Book Review: Prairie Skies Series

There are three books in the Prairie Skies Series by Deborah Hopkinson, a series about life in Kansas in the mid 1850s.  In the first book, Pioneer Summer, 8-year old Charlie and his family move from Massachusetts to Kansas when his abolitionist parents hear that soon to be made a state Kansas has not been declared a free state or a slave state, but that it's status will be decided by the people who live there.  They move to a farm near Lawrence, Kansas, even though Charlie does not want to leave Massachusetts, his grandpa, and his dog. 

In the second book, Cabin in the Snow, Charlie must grow up and show that he can help take care of his family, when his father stays behind in Lawrence to help defend the town from pro-slavery brigands.  Charlie must get the supplies home to the family and help keep them safe through a blizzard.

The third book is called Our Kansas Home, and the Keller family has survived the winter, but now Charlie's father is in danger for his involvement in the free-state movement and must go into hiding.  Once again, Charlie must take care of his family, as well as Lizzie, a runaway slave he finds hiding in the grass. 

I plan to use these books whenever we study this period in Kansas history.  They show realistic experiences a family might have had during this turbulent time period. The three books are each about 13-14 chapters, about 70-80 pages long.  They deal with serious topics, and speak of violence, though there is nothing graphic.  They are suspenseful in parts, but not overly so, and they do not advocate violence as a solution.  Much of the story focuses on Charlie as he grows and matures, and we see the historic events through his eyes.  I would not have a problem with Catherine reading them, as long as we had discussion to go along with them. 

Book Review: The Great Cake Mystery

I should do a whole post on the The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency Series, by Alexander McCall Smith, which is a delightful series about a woman named Precious Ramotswe, in Botswana, Africa, who opens the first (and only) detective agency in her town of Gabarone.   While having no formal detective training, she possesses oodles of common sense combined with excellent observational skills and thus solves all sorts of cases.  It is a fun series currently with 13 titles. 

The book shown above is about Precious as a young schoolgirl, and contains the story of her first case as she solves the mystery of who has been stealing the childrens' snacks.  She does this to help a classmate who has been falsely accused and the way she goes about solving the case is very unique.  While the books in the series mentioned above are written for adults, this book is geared toward young readers.  There are eight short chapters which offer an interesting look at everyday life in Africa.  In the back of the book, there is some information about Botswana, as well as discussion questions and some ideas of ways to incorporate other subjects such as science and geography into the reading of this book.  The last page even has a recipe for Precious's Sponge Cake Worth Stealing.  What a great book!

I received nothing for the review of this book, but if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Akimbo and the Snakes

This is a story of Akimbo, who lives in Africa.  One summer he goes to visit his uncle, who runs a snake preserve.  He learns all about the snakes of Africa, and gets the job of feeding some of them.  His uncle does not have a green mamba in his preserve, however, and he has been looking for one for a long time.  The green mamba is very dangerous and elusive.  When a village sends word that a green mamba has been spotted and has killed some animals, Akimbo and his uncle set out to capture the snake and bring it back to the snake preserve.  Read the story to find out what happens when Akimbo has a very close encounter with the green mamba snake!

Catherine and I both enjoyed this book by Alexander McCall Smith.  It is a longer chapter book, but short enough that Catherine could finish it in one sitting.  It fit in great with our study of Africa.  There is also Akimbo and the Lions, which she enjoyed, as well as a few other Akimbo books that our library did not have. 

I received nothing for this review, but if you click on the link and buy something from Amazon, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: The Picture Bible

Catherine received this book as a gift for her First Holy Communion.  Nearly 800 pages, it presents much of the Bible in comic book fashion.  She loved it and read the entire book in about a week!  Now she wants to start over and read it again.  Now, it is not a Catholic version, so there are 7 books of the Bible not included, but I don't think that makes much difference in this kind of Bible.  I have read online that there are a couple of easily explained discrepancies in this Bible version, but so far we have not found them.  The cheapest places to find this Bible are at Amazon, reached by clicking on the image above (I'll receive a small commission by anyone going that route.), or at Sacred Heart Books and Gifts, one of my favorite websites for Catholic shopping. 

Book Review: "Chalk"

This is the most awesome wordless picture book I think I've ever seen.  Three kids go to the park on a rainy day and find a bag of chalk hanging from one of the playground toys.  They begin to draw and discover that whatever they draw comes to life.  It's all fun and games until the boy draws something a little scary and they have to figure out how to make it go away.  The illustrations are just wonderful, using light and shadow, with lots of interesting angles.  The expressions on the kids' faces plainly tell you what they are thinking and feeling.  This is a great book to find at your library to share with your kids.  All of mine loved it. 

