A Single Shard by Linda Sue Park
I greatly enjoyed reading A Single Shard last week with our middle two girls, ages nine and ten. Tree-Ear is an orphan boy who lives under a bridge in 12th century Korea with Crane-man, a homeless man with a bad leg. He epitomizes the saying, “The wisdom of the wise is an uncommon degree of…
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare
The Bronze Bow by Elizabeth George Speare was one of my favorite books my mother read to me, and I’m thrilled that our children love it just the same! This piece of historical fiction explores the early Roman Empire through the eyes of Daniel, an 18 year-old Israelite growing up during the time of Jesus.…
Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling C. Holling
I’m not sure if there’s a more delightful way to learn about the geography of the Great Lakes and the surrounding area, than with Paddle-to-the-Sea by Holling Clancey Holling! The story begins with a young boy who places his wood carving of an Indian in a canoe into a stream near Lake Superior. Underneath the…
Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat
Owls In the Family by Farley Mowat was one of the books we enjoyed reading over a Winter break. If you have outdoor-loving, animal-hoarding, adventure-pursuing kids, this humorous account of boyish fun will only serve to deepen their interests (or spark it, if it’s not already there! ) A fun narrative involving a young boy,…
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,…
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…
Twenty Texans by Betsy Warren
Twenty Texans: Historic Lives for Young Readers by Betsy Warren was another book we greatly enjoyed about the Lone Star state! It was recommended to me by a “born and raised” Texas mama, and it appealed to our whole crew as we learned about 20 mostly famous and a few lesser known Texans through the…
Boy of the Pyramids by Ruth Fosdick Jones
Ancient Egypt and the early Old Testament is the overarching theme of our school year. I missed laying this foundation in the early years before learning of Charlotte Mason’s philosophy of education, so we’re back tracking a bit to build upon it going forward, Lord willing, as we travel through HIS(story) of HIS world. Boy…
Bud & Me by Alta Abernathy
Since we moved to Texas, we’ve been trying to learn as much as we can about its history and culture. So, like typical homeschoolers, we switched gears in the middle of the school year and jumped from Ancient Egypt to the history of the South because that’s where the science of relations was happening in…
Caleb’s Lamb by Helen Santos
Caleb’s Lamb by Helen Santos is one of the greatest gems in our collection of children’s stories. Scripture is full of sheep and shepherd imagery: we, the sheep, and Jesus, our Great Shepherd who leads us.Through the mountains and fields with Asher The Shepherd and his flock; and Caleb, Asher’s aspiring shepherd-son and his precious…
