Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis
Elijah of Buxton is the first free born black child, the son of two freed slaves, who escaped to Buxton, Ontario, a little settlement just North of the US-Canada border. Elijah is a likeable character and a typical 11 year old boy in his often humorous adventures and antics. In every other way, he is…
Nothing Daunted: The Story of Isobel Kuhn by Gloria Repp
Of all the biographies my parents read to us as kids, Nothing Daunted: The Story of Isobel Kuhn by Gloria Repp is probably the one I loved most, so I recently bought it for our own kids. I think it resonated with me because Isobel grew up in a Canadian, Christian home much like mine,…
Journey Through the Night by Anne De Vries
My husband bought our family copy of Journey Through the Night shortly after our first son was born. He had such fond memories of reading it himself as a kid, and wanted to pass along this piece of our Dutch heritage when the time was right. This work of historical fiction, commissioned by the Queen…
A Better Ending by Doreen Tamminga
Sometimes, when things get hectic (while dinner is cooking and everyone is tired and hungry, for example, or when it’s raining and there’s “nothing to do”), I find reading a short story generally puts everyone back in a good mood (including myself) and changes the atmosphere of the house for the better. Good short stories…
Created for Work by Bob Schultz
“Free” Healthcare. “Free” Education. “Free” Housing. “Free” Childcare. “Free” Money. We are raising our kids in a society that conditions us to expect good things for free from an institution that does not create any of the income it redistributes. By the same token, hard work is hardly incentivized when a third of a person’s…
Tree in the Trail by Holling C. Holling
The kids unanimously agreed that after Paddle-To-The-Sea, Tree in the Trail was their next favorite Holling C. Holling geography book, followed by Seabird, and Minn of the Mississippi (we didn’t care so much for the last one, but looking forward to Pagoo next!) Tree in the Trail explores the history of the Great Plains by…
Spurgeon Stories for Children by Tony Hutter
Tony Hutter’s 5-book series, Spurgeon Stories For Children, is a family favorite! We bought them a few years ago to read with our older kids, and I just pulled them out again so our younger ones don’t miss out on this excellent introduction to the ‘Prince of Preachers,’ Charles Haddon Spurgeon. There are 52 stories…
Journey to America by Sonia Levitin
Journey To America by Sonia Levitin was a much enjoyed read aloud from the Word War 2 Era. If you are concerned about the worst of history repeating itself in our children’s lifetime, this is an eye-opening book to read. Much of what happened in 2020 was happening in Germany, circa 1938. The story is…
Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski
This book has seen better days, but its worn cover, loose binding, and dog-eared pages speak volumes (no pun intended); Indian Captive, The Story of Mary Jemison by Lois Lenski is a well-loved living book that I’ve enjoyed since I was as young as our children are now! The story is always moving quickly, so…
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes
Turning the last page of Johnny Tremain evoked audible sighs all around the room. What an experience to live in Boston during the latter half of the 1700s over the past few weeks! Author Esther Forbes introduced us to a plethora of interesting characters a few years before the Revolutionary War took place. They developed…
For Christ’s Crown by Richard Hannula
We listened to the audio version of For Christ’s Crown: Sketches of Puritans and Covenanters by Richard Hannula on our trips to and from church, and I wanted to recommend it heartily. Much like Hannula’s other well-loved collection of biographies, Trial and Triumph, the historical sketches in this book exalt our Lord and Savior Jesus…
The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day by Scott O’Dell
Through the experience of a fictional young sailor-smuggler named Tom Barton, O’Dell depicts the spiritual darkness of England in the early 1500s before the Reformation, and his encounter with an unassuming man bent on translating the Bible into the English language. The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day endears the reader to the humble,…
