The Jesus Storybook Bible // Happy Easter

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This is hands-down the best children's bible out there and I buy it for nearly everyone having a new baby. Sally Lloyd-Jones has a beautiful way of words, and the subtitle every story whispers His name is an accurate description. The stories are beautifully illustrated by Jago. I will admit that at first I was a little off-put by the illustrations. They are so different, but the more I read the stories, the more I appreciate how different they are, and I've grown to love them, and can't picture any other illustrator working on such a precious project.

As we celebrate Easter this weekend, let us not forget the reason for Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, Holy Saturday, and Easter Sunday - Jesus Christ, who defeated Satan with his death and resurrection on the cross to save us from our sins and rectify us in the midst of a holy and just God. 

For a taste of how meaningful this little bible can be in words and pictures, please listen and watch to the story called "God's Wonderful Surprise", that shares the Easter story.

 He is Risen!

Great Chapter Books I've Read Aloud to My Kids

Today, I thought I'd share a bit differently than a single book review. I've wanted to make a compiled list for our (homeschool) read-alouds for quite a while and this seems like a great opportunity. I often use classics I've collected over the years from garage sales and thrift stores, books from my own past that I've saved,  Sonlight Curriculum's wonderful book lists for inspiration, and Sarah Mackenzie's website to lead me down more literary rabbit holes. So many of our books have been really fun to read aloud, and the kids have fully enjoyed them. I can only think of a handful that either I or one of my two didn't particularly like. Here I'll share a short snippet of what the story is about and whether or not it was a great fit for us. These books are from late summer 2014 until now.  Enjoy and happy reading!

*The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo The kids absolutely loved this book, and it was a truly a great read-aloud. The kids were laughing at the right times, the voices of the hilarious characters were enhanced, and the story had quite a bit of action-perfect for young children. I did another longer review here.

*Good Masters, Sweet Ladies! by Laura Amy Schlitz I should have waited a year or so for this book because 5 & 7 were just too young. This is a great book by a librarian, on the history of the Middle Ages, written from different community members and all in poetry. It's like a triple-whammy history lesson, and listening to it was better than reading it, but the book is necessary for the pictures of each voice and place in society. Eight would be the youngest I'd read this book to.

*Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo Possibly my very favorite elementary read-aloud, saved from my own childhood. I loved it even more as an adult. You can read an extended review here, but this story is so good, and it's even better read aloud.

*Freckle Juice by Judy Blume  This is the first introduction Judy Blume and it certainly won't be the last. This is a quick read and and a laugh-out-loud listen for the kids.

*Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald Lukka LOVED this book. I might try the second on audio, because each chapter was very long and draining. Piggle-Wiggle is quite a character and helps all the neighborhood families think of great consequences for their children's bratty or disobedient behavior. The punishment will fit the crime! It was really funny, clever, and entertaining.

*Stone Fox by John Reynolds Gardiner This was a book I had saved since 3rd grade, when I remember my teacher needing to get another teacher in her room to help her finish the book because she was so overcome by emotion. It's a tear-jerker at the end, but a sweet book about determination of a young boy, and his loyal dog.

*Sideways Stories from Wayside School by Louis Sachar This is another book I saved from my childhood, that I remember loving myself. The kids were slightly confused by it, perhaps not having a traditional school experience cuts the humor a bit, but a funny book to read to kids.

*10 Girls Who Made a Difference by Irene Howatt This book, along with the one below it are a part of a 5-part series each (5 books about girls, 5 about boys) that I love for historical and inspirational purposes. Lukka loved listening to these short essays on historical Christian women, but Ani was too young for the material and the comprehension.

*10 Boys Who Made a Difference by Irene Howatt Same rate for this one, Lukka loved it, Ani was bored. I'd say if you are interested, wait until your youngest is 7 years old. Five was way too young.

*Charlotte's Web by E.B. White Perhaps my second favorite read aloud ever, only after Because of Winn-Dixie. This book is everything a childhood novel should be: sweet, a strong plot and excellent writing, humor, tenderness, and nostalgia (at least from my own childhood). Some books are good to just absorb individually, but this is one of the best to read aloud. Both kids loved it.