I received nothing for this review.  However, if you click on the link and make a purchase at Amazon, I will receive a small commission.

Book Reviews: Left To Tell and Led By Faith

If you haven't yet read Left To Tell, by Immaculee Ilibagiza, you really should.  It is her true story of survival through the Rwandan genocide in 1994.  She survived by hiding with 7 or 8 other women in a 3 foot by 4 foot bathroom for several months.  Her entire family was brutally massacred, except for one brother who was out of the country at the time.  As riveting as her story of survival is, the more compelling part of the book is her story of forging a strong bond with God during her time in the bathroom.  For me, the biggest message of the book was one of hope and trust in God, even in the midst of horror.  It was a fascinating and meaningful read. 


I also recently read the sequel to Left To Tell, called Led By Faith.  This was another fascinating and compelling book, about Immaculee's life after the Rwandan massacre, and her complete trust and faith in God.  It was amazing to read of her multiple narrow escapes from death, and all the details of how she got from Rwanda to the USA were very interesting.  There were many "God-incidences."

Disclosure:  If you click on one of the book images and purchase something from Amazon, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Animals Marco Polo Saw

Catherine has been studying Asia the past couple of weeks, and this was one of the books she read:  Animals Marco Polo Saw: An Adventure On The Silk Road, by Sandra Markle.  It is a book from the Explorer Series.  I was impressed with it, and will look for more of this series.  There was a lot of information, but it was told as a story, so it was interesting, and there were extra tips on the side.  There are a lot of wonderful illustrations, generally on every other page, so the amount of print was not overwhelming.  There was also a map of Marco Polo's travels at the end, as well as a small glossary.

Disclosure:  If you click on the image of the book and follow the link to Amazon, making a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

On The Feast Of St. Nicholas

Yesterday St. Nicholas visited our house and brought some of these:

And a new book to read:

We also discovered that it had snowed the night before and it was the first snow of the season to actually stick to the ground. 

So after..

...we finally...

...found everyone...

...a hat...

...to wear,...

...and coats and mittens and snow boots,...

...the kids went out to play.

Anthony was trying to figure out what this stuff was!

It was only 8:00 in the morning, so it was cold!  17 degrees, I think!  Anthony only lasted about 10 minutes, everyone else 15-20. 

When they all came in, we had some hot chocolate and marshmallows.  Mind you, this all took place before school started!  Luckily, we can have a flexible start time.  Good thing, too, because the snow was mostly gone by lunchtime. 

Later, we read our new book, True Story of Santa Claus, a story about a boy named Nicholas and how he stays up to catch a glimpse of Santa Claus on Christmas Eve.  Then when Santa comes he tells Nicholas a story about another Nicholas long ago.  It is published by Pauline Books.

In the afternoon, we watched the DVD, Nicholas, The Boy Who Became Santa.  This is one of those wonderful DVDs from CCC of America.  We have five of their DVDs and they are really neat.  You can find them at many Catholic online stores and probably at your local Catholic bookstore as well. 


Disclosure:  If you follow any of the links to Amazon and make a purchase, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: How Do You Count A Dozen Ducklings?

This is a cute, clever little picture book about Mama Duck and her struggles to keep track of her 12 new little ducklings.  I could definitely relate as I have often counted my crew (1,2,3,4,5......1,2,3,4,5) when out and about to keep track of them.  The clever part of this book is that it includes math in a fun way.  First, Mama Duck counts them in groups of two, then the next day in groups of three, then four, then six.  In doing so, she unwittingly outwits an old wolf who complains that there are too many ducks!  Then an experienced Mama Duck realizes that 12 ducklings might be a lot, but "never too many."  The last page shows Mama Duck sitting on her nest and it says,  "And who knows?  Maybe there will be even more."  So this book has it all: cute pictures where every duckling has its own personality, a lovely theme of big families, and even math to boot!  Definitely one to check out at the library if you have kids learning skip counting.

Book Review: On Top Of Spaghetti

This is a funny book!  Have you sung the song before?  I grew up singing the song, "On Top Of Spaghetti," but I did not know all the verses.  Well, this book will rectify that for you.  It not only contains all the verses within the story, but tells the tale of Yodeler Jones and his Spaghetti Emporium, and what happened the day of the Big Sneeze.  I have read/sung this book many times.  The illustrations are delightful and all the lyrics are printed on the last page.  I taught the whole song to the choir class and it is often requested now.  There's even a recipe for spaghetti and meatballs on the back cover.


