I’ll admit that I like a good rock star novel. Maybe it’s left over from my teen years, when I adulated some musicians a wee bit much. Maybe I like the grand gesture of someone giving up all the things the world prizes – fame, fortune, and celebrity status – for things more lasting, like love, faith, and family. At any rate, here are some novels with rock star characters that I’ve enjoyed over the years. Oh, and I’m interpreting “rock star” loosely here. Country stars count too.
Welcome to the September 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
While on our long car ride from Pennsylvania to Maine and back, we listened to an audiobook I’d mentioned here in July of last year: Dooku: Jedi Lost. The whole family enjoyed this lively Star Wars audio drama. I love a well-done audiobook, but an audio play, with actors voicing each character, is something else altogether. If you have a favorite audio production, please share it in the comments. I’d love to find some more to enjoy.
While traveling, my husband often picks up local lore books. In Maine, he grabbed Haunted Lighthouses: Phantom Keepers, Ghost Shipwrecks, and Sinister Calls from the Deep by Ray Jones. Four Maine lighthouses are included in the book, which promises “spine-chilling tales.” His favorite part of these types of books is not so much the spooky stuff, but the history that the stories necessarily entail.
Heaven’s Hunter by Marie C. Keiser is an action/adventure space saga with a bit of military detective procedural thrown in. Add to that the faith element that Major Randall Yung uncovers as he seeks to avenge the death of his only friend, and it becomes a story of self-discovery, moral complexity, and integrity. I think science fiction fans will enjoy Heaven’s Hunter and the way the Catholic faith is incorporated into the story.
I can always count on Karen Witemeyer for a well-written historical Christian romance. I needed an enjoyable distraction, and The Heart’s Charge, the second in the Hanger’s Horsemen series, fit the bill. There are two romances for the price of one and a mystery to be solved—who’s snatching orphaned children from town and what for?
Jennifer Rodewald is nearing the end of her Murphy Brothers Stories that I’ve enjoyed so much. Who You Are is a bit lighter than some others and concerns the second youngest brother, Brandon, who’s entered a trial engagement with a virtual stranger, Megan. Megan is spoiled and immature, and her parents invite family friend Brandon to teach her a little about hard work, integrity, and the kind of man she should be seeking.
My college-bound son has been reading Assasin’s Creed: Forsaken by Oliver Bowden. The book, based on the video game, begins in 1735 London and tells the backstory of the assassin Connor’s father and how he is drawn into the ongoing battle between the Assassins and the Templars. It’s a companion to the games, more or less. I’ve not played any of the games, but I’ve been impressed by the painstaking attention to historical detail in them.
My eighth-grade daughter discovered a Newbery Honor Book set in Maine amongst the stacks of books at our parish’s festival flea market. She read Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy by Gary D. Schmidt while we were in New England and really enjoyed it. Set in early 20th century Phippsburg, Maine, it is told from the point of view of Turner, who becomes friends with spunky Lizzie. Lizzie introduces him to the wonders of the rocky coast of Maine as they work to prevent the island from becoming merely a lucrative tourist destination. I want to read this one too.
I read the youngest kids, now third- and fourth-graders, a couple of books by Robert McCloskey both set in Maine. The first was the ever-popular Blueberries for Sal(a Caldecott Honor Book), in which Sal and Sal’s mom and a bear and its cub get all mixed up while picking fresh blueberries on the mountainside. It’s such a simple story, but the illustrations are wonderful, and the kids love it.
The second book was on the shelf in the 1860s farmhouse where we stayed in rural Maine. It’s a lesser-known book of McCloskey’s, I think—One Morning in Maine. In this book, we see an older Sal, who’s got a loose tooth, set off across the bay with her father to go to town. It’s a lovely picture of coastal Maine life.
My kids are big fans of The Berenstain Bears books, especially the older ones, and we discovered a Berenstain Bears chapter book on Kindle Unlimited. The Berenstain Bears: The Trouble with Tryouts by Stan and Jan Berenstain follows poor Sister Bear as she is denied a spot on the soccer team but offered a spot as team manager.
My husband picked up a copy of A Squirrel’s Tale of a Crow’s Feat by Michae Rothan at a recent Catholic men’s retreat. Father Rothan, who baptized our oldest son, was the retreat master and has written several books, including this one for kids. It’s an illustrated morality tale about the discord between the squirrels and the crows and the common enemy they unite to resist. Father Rothan has an unusual experience, related at the end, of raising some abandoned baby squirrels.
