Commemorating 911 With Our Children

When my youngest son brought the 911 picture book to me for our bedtime read aloud I hesitated. It was weighty material for bedtime, but as is typical of my personality, I dove in anyway. Sharing not only the beautiful and inspiring but also the painful past with our children is important because history is important and passing along the history of our country and the world helps to prevent the repeating of mistakes, making of poor decisions, and their inevitable results. Additionally it binds us together with a shared heritage.

While reading the book aloud to my two youngest children I felt myself becoming emotional but I pressed on. It wasn’t until I got to the portion describing the firefighters rushing into the building that I couldn’t hold myself together any more. In particular was the story of two first responder brothers; one was a police officer and one a fireman. They passed each other in the lobby of the 1st tower. It was the last time they saw each other alive. My children didn’t understand at first why I was crying, but they soon began to feel the emotions and knew this was one of the saddest days in United States History.

I hadn’t intended to teach the younger children about 911, but my two oldest children were entering an essay competition in which they wrote about a 911 hero of their choice. I scoured the local library for books to assist them in their research, and came across some moving picture and chapter books that I thought they could use. Any time there are new stacks of books in our home (which is quite often!) the kids want to go through them and choose a few to read. This stack was no different.

Although I read an emotionally charged book at bedtime, I am glad that now all of my children know something about the horrific attacks of 911. With this being the 20th anniversary, as well as the turmoil and unrest that the implementation of the removal of all U.S. troops from Afghanistan is stirring, this year is especially a difficult remembrance. The wounds are a bit fresher. Hindsight a bit harder to stomach in light of current events.

I am almost certain that our promise to “never forget” has been forgotten by many of our government leaders and possibly among our population. Therefore, I am extremally grateful for the essay competition because it helped my family to remember the events of 911: the attacks, the everyday heroes and the courageous first responders, the death and devastation, and also the coming together of the American people to unite for a common cause. We need more brotherly love at this point in our nation’s history, and the remembrance of the events of 911 is one way in which to pursue unity. Viewing each other as we did directly following those attacks, as well as viewing our nation and its remarkable qualities, and the collective body looking to a Higher Power, Jesus Christ, if we did that in a similar light it would be a balm to our fractured nation.

With that in mind, I would like to offer a few books for you to share with your family as you deem age appropriate. I will list them in the order of maturity with the first being the most gentile introduction.

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Christmas Books To Celebrate the Season

We’ve decked our halls and trimmed our trees. Our large blue wooden box of Christmas books sits stuffed to the brim and many titles have already passed through little hands.

We add to our Christmas book collection each year and develop new favorites as we revisit old friends. Traditionally our family celebrates the season at a slow pace as much as possible. Several years ago I wrote about 5 Helpful Principles Every Type A Woman Needs to Embrace and I’ve since tried to abide by them. With my husband working in the ministry the Christmas calendar has the potential to quickly fill up with church events alone so we have traditions that we maintain in our home but not always around town. The first and foremost tradition is reading wonderful books!

Christ is the central focus of Christmas in our home and here are the books we read to aid us with that intention:

Most of the books we read embody the spirit of Christmas without telling the Christmas story explicitly. There are many many of these but here are our favorites:

There are so many 12 Days of Christmas books that I don’t have a strong favorite at this point. In fact I have five or six I want to try out this Christmas and decide which one I love the most. Here is another cute edition by Hilary Knight:

While Santa doesn’t deliver presents to our house (read more here), we have a few which incorporate St. Nicholas and Santa Claus. Here are some that we would recommend checking out at your local library or adding to your collection:

Santa Mouse may be the cutest mouse you will ever meet!

Don’t you love a wonderful Christmas story? The kind that offers peace, hope, and good will towards men?  Me too! I reread A Christmas Carol every year and typically I Saw Three Ships and The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. Following is a list of my 16 most cherished Christmas chapter books to read aloud or individually. Please share your favorites in the comments and feel free to ask me any questions that you have.


 I have a few that I’ve introduced to at least one of my children and plan to introduce to each of them this year:

 The Little Match Girl made an impression on me when I was a child. It is one that I haven’t shared with my children but plan on doing so this Christmas. I think this will open the door for rich conversations around our responsibility to look for ways to help others. 

