Book Review: Ed Emberley's Fingerprint Drawing Book

I found Ed Emberley's Fingerprint Drawing Book on the library shelves today.  I taught myself how to draw when I was a child using Ed Emberley books.  I've always loved them.  And this book is just as wonderful.

Unfortunately, my kids haven't responded to Ed Emberley with the same enthusiasm that I hold for his books.  I expected Mikaela and Samuel to say it was too babyish and silly.  That was ok with me because I'd enjoy it without them...or maybe try helping Josh and Maddie to enjoy it.  I was wrong.  They thought the drawings were cute and jumped right in with me.

Here is Sam's page of random drawings.

Mika tried telling a little story with hers.

I really love the frog, alligator, and train that I drew.

All the fun led us to thinking about making more themed pictures or cards.  Here's a Christmas card I did up really quick.

Unfortunately, this is what your hands will look like after you spend an hour or so drawing.  I wasn't able to get all of it off either.

We're super psyched about this book and can't wait to pick up more ink.  We didn't have all of the colors we needed, which is why Santa's reindeer are purple.  While I'm at it, I'm considering looking for this other book because it contains this book and another.  More drawing ideas can't be anything but good!

Mark Kistler's Draw Squad

We have used Mark Kistler's Draw Squad very sporadically over the past year to year and a half.  (Sorry, Mr. Kistler!  I know you emphasize daily practice.)  The results in my children's drawing skills have improved dramatically despite the fact that we've only completed 6 of the 30 lessons.  Yes, we've only done six lessons in over a year; it's pathetic; I know!  But, we also do color art projects with another program and have a full schedule in other ways.  Some is better than none.  Right?

Anyway, I thought I'd share more about this wonderful resource.  I love the book and the improvements in my children's ability to draw.  The Homeschool Buyer's Co-op is featuring Mark Kistler's online art curriculum right now.  You'll get a 3 year subscription for as low as $39.60, depending on how much interest there is in the program.  I have never been tempted by anything offered by the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op...until now.  The offer is good through June 30th. Unfortunately, their website is down or I'd provide a link.  Whether you go with the book or the online lessons, I think you can't miss with this one.

Here are some examples of my children's progress over time, starting with Samuel's drawings:

The book starts by asking readers to draw a house and an airplane.  These photos serve as examples of readers' drawing skill before instruction.  The above two photos are Samuel's house and airplane.

Sam's drawing of a gift box allowed him to practice quite a few drawing skills.  First, you start with what is called a foreshortened square; that is a distorted/squashed square that makes one part of the square appear closer than the rest of it.  Then you add in a thing called surface.  That's where you draw part of the object lower on the page to make it appear closer to you (see bottom front corner of the box).  Finally, you add in some shading and shadow to show the direction of the light source.

Foreshortening, surface, shading, and shadow were all used on Sam's drawing of a cylinder.  It's a bit different on a round object than on a square object, but not much.

Here is Sam's drawing of a pencil that used all of the above mentioned skills but also included contour and hovering shadow below the tip of the pencil.

This is Mikaela's house drawing from before our Draw Squad lessons started.  You can see that she tried to add some perspective on the side.

Compare her first house to this house drawn more recently.  She used foreshortening, surface, shading, cast shadow, overhang shadow, and cast shadow in this drawing.

Even her drawings in other areas are improving.  This crab and lobster were draw and labeled for science.  She used photos in her science text book as a guide, but she didn't trace them or have step-by-step directions to follow.

She also recently completed a timeline of the American Revolution and decorated it with a couple of appropriate drawings.  One of them was this Declaration of Independence.  In the picture, I recognize foreshortening in the folds of the document (we used a similar technique to draw banners in the book).  There is also evidence of overhang shadow and density (items closer have more detail than those further away).  The drawing looks better in person; my camera blurred the photo because I had to zoom in too much due to it being a small illustration.