Disclaimer:  I received nothing for this book review, it's just one of our favorites on our shelf!  However, if you follow the link and order anything from Amazon, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Temple Cat

This picture book is a story about a cat who lives in a temple.  It takes place in an ancient civilization where the people worship cats, and he is seen as a god.  His every need is taken care of, but he does not get to do the normal things that cats like to do.  So one night he escapes and finds his own happiness. The illustrations are striking.  I think this would be a good picture book to read when you are studying ancient civilizations.  Catherine read this book three times before I had a chance to read it to the kids.


Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review, but if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Jam & Jelly by Holly & Nellie

This is a story about a poor family living in Michigan whose daughter, Holly, will be ready to start school in the fall.  However, she does not have a warm coat or boots for the winter, and they cannot afford to buy any.  Holly's mother is determined to earn money so that Holly won't have "gaps in her education" like she did from not being able to attend school in the winter.  So all summer long, Holly and her mother work hard picking berries and making jam and jelly to sell, all the while the mother encouraging her daughter and telling her the worth of an education.  At the end of the summer, Holly's father has a surprise for them to help sell their goods.  While the storyline is good, what I liked most about this book were the lovely illustrations, each of which was a wonderful painting.  Catherine and the twins were interested in the story and they all liked the pictures.


Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review.  However, if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

Book Review: Can You Make A Scary Face?

This is a thoroughly delightful picture book that all five of my kids loved from the first page.  Yes, even Anthony!  The bug on the front is the star of the book and on each page tells the readers to do something.  Stand up, sit down, pretend this, pretend that.  The kids were giggling, jumping around, doing a chicken dance, pretending to wiggle a bug off their nose, and so on.  Anthony was very entertained watching the antics of the other kids, thus I could actually read the whole book without any interruptions.  The illustrations are bright and cute as well. 

Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review.  However, if you follow the link to Amazon and purchase anything, I will receive a small commission.

The Hatmaker's Sign: A Story By Benjamin Franklin

This picture book was funny and kept the attention of the kids, so would be a worthy check out at the library.  The setting is when Thomas Jefferson had just written the Declaration of Independence and the Continental Congress is tearing his words to shreds.  Upset, as he thought he had written it perfectly, he is consoled by Benjamin Franklin, who tells him a story about a hatmaker who is trying to come up with the perfect sign for his new hat shop.  Each new person he meets tells him if he only did "this" or "that," his sign would be perfect, and each time he goes back and changes his sign.  In the back of the book is some information about Ben Franklin's storytelling and also about the writing of the Declaration of Independence, so this would be a good addition to a history lesson on this topic.



*Disclosure:  I received nothing for this review, we just liked the book.  If you follow the link and buy something, I receive a small commission.

Johnny Kaw: The Pioneer Spirit Of Kansas

If you like to read tall tales to your children, this one is right up there with Paul Bunyan and Pecos Bill.  In fact both of those well known tall tale heroes have a small part in this book.  If you live in Kansas, then you must read this.  Go find it at your library.  It "explains" all kinds of things about Kansas, like how some of the Kansas landscape and pioneer trails were formed, how sunflowers got started, where the jayhawk and wildcat came from, as well as their rivalry, and how catfish came to be.  I wish we could deal with tornadoes like Johnny Kaw did!

In the back of the book is an explanation of the writing of the book.  The original book was written for adults, then this picture book for children.  There is even a statue of Johnny Kaw in Manhattan, KS.  The illustrations in this book are in black and white, and are very humorous.  I'm glad I happened upon this book at our library.

*Disclaimer:  I did not receive anything for this unsolicited review, we just enjoyed this book (I think I did even more than the kids!) and wanted to share.  If you click on the link and buy anything at Amazon, I will receive a small commission.

Baby Brains!

Do you remember the fad of reading to your baby in utero and playing classical music all in the hopes of making your baby smarter?  Well, in the book, Baby Brains: The Smartest Baby in the Whole World, Mr. and Mrs. Brains do that and are they in for a surprise when they bring their baby home from the hospital.  Only a few days old, he starts by reading the morning newspaper and fixing the family car, then he quickly progresses to college and medical school(which he finishes in two weeks!).  The funniest part for the kids happened when he went up into outer space and realized he was without his mommy.  The illustrations are great and very funny.  We all loved this book and will be reading it again!


Disclaimer:  While I was not asked to review this book and did not receive anything for doing so (we checked it out at the library), I will receive some small compensation if you click on the link at left and buy anything at Amazon.

