book bonanza: houdini

Jul 8, 2011 by tracy

I have posted before about Kathleen Krull. I love her books! Today Fisher and I read another of her books and thoroughly enjoyed learning about Houdini. Besides teaching us about some of his magic tricks, escape acts, and daredevil antics, we learned about his childhood of poverty, early physical coordination, life-long love for exercise, love of books, entrepreneurial spirit, and some of his secrets. We learned of his determination to get an education and his unfortunate death. Fisher was amazed by Houdini’s skills. I just love exposing this boy to the greatness in this world because it is almost as if I can see the gears turning in his mind wondering what he will be great at. He is blossoming into such an inquisitive boy and I love nurturing that part of him with great books, plenty of free time to explore, and answering his questions in ways that encourage him to think up more questions to wonder about.

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book bonanza: once upon a company

Jul 7, 2011 by tracy

Wendy Anderson Halperin is one of our favorite authors and illustrators. Her words are refreshing, gentle, nurturing, and have a down home feel to them. Her illustrations are quirky and almost always done kind of a collage style. We gave Blythe Love Is for her 5-year-old Birthday Book and later The Secret Remedy Book. We have long loved Once Upon a Company, but today we reread it because Keziah is on a quest to create a business for herself. By the end of the book, both Fisher and Keziah were determined to come up with some fabulous product to sell or idea to market to start building their savings accounts. If you are looking for a book to spark some entreprenurial spirit in your home this is a great book to start with. You may want to also read Young Bucks: How to Raise a Future Millionaire, Little Britches, Man of the Family, Mary Emma and Company, and some biographies of some great business leaders.

In Once Upon a Company, a group of siblings are bored and their mom encourages them to start making wreaths to sell. Their grandpa tells them all about college and how they need to start saving for college now. As the book progresses, they learn about creating a product, selling it door to door, distributors, wholesale accounts, advertising, checking accounts, investing, hiring employees, having a product not work out, having a product succeed, the power of interest, and gobs more.

We love it and think you will too!

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book bonanza: why don’t you get a horse, sam adams?

Jun 22, 2011 by tracy

I was up early this morning working on creating bylaws and forms for iFamily Leadership Academy and Fisher came down and brought me this book to read. I told him I wouldn’t be able to read it all because I had so much to do, but after we got started on it, we read it clear through.

What a fun story! I never knew that Sam Adams didn’t know how to ride a horse! This delightful tale shares the story of the colonists and their growing opposition to England’s policies and what part Sam Adams, John Hancock, John Adams, George Washington, and Paul Revere played in the eventual War of Independence.

We love all of Jean Fritz’s books and are always on the lookout for them at used book stores. Some of our other favorites are Where Was Patrick Henry on the 29th of May?, Will You Sign Here, John Hancock?, George Washington’s Breakfast, Shh! We’re Writing the Constitution, and The Cabin Faced West. They are fabulous for introducing young people to the events of history and sharing details that are often overlooked in more advanced history books.

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book bonanza: revenge of the whale

Jun 21, 2011 by tracy

We picked this up a few weeks ago at our favorite used book store when we were searching for books for Keziah’s upcoming study of Early American History. We started it yesterday as our morning read-aloud. It’s a hit! All of the children are determined not to miss a word of the adventure.

Revenge of the Whale is the true story of the Essex, a whaling ship that sailed out of Nantucket in August of 1820. Sometime after rounding Cape Horn and proceeding up the coast of Chile, a sperm whale rammed the ship. This is a famous story that the end of Moby Dick is based on. In the introduction of the book, it says that every child in America during the 18th and 19th centuries would have been known this story. Somehow, this 20th century child didn’t know about it! We have already learned so much about the Quakers, New England, the shipping industry, whaling, geography, trade winds, sails, mates, and so much more. Revenge of the Whale is based on the cabin boy’s journals and is a departure from the tale that the first mate recorded in his journals. Whenever there is a difference in the two records, there is information in the book about it. We are having lots of interesting discussions about the differences and why they might exist. What a fabulous lesson in differing perspectives, how writers protect themselves, and what it means to record the truth.

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fiar: mike mulligan and his steam shovel

Jun 6, 2011 by tracy

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton is our Five In A Row book of the week. Today we read it for the first time and Fisher and Annesley thoroughly enjoyed it. Tomorrow we will talk about perseverance and “working a little bit harder and a little bit better.” Later in the week we will discuss the art work and use our watercolors to paint some big machines, talk about other steam powered machines and try to build one of our one, and maybe dig a hole in our yard with our little shovels for the fire pit we are trying to build this summer.

FIAR is such a great program. Fisher loves having his reading time with me each day and by the end of the week he is really fallen in love with the book. If you haven’t heard of FIAR, just search the internet and you will find oodles of information about it.

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book bonanza: the story about ping

May 25, 2011 by tracy

Fisher and I have started a new learning adventure. Today was our first day with Five In A Row, which is an educational program designed around fabulous children’s literature. A parent and child read one book together for five days in a row, falling more in love with it each time. Each day you get to share some special activities together about some aspect of the book..like it’s geography, art, mathematics, history, language, etc.

The Story About Ping is delightful! Ping is a little duck who hides from his master when he is late coming home and ends up lost and all alone. Eventually he makes it back to his family and faces his consequence for being late. So many wonderful life lessons are packed into this book…you will have to find it and enjoy it with your little ones.

I can’t believe I’ve never read this gem of a story before! I can’t wait to read it again tomorrow!

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book bonanza: where the river ends

May 17, 2011 by tracy

Awhile back, my mom recommended I read The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin. I quickly put it on hold at our local library and when I came up on the list brought it home and devoured it in one late night sitting and one morning session. I was worried the whole time that I would hate it…but I loved it. It happened near my home town, was full of courage, loyalty, depth of feeling, adventure, and just plain goodness. Loved it.

Next, she recommended I read another of Martin’s books, Where The River Ends. This one finally became available at the library on Friday and I have been reading it since then. It is a great book to curl up in bed with and let the hours melt away.

Just finished.

Loved it. Loved, loved, loved it.

The recommendation came before the lump showed up…otherwise, I’m sure my mother would never have suggested I read a book about a woman dying of breast cancer…but nevertheless, it was a great read.

The husband in the book sacrifices everything for his wife. He loves and serves her till the end. He is committed to her and she to him. It is an amazing love story.

As I turned the last page, I thought to myself “My Richard would do the same thing.”

No doubt in my mind.

And that, my friends, is quite an enormous bolstering of my soul when I am just embarking on this journey of finding out what my own lump is.

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book bonanza: the creature from jekyll island

May 13, 2011 by tracy

I have been reading this book for the past several weeks and I want to shout from the rooftops “READ THIS BOOK!!”

Seriously.

Every American, every human being on this planet should read this book and find out exactly how the financial systems of the world are operating and how wrong it is.

Evil.

Controlling.

Lies.

Greed.

Power.

Read. Learn. Understand how the system works.

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all this for two dollars?

Apr 16, 2011 by tracy

Yesterday after gym we made our weekly trip to the library and were surprised to find a Library Book Sale! All of us were squealing with delight wondering what we would find and find we did!