I think you'll agree that Draw Squad teaches real art and real drawing techniques.  The improvement in my children's drawing abilities have undoubtedly improved; I have no doubt they'll continue to improve as we continue to move through the book (even if it takes another two years).  And finally, what they have learned as been applied beyond simply following step-by-step directions in a book.  I've very pleased with the book.

** I am in no way affiliated with Mark Kistler, nor was I asked to review his book.  It's a great program that I'm happy with.  The link to Amazon is to my affiliate account; if you buy the book through the link, I'll get a few pennies from Amazon.  I derive no other benefit from this review, from you buying the book through another source, or from the purchase of the online curriculum from the Homeschool Buyer's Co-op.

Book Review: Under the Overpass

Under the Overpass is the type of book that will change your life; it did mine.  I first ran across this book online, reading one teen homeschooler's book review about it.  It sounded interesting so I picked it up from the library and read aloud with my family during dinner time.  As we read and discussed the book, our views changed, and ultimately, we did too.

The book is autobiographical, covering a five month period during which Mike Yankoski and his friend, Sam, drop out of college and live on the streets as homeless.  Their goal was to see what it was like to really rely on God for their next meal, their shelter, their everything.  In the process, not only did they see God's provision, but they obtained an accurate understanding of what it is like to be homeless and living on the streets.  Worse, they discovered how God's people, as individuals and has a collective church, respond to those in need.

Their experiences and insights will change how you look at the homeless (unless you already work closely with them).  And you may find yourself sharing a meal with a stranger in the near future.

It was this book that nudged me to buy that meal I spoke about in the previous post.  Previously, I would have felt uncomfortable, avoiding the man's gaze, as I went about my business.  At best, I would have donated a few dollars to the local shelter.  Not anymore.  No longer can I walk past a person so obviously in need and not offer some small comfort when it is in my ability to do so.  A smile, looking directly into their eyes and acknowledging their humanity, can mean so much to someone who has been treated as invisible for so long.  Some will accept a meal.  Others may be too locked into their addiction to want a meal, but at least you made contact.  Your attempt to connect, directly, personally, may mean everything to that person.

I encourage you to pick up a copy of this book, read it, and share it with others.

I have not been paid in anyway for this book review.  The review wasn't solicited by anyone.  The link, however, is an affiliate link at Amazon.  If you choose to buy the book, I'll get a few cents added to my account.  Better yet, borrow the book from the library, and use the money you saved to buy a meal for the next homeless person you run across.

Book Review: The Map by David Murrow

Thomas Nelson Publishers sent me this book to review ages ago.  I'll confess that I've been dreading this review and put it aside over and over again simply because I didn't want to write up a negative review.  But, at some point, I need to get it off of my to do list.

The Map is a book written for men.  In it, he claims to have found the way to reach men in churches today; the problem is that churches are feminine in set up.  Men need a different kind of map to mature.  Sure, his map might work to reach men but the book presented his ideas in a way that I just hated.

I picked up the book because it was billed as an adventure story, and I love adventure stories.  It's written in the first person as he tells you about receiving this mysterious invitation and runs all over Europe in search of answers, at one point with bad guys chasing him.  His first person account comes across as believable, at first.  Strange things do sometimes happen to people.

Then he springs it on you.  Everything you have just read was a lie.  He made it up to show you this map about how men can come to maturity in their walk with Christ.  Ugh!

Perhaps this map will work for some men.  I don't know if it will but the presentation made it very difficult to finish the book and impossible to consider his "map" to maturity seriously.  I can't recommend the book to men or women.

Breadalicious

I've been making homemade bread for a while. I let our bread maker mix, knead, and rise the dough. Then I take it out, shape it, let it proof, and then bake it in the oven. We love my bread and make sandwiches like this one out of it on a regular basis. However, there were a few problems with my system:

1. I only knew, and baked, one basic type of bread.

2. I could only make one loaf at a time.

3. It took 3 hours to make a single loaf of bread. So, I am very limited on what I can do with bread.

I've been seeing a lot of people talking about a book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day on the internet. What I was seeing was intriguing, and we are making changes to our diet, so I went out and bought the book. After reading through the basics and scanning through the rest of the book, I got started on my first dough using the master recipe.

