Taken from the Oct., 2009, issue of Biblical Homeschooling ( biblicalhomeschooling-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or http://groups.yahoo.com/group/biblicalhomeschooling/ )

     (Note on language levels: 1. Nothing objectionable; 2. Common euphemisms; 3. Some cursing or profanity; 4. A lot of cursing or profanity; 5. Obscenity or vulgarity.)

     Jeffers, Sunny.  A Token of Truth (published in 2008 by Guideposts, 16 E. 34^th St., New York City, NY  10016).  Another in the “Mystery and the Minister’s Wife” series, this book narrates how Kate Hanlon is almost knocked off the road by a pickup truck driven by her friend Deputy Skip Spencer, who is jittery and distracted.  Not long after that, Kate discovers that the Copper Mill Coin, a valuable and honored token from the town’s mining days, is missing and Skip is the only one who had the key to the display case where it was located.  Then Skip turns up missing.  But there is also a group of tourists in town whose fascination with the coin raises some suspicions, and several townsfolk have motive to take the coin too.  Will Kate find the truth and be able to prove Skip’s innocence?  These books are generally wholesome, exhibiting people who live their daily lives by faith in God, and have little objectionable material aside from some occasional denominational doctrines and practices.  Language level: 1.  Reading level: teens and adults.  GOOD.

     Jones, Raymond F.  Stories of Great Physicians (published in 1953 by Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, WI).  In the 1950s and 60s (and perhaps earlier and later) Whitman Publishing Company had several wonderful series of books for children, including their own versions of “Junior Illustrated” type classics; adventure stories for boys and girls (I grew up reading The Walton Boys and Rapids Ahead by Hal Burton and The Indian Mummy Mystery by Troy Nesbit, both of which I still have); new stories based on then current television shows (I had and still have one The Real McCoys and Danger at the Ranch by Cole Fannin and recently acquired one based on Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea also by Raymond F. Jones); and a number of “real life stories” (I no longer have it, but one of my favorite books growing up was Ernest Thompson Seton’s Wild Animals I Have Known).  Among the well known great physicians from history discussed in this book are the Greek Hippocrates,  the Roman Galen, William Harvey who discovered blood circulation, Edward Jenner who discovered immunization, Louis Pasteur who, though not a doctor himself but a chemist, discovered the microbes that cause disease, and Joseph Lister who discovered the importance of sterilization.  Other lesser known physicians include medieval anatomist Andreas Vesalius (although while recently going over chapter 1 of Jay Wile’s Exploring Creation with General Science in preparation for our son Jeremy’s eighth grade curriculum, I found that Dr. Wile mentions Vesalius in his brief discussion of the history of science), Frenchman Ambroise Pare, Italian Marcello Malpighi, and American dentist William T. G. Morton who discovered anesthesia .  Interestingly written and very informative, this book would be a good read for children who are thinking about a career in medicine, but, of course, one would have to find it used.  Other books in the series were about polar explorers, famous detectives, heroic pilots, and great nurses.  Language level: 1.  Reading level: Ages 9-13.  GOOD.

