Holidays are times of joy and remembrance throughout the world. These celebrations mark important events within a culture, and are often marked by dancing, song and special meals. Germanic people have used Christmas trees and Father Winter (sometimes called Santa Claus) to mark the beginning of the Christmas season. In Latin American culture, the Christmas celebrations are marked by special foods, songs and remembrances from the Bible. From December 15 through December 23, children nightly reenact St. Luke’s beautiful story of St. Joseph and the Blessed Virgin arriving in Bethlehem. None of Bethlehem’s inns, or las posadas in Spanish, has room for the Holy Family. St. Joseph’s frantic search for a room out of the cold for Mary is the central theme of the nine day celebration.
Each night of the celebration, children dress up to play different parts in St. Luke’s biblical account. A procession of peregrinos (pilgrims) will accompany the Holy Family on their quest to find lodging. This group will be outside each night for the nine day play. In the outside group, one boy will be attired as St. Joseph and will lead a young girl dressed as his beloved spouse, Mary, into Bethlehem. The party moves each night to a new house that represents an inn or posada. The family owning the house will act like the inn keepers and refuse admittance. The parents and children inside the posada will sing back responses to the requests of the peregrinos in the La Cancion de Las Posadas (The Song of Las Posadas.) The inn keepers do not want to help the Holy Family, and repeatedly reject St. Joseph’s request. In the song St. Joseph is told "Leave, go away, and do not rob us of our dreams and of our sleep." But St. Joseph and the other peregrinos keep asking for help until the inn keepers finally agree to give assistance. The inn keepers then sing to the Blessed Mother: "Enter, beautiful maiden, You and your spouse, We offer it to you humbly, This is your house." With these closing verses of the song the Holy Family is welcomed into the posada.
The author captures the deep religious devotion of Latin American people in this book. The photographs of the religious processions show the love of God and the tenderness towards the Blessed Virgin that exists in Mexican American society. Goldsmith specifically mentions the recitation of the rosary by families during Las Posadas. The actual pageant of going from house to house is a teaching opportunity for the church. By dressing up as St. Joseph and the Blessed Mother, the children learn about the parents of Jesus, and the setting of St. Luke’s Gospel. The numerous cultural aspects of this celebration are also not overlooked by the writer. The recipe for Biscochitos (sugar cookies) is listed, and mouth watering photographs of tamales and other foods are shown. The music and fiestas mentioned throughout this nine day celebration are joyful and uplifting.
Las Posadas is both a religious and a cultural event in Latin America. Many North Americans have little knowledge of this beautiful Christmas celebration and this book is an excellent introduction to Las Posadas. At Our Lord’s birth in Bethlehem, a wooden manger held what the world could not hold. So open your hearts to the Holy Family. You never know what might happen. If a group of peregrinos suddenly begins singing outside your house in the next few weeks, give the final answer of the inn keepers: "Entra, bella nina…Esta es vuestra casa (Enter, beautiful maiden…This is your house.) I hope you enjoy this beautiful book. Merry Christmas!!
Buying books for your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces is one of the most pleasant Christmas activities of the season. Below is a list of books that have been reviewed in the last weeks of 2009 and all of 2010. I hope that this list will give some ideas for Christmas presents. It has been an honor to have written these book talks for the Southern Nebraska Register. Thanks for the book recommendations and encouragement you have given me. I hope that you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
1. Carle, Eric. Dream Snow. Philomel Books, New York, 2000, 32 pages, Preschool.
2. Demi. Jesus. Margaret K. McElderry Books, New York, 2005, 32 pages, Grades 3-5.
3. Spirin, Gennady. We Three Kings. Atheneum Books for Young Readers. New York, 2007, 32 pages, K-3.
4. Dodge, Mary Mapes. Hans Brinker or, The Silver Skates. The World Publishing Company, New York, 1865, 335 pages, Grades 4-6.
5. Kipling, Rudyard. Illustrated by Pinkney, Jerry. The Jungle Book. William Morrow and Company, New York, 1995, 258 pages, Grades 4-7.
6. dePaola, Tomie. The Miracles of Jesus. Holiday House, New York, 32 pages, 1987, K-3.
7. Marchione, Sister Margherita. Man of Peace: Pope Pius XII. Paulist Press, Mahwah, New Jersey, 2003, 76 pages, Grades 7-9.
8. Byars, Betsy. Illustrated by CoConis, Ted. The Summer of the Swans. Puffin Books, New York, 1970, 142 pages, Grades 4-6.
9. Myers, Walter Dean. Illustrated by Jenkins, Leonard. I’ve Seen the Promised Land: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Harper Collins Publishers, Published in China, 2004, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
10. Shange, Ntozake. Paintings by Nelson, Kadir. Coretta Scott. Amistad, an Imprint of Harper-Collins, 2009, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
11. Weidt, Maryann N, Illustrated by Maguire, Kerry. Oh, the Places He Went: A Story about Dr. Seuss. Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, 1994, 64 pages, Grades 4-5.
12. Henry, Marguerite. Justin Morgan Had a Horse. Rand McNally & Company, New York, 1954, 170 pages, Grades 4-6.
13. Imbriaco, Alison. The Whooping Crane. Enslow Publishers, Inc. Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, 2006, 128 pages, Grades 5-7.
14. George, Jean Craighead. Paintings by Minor, Wendell. Luck. Harper Collins, New York, 2006, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
15. The Last Supper and Passion Account by St. John. Chapters 13-20. The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Second Catholic Edition. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 1946, reprinted in 2006.
16. Murphy, Frank. Illustrated by Walz, Richard. Babe Ruth Saves Baseball! Random House, New York, 2005, 48 pages, Grades 2-4.
17. Shriver, Maria. Illustrated by Sandra Speidel. What’s Happening to Grandpa? Little, Brown and Company, Boston, 2004, 48 pages, Grades 1-3.
18. Kelly, Matthew. Illustrated by Mitchell, Hazel. Why am I Here? A Story about Becoming the Best Version of Yourself. Beacon Publishing, 2010, 50 pages, K-3.
19. Bartoletti, Susan Campbell. Black Potatoes: The Story of the Great Irish Famine, 1845-1850. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2001, 184 pages, Grades 5-8.
20. Walker, Sally M. Secrets of a Civil War Submarine: Solving The Mysteries Of The H.L. Hunley. Carolrhoda Books, Inc., Minneapolis, 2005, 112 pages, Grades 5-7.
21. Hawthorne, Nathaniel. The Scarlet Letter. Easton Press, Norwalk, Connecticut, 1850, republished in 1975, 223 pages, Grades 10 and higher.
22. Montgomery, Lucy Maud. Anne of Green Gables, Three Volumes in One. Avenel Books, New York, 1908, republished in 1985, 241 pages, Grades 6-8.
23. Collodi, Carlo. Pinocchio: The Story of a Puppet. Grosset & Dunlap, New York, published in 1883, 236 pages, Grades 4-6.
24. Pope John Paul II. Translated by Peterkiewicz, Jerzy. The Poetry of John Paul II: Roman Triptych: Meditations. United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2003, 40 pages, Grades 9-12.
25. Borden, Louise. Illustrated by Michael Foreman. The Little Ships: The Heroic Rescue at Dunkirk in World War II. Margaret K. McElderry Books, New York, 1997, 30 pages, Grades 2-4.
26. Gibbons, Gail. Corn. Holiday House, New York, 2008, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
27. Wilder, Thornton. The Bridge of San Luis Rey. Harper Collins, New York, 1998, reprint of 1927 original. 131 pages, Grades 10 and higher.
28. Rylant, Cynthia. Karas, G. Brian, Illustrator. The High-Rise Private Eyes: The Case of the Baffled Bear. Greenwillow, published in China, 2004, Grades 2-3, 48 pages.
29. Polacco, Patricia. Thank You, Mr. Falker. Philomel Books, New York, 1998, 32 pages, Reading Level: Gr. 1-3, Application Level: Elementary School.
30. Suess, Doctor. Green Eggs and Ham. Random House, New York, 62 pages, 1960, K-2.
31. Scieszka, Jon. Illustrated by Smith, Lane. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs. Viking Press, New York, 1989, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
32. Chesterton, G.K. Father Brown Crime Stories: Twenty-Four Short Mysteries. Avenel Books, New York, 1990, (first published in two volumes in the early 1900’s) 652 pages, Grades 10 and above.
33. Johnson, Crockett. Harold and the Purple Crayon. HarperCollins, New York, 1955, 63 pages, Preschool-Grade 2.
34. De Paola, Tomie. Strega Nona’s Harvest. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 2009, 32 pages, K-3.
35. Fritz, Jean, illustrated by de Paola, Tomie. Can’t You Make Them Behave, King George? G.P. Putnam’s Sons, New York, 1977, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
36. Freeman, Don. A Rainbow of My Own. Puffin Books, New York, 1966, 32 pages, Preschool.
37. Doman, Regina. The Shadow of the Bear: A Fairy Tale Retold. Chesterton Press, Front Royal, Virginia, 1997, 207 pages, Grades 9 and older.
38. Yolen, Jane. Photographs by Jason Stemple. Count Me A Rhyme: Animal Poems by the Numbers. Boyds Mills Press, Honesdale, Pennsylvania, 2006, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
39. Santella, Andrew. The First Thanksgiving. Children’s Press, New York, 2003, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
40. Hart, Alison. Gabriel’s Horses. Peachtree Publishers, Atlanta, Georgia, 2007, 161 pages, Grades 5-7.
41. Waters, Kate, Photographs by Kendall, Russ. Sarah Morton’s Day: A Day in the Life of a Pilgrim Girl. Scholastic Inc., New York, 1989, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
42. Goldsmith, Diana. Photographs by Migdale, Lawrence. Las Posadas: An Hispanic Christmas Celebration. Holiday House, New York, 1999, 32 pages, Grades 3-5.
Apocalyptic literature describes the disasters, wars and catastrophes before the end of the world. The final book of the Bible, written by St. John, is called the Book of the Apocalypse or the Book of Revelation. St. John uses commanding images and creatures such as dragons to convey his message. The End Times have been a matter of considerable debate in the last ten years with the turning of the millennium and the supposed prophesies of the Mayan Calendar. In the early 20th century, the distinguished Catholic writer Msgr. Robert Benson wrote a powerful work of literature concerning these matters. The title of this compelling book is "Lord of the World."
The world has changed. Nation states have disappeared throughout the world and the rise of three great powers has occurred. First, there is the Asian sphere which comprises China, India, Australia, Japan and all of the Far East. The second power is Europe. Occupying the continent of Europe and nearby countries, this land mass has great influence because of its cultural development. Finally, there is America which consists of the North and South American continents. In Europe, England is much changed after the 20thcentury. Volors (a type of airplane) make travel incredibly fast and convenient. Communication is almost instantaneous throughout the world. Euthanasia is seen as a great benefit in the world. Anyone suffering or in great pain is quickly and "mercifully" killed. The world of religion is vastly different as well. Protestantism has virtually died out. Catholicism is under great stress as many believers have lost the faith and many faithful Catholics have been forced to flee to Rome. There they are protected by the Pope from religious persecution and attack. Man has begun to believe that his reason is almost infallible, and this eliminates the need for God in daily life. The Vatican struggles against these emerging evils and still has faithful staffs of priests’ worldwide writing letters informing the Holy See of emerging situations. One such writer is Father Percy Franklin. An Englishman, Father Franklin senses a great evil about to descend upon the world and struggles to understand this horror.
Suddenly news erupts that a world war is about to break out. Given the development of weaponry, everyone knows this could annihilate the world. Someone is needed to quell this potential calamity. One such person, Julian Felsenburgh, appears on the world stage with great power. Capable of speaking many languages and holding audiences in worshipful awe, he averts the disastrous war. This causes the world to begin a worshipful adulation of Felsenburgh and he is offered all the honors and powers of this world. He accepts the power of the entire world, and begins his rational cleansing of anything holding back the new order. His first target is the Catholic Church.
Why does Felsenburgh attack the Catholic Church? Why do so many religious people eventually agree with Felsenburgh’s position? Why do secular humanists callously discard sick people? What has happened to the human race? Who redeems mankind as it careens toward destruction? To find out, read "Lord of the World" by Msgr. Robert Benson.
Msgr. Benson (1871-1914) was a convert to the Catholic Church from Anglicanism at the beginning of the 20th century. In a period of ten years prior to his death, he wrote one acclaimed book after another. By the time of his death, he was likely the most famous Catholic writer in the world. This columnist does not recommend "Lord of the World" for younger readers as some of the scenes are frightening and have horrible implications. But 10th grade students and older may have a strong interest in this book. It is amazing how much Msgr. Benson has foreseen about the world’s development. He accurately shows how the world will act if it is devoid of divine direction. Through this ominous book, Benson also gives us the answer to these problems, which can be found in the saving power of grace. I hope you get the opportunity to read this outstanding novel. It is well worth the effort.
Each December the world begins to breathe a spirit of hope. The reason for this is the long-awaited birth of our divine Savior, Jesus Christ.
After man had rebelled against God through sinful disobedience, a chasm was created. Through his own power, man cannot bridge this terrible separation. Only God had the power to reach back to the human race. God promises this gift of redemption after the fall in the Garden of Eden, and chooses a special people, the Israelites, to carry out this promise.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Israelites turn to and away from God, demonstrating the need for the Redeemer. Finally, in the fullness of time, Our Lord is born in a humble stable in Bethlehem.
He comes not as the desired conquering warrior king, but as a helpless Infant. As Simeon is soon to prophesy, He is already a sign of contradiction. This beautifully-illustrated book uses the Gospel accounts in St. Matthew’s and St. Luke’s Gospels to tell the story of this miraculous event. The time of darkness has ended; the people have seen a great light. Our redemption begins with the birth of Jesus Christ, Our Lord.
Spirin skillfully blends both Evangelists’ accounts of the Nativity (Birth of Our Lord). She paints a spectacular Annunciation scene between Mary and the Angel Gabriel. White lilies indicate the pure state of Mary, and the Holy Spirit, in the form of a dove, descends on the Blessed Virgin. In the next scene, the artist paints St. Joseph being told by an angel to take Mary into his home. The Child has been conceived through the power of the Holy Spirit. Additionally, St. Joseph is to give the name Jesus to the Holy Child, for He will save His people from their sins.
