The 21st Carnival of Homeschooling cordially invites you to a Progressive Dinner Party hosted at Principled Discovery. Dress is casual. Invite a friend and enjoy the food, travel and conversation as we get to know each other a little better.
Then, there’s the monthly Carnival of Children’s Literature, Broken Toe Edition, posted at Here in the Bonny Glen. My favorite link from the kid’s lit carnival: A Fuse #8 Production’s Top 21 Children’s Books Turned into Films.
Lanier Ivester recommends gardening books. I say that if I can’t garden, I can at least read about it.
Sarah at Reading the Past asks: “On the off-chance that any historical novelist reading this needs a subject for a new writing project (um, right), may I humbly suggest one of the following medieval women. Who else would you like to add to the list, royal or not, medieval or not?”
Dawn on The Books of Summer: “Every month or two I like to gather books with a seasonal flavor ~ arrange them in a basket, add a pretty ribbon, and place the basket somewhere on display in hopes of tempting curious and eager minds … What a lovely decorating scheme!
Jared’s doing a Literacy Check at Thinklings. Go over and tell them what you’re reading, and check out what everybody else is reading.
Heilbroner, Joan. Robert the Rose Horse. Illustrated by P.D. Eastman. Random House, 1962.
Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the Hat was published in 1957, as was Little Bear by Else Homlelund Minarik. These two are the classic easy readers, published by Random House and Harper and Row, respectively. In the late 50’s and in the 1960’s and 70’s, books for beginning readers became trendy. Lots of libraries separated the easy readers from the picture books so that beginning readers could easily find the books they could read all by themselves.
Robert the Rose Horse is another one of those old classic beginning readers, published in 1962, back when easy readers were just becoming popular with publishers and in libraries. The book tells the story of Robert, a horse who leaves his country home because he is allergic to roses. Although Robert’s allergy is the central driving plot element of the story, the words “allergy” and “allergic” are never used, of course. Robert sneezes, and the story progresses. Robert is a sort of funny, anthropomorphized, horse, too. He carries a suitcase and walks on his hind legs, except when he’s working as a cart horse. Then he needs all four feet on the ground. And he never talks to the people in the story, but he seems to be able to communicate with them quite well.
None of these oddities detracts from the delightful story of Robert, an ordinary horse with a mild disability (his allergy) who overcomes his problems with perseverance and courage. Robert the Rose Horse is one of my favorite characters. His story is not only fun for young beginning readers; it’s also fun to read aloud with preschoolers. I like making (faking) Robert’s sneezes, and my urchins enjoy reading about the bank robbery that turns Robert into a hero.
Picture Book Preschool is a preschool/kindergarten curriculum which consists of a list of picture books to read aloud for each week of the year and a character trait, a memory verse, and activities, all tied to the theme for the week. You can purchase a downloadable version (pdf file) of Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early at Biblioguides.
Someone wrote in a comment that she used this book as “comfort food”, not too challenging, but comfortable and easy reading. I hate to disagree with any of my esteemed readers, but I found it not comforting, but disturbing.
The Shell Seekers is set in about the time it was published, 1987, with flashbacks to WW2 and its aftermath. The story takes place in England. The central character is Penelope Keeling, an elderly widow who has just been released from the hospital after a near-heart attack. Her two daughters and her son are worried to varying degrees about how she will take care of herself and whether she will continue to be able to live alone. Actually, the oldest daughter, Nancy, and the son, Noel, are more concerned about how Penelope will be able to take care of her financial assets, which include a painting by her famous artist father called The Shell Seekers.
The plot of the novel, such as it is, wanders about, changing its point of view, always coming back to Penelope. The characters are meant to be sympathetic, especially daughter Olivia and Penelope herself, and they would be, I suppose, if I could believe in them. However, they are both really selfish people interested mostly in their own comfort and their own independence, and they both engage in extra-marital affairs without any emotional or physical consequences. The bohemian, selfish life is presented as the ideal, no lasting commitments, and no guilt or regrets. Maybe I’ve led a sheltered life, but I just find it difficult to believe that people actually live this way. For example, Olivia meets a man while she is on vacation, moves in with him, and plans to stay for just one year, a sort of sabbatical from her high-pressure career in magazine publishing. At the end of the year, she returns to her career and never looks back. Can real people, not paper dolls in books, have such an uncomplicated, yet, of course, deeply loving, relationship?
The moral of the story, if it can be called that, is: grab life while you can, be generous, and follow your feelings. Happiness consists of listening to your own desires and keeping yourself independent. Oh, and you can have it all: independence and true love, especially if your lover is accommodating enough to die young before your husband returns from the war and finds out about the affair.
Oscar Wilde once wrote: “The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what fiction means.” In this book the bad end, as they began, unhappily, and the not-so-moral-either end happily, and the whole book just doesn’t ring True. It’s a good story, irreparably flawed by its moral outlook, and that is not what I’m looking for in fiction.
