Got Girls?

While we were out in Washington, our dear friend Kathy Turner gave me a book and handmade bookmark. She had said in an earlier conversation that this book had made a huge impact on some ladies/daughters that she knew. It was coming to me highly recommended. I started reading it that Wednesday night and and finished it on the Monday night after we returned home. This was an easy and quick read.

The book is entitled Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood by Carolyn Mahaney & Nicole Mahaney Whitacre.

From the back cover: "Mothers and daughters have a lot to talk about. That's how God designed it. A mother is her daughter's first role model, teacher, and friend, and she carries the responsibility of passing on to her daughter a legacy of biblical womanhood.

Join mother-daughter team Carolyn Mahaney and Nicole Whitacre as they give you insights and suggestions on how to talk - really talk - to each other about what it means to become a godly woman. Tips and study questions make it easy for moms and their pre-teen daughters to read, share, discuss, and grow."

This book has many valuable topics for any mother/daughter to consider as they grow together through life. (discipline, modesty, homemaking, dating, true beauty, passing on your love for the Lord, etc.) If you have a girl, you need to read this. If your daughter is preparing to be or already is in her teens, I would recommend you buying this book and setting a regular time to go through it together. (Not to mention, it has a hot pink cover so your younger teen might think it's "cool.") It just might spark a deep conversation (*GASP*...imagine that!) between the two of you. While I don't agree with everything the authors' ministry stands for, this book is a great tool to have on hand in any Christian's home library.

Sarah Whitcher's Story

I have another book to recommend to you! This was another one of those old books I found at the Dyer Library book sale one year and we pulled it off the shelf this morning. I didn't have to rehearse for choir so I had some free time to snuggle with the kids.

This book is also written by Elizabeth Yates and illustrated by Nora S. Unwin. 84 pages. You will love the depiction of an early American family who trusts in the Lord even through difficult circumstances. It brought up some great conversations with the kids about fear, trust, and the fact that God is always in control.

Here is the Author's Note from inside:
"The story of Sarah Whitcher is found in History of Warren, New Hampshire by William Little. It was published in Manchester, New Hampshire, by W.E. Moore, a printer, in 1870, as Chapter VII, pp.322.328, with this heading: How Sarah Whitcher Was Lost in the Woods; What Happened and How They Hunted for Her. Together with a Remarkable Dream, and How a Bushel of Beans Suddenly Disappeared."

(How's that for a title, eh?)

Carolina's Courage

When we were still up in Maine we would go to the Dyer Library book sale every summer. Mom Mac worked there and would always tell us when it was. It was at one of those sales that I purchased several well-loved books to read to the kids when they got older. Yesterday Shaylen got out her stool, pulled Carolina's Courage off the top shelf and brought it to me to read. The cover is not appealing to the eye as it lost its dust jacket years ago, but the story was still enthralling to Marshall and Shaylen. We read five chapters last night. Since the twins were pestering me this morning with questions regarding Carolina and the outcome of the story, we sat down and finished it after breakfast.

You can still find this book for your young ones here or here, and read more about the author here. She has written so many good books!

From the inside it reads: "This is the story of Carolina Putnam and the doll that was her treasure. She loved it more than anything else in the world. She knew that she would never part with it, nor did she until -- but that is the story." Written by Elizabeth Yates. Illustrated with simple ink drawings by Nora S. Unwin. 96 pages.

We Two Alone

Before Janelle left for Zambia, I gave her a missionary biography. She read it and then told me I could borrow it (Isn't she nice?).

I finally finished it last night (or maybe I should say "this morning") at around 1:30 a.m. It's entitled We Two Alone: Attach and Rescue in the Congo by Ruth Hege. This is an excellent book and was so challenging to me! Ruth's dependency on the Lord during her terrifying ordeal was a rebuking. Would I have responded in the same way?

If you get a chance to ever read this treasure, I highly recommend it. It's an easy read and is definitely hard to put down.

A Great Find

We have found some really neat books this last week at the library. But of the twenty-two books that we checked out, there is only one that I am eager to recommend for you to add to your own personal library. It is entitled The Ring and the Window Seat by Amy Hest (writer of the Sam books we love).