     Lee, Sally O.  No, Never! (Publisher: Booksurge Publishing, 2009).  Was there ever a time when your mom asked you to do something, and you responded, "No, I will never do that!"?  Daisy, a young Dalmatian, does not like to do her homework, take out the trash, wash the dishes, clean her room, eat her vegetables, or even have a bath.  She says, "No, Never!  I will never do those things!"  One day, her mother asks her, "What will you do?"  Daisy replies that she wants to write the greatest book of all time or win a famous bicycle race by climbing great mountains.  Her mother then explains that, while those are wonderful goals, Daisy will never achieve them if she doesn't take care of the other goals that are important too.  Will Daisy understand what her mother is trying to tell her, and will she ever learn how to achieve her goals?  Not every children's book has to have a moral.  Some books are just fun to read.  But it is great when a book that is fun to read also contains an important lesson for youngsters to learn.  Having reviewed a couple of other books by author Sally O. Lee, The Rabbit and the Snowman and The Tutu Ballet, both of which I enjoyed very much, I was really looking forward to reading No, Never!  Not only is this book a nice story with a valuable message, but Sally's full color illustrations done in oil on paper are quite luscious for the eyes.  Amazon gives the reading level as ages 9-12, but I think that it would be perfectly suitable for ages 6-9 to read by themselves and for those even younger to have read aloud.  Kids will benefit from it, and parents will love it.   Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 9-12.  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Nolan, Lucy.  Mother Osprey: Nursery Rhymes for Buoys and Gulls (Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing; 2009).  Can you imagine what it would be like if our favorite nursery rhymes had been told by Mother Osprey rather than Mother Goose?  Of course, they would all relate to the water or the shore in some way.  Mary might have a little clam instead of a little lamb.  Jack and June would go up a dune.  In "Sing a Song of Sixpence," there are four and twenty pelicans.  "One flamingo, two flamingo, three flamingo, four.  A flamboyance of flamingoes is a group of three or more."  Rather than London Bridge, "Hatteras Light is Falling Down."  And the old woman of this book lives in a shell, not a shoe.  Children will enjoy comparing the old familiar nursery rhymes which they have heard to author Lucy Nolan's versions as told by Mother Osprey.  They will also be exposed to a lot of fascinating information about the ocean, its animals, and related concepts as illustrated by Connie McLennan.  The "For Creative Minds" section at the back of the book provides further material about the stories behind the book's eighteen rhymes, a map of the United States showing the locations of various things mentioned in the poems, and some map activity and poem related questions.  Teachers and parents will also like the "Teaching Activities," "Interactive Quizzes," and "Related Websites" which can be found at Sylvan Dell's website.  "Twinkle, twinkle, starfish dear."  Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 3-7 (Grades Preschool to 2).  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Nowak, Paul.  The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut: Based on the Life and Works of G. K. Chesterton (Publisher: Eternal Revolution, 2009).  What do you think that it would be like having a relative known as "Uncle Chestnut"?  Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936) was a wonderful English author and journalist who was known for his rotund figure and exuberant personality.  He was nicknamed "Uncle Chestnut" by little Bernard Nicholls.  I was first introduced to Chesterton's writings in 1970 when one of his Father Brown mysteries was included in our high school sophomore literature book.  It was so fascinating that I still remember "who did it"--it was the postman!  I have since read the complete Father Brown stories, of which there were five volumes.  After publishing a book of poems in 1900, Chesterton became a regular contributor for a couple of newspapers.  As an academic, he was concerned with three main areas of interest: social criticism, literary criticism, and theology or religious argument.  Popularly, however, Chesterton is best remembered today for his creative writing: poetry, essays, and short stories.  Two plays were not very successful.  Unlike a couple of his younger contemporaries whom he greatly influenced, J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, "Uncle Chestnut" did not write fantasy that appeals to children.  Yet, he loved children.  Most of his drawings, poems, and stories for children were very personal, created as gifts for specific children, and left unpublished, whereas his works that have survived were geared for adults even while they praised the ways of childhood.  The Inconvenient Adventures of Uncle Chestnut is the first of an intended series that is designed to present G. K. Chesterton in a more familiar light for youngsters as well as time-pressed adults, based upon his own observation, "An inconvenience is only an adventure wrongly considered; an adventure is an inconvenience rightly considered.”  Author Paul Nowak weaves actual events in Chesterton's life and bits of wisdom from his writings into four fictional stories written especially for young people in which Chesterton is pictured as interacting with a nephew Jack (named for C. S. Lewis, whose nickname was "Jack") and their neighbor Christie (named for Agatha Christie who was a fellow member with Chesterton of the Detection Club).  The setting has been moved from England to New Jersey, and the time is a little more recent, probably to make the book more appealing to today's kids, but it is still delightful reading.  A few typographical errors in the first print run copy that I had for review have already been corrected for later editions.  I shall leave you with this bit of advice from Uncle Chestnut: "Without education, we are in a horrible and deadly danger of taking educated people seriously."  How true!  Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 9-12.  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Restrepo, Bettina.  Moose and Magpie (Publisher: Sylvan Dell Publishing; 2009).  If you were a full-grown moose at the age of one, what would you do when your antlers start coming in and begin to itch like crazy?  Moose, who lives where the willow trees touch the ground and the lily pads float on the water, has just become an adult, and his head prickles so much that he has to find a tree and rub his head against it with all his might.  But he disturbs his friend Magpie who starts to tell him jokes to ease his mind.  Follow Moose and his friends as spring becomes summer which turns into fall which finally ushers in winter.  What will happen to Moose's antlers?  Kids will love the jokes that Magpie tells Moose while at the same time they will learn about an amazing and majestic animal of our natural world.  There are sidebar-like tidbits of interesting information sprinkled throughout Bettina Restrepo's text, and at the end is Sylvan Dell's usual "For Creative Minds" section, with more information about the moose's eating habits, antlers, and life cycle, and a "Match the Moose Body Part to its Adaptation" activity.  There are also other "Teaching Activities" and "Related Websites" at Sylvan Dell's website.  And Sherry Rogers's colorful illustrations are very attractive.  Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 4-8 (Grades Preschool to 3).  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Russell, Krystal.  Lucas and His Long Loopy Laces (Publisher: Tall Tails Publishing House, 2009).  Did you ever buy a pair of tennis shoes where the laces were so long that you could double, triple, or even quadruple tie them?  Well, Lucas doesn't tie his shoes, so his laces are full of loops and get knots in them.  One day, he goes to the park, and his laces catch all kinds of animals and plants.  Then when he rides home on his bike, his laces capture even more things.  Can you imagine what happens with his laces when he is forced to walk the plank into the ocean by his friends with whom he is playing pirates, then is blasted into outer space by a whale?  What will he do with those comets and stars that get trapped in his laces?  The rhyming text by author Krystal Russell and the black and white line drawings, with just a touch of color (for the laces), by Cody Frusher combine to tell an imaginative story that little ones will find quite an amusing adventure.  And any child who has ever tripped over those extra long laces, or had any other problems with them, will be able to relate personally to Lucas's plight.  Maybe, just maybe, Lucas and His Long Loopy Laces might be a gentle reminder for some children to make sure that their shoes are tied before going out!  It is a cute book that I found very enjoyable.  Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 3-8.  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Skinner, Ryan Thomas.  Sidikiba's Kora Lesson (Publisher: Beaver's Pond Press; 2008).  Do you know what a kora is?  Sidikiba, a ten-year-old boy who lives with his family in a town near Bamako, Mali, which is a nation in West Africa, comes from seventy generations of kora players.  The kora is a 21-string harp made from a calabash gourd and Guenou wood.  It is a traditional instrument of the Mande people that is believed to have originated in the Kaabu empire (16th through 19th centuries) and been developed by a bard named Jeli Mady Wuleng.  Sidikiba, a descendent of Jeli Mady, goes to school and plays with his friends, but the time has come for him to learn to play the kora like his father and grandfather before him.  However, the first time that he tries, the jarring, dissonant noises produced by his fingers sound nothing like the melodies of his grandfather or his father.  Will he ever be able to do it right?  Author Ryan Skinner, who also illustrated the book with striking full color drawings of the people and events told in the story, is an author, illustrator, musician, and ethnomusicologist.  In his sophomore year of college, he was encouraged by his French professor Cherif Keita to visit Keita's homeland of Mali, where he stayed in the home of Grammy Award winning musician Toumani Diabate.  The book resulted from his experiences as he watched Toumani and his extended family teach Toumani's young son Sidiki how to play the kora.  During his initial four months in Mali Skinner himself learned not only how to play the kora but also how to manufacture the instrument from raw materials.  He decided to share his newfound knowledge in the book.  Youngsters will benefit from Sidikiba's encounter with his rich cultural heritage in a modern African city as he learns to balance the new and the old as part of growing up.  There is also the important lesson that to accomplish anything well takes practice and dedication.  The book won first place in the multicultural category of the Independent Book Publisher Association's (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Awards.  As a bonus, it contains a CD with seven songs arranged and performed by Skinner's inspiration, Sidiki Diabate himself.  There are notes in the text to play certain tracks on the CD which illustrate the songs that Sidikiba was hearing and learning.  With a glossary at the back to explain the meaning of terms, Sidikiba's Kora Lesson is both a fantastically interesting tale for children to read and a fun educational experience.  Language level: 1.  Reading Level: Ages 6-12.  Recommendation: EXCELLENT.

