Archives

Bonus Questions on Books That Changed the World

Mar21

Can you think of twelve American Books That Changed the World in the same sense in which Bragg’s British list did?

How about Twelve Novels That Changed the World?

I wrote this post last June: 10 Most Helpful Fiction Books of the Last Century. “[T]hese are not the BEST books of the last two centuries, although most of them are very well-written, and they’re not the most influential books, but only those fiction books that have had the most influence for GOOD.”

I think my ten would be candidates for Twelve Works of Fiction That Changed the World.

Life-Changing Books

Mar21

Kimbofo titles her post “The World’s Best (nonfiction) Books;” however, the author of the book she’s commenting on doesn’t claim to have listed the twelve best books in the world. Instead, Melvin Bragg has written a book entitled Twelve Books That Changed the World.. Can you guess which twelve books he chose? Hint: there are no novels on the list. Oh, and you should also know that the author limited himself to books published in English by British authors.

Put your guesses in the comments section, and then read the Times article about the genesis of Bragg’s book, and then read Kimbofo’s comments.

Picture Book Preschool Book of the Week (12)

Mar20


Today is the first official day of spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. To celebrate, all the books listed in my curriculum, Picture Book Preschool, for this week have something to do with springtime. One of the best of the best is Springtime for Jeanne-Marie by Francoise Seignobosc.

Z-baby loves this story. The little French girl, Jeanne-Marie, loses her pet duck, Madalon. Jeanne-Marie also has a pet sheep, Patapon, and she and Patapon set off down the river to look for Madalon. Of course, they ask everyone they meet whether or not they have seen a little white duck, but the answer is always “no.” Eventually, Jeanne-Marie and Patapon make a new friend, Jean Pierre, who helps them in their search. And finally, when they have almost given up hope, the children and Patapon find Madalon in a most unlikely place.

The watercolor illustrations in this picture book are beautifully Old World European. There’s also some counting practice involved in reading the story, and the book is just right for three or four or even five year olds who are just beginning to appreciate a simple plot with some repetition and a little surprise at the end. The children, Jeanne-Marie and Jean Pierre, are delightfully innocent and seem to come from the French countryside of about the 1940’s or 50’s, maybe even earlier. The Jeanne-Marie books, of which there are several, were actually published in France in the 1950’s.

I couldn’t find any information on the internet or in my home reference books about Francoise Seignobosc. Does anyone else have any information about this French author/illustrator?

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.

To This Great Stage of Fools: Born March 20th

Mar20

William Barnes, b.1801. Dorset poet. You can read read some of his poems here if you can cut through the dialect.

Thomas Cooper, b. 1805. He was the son of a dyer, educated himself at home, and then opened his own primary school. A Wesleyan Methodist, then later a Baptist itinerant preacher, he was involved politically with the Chartists in protesting the poor working conditions for factory workers at that time in England. When he was in his sixties, he wrote his autobiography, The Life of Thomas Cooper.

Henrik Ibsen, b. 1828. Norwegian playwright. “There can be no freedom or beauty about a home life that depends on borrowing and debt.” —A Doll’s House.

Mitsumasa Anno, b. 1926. Author and illustrator of children’s books, born in Tsuwano, Japan. He was a teacher of mathematics for ten years before he began to write and illustrate children’s books. His books show both a love of mathematics and puzzles and a love of travel.
Try Anno’s USA or Anno’s Mysterious Multiplying Jar.

I was once asked at a symposium, “Why do you draw?” I knew what they would have liked for an answer, “I draw for the children of Japan who represent our future, blah, blah, blah”. But what I actually wound up saying was, “I draw because that’s my work. I made it my work because it’s what I like to do”. Michael Ende then said, “The same goes for me. I’m just like Anno-san”, while Tasha Tudor said, “I do my work so that I can buy lots of flower bulbs”. From a 2004 interview with Mitsumasa Anno

I like Tasha Tudor’s answer.

Fred Rogers, b. 1928. I still say to my urchins, “Right as usual, King Friday.” The younger ones don’t even know where the phrase comes from, but I used to watch MisterRogers’ Neighborhood with Eldest Daughter about sixteen years ago. I thought then, and I still think, that it was much better than Sesame Street or most of the other PBS children’s shows. It was slower, of course, more reminiscent of Captain Kangaroo, the TV show I remember watching as a preschooler.

The Third Carnival of Children’s Literature

Mar19

. . . is coming up in April here at Semicolon. You may submit any post related to children’s literature; however, since April is National Poetry Month, the theme for the carnival is children’s poetry, developing an appreciation for poetry, enjoying poetry with children—you get the idea. Think Poetically.