The following painting portrays the Holy Family on their way to Bethlehem because of the decree of Caesar Augustus. St. Joseph, being a descendant of King David, goes to register in Bethlehem. Because there is no room in the inn, Mary gives birth to Jesus in a stable, wraps Him in swaddling clothes, and lays him in a manger (an animal feeding trough). Here in the humblest of circumstances lies the Savior of the world.
Meanwhile, angels of heaven appear to shepherds watching their flock by night. In a two-page painting, Spirin magnificently displays the choirs of angels descending to earth and telling the shepherds the wonderful news of the birth of Christ the Lord.
In the final paintings in the book, readers see the wise men (Magi) coming from the East. Somewhat naively, they ask the evil King Herod about the birth of the newborn King of the Jews. The paranoid Herod plays the hypocrite and tells the wise men (sometimes called the Three Kings) to find the Child and then come back with the location of His birth. When he finds out where Jesus has been born, Herod plans to send soldiers there to kill Jesus. Fortunately, the Three Kings will trick Herod, foiling his plans. Spirin’s canvas of the Magi worshipping Jesus is simply stunning. This picture will cause you to want to worship Our Lord. The book closes with the author’s comments on the establishment of Dec. 25 as the date of Christmas.
While the story of Our Lord’s birth is well known, this book will be a magnificent and comforting introduction of these sacred events to younger children in your family. The paintings are sometimes subdued and at other times gorgeous. The text is taken directly from the Gospel accounts of St. Matthew and St. Luke.
I can’t recommend this book highly enough for your family. When I read this book and began absorbing the beauty of the paintings, my heart, like those of the angels, wanted to shout out "Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to His people on earth." (Lk 2:8-14)
Have a blessed Christmas!!!
Many species of animals are in danger of becoming extinct in the 21st century. Tragically, this has happened already to a number of famous species such as the passenger pigeon and the wingless dodo bird. While overhunting was the primary reason for the disappearance of animals historically, the problem of shrinking habitat is the primary reason for extinction today. Though there is some argument about the causes of global warming, the melting of glaciers and the shrinking of the Arctic ice pack is indisputable. While many Arctic animals are in danger, the polar bear is particularly susceptible to the loss of the ice pack. In many zoos throughout the world, the polar bear exhibit is one of the most stirring and fascinating sites to view these marvelous white animals. A world-wide interest can be generated when baby polar bears are born in captivity. Such an international awareness started in the Berlin Zoo with the birth of a polar bear cub named Knut. Isabella Juliana and others tell this intriguing story in the book Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World.
Knut and his brother were born in the Berlin Zoo. Their mother, Tosca, refused to nurse the cubs after birth. In the wild this would have meant sure death for the baby polar bears. The chief bear keeper, Thomas Dorflein, made the decision to raise both cubs through bottle feeding. Unfortunately, Knut’s brother developed a fever and soon died. Dorflien built a small heated bed for the remaining cub, and slept next to him each night for next four months. Baby polar bears need to eat every two hours, so the determined zoo keeper climbed out of his sleeping bag throughout the night to attend to the hungry cub. Soon Knut began playing with Thomas on the floor, and learning to swim in his swimming pool. As the months went by Knut began to grow and grow. Interest in the polar bear grew throughout the world and T.V. crews from many countries journeyed to Berlin to see the pair. Both Thomas and Knut soon became international celebrities.
What happened as Knut grew into an adult polar bear? Could Thomas still wrestle and swim with Knut? Why were so many people interested in this story worldwide? How did Knut continue to be so popular in Germany? Are you interested in polar bears? Have you ever walked in a deep snow? Would you like to pet Knut? To find the answers to these questions, go to the library and checkout this very interesting book, Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World.
Knut’s life became a popular international story in 2007. Many people could identify with Thomas Dorflien’s diligent efforts to raise Knut. Baby polar bears are beautiful to look at, and Knut is no exception. Knut’s playful nature was captivating to the public as he wrestled with balls, rolled in the sand and went swimming. The writing and photos in this book are very well done, and the pictures of the baby Knut are endearing. I hope you go to the library and checkout this fine title. You and all your family will take pleasure in Knut’s story. Enjoy!
A number of the American Founding Fathers came from colonies developed in response to religious oppression. Thomas Jefferson wisely thought that the separation of Church and State would be advantageous to the young nation. For several hundred years, this idea has been a basic tenet of American society.
Recent court decisions in the United States have challenged Jefferson’s sage understanding. When the civil society begins to force believers to accept certain moral and religious dictates, a persecution begins. Usually the State attacks the Church to compel the faithful to follow certain secular ideas. Normally these persecutions attack the Church’s religious beliefs and punish anyone refusing compliance with the State’s convoluted principles.
While savage attacks on the Church happened during Roman times, a particularly vicious attack on the Catholic Church occurred during the reign of the English queen, Elizabeth I. In this masterful book, Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson recounts the dreadful persecutions of the Elizabethan period, and the heroic resistance of the English martyrs.
Robin Audrey, a young English nobleman, rides through a meadow thinking of a beautiful young woman named Margorie Manners. The day is scenic and his heart burns with affection for the charming Miss Manners. When they meet it is evident that Margorie is equally in love with the young nobleman. Soon they begin talking about marriage. Robin then reveals to the young woman that his father has decided to become a Protestant to escape paying the dreadful fines the Crown has imposed on Catholics. Sir Audrey has no interest in Anglicanism but fears that Queen Elizabeth will bankrupt him with fines and take over his estates.
This places his son in a terrible dilemma. If he obeys his heart he cannot become a Protestant, but if he remains a Catholic he will have to disobey his father. Robin’s devotion to Catholicism is evident to Margorie as she watches him struggle with this painful decision. Robin’s love of the Faith is so strong that Margorie begins to wonder if he has a vocation to the priesthood. The young woman finally asks Robin if he is being called to the priesthood. Looking deep into his heart, Robin realizes that he is being called to Holy Orders. In a heartbreaking scene, both he and Margorie accept his decision to enter the seminary. Since all English priests and seminarians are subject to execution, Robin must flee England as well. With a heart that has just been broken and is being healed, Robin escapes to France to begin his priestly studies.
Years later he returns to England as a Catholic priest. Soon Queen Elizabeth’s priest-catchers and torturers are chasing him down. As he desperately evades them, he turns to faithful Catholics to shelter him. In an act of heroic love, Marjorie hides the hunted cleric as her house is searched by Elizabeth’s malevolent henchman.
What happens to Robin? Is he caught and tortured? Is Marjorie’s love for the Faith and for Robin the cause of her arrest? Would you shelter a hunted priest? What gives anyone the strength to persevere in the face of such evil? To find out, read this excellent book, "Come Rack! Come Rope! by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson."
Msgr. Benson is an outstanding writer and clearly understands the religious revolutions of Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. This is a moving love story of two dedicated young people surrendering their lives to Our Lord. The novel has been reprinted many times and is easily available through the Internet or at Catholic bookstores. I hope you get the opportunity to read this superb story of human love, the transforming qualities of sacrificial grace, and the cost of discipleship.
College and professional football teams have rabid followers. While college athletic programs are usually associated with a particular state or geographical location, professional teams may command a national fan base. This is particularly true with famous professional teams such as the Green Bay Packers or the Dallas Cowboys. Some of the most memorable moments in sports history have come in football games, and the greatest professional event is the Super Bowl. This contest has become a national affair filled with passions and Super Bowl parties. Why did this game become so famous and where did it originate? James Buckley Jr. tells the story of the Super Bowl in this well written book from the Eyewitness Series.
In the 1920s, the early days of professional football, the league champion was the team with the most victories in the regular season. By the 1930s the two top teams in the National Football League began playing for the title. The players in the initial seasons were not required to wear helmets, and no one played with a face mask. These rough and tumble matches began to gather a following. In 1958, on national television, the Baltimore Colts won a famous overtime title game against the New York Giants. This dramatic game was watched by millions of viewers and cemented concept of televising championship football. The result of this was the first Super Bowl in 1967 between the famed Green Bay Packers and the Kansas City Chiefs before a national television audience. The famed coach Vince Lombardi guided the Packers to their first Super Bowl triumph. Two years later, quarterback Joe Namath boldly predicted that the New York Jets would defeat the Baltimore Colts. Namath was famous for his strong arm, fur coats, white shoes and charming manner. Few believed that the Jets could defeat the Colts, but in front of the entire nation, Namath backed up his boast as the Jets won by a score of 16-7. When Namath ran off the field, he proudly held up his index finger to show that the Jets were number one.
In the succeeding decades many Super Bowls have left unforgettable memories for millions of viewers. The events leading up to the game are great fun as well, with tailgate parties, family gatherings and visits with friends. Buckley gives many interesting facts about all of these activities surrounding the Super Bowl. These include comments by players winning the Most Valuable Player award, pictures of famous plays in the Super Bowl and even the size of Super Bowl stadiums.
So what are some of your favorite Super Bowl memories? Have you ever wondered what the Super Bowl rings look like? What were some of the greatest plays in the Super Bowl? Which player has played in the most Super Bowls? It is not someone you would ever suspect. Do you have a favorite Super Bowl player? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and checkout this outstanding book, "Super Bowl," by James Buckley Jr.
The photographs and writing are excellent in this book. As with all Eyewitness Books, the book is filled with many interesting facts and compelling sidebars. Reading this book is like reliving many exciting Super Bowl Sundays. No matter what your favorite team is, you will find many things that will make you want to keep reading. All that is missing is the great food and pop. So go ahead and get some grilled chicken wings when you read this book. Just remember to wipe the grease off your fingers before turning the pages. Enjoy!
Animal extinction is a serious problem. From the disappearance of large predators such as Siberian tigers, to the reduction in numbers of spectacular birds such as peregrine falcons, species disappearance is a worldwide dilemma.
In North America, passenger pigeons were once so widespread that they could blacken the sky. Unfortunately this species was hunted into extinction. However, a number of endangered species have been successfully returned in significant numbers to the natural world. Two famous examples of this are the American buffalo and the bald eagle.
The Southern Hemisphere has its own particular problems and a number of species are in serious danger of extinction. In New Zealand, the Kakapo Parrot is one such example. Once plentiful in New Zealand, the Kakapo has been reduced to less than 100 birds. A major effort has been undertaken to protect the Kakapo Parrot, and Sy Montgomery has written a powerful account of the attempt to save this species. It is entitled, "Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot."
The Kakapo Parrot is the heaviest parrot in the world, weighing up to 9 pounds. The Kakapo has an owl-like face and is not able to fly. They nest on the ground, and go out each night to feed on grasses, plants, seeds and berries. Before colonization, New Zealand did not have any land predators, but feral cats, weasels and other small animals were unwittingly introduced into the country. The slow-moving parrot had no defense against these predators.
Within 100 years, the population of Kakapos had dropped from thousands to less than 100. Seeking to save the breed, the government of New Zealand moved a small number of the remaining Kakapos to an isolated isle named Codfish Island.
A group of intrepid volunteers and forest rangers have worked to protect the few remaining Kakapos. These assistants use electronic antennas, and trek through the tropical rainforest and jungle to plot the life cycle of remaining Kakapos.
Especially important to the success of the restoration project is the need for all baby chicks to survive. Through night and day, rain and cold, this dedicated group works to ensure the fledglings’ survival.
What are the results of this concerted effort? Have the Kakapos increased in number? Why is it so important to preserve the natural world? What threatened animal would you like to see off the endangered list? What happens when animal needs conflict with human needs? Who decides the outcome? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out "Kakapo Rescue" by Sy Montgomery.
The writing in this book is excellent, and the accompanying photographs are outstanding. It won the prestigious Sibert Award for Nonfiction in 2011. The story of the massive reduction in the numbers of this important bird is tragic and needs to be told.
However, one difficulty I have with this book is the author’s tendency to elevate animal rights to a near human level. While it is important to recognize the value of conserving animal species and creating parks to allow these animals to thrive, animals will never have the value of humans. Equilibrium needs to be developed in which the biological world is not degraded, but human rights are still understood to be primary. It is not always easy to achieve this balance.
Having said that, I hope you read this fine book about the dedicated effort being made for the Kakapo Parrot.
Horses have always held a fascination for people. Maybe it is the majestic way they run, or their beauty in the outdoors. A number of children’s authors have written wonderful horse stories, with Marguerite Henry and Anna Sewell being two famous examples. Many of these stories center on captive horses being trained on farms. Pam Munoz Ryan has drawn upon this rich tradition and has adapted it to a beautiful story of wild horses roaming across Wyoming. The name of this moving title is "Paint the Wind."
Artemisia lives with her paternal grandmother, Agnes Menetti, in a suburban home in Southern California. Mrs. Menetti is very particular about everything. Artemisia must get very good grades in school, always be punctual and never think any fanciful thoughts.
Artemisia is orphaned because her parents were killed in a terrible accident. Mrs. Menetti blames her son’s death on marrying a non-conventional woman. Artemisia’s mother was born and raised on a ranch in Wyoming and developed an immense interest in horse riding. The old woman believes horse riding is a foolish activity carried on by flippant people. Her son had wanted to be a painter, and in spite of his talents, Mrs. Menetti had driven those strange ideas from his head. He had become respectable as was fitting to his class.
All that Artemisia has left of her parents are a few pictures, and a box of toy horses. Every time she is caught playing with the horses, her grandmother punishes her and berates the memory of her deceased mother. But Artemisia loves these play horses and dreams of riding real horses.
To avoid her grandmother’s pestering, she becomes adept at lying and deception. However, one day her grandmother unexpectedly dies from a heart attack, and shortly after the funeral the young girl is sent to her grandfather in Wyoming. She has never met her mother’s family, as her grandmother has cunningly deceived them about Artemisia’s legal custody. After arriving in Wyoming, her grandfather soon takes Artemisia into the mountains with a herd of horses where she meets grandfather’s sister, Aunt Vi and his brother, Uncle Fig. In the wilderness, Aunt Vi begins teaching Artemisia the art of horseback riding. The girl is talented with horses and everyone agrees that she rides like her mother.
As she develops her riding skills, Artemisia also begins to learn about honesty. One lie she tells has a severe consequence, and Aunt Vi confronts her on this falsehood. The young girl begins to realize the result of being deceptive.
