Angeli

We just listened to this on audiobook from our library for the third or fourth time. I think I love it more each time. It's a book of learning and growing in wisdom and stature despite adversity, beautifully written, and a delight over and over again. Even the 8th grade boy, who had heard it every time, enjoyed it again.

The links above are affiliate links to Amazon. The opinions here are my own. We listened to the audiobook from our library, but we own this book in hardcover, purchased used.

Increasing in Virtue: Boys to Men

Boys to Men: The Transforming Power of Virtue

by Tim Gray and Curtis Martin

This book is recommended by Mater Amabilis™ ™Level 4 (eighth grade) to be read three times a week during Lent. While it is a book written for young men, they believe it is applicable for everyone.

The authors address the virtues of prudence, justice, fortitude, temperance, faith, hope, and love specifically for teenage boys who seek to grow into men of virtue. Seven chapters are devoted to one of the virtues. Each one ends with questions that guide the reader to draw conclusions from the reading and his own personal life. Many of the questions direct the reader to seek and read specific Bible verses focused on the virtue in question with wonderful open-ended questions like "What do the following passages tell us about wisdom?" The two other chapters are an introduction and a conclusion.

Right from the beginning, Gray and Martin assure the reader that being virtuous takes hard work and planning, but that a life of virtue is open to everyone.

To be a morally good person takes more than wishing to be good or having the right values. Rather, it takes a rock-solid character that has the strength to will what is right, not just value what is good...A virtue is a good, habitual action of the will, and not only is a virtue an action that is habitual, it is an action that is done with promptness and, in a certain sense, pleasure.

I was really tempted to highlight this one for my teenager, but I refrained.

One of the great challenges in this area, but one of tremendous value, is being able to accept correction. We all make mistakes, but to be man enough to take ownership and responsibility for them, and to have the courage to see them when they are pointed out, is the key to real growth in virtue.

The chapters on the virtues are excellent. They delve deeply into the definition of the virtue, what it looks like when lived as a husband, a father, an employee, or an employer, and the kinds of practices that develop the virtue.

Too often we view work as a necessary evil that impedes our fulfillment, but this is not true. It is vital to note that work was given to man before the Fall; it is not of itself a curse. The toil, sweat, and thorns that follow the Fall add an element of suffering to the vocation of work, but work itself is noble.

This chapter, on work focuses a lot of men and business and work in a way that felt a little odd given how many women are in the workforce now (including me for the first ten-odd years of motherhood), but it's not surprising given the audience. I would have liked to see at least a few sentences addressing issues like how to behave toward women at work and the importance of managing a family with two parents in the workforce. The book was written in 2001, recently enough for these kinds of issues to be acknowledged.

The Scriptures tell us that the man who acts justly is called righteous. He is righteous because he has right relations with everyone. The virtue of justice turns our attention to others and to God, calling us to make things right in the world. This begins with offering worship and thanksgiving to God but overflows to care for others. Christians have a special duty to take care of others and influence the world around them because Christ commissioned us to be a light to the world.

The fifth chapter focuses on temperance, and the main issue is sexual temperance. Even temperance in other areas is usually included as practice for the really important one.

The struggle for self-mastery is a dramatic one, but it begins with modest steps. A good exercise is to gain control of one's appetite with food and drink. Disciplining the will to the pleasures of food and drink is a training ground that trains the will to be self-controlled in the face of sexual pleasures. Fasting, as well as abstaining from rich food and drink, is a means of further exercising one's will, putting one's desires into subjection to the will and reason.

It's not a bad chapter, though, and I would think it acceptable for any eighth grade student, but if you're only going to pre-read one chapter, you might want to choose this one on temperance.

If we take our eyes off of the final prize, then we can easily lose the desire that hope enkindles in us. If we lose our desire for heavenly glory, we will sink into the pursuit of earthly goods that are poor counterfeits of the eternal; they are mere trinkets compared to the glorious reward that awaits those who hope for heaven.

The eighth chapter, on love, speaks directly about the how a man of virtue would show love to his wife and family.

The feelings may have been necessary at the beginning of courtship, but if it evolves into true love, feelings become secondary. Marriage is about a choice to commit one's life to another for their well-being regardless of emotions. This is sometimes very difficult, but it is an example of the self-sacrificing nature of love.

The entire book is an invitation to increase in virtue.

In the end, the moral life is about liberty or slavery: the liberty that comes only through virtuous living (acting according to a properly ordered nature), or the slavery that comes from surrendering to our passions and desires (acting according to a disordered nature). 

There are questions at the end of each chapter to challenge the reader to apply the understanding of the virtue to situations, generally found in the Bible. To answer these questions seriously, a student would need a Bible or access to one online. They challenge the reader to work on the virtues each week (if one chapter is read each week) and suggest specific actions to develop the virtue. Most chapters end with memory verses or prayers.

