Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Every day in winter, Babushka would prepare for the Easter Festival in Moskva by painting an egg shell from her basket. Until one day, when the goose she rescued was startled and broke all of Babushka's eggs. Babushka was so sad - she would not be going to the Easter Festival that year. But her... Continue Reading →
As a sports star, Jimmy is confident in himself and his abilities. That all changes one day, when his friend messes around with a firecracker, accidentally setting it off. The resulting explosion blinds Jimmy, and now he has to relearn everything he used to do without thinking - getting dressed, finding his way around his... Continue Reading →
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 →
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 →
If the child in your life has lost a beloved grandparent or other loved one, Kindred Souls by Patricia MacLachlan will help them process that loss. MacLachlan has a gift for expressing emotion in strong simple words, and actions of her characters. Sarah, Plain and Tall is an award-winning example of her gift. I think... Continue Reading →
Many mothers would be overwhelmed with seven children, but not the mother in Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood. On one market day, she rewards her seven children, named after the days of the week, for their hard work. She says she’ll bring home whatever they want from the market. The children make their requests, and... Continue Reading →
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 →
Not surprisingly, animals are the focus of Lois Ehlert’s book Oodles of Animals. Each page features one, or several, animals portrayed in Ehlert’s colorful collage artwork, accompanied by short, rhyming poems describing each animal. Ehlert features a wide variety of animals, from mammals like bears and foxes, to reptiles like crocodiles and snakes, to birds... Continue Reading →
Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin may seem an intimidating book to some readers. It's quite thick, with 278 pages. However, the words are large, the chapters are short and the illustrations are beautiful. Lin tells the story of Minli, a girl growing up in the shadow of the Fruitless Mountain. Life... Continue Reading →
In Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge by Mem Fox, Wilfrid lives next to an old people’s home, and he knows everyone who lives there. He overhears his parents discussing his favorite person, Miss Nancy Alison Delacourt Cooper. They say she’s lost her memory. Wilfrid doesn’t know what a memory is, so he asks all his friends... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 