Anno's China

Guys, a super exciting thing happened to me the other day: the lovely people from Beautiful Feet Books contacted me (on Instagram, follow them, and me - @bibliobites) and asked if I would like to review their newly released picture book, Anno's China. This makes me feel like I'm some big time blogger or reviewer, instead of some little old nobody SAHM who is doing this for the first time! But shh! Don't tell them that I don't know what I am doing, and maybe they will send me more books!

I was introduced to Mitsumasa Anno some years ago by MommaofMany who was appalled - appalled, I say - to find that I was not familiar with his work. I have obviously learned better since then, and am now the happy owner of Anno's Counting Book (part of my preschool curric, more on that later!), Anno's USA, Anno's Italy. Anno's Magic Seeds, and Anno's Medieval World, besides China. While the "geography" or country books are my favorites, I think Anno's China is fast becoming my new favorite, and I will tell you why.

First, I will say that I was almost disappointed when I pulled this book out of the envelope, because although it was a hardcover with crisp new dust jacket, it seemed to me that everything seemed a bit fuzzy, like when my home printer needs to be aligned. China did not look the same as the other books I owned. And I was surprised, because I actually own an abundance of  publications by Beautiful Feet Books and have never felt their quality to be lacking before. Then I remembered that the illustrations were SUPPOSED to be watercolors, which OF COURSE have a fuzzy, ethereal quality to them, by virtue of the media. Which made me wonder why Anno's other books, by other publishers look like they were illustrated in children's markers. I am not here to run anyone else down, all the books are lovely, but - this one by BF books may be a more accurate representation of the artist's original intentions.

But enough about that, here's the real reason why I love this book so much, are your ready for this? It has an index or appendix explaining what you're seeing in each scene! I know, right? But maybe you're not familiar with Anno's books, and if so, let me explain.

Anno's country books are wordless picture books, wherein Anno (always dressed in blue, with a pointy cap) journeys across a geographic area such as the Italy or the United States, and sometimes across time. There's an amazing amount of detail, but sometimes, unless you know what you're looking at, you don't know what you're seeing.

When I first pulled this book out of my mailbox, I thought, let me sit down an look at it real quick. Oh boy. You'd think I would have known better, right? There is no "quick look" with Anno's books. As soon as I opened it, I was drawn in- the beginning scenes were so calm and peaceful and I recognized men fishing with cormorants, like we'd learned about in Ping! But soon I began to feel a little frustrated. I could recognize that the author was taking us up river, but I wondered if this was a famous village I was supposed to recognize? What were those people doing? What did *that* mean? I simply did not know enough about Chinese culture and traditions to appreciate all that this book contained.

But then, THEN, my friends - I found the index. The lovely, 9 page index, PLUS an author's note, that carefully explained each scene, without becoming tedious, and still leaving much for the reader to discover on their own. This is the ONLY one of my Anno books that has this feature, which leads me to believe it is something that Beautiful Feet put together, or included, though it is written from the author's point of view; and it is, in my opinion, what makes this book amazing instead of only great, and definitely worth having. When I'm finally finished oogling it, my next step is going to be to figure out where I can fit it in to my curriculum...

*As aforementioned, I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. I have received no other compensation. Links to Amazon are not affiliate links, I receive no monies for recommending good books to y'all, I just like to see people reading. ;)

Early American History - intermediate

Usually as I'm preparing for the beginning of our school year, I write up a post about what our plans are and what books we'll be doing. Mostly to help me keep it all straight in my brain, but also because I get so excited about new books and all the amazing things we're going to be learning! Well, I never got around to doing any of those posts for this school year, but now that we've just passed our halfway mark, I think I shall. I'd like to do a series of posts, in no particular order, starting with this one here; What my Year 5 and Year 7 students (ages 10/11 and 12/13, respectively) are currently reading for history. In general, I start with Ambleside Online and then tweak it to fit our family. This is loosely based on Year 4, but because my students are older than the intended audience, we've decided to condense the year's history readings into 2 terms, then begin Year 5 in our final term.

For our history spine, I chose to replace H.E. Marshall's This Country of Ours with  H.A. Guerber's The Story of the Thirteen Colonies. We have been reading Guerber's books since way back when we studied Ancient Greece and they have never disappointed. We actually began this one last year, as the founding of most of the original 13 colonies fell into the time period of the reformation, and will finish it at the end of our second term, coming up in just 4 weeks(!). I really enjoy Guerber's writing style, and so we will begin with The Story of the Great Republic in term 3, and on into next year.