Treasures!!

Fifteen fabulous books for only two buckaroos! Can’t shake a stick at that!

Just realizing I have already used six exclamation points…well, I guess you can really feel my excitement, huh?

Fisher is currently obsessed with My Father’s Dragon. He has listened to the audio book of the series every night for the past twelve weeks. We only have the first book, but yesterday we found Elmer and The Dragon! I can’t even tell you how big Fisher’s smile was. I wish I had had my camera with me because it was a priceless toothy grin full of the wonder of the world.

We also found an old copy of Pippi Longstocking!

Rifles for Waite

The Return Of The Great Brain

Oops! Manners Guide For Girls

How Babies Are Made

Anno’s Counting House – yippee! We LOVE all things Anno!

The Carrot Seed

How Big Is A Foot

The Dress I’ll Wear To The Party

The Thanksgiving Story…check out the vintage green hardcover! Isn’t it so lovely?

The Birchbark House

We also found Winter Cottage by Carol Ririe Brink, The World of Animals by Desmond Morris (which has long been one of our favorite library check-outs!), and Kate by Jean Little, but I couldn’t find any fabulous photos of those three, so you will just have to imagine lovely covers in your mind.

All this adventure, beauty, human nature, and learning for two little dollars? What a treasure!

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book bonanza: albert

Apr 13, 2011 by tracy

Becky recommended this book on her blog, so I put it on our reserve list at the library. Yesterday I read it to my three youngest and they loved it. Today, at Fisher’s request, I am reading it at Story Station. I love the gentle language, the way it deals with a debilitating fear, and the silliness of the tale. Albert is a man who is reluctant or terrified, hard to know which, to leave his home. Every day he checks the weather and listens at his window to the state of affairs outside his apartment. He likes the good noises, but inevitably hears some “bad” noises and decides it’s not such a good day to go outside afterall. One day, while he is sticking his arm out the window to check the weather, two birds start building a nest in his hand. Albert doesn’t quite know what to do because he doesn’t want to hurt the birds or their nest. He resigns himself to holding it and hold it he does for the next twelve days until the babies are born. Then he holds it some more until the babies grow up enough to leave the nest. When his nest holding duties are done, Albert decides he will leave his house and he does! Something in the process of caring for another gives Albert the courage to face the world.

Fisher loved how the papa bird feeds Albert. Annesley loved the silliness of it, and Keziah and I loved the whole story. Check it out…we think you will love it, too!

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book bonanza: it’s a book

Mar 29, 2011 by tracy

We love this book at our home. It is hilarious and I can’t help laughing right out loud every time I read it. The whole book is a conversation between two characters about the object one of them is immersed in. The first asks things like “Where is your mouse?” and “How do you scroll down?” to which the second always responds, “It’s a book.”

Cracks me up!

In today’s techno-savvy world, it is a not only a great way to make fun of ourselves, but a fabulous reminder that there is life outside of all the latest gadgets. I love the computer as much as the next person, but I love books even more.

Here is the back cover:

Enjoy!

Disclaimer: One of the characters is a donkey and he is called by his other name…I just leave those parts out when I read it aloud.

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book bonanza: mom and dad are palindromes

Mar 15, 2011 by tracy

This book is a hilarious introduction to the world of Palindromes! My children all loved it and upon finishing it Keziah said “Can we have a challenge this week to see who can come up with the most palindromes?” “Of course!” I enthusiastically replied.

Bob discovers he is a palindrome and quickly discovers his entire family is made up of palindromes…Mom, Dad, Anna, Nan, and Otto, his pup. He tries to escape the palindromes of his house, but finds himself on the S.S. Hannah with three jobs available. He could run the radar, fix the rotor, or pull up the anchor! The palindromes will not leave him be, he is surrounded by them and he cannot escape! Top spot, steel fleets, and every day there is that pesky time of noon. Bob finally decides to go by his full name and to call all his family members by theirs as well…but he makes an interesting discovery…he really can’t escape from the palindromes!

This is a great read-a-loud and is sure to spawn an interest in words in your whole family!

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book bonanza: twenty and ten

Mar 7, 2011 by tracy

We just finished this delightful book this morning with me reading and the girls knitting up a storm. If you are looking for a charming book that illustrates the simplicity of childhood with the savagery of war, this is the book for you! Twenty and Ten tells the story of a group of children at a French school and how they harbor ten Jewish children while dealing with less food for each of them and a constant fear of discovery. When the Nazis come looking for the missing children, the French children act with courage, ingenuity, and determination to keep the Jewish children safe. Our whole family loved this book! We have read lots of WWII books and are thrilled to add this one to our collection of favorites.

The cover pictured above is just like the one I have…a lovely hardbound edition. It is much nicer than the tiny paperback currently available. Do yourself a favor and search for the old hardcover!

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first thoughts on a-t-o-t-c

Feb 17, 2011 by tracy

I curled up in bed this afternoon with Annesley and finished reading A Tale of Two Cities. The last 30 pages were delicious. I had a million other things to do, but instead I took the time to savor the ending of this great book while Annesley snoozed beside me.

Right now, I want to scream, “YES!!!”

YES! to the heroism.

YES! to the worth of souls.

YES! to the unnoticed goodness in the world.

It took a while for me to get in to this book…like 140 pages or so…but I have been intoxicated with it since. To all of you who have started and not finished…trust me…it is completely and totally worth it…FINISH IT!

Ideas I want to discuss with my colloquia group?

Vengeance

Courage

Pain

Redemption

Suffering

Class warfare

True love of the human soul

Mental illness

Survival strategies

Has France recovered from her revolution(s)?

Has healing grown in that land or is it tortured still?

Power of law

Rule of law

Power of kindness

Injustice

Responsibilities of leaders

What could have changed the course of the French Revolution?

Ahh, I want to pick it up and reread it all over again tonight!

That is the sign of a good book!

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book bonanza – ender

Jan 10, 2011 by tracy

I finished the Ender Quartet…Ender’s Game, Speaker For The Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind.

I don’t even really know what to say.

My mind is full of swirling thoughts coming faster than I have time to think them.

I had so many ideas triggered by these books, such as:

Alien species…what do those words mean to me? Do I have “aliens” in my life and if so, how do I treat them?

Do I treat people differently if I feel they are different than me? Do I try to understand others language style or do I write them off as not worth the effort it takes.

What part does fear of others differences have in my life?

What would a Speaker For The Dead speak at my funeral?

Would I like it?

How do I view intelligence?

Am I open to others’ customs?

What is the power of love?

How can I have influence in this world?

What role does memory have in progression?

Are our memories blessings or curses?

What is the value of life?

When is it acceptable to eliminate life?

When is it honorable to eliminate life?

What pain is stopping me from loving fully?

How can I develop empathy like Ender’s?

What does friendship mean to me?

Are expectations of people healthy and helpful or damaging and burdensome?

Was the government right to exterminate the Buggers?

Do I behave in any similar manner?

Ender’s guilt was carried with him for 3,000 years. What guilt am I carrying?

What will I do with these new perspectives?

Lots to think about…lots to process.