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Welcome to the August 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
Piggybacking on one our favorite summer cookbooks that I shared in July is another useful reference, Smoked Meat: The Essential Guide to Real Barbecue by Jeff Phillips. We’re big fans of meals from our smoker, and my husband has prepared us delicious pulled pork, chicken, salmon, meatloaf, pies (yes, apple pie!) and more. This book takes you through the basics of smoking with lots of great entrees but also sides and a few desserts too. I’ve been after my husband to try the smoked cheddar cheese too.
I’ve only read the first chapter of Things Worth Dying For: Thoughts on a Life Worth Living by Charles J. Chaput, and I am spellbound. I’ve always loved how Archbishop Chaput shares insightful truths that are inherently Catholic and culturally relevant. It’s so eloquently written and sagacious that I may have highlighted more sentences in one chapter than I typically do in an entire book.
The Lacemaker: A Novel of St. Zélie Martin by Anne Faye is a diary-style chronicle of the life of the mother of St. Thérèse of Lisieux. It’s an intimate look at the worries, struggles, joys, and sorrows of a working mother of saints, herself a saint as well. It left me with a reminder of the fragility of life and the virtue found in everyday living.
Full Quiver Publishing’s September 1 release, Eternal Light of the Crypts by Alan Van’t Land, took me by surprise. Would-be monk and scribe Aristeus and former military scout Egilolf spend months ping-ponging between destinations, either eluding or escaping capture as they traipse across western Europe with sacks of saint bones. Or maybe they aren’t saint bones. It gets a little muddled, even for the relic hunters themselves as they seek to explain their finds to the various parties who’ve set them on their journey seeking holy relics for various locales. This debut novel is highly entertaining—comic but with historical and theological depth.
Love and the Silver Lining by Tammy L. Gray is the second in the author’s State of Grace series. I love the covers on these books, but the interiors are equally attractive. If you’ve ever done all the “right” things only to have everything fall apart, you’ll relate to Darcy, whose parents’ divorce and failed plans for a mission trip leave her life in utter disarray. As she muddles through her anger, grief, and confusion, an opportunity to ready some abandoned dogs for adoption brings purpose. She must also take a look at her lifelong friendship with a man whose attachment could stand in the way of an unexpected romance with her friend’s bandmate.
The third book in the Harwood Mysteries by Antony G. Kolenc, The Fire of Eden, takes young Xan away from the abbey as he accompanies Brother Andrew on the (literal) road to priesthood. There are new challenges for Xan, new characters to encounter, and a new mystery (tied to Brother Andrew) to solve. An easy, enjoyable read for teens and adults.
My thirteen-year-old daughter had little interest in the Harry Potter series when she was younger but has finally picked up Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone and really enjoyed J.K. Rowlings’ writing style. Her nose was buried in our Nook for a few days while she devoured it. She’ll be reading more in the series.
To supplement her 4H project book on beekeeping, my daughter also picked up Honey Bee Hobbyist: The Care and Keeping of Bees by Norman Gary from the local library. Not only are the pictures often beautiful, but she’s already learned a lot about these amazing little creatures inhabiting our gardens.
My fourth grader has been on a Sisters of the Last Straw reading binge! It started with The Case of the Campground Creature, the newest addition to the series. (She’s since read or re-read the six preceding books by Karen Kelly Boyce and is eagerly awaiting the next.) The Sisters’ camping adventure goes awry, and something is lurky outside the tent. Could it be Sasquatch?
My younger kids had not read Flat Stanley: His Original Adventure by Jeff Brown. They recently read it aloud together at bedtime over a few nights. I’d nearly forgotten the Lambchop Family’s adventure after a bulletin board falls on Stanley’s head, reducing him to only a half-inch thick. We’ve never bothered with the sequels. Are they any good?
Continuing our reading about financial topics for kids (for my little over-spender), we pulled out our copy of Alexander, Who Used to be Rich Last Sunday by Judith Viorst. The amount of money Alexander wastes is dated, but it’s a great example of how frittering away money without a plan gets you to broke real fast.
The Cow Who Fell in the Canal by Phyllis Krasilovsky survived my husband’s childhood and made its way to the top of a pile of books here recently. It’s the story of a bored cow, Henrika, who longs to visit the city in Holland. The illustrations and text follow her adventures through Amsterdam.