First Son spent two days on each chapter: one to read the text and begin the questions, a second day to complete the questions. He answered them in his reading journal, but I did not read his answers. I wanted him to feel free to write anything in response without worrying about what his mother would think when she read his answers. The Mater Amabilis™ page did not mark this book as one for narration, so I did not require one, but I think it would be possible to narrate the chapter and then answer the questions privately.

While many of the questions are specific to the role of men in the community and the family, most of them either apply equally well to women or can easily be adapted to do so. When my daughters read this book (and I will assign it), I will talk with them before they begin, asking them to consider the reading and the exercises by considering in their minds how they might be able to use them to grow into women of virtue. I will also ask them to consider further how what they read in this book may help them to identify young men of virtue if they are called to the vocation of marriage.

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

The Natural World in Daily Life: All Creatures Great and Small

All Creatures Great and Small

by James Herriot

This book is one of the suggested "nature reading" books for Mater Amabilis™ ™Level 4. These books are not for narration. I think a reading journal entry would be appropriate, but I didn't assign anything like that to First Son. Instead, he just read these books and appreciated them. All Creatures Great and Small is the book assigned for the third term.

[I] hadn't dreamed there was a place like the Dales. I hadn't thought it possible that I could spend all my days in a high, clean-blown land where the scent of grass or trees was never far away; and where even in the driving rain of winter I could snuff the air and find the freshness of growing things hidden somewhere in the cold clasp of the wind.

Herriot is the pen name of a real British veterinarian of who shaped his memories of 1930s rural Yorkshire into this and subsequent fictionalized collections almost like interwoven short stories. They are not novels in the strictest definitions but neither are they memoirs.

The children and I have read James Herriot's Treasury for Children, which is a masterpiece and a beautifully illustrated book. We've also listened to the audio version as well as James Herriot's Favorite Dog Stories which all the children enjoyed. This is the first time I've read one of his complete books. There are enough references to drinking, smoking, women and dating, and rougher language, that I wouldn't recommend this particular book for young children, but it's not inappropriate for a Level 4 student (eighth grade for us).

This book is a wonderful choice for nature reading because it demonstrates an appreciation for the natural world as an integral part of a young man's life as he lives his vocation as a vet. The natural world becomes a salve to comfort him when his job is uncomfortable and to lift his spirits when he struggles.

Through May and early June my world became softer and warmer. The cold wind dropped and the air, fresh as the sea, carried a faint breath of the thousands of wild flowers which speckled the pastures. At times it seemed unfair that I should be paid for my work; for driving out in the early morning with the fields glittering under the first pale sunshine and the wisps of mist still hanging on the high tops.

One day, Herriot underestimated how long his appointments would take and, after a series of frustrating farm visits, found himself eating his lunch while driving through the countryside.

But I had gone only a short way when reason asserted itself. This was no good. It was an excellent pie and I might as well enjoy it. I pulled off the unfenced road on to the grass, switched off the engine and opened the windows wide. The farm back there was like an island of activity in the quiet landscape and now that I was away from the noise and the stuffiness of the buildings the silence and the emptiness enveloped me like a soothing blanket. I leaned my head against the back of the seat and looked out at the checkered greens of the little fields along the flanks of the hills; thrusting upwards between their walls till they gave way to the jutting rocks and the harsh brown of the heather which flooded the wild country above.

I felt better when I drove away and didn't particularly mind when the farmer at the first inspection greeted me with a scowl.

There are plenty of disgusting descriptions which will particularly appeal to young men. Once, Herriot watched his boss, Siegfried, operate on a cow:

[T]hrough the incision shot a high-pressure jet of semi-liquid stomach contents--a greenish-brown, foul-smelling cascade which erupted from the depths of the cow as from an invisible pump.

The contents shot right onto Siegfried's face and then continued to pour forth.

Siegfried, still hanging grimly on, was the centre of it all, paddling about in a reeking swamp which came half way up his Wellington boots.

The operation was a success! But the drive home was nearly unbearable, even with their heads sticking out of the windows.

Encountering farmers of all types and kinds in the surrounding area, Herriot is able to tell stories of people of all backgrounds and dispositions. There are examples of heroic sacrifice for their animals, steady unrelenting hard work, and fears and victories. One elderly woman, devoted to her animals, confesses her sorrow her pets will not join her in heaven. Herriot disagrees and comforts her:

"If having a soul means being able to feel love and loyalty and gratitude, then animals are better off than a lot of humans. You've nothing to worry about there."

Animals do not have souls, but there are good reasons to believe they will be with us in heaven. If we need our pets to be happy in eternal life, they will certainly be with us. At the resurrection, the whole world will be remade, including animals. There are opportunities for contemplating what kind of life will lead to happiness. One story compares the petty disdaining daughter of a rich man with a sweet loving daughter of a poor man.