I would have loved to find some original publications of these, since you know how I feel about vintage books, but at the time I could not. I hesitated to buy these versions from Nothing New Press because I knew them to be edited, but the wonders of the internet allowed me to view Christine Miller's entire preface in which she carefully explains which changes (and why!) she has made. After that, I bought with confidence, and as I said, have not been disappointed.

Next up are Genevieve Foster's books, George Washington's World, and Abraham Lincoln's World. If you came here from Instagram (I'm @bibliobites, hello!) you might have seen me declare my love for GW's World a couple weeks ago. These books have been on my radar for many years now, but I had not managed to work them in before, and now I regret all that time lost, when we could have been friends, lol! While there is plenty of American history in here, I chose these books primarily for the presentations of what else was going on in the world during this time period. I might have continued with The Struggle For Sea Power, from M.B. Synge's fabulous Story of the World series, as we read the previous three books in as many years, but again - I really wanted to use Foster's books, they're just that good. Honestly - I wish I could have used them all, but that would have been overkill and redundant.



Another note about older editions vs new: You'll notice I have the "expanded editions," published by Beautiful Feet Books, in which Genevieve Foster's daughter, Joanna, has added more stories to her mother's original text. I have not done an in-depth comparison, but a friend recently found a (vintage hardcover!) version of GW's World, and it appears to me that what Joanna has done is round out the conversation by adding the voices of some Native Americans and African-Americans, as well as a few more discoveries and inventions. Overall, I feel the additions definitely added to the book's appeal, though I wish I could get the newer editions in hardcover, my paperback is already looking worn!

Oh, and again, we spread GW over two terms, and will do the same with Lincoln, carrying him over into our next school year.

Abigail Adam: Witness to a Revolution - I'll begin by saying I've not read more than a few lines of this. Maybe I should have, because it is the book my children complain about the most. However, it seems that their complaints are mostly about how 'unfair' they think the Adams' lives were: "it's like they're not even married!" "He's been away for THREE YEARS!" Which, of course, cannot be helped. And yes, I tired to help them see what a sacrifice it was for the greater good, and that we need people like that - so that the rest of us can stay home cozy and safe. Not sure they bought it, but I tried. I also like how this is one of the more academic and 'grown-up' books that we've used thus far, and important transition as my teen nears high school.  We're nearing the end of this book, and will begin Of Courage Undaunted soon.



Of Courage Undaunted is the story of Lewis and Clark, of course. Honestly, there are so many good books out there about Lewis and Clark, but that's a discussion for another post. I chose this one this time for two reasons: 1. I like the cover art, and 2. AO had already scheduled it out, saving me the trouble of doing so. However, I DID enjoy Daugherty's The Magna Charta, and these same students gave great narrations from his Poor Richard last year, so I felt like this was a pretty safe choice. Safe and pretty:  win-win.



Since historical fiction is probably my favorite genre, we are constantly reading it over here. Last year, when we studied the Renaissance, I was able to read aloud a whole list of great historical fiction to enhance our learning. This year, we wanted to read the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, which is wonderful, but I *do* feel like we're missing so many great books we could be reading about this time period. However, I did assign a few, as you may have noticed in the very first picture. My son is reading Johnny Tremain, In Search of Honor, and Crossing the Panther's Path, one per term, respectively,



Johnny Tremain is on nearly every booklist there is, so I'll not waste too much time here, other than to say - it's definitely worth your time. In Search of Honor is a story of the French Revolution, and it turned out to be better than I expected. It has a clear Christian message, but did not feel fake or forced. It has been several years since I read Crossing the Panther's Path,  but I remember being totally enthralled when I did.  It's the true story of Billy Calder, a boy of British and Mohawk decent, and educated by French Jesuit missionaries, who joins Tecumseh and his band as they attempt to regain control of their homelands. Another story full of honor and bravery, and facing difficult choices with integrity.



My daughter recently finished Calico Captive, and begun The Reb and the Redcoat. The former is sometimes overshadowed by Elizabeth George Speare's more well known titles, The Bronze Bow, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, and The Sign of the Beaver. I'm not really sure why, as it is just as well done as any of those. I like that, like The Reb and the Redcoat, it shows familiar events from a point of view not often presented in children's literature from American authors. I had a hard time choosing between Calico Captive and Lois Lenski's Indian Captive, so I let my daughter choose, and she was happy with it.