Aunt Vi shows Artemisia a herd of wild horses and she is enchanted by these magnificent animals. The young girl wants to chase the wild horses, but Aunt Vi always shields her. Artemisia is still headstrong and doesn’t want to follow orders. When she is left alone for a short time, she takes a horse and rides into the mountains on an adventure. There disaster strikes Artemisia and her beautiful horse. She must either grow up or die in the brutal wilderness.
What is this terrible event? Is Artemisia badly injured? What role does a mountain lion play in the story? Have you ever done something that was thoughtless? What happened? Do Artemisia and her horse ever make it back? To find out, read this fine novel, "Paint the Wind," by Pam Munoz Ryan.
Pam Ryan has written a terrific horse story. The climax is exciting and the main characters are well developed. The book is a well told rite of passage story. Artemisia is an undeveloped, dishonest narcissist at the beginning of the book. Her growth is remarkable as she learns the physical skills required for horsemanship and the personal qualities needed to become a caring person. Readers will readily identify with her and will enjoy the other characters in the book. Besides being a great horse story, this is a touching account of an immature young girl growing into a virtuous young woman. I read the book in one sitting and think you find it interesting as well.
In 1973, the United States legalized abortion with the infamous Roe v. Wade decision. This tragic decision has resulted in the deaths of millions of babies, and untold suffering for women involved in abortions. Last weekend, hundreds of thousands of marchers protested this awful ruling, and it is hoped that someday it will be overturned.
It is useful to compare our contemporary situation with those from previous generations. Several questions need to be asked. First, what happened to neglected and sometimes unwanted children in the past in the United States? Second, why was adoption so possible 85 years ago, and so very difficult today? Finally, what solutions did earlier American generations find for abandoned children? One answer to this complicated set of questions is provided by Andrea Warren in the compelling book, "We Rode the Orphan Trains." The author follows the lives of six destitute children that rode west on orphan trains. The accounts are moving and instructing.
In major American cities, abandoned and orphaned children were a rising civic concern. Most of these children were placed in large orphanages and were supervised with strict discipline. The care was uneven in many institutions. Some of the caregivers were dedicated and loving while others could be unyielding and tyrannical. As the number of unwanted children rose, the Children’s Aid Society of New York City organized an entirely new adoption plan. Children would be taken by train to states west of New York and adopting families would select a boy or girl from the group of youngsters. Adults would accompany the children on this journey west and provide a modicum of comfort and protection for the children. Frequently, fliers were sent to the cities and towns before the arrival of the children at the train station. Would-be parents frequently knew that they were going to get a child when the train arrived. When the train arrived in the city, all the children would line up and be selected by people at the site.
The Children’s Aid Society tried to make sure the placements were suitable, and would come back once a year to see how adoptions were working out. If it became clear that abuse was taking place, the Society removed the child from that home, and found a new set of parents. There were no guarantees that everything would work out right, but the stories of orphan train riders told by Andrea Warren indicates that the program was very successful.
The author does not gloss over the fact that the orphans often felt embarrassed when they were examined before being adopted. She also states that most of the children had a hidden ache in their hearts from not knowing about their biological families. Some of the children in the stories seek out their biological families after they are grown. In most cases this reunion causes them intense depression because the parents have either died or are still indifferent to them. All of the orphan riders discussed in the book are thankful for the opportunity of being adopted.
For all the difficulties, the orphan trains offered a way out for many children in desperate plight. Robert Peterson was abandoned in New York City by his father in 1922. At 5 years of age, he rode the orphan train to Nebraska and was placed in loving and caring family. He was forever grateful for the chance at life that the orphan train gave him.
I hope you get a chance to read this beautifully told story. Most of the orphan train riders are dying or elderly. But their stories are a testimony to life, and to an idea that an earlier American generation made to preserve the lives of unwanted children.
Young children frequently feel alone. In many cases, their family surrounds them, but this feeling of aloneness still can prevail. To fill in the spaces in their minds, youngsters might make up imaginary friends or fantasize about some great accomplishment. Many times in these musings, children will want to hold onto a doll or stroke a pet. Animals usually are the most comforting, and cats and dogs are frequently chosen.
Amy Hest has written a beautiful picture book about a lonely little girl finding an equally abandoned puppy. The name of this endearing story is, "The Dog Who Belonged to No One."
A young girl, Lia, lives with her family at the edge of town. Both of Lia’s parents are bakers, and the bakery is attached to their home. Each day the wonderful fragrance of fresh bread and cakes fills the air. Lia’s job is to deliver baked products across town. She daily begins her solitary commute with her bicycle loaded down with baked goods. Lia longs to have a friend but because of her busy schedule, she rarely has a chance to play with the other children in town. To compensate for this hurt, she makes up stories while riding her bicycle to fill in the lonely spaces in her heart.
In the same town, a small, friendly puppy is happily running down the streets. He has an attractive personality and no bad habits, but has been abandoned. He searches up and down the streets trying to find someone to befriend him. Each night he sadly crawls back into a corner and fearfully waits for night darkness to fall.
One day a huge storm blows into town. The wind begins howling and the rain starts to pelt down. The little dog is caught in the gale and tries to outrun the storm. As he is running from the howling winds, the little dog sees Lia trying to out-pedal the rain. Soaked to the bone, both try to find shelter. The little dog belonging to no one runs frantically ahead of the exhausted and drenched girl. Both look up and see a warmly lighted house ahead of them, and they smell the sweet fragrance of bread and cake.
So where are they? Do they escape from the pounding wind? Does a friendship develop between Lia and the little dog?
Have you ever felt lonely? What can take away that painful feeling? Have you ever helped anyone feel less lonely? And finally, what does Lia learn about friendship? To find out, go to the library and check out this lovely picture book, "The Dog Who Belonged to No One," by Amy Hest.
This title is on the Golden Sower List for K-3 readers in Nebraska. The Golden Sower Award is voted on each year by the school children of Nebraska. At the annual Nebraska Library Convention, the winner is given a plaque and invited to speak at the convention. It is usually an exciting day for the children and librarians to meet the winning authors.
This book is simply charming and I would strongly encourage you to read it with your children. The pictures invite readers into the story, and you will cheer the decisions made by Lia and the little dog. In this tender story, Amy Hest shows how trust can build love and friendship. I hope you get a chance to check out this wonderful picture book. Enjoy!
Few figures have cast as large a shadow on a nation as George Washington. With his face on the one dollar bill, and carved into the granite of Mt. Rushmore, Washington commands a respect bordering on awe. Where did this remarkable man come from? What motives drove him throughout his extraordinary life? How did a person born into a modesty prosperous family achieve so much? Albert Marrin delves into these vital questions in this outstanding biography of the first president of the United States. Appropriately enough, Marrin shows the parallel growth of Washington as a person, and the development of the American colonies into a nation.
George Washington was born on February 22, 1732, in Westmoreland County, Virginia. Washington’s father Gus was a giant of a man, with aspirations of becoming a great land owner. His mother seems to have been a beautiful woman, but one of cold and uncaring nature. At the age of eleven, Gus Washington died, leaving the bulk of his estate to George’s half brother, Lawrence. In due time, young George went to live with Lawrence and began to be introduced to the highest levels of colonial society. With the sudden death of Lawrence, the 20-year-old was cast into an uncertain world. Not knowing what to do, George accepted a military command under the Governor of Virginia, Robert Dinwiddie. Washington was to lead the expedition into the Ohio River Valley and warn the French not to colonize the area. Rebuffed by the French, Washington returned to Virginia and fought with the British in the French and Indian War. So impressive was his battlefield leadership that Gov. Dinwiddie soon appointed the young Virginian to command all the Virginia troops. Washington held this command for five years during the war before retiring to his inherited estate at Mount Vernon.
For a number of years, Washington lived the life of a Virginia gentleman. These were happy years as George could concentrate on farming, management of his estates and living with his wife Martha. This pleasant period was soon interrupted by the events leading up to the American Revolution. The American colonies began to grow away from the mother country of England. To pay for debts incurred during the French and Indian War, Parliament began levying taxes on the colonies. Though the taxes weren’t brutal, American resentment started to build. The Americans wanted to tax themselves, not have the English decide what was best. All of these angers and grievances finally drove the colonists into a rebellion against the Crown. Against the strongest army in the world, the rebelling Continental Congress appointed George Washington as general of the Continental Army. This was the most important and clear-sighted decision that could have been made.
During the grueling years of the Revolution, only Washington’s great strength of character held the rag tag Continental Army together. How did he do it? How did Washington keep learning from his military defeats? Why was his personal integrity as important to the Revolution’s victory as any military decision he made? To find out, read this magnificently written biography, "George Washington & the Founding of a Nation" by Albert Marrin.
This biography stands out as an outstanding account of the life of George Washington. The author uses original sources, quotes from important personages about the events and Washington’s own letters. Baron von Steuben’s salty drill instructions to the undisciplined Americans add color to the misery of the Valley Forge period. This is a fine book to learn a great deal about the founding father of the United States. I hope your junior high school student gets the opportunity to read this fine biography. Enjoy!
With the wonderful statement "Pitchers and Catchers Report," the yearly baseball famine ends.
This welcome phrase announces the start of Spring Training in the baseball world. For six weeks, all the major league teams have intensive workouts in Florida or Arizona, and then select the 25 players for their regular season roster.
The sport of baseball still holds a fascination with the American public. According to BaseballReference.com, in the 2010 season, 2,430 major league games were played with an average attendance of 30,067 fans, for total attendance for all games of 73,061,763. Obviously, some people are still listening to the song, "Take Me Out To The Ballgame."
Where does all of this appeal come from? Is it the beauty of sitting with your family on a pleasant summer night at the ballpark? Is it watching great athletes make outstanding plays?
Maybe it’s the intensively satisfying sound of a wood bat smashing a ball and seeing it soar into the stands for a home run. Without question this is one of the most exciting moments in baseball, and Mark Steward and Mike Kennedy have captured this experience in the book, "Long Ball: The Legend and Lore of the Home Run."
One hundred years ago, home runs were hardly noticed in baseball. Hitting in those days meant slapping the ball into holes in the infield and outfield. Since this was the "proper" way to hit, batters did not take big swings at the pitch. Ty Cobb was the perfect example of this type of hitter. This radically changed when Babe Ruth arrived on the scene and began hitting massive drives into the bleachers. Needless to say, the fans were impressed by these monster shots. The Home Run Era was born at this time. Following Ruth were a number of dynamic home run hitters including Jimmy Foxx, Mickey Mantle, Henry Aaron, Mark McGwire and Barry Bonds.
Throughout the book, the authors take readers through some of baseball’s compelling moments. The top 10 home runs of all time are detailed. Tape measure home runs are illustrated. Even strange facts about home runs, including the longest and the shortest are presented. Another curious example is the fact that Ty Cobb once led the league in home runs without ever hitting a ball over the fence. Each of his nine home runs was an inside-the-park homer.
While telling the fun and glory of the home run, the authors honestly discuss the gloomy events surrounding the Steroids Era. But despite this black eye, baseball is still thriving and the home run is still the most exciting play in the game.
What are some of your memories of baseball games? Did you sit with your parents and enjoy the atmosphere and excitement? Do you have a favorite player? Does any home run stand out in your mind as a lifetime thrill? I have always cherished the memory of seeing Duke Snider smash a home run in St. Louis when I was 8 years old. Now that was a tater.
If you want to start your child on a life time of wonderful baseball memories, go to the library and check out "Long Ball: The Legend and Lore of the Home Run."
This is a terrific book that will be greatly enjoyed by students in the 4th-6th grades. The writing is solid and the pictures and illustrations draw readers into the book. "Long Ball" is a most pleasant read. I hope you get a chance to check it out.
By the way, all the baseball books can be found in the j796.357 section of the library. After all, it’s almost time to "Play Ball." Enjoy!
One of the greatest gifts parents and teachers can give children is the love of reading.
When children are able to read, they can explore new worlds, ideas and experiences. Unlike fast-paced video games, reading gives children the nuances of life. Sometimes this is swift, but at other times life moves more languidly. Reading increases children’s attention spans and develops critical thinking skills.
There are two basic types of reading; 1) there is decoding, which turns the letters into words, and 2) there is reading for understanding and enrichment. The first type of reading is of the utmost importance because it is the foundation of being able to read. Decoding is also easier to quantify on standardized tests, while the second type of reading is much more difficult to assess.
How do you judge the value of children being "lost in a book?" A life-long love of reading is rarely cultivated through decoding alone, and can only be fostered through the second type of reading.
This wonderful picture book by Brian Lies shows the importance of ideas and reading and is entitled "Bats in the Library."
It is a warm summer night and the bats have eaten and flown about the night sky. But all of this normal nocturnal activity has left them bored. Suddenly, the happy news arrives at the bat colony that the library window has been left open. Usually, the librarian leaves the window open once a summer for the bats to savor new and old books, and to teach the young bats the joy of reading.
Quickly, scores of eager bats rush towards this feast of books, maps and magazines. Zooming through the open window, the old bats go to the shelves holding their classical favorites. The young bats go up and down the shelves looking at all the marvelous books about unknown and exotic places.
The older bats put on their glasses and begin teaching the younger bats how to read and to enjoy the stories. Soon the adult bats are holding story hour for the baby bats. The little bats may have a hard time understanding everything since they are hanging upside down, but everyone is having a glorious time.
The distant voices of the books pull all the bats into the novels. The young bats seem to especially enjoy "Goodnight Sun," a bat rendition of the children’s classic. Unfortunately, the night quickly passes by and the bats know that they must soon leave the library.
When do the bats leave? Why did the baby bats so enjoy their first trip to the library?
When did you begin your library adventures? Do you have a favorite memory of that experience? Most adults have dozens of such happy memories. What reading memories have the adult bats so lovingly created for the baby bats?
To find out, go to the library and checkout this delightfully humorous story, "Bats at the Library" by Brian Lies.
This title is on the Golden Sower List for the children of Nebraska for the 2010-11 school year. You will simply love reading this book to your children. The pictures of the bats reading in the library are funny and endearing. Their love of reading and the desire to share this superb gift is evident throughout the book.
I highly encourage you to go to the library and check out this wonderful title. You will laugh as much as your children. Enjoy!
Why is soup so satisfying? Maybe it is because of the many varieties of soup available. There are hearty types like potato soup and thinner mixtures such as chicken broth. Some nationalities make soup an integral part of their diet. In Russia many people eat some kind of borscht, a thick soup made with beets, and are warmed by this comforting meal on cold winter nights.