But I kept coming back to the daughters; to the contempt in Julia Tavener's eyes when she looked at her father and the shining tenderness in Jennie Alton's.

The ending is perfectly lovely. Herriot marries a young woman in the midst of a busy season in the practice and they decide to spend their honeymoon on the job.

I looked over at Helen as she sat cross-legged on the rough stones, her notebook on her knee, pencil at the ready, and as she pushed back the shining dark hair from her forehead she caught my eye and smiled; and as I smiled back at her I became aware suddenly of the vast, swelling glory of the Dales around us, and of the Dales scent of clover and warm grass, more intoxicating than any wine. And it seemed that my first two years at Darrowby had been leading up to this moment; that the first big step of my life was being completed right here with Helen smiling at me and the memory, fresh in my mind, of my new plate hanging in front of Skeldale House. 

I don't imagine First Son will read this book and think, I want to be a country vet! But I hope this book helps shape the hopes and dreams and thoughts of how his vocation might unfold and how the natural world might become a part of his life in a way many people neglect.

I purchased this book used. All opinions are my own. Links to Amazon are affiliate links.

Like Pearls Slipping off a String: Anne of Avonlea

Anne of Avonlea

by L. M. Montgomery

My ten-year-old daughter recently finished the Anne series. I started along with her, but don't have as much time to devote to reading as she does. Of course I read all these books when I was a little girl, but they have a new sweetness to me as an adult.

Saturday proved an ideal day for a picnic...a day of breeze and blue, warm, sunny, with a little rollicking wind blowing across meadow and orchard. Over the sunlit upland and field was a delicate, flower-starred green.

Why, oh why, is nature study not like that? We can't even manage a nature walk imbued with that kind of softness and peace. I think there must be a difference between a group of elvish teenage girls and my raucous thirteen-, ten-, eight-, and six-year-olds.

Anne is seventeen and working full-time as a one-room schoolhouse teacher, supporting her aunt and distant relation six-year-old twins, but her thoughts are far different from what we expect of modern teenagers. Perhaps they shouldn't be.

In the delicate, white-browed face beside her, with its candid eyes and mobile features, there was still far more of the child than of the woman. Anne's heart so far harbored only dreams of friendship and ambition, and Mrs. Allan did not wish to brush the bloom from her sweet unconsciousness.

Anne of Avonlea, when Anne is teaching school, prompted questions in my mind about the kind of life we're living each day in our homeschool.

"After all," Anne had said to Marilla once, "I believe the nicest and sweetest days are not those on which anything very splendid or wonderful or exciting happens but just those that bring simple little pleasures, following one another softly, like pearls slipping off a string." 

Anne's days are ones of hard work compared to our modern ones. She didn't have dishwashers or washing machines or vacuum cleaners, but how lovely they seemed to be. They are imaginary, of course, but I can't help feeling I could improve our days by focusing more on peace and relationships rather than activities and screens.

Perhaps she had not succeeded in "inspiring" any wonderful ambitions in her pupils, but she had taught them, more by her own sweet personality than by all her careful precepts, that it was good and necessary in the years that were before them to live their lives finely and graciously, holding fast to truth and courtesy and falsehood and meanness and vulgarity.

Kansas Dad reminds me all the time that we are creating this kind of environment for our children, a much different one from that found in most homes, but it's difficult not to see the room for improvement. Anne of Avonlea provided some much appreciated encouragement and inspiration.

Prince Edward Island Perfection: Anne of Green Gables

Anne of Green Gables
by L.M. Montgomery

My ten-year-old daughter is reading the Anne books right now. Inspired by her interest, I picked up the first book of the series to read it again myself. I probably haven't read any Anne books in decades but I was delighted at how perfectly it stood the test of time and maturity. I loved it as much or more than when I was a girl.

So if you've never read it or haven't in years, pick it up again!

Gentlemen of the Air: The Wright Brothers

The Wright Brothers

by David McCullough

This is an enjoyable biography of the Wright brothers filled with quotes from letters, diaries, and articles. If you ever wanted to study the lives of men who humbly but diligently changed the world through dedication, perseverance, careful experimentation and documentation, and courage to face physical danger, read about the Wright brothers!

Their nephew Milton, who as a boy was often hanging about the brothers, would one day write, "History was being made in their bicycle shop and in their home, but the making was so obscured by the commonplace that I did not recognize it until many years later."

I enjoyed reading about the first published report on the Wright brothers and their success in aeronautics. Amos Root visited them and, with their permission, wrote a lovely account he published in his journal, Gleanings in Bee Culture. Isn't that wonderful? Apparently, he sent a copy to Scientific American and gave permission for it to be freely reprinted, but they declined.