Friday night I mixed up a double batch of the master recipe for the first time. This method makes up several loaves worth of dough at once, which is then stored in the fridge until it is needed (up to 2 weeks). A double batch makes eight 1lb loaves.


Saturday morning, I pulled out my first 1 1/2 pounds of dough and made english muffins for the first time ever. With the exception of two that I overcooked, they came out great. Next time, they'll be perfect. My kids liked them better than store bought. And, they are dairy free, unlike store bought.



A few hours later, I pulled out another pound of dough and made a boule. A one pound round is tiny! LOL It was suppose to be for dinner. It looked so pretty, but I cut into anyway. It didn't last long. Everyone enjoyed it, giving it two thumbs up.



Because my boule didn't make it to dinner, I pulled out another pound of dough before dinner, and made a baguette with it. It turned out a little wide for a true baguette but it was close enough. We enjoyed it with our dinner of broiled salmon and garden salad.


Today, I pulled out another pound or so (I didn't weigh it this time) and made an onion and rosemary focaccia to go with our black-eyed pea soup and salad for dinner. It was yummy, too. There's none left...of any of the breads.

I've got to say that I really like having the dough ready to use in the fridge. I'll be re-purposing a couple of Tupperware containers so I can have two different types of dough in my fridge at once. I'm seriously thinking about getting their other book Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Book Review: The History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer

I was given the opportunity to read The History of the Medieval World by Susan Wise Bauer before it became available to the public. I jumped at the chance, not because I'm a history lover, but because we use her history curriculum in our home school. It was also perfectly timed because we happen to be using Volume 2 which covers the medieval time period this year.

If you are familiar with Story of the World, you'll recognize her voice in her adult series. Her style shows through even while increasing the vocabulary and information to suit her adult readers. That style is casual, like she's telling you the story. This helps make the details of history more accessible to those of us who are not lovers of history. You would never find me reading a dry historical text; however, History of the Medieval World isn't your typical historical tomb of boredom.

Another difference found in History of the Medieval World is that fact that she is very thorough in her overview of history. There are very many details here, yet you never get lost because she ensures that you don't. She's covering the entire world, chronologically, in one book. Because of this, chapters jump around from region to region. You might read about, say Rome, in one chapter, then visit China, Africa, and India before returning to Rome. She helps you transition, helps you remember what last happened in Rome when you return to it. She also ensures that you don't get confused about the flow of time from region to region. This happened at the same time as that, this happened as a result of that, etc. Further, each chapter ends with a mini timeline giving you a visual of how the events you just read about fit in with the events you read about in the preceding. There's a lot to follow, but she makes sure you don't get lost.

I had one major complaint: the book jumps right in without any introduction. I realize that this is volume two of what will likely be a four book series (if it follows her Story of the World series), thus it is just picking up where volume one left off; however, it would have been nice if there had been an introduction, allowing this book to stand on it's own as well.

I'm not going to tell you that I loved the book. I didn't love it; it was just okay. But I think that is a testimony of my dislike of history, not Ms. Bauer's writing ability. Her elementary curriculum is helping me to enjoy history for the first time in my life. I'm just not ready for grown up history yet. For those who are, I recommend her book whole-heartedly.

Pick up a copy of her book by ordering direction from her website. For a limited time, she is offering signed copies.

Book Review: Take Your Best Shot by Austin Gutwein

I didn't know what to think of this book when I agreed to review it for Thomas Nelson Publishers. It's billed as a book for teens yet it chronicles the beginning of the Hopes of Hope program by then 9 year old Austin Gutwein. Austin had seen a World Vision program telling the plight of Maggie, and African girl, who like many others, was at risk of starving. The story bothered Austin. He didn't get forget about it. He didn't just move on with his life. He wanted to do something. Everyone thought he'd maybe earn a few dollars and send it to World Vision. No one expected him to shoot 2,057 free throws for pledges of a dollar each. And it didn't stop there...