In this hilarious picture book, Jackie Urbanovic shows Maxwell Duck trying to create a soup masterpiece. The name of this funny title is "Duck Soup."
Maxwell Duck has frequently tried to construct the perfect soup. While wearing his ornate chef hat, he has made Fish Soup with Curry and Pickled Lemon, Red Hot Chili Soup, and Way Too Many Beans Soup. The Red Hot Chili scalded Dog’s throat, and the Fish Soup made Cat sick. Nonetheless, all of his animal friends constantly want to eat his latest creation. While pondering his next culinary endeavor, the duck concludes that the problem with the previous soups is that he had borrowed the recipes from other chefs. What he needs to do is create his own formula. Maxwell is so thrilled with this idea that he immediately begins building his own work of genius. He begins chopping up vegetables, adding spices and herbs and combining them in a large soup pot.
At long last he tastes his tour de force but discovers that something is wrong, some ingredient is missing. He thinks and thinks and concludes that the missing herb is chives. Happily, he takes off his chef hat and dons on his outdoor hat. With his herb basket in hand, Maxwell joyfully goes out the door to get the prized chives.
In the meantime, his friends Dog, Cat and Parakeet arrive at his house. They begin sniffing around the kitchen and calling his name. Puzzled by his absence, they finally threaten to eat his soup if he doesn’t come out from hiding. Not hearing a sound, the three friends become even more anxious. Where could Maxwell Duck be? Suddenly, Cat looks into the pot and sees a large herb that looks remarkably like a feather floating on the top of the soup. Could the worst have happened? Could their friend have fallen into his own soup and gotten cooked? The animals begin to take quick and decisive action.
What do the three animals do? How can the animals look through a pot of soup without destroying the marvelous potage? Is the old proverb that "curiosity killed the cat" really true? Have you ever done anything rash? What occurred because of that act? What finally happens to the three friends and to Maxwell Duck? To find out go to the library and checkout this comical tale, "Duck Soup," by Jackie Urbanovic.
This book is a rollicking funny tale to share with younger children. They will clap their hands at the antics of the three animal friends and drawings of Maxwell Duck. This book is on the Golden Sower list for 2011, and has been a New York Times book selection. The pictures are so humorous that you will have a hard time reading the book because of your own desire to laugh. Treat yourself and your children to a delightful tale and go to the library and check out "Duck Soup" by Jackie Urbanovic. You won’t regret it. Enjoy!
Pope Pius XI stated that all Christians are "spiritual Semites." Pope John Paul II said that the Jewish people are our "elder brothers in the faith." While all Four Gospels frequently connect to Jewish religious experiences, St. Matthew particularly shows that Jesus is the fulfillment of the Patriarchal promises to the Israelite nation.
During Lent, this connection to this Jewish heritage is particularly evident on Holy Thursday. On this holy night, Our Blessed Savior shared the Last Supper with His disciples. Because of the immense significance of the Last Supper, Catholics need to understand the origin of this meal. This meal is the first Mass in the New Covenant, which the Council of Trent will call the "Unbloody Sacrifice of Calvary."
Since Passover is central to understanding Judaism, knowledge of the Passover meal is important for Catholics to understand our own faith.
The children of Israel settled in Egypt because of a terrible famine in Canaan. After they had become numerous, the Egyptian Pharaoh feared their power and enslaved them.
After brutal years of slavery, Moses appeared before Pharaoh and told him to free the Jews. Thinking this foolishness, the Pharaoh punished the Israelites even further. Moses confronted the Pharaoh and told him that God would send plagues on Egypt if the Jews were not freed. When Pharaoh continued to refuse, the terrible plagues descended upon Egypt.
The last plague, the death of the first born, happens on the night of Passover. Moses gives the Israelites specific instructions for their last meal in Egypt. They are to eat unleavened bread, bitter herbs, and an unblemished lamb. Afterwards, they are to take blood from the lamb and spread it on the lintel of their doors. When the angel of the Lord "passes over" Egypt, the blood of the lamb will save their first-born children.
When the last plague ends, Pharaoh drives all the Jews from Egypt. The Passover meal, or Seder, commemorates this night.
Fishman places the Seder meal in a contemporary setting, but includes all the main elements of this critical historical event. Readers will learn why matzah (unleavened bread) is used, what the purposes of the bitter herbs are, and the importance of the paschal lamb. She shows the Jewish elders sharing the cups of wine in remembrance of the Jews suffering and being delivered from slavery.
The author also discusses the joyful nature of the Passover meal. On this night the Jewish people passed from slavery into freedom.
When Catholics read about the Seder meal, they will easily understand the symbols connected with the supper. In the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, unleavened bread is changed through transubstantiation into the Body and Blood of Our Blessed Savior. The cup of wine is offered for the "remission of our sins." We believe that Our Lord is the perfect lamb of sacrifice offered for our redemption from the slavery of sin to the freedom of grace.
All of these reasons show why Catholics need to know about the Jewish celebration of Passover and the Seder meal. By using symbols knowledgeable to all Jews, Our Lord Himself becomes the perfect Lamb of Sacrifice. Throughout the New Testament, the sacred writers repeatedly make this connection. By understanding the Seder meal, all Catholics can better understand Pope John Paul II’s admonition that the Jewish people are "our elder brothers in the Faith."
The Mass has its origins in the Passover meal. In the New Covenant pronounced on Holy Thursday, Our Lord transforms this Seder meal into the magnificent banquet of His Body and Blood. Because of this, Catholics can only fall down on their knees and cry out "Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ, King of endless glory."
Dance is one of the most exciting forms of art. Dancers must have both athletic strength and artistic grace while being able to understand the power of music. This is a highly unusual combination of talent, and few dancers achieve these skills at the highest level.
Within dance, ballet is one of the most demanding forms of the art, as well as one of the most evocative. Martha Graham was one of the few gifted people capable of combining all of these dazzling skills within the world of ballet. Always seeking to move the art form to a higher level, Martha, as she was commonly known, collaborated with the famous composer Aaron Copeland to create an altogether new ballet for the United States. Danced on the sets created by the world renowned stage designer, Isamu Noguchi, this amazing ballet was named "Appalachian Spring."
Martha Graham wanted to make a ballet that broke away from the traditional boundaries of toe shoes, tutus and pirouettes. She wanted something to capture the spirit of the United States.
After a number of starts and failures, Martha and Aaron Copeland came across the old Shaker hymn "It is a gift to be simple; it is a gift to be free." That was it, the song that described the American spirit. Immediately, Martha began designing the dance steps as Copeland began composing the music.
Since this type of ballet had never been performed, she had to work out the ballet by trial and error. Since the ballet was original, the dancers wore clothes from the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. No one had ever considered such an idea before. Noguchi had never created dance stages resembling the western Pennsylvania countryside, and the finished sets seemed odd to the ballet dancers. artha finally decided to make the entire ballet center on a young farmer and his bride on their wedding day. After months of practice, the world premiere was performed October 30, 1944.
How was this entirely new way of creating a ballet received by the public? Why did the excitement and simple beauty of the work move the public so powerfully?
Have you ever danced? Would you like to perform a dance that demands grace of traditional ballet and the exuberance of country square dance?
Why does "Appalachian Spring" so speak to the American experience? To find out, go to the library and check out "Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring" by Jan Greenberg.
This title won the Sibert Honor Medal for Nonfiction in 2011. The illustrations show the exuberance of Martha Graham’s famous ballet. Greenberg and Jordan write about the difficulties encountered by the ballet dancers, musicians and set designers throughout the creation of this work of art.
Middle-grade students will have their fine arts knowledge enhanced by the authors’ explanation of these challenges. Though a picture book, the subject matter in the text is more appropriate for middle grade students. While the book could be read aloud, I think it would be more useful for students to read the work in a small group. Then they could together share their feelings and responses. The subject of dance may seem foreign to some students and a group learning session might help them understand the subject in a wholesome way. I hope you encourage your sons and daughters, nieces and nephews to read this fine title. "Appalachian Spring" artistically shows the zest of the American spirit through dance and I hope you like the title. Enjoy!
The only divinely-inspired book in history is the Holy Bible. At one time, people routinely read and learned from the Bible. This highly beneficial practice is experiencing a renaissance of sorts in universities throughout the U.S.A., and needs to again be commonly used in the home.
Lent is a wonderful time to start reading the Bible out loud with your family. Since Holy Thursday is rapidly approaching, the passages about the Holy Eucharist in the New Testament are a good place to start.
Vatican II tells us that the Holy Eucharist is the "font and summit of the faith." Tragically, many Catholics today do not believe in the Real Presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist. Therefore, reading these sacred Eucharistic passages is an excellent way to teach the Faith to your family.
In St. John’s Gospel, Chapter Six is the pivotal revelation of Our Lord concerning the Holy Eucharist. At the beginning of Chapter Six, Our Blessed Savior multiples the five loaves and two fish of a young boy to feed a crowd of about 5,000 men and their families. At the end of the multiplication, 12 baskets of bread are left over.
In the middle of the chapter, the disciples see Jesus walking across the rough waters of the Sea of Galilee. He tells the frightened apostles: "It is I; do not be afraid." (Jn 6:21)
In the next verses, Our Lord states that "I am the Bread of life." (Jn 6:35) Then Our Blessed Savior declares that: "the bread which I shall give is My own flesh," and that "My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed." (Jn 6:53-55) Jesus concludes this majestic teaching by proclaiming "He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in me, and I in him." (Jn 6:56)
Whereas St. John tells us exactly why the Holy Eucharist contains the Real Presence of Jesus, the first three Evangelists describe the institution and purpose of the Holy Eucharist at the Last Supper.
St. Matthew writes that Our Lord took bread, blessed it and gave it to His disciples saying: "Take this and eat, this is My body." (Mt 26:26) He then took the cup and said "Drink from it, all of you; for this the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." (Mt:28-29)
St. Luke’s account of the institution of the Holy Eucharist can be found in Chapter 22: 14-22. St. Mark writes of this marvelous event in Chapter 14: 22-25. As well, St. Paul tells us of the establishment of the sacrament in First Corinthians Chapter 11: 23-26.
You will give yourself and your family a great blessing by reading these holy passages together during Lent. At each Mass, the priest stands in the person of Our Lord and transubstantiates the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of our Divine Savior. This is part of Christ’s great gift to the Church before His Passion, Death and Resurrection.
The Eucharistic passages in the Bible attest to the Real Presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist. So take the time to teach your children, grandchildren, nieces and nephews about this unsurpassable gift of love given by Our Lord to His children. Read these compelling, faith building chapters in the New Testament and it will help your heart shout out with joy at Easter; "He has risen, He has truly risen!"
Easter is the highest liturgical event in the religious calendar of the Catholic Church. While Easter is primarily a religious event, many other secular activities bring joy to people on this happy day. There are family gatherings and dinners, children wondering if the Easter Bunny left any eggs and the hunt in the backyard for Easter Eggs. Priscilla Adams has written a delightful story about a terrible mistake the Easter Bunny made one Easter Morning. The name of this charming story is The Easter Bunny That Overslept.
The Easter Bunny cozily lay sleeping in his warm rabbit burrow. The rain fell and fell, and he kept turning over thinking he would get up at any moment and deliver Easter Eggs. But the sun never cracked through the dark clouds, and the bunny missed Easter altogether. Children throughout the area awoke to the disappointment of not having any eggs in their baskets. So they made the best of it and ate the candy they found on Easter morning. Finally, the Easter Bunny woke up. He quickly realized that he was a month late on delivering his Easter Eggs. He rapidly jumped up and took all the eggs to the nearby houses. The children burst out laughing at his attempt to deliver Easter Eggs on Mother’s Day. After going to several more houses and being ridiculed, the Easter Bunny dejectedly returned to his rabbit burrow. Exhausted and not knowing what to do, he fell asleep.
Waking up over a month later, the rabbit developed a plan. Maybe people would accept the Easter Eggs if they were painted different colors for another holiday. Since the Fourth of July was so near, he decided to paint them red, white and blue. He would give everyone patriotic eggs, and they would cheer this gift when they saw the fireworks. As the parade began marching through the center of town, he joined the joyful occasion. Proudly, the Easter Bunny displayed his red, white and blue Fourth of July Eggs. The officer in charge of the parade stopped the celebration. He demanded that the rabbit explain these colored eggs. When the Easter Bunny replied that he had created Fourth of July eggs, the officer jeered at him and told the Bunny to step aside. Fourth of July Eggs simply didn’t exist. For the second time the Easter Bunny dejectedly returned to his burrow. What was he going to do with all of his eggs? A new plan began to form in his mind. Maybe a different holiday was needed? This was going to take some thought.
What holiday did the Easter Bunny choose? What famous holiday character helped the Easter Bunny with his duties? Did you ever accidentally oversleep and create a misunderstanding? Who helped you out? Did you take any precautions to make sure it didn’t happen again? What does the Easter Bunny finally do? To find out, go to the library and checkout The Easter Bunny That Overslept by Priscilla Friedrich.
Adrienne Adams was a famous children’s artist in the 1950’s and latter decades. She has drawn endearing pictures portraying the problems faced by the Easter Bunny. This is a whimsical book that will be enjoyed by young children as they see the Easter Bunny trying to solve his egg problems. They should find the conclusion very satisfying. I hope you get a chance to read this delightful title with your younger family members. It is a pleasant story. Enjoy!
Easter is a joyous occasion during springtime. Families come together and have Easter Egg hunts, share special meals and enjoy each other’s company.
But Easter is the most important day of the year because on that wondrous day, Our Lord overcame death through His Resurrection.
While reading books about the Easter Bunny is fun and brings humor to our gatherings, the religious nature of Easter is central to our understanding of our Catholic faith. It is through the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus that the barrier created by the sinful disobedience of man is overcome. Paul Maier tells this magnificent story of the Resurrection of Our Lord in this fine book, "The Very First Easter."
Christopher is a young boy living in a rural area. His parents are devout Christians and want him to deeply know Our Blessed Savior. In their kitchen, they begin talking about Jesus and why He is the center of history.
As the young boy asks questions about Our Lord’s life, his father takes out the family Bible and turns to St. Luke’s Gospel. The father reads about Jesus returning from the Temple as a 12-year-old boy and growing in "wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men. (Lk 2:52) He tells Christopher about Jesus growing up in Galilee and beginning His public ministry.