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book bonanza – sleds on boston common

Jan 10, 2011 by tracy

What a fun story this is! The redcoats have moved into Boston and the soldiers are camped out on Boston Common, the best place in town to go sledding and skating. One little boy is determined to sled down the steepest hill in Boston on his 9th birthday with his brand-new sled. The only way to make it happen is to work up the courage to talk to General Gage himself. In the process, young Henry learns that General Gage is a father too, and is not the beast, nor the wimp, some of the newspapers have made him out to be.

Sleds on Boston Common is based on true events and filled with lovely artwork…I’m betting you will love it just like we did!

p.s. Have you checked out the children’s section at Hasting’s yet? It is full of little-known treasures! This lovely hardcover was in the bargain bin for $4.99!

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some more christmas books

Dec 6, 2010 by tracy

We finally decorated for Christmas tonight! Whew, we are pretty late this year! All the books are out, the tree is up, the nativities are displayed, and my homemade Advent calender is hung.

Annesley was SO excited for the Christmas tree to be brought in from the top of the car. She was jumping up and down with pure glee in her eyes and singing at the top of her lungs. I think she sang “O Christmas Tree” for a whole hour while Richard got the tree off the car, trimmed the loose branches, and got it set up in the stand. It was hilarious and heart-warming to hear her sing “O Pimpmas Tee, O Pimpmas Tee!” over and over again. The wonder of Jesus’ birth is alive in her heart and she brought it alive for all of us as well.

Last year I wrote about one of our favorite Christmas traditions of decorating our home with Christmas books and reading one book a night for all of December.

I found a few wonderful books at the library last week that I had never heard of before. In case you haven’t heard of them either and are on the hunt for more Christmas books, here are our library finds:

Silver Packages is the lovely story of a poor Appalachian boy who waits eagerly each year for the “Christmas Train” which brings presents to their poverty-laden town. He longs for a doctor kit, but it never comes. He receives socks and mittens and toy cars, but never the doctor kit of his dreams. Eventually he grows up and goes to medical school. Many years later he returns to his home town and tries to thank the rich man who brought the presents, but he can’t because a little girl gets hurt right in front of him and he realizes his duty now is to help her…to be a doctor to her and all the town members…and how that service repays the debt to the rich man more than anything else ever can.

The Gingerbread Doll is an adorable read about a little girl who wants a fancy porcelain doll for Christmas, but her father’s farm didn’t do well that year and her family can’t afford a new doll for her. Instead her mama makes her a gingerbread doll and the little girl learns to treasures her instead.

Prairie Christmas is oh, oh, so incredibly wonderful. I can’t wait till the night we read this book! When I read it at the library, I sat on the floor surrounded by books and cried my little eyes out. LaDawn, one of the librarians, was quite concerned until I smiled up at her and told her I was crying over the wonderfulness of the book. Emma’s mama is a midwife and gets called out to a long birth on Christmas Day. Emma is quite disappointed that her Christmas plans are disrupted, but over the course of the book she learns the real meaning of Christmas and works hard to help the new baby’s siblings have a special Christmas while their mama is laboring in the other room. I think anyone would love this story, but for those of us who attend births regularly, this is sure to be a favorite!

One Small Lost Sheep is the touching story of a little shepherd boy in Bethlehem and how his searching for his favorite sheep brings him to the Christ child. The artwork is simply beautiful and the love for his precious Kivsa will touch any heart.

The Little Fir Tree tells the story of a nurturing father who brings a live tree to his lame son each Christmas and then replants it each Spring. He does this for several years and the little tree always looks forward to his coming. One year, the father doesn’t come for him and the little tree thinks he has been forgotten until the all the family and friends came to the tree with the little boy walking and leading the way.

We love to read Hanukkah books as well and a new one we found this year is One Yellow Daffodil. Through the love of some neighborhood children, a sad and heartbroken elderly man from Poland is able to once again discover the beauty of Hanukkah and remember the childhood he has tried to forget.

What are your favorite Christmas books?

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keziah-kid

Oct 3, 2010 by tracy

Today my Keziah turns ten. I have spent an entire decade watching this girl grow up. I cannot believe my time with her being in my home on a daily basis is more than half over. She is growing up far too fast for my liking.

This spirited girl has enough energy and get-up-and-go to accomplish great things in this life. She makes her plans and sets out to accomplish them. To nurture this greatness within her, her birthday book this year is All By Herself by Ann Whitford Paul.

This treasure of a book is a collection of fourteen poems about girls who made a difference. Some of the girls are famous like Amelia Earheart, Rachel Carson, and Sacajawea. Some of the girls are relatively unknown like Kate Shelley, Frances Ward, and Harriet Hanson. Each of the girls were full of zest, courage, and determination to choose right, serve well, and work hard. I cannot wait to delve into the stories of these girls’ lives with my Keziah. I hope she is inspired by them to use her gifts for the good of others.

Richard and I write in the front of each Birthday Book and this is what he wrote this year:

Happy Birthday Dear Keziah,

I am so proud of you as you take life on and learn new things. I love your energy and love of life. Never lose it. In this book there are stories of greatness and girls who DID! You have greatness inside of you. Have God, who knows you best, help you find that greatness. It is not just people who have their stories remembered in books that do great things. People of greatness are all around you. Find them and learn what makes them great. I love you very much!

Papa

See why I love this man? He knows just how to express the feelings of his heart and how to guide our children to goodness and to God. He loves being a papa.

This morning we were at Mikelle’s and Keziah got to spend some time snuggling up with Easton. The look on her face was priceless and filled with a gentleness we don’t always see on her determined brow.

Pretty precious!

Right this minute, Keziah and Annes are snuggled up in their new room and Keziah is reading The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales to her little sister. This is especially endearing to me because not that long ago this was an impossibility. Keziah would not allow Annesley in her room at all. Now they are snuggled up together and both of them are so excited about it.

I am so proud of Keziah for allowing her nurturing side to shine through. She needs both sides of her to grow and develop in order to fulfill her mission on earth.

She has come a long way in ten years.

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book bonanza – bear snores on

Sep 20, 2010 by tracy

This book is well known and well loved, but just in case one of my readers doesn’t know of this book, I will share it with you today. Bear Snores On is a delightful rhyming story about a group of animals that find refuge in a bear’s cave while he sleeps the winter away. When he wakes up he is angry and sad and blubbery all at the same time. We love this story for the rhyming patterns that even the youngest of story time listeners can figure out, the playful illustrations, the cadence, the bravery of the mouse, the big sneeze, and the friendships made between all the animals.

The same author has several more Bear books and a delightful rhyming, counting story called The Frog in the Bog that we enjoy much. Karma Wilson knows just how to weave words together to get children smiling from ear to ear and ready to shout out the words they know are sure to come.

I read them both to Fisher and he loved them, so I will be reading them at Story Station (my new weekly story time for our homeschool group) soon.

I am drawn to beautiful and true stories that speak to a child’s soul, but sometimes a bit of silliness is just what is needed to get through the day. These books fit the silliness bill perfectly, while retaining the simple goodness that is integral to the development of the human spirit.