This book is a new historical fiction novel by Judith Pella, who has written other such novels in collaboration with authors Michael Phillips and Tracie Peterson. This one is Mrs. Pella’s alone, and it’s a solid piece of light fiction set in the latter half of the thirteenth century in England, France and the Holy Land.
The author had several historical events and persons to work with in creating this story of Philip de Tolland, the illegitimate son of and English lord, who is eventually exiled from his home, disinherited, and forced into outlawry. The story begins in the spring of 1263. Henry III, father of Edward I (Longshanks), is king of England, but he faces a simmering revolt on the part of his barons under the leadership of Simon de Montfort. The king is taken prisoner, but his son Edward leads the king’s allies against the rebellious barons and is eventually successful in defeating them, freeing his father, and restoring Henry to the throne. All of this civil war and turmoil moves the plot along in the book, and then as the main characters converge upon Palestine in the seventh Crusade, the romantic leads, Philip and his friend and neighbor Beatrice, reunite and come to terms with the decisions they have each made alone while Philip was in exile.
Father issues, bastardy, repentance, consequences of bad decisions, and undeserved persecution are some of the themes that the book explores, but not too deeply. The evil characters are purely evil, not too complex and not at all sympathetic. The “good” characters are sinful, but eventually repentant, and everyone lives happily ever after as the author struggles to tie up all the loose plot ends very quickly in the last chapter and in a two-page “epilogue.”
In Mark of the Cross Judith Pella tells a good story in competent, if not terribly exciting, prose. Her protagonists are likeable and engaging, but not always believable. Philip, in particular, is on the one hand too good to be true, and other other, too full of revenge to be believed. Philip’s lady love is the stereotypical spoiled only child of an indulgent father, a bit wild and rebellious, but good enough grow up into a wise and beautiful lady. The book is a Christian version of the historical romance, an easy read, useful for vacation reading or a lazy summer afternoon’s entertainment. Don’t ask for more than that, and you won’t be disappointed.
I meander around quite a bit as far as subject matter on this blog –books, homeschooling, mommy-stuff, even some politics–but I have never cat-blogged before. I don’t even like animals very much, a fact which I have confessed and for which I have received absolution. I told all eight of my urchins that they could have pets when they had their own homes; I have enough to do cleaning up after myself, Engineer Husband, and eight children.
However, despite my protests, we now have a kitten. A kindly relative discovered the abandoned kitten in the tall grass beside our house, and the four children that make up my younger set are beside themselves with joy. The older set are pleased, too. I’m resigned.
All that to say, we have a kitten. And we need your help. Have you ever had seven children (Eldest Daughter is still in France) try to agree on a name for a kitten? It’s not a pretty sight. After a day and a half, we’re still arguing. The vote is tied at two votes per name; Z-baby’s vote doesn’t count because she keeps switching. So I’m soliciting your votes. Which of these names should we give to our new kitten? By the way, he’s a boy.
1. Super Ultimate Laser Cat Extreme, Sulky for short. Computer Guru Son thought of this one and managed to get his brother Karate Kid committed to that name as the ultimate in Cool.
2. Smike. Dancer Daughter and Organizer Daughter are performing in a play of Nicholas Nickleby next weekend. Smike is one of the characters in Nicholas Nickleby.
3. Taiwan. I don’t know where this one came from. Maybe he looks vaguely Chinese?
So vote. Vote early and often. Vote for one of these three names. Don’t give us any other suggestions. There’s enough cat confusion around here as it is.
Oh, and this is your last cat blog post for 2006. Regular blogging will resume soon.
I hate mind games; this book was one big mind game.
I’m not too fond of war movies or novels or violence; Ender’s Game is all about war and violence.
I’m more of a fantasy fan than a science fiction fan; Ender’s Game is science fiction with a vengeance.
And to top it all off, this violent science fiction novel that tries to play games with the reader’s mind is definitely a boys’ book. It wasn’t written for girls, and it probably won’t appeal to many of them.
However, I thought Ender’s Game was one of the best books I’ve read in a long time; maybe the best science fiction novel I’ve ever read. Blest With Sons says Ender’s Game is on the required reading list for Marine Corps officer candidates. I can see why; did I mention that this book is very military, very male?
Ender Wiggin is an illegal Third (third child), but like his brother, Peter, and his sister, Valentine, he is a genius. The powers that be hope he is also the one kid who can save the world from the Buggers who have already invaded Earth twice and are expected back anytime. Or maybe we’re planning to get them before they invade for a third time. Either way Ender, still a child, must learn enough very quickly to lead Earth’s army in what may turn out to be Armageddon, the final battle for domination of Earth and its colonies.
The themes in this book make it intriguing even as the plot twists and surprises keep the reader turning the pages to see what will happen next. Ender’s Game asks questions about power and violence and sin and forgiveness. Is it morally acceptable to use overwhelming force against an enemy when you know that enemy is willing and able to destroy you? What if you begin to enjoy the exercise of violence and power over others for its own sake? Can members of very different cultures communicate and make peace, or are they doomed to destroy one another? Is it acceptable to strike first to destroy an enemy who has already attacked you once? Can people change? Does a truly evil child, a torturer, become civilized? How? How are leaders formed? What makes a group, an army unit, for instance, a cohesive force? How does a leader go about creating that cohesiveness?