     Tari, Mel and Nona.  The Gentle Breeze of Jesus (published in 1974 by Creation House, 499 Gundersen Dr., Casrol Steam, IL  60187).  Mel Tari is a native of the island of Timor in Indonesia, the third of ten children of an elementary-school principal and his wife who identified themselves as Christians.  In a previous book, Like a Mighty Wind, which I have not read, Tari described the religious revival that took place on his native island.  I knew that these books involved claims of miracles, since the back of The Gentle Breeze of Jesus mentions such things as “Incurable illnesses are still being miraculously healed….Water is still being turned into wine for Communion services.  The dead are still being raised back to life.”  However, when I saw this book on the free table at a used curriculum sale, I thought it might be interesting to read something about Timor.  At the same time, the book is really not just about Timor, and there is a limit to the amount of what I perceive as false doctrine that I can take in a book, so I just had to stop on page 15 of chapter at the following incident.  A seventeen year old boy who was deaf, blind, and mute from birth was brought to one of their services.  Tari’s team leader said, “This boy’s great-great grandfather was very wicked.  He was a real hero in the tribal wars, but he got all his power from the demons.  One day he decided to offer a victory sacrifice to the devil.  So he took a little baby and buried it alive in a swamp….The Lord has shown me that this is why Gabriel is blind and deaf.”  If you want to know what the Bible says about this kind of thing, read John 9:1-3.  I just could not take any more.  Even the publishers evidently felt that they had to deal with the issue of incredulity, saying in the Foreword, “As with Like a Mighty Wind, this second book must be seen as the spontaneous, unpretentious expression of an Indonesian Christian….He is more interested in letting us know that the wind of the Spirit has not calmed in Timor, that the churches continue in a state of renewal and evangelism, than in placing any given miracle under scrutiny and exhausting the hypotheses for natural explanations.”  In other words, just gullibly accept what he has to say and make no effort to wonder why and to investigate.  If you believe in and/or like to read about claims of alleged miraculous activities, you will probably enjoy this book.  If that is not your thing, then you likely will not appreciate it.  I tend to agree with American missionary W. Stanley Mooneyham, who was apparently quoted in Like a Mighty Wind and in response wrote, “People…want to know if I do indeed endorse the book.  The simple answer is: I do not.”  Language level: probably nothing bad.  Reading level: adult.  Recommendation: NOT RECOMMENDED (due to religious error).

