Books I Love & More - Homeschool Blogger

A Tale of a Tale

Tue, 1 May 2007 18:57:00 -0500

Come closer, Reader, I have a tale to tell you.

It's a tale about a tale about a tail.

The author of this tale is Kate DiCamillo. You might know her book, Because of Winn Dixie.

But this isn't about that book, Reader. This is about another book. It's about the book that won her a John Newberry Medal and made her cry.

She cried when she won the medal. Not when she wrote the book. As far as I know.

You can learn more about her here: http://www.katedicamillo.com/about.html

I know nothing more about this author. I don't know her proclivities, her character, her habits or her religion. All I know, Reader, is that this author can write.

I mean, really write.

If you are interested in a story about a princess, a mouse and a bowl of soup then you will love this book, The Tale of Despereaux.

I adore this book. It is delicious, delectable, yummy and scrumptious (especially the soup part!). I think you and your kids will like it, too. That is, if you like stories about princesses, knights, castles, dungeons, mice and mean old rats.

This book has lovely spiritual overtones – the light of the castle overcoming the darkness of the dungeon, and most of all – the power of forgiveness and love.

It isn’t for very young children. But it was a delightful read-aloud for my audience of 1st – 10th graders. We laughed, we anticipated, we cried, and we cheered! It was a grand tale and we were ever so sorry it was over when it ended. We wanted to stay with our new-found friends, Despereaux, the Princess Pea, Miggery Sow and Cook, and go on more adventures with them.

If your younger child is scared of dungeons and mice and mean old rats, then you might want to wait to read this story. It’s an honest story. When something bad happens, the consequences are true. But it is, in my mind, Reader, only one of the reasons this book is destined to be a classic. It is one of the best books I've ever read aloud to children -- and trust me -- I've read a lot of classic books out loud to children!

Despereaux became very real to us. And for that, he gets to sit on my shelf forevermore, wielding his sword, (okay, his needle), and protecting the princess he so loves, forever and forever more.

But you must HURRY, Reader, to read this book, before the movie comes out in 2008 and ruins it for everyone! Do NOT watch the movie before you read this book! It is just too well written to miss out on. The author is one of the grandest weaver of tales for children – of the same quality as E.B. White and A. A. Milne – and you will want to expose your children to her gift!

Answers for New Christians by Robin Khoury

Thu, 12 Apr 2007 11:12:00 -0500

I have found a new resource for parents, grandparents, pastors, children's workers, aunts and uncles that you are just going to love. It's called Answers for New Christians written by Robin Khoury and illustrated by Stuart Corley and I am excited to be introducing it to you!

This is a book families of young children will enjoy making a part of their homeschool and or devotional lives. I plan on using it as a unit study on Salvation and the ordinances of our Christian faith. I also plan to use it in my children's program at church because we have an entire generation of youngsters who know nothing about what it means to be "born again" or "baptized." This generation of youngsters doesn't even know Who Jesus is!

This is a book for such a time as this. In Judges, after Joshua died, "And also all that generation were gathered unto their fathers: and there arose another generation after them, which knew not the LORD, nor yet the works which he had done for Israel." Judges 2:10. The same has happened in America today. Our children do not know the basic tenets of our faith because no one has taught them.

Perhaps parents, teachers and even pastors don't know how to teach them, or don't even know where to start. This book will help them. It is a blessing to the body of Christ!

When I was a little girl, I "went forward" during Vacation Bible School. I wanted to be baptized. I grew up in a Baptist church, and we got baptized almost immediately after we accepted Jesus. But I think a book like this would have helped me understand what I was doing a lot more than the few minutes of counseling the pastor gave me. I was nine years old, and at that time, I really just wanted to be saved because my friends at church were.

This book would help a child decide whether or not they are ready to become a Christian like their parents, or their teacher, or even their friends. But they wouldn't decide just because everyone else is doing it. They would be able to make an informed decision because this is written in a way that kids can understand!

The charming pictures to color, puzzles to solve, and easy to read text are succinct and to the point. There isn't more there than a child needs to know. Children and even adults of all ages would benefit from this book if they need to know more about what it means to become a Christian.