                            

And I think that's it! I hope to share what my younger children are reading for history this year, and well as what my older ones are doing for other subjects, because it's really fun and helpful to me, but I also have very modest hopes that it may one day be helpful to someone else. So stay tuned!

Shakespeare for kids

I have a secret: I don't read Shakespeare to young children.

Now some of you are like, I don't read Shakespeare at all! And I hear that. But in some homeschool circles, my little confession might seem very shocking. But I don't teach Shakespeare to grammar level/form I/II/III /elementary age students, and I will explain why.

So the Bard: Plot line: net very original, nothing special. Star crossed lovers, the Bad Boys of history, bottom line, he was looking for things that would make a good show, not trying to influence the course of the English language for centuries to come. That was just a happy coincidence. Besides, his plays were written for adults, and such, contain adult themes.

 No, the real reason to read Shakespeare is for the language, for his way expressing human emotion and feeling.  Words and phrases invented by Will are still in use today. And even though y'all know (or should know!) that I'm all about reading vocabulary-rich literature to children, there's a time and a place for everything. And the time for deciphering brilliant-but-archaic-poetic language is, in my opinion, not until age 12, at least. High school for some students.

Sure, you could read any of the many wonderfully done children's adaptations, but without the language, what's the point? Would you really be reading that story if it had any other name on it than William Shakespeare? 

Despite this belief, we have, as you can see, a fair amount of the Bard's plays in picture book format. In fact, this one (published by Candlewick) is one of my children's favorites. And I like them because even if you're an adult, it's incredibly helpful to have some prior knowledge of the plot before you dive into the original plays. If you're a visual person, having some illustrations can help you keep characters straight. Plus, they're just kinda fun :D Although my daughter tells me I should warn you that all the people in William's book have "kissy lips." ;D  

Summer Reading List (sort of): Kid Lit

The other day a 10 year old friend asked my almost-14 year old daughter for book recommendations, and this is what my daughter pulled out. I found her choices interesting, and her list a good one, so I thought I'd share it. It's that time of year when all my favorite book bloggers, as well as every public library, is coming out with a Summer Reading List. Well, life is busy, so this is about as close to that as you're going to get from me. List below, with Amazon links (remember, I am not an affiliate).

(top to bottom)
Shadow Spinner - by Susan Fletcher
The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Half Magic - Edward Eager
Princess Academy - Shannon Hale
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase - Joan Aiken
Watership Down - Richard Adams
Homeless Bird - Gloria Whelan: Daughter would like to say that this is her favorite of Whelan's books.

Angel on the Square - Gloria Whelan: I can't recommend this one enough. It's actually the first in a series of four books about 4 generations of a Russian family in St Petersburg/Leningrad, though all the changes and upheaval that took place from the time of the last tsar, to the fall of the Soviet Union.

Small Acts of Amazing Courage - Gloria Whelan: Can you tell we are Whelan fans? If you like this one, don't miss the sequel, All My Noble Dreams and then What Happens.

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon - Grace Lin: Another don't miss is Lin's Starry River of the Sky, a companion volume that can stand alone. I think I enjoyed it more than Mountain, though both books are simply beautiful.

Shadows & Secrets - Chautona Havig: DD says: read the whole trilogy! 
The Mysterious Benedict Society - Trenton Lee Stewart
Number the Stars by Lois Lowry: If I had a Top Ten List of Children's Books, this one would be on it.
The Start of Kazan - Eva Ibbotson
Journey to the River Sea - Eva Ibbotson: If you read one of these, you will want to read everything of Ibbotson's: I don't recommend that, lol. But definitely read these two!

Come to think of it, I'm due for a re-read of at least five of these - I think I know what I'll be doing this summer!  What do you think - see anything you think you will read this summer? Or recommend to someone you love? Or any of your favorites? Do tell!

Medieval literature

So in continuation of an older post, in which I discussed a few books about the Middle Ages for middle schoolers, I thought I'd talk about some literature selections about the same, for the same. I don't feel it necessary to ALWAYS correspond EVERYTHING we read to our particular time period, but often times there is key literature that I wouldn't want to miss.

