2017 Children's Book List

In a following post, I will explain lessons I've learned about reading for personal growth and enjoyment, and listing the books we read over a year. The gist is that we should have a great feast of books set before us, and digest on them slowly, over time, as we wish. I'm convinced that many children detest reading because to them it means hunting for answers to ridiculous questions out of dry, meaningless passages.

Charlotte Mason presented her students with a feast, and encouraged them to savor each bite. In my own school, I'm not sure how else we'd accomplish feats like Robinson Crusoe or Just So Stories. What I'm learning is that outlines like those on Ambleside Online are suggestions; if the task seems too tall, we can take longer with a book, read fewer pages at a time, or even save certain titles for the future. Our goal is to add to our own feast and grow in wisdom, not compare ourselves to others. However, I enjoy sharing my lists with other parents, in hopes that you will share the joy of reading solid, living books with your children. Keep in mind, too, that these works aren't just for children; I enjoyed them, too!

Here is a list of major works my children and I have read together this year. These are the books I read along with my children, not including books they read over the course of the year on their own:

Noah’s Ark by Jerry Pinkney

Breathtaking illustrations in this beautiful book! 

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children by James Herriot

True, touching stories told by a former veterinarian. Lovely watercolor illustrations.

Grandfather Greenfingers by P. Catherine Coles

British story of children who go to live with relatives, and the fun gardening lessons they learn from "Grandfather Greenfingers." 

The Secret Garden by Frances H. Burnett

This was a book read before bed. What a treat to delight in this classic with my children!

Benjamin Franklin by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

All d'Aulaire biographies are informative tales illustrated with captivating, colorful drawings. 

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew by Margaret Sidney

Cute, inspiring, and sweet; great for children to learn love for family members. Another good book to read over time before bed.

"Adrift Again," from Paddle to the Sea

Paddle to the Sea by Holling Clancy Holling 

Page-long chapters make this rich story easy to digest in small bits. The scientific story of a wooden paddle-person and his adventures from the Great Lakes to the Atlantic. 

George Washington by Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

Also read in small bits after dinnertime, several pages a week. Delightful tales about the life of the father of our country.

The Aesop for Children by Milo Winter 

This book was read over an entire school year, several stories a week. Who can't learn something valuable from Aesop? 

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

I confess I'm not a tremendous Kipling fan, although I appreciate these funny stories of "origin." At times he is a little confusing, yet we usually had laughs over the stories. The best way to read this is over time...lots of it.

Poor Richard by James Daugherty
The captivating life story of Benjamin Franklin, from cradle to grave. We especially enjoyed copying his epitaph, and the part about "food for worms"!

The Mysterious Mannequin by Carolyn Keene

Nothing like a good ole Nancy Drew mystery. The rich vocabulary makes this more of a "middle" book, although the chapters are relaxing and simple. We love the old-fashioned terms, and the mystery-solving sans cellphones and Internet.

The Mystery at Blackberry Bog by Dorothea I. Snow

This is a Lassie mystery thrift store find, every bit as charming as the classic show. I'm a sucker for 1950's stories about families who live in the country. 

The Masked Monkey by Frank Dixon 

Yes, we are also into Hardy Boys mysteries. This one had the guys going to Brazil to figure out a connection between a disappearance, and a terrifying monkey!

The Story of the Lincoln Memorial by Natalie Miller

From the Cornerstones of Freedom series, this book nicely describes the history of the Lincoln Memorial. Just enough information before our kids went to DC and saw it in person!

Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas by Cheryl Bardoe

Short, yet I recommend this in several sittings, since understanding genetics can be tricky. I loved learning about Mendel's life as well as his findings. 

Maida’s Little School by Inez Haynes Irwin

What a gem! There's a series of "Maida" books, and this was the first we read. It's about a group of boarding school children and what they learn in their "homeschool"...in the 1920's! I appreciated the French phrases and references to maps and geography throughout, but especially the children's excitement for their learning. 

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley
This is our "Second Place" book of the year. Full of tales about a little girl and her family and friends, this 1920's gem just makes you feel good. Even adults should enjoy curling up with these simple, old-time adventures. 

Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson

This Scholastic book is the perfect length for elementary-age children. It tells Keller's story not as dry facts, but in interesting chapter-book form. I laughed and cried. What a hero Annie Sullivan was, and what courage Helen had! There's no excuse to say, "I can't." This book went nicely with my girls' earning the "All God's Children" badge in American Heritage Girls.

Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

This is the "Blue Ribbon" children's book of the year for us! The only way to read this classic is slow, over lots of time. We spent 14 weeks on it, reading four pages, four days a week. I admit I was nervous at the outset, afraid my children (and I!) wouldn't understand it. I confess, there were times we didn't! However, we grew to love Robinson. The words are chilling, his adventures harrowing, and his relationship with Christ something that is absolutely not allowed to be discussed in schools today. By all means...get yourself in this book, and don't give up! Believe it or not, there were times when I stopped and my kids would cry, "Keep reading!!!" Children crave a challenge like this, and will rise to the occasion. Don't over-explain the text or words unless they ask; allow them to form ideas for themselves. Simply read as if such language is common and understood. Warning: there is cannibalism in this book, and there were a few details of it that I skipped over. Use your own judgment; children for three centuries have enjoyed this tale. 

Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider

Our annual daily Advent book that begins Dec. 1 and goes to Christmas. My girls will have pleasant memories of Benjamin Bear's mother telling him all about another little bear and the friends he meets as he follows the star to visit Baby Jesus.

The Advent Book by Jack and Kathy Stockman

A lovely hardback thrift store find! Each day from Dec. 1-25 includes a door with a flap. The doors are ornately decorated, and inside is a Bible verse describing the birth of Christ. My girls take turns each night, alternating who gets to open the door, and who reads the verse. Another memory maker!

A Shiloh Christmas by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
This is the fourth book in Naylor's Shiloh series. She adequately covers Marty's questions about his neighbors' generational sin and dysfunction, mixed with more charming antics of the Preston family. A great series to introduce challenging ideas to children, enabling them to form ideas about right and wrong.

The Bible and New City Catechism
We spend time in the Word daily. On weekdays, we read from the NKJV or NIV in the morning, and from The Jesus Storybook Bible or the New City Catechism at night. I highly recommend this catechism. An app version is available, as well as YouTube videos for each day. We like to read the "older" commentary, but watch the newer one on video. We have gone through this with our children multiple times per year, and always learn something new.

And countless picture books!!!

These are all the books that belonged to my girls when they were younger, and even to me as a kid. They've been on the shelves for years. Shame on "educators" who think we should ever outgrow picture books! I encourage my children (and myself) to pull many down in large piles, and spend much time poring over Mark Brown's Arthur, Richard Scarry's charming animals, Eloise Wilkin's Golden Book illustrations such as in Baby Dear and We Help Mommy, Mayer's Little Critter, the Berenstain Bears, anything by Jerrold Beim (you won't even find them in a library anymore), Arnold Lobel's Frog and Toad or Owl at Home, Parrish's classic tales of Amelia Bedelia, and hundreds of others! What joy!

 

Stay tuned as I look forward to sharing my own personal feast in the next post! 

Sights & Traditions of Christmas

The familiar, cozy sights of Christmas are warm and comforting. Here are some I want to remember from this year: 

These were Abue's angels. I have nice memories of them at her house, and love seeing them every year now at my own. My girls say I'm the one in the middle, and they're the ones on either side.

Here is a powerful excerpt from Bonhoeffer's God is in the Manger: 

This was our church's Advent book last year. Since I like tradition and familiar things, I decided it would be my Advent book each year. Because Advent started late this year (Dec. 3), I ended up missing a week in this book and The Cloud of Witness. From now on, I will begin both books the Sunday after Thanksgiving every year, regardless of the official "start" of Advent. 

These were creations the girls made at the party with their American Heritage Girls friends: 

(Front and back)

I covered the plates with plastic wrap, and we enjoyed looking at them throughout the Christmas season.

One of my girls has a birthday one week before Jesus's, so we always have non-Christmas sweets for her special day: 

These had chocolate chips and Andes mint chips baked in!

Baking is a big event during this season. It's easy to get overwhelmed with sweets. Next year I believe we should start baking earlier. We waited until Dec. 19 to make treats for friends and family, and ended up with some for us, too. The closer to Christmas Day it is, the more sweets seem to accumulate. Why not bake around Dec. 10 and stagger the desserts? This would also enable earlier distribution to neighbors.

A note I made to myself last year was to set aside an entire afternoon or day for baking. It's terrible to cram such a joyful activity in with other things and feel rushed. I was thankful we planned lots of time for the gingerbread, my girls' favorite Christmas project. Their designs are more elaborate every year! 

We always use the same recipe, same vintage tablecloth, same cookie cutters...and listen to our "Wonderful Christmastime" station while working. As I said, there's nothing like the comfort of traditions, and I delight in the memories my girls and I are making.

A slight break from food, back to the real meaning of Christmas...Here is my favorite decoration of all time: 

This is another of Abue's former things. When I was a child, it moved to my house, and then my mom graciously gave it to me. My girls now cherish and delight in this manger scene. Abue tells me every year that she bought it in 1966 for $6. I keep it in its original sturdy cardboard box. We had to replace the old newspapers (from the 1960's) that cushion the figures, but even the straw is original to the set. The one thing that hasn't survived are the plastic trees. They lasted until about two years ago, and finally crumbled. The star is shabby, but still holding on. This set is one of my most special treasures.

Here is another treasure from a grandmother: 

Jeremy's Granny Beulah had this ceramic tree out every Christmas, and later, kept it in her room when she moved in with my in-laws. What a privilege to have it in our home now, and carry on the tradition! It reminds us of her, too.

We put up two artificial trees in our home each year:

The tree on the left is our big one in the den. It has three light settings: white, colored, and both flashing. We prefer the colored lights, since for years, all we saw were white. We keep presents for the girls under this tree. The smaller tree rests nicely in the dining room by the window. I've had to re-string it over and over, but it's a sweet little tree under which all other gifts go. We remove its ornaments after Christmas, but I carry it down to the basement and leave the tree standing as it is, lights strung, until I get to carry it back up next year.