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Welcome to the June 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
In a Far-Off Land by Stephanie Landsem is a loose retelling of the story of the prodigal son set in Hollywood amidst the Great Depression. I think it’s worth sharing my review:
Wonderfully researched, beautifully written, with mystery, romance, and a touch of classic Hollywood mystique! I was immediately drawn into Mina’s story as she leaves America’s heartland for Hollywood, where she finds little success, few friends, and mounting troubles culminating in her becoming a suspect in a high-profile murder.
Equally as engaging are the two men, Max and Oscar, who, despite their own flaws, failures, and troubled pasts, risk their lives to keep her safe from harm.
I’m left with a fresh appreciation for the love and mercy of God the Father, the persistent, if difficult, call to forgive, and a deeper curiosity about an age in American history marked by poverty, discrimination, and determination.
Jennifer Rodewald continues to impress me five books into the Murphy Brothers series, both for the speed at which she’s produced these books and the depth of the characters. Stubborn Love is a second chance romance that delves into loss, addiction, and heartache. It leans heavily on Scripture and highlights the beautiful and fruitful practice of being intentionally grateful for all things.
My daughter’s clarinet instructor offered me Strange Planet by Nathan W. Pyle to read while waiting during her lesson. I’d seen snippets of Pyle’s comics on social media, but I never really connected with them. Reading them together gave me a better sense of what he’s doing. He has a keen eye for the absurdity that gets lost in familiarity.
Barb Szyszkiewicz’s The Handy Little Guide to Prayer is just what you’d expect from the title! It’s a wonderful overview of prayer with many wonderful suggestions as to how to pray and overcome obstacles to prayer. I’d recommend it for just about anyone: those new to prayer or those stuck in a rut, converts or cradle Catholics. This is one to keep on hand and pass out to friends.
Like many, I’ve found the sinking of the Titanic to be an engrossing historical event. Ashlee Cowles delivers a split-time story, The Poppy and the Rose, aimed at young adults that takes the reader back on board the doomed ship. The past and present characters share a similar wound regarding their fathers that ties nicely together in the end. Spiritualistic/occult practices crop up in the story, and they are condemned soundly in the end, though for young people not well-grounded in that teaching, I think a conversation about them would be beneficial while reading the book.
My middle school-daughter began reading The Black Arrow by Robert Louis Stevenson. She loved reading Treasure Island, and selected this book to accompany her History studies. Straight from the book description: “Originally serialized in a periodical of boys’ adventure fiction, The Black Arrow is a swashbuckling portrait of a young man’s journey to discover the heroism within himself. Young Dick Shelton, caught in the midst of England’s War of the Roses, finds his loyalties torn between the guardian who will ultimately betray him and the leader of a secret fellowship, The Black Arrow. As Shelton is drawn deeper into this conspiracy, he must distinguish friend from foe and confront war, shipwreck, revenge, murder, and forbidden love, as England’s crown threatens to topple around him.”
At the recommendation of Katie at Read-At-Home Mom, I’ve been reading A Family of Poems: My Favorite Poetry for Childrenby Caroline Kennedy aloud to the younger children. I’m not well-versed in poetry (See what I did there?), but I’ve found many poems to enjoy in this collection. Robert Frost’s poetry is a favorite, and the kids loved re-reading “The Owl and the Pussycat” by Edward Lear, which I sung to each of them as babies. I’m glad I decided to read through these poems with them.
I had a large influx of Catholic children’s books to review recently, and one of our favorites has been My Little Catholic Encyclopediaby Marie-Christine Vidal & Robin. While not organized like an encyclopedia, it’s filled with lots of useful information about the faith and the Catholic Church. It’s a bit almanac, a bit catechism, and a bit encyclopedia. We’ve been reading a few entries each day, and even I find some of the precise definitions and demographic overviews useful.
While My First Interactive Mass Book by Jennifer Sharpe is for children younger than my own, I really appreciated its usefulness for families with little children. This sturdy board book is brightly illustrated and includes features kids love, like lift-the flaps, tracing, and a spinning wheel. It’s ideal for preparing children for Mass, familiarizing them with the sequence and meaning of what happens there, or occupying them during the Mass itself in a way that is still focused on what’s taking place.
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I have fond memories of the circus, from elephant rides at the small circus that visited the local baseball field year after year to taking my children to see the animals arrive by train in advance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. It’s a magical, wonder-filled world with a fascinating history. Let’s take a trip to the circus!