Here is the table of contents:

1. In the Beginning
2. The Big Boo-Boo
3. Our Problem
4. Special People
5. Jesus is Born
6. Jesus' Life
7. Zaccheus Repents
8. You Must Be Born Again
9. Jesus Died For Your Sins
10. Surprise!
11. Jesus Goes Home
12. Becoming a Christian
13. Repent and Believe
14. God's Big Family
15. Once is Enough
16. Sin Causes Sadness
17. Growing Up
18. God's Word
19. Jesus' Baptism
20. Pictures of Jesus and You
21. Quiet Time
22. The Church
23. The Lord's Supper
24. Who Is a Christian?
25. Bic Grows Up
26. Mr. Owl's Puzzle
27. Study Questions
28. Keepsake Pages

One of my favorite parts of the book are the Keepsake pages. I believe it's very important to memorialize a child's big decision to follow Jesus and these pages allow spaces for pictures, baptism certificate, and more.

This would be an excellent resource for pastors to use before or after baptizing youngsters. It will remain a permanent part of my library as I minister to youngsters everyday and on Church days!

I wish I would have had something like this for my children when they were at the age of making a decision for Christ. I do plan on using it with my grandchildren! I am looking forward to snuggle times with them and teaching all about what it means to be a Christian. What precious memories we will make. And what an even greater legacy I will be able to give them!

Thank-you, Robin Khoury, for such a special book. I hope every Christian family will make it a part of their child's library. Besides the Bible, it's one of the most important books they could ever introduce to their child.

The Copper Scroll by Joel Rosenberg

Tue, 30 Jan 2007 21:02:00 -0600

    I finally got to finish this book over the holidays. It was fascinating! I love archaeology, prophecy, and treasure hunting so this was a perfect fit for me.

    This book is based on the finding of the real Copper Scroll. It was found in 1952 in Cave 3 at Khirbet Qumran on the shores of the Dead Sea, where it had lain for nearly 2,000 years. (Most of the "Dead Sea Scrolls" were found by Bedouin and sold through antiquities dealers, but this one was actually discovered by archaeologists.)

     In ancient times the text of the document had been incised on thin sheets of copper which were joined together. At the time it was found it was rolled into two separate scrolls of heavily oxidized copper and was far too brittle to unroll.

    For five years scholars and experts discussed ways of opening the scroll. Finally, they decided to cut the scroll into sections from the outside using a small saw. Working very carefully they cut the scroll into 23 strips.

    Before it was cut, one scholar thought he saw words for silver and gold and suggested that the scroll was a list of buried treasure. When it was deciphered that scholar turned out to be right. The text of the Copper Scroll (3Q14) describes vast amounts of buried treasure!

    While the Copper Scroll itself is real, the book is fiction. It is a tale of a married couple who are White House advisors who fall in love and get married. During their honeymoon one of their friends is killed and they work to solve his murder. They discover he is tied to the Copper Scroll research.

    This couple finds themselves searching for the treasure that the scroll describes before it can fall into the wrong hands.

    Joel Rosenberg is also the author of The Last Jihad, The Ezekiel Option (which I'm reading now) The Last Days, and Epicenter. People have been amazed when things in his books come to pass after he has written the books. But they are based upon Bible Prophecy, and if they are amazed, they should be amazed at the prophecies in the Bible!

    You can read more about this fascinating book and author here: Joel Rosenberg.

    Let me know how you like the book when you read it!

T.E.A.C.H. Magazine -- Fall Issue

Mon, 6 Nov 2006 16:54:00 -0600

Click to subscribe!

I get so excited when I see a new copy of TEACH Magazine in my stack of mail! It's hard not to stop what I'm doing and sit down and read it cover to cover!

    God's timing is perfect. This time when I sat down to read, God knew I needed these articles. One article especially, by Audrey McKeever entitled, "In Be'teen Times" really helped me. I have a very strong-willed son who is 15 right now and and I needed that article! As well as all the other articles that remind me that even these teen years will go by far too fast and I need to embrace them.

    I loved this fall's magazine because it puts our focus on where it needs to be: On asking God for help in our homes and our homeschools. This life we live cannot be lived well without supernatural intervention from our God. This magazine helps me keep my eyes on God and not on the problem!