On July 20, 1969, when Neil Armstrong, another American born and raised in southwestern Ohio, stepped onto the moon, he carried with him, in tribute to the Wright brothers, a small swatch of the muslin from a wing of their 1903 Flyer.

And now it's back at the Smithsonian.

Action, Adventure, and a Growth in Virtue: The Chronicles of Prydain

The Chronicles of Prydain, 5 volumes

by Lloyd Alexander

I started this series on the recommendation of a friend before handing them over to First Son, who was 12. He finished the series before I did and wouldn't let me stop insisting the fifth book was the best.

The books follow the adventures of Taran, an assistant pig keeper, in a land of magic and mystery based loosely on Welsh myths. He's a child at the beginning of the first book, The Book of Three, and eager to be off in the world fighting battles. Over the course of the novels, he matures, learning to treasure skills and relationships.

Throughout the books are sprinkled bits of wisdom. For example, in the second book, The Black Cauldron, Taran journeys with Adaon, who becomes a friend and mentor to young Taran.

"There is much to be known," said Adaon, "and above all much to be loved, be it the turn of the seasons or the shape of a river pebble. Indeed, the more we find to love, the more we add to the measure of our hearts."

And later:

Adaon smiled gravely. "Is there not glory enough in living the day given to us? You should know there is adventure in simply being among those we love and the things we love, and beauty, too.

In the fourth book, Taran Wanderer, Taran goes in search of his family, being an orphan. The book is a series of encounters with figures representing different strengths and weaknesses as well as Taran's explorations of various occupations. He finds some at which he excels but does not enjoy and some he enjoys but at which he does not excel.

The potter shook his head. "Not so. Craftsmanship isn't like water in an earthen pot, to be taken out by the dipperful until it's empty. No, the more drawn out the more remains. The heart renews itself, Wanderer, and skill grows all the better for it."

When he finds a man who claims to be his father, he suffers his own unhappiness in order to remain on the land to work it. I think that's the most interesting part of the book. He struggles with his own desire to abandon the man and learns too late what it might have taken for him to sacrifice himself lovingly for a "man of courage and good heart."

The final book, The High King, brings Taran to the end of his youth. A greater crisis than ever before wracks the land. He and those loyal to Goodness and Truth must battle for the survival of mankind against the greatest odds. Along the way, Taran struggles to discern what is right, encountering false arguments from those who choose otherwise.

Math raised his head. "Is there worse evil?" he said in a low voice, his eyes never leaving Pryderi's. "Is there worse evil than that which goes in the mask of good?"

These books provide examples of courage, redemption, forgiveness, and sacrifice. I always appreciate books in which characters grow in maturity and wisdom, showing one path of such growth for our children. These do that wonderfully.

Taran nodded. "So be it," he said. "Long ago I yearned to be a hero without knowing, in truth, what a hero was. Now, perhaps, I understand it a little better. A grower of turnips or a shaper of clay, a Commot farmer or a king--every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself alone. Once," he added, "you told me that the seeking counts more than the finding. So, too, must the striving count more than the gain."

My friend who recommended the books wanted her son to recognize the similarities between this series and The Lord of the Rings, of which there are many. The last book draws on the end of that trilogy almost explicitly. I think they could be a good preparation, an introduction to the great battle between good and evil, without quite the same level of darkness and despair as The Lord of the Rings. They're also quite a bit easier to read. My son flew through these books though he floundered a few chapters into The Fellowship of the Ring. I am comfortable with my ten year old daughter reading them as well.

"Evil conquered?" said Gwydion. "You have learned much, but learn this last and hardest of lessons. You have conquered only the enchantments of evil. That was the easiest of your tasks, only a beginning, not an ending. Do you believe evil itself to be so quickly overcome? Not so long as men still hate and slay each other, when green and anger goad them. Against these even a flaming sword cannot prevail, but only that portion of good in all men's hearts whose flame can never be quenched."

Back in Print and Wonderful: Black Fox of Lorne

Black Fox of Lorne 

by Marguerite de Angeli

I had the opportunity to proofread this book for Hillside Education in June. I waited to post about it until the final touches were complete and it was officially back in print. Hillside is doing good work, people!

Marguerite de Angeli, who wrote the familiar and wonderful The Door in the Wall, also wrote this book about twin thirteen-year-old boys of Norway who find themselves stranded alone by storm and sword in Scotland at the time of Malcolm II. Only one brother is captured; the other remains free which allows them to take turns as the captive and simultaneously discover the cruel plots by their captor. The boys remember and follow the teaching and advice of their father and their lessons in Norway: mastering their anger, keeping silent in company, training their bodies to endure hardships, mastering skills despite lack of interest.

Along the way, they encounter Christians who teach the boys about Jesus, in words and actions.

Memory of St. Andrew’s martyrdom strengthens our faith and makes us able to endure hardship and grief, and to know joy that Jesus, the Lamb of God, gave His life for every man.