*The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson A book I remember but did not own, I quickly made this our Christmas break book, and it did not disappoint. One of my favorite quotes from a childhood book comes at the very end of the last chapter--it's a perfect look at the gospel coming from a child's mouth. Guess you'll have to read it to find it! Both kids loved this and the 80s movie (find it on youtube here) that goes along with it.

*Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren I loved Pippi as a child, but I was not familiar with the books, only the movie. I found all three Pippi books at a thrift store and thought my kids might enjoy it. Both kids loved this book and the movie I grew up on. It's hilarious, as anyone who knows much about this quirky red-head will tell you. A childhood classic, in my opinion.

*Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgren  My advice is stick with the first one and don't bother with the series. The second book was not good at all. I felt like the plot and adventures were very disorganized and confusing, and although the movie blends both of these books' stories together, you really don't need this one. The kids loved it, but I am now dreading reading aloud the third, and need some space before I pick it up (per their request, otherwise I'd just leave it on the shelf).

*Usborne's Illustrated Adventure Stories (anthology) Lukka got this  for his Christmas book  this year and I think we read it fully in two or three days during Christmas break. The chapters of these 5 included classics are very short, and there is a picture on every page. I'd spare a child less than 5 or 6, as some of the content is a little heavy for little ones. He enjoyed it, Ani went elsewhere while we were reading it.

*7 X 9 = Trouble! by Claudia Mills I have to admit, the only reason I read this is because it had to do with multiplication, something Lukka was finding trying at the time. This book inspired me to (duh!) find something that motivated him to learn some of the times tables (we're only doing 2 & 3 this year). Aside from that, it wasn't a great read-aloud and was quite predictable; cute but nothing earth-shattering.

*The Cricket in Times Square by George Seldon This is our current read aloud we just started today and so far so good. It's a Newberry Honor book so I have high hopes!

Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren

My favorite thing about homeschooling is the read-alouds, and I'd been wanting to share the world of Pippi with my kids for awhile. I was priming them on other chapter books because I really wanted them to enjoy this one. I had never read the book as a child but I grew up on this TV show (which I found that amazon prime members can watch free!) and now own it in my DVD collection. I bought it before kids were even a thought, because I loved Pippi, Alfonso, and Mr. Nillson so much as a child. 

The chapter book did not disappoint, and we laughed at all the hilarious things she'd say to just about anyone she came across. She's part Ramona Quimby, part Amelia Bedelia, a little bit of Peter Panish mischief, and full of spunk up to her impending braids! The movie does take a few turns that were not in the book (don't they all?), but Pippi's world at Ville Villekula is not hard to imagine by reading words with very few pictures. She lives without adults, and with just a monkey and horse and a couple neighbor kids to keep her busy, and she finds lots of fun. 

This book was published in 1945, though I believe my above copy is from the 70s. I've been lucky to find all three of the full length chapter books at garage sales and thrift stores, spending maybe $1 for each title. Since I'm a regular thrifter and always book scavenge, I'm guessing you might haven't seen these before--I've only ever seen my own copies! Check your local library for a copy if you don't want to purchase it. I'm going to scout out the picture books Lindgren wrote after the original three!

If Ramona, Amelia, Peter Pan, and Pippi were the four you'd have to choose between, who would you choose? My answer is easy! Pippalotta!

Usborne's Illustrated Adventure Stories

Happy New Year Readers!

Now officially back to reality, an adventure book might be a good pick-me-up. How about one with FIVE classics, plenty of adventure, short chapters for the early readers, and great illustrations on every page? Usborne, as usual, has it covered. One of their newest Illustrated anthologies is the we gave to our son this year for Christmas--Usborne's Illustrated Adventure Stories. 

I do a scan of Usborne's newest titles twice a year when their new product comes out, and I almost always have about 10 I'd like to buy and give as gifts, or just own for our homeschooling library. Usborne's illustrated anthologies usually include 20 short stories, or if they're classics--like this new book--there are between 5 & 6 that range from 60-90 pages each in length.

This book has children's abridged versions of the following classics: The Count of Monte Cristo, The Prisoner of Zenda, Don Quixote, The Three Musketeers, and The 39 Steps, including one-page biographies and illustrated pictures of each author at the back of the book.  My kids love these anthologies. The proof is in the pudding, they say, and my kids have certainly eaten all these up. The oldest Illustrated books we have are the Illustrated Stories for Boys and Illustrated Stories for Girls, and they are literally falling apart from use**. 