The book is written in an interesting style that I found both engaging and distracting at the same time. It is written very casually, like he's talking directly to kids like him. That is fine; it's his intent. However, the book ricochets between telling about the beginnings, and growth, of Hoops of Hope, the details of his first trip to Africa, and Scriptural/Biblical/Christian encouragement to go out there and let God use you. The ping ponging back and forth made the book a little harder to follow, hurt the flow of the story. Each chapter ends with self-reflection questions geared to challenge teens to go out and use their passions to make a difference.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. It was definitely inspiring. It makes you think, "If a ten year old can do all that, what can I do?" Definitely take a look at it if you are looking for inspiration.

Before you give it to your own 9 year old to read, consider your child's maturity level first. The book does discuss some of the harsh realities of life in Africa: AIDS, hunger, young boys being forced into fighting, and young girls being raped and/or forced into prostitution. While Austin's story begins at the age of 9, the book is written for teens.

Book Review: Find Your Strongest Life by Marcus Buckingham

According to Marcus Buckingham, women have become less happy with their lives despite the women's liberation movement bringing women more meaningful work, equal pay, and freedom from only "servicing men and their children" (Gloria Steinem quoted in book). But no fear; he has the solution and will teach woman how to lead what he calls a "strong life." Before he gives us this solution, he admits that his book may not be for everyone:

In saying this, I don't want to be presumptuous--you may be one of those people who always feels focused and successful, with plenty of energy and time, and what few doubts you have are quickly drowned out by many moments of real fulfillment. If you are, well done to you--you've succeeded in shaping life to your design.

Well, if you put it that way, maybe everyone does need his book! I don't know about you, but that quote put me off right away. Still, I gave him the benefit of the doubt...maybe the book would be worth my time.

So, the book goes on to define the problem women face when it comes to feeling fulfilled, happy, and strong. He gives research and stories from a group of women from Oprah's message boards to back up his thoughts. Then he tells us his solution to our problems, how to become a woman leading a "strong life." This is where the book went bad for me.

Once Buckingham begins providing solutions to our unhappiness, the book reads like a combination of A Purpose Driven Life (specifically, the chapter of finding your ministry) and The Secret, a bunch of New Age nonsense about receiving energy from the world and releasing your energy into the world. First, you take a test on his website to determine which of 9 life roles you were meant to fulfill. After answering a whopping 23 questions, he's got you pegged and you can use the results to read more about your lead role and supporting role, and get advice about how to proceed towards developing your new strong life.

It is this section that reminded me of The Secret. You'll read about "your soul's code" and "building intentions." He'll tell you how those he uses as an example "received signals life sent them" and how "only then did they transmit signals out into the world." He'll tell you that you must "search for strong-moments because in them you will find your truth."

After reading two-thirds of the book, he finally provides a Christian example (you'd expect a Christian example from a book published by a Christian publisher, would you not). Except that it's not what you'd expect. In this one and only Christian example, he tells us about the wife of a pastor who turned out to be a serial rapist, and how she survived learning her pastor husband's dirty secret.

Really! This is NOT the type of book I would expect from a Christian publisher whose purpose includes words about wanting their products to be a "means by which God breathes new life into His world." This book does anything but bring Godly wisdom into this world. I was shocked that Thomas Nelson would put their name behind this one.


**Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a review. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The above review includes my true impressions about the book. In most cases, I do not keep the book (lack of storage space), but rather give it away in the next Goodwill box.

Book Review: Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions

When I saw this book listed at Thomas Nelson Publishers for review, I jumped at the chance to get a look at it first hand. I've always wanted a reference to world religions...something that provided a quick, basic summary of a wide variety of religions.

Nelson's Illustrated Guide to Religions provides just that: detailed summaries of the major religious practices found in modern times. Dr. Beverley basic information about the world religions, including historical information, basic practices and beliefs, and major players within the religion. This information by itself is worth the price of the book but Beverley goes further.
Beverly also provides analysis of each religion's beliefs from a Biblical and Christian perspective.