In the early 2oth century, Pippa, adopted by the prominent Ripley circus family, wants only to be seen, and as she begins to asserts her own will in the face of her domineering father and bossy fiancé, the secrets of her birth and the circus murders unravel.
In present day, Chandler, a chronically ill single mother set to renovate the abandoned circus buildings, must face her own struggle to see herself as capable and independent.
The last third of the book was my favorite as the threads of the plot begin to come together. The writing is solid, and the heroes are unconventional – a big plus! I’d have liked a bit more romance, but it’s the self-actualization of the heroines that drives this story. The circus setting, however, is the star in this book.
Against the backdrop of the hidden life of circus “freaks,” the novel also thoughtfully examines from where our value comes and in whose eyes our worth is best measured.
Welcome to the May 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
I’ve been reading a couple of circus-themed books to round out an upcoming book review post. The Haunting of Bonaventure Circus by Jamie Jo Wright is a spooky split-time story set at the winter home of a traveling circus. Both timelines center around an unassertive woman struggling to find her footing and be recognized as competent and worthy. There’s a murder mystery that both timelines share related to a sketchy figure known as The Watchman. The author excels at creating a creepy mood and employing atypical heroes.
The Ringmaster’s Wife by Kristy Cambron is the other circus book on the docket. I’m only several chapters in and trying to get a handle on the shifts in timeline and continent. The writing is lovely, and the characters are intriguing. I’m looking forward to discovering what has become of the main character circus stars.
I won a copy of Myra Johnson’s The Rancher’s Family Secret, and it was a quick read for me on a quiet Saturday. A family dispute put Spencer and Lindsey at odds years ago, despite their childhood and teenage friendship. Spencer’s now trying to balance his family ranch obligations with his mission to foster abused and neglected horses and nurse them back to health. Lindsey is back at her widowed aunt’s neighboring ranch, trying to keep it afloat and in their possession. It’s a well-written contemporary romance.
I didn’t know Corinna Turner had planned on adding to her Three Last Things: or The Hounding of Carl Jarrold, Soulless Assassin novella, but A Changing of the Guard takes the story in a new direction following the poorly executed state execution in the first novella. This book, too, examines life, death, moral responsibility, and the capacity to change. Spiritual thriller is about an apt a description of the genre as any.
My older children both have an interest in mythology. My oldest, looking to wrap up school-related reading, checked Neil Gaiman’s Norse Mythology out of the library. He was slightly deterred by the knowledge that the author is responsible for Coraline, the movie adaption of which he wants no part of. (Not a Tim Burton fan. at. all.) Despite learning that fact, he’s looking forward to reading this. It may also have something to do with the Marvel Loki movie coming out.
My daughter and I have both been reading Our Constitution Rocks! by Juliette Turner. The book, written when the author was a teen, examines the United States Constitution and its amendments in a detailed fashion, providing explanation and historical context with words from the Founding Fathers. I was not as well-educated on our Constitution as I would have liked, but both my daughter and I have learned a lot from this book. It could use an update, as the world has changed since this was published in 2012. It’s almost amusing reading the hypothetical abuse of free speech that she mentions that has come to pass.
My seventh-grade daughter is working on a report on Louis Pasteur, the scientist who gave us the pasteurization process and the rabies vaccine. The Life of Louis Pasteur by Marcia Newfield is one of her resources. She’s only just begun the book and is learning about Pasteur’s childhood. The book, which she found at the library, seems to have limited availability (hence no cover image).
For St. George’s feast day, I read Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges aloud to the kids. This was unlike the saint stories they are accustomed to – more legend than biographical sketch. They identified it as a fairytale, and it is a retelling from Edmund Spenser’s The Faerie Queene. The Red Cross Knight slays a fierce dragon and gets the girl. The book is also a Caldecott Award winner.
My third-grade daughter read a more traditional style saint story, The Sword and the Cape by Pamela Love. This softcover picture book tells the story of St. Martin of Tours, who was a Roman soldier. As the description says, “Using the sword and cape from his Roman soldier’s uniform, he encounters Jesus in an unexpected way.”
The 3 Little Dassies by Jan Brett is a retelling of The Three Little Pigs. A dassie, also known as a hyrax, is smallish African mammal. As with other Jan Brett books, the illustrations are charming and share a familiar format—a main illustration on each open page with a preview of what’s happening next in a separate panel.