As the boy continues to ask questions about the divinity and mission of Our Lord, the father reads passages from the Bible to answer the youth’s inquiries. One of the passages is the raising of the widow of Nain’s dead son. Clearly, Jesus has power over death, and this miracle attests to His divinity.
The father continues reading passages from St. Luke’s Gospel to his son. He reads the account of Jesus entering Jerusalem on Palm Sunday (Lk 19:37-38), and tells Christopher about the disbelief of many people in Jerusalem. Christopher is then encouraged to read the account of the Last Supper. He sees that Our Lord has made a "new covenant in My blood, which is poured out for you." (Lk 22:19-20)
The father then continues reading the Passion accounts in St. Luke to the boy, which culminate in the Agony in the Garden, (Lk 22:41-46) and the trial and crucifixion of Jesus. (Lk 23:1-56)
After all the sorrow and pain of Good Friday, the father now begins showing the son the magnificence of Our Lord’s resurrection on Easter Sunday. (Lk 24:1-51) By the end of this loving interaction with his own father, Christopher knows how Jesus interacted with His Father and with all men. Paul Maier beautifully portrays how a child can understand and rejoice in the events of the Resurrection in this lovely book, "The Very First Easter."
This book lends itself to being read by an adult with a child. It would be most helpful to have a Bible nearby during the reading, so that you can continually turn to the Sacred Scriptures and show the youngster where the events being described by St. Luke are located in the sacred text. This way the child will see the connection between a fictionalized picture book and the inspired Word of God. Maier provides us with an exceptional teaching model to instruct a child in the faith. I hope you get a chance to check out this award-winning book, and to read the beautiful Biblical passages from St. Luke listed in this review. The sacred scriptural readings will be a grace filled encounter for you both. Enjoy and be Blessed!
Classical children’s literature transcends all times and cultures. The reason for this endurance is the poignancy, joy, interest and fascination that classical stories produce in young readers.
Without doubt, one of the great treasures of this field is the book "Tales of a Thousand and One Nights." Frequently shortened to "A Thousand and One Arabian Nights," these stories have delighted children for decades. Originally, these 244 tales were published in English in the early 1700s. They come from older stories and folktales in Asia and the Middle East.
While it must have been difficult, Kate Wiggin has selected a number of the most famous tales in this beautifully illustrated book entitled "The Arabian Nights." Of these, the story of Aladdin has always held great interest for Americans.
Aladdin is a very poor boy with little virtue. His father has despaired of ever making anything out of his son, as laziness seems to be the chief trait of the young boy. Broken down by hard work as a tailor, the old man dies, leaving his impoverished wife and ne’er-do-well son. Quite by accident, Aladdin one day meets an African magician in the marketplace. The magician takes a keen interest in Aladdin and begins showering gifts on the destitute youth. Aladdin’s mother is quite suspect of the magician and discourages the boy from associating with the older man.
As usual, Aladdin pays no attention to his mother’s advice, and continues spending time with the magician. The man takes the boy outside of town and entices him to go into an enchanted, jewel-filled cave to get a magic lamp. Before entering, he puts a magic ring on the boy’s finger, and tells him it will provide protection. What Aladdin doesn’t know is that the magician plans to keep the lamp and then kill him. Having taken down the magic lamp, he fills his pockets with precious jewels as he leaves the cave. His coat is so full of emeralds and diamonds that he tells the magician to help him out of the cave and then he will give the magician the magic lamp. This throws the older man into a fury, and he casts a spell that entombs Aladdin in the magic cave.
Alone and fearful of dying, Aladdin rubs the magic ring and a genie suddenly appears. He is told that any wish of his can be granted. The boy asks to be returned home, which instantly happens. Now Aladdin stands in front of his astonished mother with a magic ring and lamp. A few days later an announcement is made that everyone should stay indoors as the sultan’s daughter is going to the baths. However, Aladdin catches a glimpse of her and falls immediately in love. But how can a poor boy ever hope to marry a sultan’s daughter? Puzzling over this, Aladdin looks at the magic lamp.
What happens to Aladdin? Does the magic lamp help him win over the heart of the sultan’s daughter? What happens to the magician because of his acts of hatred? Why is virtue better than vice? To find out, go to the library and check out "The Arabian Nights" by Kate Wiggin.
All the stories in Wiggin’s title or any of the other numerous editions of the Arabian Nights fire children’s imagination. They will be enthralled by the exploits of the characters in the tales. Sinbad the Sailor will become a real person, and Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves will delight the children. Please encourage young children you know to read these exciting stories. As they pick up the book be sure to say "Open Sesame!" These stories are great fun.
In elementary school, students frequently ask to read "chapter books" by the end of the second grade. With this transitioning from picture books based primarily on pictures, to novels built on vocabulary, students enter a new world in reading development.
Several problems exist with these "early chapter books." First the students often don’t have the vocabulary needed to advance to these novels. Second, while their attention spans are growing, their ability to concentrate remains limited. Finally, it can be difficult to find stories that are interesting due to the limited vocabulary and cognitive development of these younger students.
Betsy Byars has addressed some of these issues in her fine novel, "Tornado." While both sexes will enjoy this book, boys will find a particular interest in the themes presented by the author.
The sky begins darkening in Tornado Alley, the swath of area that covers the borders of Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. Peter, the farm hand, shouts out the frightening word "twister."
Two young boys look as the twirling, snakelike tornado descends from the clouds. Their mother helps the old grandmother down the steps as they frantically try to reach the storm cellar. They barely have time to open the doors and get in before the twister descends on them. As they hang on for dear life, all remember that their father did not make it to the cellar before the cyclone struck.
To allay the fears of the young boys, Pete begins telling the story of a whirlwind that hit his farm when he was a young boy. His family had hurried into a root cellar to escape the fury of the tornado. In a matter of minutes the twister tore its way across their farm and their lives. The roof of their house was hurled like a piece of paper in their yard.
Amid all the destruction and debris, a doghouse had somehow descended from the heavens and landed near the well. In the smashed structure, a moan could be heard. Young Pete eventually got up the nerve to look inside the doghouse.
To his immense surprise, a large, black dog lay trapped inside. How in the world had a doghouse been carried so far by the twister? Even stranger, how had the dog survived?
The young boy bent down and tried to uncover the dog. After a while, the black dog pushed his way out of the wreckage. When he heard the word "supper" he bounded to the back door. Pete had just had a pet delivered to him by a tornado.
What kind of dog was this airborne creature? Why was he so friendly? What did Pete learn that the dog could do that was remarkable? How fast did it take Pete to fall in love with the black dog? What had happened to his original owners? To find out the answers to these questions, please go to the library and check out "Tornado" by Betsy Byars.
Betsy Byars is one of the most beloved writers in the field of children’s literature. She has dozens of publications in the field, and has won numerous awards for her work.
This early chapter book will keep the interest of young readers without proving to be too daunting. The boy’s love for the dog will ensure this book’s popularity. I hope the children in your family get a chance to read this excellent story. They will like the novel. Enjoy!
Summertime is a time of adventure and fun for most people. With the temperature rising, people naturally want to go outdoors. Sports become a major part of summer for many people. In addition to baseball, soccer, tennis and swimming, many students want to start playing golf.
This is a demanding sport that teaches humility and discipline. It seems so easy to hit a golf ball. But the results can be unpredictable. The ball doesn’t always fly straight, which can leave players befuddled. In spite of the demands of the sport, golf is a terrific game that can be learned with practice and discipline.
What skills and instruction are needed to be successful? John Gordon answers many of these questions in his fine book entitled "The Kids Book of Golf."
The author points out that golf is a sport that can be played by all types of people. You don’t need to be tall, or particularly strong, because accuracy is one of the most important elements in golf. Keeping the ball in the fairway is a surefire way to success in the sport.
He gives a history of golf’s origins in Scotland. Then a series of drawings show the most usual golf holes.
Next, Gordon talks about the development of golf clubs and golf balls. When one considers the technological development of clubs in recent years, it is hard to imagine anyone being able to play well with these early clubs.
A picture shows an early golf ball made out of feathers, and another one made out of gutta-percha, a type of gluey rubber. The rubber core golf ball that is used today was invented about 1900.
Gordon states that grip, aim and posture are the three elements of a good stroke. Next, he talks about the importance of chipping and putting. The common phrase "drive for show, putt for dough" becomes apparent after reading this section.
The author then has a section on golf rules. He discourages "winter rules" where you move the ball to a nicer position, and insists on playing honestly. Many adult players could learn from this section.
Since golf is such a physical sport, Gordon places great emphasis on warming up. Stretching exercises, and warm-up shots at the driving range are strongly encouraged. This means that golfers need to arrive at the course early enough to stretch and take some practice shots.
The book then includes some interesting photos of famous golfers, and their stories about learning to golf. Gordon then closes the book with a description of the most important golf tournaments, and some fun facts about unusual events in golf history.
This is an excellent book for students looking to spend their time learning an interesting and challenging sport. Golf cannot be learned quickly, which is one of the most valuable parts of the game. Golf teaches about life and determination. You cannot play well if you are not disciplined.
But it is important to remember that golf is meant to be fun. So while you want to encourage youngsters to try hard, also make sure you show them the joy of experiencing a well hit ball soaring towards the green. That is what keeps people coming back to golf, and what makes it such a great sport. Enjoy!
Floods are frightening acts of nature. Usually occurring near a river, citizens of the area watch helplessly as the waters begin to rise. They pray that the rains stop and the flow of water from the north abate.
Sometimes they get lucky and the flood is not too damaging, but other times misfortune arrives as dams and levees break. Then the penned up water surges through the weakened opening and disaster follows.
While the 2011 Mississippi River flood may be the worst to ever strike the United States, Deborah Kent tells the fearsome story of the 1927 flood. The title of this excellent book is "The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927."
The Mississippi River and its tributaries touch 31 states. Virtually all the rivers east of the Rocky Mountains and west of the Appalachian Mountains flow into the Mississippi. This huge watershed usually flows southward through New Orleans into the Gulf of Mexico. But in certain years, due to heavy snowfall and rains, the "Father of Waters" overflows its banks.
As people began settling the areas along the river, a series of earthen walls called levees were built. These massive structures were built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to exact specifications. They were to be 30 feet high, 188 feet thick at the base, and gradually sloping upward to an 8-foot wide plateau on the top. This size of levee was the norm for the 1,100 miles from Cairo, Illinois to the Gulf of Mexico. In 1926, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers, General Edgar Jadwin, confidently stated that this engineering feat could withstand any flood the Mississippi could throw at the levee system.
Heavy rains fell in late 1926, and were followed by deep snowfalls. By early spring the waters of the river began to rise. The tons and tons of water began pressing against and stretching the river’s levees. All along the river, workmen began to frantically build the levees higher, only to watch more rain fall and see the river continue to rise. Weak points in the levees began to leak, and everyone became terrified of a crevasse, or break, in the levees. Orders were given to armed guardsmen walking on the top of the levees to shoot anyone trying to damage the levees.
In spite of all this heroic effort, the levees broke in the state of Mississippi. This northern section of Mississippi, called The Delta had large section swamped under many feet of water. The city of New Orleans knew they were next. What should they do to save their city?
What answers did New Orleans arrive at? How did 39 tons of dynamite play a role in saving New Orleans? Who paid the price for this salvation? Who were the winners and losers of the 1927 flood?
Is it really possible to channel a river as immense as the Mississippi into a levee system? What have we learned in the last 90 years about floods on the Mississippi River? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this well-written book about the 1927 flood.
Deborah Kent has written a number of excellent nonfiction books for children. This title is in the highly regarded Cornerstones of Freedom series. The writing is very interesting and the photographs draw readers into the power and awful terror of the Mississippi River during a flood.
Having grown up on the banks of the Mississippi River, I can attest to the immense havoc a flood can inflict on an area. This book would be quite useful to students in the fourth through sixth grades in social studies classes. Kent’s book was not enjoyable for me, but it was compelling reading.
Children have little trouble using their imaginations. They understand fairy tales, and enjoy reading and hearing these stories of adventure and excitement.
Children appreciate fables as well, with their moral underpinning. The combination of exciting the imaginations of children and teaching values is a unique talent. David Wiesner takes a very well known fairy tale/fable and gives it a completely new twist in his 2002 Caldecott-winning book, "The Three Pigs."
As he commonly does in his books, Wiesner writes about and draws hilarious scenes that will keep children laughing throughout the reading of the book.
The story begins with the big bad wolf coming over the hill and seeing the first pig building his house out of straw. The wolf huffs and puffs and blows the house down. Unfortunately for the wolf, the strength of his puff has also blown the pig out of the story.
Perplexed, the wolf looks around the destroyed house and doesn’t find the pig. As a result of this undesired consequence, he gets no lunch. So he ventures after the second pig, who has built his house out of sticks.
After threatening the second pig, he blows the house down. Unfortunately, the wolf now finds that the second pig has vanished as well. He has joined the first pig. Now the wolf is completely lost and hungry. Where did they go?
The wolf doggedly trudges on to the third pig’s house that is made of bricks. As he huffs and puffs, the third little pig escapes from the house and finds the other two pigs. By now the wolf has become trapped in the pages of the story book, and the three pigs go on adventures in other fairy tales. This leads them to flying through the air and landing the story, "Hey diddle, the cat and the fiddle." But this fairy tale is too dull for the pigs, so they fly off to another story, filled with dragons and princes. Much to their surprise, the pigs find that the cat and the fiddle have joined their escapades.
But this isn’t the fairy tale of the three little pigs; so how do they get back to their own story? What has become of the poor wolf still stuck in the pages of the original story?
How can you use your imagination to pop in and out of fairy tales and situations? Who finally protects the three pigs? Have you ever saved someone from harm? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this very funny picture book, "The Three Pigs," by David Wiesner.
The author uses surrealist art in much of his work, and creates highly unusual settings. Here we see pigs flying through the air and traditional fairy tales being combined with zany actions. This book is completely fun, and children will keep laughing at the hi-jinks of the three pigs.
When you read this book it important to remember that Wiesner will sometimes write the original fairy tale, but create a different reality through the drawings. Lest you get confused, the original words don’t always match what is really happening in the story, and this is especially true in the second half of the book. The drawings are the true reality of what has occurred.
You will have an enjoyable time reading this delightful book with your younger family members. Just don’t laugh more than the children. Enjoy!