I found this reference to be just what I was hoping for: detailed, yet concise, information about the origins and history of each religion, the practices of its believers, and how these beliefs mesh with those taught by the Bible. Want some information about Mormonism? Turn to page 355. Buddhism? Page 47. Protestantism? Page 511. A varied and exhaustive list of religions, including the major branches of Christianity, are represented in this 850 page volume. My only complaint about the book: it’s a bit dry in its style but that’s kind of typical for a reference book.




**Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a review. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The above review includes my true impressions about the book. In most cases, I do not keep the book (lack of storage space), but rather give it away in the next Goodwill box.

Book Review: Face of Betrayal

When I received this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers to review, I was excited to get started reading. It's been a while since I've sat down to just read a book on my own, and not as a read aloud for my children's schooling. I spent the next couple of days engrossed in the book, having a difficult time putting it down in order to attend to my duties as a wife, homemaker, mom, and homeschool teacher.

The novel begins when Katie Converse, a 17-year old Senate page, disappears without a trace while home in Portland, OR for Christmas break. Nicole Hedges, Allison Pierce, and Cassidy Shaw are on the case, each bringing their own experience and resources to assist them. Nicole, an FBI agent who investigates internet crime against children, is assigned to the case because of her expertise in dealing with parents. Allison is a federal prosecutor. Cassidy Shaw works for a local television channel and is hoping the Converse case will bring her upward mobility in her career.

The novel weaves its way through the details of the case in an interesting way. Current events are told from perspective of the three main characters in the form of very short, dated, chapters. Each chapter focuses on one of the characters, what they learn about the case, and significant events in their lives unrelated to the case. Interspersed between those chapters are excepts from Katie's myspace blog that reveals details in events leading up to her disappearance. From all appearances, it looks like her sponsor to the page program, a U.S. Senator, is responsible...or is he?

The novel includes many clues to keep you guessing, subplots, and plot twists. There's always something new to keep you reading as you try to figure what happened to Katie and who did it. I found the book to be an interesting and easy read.




**Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from Thomas Nelson in exchange for a review. I was under no obligation to provide a positive review. The above review includes my true impressions about the book. In most cases, I do not keep the book (lack of storage space), but rather give it away in the next Goodwill box.

Book Review: Danny The Champion of the World

We finished reading Danny the Champion of the World by Roald Dahl last night. I have mixed feelings about the book and thought I'd right a little review here.

We discovered this book after reading The BFG by the same author. Now that was a really fun book to read! Anyway, the kids told their virtual academy teacher about the BFG and she replied that she had first heard of the friendly giant in Danny the Champion of the World. Intrigued because The BFG was such a fun read, we checked Danny the Champion of the World out of our local library.

Now, before I start telling you about Danny the Champion of the World, I need to warn you. I cannot possibly provide an adequate review of my thoughts on this book without providing several spoilers to the story.

Danny the Champion of the World is written from the view point of the main character, Danny, a young boy living in an old gypsy caravan with his father somewhere near the 1960's or 1970's. Together, father and son run a filling station. The book begins with Danny telling the reader that he had "the most marvelous and exciting father any boy ever had." The rest of the book explains, through the telling of how he discovered his father secret vice, just why his father is the best.

It's the handling of Danny's father's vice that bothered me. Danny's father is a poacher of pheasants. In the book, poaching is shown to be a fun, exciting, and acceptable activity. The villain of the story is the owner of the pheasants. He is described as a rich, greedy, mean man who deserves to have his pheasants poached. While I wasn't entirely thrilled to find myself reading a book that glorifies an illegal and dangerous activity, it got worse as I read further.

As the story continues, we soon learn that all of the town's most respectable men are also, in some way or another, involved in poaching as well. This includes the town's police officer, doctor, and reverend. The reverend's wife is even involved. The treatment of poaching and these characters is not done to show that everyone has some kind of vice, or sin, in their lives. That might be acceptable. Rather you get the sense that poaching is looked upon as something everyone does and that the pheasants' owner deserves to have his birds stolen.