The example of Christians who wait on the Lord gives the boys strength to endure their mistreatment and the patience to wait for the right time to exact revenge on their father's murderer. (In the end, as the Christian suggests may happen, the villain meets his fate at the hates of the king.)

In His good time, He will help us,” said Murdoch. “Perhaps He is helping us now, though we see it not. God’s ways are not our ways. We must have faith, for even when all seems against us, all seems lost, we later find that all was for the best. Sometimes one must lose that many others may gain, even as Christ gave His life for us all. We must have faith."

The boys naturally raise questions about the faith, many of which are interesting ones.

“Why does this Gavin make the sign then, when he is cruel as I know he is? He seems to like being thought cruel. Why makes he the sign?" asked Ian again.

When they hear the story of Jesus calming the storm, the boys ask why the storm that destroyed their ship was not stilled.

“Who shall say that ye were not sent here for a purpose?” asked Gregory. “I be but a shepherd, and know these things only by hearing the holy pilgrims tell of them, but I know them to be true, though I know not the reason for the way things happen. We can only hope and believe, for often good cometh of seeming evil, as the lily grows from the slime and dung which feeds it.”

More than once, Brus and Ian do not strike their enemy when he is in a position of weakness.

Brus wondered why he had troubled to save him. Yet, save him he had, surely. Then, he seemed to hear his father’s voice, as clearly as if he had really spoken, saying, “—and be just to all men.”

But was it “just” to save the life of an enemy? “Yes,” Murdoch Gow said. “Love thine enemy, hate him not, but hate the thing he does.”

This is a story of courage and virtue, full of wisdom passed from father to son, and boys who eventually choose their own paths. The end is wonderfully exciting.

There are a few deaths, though not presented in a gruesome way. This book would be appropriate to read aloud to a wide range of ages, but I will probably have my children read it independently in late elementary or middle school. It would be particularly appropriate if studying the history of England and Scotland around the year 1000, but worthwhile anytime.

Virtue in Small Bites: Education in Virtue's Virtue Cards

We've had Education in Virtue's set of small virtue cards for two years. The first year, I asked First Son and First Daughter to choose one card a week to read, but I felt like we should be able to get a greater benefit from them. This past year, I started reading one card aloud at breakfast each day, as I mentioned in an earlier post. A few people asked about the cards, so I thought I'd write a bit about what they are and how we use them.

The cards are divided into four main categories: Loving with Justice, Acting with Prudence, Contending with Fortitude, and Mastering with Temperance. For each of these four categories is a folded card with an explanation of the symbol for the category, a Scripture verse, the meaning (of justice, prudence, fortitude, and temperance), a gift of the Holy Spirit for the exercise of the virtue, a list of related virtues, a prayer, and four saints that exemplified the virtue.

A varied number of cards were then created for each of the related virtues within the four main categories. For example, the related virtues for Master with Temperance are honesty, humility, meekness, moderation, modesty, orderliness, and self-control. Then, for honesty, there are seven double-sided cards. Each shows a child's drawing on the front displaying the virtue with text describing what honesty "looks like" and what it "sounds like." The "sounds like" statement is one a child might say when practicing the virtue. On the back is a prayer (the same one repeats for every card on a related virtue), a Scripture reference (sometimes repeated), and a description of one of the four saints that exemplified the virtue. Because there are seven cards for honesty, three of the saints appear twice.

The cards are 5.5" tall and 4.25" wide. They are printed in full-color and laminated for durability.

Each morning, I read one card aloud to the children. Depending on the morning, we may talk about what it means and how it might be applied in our own lives. Sometimes I just read the card and the prayer. We haven't looked up the Scripture references though it would not add much time to our study.

The descriptions and examples are generally perfect for elementary-aged children, especially first to fifth grades. My oldest (in sixth grade this year) was able to participate as well. Though some of the examples or definitions were imperfect, most were excellent and made the virtues accessible to children.

I found these cards an excellent way to make virtue study a part of every day with only a few minutes of time. They complement well all the books we read in which characters display growth of virtue (or the lack of it). I find it useful to have this small bit of time to make our discussion of virtues explicit and related to our lives.

The italic print: I purchased these cards at full price and receive nothing if you choose to purchase them or anything else from Education in Virtue.

My Favorite Picture Books: Rocks in His Head

Rocks in His Head by Carol Otis Hurst, pictures by James Stevenson

Based on the true story of the author's father, this book is a fantastic addition to a geology study. He loved rocks from the time he was a young boy, collecting and studying them his entire life. Every few pages the phrase "rocks in his head" repeats, to which her father always agreeably replies, "Maybe I do."

There's a little history (the rise of the automobile and the Great Depression) in addition to the geology, but most importantly is his humility and quiet perseverance. His rocks give him a steady joy, even when faced with struggles. In this end, his dedication to his passion and his never-ending quest for more knowledge earn him his dream job.