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book bonanza – pride and prejudice

Sep 6, 2010 by tracy

I have finally finished a Jane Austen book. Much to my surprise, I even loved it. Back in high school when girls were swooning over her books, I rejected the whole genre outright. I had no interest in reading about ridiculous girls flirting in an ever-so-polite way with so-called gentleman. Now, however, I loved pondering the social commentary Jane was making, the deep flaws of character she was exposing, and the greatness of the human heart she was praising.

I learned much about what type of woman I value and what type of man is worth any woman’s time. I have much to ponder on the power of mentoring, the role of manners, and the value of marriage to a society. I see much of myself in Miss Elizabeth Bennett and hope I would have been like her. I know very well I would not have fit into 18th Century England. I don’t have it within me to become a doormat, a gossipy neighbor, or a wife contented with a loveless marriage. I don’t think I have the grace or the demureness to receive approval of my manners. I would probably have gone nuts dealing with it all and run for the hills!

Now, I get to watch the movie…which version should I start with? Colin Firth or Keira Knightly?

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book bonanza – the king’s chessboard

Sep 4, 2010 by tracy

We read The King’s Chessboard at my Math Alive! class this week. The children all loved it and I hope it taught them the power of knowing math, the foolishness of pride, and the immensity of the doubling principle.

This book tells the story of a proud and foolish king who wants to reward one of his subjects. The man does not want to be rewarded, but the king insists. The man then allows the king to give him one grain of rice on the first day, two grains of rice the second day, four grains the third day, eight grains the fourth day, sixteen the fifth day, and so on, for the course of 64 days. One day for every square on a chessboard. Well, if you do the math, you end up with a VERY large number by the 64th day. Go ahead…figure it out and post back here with your answer! Bonus points for anyone who also figures out the total amount of grains of rice that would be given over the full 64 days.

My children love this book and now my math students love it as well. Check it out at your library or buy it for your own home library and I guarantee you will love it! Make sure you add in a proud and loud voice for the king and you are assured read-aloud success!

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book bonanza – nick of time

Jul 22, 2010 by tracy

We have been listening to this book on our travels this week and are loving it! We tried listening to it about a year ago and we liked it then, but we never finished it. The girls begged to check it out again, so we gave it another shot and this time around it is fabulous.

Isn’t it interesting how sometimes it isn’t the right time for a book? We change, we grow, we have different needs, different perceptions, and then, all of a sudden, it IS the right time for said book. I am really hoping that happens for me this year with Pride and Predjudice, as I have started it umpteen times and it has never clicked for me in the past.

Back to Nick of Time…this book is set in 1939 England, right on the cusp of WWII, and the hero of the book, twelve-year-old Nick MacGyver, is a lighthouse keeper’s son who loves to sail his little boat, Petrol, all through the reefs of Gravestone Cove. His father is also part of a group of English citizens collecting information about German air and sea activities and passing it on to Churchill. The German U-Boat, Alpha-33, is patrolling Nick’s coves, searching for Lord Hawke and his illustrious inventor, Commander Hobbes. Things turn dicey when the U-Boat actually captures Commander Hobbes and Nick’s six-year-old sister, Kate. Leonardo Da Vinci’s time machine shows up on Nick’s beach with a letter from Nick’s Great-Grandfather pleading with Nick to travel through time back to the Napoleonic Wars to help him win a battle with everyone’s enemy, William Blood, who has another of Da Vinci’s time machines and uses it to travel through time kidnapping children, stealing great treasures, amassing a fortune, and terrifying people all over the world and throughout all time.

Sounds gripping? Yes, it is! I highly recommend the audio version because the voices are done fabulously well and you will fall in love with little Katie the first time you hear her speak and tremble with fear at Blood’s threatenings. It isn’t too scary for Fisher at age five, but it is hard to know how much he has really been paying attention to it, and it is completely fascinating for this mama who loves mysteries, WWII history, and anything with the heroes using science to win the battle for good vs. evil.

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book bonanza-rise to rebellion

Jul 6, 2010 by tracy

For the last few weeks I have been reading the book Rise to Rebellion by Jeff Shaara. He is also the author of Gone for Soldiers, Gods and Generals, and The Last Full Measure. His father is Michael Shaara who wrote The Killer Angels, which I also loved.

Rise to Rebellion covers the period of time from 1770 to 1776 from both the colonists and the British points of view. It looks in depth at four men and their experiences: John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, George Washington, and Thomas Gage. This book was so wonderful I want to read it every June in preparation of Independence Day. If I don’t do that, I will at least be reading a history book from that time period because it was an amazing experience to delve into the history and miracle of this country while celebrating our nation’s birthday.

This book allowed me to understand the British perspective which is something I have never been able to do. It also shed light on the loyal-to-the-crown colonial viewpoint. I walk away from this book a more well-rounded person because now I can see where each of the various groups were coming from and what beliefs drove their behavior. Instead of being infuriated with Dickinson from Pennsylvania, who resisted going to war till the very end, I am able to appreciate his earnestness in articulating his cause for reconciliation. Instead of being disgusted with King George, I am able to see a man stuck in the middle of a mess with an unruly Parliament, colonists he couldn’t understand, and treasury shortages he needed rectified in short order. It was thrilling to witness the evolution of John Adams from his early years as an unknown lawyer into a statesman who was able to convince people of the rightness of the path of independence through his logic and oratory skills. I developed mercy for the Tories and increased my love of the radicals. I am more grateful for the hand of God in the establishment of this great country.

I can’t wait to read book two and the rest of the story of the Revolution – A Glorious Cause. Anyone want to join me?

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and now there are three!

May 29, 2010 by tracy

Remember this?

Remember how it is my favorite birth book ever?

Remember how I lost it?

Yesterday at gym I was SHOCKED (yes, screaming and crying and jumping up and down and totally shocked from head to toe) to be given THREE copies of it!!! I am so, so happy to have these three wonderful books. My children love this book and I use it all the time in my childbirth classes. I love the artwork, and the language, and the message, and the clothing, and the lack of clothing, and the cute little baby socks, and, and, and…I just love it!

Thank you so much to the Gale and Lamoreaux families for being such good friends to give me something I will treasure for always.

I was given a myriad of other fun goodbye-for-the-year gifts from my fabulous students, including dark chocolate truffles, a TJMaxx gift card, a plant (that I will try to keep alive), judging cards with the number 10 on them (that all the kids surprised me with after I did a forward roll!) and precious notes from the kids on the back, drawings, hugs, and lots of love from everyone. We had loud music, crazy games, and lots of demonstrations of everyone’s favorite tricks.

Yep, I love teaching gym. I love interacting with so many neat people and having a day once a week to hang out in sweats and exercise. I especially love helping children realize they can do hard things, they can progress, they can show courage, and practice will bring improvement over time. I love watching their eyes light up with pride when they finally conquer a difficult skill. I love seeing them cheer each other on. I love how funny they are and how much they love me. I love helping them learn that adults can be silly. I love being part of their hearts and part of their lives.

I even did some back handsprings and a back tuck…not bad for a 36-year-old mother of four!