The book goes so far as to raise poachers to hero status. Actually, it does since the entire book uses poaching to show how Danny's father is the best father a boy could have. In addition to that, Danny is seen as the champion of the world when he comes up with the best poaching success ever seen.

In a literary sense, it the book isn't all that well-written either. At a time when I am trying to teach my daughter to use active verbs and to use a variety of verbs, I got tired of Dahl's repetitive use of I said and he said in his dialogues. I wanted to scream, "Can't he whisper, yell, scream, laugh, snort, exclaim, remark, question, mumble, lecture, advise, whine, or even yodel!"

Should you let your kids read this book? Well, that's entirely up to you. Perhaps, it could be a spring board for discussing how even good people have sin in their lives. Perhaps, you could just let it be an interesting. I can tell you that both my children enjoyed the story and I wasn't bored reading it. It was interesting but doesn't even come close to making it to the favorites list.

Have you read this book? What did you think of it?


**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.

The BFG: a book and a play

I fell in love with author Roald Dahl's writing style a couple of years ago. After finally seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Mika and I read the corresponding novel. It was a hoot! So creative and descriptive and silly! We quickly followed it with Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Then last year, we heard that a somewhat local playhouse was putting on a play of James and the Giant Peach. That prompted us to read the novel before going to the play. It, too, was so much fun. Now, that same playhouse is putting on a production of The BFG. Last year's play was so well-done and so fun, I couldn't resist the opportunity. As soon as we finished our last read aloud, we borrowed the book from the library and have been enjoying every word since. We can't wait for the play.

The first few chapters, we met Sophie who is kidnapped by the BFG. After being whisked to Giant Land by him, they have a conversation about how the other giants eat "human beans" and what human beans from various parts of the world taste like. Of course, Roald Dahl has a ball playing with words here and it isn't the least bit disgusting or distasteful. One thing I like about the novel is the Giant's speech. His poor grammar and made up words are fun. My kids beg me to do voices, which are normally difficult for me to keep up, the Giant's voice just naturally comes out in reading his lines. Here's just a few fun quotes from the beginning of the book:

The Giant let out a bellow of laughter. "Just because I is a giant,
you think I is a man-gobbling cannybull!"

"He says Turks from Turkey is tasting of turkey."

"Every human bean is diddly and different. Some is
scrumdiddlyumptions and some is uckyslush."

"They would be putting me into the zoo or bunkum-house with all those squiggling hippodumplings and crocadowndillies."

The remainder of the book is devoted to telling how Sophie and the Big Friendly Giant conspire to stop the other giants from eating human beans. I'm sure it will be lots of fun and I can't wait.

To make this adventure even more exciting, we'll be seeing that play in about a week and a half. I can't wait. I love live theater. I've been taking the kids to live theater productions since they were babies. They love live theater when it fits their interest levels. I'm sure this one will be a hit.

If you live in the area, consider reading the book (well, everyone should consider that) and taking the kids to the play. The Olympia Family Theater puts on plays designed just for children. The BFG is the first one of the season and is recommended for children 4 and up. October 16th is Thrifty Thursday and tickets will only be $5 each. The show starts at 7pm. Tickets go on sale just after 6pm and are sold on a first come first serve basis. Enjoy!

**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.

Book Review: Where the Red Fern Grows

We always hear how important it is to read to our children and I always have, but not consistently every day. This year we've added a new aspect to our homeschool...read alouds. I've been consistent with reading nearly every night at bedtime and being more deliberate in what I choose to read. It's been such a blessing! We have, for the first time, a regular bedtime that happens to be earlier than they are used to. There's no complaints, though, because the kids are looking forward to the next chapter in our current book.

We started the year with Mr. Popper's Penguins, a book I enjoyed as a child and have been wanting to read to my children. From there, we moved on to Where the Red Fern Grows.