Second Daughter has been inspired to not only collect rocks after reading this book, but to search through myriads of library books to identify her rocks and label them. Now she and First Daughter have rock displays on their dressers.

Favorite Picture Books: Stuve-Bodeen's Elizabeti books

Elizabeti's Doll, Mama Elizabeti, and Elizabeti's School by Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen, and all illustrated by Christy Hale

We've been reading these books for years. We even own the first book, Elizabeti's Doll, thanks to a kind fellow member at PaperBackSwap.com. Elizabeti is a sweet girl in Tanzania who is first introduced when she selects a beautiful perfect rock to be her baby. She rocks her baby, feeds her, and comforts her. In the course of the day, she's misplaced, but discovered by an understanding sister and restored to her little mama.

Later, Elizabeti has a new baby sister and now must help care for her brother Obedi. It would be surprising to find such a young girl caring for her brother in America and she nearly loses him, but it all works out in the end. Life in Elizabeti's Tanzania is hard, but depicted beautifully.

In the third book, Elizabeti's School, Elizabeti goes to school for the first time. In all the important ways, it's just like a first day of school anywhere in the world, but set in Elizabeti's loving African family.

We love Elizabeti! I wish we could visit her, and so do my girls!

Favorite Picture Books: How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots

How the Guinea Fowl Got Her Spots 

retold and illustrated by Barbara Knutson

In this book, a Swahili story explains why a guinea fowl has spots. In the beginning, she's a beautiful black without a single spot. She and Cow are great friends, spending time together each day but always watching out for Lion. One day, spotting Lion stalking Cow, the guinea rushes in to save her friend without a thought for her own safety. The next day, she attacks Lion a second time, again saving her friend. In thanksgiving, Cow sprinkles milk over her feathers, giving them lovely spots and allowing her to hide perfectly in shadows and grass.

A small note on the copyright page shows how to pronounce the guinea's name. The illustrations leap off the page and include scratch marks that evoke African art.

We have guinea fowl because they eat ticks and grasshoppers, so we were destined to love this book. Even better, it exemplifies friendship and courage.

Highly recommended.

Almost a Picture Book: The Story of Diva and Flea

The Story of Diva and Flea as told and shown by Mo Willems and Tony DiTerlizzi

Mo Willems, famous for Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus and the Elephant and Piggie books (for the most part, great early reader books less intimidating then chapter books), brings us The Story of Diva and Flea, wonderfully illustrated by Tony DiTerlizza.

Diva is a sweet pampered little dog while Flea is a homeless adventurer. They overcome a misunderstanding early in the book to develop a friendship. I love the response when Flea brings an offering of apology to Diva: a dead mouse. Shocked and surprised, she demands to know who brought such a thing to her doorstep, but immediately changes her tone when Flea explains he's brought it to show how sorry he is.

Diva looked at the mouse and thought for a moment. Then she walked over to Flea and said, "That is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me. But, in the future, bring me a small piece of ribbon, okay?"

Flea encourages and supports Diva as she learns to explore outside her garden. Diva in turn introduces Flea to life and love in a home.

My children are enamored of France at the moment, so Second Daughter will love the lovely two page spread of the Eiffel Tower and the occasional French word like flaneur. (I don't know how to make the French symbols on Blogger.)

Friendship, courage, trust, adventure, all in Paris. A fantastic addition to early reader shelves.

I'd probably introduce this book right after or along with the Henry and Mudge books. Second Daughter is a little ahead of that level, but we'll read this together anyway. Because of the French words, it's a good one to read along with a new reader.

Love, Forgiveness, and All of Creation: Gilead

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

Kansas Dad read this book first and suggested I read it, years ago. It's my own fault I waited so long.

The narrator of Gilead is a minister, John Ames, who begins writing as a journal, a letter to his young son. Suffering from heart disease and advanced age, Ames realizes he will soon die and desires to share his thoughts and dreams with his son who will read them when he is grown.

In the course of his writing, Ames describes the travails of bloody Kansas and their tragic effects on his own family. He explores the
dismal remants of sin in our lives and the transforming power of understanding and forgiveness. He grapples with his own weaknesses and sins, turning repeatedly to prayer and contemplation. He revels in the inexplicable and extraordinary beauty of creation, most especially the treasured existence of his only living son.

I'd never have believed I'd see a wife of mine doting on a child of mine. It still amazes me every time I think of it. I'm writing this in part to tell you that if you ever wonder what you've done in your life, and everyone does wonder sooner or later, you have been God's grace to me, a miracle, something more than a miracle. You may not remember me very well at all, and it may seem to you to be no great thing to have been the good child of an old man in a shabby little town you will no doubt leave behind. If only I had the words to tell you.