    Prayer was a big message of this issue. When we are in trouble -- pray. When we rejoice -- pray. When we are sad -- pray. When we need to know what to do -- pray. If only we would all pray more. How many of our problems would be solved?

    I think about things that are happening in ministries in our nation right now, sin in the church being exposed, and my heart just breaks. It scares me for my children. How will they be able to overcome temptation if a great pastor isn't able to? This is not the same evil world we grew up in. It has gotten worse each generation. Our kids are only a click or phone call away from temptation.

    How can they keep their eyes from seeing vile things? How can we keep their ears from hearing things they shouldn't hear when they begin to grow up and get out on their own? How will their feet stay on the straight and narrow path?

    Prayer for mothers has got to be as real to us as breathing. I am convinced it is the prayers of mothers that has kept many a child from the flames of hell.

    Thanks, T.E.A.C.H. for reminding me!!

Do These Count?

Thu, 28 Sep 2006 09:19:00 -0500

Does it count if I love books I helped to write?

I hope you'll like them as much as I do. The first is a collection of biographies from the middle ages, all written by homeschool women! I wrote the chapter on King Wenceslas.

The other book is coming out this month and I have written two chapters in it. One chapter is about Noah and the Great Flood and the other chapter is about the Prophet Daniel.

I love biographies. I love reading them and I love writing them. I hope you will like these books as much as I do, too! Check them out at http://bramleybooks.com .

TRANSGRESSION by Randy Ingermanson

Sat, 2 Sep 2006 21:10:00 -0500

    If you've ever wanted to go to Israel but haven't been able to afford a ticket, this book is an excellent alternative.

    Rivka Meyers, an American Messicanic Jew working on an archaelogical dig in Jerusalem for the summer, is tricked into playing a reality game. An evil scientist wants to murder the Apostle Paul in order to stop the spread of Christianity and change the future of the world.

    When Rivka plays the game, it traps her in ancient Jerusalem. In order to foil the plot of the mad scientist, she has to decide whether or not to stay in ancient times or go back to the present.

    I enjoyed the book not so much for the plot but because I love Israel and I was fascinated with the descriptions of the Holy City and the social rules of its people. Ingermanson paints pictures so vividly you truly feel you are walking the streets with the Apostle Paul and experiencing what it was like to be in Jerusalem in ancient times.

    Since I am fascinated with archaeology, and I love Israel and the Biblical holidays, this book was an excellent fit for me.    This book blends history, science and theology effortlessly without sounding preachy or canned.

    The author is a physicist. And he's also my teacher. I took his Fiction 101 course and learned so much that I am constantly going back and reviewing what I learned over and over again.

    You can learn more about Randy Ingermanson by clicking on his picture below:

I've Been Tagged!

Fri, 25 Aug 2006 17:04:00 -0500

Posted by LaMereAcademy

Tag, you're it! Please answer the following questions on your blog and then tag 5 others...thanks!
Becky

ONE BOOK THAT CHANGED YOUR LIFE: When I was growing up I read the book Christy by Catherine Marshall. The book had a huge impact on my life and made me want to give my life to full-time Christian service.

ONE BOOK THAT YOU'VE READ MORE THAN ONCE:   The Bible.

TWO BOOKS YOU'D WANT ON A DESERT ISLAND:   The Bible and Little Women I guess. That's a hard one! How do you pick just one more other than the Bible???

ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU LAUGH: Freckles by Gene Stratton Porter

ONE BOOK THAT MADE YOU CRY: The Yearling

ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD BEEN WRITTEN: The Biography of my ancestors who fought in the American Revolution.

ONE BOOK YOU WISH HAD NEVER BEEN WRITTEN:   The DaVinci Code

ONE BOOK THAT YOU ARE CURRENTLY READING: The Copper Scroll by Joel Rosenberg

ONE BOOK YOU HAVE BEEN MEANING TO READ: All of Josephus

TEACH MAGAZINE Summer 2006 Issue

Tue, 25 Jul 2006 23:00:00 -0500

    The summer issue of TEACH couldn't have come at a better time for me! First of all, I didn't get to read it as soon as I got it. Something always seemed to interrupt my TEACH magazine time. FINALLY on our family vacation I was able to dive into it and soak up all its goodness while on the road.