I somehow made it through childhood without reading this book myself. I chose it because we've also been studying dogs in science and will be learning about raccoons soon. It is also considered a classic so I knew it would be well-written. It was a perfect fit.

The book tells the story about Billy, a poor boy growing up in the Ozark Mountains who develops a dog-wanting disease. Through two years of hard work, he manages to earn enough money to buy himself two redbone coonhounds. He trains his dogs to hunt raccoons and the threesome become very adept at the sport. As the book describes the hunting adventures and mishaps of the boy and his hounds, the reader begins to feel a connection with the threesome. It's the perfect book for any boy with the protagonist being a boy, the dogs, the hunting, and all their adventures.

The book is very well-written. I was delighted by the many descriptive passages, adjectives, and strong verb choices used by the author. The writing keeps you engaged and wanting more from the very first sentence to the very last...that is if you can manage to read the last two chapters.

This book can be the starting point for a rich unit study. There's the obvious literature analysis that can be done. It is filled with rich vocabulary to learn. It can easily be used for grammar studies, teaching the use of adjectives, adverbs, and strong verbs. It can be a jumping point for a lot of science research if you look into the many types of animals and and plants mentioned. A little social studies can be added by looking up the setting on a map and learning about the time period and culture. Character study comes in the form of discussing the actions taken by Billy, a truly admirable character.

The only hesitation I would have in recommending the book for everyone of all ages is that a child dies midway through the book and the ending is very sad. The child who dies is an antagonist, so we don't come to care for him, and his death comes about as an accident. You'll really need to judge whether a young child or an especially sensitive child can handle the ending. I was concerned about my daughter, who tends to be sensitive, especially where animals are concerned. Thus, I chose to read the last two chapters during the day rather than at bedtime. We finished the book this morning. My son, age 6, was fine. My daughter cried a little but was generally fine. I, on the other hand, had a very difficult time reading the book. With tears flooding down my face, my nose running, and my voice cracking up, I did make it through to the end though...barely. It was truly the saddest thing I've ever read.

It is easily one of the best books I've ever read. If you haven't read it yet, it's time to pick up a copy and do so. Make sure you have some tissues on hand for the last two chapters.

BTW, there's a study guide you can get for the book and two movie adaptions. We'll be watching Disney's 20o3 adaptation tonight and I have the original 1974 movie on my Netflix queue.

**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.

Book Review: James and the Giant Peach

Yes, that quote was from James and the Giant Peach. We're are finishing it up today because we will be participating in a book discussion club in our area (sort of -- 30 minutes south of us) for homeschool kids. After the discussion, we'll be watching the movie over lunch and then joining the group at a play based off the book on Thursday evening.

My kids have been loving the book. Whenever it is time to stop reading, Mika begs for more. She's thoroughly enjoying it. Sammy is even remaining interested in it and able to sit through a few chapters at a time and stay awake. (He tends to fall asleep if you read to him to long.)

I'll have to admit that I had never read any of Roald Dahl's books until I started homeschooling the kids. I hadn't even heard of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (book or the Willy Wonka movie) before a few years ago when I was at a friend's house and the original movie, Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, was on TV at her house. Then the Johnny Depp version came out a few years ago and I was interested in it. We've seen both movies now. That lead us to read the book and the sequel, Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator. Both were lots of fun.

If you are familiar with Roald Dahl's wild and wacky tales, James and the Peach won't disappoint you. There's poor James, forced to live with his evil Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spike, who one day is rescued when he finds a door in the side of a giant peach and meets a host of giant insect creatures. Together, he and his new friends go on a crazy and unpredictable adventure. Throughout it all, we get treated to Mr. Dahl's wonderful descriptions and wacky story line. Reading his works really is a treat that all kids should have the opportunity to enjoy.

The play, for those who live locally, is being done by the Olympia Family Theater. This Thursday evening at 7pm is a pay-what-you-can performance.