I will be offline for the next week…off to Homeschool Swim Camp…hoping it doesn’t rain all week long, but bringing lots of rain gear in case it does.

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book bonanza – welcome with love

May 12, 2010 by tracy

I have been attending births this month – two so far with one more to go – so birth is on my mind. I want to share one of my favorite birth books with you. Welcome With Love by Jenni Overand and illustrated by Julie Vivas is a delight to the eyes and heart. The artwork is colorful and portrays a laboring and birthing mama quite accurately, especially those who birth outside of the hospital with all its tubes, gowns, uncomfortable beds, and machines beeping in the background. The birth story is told from the perspective of the big brother, Jack, who is around the age of five in my estimation. He talks about the noises his “mum” makes, the walking, dancing with dad, and groaning that is going on all in a calm, matter of fact manner that teaches that while birth is a special event it is also a normal part of life. His mum proceeds to give birth holding on to dad with their midwife catching and the older sisters watching and welcoming the new little one. At the end of the story the family curls up together in front of the fire and mum drinks and drinks some more while explaining to Jack “thirsty work having babies.” Indeed it is! I prefer homemade popsicles during labor made with R.W. Knudson’s Morning Blend juice and cannot get enough of them when I am bringing a baby into this world.

This book is not available for a reasonable price any longer, but it is published in Australia under the name Hello Baby. Hopefully you can find it at your local library or in a thrift store. Mine is missing at the moment after it got lent to a client and not returned…big mistake since it is now over $200 at amazon.com (Hello Baby in hardcover is $969.00 – how on earth can a book that sold for around $15 now be worth 969 buckaroos?). If you find two cheap copies, pick them both up and I will buy one from you!

This lovely treasure conveys the beauty and simplicity of birth in a family setting with soothing words, gentle illustrations, and the wonder of a boy experiencing it for the first time. I hope you love it just as much as we do.

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thornton w. burgess

Apr 12, 2010 by tracy

Oh, how we love this author. I mean, love, love, love him. We discovered him when Blythe was just a wee little girlie. She loved to check out a collection of his short stories from the library that were on audio. She checked it out over and over and over again. Listening to it hundreds of times. Finally, I decided to buy the books. All of them. They are available from Dover for $1.50 a book, so we bought the whole set and read them to her again and again and again. Yes, this child has issues with obsessing on a subject. Remember my post about that?

Anyway, Fisher has recently discovered them and we have started rereading them. We finished The Adventures of Jerry Muskrat last week and are now starting on The Adventures of Grandfather Frog. He begs me to read them every day. He is learning so much about animals, forests, meadows, and being littler than the humans. He is learning about kindness and courage. He is learning to sit still while I read to him, which is a feat in and of itself for this wiggly little boy.

Now for you moms that don’t see how you can fit read-aloud time in, let me tell you, you CAN read these books. Most chapters are 2-3 pages, so if you only have five minutes you can still squeeze a chapter in. If you want to curl up and snuggle for a while longer, you can get through four or five chapters pretty quickly.

We are always on the lookout for old hardcover editions at DI and other thrift stores, but until we track them all down, our trusty Dover paperbacks will be just fine.

These are gems that you will love!

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book bonanza – just rewards

Feb 10, 2010 by tracy

The full title of this book is Just Rewards or Who Is That Man in the Moon and What’s He Doing Up There Anyway?, but that is too long to put up there in the title of my post, don’t ya think?

This has been one of our favorites for years. We first heard it at storytime at the Treehouse Children’s Museum in Ogden, UT back in the days when we were frequent visitors to that magical place. The storyteller was fabulous – his voice was dramatic and brought the characters to life. The illustrations are soft and folksy; they speak volumes and aren’t in the way of the story at all. We immediately came home and started checking it out from the library. We have checked it out over and over again. We shared it with our favorite Childrens Librarian so she could use it in her storytime.

One word of caution: this book begs to be told with a very kind voice and a very greedy voice. Children will love the different voices you come up with and will want you to read it repeatedly with the same voices, so choose a voice you can duplicate for the next twenty years or so.

The story teaches the consequences of our behavior in a funny and outrageous way so that the lesson sinks in enough to get children thinking, but not in a way that encourages shame or self-punishing thoughts by the child. Go find it at your local library and you may have to buy it just like we eventually did…

Today our very own copy came in the mail! I found a great used copy for .01 from a goodwill store in Connecticut and after paying 3.99 in shipping, it was mailed to us lickety-split.

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choice – the deciding factor

Feb 7, 2010 by tracy

The difference between sacrifice and punishment is not the amount of pain involved, but the amount of choice.

Interesting thought, isn’t it?

I just read a wonderful book, Influencer, for February’s colloquium. It is full of powerful ideas about effective motivation, change-making, and turning hearts.

The quote above jumped out at me. I realized I have not sufficiently helped my children to see their choices in this life. I have not taught them to fully understand the concept of agency and their ability to make a choice about their situations. They often view stuff in their lives as a punishment when I wish they would see it as a sacrifice…like washing the dishes for their family when they would rather be reading, changing the baby’s diaper when they would rather be drawing, like waking up early to get packed and on the road for a family camping trip. Many times these things have been viewed as a punishment when they are not at all punishments in my mind. I am not punishing them, life is not punishing them, God is not punishing them…instead they are being presented with an opportunity to serve, to help, to work for a better situation…a clean kitchen, a happy baby, getting to the campsite in time to set up in daylight.

This quote makes me think of struggles people have had – patriots burning their businesses during the Revolution so the British wouldn’t have access to them, pioneers crossing the plains in bitter cold and burying loved ones along the trail, immigrants scraping every penny together to come to America to build a better life, concentration camp prisoners sharing their meager rations with someone in worse shape than themselves, mothers willing to endure months of uncomfortableness, nausea, pain, and exhaustion to grow a baby, the throes of labor, fathers going to work day after day at jobs that don’t bring them joy – and I realize in all of these situations people could choose to view them as punishments, as the cruel servings of life OR they can view them as sacrifices that they are completely willing to choose to reach their goal.

How do I view my life…as a sacrifice or a punishment? How do you view yours?

I am going to continue pondering this statement and try to own my choices more and more and try to teach my children to do the same.

How about you?

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Home School Read-A-Thon

Feb 6, 2010 by tracy

Blythe, Keziah, and Fisher are participating in the First Annual Idaho Home School Read-A-Thon. They have been challenged to read 300 minutes in the next two weeks. They are searching for sponsors for their Read-A-Thon and have created a plan to raise $1000. They are trying to find 100 people to donate $10 to their cause. If they read for at least 300 minutes, they will be able to buy books – 50% for their personal use and 50% for children who live at F.A.I.T.H. – Families in Transitional Housing. These are families that used to be homeless who are now in a program learning job skills, taking classes, and working towards purchasing their own homes. There is a library at F.A.I.T.H. for the children who live there to check out books from. They are in great need of books and are very excited that the home schoolers of Idaho have adopted them for their Read-A-Thon project. There are over 100 children from all over the state of Idaho participating in the Read-A-Thon and reading books to earn books for needy children.