This book is probably aimed more at boys, because there are very few female characters in the stories, and plenty of action, but both my children are enjoying the stories immensely. We've completed three of the five, and although Don Quixote confused them in places (it's a comedy, but one first has to understand sarcasm), they enjoyed The Count of Monte Cristo and The Prisoner of Zenda. These stories have a lot of action and adventure, and also quite a bit of deception, revenge, and death. 

I feel exposing my children to these stories early in life have a few benefits. For one, they are hearing the frame of the stories as young people, they will remember the general gist when they/if they have to read them in the future for school and secondly, listening to a story and seeing illustrations don't compare with the graphic nature of television shows and movies. Maybe I'm old fashioned, but I find themes and underlying moral premises easier to interpret in a picture book rather than just hearing the news in the background or watching a movie. 

My kids are enjoying this book, and I'm glad we've added it to our collection of excellent illustrated anthologies.

**I've re-taped the Girls one at least twice. If I wanted to pay the $10 (half the price of it as new, per Usborne's policy), I could get a brand new book, no questions asked, but at this point, I'm okay with it being so love.d 

An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

I didn't mean to have two book reviews by the same author this month, especially with Christmas titles, but it just happened that way. I fell in love with Patricia Polacco's Christmas story, An Orange for Frankie, when I read it for the first time, to my children before bed.

The story is about a large family, the Stowells, who don't have a lot, but have enough and each other, and Christmas is coming. The family holds off on decorating until their Pa gets back from getting their Christmas oranges to put on the mantle, one for each child. It's Frankie's favorite thing about Christmas. Although Pa is taking longer than normal to return, the family distracts themselves with making food and helping a train car full of hobos to wash up with warm bath, eat, and drink hot coffee, perhaps the first real meal they've had in weeks.

Frankie enjoys talking to the men and recognizes some of them from times before. He sees a new man who is older than the others, and notices he doesn't even have a shirt on underneath his threadbare coat. He tells the 'mister' to stay right there and he gets his nicest Christmas sweater (and the only one that fits well, knitted by his sister) to give to the man to keep warm in.

A few days after this encounter, the family is sick with worry over their Pa, as the winter weather has been blowing hard for days. If I told you the two important things that happen in the end of the book, I'd be spoiling the story for you. All that to say, it's a book about kindness, sharing with others who have less, and the love between a family. A longer book than most bedtime stories, but one that is as touching as it is beautifully illustrated, and surely worth the time spent sharing it together.

December Special: The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

For the month of December, I'll focus on mostly Christmas books to share since our family is entrenched in celebrating, decorating, and doing all things holiday. The first book I'm going to write about was actually a book first showed to me by The Well-Read Sleepyhead's own Maria! I had never heard of this book before perusing it at her house while our kids played, and I've loved it ever since. I need to get my own copy for our Christmas book collection, and this edition from our local library actually has an audio cd with it. 

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski is a beautiful story of a young family and a heartbroken man, coming together to share gifts, hospitality, and the joy of the Christmas season. Jonathan Toomey is a cranky woodcarver and has been commissioned by the widow McDowell and her son, Thomas, to create a nativity scene by Christmas Day. 

With painful memories barely held at bay, Jonathan works diligently on the items, with the young boy sneaking in to sit by him, even though he makes it clear he likes to be alone. Soon a friendship forges between the two, and Jonathan softens as he is touched by Thomas' and the widow's kindness. 

Without giving too much of this story away, I will say it's a story that if read aloud, will need a couple tissues handy. The pictures are gorgeous and are done in watercolor, though they resemble painted portraits with oil because of the thickness of the features. 

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo

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It's no secret I'm a huge Kate DiCamillo fan. I recently chose this young adult novel off my own bookshelves to share with my kids for our weekly home school read-aloud book. I remembered the general gist of the story and that I enjoyed it, but I didn't realize how touched I would be by sharing this book with my two kids, and how surprised I'd be by the writing. 

Because of Winn-Dixie (BOWD) is a story about a young girl named Opal, a PK (that's preacher's kid) who has just moved to a new sleepy Florida town. She's kind, lonely for her mama who has left the family, and on the lookout for friends. She meets a curious stray dog in the middle of the local Winn-Dixie supermarket and the two become inseparable. As the hot summer lingers on, Opal befriends an elderly librarian, a blind woman with bottles hanging from her tree, an ex-prisoner who plays music for his pet shop friends, and a little girl named Sweetie Pie. What happens with this raggle-taggle group is worth the read, and a hint? A few tears, too. 