The Legends of King Arthur are just such. Whether you believe in a historical Arthur or not, the legends surrounding him and his noble knights have for centuries represented western civilization's ideals of integrity, bravery, and virtue. Furthermore, any well written version of the tales will raise important issues for discussion; topics like the responsibility of the rulers toward the ruled and the consequences of sin. As with Greek mythology, a familiarity with  the stories brings greater depth of understanding to almost anything else you will read in the English language.

And like Greek mythology, translations and retellings of Arthurian legends abound. It is not the intention of this post (or any future one, likely) to try to cover or compare all of them, but I will discuss the three I am most familiar with, in the hopes that I might be helpful to someone.

King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green - of the three I've listed, this is probably the most accessible, easy to read version. Twenty-two chapters beginning with the boy Arthur pulling forth the sword from the stone, and ending in the culmination of events which the death of King Arthur brought about. 

The Story of King Arthur and his Knights by Howard Pyle- I absolutely love Pyle's storytelling, and the beautiful ways in which he uses language. Here is an excerpt we recently came across:

For when a man is king among men, as was King Arthur, then he is of such a calm and equal temper that neither victory nor defeat may cause him to become either unduly exalted in his own opinion or so troubled in spirit as to be altogether cast down into despair....Yea, he who is a true king of men, will not say to himself, "Lo! I am worthy to be crowned with laurels;" but rather will he say to himself, "What more is there that I may do to make the world better because if my endeavors?"    

It may be helpful to note that Pyle's book does not cover the fall of Camelot or Arthur's death.

The Age of Chivalry by Thomas Bulfinch - This would be a good option for the child who is a strong reader or that has a keen interest in Arthurian legends. There is easily enough material in Bulfinch's version to constitute an entire (school) year's worth of readings.

Stay tuned for my next post, where I will cover Chaucer and Ivanhoe, and possibly Shakespeare! And tell me, what is your experience with King Arthur? Are you a Sir Thomas Malory aficionado, or is it Disney's Sword in the the Stone all the way?

Also, check out my new Instagram account (and follow me!), @BiblioBites, where I will be posting pics and thoughts about some of my favorite books on a (near) daily basis!

Renaissance and reformation: literature and free reads

We don't always coordinate our literature selections to the history period we are studying in our homeschool, but as our students get older it happens more frequently. This year, I have chosen two main novels of enduring literary and historic value for my Year 8 student to read. It is my hope that the rich vocabulary will proffer a vivid picture of the times and places described, and that each will speak truths about human nature, and of the relationship between God and man.  

Westward Ho! by Charles Kingsley - If ever a book gave a flavor of the times, this is one. Set in Elizabethan England, the ins and outs of 16th century religion, politics, and warfare all come into play in the hero Amyas Leigh's life. Amyas sails and explores, fights Spanish invaders in Ireland, and in the end, gets the girl; his integrity and faith guiding him through it all.


I Promessi Sposi (The Betrothed) by Alesandro Manzoni - another book that is new to me, Amazon had this to say about it: " The Betrothed's exploration of love, power and faith presents a whirling panorama of seventeenth-century Italian life and is one of the greatest European historical novels."

(Both of the above books are also available free in Kindle or ebook format.)

And because I can't keep my daughter in books, I have also added these rather easier reads to her schedule this year: 
The King's Fifth by Scott O'Dell (1541) - recounts the adventures and trial of Spanish mapmaker Julian Escobar in the New World. So good, truly.

The Explorations of Pere Marquette by Jim Kjelgaard (1670) - okay, this is actually a non-fiction title, from the much acclaimed Landmark Series; this book recounts the travels of French Jesuit Marquette (and his friend Joliet) as they explore the Mississippi river and environs.

A Parcel of Patterns by Jill Paton Walsh (1665) - I picked up this small volume one night and could not put it down until the last page. Based on the true story of how the Plague devastated the English village of Eyam, it is a haunting story of love and loss, but also a thoughtful look at the convergence of religion, politics, and science in the 17th century. 

And because my 4th, 6th, and 8th grade students are all studying this same time period, I have chosen a few books to read aloud that we can all enjoy, though every book on this list would make an excellent free read choice as well. All are appropriate for younger children as well, though they may find The Black Arrow a bit dull.  

The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson (1460-61) Set during the War of the Roses, young Dick Shelton finds himself betrayed by his treacherous guardian, and torn between conflicting loyalties with the houses of York and Lancaster, as he seeks to become a knight and rescue his lady love. Truthfully, this should have been a part of last year's studies, but hey  - I can't always get it perfect.