If you would like to become a sponsor, please paypal your donation of any amount, large or small, to mom2bmw@aol.com or you can mail a check to our home (email me and I will give you the address):

Thank you so much for considering this cause!

With much gratitude from,
Blythe, Keziah, and Fisher

Blessings to each of you!

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book bonanza – grammar help

Feb 2, 2010 by tracy

My friend, Nancy, has a talented son-in-law, who has written a hilarious, easily understandable grammar book. It is called I Laid an Egg on Aunt Ruth’s Head. I just read the two sample chapters online tonight and I can already tell I will need to buy this book. I love it!

The author has this to say:

Whether she is flying a fighter jet, outwitting a dangerous bank robber, walking a tightrope with her pet elephant Binky, or traveling to sixteenth century Italy in a time machine, Aunt Ruth takes the reader on one adventure after another. During the course of her adventures, Aunt Ruth encounters and struggles with myriad grammatical and usage difficulties with the English language. In a clean, humorous, and family friendly style, Joel Schnoor’s stories will leave you rolling on the floor and will answer those nauseating English questions at the same time.

There is a separate workbook for those of you that love things like that:

Each chapter in I Laid an Egg on Aunt Ruth’s Head is represented with one or more pages of questions and exercises in Aunt Ruth Grammar Drills for Excellence. The answers to the questions are (of course) provided as well. These worksheets are fun, entertaining, and thorough.

Aunt Ruth Grammar Drills for Excellence ships as a PDF file on a CD or as a set of printed sheets (looseleaf, 3-hole punched). This item may not be resold.

Buy one CD or one set of printed sheets for the family and make as many copies as you need (for use within the family). Teachers, buy one for your classroom and make copies for your class.

Until I save up my pennies to buy this book, I will be enjoying the author’s blog with his posts on all things grammatical.

For those of you looking for a fabulous punctuation read, check out Eats, Shoots, and Leaves. It is one of my favorite books and writing this blog makes me realize I need to re-read it to remind myself of all those punctuation rules.

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great deals at seagull

Feb 1, 2010 by tracy

Fisher and I went on a date today (a very fun date with lots of kisses from my cutie pie). We had to get him some new church shoes so he can stop being barefoot at church. We also needed to take care of some cell phone issues, get Blythe a headset for her Constitution class that starts tomorrow, and pick up my Usborne books that had been left at a party last week. We went to Once Upon a Child to find the shoes and lucked out with a shiny black pair in size 12 1/2 for $5.50. Bargain! While we were in that parking lot we decided to go over to Seagull Book to check out the new Young Womens theme song for this year. We were hoping to listen to it and see if Blythe would love it or not, but had no luck on that front.

The bargain table was a different story! They had a whole stack of Robert E. Wells book How Do You Know What Time It Is? in hardcover for $2.49! He is one of our favorite living math authors and this book is normally $15.99. I had to resist the urge to buy the whole stack! Instead, I am writing to you all to let you know you too can find this fabulous deal at Seagull Book. Also on the bargain table was a pile of The Peacegiver in the Deluxe boxed edition for $11.99. Lovely packaging, amazing book, life-changing information inside. Once again I resisted the urge to buy it because I already have it in hardcover and on audio, but I am sharing it with all of you so you can take advantage of it. Another bargain table product was Helping and Healing Our Families: Principles and Practices Inspired By The Family: A Proclamation To The World. This was 75% off and ended up being $9.99. I don’t have this book and have wanted it for a long time, but once again I resisted the urge to purchase it. I couldn’t however pass up the $1.49 Mary Engelbreit magnet set. I love Mary’s stuff and have been needing some more magnets, especially cute ones, so into my shopping bag they went.

So, if you have some excess funds, head over to Seagull Book and take advantage of some great prices.

*****The Peacegiver and Helping and Healing Our Families: Principles and Practices Inspired By The Family: A Proclamation To The World are LDS books, but I think they are full of wonderful insights for families of all faiths.

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book bonanza – under the chinaberry tree

Jan 25, 2010 by tracy

Ohhhh, what a delight this book is! I could snuggle up with it and read and read and read. In fact, I have been doing just that.

This book is chock-full of reviews of children’s books, parenting tips, recipes, experiences from the authors’ lives, and simple quaintness.

It is a treasure trove of ideas of wonderful books you will want to share with your children. I have a whole list of them on hold at my local library and can’t wait to discover them with my little ones.

The authors’ focus is on books that speak to the soul of a child, are beautifully illustrated, send messages of family, hope, love, service, connectedness, how to be human, and a delight to read again and again. Many of the books that are reviewed we already have on our bookshelves, but there are hundreds more we will now be checking out on our weekly library visits. We will post our favorite here…but don’t wait for us, get this book today so you can have it at your fingertips.

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my fisher and a penguin

Jan 19, 2010 by tracy

Today Fisher and I were reading one of his favorite Usborne books, How Deep is the Sea.

It is about a little penguin who has lots of questions about the world around him, just like my little guy does. Pipkin, the penguin, dives down into the ocean to see if he can discover how deep it is. He meets lots of other creatures on his journey and talks to them. Fisher asked me, “Can penguins really talk?” I said, “Yes, but they don’t speak English,” and he said “Oh, they speak Spanish?” It was so cute to hear him say the word Spanish, I don’t think he has ever said it before.

For those of you that don’t know, my Fisher didn’t speak at all till he was about 2 1/2. He said “mama” for the first time at Christmastime in 2006. He turned two in September. He didn’t really start talking to communicate till he was about 3 1/2. Even though he has been talking up a storm for the past two years, it is still music to my ears because I honestly didn’t know if he would ever speak. I didn’t know how it would all work out, but I trusted that somehow it would. They magic key to helping him find his voice was music. He loves music and so I started singing with him everyday. Simple songs that he could say a syllable of the last word, then the whole last word, then the last few sounds, then the last line, then the first line, then some of the sounds in the middle, then the words in the middle, and finally, the whole song. Music was our lifeline – with it, he was vibrant and tried his hardest to get the right sounds out. Without it, he was silent and the few sounds he did make sounded like utter nonsense to our ears.

He is still really hard to understand, but now he wants to communicate and he is improving his pronunciation all the time. Because he didn’t speak for so long, he has reams of information in his head that have never come out. Every time he says a new word I find myself jumping with glee on the inside because I know what a journey he has been on and what a struggle it is for his brain and mouth to work together to make those sounds come out.

Today’s word – Spanish.

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findtheduckbooks.com

Jan 13, 2010 by tracy

My new Usborne books website is up and running!

Find the Duck Books!

Isn’t that cute?

If you don’t know what it means, let me explain. Many Usborne books in the toddler – early elementary ages have a hidden duck on each page that children LOVE to find. It is one of Fisher’s and Annesley’s favorite things to do at storytime.

If you are ever looking for a perfect birthday present, dreary winter day present, need to inspire a seven-year-old to read present, need a new cookbook present, want to learn about artists and create some of their great art projects, need a fabulous geography encyclopedia, want an exciting spy series, or just need to spice up your bookshelves, go to Find the Duck Books and you will surely find something perfect to fit the bill.