Finally, I’ve posted here about Christmas books that have corresponding movies. Check out the list and see if there are any of your favorites!

Merry Christmas to you and yours. May your days awaiting the celebration of Christ’s birth draw you nearer to the heart of God.

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Five More Picture Books to Celebrate Valentine’s Day

I couldn’t let the Valentine’s holiday pass without giving you five more picture book read aloud suggestions! Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch is a wonderful reminder of the power of community; please be sure to check this one out or purchase a copy of your own. Have you read any of these?

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV
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Classical Conversations Cycle 2 Booklist: Medieval History to The Gulf War

Welcome all Classical Conversation families! Additionally, welcome to homeschooling families that use this list to supplement their medieval history study!

A few notes about the arrangement of books in this post:

    1. This booklist is a tool and not a checklist! Please use it to supplement your morning time routines or studies of CC memory work.
    2. My family will not read all these books listed each week. Instead, this will be a reference list for me to utilize in weekly book selections and in chapter book read alouds or read alones.
    3. The pictured links in the twenty-four week lists are arranged by picture books first followed by chapter book selections.
    4. Additional chapter books, audio books, missionary studies, and fine arts books, including a poetry section, are listed after the twenty-four week suggestions. 
    5. I will not be providing a download of this list, but encourage you to write these suggestions in under the Memoria section of your Foundations Guides.

It is my hope that this list proves to be a wonderful resource for your family enabling you to make memories around the shared experience of reading great books. Enjoy!

*All links below are affiliate links.

Week 1:

What Really Happened In Medieval Times is a wonderful resource filled with 8 biographical short stories on figures such as: Joan of Arc, Saint Patrick, Martin Luther, and more.

Week 2:

 

Geography: English Channel

Week 3:

Geography Selections: France

I Juan de Pareja is a chapter book set in Spain and based on a true story. This is one you will want to read to the entire family ages 8/9 and up! A personal favorite of mine.

Week 4:

 

Week 5:

The Book of Boy holds some religious beliefs that you may want to clarify or discuss. Perhaps it is a good one to read like a book club with your older students such as 5th and 6th grade. Check out this review over at Redeemed Reader. 

Timeline:

Week 6:

Week 7:

Week 8:

Week 9:

Geography Selections:

Week 10:

Geography Selections:

Week 11:

I was unable to find many resources on the French Revolution, with the exception of the two chapter books listed above (one of which was suggested by a reader), so I have opted to provide more books featuring France instead.  Please  leave  your  suggestions  in  the  comments  section. I welcome them!

 

Week 12:

Week 13:


Week 14:

Week 15:

Week 16:


Week 17:

Week 18:

Week 19:

A Single Shard is one of my all-time favorite books. Perfect for a meaningful read aloud!

Week 20:

Inside Out and Back Again is a book written in prose. The protagonist is based on the author’s real life experience moving to Alabama as a refugee after Vietnam. This book will provide many good discussion points about the treatment of people who are different from us in nationality, traditions, and religion. Check out Redeemed Reader’s post for discussion questions! 

I suggest these two incredible books by Gary Schdmidt for read alouds. The Wednesday Wars for upper elementary and middle school, and the second for middle school due to sensitive content. These are two of my very favorite books! The Wednesday Wars ties in Shakespeare as well which is a bonus!

Week 21:

My Brigadista Year is a coming of age story set in Cuba just before the Bay of Pigs. Probably a good fit for 5th or 6th graders knowing that propaganda is woven in the story as a reality of the time and setting. However, I loved this story because it tells how Cuba became a literate nation in such a short amount of time. You can read more about this book over at Common Sense Media. 


Week 22:

Week 23:

Week 24:

 

Audio Resources:

Additional chapter books to read aloud or to read alone:

On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness is the first of a four book series by Andrew Peterson. Read more about the series here The entire set is found in this book:

 

 

Missionary Biographies set during or just after WWII:

Supplemental Geography:

Books about our Great Artists:

 

Music for Composers Study:

Poetry:

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Picture Book Biographies of 30 Influential Americans

Picture books pack a punch for the whole family. Yes, even your teenagers! The beautiful illustrations and text with rich vocabulary targets a wide age range which is especially good for larger families. With picture books, you gain a great overview of a topic in a very short amount of time. Plus, if something or someone particularly peaks your interest, now you have a springboard from which to find more books on that topic. 