Since I’m a rather prosaic sort of person, here are the prosaic details:

Email all submissions to me at sherryDOTearlyATgmailDOTcom by 6 PM, Saturday, April 1st. You should include the URL of your post, the title of the post, the URL of your blog, and a short description or teaser telling about the post you’ve submitted. Please include the words “third carnival of children’s literature” in the subject line of your email. Everyone is invited, so get those posts in now and beat the deadline.

I should have the carnival posted by Monday morning, April 3rd.

Past Carnivals of Children’s Literature:

First Carnival of Children’s Literature at Here in the Bonnie Glen by Melissa Wiley, our initiator and fearless leader. Email Melissa if you’re interested in hosting the carnival in future months.

Second Carnival of Children’s Literature at Chicken Spaghetti by Susan.

The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall

Mar18

The urchins and I finished this read aloud book a few weeks ago, but I was waiting for one of them to write something about it. No luck. Then, I wrote a review, posted it, and my server went down and lost it. You’ll have to make do with my warmed-over observations.

First of all, Karate Kid, Brown Bear Daughter, and Betsy-Bee were enthralled with this story. Organizer Daughter (age 14) overheard us reading The Penderwicks, and she took it and read it to herself while we were doing other things. Every day I had to read at least two chapters because we all wanted to see what would happen to Penderwick sisters and their friend, Jeffrey. How would they get out of this scrape? And what would happen to Jeffrey? It was an excellent read aloud book.

The book did produce some “deja vu” moments. See if any of this description rings a bell. Four sisters live in a small cottage with one parent, next door to a grand mansion where a lonely boy, an only child, who loves to play the piano, lives and watches them from his upstairs window. The boy wants to become a musician, but his rich grandfather had other plans for the boy, and the boy is expected to follow his grandfather’s wishes. The four Penderwick girls become friends with the boy, Jeffrey, and the five of them have all sorts of adventures together. The eldest Penderwick sister, Rosalind, age 12, is just starting to become interested in boys. Another sister, Jane, age 10, is a writer and a daydreamer, and Skye, age 11, is a tomboy who says things without thinking first, sometimes getting the sisters into lots of trouble. Oh, and Batty, the youngest who is only four years old, is so shy that she hardly speaks to people outside the family.

Does any of this sound familiar? To any who are fans of Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women, it certainly does. However, this story, while it obviously echoes that of the March sisters, doesn’t feel annoyingly derivative or copied. It was just fun picking out the echoes. There are certainly enough new elements here in terms of plot and characters to keep the reader turning the pages and reading to see what will happen next. Some of the more exciting events in the book include an encounter with a bull, a fire in the cottage kitchen, and a soccer practice gone mad that collides with a Very Important Garden Competition to produce havoc.

The Penderwicks will join some of my other favorite fictional families such as the Melendy family (The Saturdays and Four Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright), the Fossil sisters (Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield), the Moffats by Eleanor Estes, the Austins (Madeleine L’Engle) and All-of-a-Kind Family by Sydney Taylor. And of, course, I can’t forget the March sisters. Four children seems to be the preferred number in most of these books, although three is OK and five is also acceptable. Often, the families have two girls and two boys or alternately all girls. Parents are available but not heard until needed. Most significantly, the children in all these families share an adventurous spirit and loving family relationships, making these books a joyous romp seen through the eyes of children who are a lot like my eight urchins. One of my urchins won’t read fantasy or historical fiction or science fiction or anything else except stories about “real life children who are like me.” The Penderwicks is a great sample of this kind of a book, and since it takes place during the summer holidays (subtitle: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy), it would be perfect to read or listen to in the car during summer vacation.

Book-Spotting #7

Mar18

Carmon on the historical novels of G.A. Henty. I mentioned Henty here a couple of weeks ago, and someone asked some questions to which I didn’t really have answers. Carmon has the scoop.

Kathryn Judson discusses Pooh and the Philosophers by John Tyerman Wiliams (with Ernest Shepard illustrations, of course). I like the idea of this book: “In Which It Is Shown That All of Western Philosophy Is Merely a Preamble to Winnie-the-Pooh.”

Vera Ivanova and Anthony Esolen (Mere Comments) on the (Christian) orthodoxy of Charles Dickens. Did I ever tell you that I really like Dickens?

iMonk names names—of the authors that he’s read and enjoyed. And he dares anyone to evaluate the state or the content of his faith by the eclectic nature of his reading material.