January and February are the BEST times to have an Usborne Home Show because you get DOUBLE FREE BOOKS! If you have a list of books you are wanting, having a home show is the best way to get them. Now I know what you are thinking…you vowed never to have another home show in your life! You cleaned your house, invited friends, and the consultant wasn’t that great…well, it is time to change your experience with home shows! I guarantee this consultant is FUN and will put on a great show for your guests. People will love, love, love the books and will want to buy some. Your house may need to be cleaned, but if you don’t stress about it and start a week before it will be easy-peasy and you will end up with a clean house and free books at the end of the party! How is that for a sales pitch? Shoot me an email at tracysfindtheduckbooks@gmail.com and I will help you create a fabulous home show where you can walk away with a pile of books your family will love!

All of my hostesses have earned $120+ in free books and you can too!

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book bonanza – the quiltmaker’s gift

Jan 5, 2010 by tracy

I adore books. I treasure them. I collect them. I love, love, love to share them with others. I have done a few book spotlights on here, but not as many as I would like…mostly because I haven’t had a central theme for them. I want my book spotlights to have a name and I haven’t been able to think of one…yet.

I am going to try out “Book Bonanza.” Bonanza means “A rich mine, vein, or pocket of ore. A source of great wealth or prosperity.” Isn’t that exactly what a great book is?

So, here is my first official Book Bonanza.

The Quiltmaker’s Gift is one of our favorite books. We love it for many reasons: beautiful artwork, fabulous storyline, teaching of morals, and powerful lessons.

The story is about a selfish king who demands gifts be brought to him for his birthday twice a year. He has lists of lists of lists of stuff he owns and none of it brings him joy. He hears about a quiltmaker who makes beautiful creations and sends an army to get one of her quilts because surely that will bring him joy…right? And thus starts his journey to true happiness as he learns that giving and serving are what make our hearts sing.

I have been reading this book to Blythe since she was about two or three (we love the prequel The Quiltmaker’s Journey just as much) and over the years she has given away many of her favorite things just as she learned from these pages. At times, I have had to stop myself from trying to talk her out of giving something really precious away because I knew why she was doing it and that giving it away would make her the person I hoped she would be instead of someone obsessed with holding on to worldly possessions.

I remember when Blythe was three and four we had an elderly neighbor and Blythe loved walking down the road to her home and taking her presents. Sometimes they would be drawings or flowers, but a few times she picked out a favorite book or a prized necklace to take to her. This dear woman loved Blythe’s little gifts. Once she asked Blythe why she was giving her them and Blythe told her the whole story of the selfish king and how he had to learn from the quiltmaker where happiness comes from. She went on and on and on making sure that her friend understood all about the king and his greedy ways and how when he gave all his things away he was happy through and through.

Truly a book to treasure!

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trapp family singers

Dec 10, 2009 by tracy

I have been reading The Story of the Trapp Family Singers for the last couple of weeks for January’s colloquium and just finished it in the wee hours of the morning. Such a delight! I was taught once again the power of God, the strength of family, and the connectedness of community. The author, Maria Von Trapp, created a door in which once I walked through I was able to experience the heartaches, joys, hard work, frustrations, simple pleasures, and determination to do good right along with the family. ch

One of my favorite parts is when the family has been asked to sing for Hitler and they have to make a choice between fame, fortune, and security in the new world of the Third Reich or a life of principle in which they must give up their home, their country, and their friends.

Their father says:

“Children, we have the choice now: do we want to keep the material goods we still have – this our home with the ancient furniture, our friends, and all the things we are fond of? Then we shall have to give up the spiritual goods: our faith and our honor. We can’t have both anymore. We could all make a lot of money now, but I doubt very much whether it would make us happy. I’d rather see you poor but honest. If we choose this, then we have to leave. Do you agree?

As one voice came the answer: “Yes, Father.”

“Then, let’s get out of here soon. You can’t say no three times to Hitler-it’s getting dangerous.”

Another wonderful part is when the mother is very sick and is told there is nothing that can be done for her medically. Her friends from all over the world start praying for her and she is healed. She shares the story of the man who was brought by his friends to Jesus to be healed and how the crowds did not stop them, they were determined to have their friend healed and they climbed the roof and lowered the man right in front of Jesus. We are then told “And when Jesus had seen their faith, He said to the sick one: ‘Arise, take up thy bed and walk.'” She talks about how she now understands how the man must have loved his friends for helping to bring about this great miracle because that is how she feels about her friends who prayed for her and whose faith brought her back to life. That is how I feel about my friends as well. They have prayed, put our names in the temple, given much, and have loved us so dearly that I will forever be grateful for the love of good friends.

If you haven’t read this book yet, pick it up today and get started. It will be a gift to your soul this Christmas season as it teaches faith, family, fun, and friendship.

I need to hurry and get ready for my cello lesson, so ta-ta for now, I’ll be back with Thankful Thursdays this evening!

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nanowrimo

Dec 2, 2009 by tracy

Blythe has just finished NaNoWriMo or National Novel Writing Month. She found out about it from her friend, Katherine, and then started writing back on November 2nd. Each person sets a word count goal and then writes all month long to reach that goal. Every participant that reaches their personal goal wins and receives a certificate.

I was impressed with several things. NaNoWriMo kept her attention all month long and she worked hard on her writing. She incorporated the lessons she learned from Kate’s writing class she took this fall, which was a fabulous class that I hope will be repeated. She also learned that writing a novel takes a lot of time and that if she wants to write well she is going to have to be serious about it and not just throw out ideas and hope they somehow end up in a magical, enticing story.

She was proud of herself. I was proud of her…and then I was hit by a magical idea…

When I woke up this morning and checked my email box, there was another one of Amazon’s marketing emails, which I almost always promptly delete. For some reason, I clicked on this one to see the latest boxed sets of “teen” books. My screen was filled with vampires, dragons, prostitute-looking girls – all of which is disgusting and despicable to me. Then I saw a boxed set of Shannon Hale’s. Blythe and I read The Princess Academy a few years ago, so I thought, “hmmm, I wonder what else she has written.” A few clicks later and I was reading all about The Goose Girl, The Forest Born, and all sorts of other gems. I found an interview of Shannon and it was utterly delightful. She shared why she writes books and what messages she tries to communicate. I hurriedly ran down to wake up Blythe (who is THE HARDEST person in the world to wake up) and squealed “Blythe, Blythe, come with me right now! I have found a book you will love and you must come and find out all about it this very minute. Come, come come!” She quickly jumped (yes, actually jumped!) out of bed and ran upstairs with me. We were like two little school girls who had just found a secret room full of jewels. I played the interview with her, read her all the descriptions of the books, showed her all sorts of stuff about Shannon Hale, and told her I thought we should go on a book hunting mission this afternoon in honor of her finishing her first book. She was thrilled! So, today, after Shakespeare and her weekly temple trip, we will be searching the aisles of the used book store to see if we can snag the whole set. If not, we will go to Barnes and Noble and buy the first book. (We tried the library first, but we are 6th in line, which means it will be at least 18 weeks before we get it! Much too long to wait when a child is on fire about something!)