    Every article spoke to me deeply and I was so touched that God would use this magazine to minister to me so effectively. The Holy Spirit was evident as all the articles came together singing their own notes in perfect harmony with the Summer Issue Theme of "Women of Wisdom."

    I always love reading about Lorrie Flem's adventures. She's the editor of the magazine and I'm fascinated with how she manages to juggle everything.

    I can never pick "just one" article that I like the best as they all speak to me equally with such non-judgemental grace. I really do appreciate that as I am far from perfect!

    I do confess that I do have some magazines that I subscribe to that I toss (or recycle) when I'm finished with them. But TEACH is a magazine I want to keep as a resource that I hope to use in ministering to women in my church. The gentle tone of the magazine makes it a perfect ministry tool, devotional, or Bible study resource.

    If you don't subscribe to TEACH yet -- get on over to their website and do so! You will be so glad you did!

    To get to their website, click on the picture at the beginning of this article or type http://teachmagazine.org into your browser. Enjoy!

    OH! And be sure to check out the bookstore! I ordered quite a few things from there last month and was DELIGHTED with each and every item! And when I received my order, it was packaged so prettily! It was just like getting a gift! I love TEACH magazine!

What Every Girl Should Know by Myklin Cox

Fri, 14 Jul 2006 11:20:00 -0500

     It is my privilege and honor to introduce Myklin Cox to you and her book, What Every Girl Should Know: A Christian Finishing Course for Young Women.

    Every now and then in the homeschool community, you meet someone who has been homeschooled all their childhood, and you can see all the love and goodness and joy that was poured into the child coming out through the fruit the child displays.

    Myklin Cox is one of those people. I am so thankful to her parents for homeschooling her and raising her in the way she should go! What a blessing she is to young Christian women and their parents. Her bubbly, positive, honest, and virtuous outlook is definitely something I would want my daughter to look to as a good example of a virtuous woman of God.

    I wish I would have had this resource when my oldest child -- my stepdaughter -- was growing up. It would have been so much fun to go through this book with her!

    When I was growing up, I belonged first to the Brownies, then the Girl Scouts, then the Cadets. By the time I was in Cadets I really didn't fit in, and so I focused on being involved in our girls' group at church. I credit my experiences in these groups with teaching me a lot of the social graces and leadership skills I have today. I didn't have the privilege of being home schooled or coming from a refined family. There were many gaps in my learning that the lessons in these organizations taught me.

    It is rare to find a thriving girls' group in today's churches. It would be wonderful to start one yourself -- whether you are an older woman, or a younger woman, or even an older teen -- in order to mentor young women.

    That is what this wonderful book is all about!   Myklin Cox has given us a wonderful tool in which to disciple the young women in our homes, churches and communities.

       I see so many young ladies in my community confused about their "womanliness", and how to take care of themselves. It's not entirely their fault -- how are they to know if no one teaches them? The messages they get from the media are confusing, and most often contrary to God's Word. But how are they to know what God's Word says if Christian women do not lead them?

"How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
(Romans 10:14)

    This book is a wonderful study for a mother and daughter to go through, or for a woman to teach in her homeschool coop, Sunday School, or Bible Study for young ladies. (I plan to use it with my granddaughters as soon as they are old enough.) It is lively, easy to use, interesting, engaging, and full of information "every girl should know!"

    First and foremost, the book emphasises the young woman's relationship with Christ and her spiritual health. Then, it moves into taking care of the body that God gave her for Him to dwell in. Diet, exercise, posture, clothing, skin care, and hair care are discussed.

    The book also discusses friendship, manners, role models, and Christian Character. It reminds the young woman that God has given her gifts, talents and abilities that God has a purpose for!

    Home Economics, cooking, laundry, mending, sewing and caring for a home are discussed along with accepting God's timing and future.

    Modesty, and seeking God's will for her lifelong mate are also taught in this book.

    When I was going through my teen years, I do not recall anyone discussing all of these issues in such an honest, fresh, and loving way! Myklin Cox manages to reach into the hearts of young women and bring to light the things that are really on their minds.

    Mothers who are shy about talking about growing up will find this book a wonderful tool.   Church leaders who see a need to reach out to the young women who are lost and searching for their identity in Christ will be able to use this to teach those seeking young women.

