Private Voytek of the transport company of the 2nd Polish Corps of the British Army in World War II turned lots of heads, and made many other soldiers scream in fright. Why? He was a bear. Yes, a Syrian brown bear. A few Polish soldiers who had escaped Russia into Iran picked him up somewhere... Continue Reading →
Snow Treasure
Norway in winter seems insulated against the forces at work on the European mainland in 1940. But then, Nazi paratroopers parachuted into the villages of Norway, and Peter Lundstrom and his friends are called into action. Not to fight the Nazis, but to fool them. Peter and his friends work together with Peter's uncle to... Continue Reading →
Dandelions
For most people, the thought of dandelions brings thoughts of desperate efforts to eradicate them from their yards. But for Zoe, dandelions are a symbol of hope. Hope that her mother will feel at home on the prairies of Nebraska. Hope that their sod house will soon feel like home. Hope that the family will... Continue Reading →
a faraway island
In 1939, those European Jewish families who could sent their children to Sweden - a safe haven from the Nazi soldiers. Twelve-year-old Stephie Steiner and her seven-year-old sister Nellie are two of the lucky ones to escape Vienna. At first, they don't feel so lucky. Once in Sweden, they are placed with separate host families. ... Continue Reading →
Winter in Wartime
In Nazi-occupied Holland, the business of surviving took so much time that many children were left to their own devices. Fifteen-year-old Michiel would rather be in school, but it was too dangerous to cross the river, between the Nazi soldiers looking for strong men and boys to send back to Germany to work in the... Continue Reading →
A Child’s Introduction to Poetry
I am not a fan of poetry. I admit it, loud and clear! In fact, I probably would never read my children poetry, except that it's scheduled into Sonlight, the home school curriculum we use. And thankfully it is. A Child's Introduction to Poetry by Michael Driscoll is a relatively new offering by Sonlight. I... Continue Reading →
A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt
Margo Bandini has always felt secure. She had Papa, Mama, and her little brother Charlie - although he had given the family quite a scare several years earlier. But it is now 1933, and Margo's world seems to be falling apart. The sheriff sale sign in on the front door of her home. Her best... Continue Reading →
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
"This is the best book EVER!" cried my 10-year-old, lifting Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred D. Taylor high in the air. We had just finished listening to the audio version of the book, read by Lynne Thigpen. I had tried reading it aloud to my children, but being a white woman from... Continue Reading →
Born and Bred in the Great Depression
Author John Winter remembers his father's stories of growing up during the Great Depression in Born and Bred in the Great Depression. He recounts how his father grew up in a small house outside a small town in Texas. He describes the hardships, and the joys, of being a child during those difficult years. The... Continue Reading →
Heart of a Samurai
Japan in the 1800's was a mystery to the rest of the world. The country was truly isolationists - no Japanese person who left its shores was allowed to return. Not for any reason. Japanese rulers told their people the world outside Japan was dangerous - full of demons, barbarians and monsters. And soon, fourteen-year-old... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 