We also read Jan Brett’s Honey . . . Honey . . . Lion!, another African story. The story is about the cooperation of a honeyguide bird and a honey badger who share their sweet bounty. But what happens when the Honey Badger keeps all the sweet treat for himself?
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Welcome to the April 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart and CatholicMom.com!
My husband has just begun reading Immortal Combat: Confronting the Heart of Darkness by Fr. Dwight Longenecker. Books on spiritual warfare seem to have risen in popularity lately, and this book is part of that trend. It calls on Christians to show heroic virtue in the face of evil while rejecting a feel-good, nonconfrontational gospel.
All That Really Matters by Nicole Deese is superb! Deese, whose work I have always enjoyed, has become one of the best in her genre (contemporary Christian romance/women’s fiction), in my opinion. All that Really Matters is a timely tale that examines the superficiality of life lived behind a screen. There is so much to reflect on in Molly’s journey from YouTube beauty influencer to, well, you should read it and find out. While Molly is the force behind the novel, Silas, the director of a transitional home for young adults, has his own engrossing story.
Courtney Walsh’s latest novel, Is It Any Wonder, pairs Coast Guard officer Cody Boggs with his teenage love, Louisa Chambers, as they uncover the secrets surrounding the death of Cody’s beloved father. Both are carrying a heap of guilt related to his death, and ultimately Is It Any Wonder is a story of forgiveness and letting go of the residual anger that can keep us from truly living. A well-written Christian romance.
Be Bold in the Broken: How I Found My Courage and Purpose in God’s Unconditional Love is Mary Lenaburg’s follow-up to her acclaimed debut, Be Brave in the Scared. Her author voice is characterized by humor and authenticity, which make her books so easy to read and relate to. This book pairs stories from her childhood and adulthood that show how pinning her worth on others’ opinions and expectations ultimately failed her.
If you like witty cozy mysteries, look no further. Georgiana Daniel’sCrumbs of Passion is the first in a series. I enjoyed this mystery and its cast of sometimes-kooky characters. It kept me guessing and laughing. I’m looking forward to the next installment.
The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn is a well-written, imaginative middle grade novel that veers occasionally into the creepy. Twelve-year-old Andrea must unravel the lies and secrets keeping kids trapped in both dreams and nightmares under the guise of a “one-night” circus. It examines the perils of trying to escape suffering indefinitely rather than facing it head-on.
Amy Matayo’s Before Time Runs Out is a fun, clever, time travel romance/adventure. This Dickensian time hop is the first in a series and features modern-day Bree and 20th-century war veteran Theodore as they try to discover a way back to their respective eras. As you might guess, that decision is complicated by their growing affection for each other.
Candide by Voltaire is my oldest son’s selection for independent reading in his literature class. His description: a naïve young man gets mixed up in crazy adventures in 18th-century Europe and the Americas. The humor holds up better than he thought it would in the 21st century.
My daughter is readingCrusader King: A Novel of Baldwin IV and the Crusades by Susan Peek in tandem with her history studies. This is the only little-known saint novel of Susan Peek’s that I’ve yet to read. Baldwin IV suffers from leprosy, and I’ve been peppered with a dozen or so questions about the disease. Apparently, it’s the most striking element of the book so far, and I’m anxious to see what my daughter thinks of the entire story and to read it myself.
After seeing it recommended elsewhere, I read Harriet Tubman: Freedombound by Janet Benge and Geoff Benge aloud to my children. I realized rather quickly that I knew shockingly little about this revered woman. The biography covers Harriet Tubman’s childhood through her escape from slavery and travels on the Underground Railroad to her death. It’s appropriate for children without minimizing the brutality and inhumanity of slavery or the complicated nature of politics.
We’re Sailing Down the Nile: A JourneyThrough Egypt by Laurie Krebs is a rhyming picture book about both ancient and modern Egypt. The simple story is followed by several appendices with more information about geographic and historical locations, ancient scripts, and various gods and goddesses. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and fun.
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Welcome to the March 2021 edition of An Open Book, hosted both at My Scribbler’s Heart AND CatholicMom.com!
Like many others, if what I’m seeing on social media is any indication, my husband and I began readingConsecration to St. Joseph: The Wonders of Our Spiritual Father by Donald H. Calloway. My husband is thoroughly enjoying this consecration, and I appreciate that it seems more accessible (read: easier to understand amidst distractions) than some of the other consecrations we’ve completed. We recommend it for developing a devotion to this great but often-overlooked saint during this year dedicated to him.