Since summer is quickly approaching, I have compiled a list of 30 picture book biographies of influential Americans, most likely many of whom you have never heard of before. Head to your local library or the Amazon links below and choose which people of American History you most want your family to learn about this summer. From artists to architects, authors to library advocates,  computer programmers to female firefighters, and inventors to scientists almost all fields of interest are covered!   

Below you will find the biographies listed in chronological order and divided into women and men. Enjoy your summer read aloud time!

Evolutionary time frames mentioned.

For more picture book biographies please see this post on the Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire books and this post on Kadir Nelson’s books. 

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10 Children’s Book Illustrators You Should Know: Tomie DePaola and Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire

As we end this series, I must say that narrowing my choice to only ten children’s book illustrators you should know is more of a difficult task than you might presume. I have at least three others I could recommend to you, but alas, I will keep to the ten I initially promised and provide you with one for whimsy and one for historical content to finish up.

First up, Tomie DePaola. Tomie Depaola was born in 1934 in Connecticut. He has illustrated and or written over 260 children’s books. His work has won numerous awards including the Newberry Honor Award and the Caldecott Honor Award as well as the Smithsonian Medal from the Smithsonian Institute.

I love Mr. Depaola’s childlike illustrations for their vibrant colors, their fun spirited appeal, and their friendliness. His autobiographical stories are my very favorite and are sure to tickle your funny bone! Here are a few for you to enjoy:


Ingri and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire were a husband and wife team who immigrated to America from Europe shortly after their marriage. They were both born at the dawn of the 20th century and both passed away in the 1980’s. Ingri and Edgar collaborated on the art and text of all their works including their incredible biographical accounts, one of which, Abraham Lincoln, earned them a Caldecott Medal. The couple traveled and studied extensively for their biographical accounts making these children’s books notable for historical context in addition to the stunning stone lithograph illustrations.




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10 Children’s Book Illustrators You Should Know: Kadir Nelson and Sophie Blackall

Today’s first children’s book illustrator that you should know is perhaps the most talented illustrator among the ten I am highlighting throughout this series. Kadir Nelson, an American artist born in 1974, is most widely known for his stunning oil paintings capturing African American history. His oil paintings have been displayed throughout the world and his art work commissioned by Sports Illustrated, The Coca-Cola Company, The United States Postal Company, and Major League Baseball to name a few.  He has authored and illustrated several books and illustrated for multiple authors, including former President Barack Obama. 

Kadir Nelson has won multiple awards many times over including the Coretta Scott King Award and the Caldecott Award to name just two. Here are my favorite of his works. Perfect selections for February as we celebrate Black History Month and President’s Day. The pictures are feasts for the eyes and the historical content is rich for discussion.  

 

Sophie Blackall, originally born in Australia but now residing in Brooklyn, New York, is a two time Caldecott award winning illustrator. She is also the recipient of other awards including the Era Jack Keats Award, Society of Illustrators Founders Award, Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, and New York Times Top Ten Picture Book. 

My family, from youngest to oldest, immediately fell in love with the stunningly illustrated book, Hello Lighthouse, and the charming story, Finding Winnie. Additionally, the beauty and richness of A Fine Dessert: One Dessert Over Four Centuries, captured our history and baking loving older children. Ms. Blackall has illustrated a few multicultural books including Ruby’s Wish and Big Red Lollipop highlighting Chinese and Pakistani culture respectively. Parent warning: The Baby Tree is a book to be read with a child when they are ready to know where babies really come from. So please, don’t plop down with this picture book until you are ready to answer this question with anatomically correct terminology. However, when you are ready, this book may prove the perfect choice for your child!

Here are our favorite selections illustrated by Sophie Blackall, a children’s book author and illustrator you and your family should know. 







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10 Children’s Illustrators You Should Know: Tasha Tudor and Robert McCloskey


I am delighted to share with you this weeks two artists in our series of 10 children’s illustrators you should know: Tasha Tudor and Robert McCloskey.