**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.

Fun Time With a Book

We've had a pretty good day today. While I haven't gotten everything done that I wanted to get done, I still feel satisfied with how our day has gone. We got a few chores done, got our basic school work completed early, and enjoyed some time riding bikes and playing with another homeschool family nearby. After returning home, the kids and I snuggled up on the couch to read some picture books I picked up for Sammy before I return them to the library tomorrow.

One of the books we read was Would You Rather Be a Bullfrog by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo LeSeig. This turned out to be an expected blessing. We just didn't read the book; we each answered the questions presented as we read. Questions like "Would you rather be a dog or be a cat?" and "Would you rather be a cactus or a toadstool or a rose?" and "Would you rather be a table or a chair?" I enjoyed hearing my children's answers and they mine. It also gave me an unusual way to know my children just a little bit more.

For example, my daughter would rather be a dog because she might be able to work with police or protect her owners. My son would rather be a cactus because he could prick people if they are bugging him. We quickly found out that we needed to take turns who went first because Sammy had a tendency of saying, "...because of the same reason Mika said." He got into the game soon enough and was quickly chiming in with his own answers and wanting to go first.

It was a great time. For this reason alone, I would recommend reading the book with your kids even if they are a bit too old for it. ~smile

What about you? Have you ever had unexpected special moments like this?

**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.

Book Review: The Story of Doctor Doolittle

My kids and I are reading a delightful book by the name of The Story of Doctor Doolittle and enjoying it so much that I just had to tell you all about it. Before our trip to the library on Monday, I did not know that there was such a book. Of course I had heard of and seen the Eddie Murphy movies but I did not know that they were very loosely based on this very old story.

Doctor Doolittle is a quaint, funny, little man who loves animals so much it hurts his business. He learns, with the help of his parrot, to speak animal language and soon becomes world famous in the animal kingdom. Being the kind man that he is, he helps any animal (and person) that comes to him and many of them become his pets. Then, one very cold winter, he gets word that the monkeys in Africa need his help and off he goes on an adventure to help the monkeys. During his trip to, at, and from Africa there are many mishaps and just as many opportunities for discussion with your children. All the while, the kids will be glued to you, listening, laughing, and begging for more.

The book is written in a casual, conversational tone with plenty of descriptive passages and dialogue. Much of it is fantastical, with animals doing and saying things that they never would or could in real life. There's action packed sequences in which the Doctor and his animals are chased by the army of the King of Jolliginki and the Barbary Pirates. You'll find many fun animals, including a fantasy two-headed creature called the pushmi-pullyu. Regardless of what happens to him, the doctor's actions are above reproach as he always does the right thing even to those who would seek to hurt him. All of this really brings the book to life and makes it fun to read. As a plus, there area many opportunities for teaching, from literary topics to moral topics, as you read through the story.

The Story of Doctor Doolittle was written in 1920 by Hugh Lofting. The world was much different back then; attitudes were different and authors and publishers were less concerned about political correctness. Because of this, there are a few things that some would find offensive.

The book portrays the black King of Jolliginki and his men as blundering fools. They lock up the Doctor and his animals twice but are easily fooled. One of them, Prince Bumpo, asks the Doctor to make him white so that he can kiss and win the heart of "Sleeping Beauty" who denied him the first time when she saw that he was black. This apparently, has offended some, leading the book to be edited to make it acceptable (apparently the Prince asks to be changed to a lion in the edited version). As we have read the book, I found that neither my kids nor I have taken the book as an affront to black men. The King of Jolliginki is just another silly character just as all the characters in the book are silly. To draw attention to and be offended by it is taking a children's story too far, in my opinion. I do not believe the author intended to offend. So, what I'm saying here, is that I believe the original version of the book is fine as it is, but if you believe you will be offended by this content, go with the edited version of the book.

It really is a delightful little story and I'm looking forward to reading the other books in the series.

**Disclosure: This review was provided of my own free will. I did not receive anything from the publisher, author, or anyone else for the review. I'm just sharing my feelings, opinions, and experiences that are part of our homeschooling experience.