Baseball is a sport enjoyed by millions throughout the world. It has a long heritage, with the beginning of the game in the late 1800s. Just as today, people of that period cheered their favorite players and rooted for their home teams.
During the early 1900s, baseball cards began to be manufactured. Children began collecting the cards of the most popular players. One of the greatest stars of this period was Honus Wagner, and his baseball card became the rarest card in the entire sport. Jane Yolen tells the story of this phenomenal player, and the incredible account of his baseball card.
Born near Pittsburgh, Honus grew up in a German family of hard-working miners. As the fourth boy in the family, Honus had plenty of time to see his older brothers excel in the sport. Fluent in German and English, the young boy did not attend formal schools after reaching his 12th birthday. Instead, he began working in the coal mines from dawn to dusk.
All of this difficult work built Honus into a very strong young man. Since he had bowed legs and long arms, Honus was sometimes thought of awkward and homely. When not working he would play baseball with an intense passion and soon caught the attention of major league teams. So gifted was Honus, that he was able to play most positions, but eventually developed into a brilliant shortstop. There, playing mainly for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Wagner began a 21-year major league career. During that time, he won eight batting championships and set many other records. By the time he retired, Honus was a beloved figure in Pittsburgh, for his athletic prowess and kind deposition.
The story of his baseball card is larger than life as well. In the early 1900s, baseball cards began to be included in cigarette packages. To get the card, youngsters had to buy the cigarettes or have their parents purchase them. The virtuous Wagner thought this a terrible idea because it encouraged smoking in young people. As a result, he demanded that his card be removed from the cigarette packages. At first this didn’t seem like an important event. But what it actually did was create a huge shortage of baseball cards for one of the greatest players of all time. The name of this famous baseball card is the T206. It is likely the most highly prized and expensive baseball souvenir in the world.
Why is Honus Wagner still so revered in baseball circles today? What did the Pittsburgh Pirates have made to honor his memory? Who did Ty Cobb think was the most gifted baseball player of all time?
Could you smash a baseball if you held onto the bat with a separated grip? What is a T206 Wagner card worth? The amount will stagger your imagination.
To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this excellent book, "All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever."
This book is an uplifting read. It is hard not to be inspired by the life and athletic skill of Honus Wagner. Unlike so many famous sports figures, Wagner always kept a spirit of humility about him. He showed that a baseball player can be a great player and a great man at the same time.
The story of the T206 card continues to be in the news as well. Some nuns were recently willed a T206 card in poor condition and sold it at auction December 20, 2010 for $220,000. So don’t put those old baseball cards in the spokes of your bike like I did. They may someday make you a millionaire.
I hope you encourage your younger family members to check out this fine book. It was fun to read. Enjoy!
The Fourth of July celebration is one of the most joyful and entertaining days in the year.
Families come together with expectations of friendship and picnics of delicious food. After sharing the lip-smacking meal, children play outside and adults visit. Frequently, bands play patriotic music in city parks.
After this pleasant event, as the sun sets, everyone eagerly awaits the annual fireworks display. With the first bursting rocket, people glue their eyes to the sky for the next colorful explosion.
Jean Van Leeuwen takes readers back into the 1850’s and describes a Fourth of July celebration along the Oregon Trail. The title of this well-written book is "A Fourth of July on the Plains."
The journey from Indiana has been going on for weeks. By July 4th, the wagon train has finally reached the last section of the Great Plains before entering the Rockies.
Footsore and weary, the travelers decide to rest for a day and celebrate the Fourth of July. So far from home, they look out on immense grass and looming mountains and plan their celebration.
The men decide to go hunting and leave the wagon train behind.Young Jesse wants to go with the men, but his father tells him he is too young.
Left behind, he disconsolately looks about the camp. The women are busy baking and preparing the celebratory meal. This seems dull for Jesse, and he starts getting into trouble. His mother becomes angry at his shenanigans and soon has him sitting at a campfire, stirring a pot.
Jesse and his friends now really feel disconnected and without purpose. They are too young for the men, and have no interest in working with the women and girls. They begin to think of an idea.
Remembering the parades they have witnessed in Indiana, and the music the bands played, the boys wonder if these things could be something they could do at the camp.
But how do you create a band in the middle of the plains? Looking about, the boys come up with a plan.
What do the boys create for the wagon train? How does music form a major part of this idea? Do you like Fourth of July parades? Have you ever participated in a parade?
Do you like the picnics on the Fourth of July best, or are the fireworks your favorite? How do these young boys bring joy to the travelers in the middle of the Great Plains?
To find out the answers to these questions, please go to the library and check out this interesting title, "A Fourth of July on the Plains," by Jean Van Leeuwen.
The author shows this well known holiday being enjoyed by a group of settlers on the Oregon Trail.
She has used the actual diary of the young boy, Jesse, to give the actual details of the celebration. As a result, the story has a deep sense of authenticity.
As you prepare for your upcoming celebration of the Fourth of July, share this intriguing story with your family. The times were certainly different, but the joy of the holiday celebration and the love of the United States is still the same. I hope you like the book. Enjoy!
Concept books are very hard to write in an interesting manner. First, you have the problem of presenting the idea of the story. Second, the concept must be described in a manner that is understandable for the audience. Finally, the book must be interesting. Because of this, many writers steer clear of concept books.
Fortunately for us, Joyce Sidman has written a poetic concept book that avoids these problems. She uses the natural world to teach children the seasons of the year, and the colors in the spectrum. The title of this lovely book is "Red Sings from Treetops: a Year in Colors."
The story begins with a lady walking outdoors with a little dog. Both the woman and the dog are wearing crowns. The top of the house is lifting off and cardinals are flying across the sky. It is Spring! The maple trees develop a red hue; rhubarb begins taking a red shade and all the sounds of the world echo like cherries falling to the ground.
The entire world then becomes green, and the lady and her little dog explore this lovely world. Balanced on a wheel, the woman holds an umbrella made of green stalks. Soon this bursting world is joined by the color yellow. Goldfinches join the cardinals and fly upwards toward a comforting yellow sun. Some of the tips of the yellow flowers gracefully turn purple.
But since spring is a time of thunder and lightning, the lady picks up her little dog and runs away from the white bolts of lightning and cold white hail. Fortunately, the storm blows over and white leaves behind delicate pale flowers.
Now the woman and her dog run outdoors to play in the gorgeous sunshine and encounter the majestic color blue. The blue sky frames the world and gives it a spectacular beauty. In a nearby tree, four young pink birds open mouths for their mother to feed them and sing to the heavens. It is almost Summer!
More colors come pouring into the story. The lady discovers the beauty of black on a nighttime walk. The black night is mysterious, and in a tree the woman sees a raccoon staring at her. But the color also is comforting.
But Fall and Winter have not yet arrived. What colors and shapes will represent these wonderful seasons?
What color do you prefer? Do you have a favorite season? Sometimes it is hard to tell because each color is beautiful and every season has its charms.
Why do the lady and her dog always have a crown on their heads? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out "Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors," by Joyce Sidman.
"Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors" won the Caldecott Honor Award in 2010 for its distinguished art. All of the illustrations have a whimsical, poetic feel. Since Sidman is teaching color concepts and the four seasons of the year, readers will be gracefully introduced to the various colors of the changing calendar.
This book is particularly valuable for readers with a sense of beauty. The poetry is engaging. It is written in a warm and comforting manner and is illustrated in a lovely, whimsical style.
I hope you get the chance to go to the library and check out this enchanting title. I liked the book, and think you will as well. Enjoy!
The early Christian writer, Tertullian, is well known for his famous statement that "the blood of the martyrs is the seedbed of the Faith." During the Roman Canon (Eucharistic Prayer I), many martyrs are directly named. While the 20th century likely has more martyred Catholics than any other century, one of the most recognized victims for the Faith is the important philosopher/nun, Edith Stein (later Carmelite Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.) Dr. Stein was born into a close knit Jewish family in Germany in 1891. By the time Miss Stein began studying philosophy, she had long lost her faith. Through a fortunate occurrence, she read "The Story of a Soul" by St. Therese of Lisieux and this revelatory experience started her conversion to Catholicism. Dr. Stein eventually joined the Carmelite Order and took final vows in 1938. With the attack of the Nazis on German Jews, she and her sister Rosa moved to Holland to escape the Nazi grip. With the conquest of Holland by the Third Reich in 1940, all Dutch Jews were now subject to deportation and death.
This terrible situation put the Dutch Churches in a difficult spot. All the Christian church leaders felt that they were obligated to condemn the horrible actions of the Nazis. Archbishop de Jong of Utrecht finally decided to decry the Nazis horrible actions in an Episcopal letter to be read from all Dutch pulpits on July 26, 1942. The major Protestant churches in Holland agreed to read a similar version of the letter. De Jong told Dr. Arthur Seyss-Inquart, the vile Nazi leader in Holland, that the letter was going to be read on July 26, 1942. Forewarned, the Nazi leaders managed to get most of the Protestant churches to change their minds about reading the letter, but were unsuccessful with the Catholic hierarchy. As a result, the letter was read in all Catholic churches and the Nazi retaliation was almost immediate. Nearly all of the 400 or so Catholic Jews were arrested seven days later on August 2, 1942. About 70% of these victims were subsequently released, but 113 went to their deaths in the concentration camps. This group included priests, nuns, religious brothers, single persons and entire families.
Father Hamans gives brief biographies of 28 of the victims. St. Teresa Benedicta of the Cross (Dr. Edith Stein) has a detailed account of her life and sacrificial suffering after being arrested. Hamans compassionately records the lives and deaths of these Catholic Jews. The book includes a copy of the July 26, 1942 letter, and a thorough account of the Nazi revenge on the Catholic Jews for the public reading of the letter.
The book raises important questions. How should we respond to terrible moral evil? Should we ever do anything that might put other people’s lives at risk? Christians cannot remain silent in the face of sinful depravity, but what should you do when you suspect that a protest will likely bring down a frightful consequence? These are all complex questions that don’t have easy answers. Father Hamans shows the great faith and courage of the Dutch martyrs throughout the biographies. A number of the Catholic Jews were frightened and terrified of being arrested, but all persevered in the Faith during this dreadful time. This is not a book that is enjoyable to read, but rather a book that is appropriate for our times when Catholics are being martyred in a number of countries. Father Hamans has given remarkable face to heroic martyrdom of the Catholic Jews of Holland. This book is available from Ignatius Press, and a number of Catholic bookstores. I hope you take the chance to read it.
The late James Marshall was one of the funniest writers to ever grace the field of children’s literature. Wildly popular with children, Marshall tells the zaniest stories with fun and laughter. After his early and unfortunate death, the famed illustrator Maurice Sendak took one of Marshall’s manuscripts’s and created all the illustrations for a new story. This powerful combination of talents has created a book that has all the humor of Marshall and the drawing talent of Sendak. The name of this funny book is Swine Lake.
A down on his luck wolf hunches over a newspaper looking for opportunities to find some delicious animals to eat. Somewhat given to the fine arts, the wolf peruses the Arts and Leisure section of the newspaper as well. Since reading isn’t going to fill his stomach, he leaves his threadbare room and heads out to the street. Above all else, the wolf loves to eat pigs, and salivates at the mere sight of the little porkers. Much to his surprise he sees that a new ballet has come to town and is being performed by the Boarshoi Ballet. As he nears the theatre, he sees pigs everywhere and his hunger becomes inflamed. But since the audience appears to be completely comprised of pigs, the wolf wonders how he can get into the theatre with his bushy tail and sharp claws. Fortunately, a rich old sow stops the wolf and offers him her front row tickets. Cunningly, the wolf walks to his section and begins planning his assault. The curtain rises and the ballet begins.
Much to his surprise, the wolf is captivated by the music and the graceful dancing of the chunky pigs. One of the male leads, the portly Monsieur Franche de Lard, seems to leap through the air in his leotards. Captivated as he is by the story, the wolf keeps telling himself not to gobble all the pigs when he makes his attack. But the prima pigarinna and the ballet have begun to capture his heart. Much to his surprise the wolf understands that a story is being told, and a marriage is about to take place in the ballet. His heart rises with joy for the pigarinna and is crushed when an evil monster appears on stage and snatches her away from her heartbroken fiancé. As his stomach rumbles, concern for the welfare of the abducted pig fills his heart. How could that evil monster seize such a beautiful girl pig? The curtain falls and the wolf begins planning a rescue strategy.
What does the wolf do? Does his physical hunger overcome his love for the stricken pigarrina? Or does he act nobly and save the graceful but forlorn ballet star? What would you do in such circumstances? Does love triumph in the end? To find out, go to the library and checkout this witty book, Swine Lake by James Marshall and Maurice Sendak.
The vivid play of imagination is quite evident in this book. Children will have no trouble understanding the book, and will think it is hysterical that pigs are dressed in ballet attire and gracefully dancing. The pictures of the wolf’s growing concern for the female lead dancer are delightful. Pay close attention to the pictures because they are as funny as the story. This book is not trying to tell some eternal truth, but is children’s literature at its rollicking best. I hope you get a chance to read this book with the younger members of your family. My wife kept laughing when she read it, and I think you will too. Enjoy!
Courage and perseverance are two necessary traits when one encounters trials and persecutions in life.
Courage gives a person the strength to enter into a trying and painful situation and attempt to transform it. Perseverance is the equally necessary quality that allows a person to continue striving to carry difficult tasks to their conclusion.
One hero in American life is Jackie Robinson. Mr. Robinson helped the United States begin to overcome its discriminatory past through his courageous life in sports and the pubic arena.
While much is known about his integration of major league baseball, much less is known about his private life. His daughter, Sharon Robinson, writes a compelling biography of her father and relates an important personal incident that taught the family the true meaning of courage. The name of this fine biography is "Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson."
In the late 1940s, the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey, approached Jackie Robinson about becoming the first African American player in the major leagues. This was a culturally revolutionary offer that was filled with peril for Jackie Robinson and the Brooklyn Dodgers. Could racial hatred be overcome through the sport of baseball?
In the beginning of this experiment, Jackie Robinson faced terrible racial abuse. The hatred was so much that it would have broken a lesser man. But Robinson’s strength of character, courage and fortitude carried him through these awful times. Eventually, Robinson became admired and respected both as a person and as a baseball player in the United States.
After the Dodgers won the 1955 World Series, Robinson moved his family to a beautiful home in the country. The property was wooded and had a lovely lake. All of Jackie’s children swam in the lake with other youngsters in the neighborhood. When they beckoned Jackie to join them, he always waved but never entered the water to swim with the children.