We’ve also been turning daily to Praying with Jesus and Faustina during Lent and Times of Suffering by Susan Tassone. Each day’s entry is short but filled with wisdom from St. Faustina that blends beautifully with the penitential lessons of Lent. I’ve learned so much about and from St. Faustina through Susan Tassone’s daily devotionals.
Star Wars Art: Ralph McQuarrie caught the eye of my Star Wars fan of a husband years ago. Look at the price tag, and you’ll see why it took a while for him to pull the trigger on this purchase. The set includes two large, hardcover books with full-color artwork that has inspired Star Wars in all of its incarnations. A great gift for the die-hard Star Wars fan in your life.
I’ve just begun reading Jennifer Rodewald’s next release, This Life (Murphy Brothers #4). This second-chance romance between a married couple is, I think, also a road-trip story. Nothing like putting characters on the brink of divorce in a confined space and seeing what happens! This couple, Jacob and Kate, have played minor roles in the other Murphy Brothers books, and they were not very likeable characters, so I’m enjoying how the author has broken their hearts open for the reader to see and for God’s hand to work in their lives.
Speaking of unlikeable characters, Sally Bradley had a couple of those to work with in Homestands, another second-chance romance. I picked this book from my virtual shelf as I was searching for more baseball-themed books. Mike is a major league ballplayer whose marriage to Meg ended badly. Both have behaved terribly to one another, but their son helps them open the door to forgiveness and reunion (though it’s a rocky path). There’s also an added element of suspense, which keeps the story progressing at a nice clip.
Laura Frantz writes lovely, sweeping historical novels, and the early colonial Jamestown setting of Tidewater Bride really appealed to me. Xander is a widowed tobacco farmer with close ties to the Powhatans, and Selah is the daughter of a merchant and a neighbor to Xander’s plantation. There is an element of mystery and suspense to the story, and the lush setting is wonderful. I’d hoped for a little more to the story, as it didn’t grip me near as much as Frantz’s other books, but it was still enjoyable.
While I contributed a short story (“Danke”) to the Catholic Teen Books Anthology Treasures: Visible & Invisible, I hadn’t read the stories, connected by a treasured object linked to Saint Patrick, from start to finish until I gave it a final proofread. How thrilled I was at how these stories, set over the span of more than a thousand years and in two continents, fit together so well. Timed for Saint Patrick’s Day, these stories in a variety of genres are suited to middle school-age readers on up.
My seventh grader readThe Story of Rolf and the Viking Bow by Allen French, which covered the same ground as some history she’d been studying. Rolf sets out on a quest to prove that his father’s death was unlawful. There are Christian values in the story though she says the story is accessible to anyone.
For Lent, she’s also picked up Lent: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens by Katie Prejean McGrady & Tommy McGrady. Advent and Christmas: One Day at a Time for Catholic Teens by the same authors enriched the Advent season for her, so she was pleased to discover this book as well. It’s also introduced her to the convenience of ebooks since she can complete the short devotions, Scripture readings, and reflections conveniently on our iPad or my iPhone.
As a birthday gift from her cousin, she received Crochet Cute Critters: 26 Easy Amigurumi Patterns by Sarah Zimmerman and loves it! Amigurumi is a Japanese term for the art of crocheting or knitting stuffed toys. So far, she’s made a beloved zebra for her little brother and is eager to try a jellyfish next. (There is a critter pattern for each letter of the alphabet.)
My youngest daughter has begun reading one of her Christmas gifts: Saving Mount Rushmore by Andrea Jo Rodgers. She’s already enjoying this adventure, which includes historical intrigue that reminded me a bit of National Treasure. I like that she gets a little history lesson with the fun story.
Just about the whole family re-readFerdinand by Munro Leaf as one child was studying Spain, another child was looking to fill the “book-to-movie” category of his library BINGO card, and a third wanted to cross off the “nostalgia’ box for the same BINGO. This story of a peaceful bull who shuns bullfighting was a childhood favorite of mine. Can anyone tell me if the movie adaption is worth watching?
One of the kids was studying Asia and another is about to study China, so The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack came home from the library with us. Ping, a duckling left behind on the Yangtzee River, separated from his family, is a delightful story I could read over and over again. I’d glossed over the illustrations of the cormorants fishing for fisherman in previous readings. I’d recently read about the traditional fishing method and was pleasantly surprised to see it depicted in the picture book.
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