     Walsh, Kay.  John G. Paton: South Sea Island Rescue (published in 2003 by Christian Focus Publications Ltd., Geanies House, Fearn, Tain, Ross-shire, IV20 1TW, Scotland).  John G. Paton, who lived from 1824 to1907, was a Scottish missionary to the New Hebrides Islands in the South Pacific where the natives had been superstitious cannibals.  The 7/09 issue of this newsletter carried recommendations about another biography of Paton by James Allen and one of Paton’s own autobiographical books entitled Missionary Patriarch.  Paton was not the first Protestant missionary to the South Seas, but perhaps more is known about him because of the books that he wrote about his work and the chronicling of so many details of their lives in letters written by his second wife, Maggie, which were also published in book form.  This is one of several “Trail Blazers” biographies published by Christian Focus, similar to other series of biographies such as “Men and Women of Faith” from Bethany House, “Heroes of the Faith” from Barbour, and “Christian Heroes Then and Now” from Youth With a Mission, all of which contain books about some of the same people.  The series is not to be confused with the “Trailblazer Series” of historical fiction, also involving many of the same people, by Dave and Neta Jackson.  One does not necessarily have to agree with all the doctrinal positions of individuals to appreciate their courage and conviction in standing up for what they believe is right and doing what they can to serve others..  Language level: 1.  Reading level: Ages 9-12.  Recommendation: GOOD.

     [Note:  Many of my book reviews can also be found at http://storiesforchildrenmagazine.org and http://homeschoolbuzz.com .]