It is rare these days when you find a story that encourages selflessness and generosity, but this one does. The illustrations by Deborah Haeffele are very beautiful and detailed.

Kiss Good Night

We have enjoyed going to the library and discovering lots of new books. On this last trip to the library, I came across another book by Amy Hest. She wrote another favorite of ours: You Can Do It! Sam. When I saw the picture on the cover, I knew immediately that it had been illustrated by Anita Jeram. Her pictures are so adorable. She has to be one of my favorite children's books illustrators. The title of the book is Kiss Good Night and it's a perfect book to read just before bed, or on a rainy day when the kids like to just sit and snuggle (like today).

Here is the "teaser" that is just inside the front dust jacket:
"It was a dark and stormy night on Plum Street. Inside the little white house, it is Sam's bedtime. Mrs. Bear reads him a story, tucks him in, and brings him warm milk.
'Ready now, Sam?' she asks.
'Oh no,' says Sam, 'I'm waiting.' What else could Sam need before going to sleep?"

New Books to Delight In

If you've spent anytime on this blog, you know that one of Marshall and Shaylen's favorite things to do is read. When we come across a good book, it gets read over and over again until most of the lines are memorized. Heaven forbid I misread something. The mistake is quickly rectified!

Recently, I ordered new books for the kids to enjoy. Bob Jones University Press puts out some books are are wonderful for little ones to read. I have to be honest though and tell you that I found them cheaper from Tower.com. Tower.com didn't have all the ones I wanted, but the difference was several dollars.

The new favorite of the stack that we received is A King for Brass Cobweb. It is a beautifully illustrated chapter book that I read to them. They love all of the delightful (and not so delightful characters). It takes a while to read, but that means extra time to snuggle with my two favorite little people.

Lentil

Robert McCloskey is one of my favorite children's authors. He has written Make Way For Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine (and others). All of these books are fabulous and would make wonderful additions to anyone's library. His drawings take you back to a much simpler time.

It's funny how a book is like an old friend. You don't see each other much, but when you do, you visit and get reacquainted. This is what it has been like with Lentil.

Lentil is the story of a boy who wants to make music, but cannot carry a tune or even pucker his lips to whistle. He saves his pennies and eventually purchases a harmonica.

Marshall and Shaylen love this book, probably for one reason: Old Sneep. You'll have to purchase the book or borrow it from the library to find out what I'm talking about. Lentil has resurfaced in our household this past week, and so have the harmonicas. I wonder what they are imagining: saving the Colonel's welcome home parade or silencing the town grump!

A Toddler Book Review

Every summer since we've been here we've gone to the local libraries when they have had their book sales. We love buying the old classics for ourselves and usually end up with a few books for the kids. This year we came home with a $.25 copy of The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners by Stan and Jan Berenstain. Marshall and Shaylen have enjoyed it.

The other night Auntie Janelle was reading it to them while we were away at a meeting. I guess when they were done, Shaylen said, "They are bad...but there is some goodnesss."

A New Love for Beatrix Potter

My mom bought the kids the complete series of Beatrix Potter stories a while back. I tried to read it to the kids, but it was too wordy and they quickly lost interest. I recently took them down from a high shelf and put the set in their bookcase. They now have a great love to read these books and we would sit all morning on the couch reading them if I let them.

One of their favorite stories is of The Tailor of Gloucester. Their favorite characters are the industrious and thankful mice, who come to the aid of the ill tailor, and the grumpy Simpkin (the tailor's hungry cat) who hides the infamous cherry coloured twist!

It takes a long time to get through this story as it is in its original form (unabridged), but they sit there the entire time transfixed wondering how the Mayor's coat with the embroidered waistcoat will get done.

Marshall's Book Titles

Marshall and Shaylen love a bunch of books that they got for Christmas from Grandma Sherry. Each book came with an audio CD that we listen to at intervals throughout the day.

This afternoon we were listening to a group of books and Marshall requested a book about two pigeons: Sid and Midge. It is a book entitled Fly High, Fly Low by Don Freeman (author of the infamous Cordouroy).

Today however, Marshall requested Fly High, Hello. Too cute.