The Boss Baby

I saw this book at our library last week and immediately grabbed it.  We read it the other day and it is hilarious, mostly because it describes Anthony to a T.  It starts, "From the moment the baby arrived, it was obvious that he was the boss.  He put Mom and Dad on a round-the-clock schedule, with no time off."  And so on and so forth.  The illustrations are great as well.  The kids laughed the whole way through it and I have a feeling we'll be reading it often until I have to take it back.



I have received no compensation for writing this.  I just thought the book was so funny and fit so well that I had to mention it.  If you click on the link and buy something from Amazon, I do get a small commission, just so you know. 

Book Review: "Mountain Miracle, A Nativity Story"

I was intending to write this review before Christmas, but then something called life happened. So, in honor of the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord, here it is! My review of "Mountain Miracle: A Nativity Story," by Alvaro Correa, LC. Of course, I had to reread the book and this time I read it to the kids. Meaning mostly Catherine. It was a little long for the rest of them(94 pages) and not enough pictures to keep them interested. Catherine liked the story though and she is 5. Older kids could easily read it to themselves.

I thoroughly enjoyed this story which takes place in a mountain village in modern times, but still has kind of an old world feel to it. The main characters, Martin and Beth, are to play the parts of St. Joseph and Mary in the annual living nativity scene which takes place after Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve. Early on Christmas Eve day, Beth comes up with the idea to find a real baby to play the part of baby Jesus, and Martin helps her in her plan. All of the babies in the village are unable to take the part for one reason or another, but Beth and Martin receive some divine aid when the Holy Family stops by to help. The whole village feels the miracle though most of them do not realize that Mary (Beth) is holding the real baby Jesus.

I found this a heartwarming tale and I think it would make a neat little Christmas movie done in cartoon style. Up there with The Little Drummer Boy. The faith of the children and the villagers is told in a simple, natural way. The description of the Midnight Mass was reverent and meaningful, and the priest in the story is shown in a very good light. The interactions of the children with the Holy Family were very poignant and wonderful. The only negatives in the book were a couple of glaring typos and one instance where the same scarf was called blue on one page and white on another and the picture showed it white. Okay, I know that was a minor little thing, but it bugged me. :)

Overall, I would recommend this book, especially as an Advent read-it-to-your-kids kind of book. I think it will become an annual read for us!



This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Mountain Miracle - A Nativity Story. I just saw on their website that this book is on sale right now!

My First Book Review: "Real Women, Real Saints"

About a month or so ago I applied for and was approved to be a reviewer for The Catholic Company. I chose a book to review and received it in the mail shortly thereafter.

The book I was happy to read and review is called "Real Women, Real Saints," by Gina Loehr. It is subtitled "Friends for Your Spiritual Journey." This book contains a collection of short biographies/reflections of many women saints, categorized into chapters of various virtues: Women of Faith, Women of Hope, Women of Charity, Women of Prudence, Women of Justice, Women of Fortitude, Women of Temperance, and finally Queen of All Saints. The saints in this book are very diverse, some young, some old, some single, some married, some in religious life, and also saints from many different centuries and countries. Some were wealthy, some very poor, some with hidden lives of virtue, some very well known in their lifetime. Many are saints who are well known and loved, and there are also many saints whom I had never heard of prior to reading this book. There is one male saint listed in this book, but I am not going to tell you who it is! You'll have to get the book to find out for yourself. :)

Gina Loehr does a masterful job of condensing the saint's lives into short biographies. She writes with a modern style and has well crafted sentences, which don't waste words . At the beginning of each saint's biography, she lists her dates, her titles (such as religious, wife, mother, martyr, foundress, etc.), her feast day and her patronages. Then Loehr goes on to tell the story of the saint's life and how she fit into the particular virtue of the chapter, along with how this applies to our lives today. This was a perfect book for me to read before bedtime as I could read a short biography (or two, or three) and then meditate on it for a while. Although, I often found that I wanted to know more about a particular saint!

My favorite quote from "Real Women, Real Saints" can be found on p. 81 in the biography of St. Frances of Rome: "She offered these words of wisdom to other wives, 'It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.' " This spoke to me greatly as I try every day to live out my state in life.

"Real Women, Real Saints" by Gina Loehr would make a great gift (Christmas is coming!) for any woman (or man), from teenager to college student to busy mom or grandma to religious sister. I would definitely recommend this book. You can clink on the link above to order.

And if you have a blog and would be interested in becoming a reviewer, go here and find out more details.