Lots of questions. Some of these questions are questions that we’re still pondering and muddling through as a country in the aftermath of 9/11. Orson Scott Card certainly doesn’t have all the answers, and I thought the ending of the book was its weakest part. However, he definitely asks the right questions, questions that we will be forced to answer as we deal with our own crises in this post 9/11 world.
Highly recommended with one caveat: the language is army language, rough and crude. If that bothers you, skip this book. (To tell the truth, crude language annoys me. However, it wasn’t gratuitous; I would imagine that men whose profession is violent use just the kind of language that is in this book, only worse.) I think it’s worth skimming over some words in order to read this story and think about its implications.
Homemade Pseudo-Ice Cream Sandwiches
Frozen Grapes: We just stick seedless grapes on a toothpick and put them in the freezer. Then, we eat them straight out of the freezer.
Carrots and celery with Ranch dressing.
Peanut butter on celery sticks.
The following questions led from Google to this humble blog:
1. What is a semicolon?
2. When was the semicolon invented?
3. Is Christopher Paolini a Christian?
4. How long does it take schooling-wise to become a pediatrician?
5. Campaign slogans rhyming with Vicky?
6. What makes a book a classic?
7. Who is Possum in To Kill a Mockingbird?
8. Ways to take care of water moccasins?
I thought the least I could do was to attempt some answers:
1. According to World Book Encyclopedia (1963 edition), a semicolon is “a dot above a comma. It is used in a compound sentence between two principal clauses which are not joined by a conjunction or between principal clauses with commas evan if a conjunction is used. The semicolon is also used instead of a comma after items in a series when these items are long or complicated.”
2. According to the same encyclopedia article on punctuation, the ancient Greeks often used a semicolon where nowadays we use a question mark, at the end of a question. Aldus Manutius, an Italian printer and publisher of books in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth centuries, is thought to be the first typographer to use the semicolon as we use it today. By the late sixteenth century, semicolons were being used commonly in English books. Ben Johnson and Shakespeare used the semicolon frequently.
3. I don’t know the state of his soul, nor his relationship with Christ, nor whether he claims to be a disciple of Christ. His books don’t embody a Christian worldview as far as I can tell and in fact, the elves, who are supposed to be the wisest characters in the world of Eragon, preach a philosophy of atheism. See this review of Eragon and this one of the sequel, Eldest.
4. A very long time.
5. It’s not tricky; Vote for Vicky!
6. I wrote some thoughts on the question of classic literature here. Feel free to give your opinion on this question in the comments.
7. I don’t think there is any such character, but some of the country people in the novel may eat possum.
8. There’s only ONE way to take care of a water moccasin. You do it with the nearest available blunt instrument—a shovel perhaps? If the snake in question is in the water, you swim in the opposite direction as quickly as possible, and don’t swim in that particular area anymore.
“A hill is a house for an ant, an ant.
A hive is a house for a bee.
A hole is a house for a mole or a mouse
And a house is a house for me!”
A House Is a House For Me by Mary Ann Hoberman, illustrated by Betty Fraser, goes on rollicking and rhyming from there to tell about all the possible houses for all the creatures you can imagine. Then, it moves on to expand your creativity and that of your child by telling us that “a stocking’s a house for a knee” and “cartons are houses for crackers.” The illustrations give even more examples of people, animals, and things, each inside its own cozy house or tent or container or home. And the rhyme and the rhythm keep the story going.
Mary Ann Hoberman: “I knew I was going to be a writer even before I knew how to write! I think I was about four years old when I first understood that many of the stories I loved so much had been made up by real people, with real names, rather than having always been here like the moon or the sky. I decided then that when I grew up I would write stories, too, that would be printed in books for other people to read. But meanwhile I didn�t wait to grow up or even to learn how to write. I started right away to make up stories and poems and songs in my head, which I told to myself or to my little brother�”
Question: Do you have a child (or children) who tells stories to herself? I did. Eldest Daughter walked around and around in circles and told stories to herself. Z-baby just makes up her own songs.
We read this book aloud this morning, and now Z-baby and Bethy Bee are busy making houses for their dolls out of shoe boxes.
Mary Ann Hoberman’s website.
Go here for a short interview with poet Mary Ann Hoberman.
Try this webpage for a first grade level lesson plan about homes and neighborhoods.
Here’s another lesson plan in which the teacher guides children to write a story of their own about quilts in the style of A House Is a House for Me.
“And once you get started in thinking this way,
It seems that whatever you see
Is either a house or it lives in a house,
And a house is a house for me!”
Picture Book Preschool is a preschool/kindergarten curriculum which consists of a list of picture books to read aloud for each week of the year and a character trait, a memory verse, and activities, all tied to the theme for the week. Click on the link in the sidebar if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the preschool curriculum, Picture Book Preschool by Sherry Early.