We finished up Sounder today. The kids and I enjoyed this read. We especially loved all the references to Bible stories and the lovely hymns 'the mother' would sing.  One thing the kids brought to my attention is the characters have no names, they found that a little odd. The main character is referred to only as 'the boy.'

But a good read!

Here's a picture narrative from Sounder

Our next read will be Amos Fortune, the true story of a man that was kidnapped into slavery at the age of 15, in the year, 1725. We will use this book as one of our Living History Books and compare Amos' life to that of Ben Franklin. They were born only 4 years apart, but of course had very different lives.

Going back to Newberry & Honor Award books....

It was suggested by one of my sisters, we are enjoying it thus far. Word of caution, the 'N' word is used. :( However, we used it as a learning opportunity.

We've finished The Sign of the Beaver, what a fantastic book!

Here is a painting from one of the kids. 

I had a request from the children for our next read aloud. Robinson Crusoe! It was mentioned in the last two read alouds and apparently the kids interest was piqued!  This time, we decided it might be fun to try a book on CD, so mom gets a wee break from reading. Well there are other read alouds, but this is one less. It's been great so far. I have never read it so I am just as tuned in as they are. 

We've read so many neat books since I last blogged, but our current one ( sticking with our Newberry & Honor Award books ) is 'The Sign of the Beaver,' by Elizabeth George Speare.

 The kids are just getting 'into it and I am enjoying it as well. We read several chapters today b/c everyone couldn't wait til tomorrow to see what would happen next in the story.

We finished 'Mrs Frisby' today. We very much enjoyed this book. The kids and I found ourselves wondering what it would be like to have a rat clan of our very own living in our yard. We talked about what the world would be like if rodents, or any animal, were as smart as humans. Interesting thought, huh?!

 I read it years ago, but to read it again with 'adult ears,' well, I thoroughly enjoyed it! 

Here are a couple drawings of scenes from the book.

Our next read-aloud, as suggested by my sister and continuing on with our Newberry & Honor Award books...

Can't wait to begin!!! I've never read it, surprisingly.

We finished it today! It was a great read -- sparking many conversations about living on the land, the need for people in our lives, wild animals, food in nature and much more!

Here is a drawing from one of the kids based on the book.

Our next read aloud........do you remember reading this as a child?! 

Also, do you see a pattern to my books?
I'm trying to go through the Newberry or Honor Award books.

We wrapped up 'Gone-Away Lake' last week. We really enjoyed all the nature within this fabulous book. Lots of plant, insect and tree names throughout. The adventure was a great one!

The kids drew their favorite part of the story. This is Kaden's drawing of Villa Caprice, one of the old homes at Gone-Away Lake.

Our next read-aloud

'My Side of the Mountain' by Jean Craighead George

It's checked out, from the library, at the moment so we must wait a few days to get started.

We wrapped up 'Twenty-One Balloons' last week. What a fun adventure!

The kids drew their favorite part of the story.

~ Next read aloud ~

Dad has asked us to read it in the evening so he can be apart of it too!

Somewhere I learned of the Trailblazers book series. Someone online shared it with me, thank you, if it was you! I ordered one from Amazon and we are loving it!

The first one we are reading is Kidnapped by River Rats.  It's based on the story of William & Catherine Booth, founders of The Salvation Army. I was raised for many years in the Army church and know a lot about the organization, which is always a plus. The 'story' part is well written and the kids and I are eager to see what happens with Jack & Amy! The kids asked to read 2 chapters today, of course I obliged.

These books would be a super idea for history.