When winter came, the lake would freeze completely over. Jackie’s children and those in the neighborhood would clamor for him to go ice skating with them. But Jackie was suspicious of the ice cracking. Despite his misgivings, he put on his winter coat and headed to the lake with the children. Cautioning them to wait on the shore, he walked out onto the ice. Suddenly there was a loud booming crack.
What caused the ice to crack? Can someone survive if he falls through the ice in the middle of winter? What did the author, Sharon Robinson learn about her dad that day?
Have you ever been frightened? What did you do to overcome your fears? What did Jackie do when the shattering noise occurred? To find out, go to the library and check out this fine biography, "Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson."
Jackie Robinson affected American culture in many ways. While his public life is well known, this attractively drawn portrait of his private life is very inspirational.
I hope you get a chance to read this book with your younger family members. I found the book moving and think you will as well. Enjoy!
American schools are based on the understanding of the written word. This is done by reading information and transcribing ideas through writing.
While oral storytelling is capable of transmitting cultural ideas accurately, a written alphabet transforms a culture. Writing allows people from different cultures and countries to learn and experience a society. Since storytelling relies on an immense amount of time to memorize, writing gives members of a society the capability to quickly develop thought and capture cultural ideas in books, letters and essays. Writing allows a society to develop beyond a hunter/gatherer mentality.
In Native American tribes, history was usually passed on through oral tradition. But this tradition was changed in the Cherokee tribe because of the efforts of one man. That man was Sequoyah, the inventor of the written Cherokee language.
Sequoyah was born in the 1760s and was partially crippled. He learned to be a metal worker and made both sturdy iron tools and delicate silverware. As the migration into Cherokee land in Georgia began to happen in the 1790s, Sequoyah began to see that contracts, deeds and other important documents were always written.
He decided to create a written system for the Cherokee language. Many of his fellow Cherokees thought he was foolish for wasting his time on such a silly project. In fact, members of his tribe actually burned down his cabin with all of his early attempts to write Cherokee. But in spite of this mean-spirited attack, Sequoyah persevered. While he had first tried to draw a picture for each idea around him, the amount of pictures became too vast to be useable. He needed to try a new method. What would happen if there was a symbol for each sound in the language? How many sounds were there in Cherokee? Sequoyah decided to find out.
After he had listened and studied his language, he created all the letters needed to form an alphabet. All of his neighbors were reduced to silence when his 6-year-old daughter read in the newly-written language. Soon, Cherokee warriors started writing out their thoughts as well. Now a new way was possible to record the history of the Cherokee people.
Terrible times soon came to the Cherokee people through the stubborn cruelty of President Andrew Jackson. They were marched from Georgia to Oklahoma on the sorrowful "Trail of Tears." Throughout this awful time, their language was preserved, and with it the memory of their nation.
How did all this happen? How did Sequoyah’s great invention help save the cultural memory of the Cherokee nation? Have you ever tried to invent a form of writing? How would you do it? And finally, why did Sequoyah’s work make him a true American hero? To find out, go to the library and read this excellent biography, "Sequoyah," by James Rumford.
This award-winning book is a highly readable introduction to the remarkable life of Sequoyah. The author does not belabor the deportation of the Cherokees from the Southeast, but tells the story in a sensitive manner. All of the English writing in this story has a Cherokee translation at the bottom of each page. While some of the Cherokee letters were historically transformed into durable English characters, most of the Cherokee scripts retained the beautiful loops and whirls Sequoyah invented. I hope you take the time to read this interesting book about Sequoyah and the beautiful writing he created.
In St. Matthew’s Gospel, Our Lord tells Simon Peter: "Thou art Peter and on this Rock I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Mt 16:18-19) With this divine command, Our Blessed Savior established the office of the papacy.
From the first martyred popes, to the recent Holy Fathers, the papacy has steered the Church through many trying periods. Twentieth-century popes had to confront world wars, revolutions and revolts against religion.
During the long and grace-filled reign of Pope John Paul II, one cardinal in particular assisted the great Slavic successor to St. Peter. This cardinal’s name was Joseph Ratzinger, and Claire Mohan has written a sensitive account of his life for children. It is entitled, "Joseph from Germany."
On April 16th, 1927, a baby boy was born to Joseph and Maria Ratzinger. His father bundled him up in a blanket and took the baby to the village church for baptism. Given the name Joseph Aloysius Ratzinger, the infant was quickly baptized on that same day. During the next few years, Joseph grew up in a pious and loving family. He had an older sister named Maria and an older brother named Georg. The family was deeply devoted to prayer and the Catholic Faith. This nurtured a deep love for God in all three Ratzinger children.
But the happy, peaceful days of childhood ended when Adolph Hitler gained power in Germany. Now all Germans were taught to look at Hitler for guidance instead of God. Mr. Ratzinger found this situation to be intolerable and moved his family into a rural setting, farther away from the insanity of National Socialism, as the Nazi philosophy was named. No member of the Ratzinger family supported the Nazis.
This isolation in the country for some time worked, but eventually World War II erupted and both of the young Ratzingers were drafted into the German Army. At the end of the war, both brothers returned home and entered the seminary and were later ordained on the same day.
Happily for Father Joseph, his first assignment was in a parish. There he brought the sacraments to the sick, said Mass and happily performed the duties of a parish priest. But the Holy Spirit had other plans for Father Joseph, and he was asked to begin a doctoral program in theology. His path toward becoming a holy priest and an intellectual giant had begun.
What happened to Father Ratzinger during these years? How did his brilliance lead to his becoming a theological expert at Vatican II? Why did his spiritual and intellectual qualities lead to his becoming a cardinal? Why did Pope John Paul II have such trust in Cardinal Ratzinger? How did all of these life experiences prepare him to become Pope Benedict XVI? To find out read this wonderful biography, "Joseph from Germany," by Claire Jordan Mohan.
This is a beautifully-told story of the life of Pope Benedict XVI. The writing draws you into the life of Father Ratzinger, and tells of his elevation to Archbishop, Cardinal and finally to the papal office. I found the book interesting and informative.
Ms. Frizzle (Frizzy or The Friz) is one of the most interesting characters in children’s books in recent years. Joanna Cole, the author, has taken countless elementary school students on exciting adventures with Ms. Frizzle and the Magic School Bus. With her swirling, unruly red hair, Ms. Frizzle always holds a charm for children. In each of the expeditions, she takes her class on a yellow Magic School Bus.
One of her students is the lazy and somewhat hapless Arnold. The Friz always gets Arnold moving and the story frequently centers on his actions and reactions to the adventures.
This book is slightly different in that Ms. Frizzle begins the story in Craig’s Castle Shop, rather than school and Magic School Bus. She enters the Castle Shop carrying a book on medieval castles. When Arnold sees her, an uneasy feeling comes over him. Frizzy pulls the trapdoor Arnold is standing on and the boy disappears. Ms. Frizzle immediately jumps down the trapdoor with several others. They instantly find themselves in an English medieval castle. The adventure is beginning.
Somewhat stunned, Arnold starts running through a castle tunnel to get away from The Friz. Undeterred, she pursues him until they are in the middle of the castle. Looking around, Arnold and the others see a fully functioning medieval castle.There are towers, walls, parapets, and a drawbridge over a moat. Inside the castle, they meet poor peasants working in the castle and see the rich noble family of Lord Robert and Lady Anne. There are cooks making food for the people in the castle, the leather workers, blacksmiths, carpenters and hunters carrying falcons.
The whole scene is one of constant motion. Suddenly trumpets sound and all the soldiers assemble to march out on a military campaign. Lord Robert leaves at the head of the army for the kingdom is in danger. Lady Anne takes charge of managing the castle in her husband’s absence.
Unfortunately, an old enemy, Baron Griffin sees his opportunity to seize the castle. He arrives with an army and prepares to lay a siege. As the peasants flee to the safety of the castle, the battles begin. The soldiers under Lady Anne hold out during several attacks, but it is clear that the castle will fall if Lord Robert does not return with his army. Unfortunately, the plight of the castle is unknown to Lord Robert. A brave person must be chosen to risk his life getting through enemy lines. Ms. Frizzle knows just the man for the job. She selects Arnold.
How does Arnold prepare for this dangerous assignment? Is he courageous? Have you ever been chosen for something you were unsure about? Did you have the strength and ingenuity to complete the task? What does Arnold do? Is the castle saved? To find out, go to the library and check out this entertaining book, "Medieval Castle" by Joanna Cole.
Ms. Frizzle and Arnold are both delightful characters. Their adventures are interesting, and Joanna Cole and Bruce Degen have packed a great deal of information and vocabulary development into the side bars next to each drawing.
This is not a book for most K-2 students. The story is complex and the reading is challenging. But middle grade students usually love the exploits of Frizzy and her students. If you have never read this book or any of the titles from the Magic School Bus series, you should do so. You are in for a treat; it is easy to see why they are so popular. Enjoy!
Animal fantasies are among the most famous stories in children’s literature.
In these types of tales, animals talk, make decisions and solve problems that are common to the life situations of most people. "Charlotte’s Web" by E.B. White may be the most memorable animal fantasy ever written. Elementary-school children enjoy this genre of literature because it is entertaining and addresses problems that they encounter.
Dick King-Smith, an English writer, has crafted a delightful story about an animal wanting to become greater. The name of this engaging fantasy is "Babe: The Gallant Pig."
Mr. Hogget is an English sheep farmer. Little given to speech, he works his farm with diligence and the assistance of an outstanding collie named Fly. In short order, Fly can encircle a herd of sheep and drive them into holding pens. The sheep are terrified of Fly because she bites them when they don’t move fast enough. Being sheep, they do not have highly-developed intellects, and constantly bleat out the word "wolf" each time they see a dog. Fly holds all sheep in contempt for their low I.Q.’s.
When Mr. Hogget goes to town one day, he sees a pig being given away. Though he doesn’t raise pigs, this pig is free if you will pay 10 pence and guess the correct weight. The pig has an interesting look about him, so the farmer pays the money and guesses 31 pounds and a quarter. Much to his surprise, his estimate is completely accurate, and he wins the pig.
The new pig is introduced to Fly in the barn and soon loves her like his own mother. When asked his name, the pig says his first mother simply called him Babe. Fly takes a liking to the little porker and takes him all around the farm. When Babe sees Fly, whom he calls Ma, rounding up the sheep, he makes a momentous decision. He too will round up the sheep by becoming a sheep-pig.
But the first day Babe tries to round up the sheep, he discovers that a pig cannot run as fast as sheep or dogs. So he sits down and begins conversing with the sheep. Stunned that anyone would treat them with kindness, the sheep immediately obey Babe and quickly go down to the pen. Farmer Hogget carefully watches this and begins to hatch a plan. Each day Babe gets better and better at rounding up the sheep, and discovers the secret password that will get the sheep to follow him anywhere. Sensing something special, Mr. Hogget loads Babe into his ancient Land Rover and enters him in the National Sheepdog Trials. But will the officials allow a sheep-pig to enter the National Sheepdog Trials? The tension builds.
What happens to Babe at the National Trials? Does the password change the way the new sheep react to him? Can he chug along fast enough to keep up with the sheep? Will the judges accept such an unusual entry? Have you ever done anything really out of the ordinary like this? What finally happens? To find out go to the library and check out this highly entertaining animal fantasy, "Babe the Gallant Pig."
This story is simply delightful. The author understands that childhood should have a time of wonderful innocence. You can’t help but root for the chubby Babe as he attempts to transform himself into a sheep-pig. Dick King-Smith knows how to keep middle grade students laughing as they follow Babe’s exploits. I hope you get a chance to read this funny book.
People with crippling infirmities have to overcome many obstacles. First, there is the personal adjustment they must make to live in a world that does not befriend them.
Second, they sometimes must endure odd looks and rejection from "normal people."
Finally, they must try to overcome their disabilities to lead a productive life. While some handicapped people, like Helen Keller, literally change the way the world views people with differences, others struggle under the weight of their crosses.
Paul Gallico has written a beautifully-told story of one man coping with and transforming his disabilities. The name of this sensitive and brave account is "Snow Goose."
In 1930, Phillip Rhayader moved to the abandoned marshes of southern England.
A sensitive artist, Phillip also had a deformed back and hand. After years of trying to fit in, he simply leaves society and settles in a lonely lighthouse near the beach. There he paints magnificent seascapes, and befriends countless birds, ducks and geese. Every week or so, he journeys into town and gets a few supplies before returning to his lonely exile.
Stories begin to abound about his ability to heal birds, and a young girl named Fritha finds a wounded Canadian goose in the marsh. As the bird is badly injured, the girl decides to risk visiting the artist to see if the stories of his healing skills are accurate.
As the girl brings the wounded goose to the lighthouse, she meets a sensitive man with a deeply caring nature. He attends to the injured goose and names it "the Lost Princess."
Fritha is a very lonely child and comes out and visits Mr. Rhayader and the Lost Princess frequently. As the bird gets better, Fritha finds herself drawn into a caring friendship with the crippled man.
But the goose is well by spring and flies north with the other geese. Fritha is somewhat heartbroken at the Lost Princess’s departure, but Phillip comforts her with the thought that geese also migrate south in the winter.
Sure enough, some months later, the Lost Princess lands at the lighthouse to the delight of the artist and the girl. Knowing a good thing, the goose never migrates again, and lives permanently with Rhayader.
As the years pass, the friendship of Phillip and Firtha grows. He teaches her to sail, and they have many wonderful days on the ocean.
But the spring of 1940 changes everything. The Nazis have surrounded and pinned down a British and French army at Dunkirk. From the beach they can hear the shelling across the English Channel. The British government puts out an urgent plea for anyone with a small boat to sail to France and ferry the trapped soldiers over the shallow port waters to the waiting British fleet.
Phillip quickly readies his small sailboat as Fritha anxiously waits on the beach. As he leaves, Fritha finally realizes that she loves Phillip. As the cannon fire increases, Phillip arrives at Dunkirk with the Lost Princess flying over his boat.
What happens at Dunkirk? Does Phillip save the lives of French and British soldiers? What are the odd tales the soldiers are telling that their lives will be spared if that strange goose flies over them? Who is this unusual man that pulls so many of them out of the sea? How many little boats are machine gunned during the miracle rescue of more than 300,000 soldiers at Dunkirk? What happens to Phillip and what does Firtha learn about the true value of people?