The whimsy and old-world feel of Tasha Tudor’s works are what first captured my attention and eventually won my heart. Tasha Tudor’s artwork appears in over one hundred different titles published world-wide. Additionally, she both wrote and illustrated more than two dozen published texts of her own. 

Born in 1915 in Boston, Massachusetts, Mrs. Tudor primarily resided in New England all of her life, working their to her last years until her death in 2008. Tasha Tudor was a gifted artist who captured special moments, called upon remembrances of days gone-by, and cultivating the hearts and imaginations of generations past, present, and yet to come. I hope you enjoy some of my favorites of her works here.


Some author illustrators hold a sentimental place in our hearts. Robert McCloskey is one of those for me. I can hardly pass up a copy of Blueberries for Sal or Make Way for Ducklings, and will not indulge you by telling you how many copies I have owned or presently own of both these books.

Robert McCloskey was born in 1914 in Hamilton, Ohio. An artist from the start, McCloskey could play many instruments, carve and sculpt figures from soap bars to tree trunks, and would later, after publishing his first two books, serve as a technical sergeant based at Fort McClellan, Alabama during World War II. During the middle of war, McCloskey published his third book, Homer Price, one which I would recommend for boys of all ages to love and laugh over. Robert McCloskey died in 2003, leaving a lasting legacy for children the world over. 

McCloskey won two Caldecott Award Metals for his illustrations or Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings, and he both wrote and illustrated seven books of his own amid providing the illustrations for many other works. Here are a few of my very favorite of Mr. McCloskey’s books.


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Ten Children’s Book Illustrators You Should Know: Jerry Pinkney and Paul Galdone


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Last week we took a look at Barbara Cooney’s whimsical illustrations highlighting her first in my series of Ten Children’s Book Illustrators You Should Know. Today I will introduce you to two more illustrators you and your children should become familiar with: Jerry Pinkney and Paul Galdone.

Jerry Pinkney, a native of Philadelphia, began illustrating children’s books in 1964. Since that time his pictures have graced the pages of over 100 books, and won numerous awards including the Caldecott Medal and five Caldecott Honor Medals to name just a few. His works are translated into over 16 languages and published in 14 countries. His internationally recognized body of work has educated and inspired children and adults the world over. He currently lives in New York with his wife, and author, Gloria Jean.

Here are a few of my favorite books illustrated by Jerry Pinkney:

 


Paul Galdone, originally born in Budapest, Hungary and later moving at the age of 14 to New Jersey lived from 1907-1986. Perhaps best known for his retelling and illustrating of classic fairy tales, he also illustrated nearly all of Eve Titus’ book series on Basil the Detective for which he won a Caldecott Award.  Read more about Mr. Galdone in his short autobiography here.

My favorite books illustrated by Paul Galdone include:

 



Jerry Pinkney and Paul Galdone are two children’s book illustrators that are staples in our home and two that you should know as well. Do you have favorites of these gentleman’s books? Happy and beautiful reading!

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Ten Children’s Book Illustrators You Should Know: Barbara Cooney

Picture books aren’t merely for the youngest children in our homes, they are for young and old alike. Over the next two months I will highlight ten of my favorite picture book illustrators, a few of which you may be unfamiliar with.

Today’s author/illustrator is the beloved Barbara Cooney. If you listened to my interview on the Read Aloud Revival Podcast (Listen here.) then you heard me swoon over the (unfortunately) unrelated Mrs. Cooney. Additionally, if you’ve perused my list of picture books highlighting orphans and celebrating adoption, you’ve seen many of Barbara Cooney’s works listed there. (Find the list here.)

This American writer and illustrator of 110 children’s books, which were published over sixty years, was the mother of four. Although she didn’t write an autobiographical account of her life, it has been said that Miss Rumphius, Island Boy, and Hattie and the Wild Waves are as close as she came to doing so. Mrs. Cooney received two Caldecott Medals for her work on Chanticleer and the Fox and Ox-Cart Man, and a National Book Award for Miss Rumphius. Her charmingly illustrated books have been translated into 10 languages.

Barbara Cooney is such a treasured illustrator on our shelves that it was hard to narrow down my favorite books that she either illustrated, or both wrote and illustrated; however, below are my top 12.

America and the world is a better place because of her contributions to children’s literature. Barbara Cooney is an illustrator that you should know and I hope you come to love.


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