Stefanie at So Many Books wrote a post about all the books she’s reading at one time.
Dancer Daughter rather sheepishly confessed to me today that she’s reading eight, yes e-i-g-h-t, books right now. She says she just can’t limit herself to one book at a time. Should I take her in for bibliotherapy? She’s reading Vanity Fair, Great Expectations, Alice in Wonderland, Jane Eyre, Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey, and three books by Madeleine L’Engle: The Irrational Season, Certain Women, and The Small Rain.
I’m only reading two books right now. How many books do you have going at once? Can anyone beat Dancer Daughter’s eight?

Celebrating the Irish

Mar17

Reading Matters’ Top Ten Irish Novels in honor of St. Patrick’s Day.

Unfortunately, the only one of Kimbofo’s ten picks that I’ve read is Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, and i never thought of that one as an Irish novel. For that matter, did you know that Jonathan Swift was Irish? Gulliver’s Travels does make my Best 100 Fiction books List, but it may be the only “Irish” novel on the that list.

So, I can’t give you a list of ten, but here are a few books I’d suggest if you’re in the mood for something having to do with The Emerald Isle on this fine St. Patrick’s Day:

1. Patrick: Son of Ireland by Stephen R. Lawhead. I thought I had reviewed this book on the blog , but I can’t really find anything other than a mention. Suffice it to say that I have enjoyed all of Lawhead’s books including this one about St. Patrick. Lawhead is a little more into the Celtic Christianity thing than I am, but I really like his books. And they give me food for thought–about the history of Christianity, the meaning of community, and way of discipleship.

2. Pegeen by Hilda van Stockum. This one I just reviewed and am now reading aloud with a couple of the urchins. It gives me a chance to use my (very poor) irish brogue.

3. How the Irish Saved Civilization by Thomas Cahill. This nonfiction selection also caused me to think about community and the preservation of culture. Good popular history.

Music: I’d suggest Enya or I like this CD, Revival in Belfast.

Or of course, there’s our best beloved Celtic Thunder.

Movies: The Quiet Man with John Wayne or Dancing at Lughnasa with Meryl Streep.

Does anyone else have any other Irish-related reading, listening, or viewing suggestions? And have any of you read this book, The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West . . .Again by George G. Hunter III? I found it while browsing Amazon for this post, and it sounds like something I might like to read. Comments?

Last and least, here are a couple of short posts to get you in the Celtic/Irish mood:
St. Patrick’s Breastplate, or the Lorica
A few Irish blessings for St. Patrick’s Day.

Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson

Mar17

Another thrift store find, I picked up a paperback copy of this 1994 novel for 66 cents because I had heard of it, and it sounded interesting. On the front and back of the novel other adjectives are used to describe the story: “compelling,” “heart-stopping,” “haunting,” and “luminous,” are a few. I think I’ll stick with “interesting,” even though it’s not nearly so descriptive.

Snow Falling on Cedars is the story of a Japanese American fisherman, Kabuo Miyamoto, who is accused of the murder of another fisherman, Carl Heine. The plot reminded me of To Kill a Mockingbird, a courtroom drama in which local prejudices and racist stereotypes play a big part. Most of the action of the book takes place in 1954, about ten years after World War 2. However, each of the characters revisits the war years in flashbacks that illuminate the motivations of the people involved in the trial. Miyamoto is married to Hatsue, a Japanese American woman who grew up on San Piedro Island with him and also with the other major character in the novel, Ishmael Chambers. Chambers, as the editor and publisher of the island’s only newspaper, is writing about the trial, and he is also involved with the Miyamoto family in another way: he was Hatsue’s secret boyfriend during their high school years, before the war.

Well, thought Ishmael, bending over his typewriter, his fingertips poised just above the keys; the palpitations of Kabuo Miyamoto’s heart were unknowable finally. And Hatsue’s heart wasn’t knowable either, not was Carl Heine’s. The heart of any other, because it had a will, would remain forever mysterious.
Ishmael gave himself to the writing of it, and as he did so he understood this, too: that accident ruled every corner of the universe except the chambers of the human heart.”

These are the final words of this murder mystery that attempts to transcend the genre and make some kind of commentary on the Meaning of Life. P.D. James does a better job. Harper Lee did a better job. First of all, there’s no mystery in Snow Falling on Cedars. It’s obvious from the beginning of the novel who didn’t kill Carl Heine, and the only mystery exists in figuring out the details of how Heine did die and trying to second-guess the author’s intentions in regard to the man who is accused of Heine’s murder.