Pages and pages of my commonplace book are now full of the words of Robinson's Gilead.

Being a minister facing imminent death, Ames writes often of that hazy division between death and life everlasting.

While you read this, I am imperishable, somehow more alive than I have ever been, in the strength of my youth, with dear ones beside me. You read the dreams of an anxious, fuddled old man, and I live in a light better than any dream of mine--not waiting for you, though, because I want your dear perishable self to live long and to love this poor miserable world, which I somehow cannot imagine not missing bitterly...

He reflects on his past sermons, on comforting the dying and those left behind. He records conversations on predestination and eternal damnation, repentance and forgiveness.

Let me say first of all that the grace of God is sufficient to any transgression, and that to judge is wrong, the origin and essence of much error and cruelty.

Ames speaks often of watching his son just being young and marveling at his childish perfection. Those words rang with the beauty of my own days now. Days when I can watch my children running around the house with the dog, hair blowing, mouths open, laughter caught by the wind and wafting into the house.

You come in reeking of evening air, with your eyes bright and your cheeks and fingers pink and cold, too beautiful in the candlelight for my old eyes.

Later in the same paragraph, he writes:

There are a thousand thousand reasons to live this life, every one of them sufficient.

This is a book of contemplation, considering the reasons for life itself and how we can immerse ourselves in it and in our relationships.

Love is holy because it is like grace--the worthiness of its object is never really what matters.

Like Hannah Coulter, I was tempted to turn back to the beginning and read it all over again.

My Favorite Picture Books: Brinton Turkle's Obadiah stories

Brinton Turkle is one of my favorite illustrators. I was reminded earlier this year of his near perfection when we were reading Anna and the Baby Buzzard. I was lucky enough to get a copy of this book from PaperBackSwap.com after our library's copy was made permanently unavailable. There's one two page spread showing Anna and her brother flying through the summer woods surrounded by their menagerie. You can almost feel the summer sunshine and light breeze and glimpse a shimmer of movement.

Anna and the Baby Buzzard isn't written by Brinton Turkle, but he has a few particularly wonderful books starring an adventurous young Quaker named Obadiah. Thy Friend, Obadiah, Obadiah the Bold, and Rachel and Obadiah bring old Nantucket to life through the experiences of Obadiah and his inspiring family. They are full of perseverance, courage, and bravery, as well as children behaving just as children do.

Turkle's illustrations are delightful as always. His drawings of children have such sweetness and life in them! I could gaze at them all day long.

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). Every little bit helps - thanks!

Links to PaperBackSwap could give me a referral credit if you follow the link, establish a new account, and post ten books.

Reading 2015: A Year in Review

Looking over my posts from the past year to find my favorite books has reminded me how wonderful the best of them were! Hopefully you find inspiration for reading here and not despair at all the length of the list of books you'd like to read.

The book covers below are affiliate links to Amazon. Underneath, I've linked to my book reviews or monthly book report.


Favorite Book of 2015

Bleak House by Charles Dickens

Best Fiction

In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden

Best Non-Fiction

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder, edited by Pamela Smith Hill

Best New-to-Me-Author

The Extraordinary Journeys: Around the World in Eighty Days (Oxford World's Classics) by Jules Verne, translated by William Butcher

Best Classic Book I've Never Read Before

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

Best Book I Pre-Read for School

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: The Magical Car by Ian Fleming

Book that Made Me Laugh

The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi (and Don Camillo and His Flock)

Best Homeschooling or Education Book

Consider This: Charlotte Mason and the Classical Tradition by Karen Glass

I also enjoyed Mind to Mind: An Essay Towards a Philosophy of Education by Charlotte Mason and Karen Glass.

Most Challenging

Laudato Si -- On Care for Our Common Home by Pope Francis

Best Book I Read Aloud

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup and a Spool of Thread by Kate DiCamillo

"Read aloud" used loosely since we listened to this on audio CD from the library.

Best Memoir

The Wild Muir: Twenty-Two of John Muir's Greatest Adventures selected by Lee Stetson

Best Biography

The Small Woman by Alan Burgess

Best Sports-Related Book

A Nice Little Place on the North Side: A History of Triumph, Mostly Defeat, and Incurable Hope at Wrigley Field by George F. Will

I gave my dad this book for Christmas and he loves it, too.