How fun to finally be at this place with her!

(okay, I just tried to reserve Forest Born at the library and we are 22nd in line! This will never do, I am going to have to find them at the used book store!)

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thanksgiving book

Nov 27, 2009 by tracy

A few weeks ago we checked out a few Thanksgiving books from the library and because of the pencil roll project I have not had time to read them till today.

The children and I snuggled in for a short evening read and found a classic. We will definitely be purchasing this book!

This is the story of Sarah Hale and her determination to have America celebrate a day of thanks on the same day. The illustrations are charming and tell the story with exaggerated pen sizes, distorted President’s faces, and her children sleeping on piles of letters. She spent 38 years on her cause and finally succeeded when President Lincoln declared Thanksgiving as a holiday to be celebrated on the fourth Thursday of November.

Sarah was a remarkable woman who was determined to change society for the better. She fought for playgrounds for children and education for girls and against spanking, corsets, dull stories, and slavery.

Trust me, you will love this book…go find it at your library today…but then, like me, you will be wanting to buy it!

My favorite line:

Thanksgiving needed a real superhero, someone bold and brave and stubborn and smart. Thanksgiving needed Sarah Hale. Now, I know what you’re thinking. She doesn’t look like a superhero. She looks like a dainty little lady.

Never underestimate dainty little ladies.

I concur…

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g is for googol

Nov 18, 2009 by tracy

I found another math book I love and have to share it with you! G is For Googol by David Schwartz is an alphabet book with each letter standing for a mathematical concept. The concepts are all explained thoroughly and hilariously. It is sure to draw in math lovers and math haters. Blythe started it last night and was giggling on every page.

An example of its humor:

“I am sure you are wondering how to write 2 billion with exponents. If you aren’t wondering, start wondering now!”

We are going to have a delightful time going through this book together and separately.

Enjoy!

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christmas books to gladden the heart

Nov 16, 2009 by tracy

One of our favorite traditions is to decorate our home with our favorite Christmas books and to read one each night of December. Each child has their favorite books they are dying for me to read and they know that one of those nights, they will get “their” book read to everyone. We also sing a different Christmas song each night and have a scripture about Christ. We love this tradition!

If you are wanting to create this tradition in your home, just list out your favorite Christmas books that you own and then list out which ones you will need to either buy or check out from the library so that you have at least 24 books. If you need some ideas, I will share with you some of our favorites.

Grandfather’s Christmas Tree by Keith Strand and Thomas Locker is the heartwarming story of a young couple homesteading out in the Colorado wilderness and being hit by the worst winter storms in years. As they learn to depend on one another and God above, they are able to save an injured goose, give birth to their first baby, and create a story to tell for generations. The illustrations are beautiful and the story is sure to bring a soft smile to your face.

Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers is a story of children in a cruel orphanage learning to share and lighten a little girl’s heart.

Silent Night, Holy Night: The Story of the Christmas Truce by The Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Walter Cronkite is a story from WWI and enemy soldiers calling for a two day truce to celebrate Christmas.

A Christmas Dress For Ellen by Thomas S. Monson is a true story of a family who is down on their luck after moving to Canada and the generosity of people in Idaho sending food, clothes, books, and games to ease their poverty. Ellen has been forced to grow up before her time and the joy has been snuffed right out of her. Through the selflessness of a nearly blind postman who travels eight hours through a blizzard on Christmas Eve and the love of her family, Ellen is able to feel the power of Christmas and smile again.

One Candle by Eve Bunting. This is a beautiful story about Hannukah and a WWII observance in a concentration camp using a smuggled potato as the candle. We celebrate Hannukah and read it on the first night of the festival.

Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl Buck tells how a boy wakes up at 2:45 a.m. to do the farm chores for his father on Christmas morning and how much joy it brings to him to give this gift to his father. The illustrations are lovely, full of old-fashioned folksy-ness. (Another invented word!)

A Cowboy Christmas: The Miracle at Lone Pine Ridge by Audrey Wood tells how a fatherless boy answers a prompting to find his father’s friend in a blizzard on Christmas Eve and saves his life. This one is Keziah’s favorite.

A Christmas Like Helen’s by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock (who is one of our all-time favorite authors – check out The Bear Who Heard Crying, Wilderness Cat, and A Farm of Her Own.) This book goes through Helen’s life and talks about different Christmas experiences she has had. It is full of family, faith, and love and will take you back to a forgotten time when life was simpler.

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey (Book & CD Gift Edition) by Susan Wojciechowski, P.J. Lynch, and James Earl Jones is a delightful story of a bitter and broken-hearted widower who slowly has his heart brought back to life by a widow and her curious, endearing little boy. Get the one with the CD, it is fabulous!

A Small Miracle by Peter Collington is a picture book without words that tells the story of an impoverished woman who restores the church’s vandalized creche and then is saved when those characters come to life to rescue her. My children love looking at the pictures and creating their own words for the story.

We Were There: A Nativity Story by Eve Bunting has wonderful illustrations and tells the story of the lowly creatures (snake, toad, scorpion, cockroach, bat, spider, and rat) who went unnoticed, but traveled far to be present at Christ’s birth. Each animal has its own rhyme and is a great read-aloud.

There Was No Snow On Christmas Eve by Pamela Munoz Ryan is a beautifully illustrated book that paints the picture of what it really would have been like in Bethlehem in the springtime of the year when Christ was born.

The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry is a classic tale of both spouses sacrificing their most treasured item to buy the other a gift for those treasured items. Pure delight!

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens…what else needs to be said? We love it and think everyone else does too! This absolutely breathtaking edition by my favorite illustrator, Robert Ingpen is a MUST have.

This Is the Season: Beloved of the Year by Simon Dewey tells the words to the song “This is the Season” and has lots of quotes about Christmas. My children love to look at the paintings by Simon Dewey.

A Christmas Treasury for Latter-day Saint Families by Lloyd and Karmel Newell has 25 different sections with a different value for each day, like Hope, Joy, Kindness, or Sharing. Each value theme has stories, poems, scriptures and songs to teach that value. We use this book to give us a theme for the day and then I pick a picture book to go with that theme. If I don’t have a book for that day, I just use the stories in this book.

The Tale of Three Trees: A Traditional Folktale by Angela Elwell Hunt is a story from long ago that shows how God can make our plans for our life come true in ways we never imagined. Each of the three trees comes to play a part in Jesus’ life, but not the way they had planned.

Sacred Songs of Christmas: A Family Treasury [With CD] by Nicole Wong, Paine Proffitt, and Andrea Eberbach is full of treasured hymns and also songs I have never heard of. We sing a different Christmas song each night and we get lots of them from this book. Comes with a CD to help you with the unfamiliar ones.

Silent Night: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges tells the story of how this staple of Christmas was written and became famous across the world.

When Christ Was Born in Bethlehem by Joseph Brickey has gorgeous paintings on each page and contains the text of Luke 2 to tell the story of Christ’s birth straight from the scriptures. It also contains some references from LDS scriptures, but if you are not LDS, I think you will still love it. It is simply breathtaking.

Please share with me some of your favorites so our list can keep growing!

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