 Something DiCamillo has always been spectacular at is creating characters that are so magical and yet so normal, with a lot of depth, in such few pages. She's a master at child-like description, and the situations and relational conflict that comes up in BOWD are simple enough for children to grasp the meaning, and deep enough for the adult reader to pause and grapple with. I would like to compare DiCamillo as the Marilynne Robinson (author of Gilead, pulitzer prize winner) of the children's book world. Their books have much in common, though they write for completely different audiences; both are masters of the word. 

The story has already been made into a movie though I can't vouch for it--I haven't seen it yet--but I hope to watch it with the kids soon. Lukka loved this story so much that he listened to the entire book a second time on audio during his quiet time. 

When a kid wants to listen to the same story again and again? That's the mark of a classic. 

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

"Despereaux looked down at the book, and something remarkable happened. The marks on the pages, the "squiggles" as Merlot referred to them, arranged themselves into shapes. The shapes arranged themselves into words, and the words spelled out a delicious and wonderful phrase: Once upon a time.
"Once upon a time,'" whispered Despereaux.

And then, there's this, too:

"The dungeon, reader, stank. It stank of despair and suffering and hopelessness. Which is to say that the dungeon smelled of rats."

The language is superb in this book. It was a delightful read-aloud that our family could enjoy. I had a vague awareness of this book by seeing it in the YA section in our local library, but not until I read for myself the young adult novel Flora & Ulysses, did I realize they were by the same author. I had looked up Despereaux on amazon to get a little blurb of what it would be about, and saw that it won the 2004 Newberry, one of the most prestigious awards for young adult literature. I was definitely hooked, and put it on reserve.

From the very beginning, this story of the strange little mouse with big ears and an idealistic heart had us all saying, "okay....just one more chapter". It's a large book for a 5 & 7 year old to sit through, at over 250 pages, but the story and the writing were just so good. Thankfully, the chapters are extremely short, too. The characters are quirky and wonderful, and the description is rich and full for this extremely odd plot-line.

Basically, this: a large-eared, yet small and sickly mouse knows he is meant for something big, even though the rest of the mouse community think he is strange and 'not a mouse'. He falls in love with the princess that he shares the castle grounds with, and what happens there includes soup, rats, a very plump and abused maid named Miggery Sow, a jailor with a rope around his ankle, darkness, and love.

I can't necessarily explain it much more than that, reader. You're just going to have to pick it up for yourself!

PS- Don't even bother with the movie at any time. Before the book, or after, it is terrible. It doesn't make any sense and it doesn't follow the plot line at ALL. Characters genders have been changed, bizarre twists added to the plot that were not in the book--absolutely horrid excuse for a film after the movie. What a sour experience after such a fun book.

Perfect Summer Read: Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran

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As lovers of children's literature, we all have our favorite authors, and our favorite illustrators. I happen to love Kate DiCamillo and will read anything she writes. I will also beg the library to get any book Melissa Sweet 'decorates' the pages of. My all time favorite illustrator, though, is Barbara Cooney.

I'm not much of a collector. Sure I have a stash of yarn, and a large glass jar of washi tape, but aside from those two collections, I mostly just amass classic children's picture books. In recent years I've slowed that down, because I have a bookshelf full (and once something comes in, something else has to go out!), but have really just started honing in on a few of my very favorites. Barbara Cooney's books have found that precious real estate, and I try to collect a few every year. If I find one at the thrift store I don't currently own, I feel like I've struck gold. If, over the past year I didn't really find any, I'll order a few off amazon. Usually they're a penny a piece plus shipping, but if I can't find any for a reasonable price, I'll just buy them on prime for regular price. I think I've only had to do that once.

Roxaboxen might just be my favorite Cooney work. I think this is because not only do her illustrations shine, reflecting the simple nostalgia that a well-worn childhood exudes, but because the story that Alice McLerran wrote feels so personal and universal, and it matches the author's story so well.