    I will be using this book in this coming school year to teach a young 16-year old girl with special needs. She mimics what she sees in the media. And why shouldn't she if that's the only instruction she has received? She attends my cottage school (and is my only female student!) and we will be using this as her health credit this year.

    I love this book. Myklin has a real gift to teach and reach young women. You will love her CDs, too, and I hope you will purchase them for your school this coming year!

    Be sure to stop by Myklin's blog, too: http://homeschoolblogger.com/heartofvirtue/
She is going to have her first baby! Another generation of homeschoolers are being born!

    Myklin is becoming a true leader in our daughter's lives, and I for one am thankful that she has been called to "teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children" (Titus 2:4).

Some of my Favorite Resources

Fri, 30 Jun 2006 23:16:00 -0500

I thought I'd share some of my favorite resources and materials I use for our cottage school/home school. (I teach my own three boys and a handful of others at the church everyday.) My own children have learning issues. My twins have autism and are developmentally delayed by about three years. So I am very much into modifying and adapating things for them and for my other special needs students. I have students who have ADHD, MR and other emotional problems that keep them out of a typical classroom.

We study in a one-room-school environment, are classical/Charlotte Mason/Trivium in our approach and philosophy and it is very easy to teach multiple grade levels using all the following materials. I have students from Preschool through 10th grade. Here is what we do and use!

1. Nature notebooking. We do a lot of nature walking and studying what we find and draw, etc. Every student has a blank sketch pad at the beginning of the year and we fill it up! I glue a big envelope to the back inside cover for them to put their finds in and study them when we get back (things such as leaves, twigs, nuts, etc.) They also have bug boxes that I got at the dollar store. These have little magnifying windows in them to look through.

2. Grapevine Bible Studies

3. Math U See

4. Art of Eloquence

5. I have used so many different things I love for for English and language. Spelling Power,

Daily Grams,

and Writing Strands,

and this year I'm going to use Institute of Excellence in Writing.

6. Fallacy Detective (for logic). (http://triviumpursuit.com)

7. English from the Roots Up; Rummy Roots.
8. Hey Andrew! Teach me Some Greek! (http://greeknstuff.com)

and Latin

9. Greek Alphabeterian and Huppogrammon by the Bluedorns. (I use a lot of the Bluedorn materials, actually. I love them all!)

10. KONOS -- I love this program. I have taught it all in the past, but for now I use their ideas but do not follow the curriculum completely.

11. Empty notebooks for journaling daily. Sometimes I give a topic and sometimes I don't. Sometimes I give an opening sentence.

12. Empty notebooks for copying quotes from great writers and thinkers and for dictation.

13. I use the SAT vocab list that you can get on to practice vocab.

14. Thomas Kinkaid's art currciulum from Alpha Omega publications.

15. Suzuki violin method.

16. Mystery of History; Timelines; History of the Ages; Notebooking pages (I just ordered an ebook full of great templates), History Scribe (love this program -- my kids wrote their own history text books last year), and I use Story of the World by Susan Bauer as an extra resource.

17. Christian Kids Explore Biology from Bright Ideas Press. This is a really fun program. My kids loved it.

(I pretty much design my own science and history program from "real" books. For 10th grade this year I think we might look into Switched On School House. I haven't decided yet!)

18. Doorposts -- all their stuff is wonderful.

19. I like everything and anything from Bright Minds.

20. Hold that Thought products -- we are going to use their ancient history cut outs this year and their world timeline book is so reasonably price for this year's timeline.

21. I read out loud a LOT. I read out loud several hours a day-- usually out of two different books. We usually read the classics. I haven't chosen my classics for this year. What do you recommend for a read aloud for ancient history? (Historical fiction.) The Henty books are awesome, and since I have mostly boys in my cottage school, they work out wonderfully. I also like Nancy Rue's books but they are out of print now.

We love the Thornton W. Burgess books for nature and Gene Stratton Porter's books are also my favorites for nature studies here in Indiana since this is where she lived. I actually live not very far from where she grew up. We go to the state forest a lot and the kids love imagining they are in the Limberlost.

I want to be able to afford to give my kids cameras they can use that take good pictures. I think that's such a great way to notice details around you.

These are just a few of my favorites. I have so many!