The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O'Dell (early 1500s, during the reign of Henry VIII) - while his uncle is merely out for profit, young smuggler Tom Barton sees that the writing of one Martin Luther, and William Tyndale's hopes of an English Bible, are changing the lives of English men and woman and ushering in the dawning of a new age.

Unknown to History; The Captivity of Mary of Scotland by Charlotte Yonge (1567) - it seems that every British child knows the story of Mary, Queen of Scots, but if I ever learned it, I've forgotten it. Through the story of the Talbot family and their foundling daughter, Cicely, we read here of Mary's captivity and her conflicts with Queen Elizabeth I.  (available free for Kindle or ereader)

Red Hugh, Prince of Donegal by Robert C. Reilly (1580) -  an exciting and adventurous tale based on a true story from Irish history - that of Red Hugh's capture, imprisonment, and escape from his Elizabethan English enemies. A story of bravery, loyalty, and perseverance.

 I Will Adventure by Elizabeth Janet Grey - (1596) - I randomly picked up this out-of-print book at a sale, and am glad a did. A quick and easy read, the story follows Andrew, who is sent from his home in Canterbury to become a page to his London uncle, but what he really wants is to be apart of the exciting theatrics of Mr. Shakespeare.  

The Children of the New Forest by Frederick Marryat  (1647) -  Set in England during the time of the Civil War, four children, whose royalist father was killed fighting for King Charles, flee their burning ancestral home, and take up residence with Jacob Armitage, a keeper in the New Forest. An exciting and detailed look at a very volatile time. 

Master Cornhill by Eloise Jarvis McGraw - (1666) Full of detail about life and customs in 17th century London, this story centers around Michael, orphaned during the great plague, and left to fend for himself in the city. He befriends a balladeer, a map maker, and his lively housekeeper Susanna, but that only seems to make it worse once the Great Fire sweeps through London, threatening them all...

The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare (1687) - 16 year old Kit finds it difficult to adjust to life with her uncle's family in Puritan Connecticut, after growing up in sunny Barbados. The colonists, in turn, have a hard time understanding her different ways, especially after she befriends a Quaker woman that is already regarded as a witch. I originally intended to assign this book in Term 3, but decided instead to read it aloud to all my children - I believe everyone from the 7 to 13 year old will enjoy it, and I don't doubt the younger children will pick up more than I expect!
Disclaimer: I am NOT an Amazon affiliate. Clicking the above links will get me nothing. though it may give you helpful information :)

Ancient Rome in Literature

The past few weeks in our homeschool have seen the decline of Greece and the Rise of Rome, and our booklist has shifted accordingly. There are history books aplenty  - and good ones at that - covering this time period, so I'll not dwell on those now. But I wanted to share with you a few of our fiction/literature selections, because, well, they're just so good I can't help myself!

Brave Cloelia by Jane Louise Curry - Long been one of our favorite picture books, the story of Cloelia, a young Roman hostage whose fearlessness and cleverness made her a national heroine, comes from Livy.

A Triumph for Flavius by Caroline Dale Snedeker -  a short tale from the time Rome's heyday, this story could be easily read by my eight yer old. However, when I read it aloud, everyone - from the 4 to the 12 year old - listens in.









The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth Speare - The 1962 Newbery Award winner, this classic story of the bitter Daniel's life changing encounters with Jesus has become a staple of school curriculum everywhere.








Twice Freed by Patricia St. John -  tucked in among Paul the Apostle's longer epistles, is a short letter to Philemon, encouraging him to seek restoration with his runaway slave, Onesimus. This is Patricia St. John's story of how it all might have happened.  







City of the Golden House by Madeline Polland - I haven't finished this book yet, but what I've read is SO good. The young and lame Diomedes and his British slave, Gretorix, are curious to learn more about the new sect of Christians, and the rumored healings of one Peter, but times are dangerous in Nero's Rome.





 
In Search of a Homeland: The Story of the Aeneid by Penelope Lively - this description of the Aenied from Wikipedia pretty much sums it up: Virgil took the disconnected tales of Aeneas' wanderings...and fashioned [them] into a compelling founding myth or national epic that at once tied Rome to the legends of Troy, explained the Punic wars, glorified traditional Roman virtues and legitimized the Julio-Claudian dynasty as descendants of the founders, heroes and gods of Rome and Troy. Livey's version is easily understood and enjoyed by both young children and adults.