Most Surprising (in a Good Way)

1776 by David McCullough

Best Book on Faith

The Little Oratory: A Beginner's Guide to Praying in the Home by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler

My Other Favorite Books
(alphabetical order by title)

The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind: Young Readers Edition by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer

Helena by Evelyn Waugh

The Long Christmas by Ruth Sawyer

The Religious Potential of the Child: Experiencing Scripture and Liturgy with Young Children by Sofia Cavaletti

For those interested in even more books lists:
2014 list
2013 list

December 2015 Book Reports

The Nature of Kansas Lands with essays by Elizabeth Schultz - Read my review. (library copy)

The Small Woman by Alan Burgess - Read my review. (library copy)

The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi - Read my review. (library copy)

The Long Christmas by Ruth Sawyer - Read my review. (purchased 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)
• George Washington, Spymaster: How the Americans Outspied the British and Won the Revolutionary War by Thomas B. Allen (November 2015) 
• Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen (November 2015)
• Everything Must Change: When the World's Biggest Problems and Jesus' Good News Collide by Brian D. McLaren (December 2015) 
• Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum (December 2015, aloud to the children)

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). I like to use the little I earn on the blog to purchase birthday and Christmas gifts. Links to PaperBackSwap could give me a referral credit if you follow the link, establish a new account, and post ten books. Links to RC History are affiliate links. Other links are not affiliate links.

These reports are my honest opinions.

A Season of Beauty of Faith: The Long Christmas

The Long Christmas by Ruth Sawyer

I picked this book up from a bookseller at a conference last year because I love the artwork of Valenti Angelo. We read from an exquisitely decorated The Book of Psalms each day. I remembered Ruth Sawyer's The Year of the Christmas Dragon, so I thought I'd be safe with the text. As a bonus, it smelled deliciously of old book.

A few pages into the Introduction, I knew I had found a treasure.

Never before within our memory has it seemed so important to keep the Long Christmas; to begin early enough and hold to the festival long enough to feel the deep, moving significance of it. For Christmas is a state of mind quite as much as a festival; and who can establish and maintain a state of mind in the rush and turmoil of a single day, or two days? Around no other time of year has been built so much of faith, of beauty. Out of no other festival have grown so many legends.

It bears repeating, "Who can establish and maintain a state of mind in the rush and turmoil of a single day, or two days?" Sawyer is advocating for a "Long Christmas," a celebration of weeks after the day itself, time to soak in the mystery and the loveliness.

Later, Ms. Sawyer quotes Anne Carroll Moore in My Roads:

We too often forget lighting up time at Christmas and lay upon the day itself too heavy a load of material substitutes for the great good gifts of beauty, song, and laughter, of genuine play and fresh adventure in two worlds.

The weeks of Advent leading up to Christmas build an anticipation that may be crushed by an "imperfect" celebration on the day itself. Let the storytelling, singing, and laughing continue throughout the season of Christmas!

Thirteen stories, gathered from various countries, are included in the book: one for Christmas and all the days through Epiphany. Before each tale is a poem or hymn. Some are old carols or hymns, but some, I think, are written by Sawyer.

The tales broach every human emotion but all are centered on the birth of Christ and the celebration of that great feast. From The Holy Lake:

Now pride and scorn are poor bedfellows. They will turn a good man into an empty-headed fool. If there is no longer need of earning daily bread, no longer need of counting the busy hours of the day that life might be wise and diligent, then the empty-headed fool becomes a man both vicious and greedy--a baser metal himself, and good for little but scrapping.

One lone woman continues to welcome the guest in Christ's name, to comfort and nourish. A strange young child comes to her humble cabin on Christmas Eve, rejected from every other village home.

And then he talked to her of his own mother, of their simple life at home, of his brothers and one sister. She saw, in what he told, her own life taking form as it had been, and felt again how good it had been, these things of living, of homely service, of preparing food, of hushing children, of making garments, of keeping a house tidy and pleasant. And while he talked, bringing the years home to her, she nodded and at last slept.

In the morning, she finds the town drowned by a lake along with all the gluttonous, greedy villagers. Though the story seems to hint the stranger was Christ himself, I find it difficult to think he would have suffered more when thinking of what would happen to the people of the town, guilty as they were. (Also, as Catholics we believe Christ would have had no siblings.) Still, a tale does not need to be theologically perfect to be thought-provoking.

My favorite story is The Crib of Bo'Bossu, in which a poor deformed carpenter desires to carve a beautiful new crib for the Christ child in the Nativity scene at the cathedral. His great gift of wood-working, his only gift, he wished to dedicate to drawing the eyes of others to Christ.

With the crib conceived, there remained only to win time for the work. He worked far into the long evenings; he worked at full of moon; he rose an hour before time for morning coffee. His own working hours for the Old One were long enough to tire; but this was work for love and he rested at it.

As the feast neared, he struggled to find time and finally found himself struggling to see in the darkness before the feast before an unfinished cradle. Miraculously, a stranger appears who magnificently completes his gift.

The penultimate story is A Candle for Saint Bridget. Unlike the other stories, all taken from traditional tales, this one is a story of the authors own. Overcome by the spirit of giving when visiting a family struggling vainly against hunger and poverty, she leaves an offering for the children from St. Bridget.

I'm looking forward to reading this book aloud to my children next Advent, in preparation for our own celebration of the Long Christmas.