Back to the dainties, and other fun things: 

A blessing from our friend and his cappuccino maker

An afternoon of homemade peppermint patties, and anything else we could find to dip into chocolate (pretzels and spoonfuls of peanut butter)

Mimi's pork crown roast...

...and ice cream roll! 

Brick always brings us joy!

Speaking of animals and joy....

What do you think of Liz's gifts to Nibbles? The poor guinea was a good sport, and the girls were overjoyed! 

A new rodent was under the tree: 

Meet Sidney the hamster, named for the Pens #87!

We are officially rodent experts. The difference between a guinea pig and hamster is tremendous, although both are cute and lovable.

My hubby knows that for me, nothing is more exciting than unwrapping old books: 

I spotted these at the antiques mall, and knew what I wanted for Christmas. He navigated his way through, found them, and put them wrapped up under our den tree! Jean Ingelow's poems are throughout The Cloud of Witness, and I couldn't resist this beautiful book, especially since my girls and I study a poet per twelve-week school term. The McKinley book was written in 1901, right after his assassination, and is full of striking photos and information. I even discovered a folded-up church devotional guide from 1903 in the pages!

We ended Christmas with two more favorites: 

Deep fried duck...

...and sweet potato soufflé loaded with spices and gooey marshmallows!

Merry Christmas!!!!

Advent

We've had a surprise this Advent season! 

The weather man's one to three inches turned into about nine! In thirteen years of living in western NC, I don't recall such a big, early snow.

Advent is a wonderful time of waiting for the celebration of Christ's birth. Here are two books we look forward to year after year during this season: 

 Both books begin on December 1 and continue to Christmas day. Advent Storybook contains charming stories about a little bear going to see Baby Jesus, and the adventures he encounters along the way. The Advent Book was a thrift store find. Every day is represented by a beautiful door to be opened, each containing a lovely picture and Scripture excerpt within. 

I'm rereading my Advent book from last year, Bonhoeffer's God is in the Manger: "Celebrating Advent means being able to wait. Waiting is an art that our impatient age has forgotten. It wants to break open the ripe fruit when it has hardly finished planting the shoot. But all too often the greedy eyes are only deceived; the fruit that seemed so precious is still green on the inside and disrespectful hands ungratefully toss aside what has so disappointed them. Whoever does not know the austere blessedness of waiting--that is, of hopefully doing without--will never experience the full blessing of fulfillment."

There is a lot of fun in Advent waiting. Here was something fun: 

The "ugly sweater cooky" kit was a gift from Aunt Susan when she visited shortly after Thanksgiving. It was a joyful way to spend an afternoon we had free. There is delight in big, fat, sugary, gooey cookies that my kids will never forget!

This year my girls got to participate in a nursing home visit. They sang carols, made a Christmas tree craft with some residents, and enjoyed more thick, rich cookies with them. One man was ninety-nine, and another lady, ninety-eight. It was another joyful experience I know they won't forget.

I have to include my jello, something I usually have on hand, but don't always remember to make. There's nothing like good old-fashioned peach jello with pears and strawberries dotted throughout! 

And simply because she's becoming a regular in my posts... 

...what joy it is to snuggle a sweet piggy, any time of year!

Back to the snow...it has been a wonder to behold! What a privilege to gaze out at its beauty in awe of God's power and miracles. To think that each snowflake is individual, and some still question God's existence! What a gift He gives to the eyes able to see its beauty, and to the heart that trusts in His might! 

In the early hours of the snow

Front yard at beginning of snowfall

Hemlock outside school room window. We looked out and used this for our nature study.

Same front yard area as above, a few hours later. Taken from Abue's room window.

The area between our yard and our neighbors', late afternoon

Kids and neighbor pal worked all afternoon on the snowman and igloo

Around five p.m. Snow had been falling since morning.

Another backyard angle around five p.m.

The next morning, after all-night snowfall; back yard 

Dining room tree looking out at a snowy pond scene in early morning

The same early morning pond scene from another window

It may be in the evening,

   When the work of the day is done,

And you have time to sit in the twilight

   And watch the sinking sun,

While the long bright day dies slowly

   Over the sea,

And the hour grows quiet and holy 

   With thoughts of Me;

While you hear the village children

   Passing along the street,

Among those thronging footsteps

   May come the sound of My feet.

Therefore I tell you: Watch!

   By the light of the evening star,

When the room is growing dusky

   As clouds afar;

Let the door be on the latch

   In your home,

For it may be through the gloaming

   I will come.

             ---------------------

So I am watching quietly

   Every day.

Whenever the sun shines brightly,

   I rise and say,

"Surely it is the shining of His face!"

 And look unto the gates of His high place

   Beyond the sea;

For I know He is coming shortly

   To summon me.

And when a shadow falls across the window

   Of my room,

Where I am working my appointed task,

I lift my head to watch the door, and ask

   If He is come;

And the angel answers sweetly

   In my home:

"Only a few more shadows,

   And He will come."

                                                --Barbara Miller MacAndrew