The Which and Whyfore of Mother Goose

When I was a young mother, I did not enjoy nursery rhymes overly much. I thought they were nonsense; at best not worthwhile, and at worst, difficult to explain to my very literal daughter who wanted to know what everything meant. I figured they were just something used to keep young children busy at preschool.  Then I started reading about how nursery rhymes aid in teh development of language. And I started thinking about how they are part of our cultural heritage, how without a knowledge of them, our children will  miss references in literature and popular culture. Like when Basil Crawford infuriated Mary by singing "Mistress Mary, quite contrary" in The Secret Garden. Or realizing that Pa Ingalls wasn't just making things up on the banks of Plum Creek when he sang,  

 "Mary put the dishes on,
The dishes on, the dishes on,
Mary put the dishes on,
We'll all take tea!"

But that it actually came from the old rhyme, Polly Put the Kettle on. Furthermore, all the experts agree that the rhyming patterns and vocabulary of Mother Goose are beneficial to language acquisition.  All this to say, your children will love nursery rhymes and become baby geniuses if you read some Mother Goose to them. Which begs the question, which version to buy???

The content of any two Mother Goose or Nursery Rhyme books will mostly be the same; however, there are one or two things regarding the text to keep in mind when choosing one:

1. It is mighty handy to have some sort of alphabetical title index, so you don't have thumb through/skim all 250 rhymes to find Little Bo Peep. Again. 
2. There are some variations in wording among these rhymes. If you are able, you may want to look up one or two of your favorites or most well known ones, and see if they are the same in the book you are considering. In one of my books, after falling down the hill, Jack  

"Went to bed to mend his head"

 But in another, he went

 "To old Dame Dob, who patched his nob."

After that, the only other consideration is which illustrations you like best. Here is my list of eight that I believe are worthy of consideration.

1. Lavender's Blue - This was the first book of nursery rhymes I ever bought for my children, and I chose it because it was the only one in print at the time with the type of vintage illustrations that I love. Harold Jones' pictures are reminiscent of Kate Greenway's, and we have really enjoyed them. There is an index of first lines in the back, as well as some hints on "games" to play with the rhymes - think: This Little Piggy. 

The pages alternate between black and white and full color. My copy is hardcover, which I feel is a necessary investment for a book that is sure to be much-handled and well-loved.

2. The Real Mother Goose illustrated by Blanche Fisher Wright. This book is the one suggested or included in several popular homeschool curriculum. I (ok, my kids) were gifted a hardcover copy by a very good friend many years ago. I will admit that initially, I did not care for the illustrations, but they have grown on me since then. The pictures are all in color, and every fourth page boasts a full page spread.

 The biggest problem I have with this book is that there is no index. There is a table of contents, but since there is no rhyme or reason to the way the poems are placed, it really doesn't do any good. There are 272 rhymes on over 120 pages - it would be nice not to have to flip through the entire thing in search of a particular one.

  The third and last copy I (currently) own is Marguerite de Angeli's Book of Nursery and Mother Goose Rhymes. Besides the fact that I am a huge fan of everything de Angeli has done (note to self: future blog post), I had the added bonus of purchasing this book for a mere $0.75 at a local Goodwill store. I gotta tell you, I just love treasure hunting!

There are A TON of rhymes in this volume - over 180 pages worth, with an alphabetical index in the back. The illustrations are mostly pencil drawings, some full sized, and about 20 full-color, full-page pictures. If you can get your hands on one of these, I do not think you would be disappointed. 

4. The Arnold Lobel Book of Mother Goose - apparently this was once published as The Random House Book of Mother Goose, so if you find that, you'll be getting the same thing. I bought this at a used book store recently, intending to give it to a friend who is expecting her first baby, but I am afraid I will have a hard time giving it up! Lobel's illustrations always have a nostalgic feeling and calming affect, despite their brightness and fun.

(If you're seeing that image upside-down, I cannot for my life figure out why, or how to change it.) There is an alphabetical index of first lines in the back, all pictures are in color, many full page. Seriously, I think I need my own copy.

These next few books are ones I do not own, because even I exercise restrain *some*time. But they are all illustrated by popular, well loved artists, and would be excellent additions to any library.

5. The Jessie Wilcox Smith Mother Goose  - Smith, one of "the most prominent female illustrators in the United States during the Golden Age of American Illustration," created the kind of soft look that works so well in children's books, without being overly sweet or sentimental, in the way some of her predecessors.  My favorite versions of Heidi and A Child's Garden of Verses are adorned with her illustrations.