Secondly, the novel tries to do too much. Is it a commentary on race relations and the injustice of sending Japanese nationals to Manzanar during World War 2? Or is it a courtroom drama about justice and injustice in the American system of law? Or is it a story about war and how it changes men? Or maybe it’s a novel about first love and the impermanence of innocence and the tendency of the world to disillusion and take away our youthful ideals. Or it could be an existentialist novel in disguise: we make ourselves real by the decisions we make. All of that stuff is in there, but I’m not sure any of it is developed as it could have been. Characters and themes keep getting in the way of each other instead of complementing and completing one another. Completion, resolution, or even character growth are not terms that I would use in connection with this novel, although the trial itself does come to an end.

I hesitate to question the literary quality of Guterson’s award-winning novel, but I must say that I found it disappointing. The novel raised many questions. Can human beings form any deep. lasting, or meaningful relationships? Does “accident rule every corner of the universe”? Or is the human heart free to make decisions and to remain unpredictable? Is the author trying to say that people of Japanese descent and people of Caucasian descent can never understand one another? (A seemingly near-racist conclusion.) Or is it that we are all unknowable? Is the American justice flawed or does justice triumph in the end? Do the people in this novel learn anything, or do they just act on impulse and a desire for self-gratification?

Guterson is quoted in his Random House bio: “Fiction writers shouldn’t dictate to people what their morality should be. Yet not enough writers are presenting moral questions for reflection, which I think is a very important obligation.” I think he’s got plenty of questions ,reflection in abundance, but isn’t the place to get any answers or even find out which questions are the most important and need answers. The characters in the novel are just drifting through life in reaction to whatever “weather conditions” come along. When individuals in the novel did make a definite decision about something, I never understood why they made the decisions they did.

I recommend Snow Falling on Cedars with reservations. It may grow on me. I know I’m still thinking about it a week after I finished reading it. However, by next year this time, I may have forgotten all about Guterson’s novel. I’m just not sure it goes deep enough to stick.

By the way has anyone seen the movie based on this book, and if so, what did you think of it?

Picture Book Preschool, Explained (I Hope)

Mar16

I received two requests for information today on my book, Picture Book Preschool. One person wanted more information about the books included in my “kit”. And the other person asked how Picture Book Preschool compares to other preschool curricula that use picture books such as Five in a Row and Science Through Children’s Literature.

First of all, the kit of 52 used picture books plus the curriculum book is not currently available. I ran out of picture books, and I am waiting on a new supply. When I get a new supply of used picture books, I will make the package deal available at the Picture Book Preschool webpage.

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.

The book mainly consists of these lists, one for each week of the year. You should be able to find most of the picture books listed in Picture Book Preschool at your local library. If you can only find five out of the seven or six out of the seven for a given week, that should be enough to keep you busy. I have collected many of the picture books listed in Picture Book Preschool for my own children by browsing used bookstores. So when I read these books to Z-baby, I read some that we own and some that I get from the library.

As far as comparisons go, I am familiar with the curriculum Five in a Row, and I like it very much. In Five in a Row you are encouraged to read one picture book, such as Lentil by Robert McCloskey, for five days in a row. (Children generally love to read favorite picture books over and over again.) For each day of the week this curriculum gives lesson plans related to the books of the week covering science, mathematics, history and geography, and language arts. Five in a Row is a fully developed curriculum with loads of activities to keep your homeschooled preschooler or kindergartner busy and happy.

The Science Through Children’s Literature books that I found using google looked as if they were geared toward elementary and middle school aged children and also looked very much as if they were written for school teachers. I am working on a follow-up book to Picture Book Preschool, called Picture Book Science that will be formatted in much the same way as the first book: a list of science books on certain theme to read each week with your child, ages 4-8, and maybe one simple experiment or demonstration to do together.

Unfortunately (or fortunately) for my preschooler, I am homeschooling six older children. I don’t have time to do all the activities in Five in a Row, and I like the variety of picture books we read with Picture Book Preschool. Picture Book Preschool introduces your child to the best of children’s picture books, and it takes only a few minutes each day to read the book for that day, talk about it, and see where it leads you. Maybe you’ll pretend to run away from home with Frances or stack caps like the peddler in Caps for Sale or make up a poem of your own after reading The Important Book by Margaret Wise Brown. I suggest a few activities in Picture Book Preschool, but it’s left up to you and your child how far you want to go with each book and with the theme for each week.