The story of Roxaboxen is based on a true place. A dusty corner in the South West, it was a mound of dirt just waiting to be explored by the local children of the small town. At all different ages, the children played together to create a world that they dominated in the form of a town, a jail, a backdrop for large weeks-long games, stores, and homes. A place where children could be children, unfettered by rules, they created their own devices from the objects found in 'Roxaboxen', like old wooden crates, broken glass, stones, sticks, and spindly bushes.

It reminds me of my own childhood 'hideout'. My neighbor friends and I had a magical childhood filled with freedom, bikes roaming the neighborhood, and sack lunches; hours spent outside playing. The setting of Roxaboxen is perhaps 50 years before that, based on how the children are dressing, and the outline of faint houses found within the illustrations, but the story is nonetheless relevant to now. Kids need places where they can play, make up their own rules, create their own toys, and figure out how life works with one another, manipulating a place all for themselves.

It's such a beautiful story of childhood. It's perfect summer reading. Once you're done, go out and play!

James Herriot's Treasury for Children: Warm and Joyful Tales from the author of All Creatures Great and Small

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When I was little, one of the handful of jobs I wanted "when I grew up" was to be a veterinarian. I love animals and have always enjoyed their company. It's no surprise that I begged for a dog for decades, and one of the most thoughtful gifts I've ever received was a puppy from my husband in our first year of marriage. I'm jealous of those who call country bungalows 'home', and I have mighty plans to someday have property where I can house dogs, a cat or two, hens, bees, and a couple of ducks: Basil and Patty. Surely you'd expect me to have names! It should be no surprise, then, that I would absolutely adore James Herriot's  Treasury for Children . 

James Herriot was a pen name for British surgeon James Alfred Wight, who as a country vet himself, retold many of his semi-biographical stories in his book "All Creatures Great and Small". His Treasury is a book of 8 condensed stories with beautiful illustrations by Ruth Brown, miraculous and simple tales of animals and their people. I first heard about this book from the Sonlight catalogue, which I use for their wonderful lists of 'living books'. I ended up requesting it from the library, along with the audio version, because each story is fairly long, and I thought it would enhance the reading with characters' voices. It was worth it. 

The stories in this Treasury are all set in England or Scotland, where the author lived, and placed firmly in rural settings in the early part of the 20th century. Your entire family will truly love this compilation. You can even enjoy more of the stories on an older tv series created in the 70s, which 87 episodes on Netflix called "All Creatures Great and Small" are streaming free on netflix! Each story is truly endearing, whether it's about an orphaned cat, a frisky lamb, or old horses, and all have the theme of care for animals and each other; and what a responsibility and  honor it is to share lives with creatures--great or small. 

The Three Questions: Based on a Story by Leo Tolstoy by Jon Muth

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I love unexpected treasures found in the form of books in our local children's section at the library. After we gather our heavy weekly collection, some chosen by my children, some by myself, we haul our sturdy wool library bag over to the self-checkout and line up our cards. The majority of the time we haven't read any of the titles in our bag, but the gems are still quietly lined up waiting to be seen and heard aloud. 

This book, The Three Questions, was one I had picked up because I thought the cover looked thoughtful, and I was intrigued by the subtitle which is "Based on a story by Leo Tolstoy". Leo Tolstoy is a famous Russian writer who is known for his gigantic books like "Anna Karenina" and "War and Peace". His books are classic stories of the human condition, and I really wondered how a children's book was going to turn out with a subtitle like that!  

The story is quiet and somber in tone and a very philosophical book for young children. As I read it to my own kids, I don't know that they had a good grip on the ending moral of the story, but I certainly thought it was a very worthwhile book. I hadn't even noticed who the author was before I started reading it, but Jon Muth is the author and illustrator behind the Zen Shorts collection, which are also beautiful, bright in color, and have excellent side-stories to help children understand emotion and challenging concepts. The Three Questions no doubt aligns itself perfectly on the shelf next to these books. 

The plot is simple and fluid, whereas a young boy, Nikolai asks three very challenging questions to his friends Dog, Monkey, and Heron. His questions, to become a better person, are the following: "When is the best time to do things?; Who is the most important one?; What is the right thing to do?". His three friends answer these questions in very different ways, each with their own personality bent. He finally finds his answer by talking to tortoise, and taking action with a panda family. A valuable lesson is learned by Nikolai and the listeners alike, as we realize we make things harder than they need to be. This beautiful book, illustrated with water colors throughout, is definitely worthy of your next stop at the library.