6. Tomie de Paola's Mother Goose - it seems that people either love Tomie, or hate him, but if you love him, why not pick up this book? In fact, I have a strong suspicion that this one IS actually hiding around my house somewhere...Simple and colorful, most children {heart} Tomie's illustrations.

 
 
7. Mother Goose by Tasha Tudor - Do not think that being last on my list means least! Caldecott Honoree Tasha Tudor may be one of the most loved modern illustrators. Her nostalgic depictions of smiling children and happy families have me picking up her books whenever I find them, for the illustrations alone, wholly regardless of the written content. And while her volume of Mother Goose does not appear to be currently in print, I do not believe it is that hard to find.
                                 
                                           

So - if you don't already have one of these fine volumes, go get one. And no, those are NOT Amazon affiliate links, so feel free to buy them from whomever you please ;)

The Further Chronicles of Avonlea

I set out three days ago to write a review on The Wind the Willows and here my web browsers sits, still open to a new - but totally blank - post. And since I have a policy of not fighting against the muses, I've decided to indefinitely postpone said post, and begin a new one on the book I have just this afternoon finished reading: The Further Chronicles of Avonlea. If you are a fan of Anne-with-an-E of Green Gables, the name Avonlea ought to be familiar to you. And if you know me in real life, you may know that I am a fan, and even named my youngest daughter Avonlea. And, if you're a fan, and I'm a fan, that makes us "kindred spirits," and possibly "of the race that knows Joseph," and we ought to get a long swell.

Anyway, back to the book. The Further Chronicles of Avonlea is actually a companion volume to - wait for it - The Chronicles of Avonlea which, I will admit, I've not read. Yet. The Further Chronicles is a volume of 15 short stories that take place in and around Avonlea, and in which Anne has only a small mention. Being a true Anne Fan, this kept me from these beautiful stories for far too long. But my prejudice was unwarranted, and as I finished the book today, what struck me was the beauty of true love, honor, duty, and faith shining through them.

The first two stories, "Aunt Cynthia's Persian Cat" and "The Materializing of Cecil" seem to be just for fun; not bad, but I'm not sure I could have take a whole book of their frivolity either. And chapter five, "The Dream Child," in which a young woman loses her infant son, goes nearly crazy hearing his cries in the dark, only to one night come upon a cast away child that restores her health and her faith, was a little haunting for this mama. But then there is "Her father's Daughter," "Jane's Baby," and "The Son of His Mother" which so beautifully portrayed the dangers of stubbornness and the importance of forgiveness between husband and wife, sisters, and mother and son.

Familial love and relationships are foremost in all, and the cultivation of what is right and good and true in ones character is held the highest esteem, as in "The Education of Betty" and "The Conscience Case of David Bell."  Indeed, L.M. Montgomery's heroes and heroines, whatever their faults, are never 'petty,' and strive for the integrity and nobleness of character that has sadly fallen out of fashion in today's world. 

But most beautiful, I felt, were the stories in The Further Chronicles which had characters setting aside their own desires and even needs to "esteem others as more important than themselves." Men like Robert Monroe in "The Brother Who Failed," who sacrificed time, money, and opportunities, to boost his five younger siblings to success (both worldly and otherwise) and to care for his neighbors when no one else would, prompting his aunt to realize that, " 'There's a kind of failure that's the best success.' "  And Eunice Carr, who looked after her brother in his life and his death. People like Miss Emily Leith and the 'common' Mark Foster who loved their respective loves enough to let them go. All the best that the human spirit is capable of shine through in these short, simple stories, and I'm sure I will return them again and again in years to come, both for my own pleasure and to read to my children; for in character training, one can never have too many models of what is honorable set before them.

"We both belong to the race that knows Joseph, as Cornelia Bryant would say."
" 'The race that knows Joseph?' " puzzled Anne. 
"Yes. Cornelia divides all the folks in the world into two kinds - the race that knows Joseph and the race that don't. If a person sorter sees eye to eye with you, has pretty much the same ideas about things, and the same taste in jokes - why, the he belongs to the race that knows Joseph."
"Oh, I understand," exclaimed Anne, light breaking in upon her. "It's what I used to call - and still call in quotation marks - 'kindred spirits.' "

from Anne's House of Dreams