To find out, read this exceptional story of courage and dedication by Paul Gallico.
This is a beautiful and moving account of people overcoming barriers in life and finding their human dignity. It is a moving story with poignant illustrations.
The book is not meant for light reading, but tells a powerful story of compassion and bravery. The story is just as meaningful today as when it was first published 70 years ago. I hope you get a chance to read this outstanding book.
Every country has a unique musical sound. Germany has powerful symphonies by Beethoven and lyrical waltzes. Italy has soaring operas by Verdi and Puccini, and Mexico has music with a vibrating beat. The musical sound of the United States has been influenced by a melting pot of cultures. There is classical music, rag time, blues and jazz. When combined this unique blend of tones and feelings gives a power to music from the United States. No composer captured this spirit like George Gershwin. Anna Harwell Celenza tells the amazing story of his masterpiece, "Rhapsody in Blue," in this interesting book.
By the age of 26, George Gershwin has already written numerous popular songs and several musicals. During a pool game, much to his surprise, his brother Ira tells him that a recital of American music is going to take place in New York in five weeks. According to the newspaper column, George will play a new jazz concerto to highlight the show. The young composer drops his pool cue on hearing this. What new jazz concerto? He isn’t even working on a concerto, let alone one that would showcase American music. Angrily he storms down to see Paul Whitman, the band leader with this grandiose idea for showcasing American music. Whitman realizes that Gershwin has not written any of the music for this defining piece, but confidently tells the musician that he has all the talent necessary to write such a work. Reluctantly, George agrees to try and returns home to listen to the great composers Liszt and Chopin. But this is not American music, and the compositions are of little help. So George begins walking around New York thinking about the concerto. Frustrated, he boards a train to Boston to attend a production of his recent musical. On the train, as the wheels continue to clack around and around, an idea begins to form. He remembers hearing a band playing at a Bar Mitzvah, the sounds of Scott Joplin’s ragtime, and various blues songs. Throughout the trip he sees the new dance, the Foxtrot, blending with all of these sounds. Gershwin quickly puts the notes down on the musical score. In a short time the concerto must be performed at the theatre and Gershwin races to stay ahead of his deadline. On the night of the performance, the crowd has become angry with the mediocre songs in the show. Paul Whitman turns to George to play "The Rhapsody in Blue." He hurriedly runs across the stage to the piano and begins.
What happens that night? Did the crowd riot as Paul Whitman had feared? Is it possible to blend rag time, popular, classical and blues music together? How do you add dancing into this exciting mix? Have you ever heard George Gershwin’s music? If not, go to the library and check out this entertaining book about the development of Gershwin’s masterpiece.
George Gershwin captured many American experiences in his excellent compositions. Listening to them is fun and exciting, and this book has excellent pictures and text to tell the story of writing of "The Rhapsody in Blue." It is a very entertaining book. You will enjoy it as much as your children. And remember; don’t forget to listen to the exhilarating CD of the music that is available on the back page. Enjoy!
Racial discrimination is always an ugly event. To judge and, many times, condemn people for their physical characteristics is to harm Christ Himself. Unfortunately, most countries have practiced some form of racial discrimination in their history.
While slavery was the most long lasting example in the United States, the treatment of Japanese-Americans during World War II was also terrible. Shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, the Roosevelt administration ordered all Japanese-Americans to be interned at 10 camps in six western states. About 120,000 people were exiled to these internment camps, and they were not released until the end of World War II.
The highly acclaimed Japanese-American writer/illustrator Allen Say tells their painful story in this subtle, metaphorical book, "Home of the Brave."
The story begins with a man kayaking down a stream. The waves of the river turn more violent and he is carried over a waterfall and plunges beneath the surface of the earth in an underground river. He loses his helmet, life jacket, kayak and paddle. Stunned, he is carried away by the water and thinks he is drowning. But at last he sees a light and crawls out of the water. Sun is streaming through an opening in the ground and the exhausted man climbs up a ladder to the surface.
No sooner does he leave the underworld than he sees two children. Thinking he is in an abandoned Indian village, he sees two children huddled next to an adobe wall. To his surprise, they are both Japanese-American and are stranded in a desert. He, also Japanese-American, inquires what they are doing in this desolate land. The children answer that they are waiting to go home. He sees that both children have tags around their necks, but he can’t make out the meaning. When he asks the girl where the children came from, she simply replies "From the camp."
Taking the children’s hands, he walks with them through a blinding sandstorm to the camp. When he gets there he sees many abandoned houses. Opening up one door he finds an old identification tag. On the tag, to his horror, is his own name. Now the man realizes that, like the children, he too feels the need to go home. He is so tired he lays down and upon waking, develops a plan to get home.
What is the plan the man develops? How does courage and forgiveness form the basis of this plan? What does the title "Home of the Brave" really mean? How can an ethnic group overcome a profound evil? To find out go to the library and check out this fine title.
Allen Say is a renowned writer/illustrator in children’s literature. This is a powerful, haunting account of a tragic event in American history, yet concludes with a statement of hope. I think this book would be excellent in a social studies class discussing racial discrimination, but will need teacher assistance as some ideas in the text are complex. For the ideas that are not readily apparent, teachers can provide assistance through directed reading and discussion.
Though this book is sometimes painful to read, it teaches valuable lessons on the need to reject bigotry and violence. Say’s hope filled response to the Japanese-American incarceration is edifying. I hope you get the chance to read this compelling book.
Historical fiction is a very popular form of literature. In the hands of a gifted writer, the story can have all the excitement of fiction while retaining the accuracy of history. In fact, students can often learn valuable historical lessons while being engrossed in a work of fiction.
Rosemary Sutcliff is one of the masters of historical fiction. Born in England, Sutcliff (1920-1992) began her remarkable writing career in the 1950s and frequently concentrated on stories involving the settlement of Great Britain by Rome.
This stirring story is set in England and tells of the destruction of the doomed Ninth Legion and the search for the missing standard, the golden Roman eagle. Sutcliff weaves her own literary magic in this masterpiece, "The Eagle."
Centurion Marcus Flavius Aquila takes his Cohort of soldiers from the Second Legion and marches them to relieve a battle garrison. He has served under the golden eagle of the Second Legion for less than a year. While he could have been sent anywhere in the Roman Empire, Marcus is secretly pleased to be assigned to Britain. As he takes command of the fort, he thinks of his ill-fated father leading the Ninth Legion some 15 years earlier. They disappeared into the Scottish mists and were never heard or seen again. The proud gold standard of the Legion also disappeared.
But such thoughts are soon banished when hoards of attacking British tribesmen assault the Roman post. In the battle, Aquila is badly injured after heroically saving his soldiers from tribal charioteers. The injury is so severe that there is serious doubt whether Marcus will ever again command the Legionnaires.
During the months of his long recovery, the thoughts about the fate of his father, the Ninth Legion and the lost golden eagle constantly fill his mind. He begins concocting a dangerous plan to find out this information. But people continue to caution the young centurion against going north of Hadrian’s Wall, which separates the Roman south of England from the wild northern sections. In the north, priests named Druids and wild, warlike tribes will readily kill any Romans they come upon. But Marcus decides he must find out what happened to his father and the golden eagle.
Marcus needs some type of disguise to travel in the north, and is soon trained by a Roman doctor to put ointments on eyes of children suffering from marsh blindness. Using this scheme, Marcus and his spear-bearer Esca plan to go through the northern tribes until they discover the whereabouts of the golden eagle and the fate of the Ninth Legion. At Hadrian’s Wall, the gate ominously opens and they ride through into the northern wilds. Any mistake will result in their deaths.
What happens on this dangerous quest? Do Marcus and Esca fool the tribal leaders and locate the golden eagle? What withered old man tells them about the brutal fate of the Ninth Legion? Who heroically leads the Romans on that fateful day? Why does he know? How long does their eye-healer deception last? And finally, who is riding at breakneck speed to escape howling warriors at the end of the story?
To find out, go to the library and check out "The Eagle" (often published as "The Eagle of the Ninth.")
This is a tour de force of historical fiction. The tale is gripping and intriguing with Marcus and Esca meeting untold perils during their northern mission. Rosemary Sutcliff won many famous awards for her outstanding writing, and this excellent story is usually considered her finest work. For advanced seventh-grade readers and older, this will be a compelling book. It simply can’t be beat for its exciting action and human drama. I hope you will enjoy it as much as I have.
When Americans think about World War II, their thoughts usually focus on the conflict in Europe. However, equally significant war activities took place in Asia. In some ways the war was worse in Asia due to the racial hatred of the Japanese toward the Chinese. Japan attacked China in 1937 and continued the battle through 1945. The destruction wreaked upon the Chinese was terrible. By 1941, the United States began fighting alongside the Chinese and triumphed after four more brutal years.
In this fictional account, Meindert Dejong tells a beautiful, harrowing account of one family’s attempt to survive these desperate times. The name of this poignant novel is "The House of Sixty Fathers."
Tien Poa and his family have fled from the invading Japanese in a boat called a sampan. Barely having time to pack anything, they leave as their village is overrun. For days they row upstream to get away from the attackers, and arrive at the river city of Hengyang. With little food and clothing, both parents leave Tien Poa in the sampan and begin looking for work. Through an accident, the sampan becomes unmoored and drifts into a flooded river. Terrified, young Tien Poa discovers that he is unable to control the boat and it swirls downstream. Much later it becomes lodged on the shore and the boy jumps off the boat clutching his pet pig, Glory of the Republic.
His only thought is how he can get back to his father and mother but the child has no idea how to do this as he is miles downstream from Hengyang. Suddenly, Tien Poa looks across to the other side of the river and sees platoons and trucks filled with Japanese soldiers advancing toward Hengyang. Remembering the horrible attack by the Japanese Army on his village, Tien Poa scrambles up a cliff to avoid being shot. He yearns to do something to stop the Japanese invaders. From his perch on a bluff, he watches a speck in the sky turn and rush at the Japanese. Soon he realizes it is an airplane and it is machine-gunning the aggressors. The Japanese fire back and the plane catches on fire and crashes close to Tien Poa.
An American with strange-looking blond hair escapes the burning plane and the soldiers furiously attempt to capture the flyer. A battle ensues. When a Japanese fighter is about the kill the American, Tien Poa screams a warning, and the flyer turns and shoots the soldier. Soon the hills are packed with vengeful Japanese. Tien Poa finds the wounded flyer and tries to hide him. As the Japanese begin bearing down, Tien Poa helps the pilot avoid the soldiers but they are still far from Hengyang. Can a young boy and a wounded aviator make their way through miles of hostile territory? A panic-filled night sets in.
Do Tien Poa and the pilot make it to the Chinese/American lines? What has become of Tien Poa’s family? How terrible is a Chinese World War II battle and retreat? Who are the 60 fathers? And finally, how much courage does it take to keep searching and struggling against such incredible odds? To find out read this outstanding World War II novel, "The House of Sixty Fathers."
For his many fine children’s books, Meindert Dejong was awarded the famous Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1962. This book is a gripping, action filled account of World War II in China. The suffering of the war is presented in a truthful manner, but in such a way that children will not be offended by the accounts. Dejong has written a masterful, beautiful story of a family trying to love and protect each other during a terrible war. I found this book to be a compelling account of human nature at its best. I hope you get a chance to read this uplifting novel of hope.
State religions have often been the bane of pure faith. The reason for this can be summed up in Our Lord’s command, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s." (Mark 12: 14-17)
With few exceptions, state religions often force believers to trust in the power of the King before submitting to the yoke of Our Lord. The heresies that begin under King Henry VIII and continue under his pragmatic, morally lukewarm daughter, Elizabeth I, are ample testimony to this fact. With the wholesale theft of English monastic lands by Henry and the rapacious Parliament, a state religion becomes an absolute prerequisite. If Henry isn’t the head of the church, how can such morally reprehensible actions be theologically justified? Quite simply, they cannot be justified, so Henry sets up his own church with himself as the head. His practical daughter, Elizabeth I, simply carries the project to the next stage. Like her father, she also declares herself the head of the church, and then later decrees that any Englishmen becoming priests are traitors, and any lay persons helping priests are also guilty of treason. The punishment for both clergy and laity is the same, with both groups being hung, drawn and quartered. Evelyn Waugh has written a powerful account of this evil time in English history. The name of this penetrating book is "Saint Edmund Campion: Priest and Martyr."
The saga begins with Elizabeth I travelling to Oxford University to meet the faculty and to seek talented men capable of helping her found a new church. Due to her father’s persecutions and her own suppression of the Catholic hierarchy, many talented clerics have been killed or jailed, and their replacements often owe their offices to their submission to state authority rather than innate talent. Because of this, the ever down-to-earth Elizabeth needs first-rate intellectuals to work in her government and new church if both are to thrive. At Oxford University, a young professor named Edmund Campion stands apart for his outstanding intellect and virtuous character. Campion is just the type of man Elizabeth desires. Edmund is brought to her and it soon becomes clear to everyone that the young professor can have all the riches and honors of the world if he will acquiesce to Elizabeth’s designs. But after the offer, young Campion’s heart becomes inflamed with love for the historic church of England, the Roman Catholic Church. He turns his back on the Queen’s lucrative proposal and enters the Catholic Seminary for English speakers in Douay, France. Elizabeth and her like minded counselors simply cannot understand why a man as gifted as Campion will not accept their offer to become a famous and wealthy leader of the church.
After many years of training, Father Campion returns to England. Under the ban, he courageously ministers to persecuted Catholics throughout England. But the priest-chasers have been paid by the Crown to find him. If caught, he will be hung, drawn and quartered for treason. The noose literally begins to tighten. What occurs? What is the famous treatise named "Campion’s Brag?" What brutal tortures does Elizabeth allow to be used on the stricken cleric? What takes place when the Queen asks for a second meeting with the priest? And finally, what happens to Father Campion, and why is he such a heroic figure in the Catholic Church? To find out, read this outstanding story by Evelyn Waugh, "Saint Edmund Campion: Priest and Martyr."
Evelyn Waugh is one of the most famous English writers in the 20th century. Among his many notable books is "Brideshead Revisted." Waugh details Campion’s limitations as well as his strengths in this compelling story of historical fiction. Because of this the novel has both truthfulness and accuracy. While the book is packed with numerous ideas and a complex writing style, it is a rewarding read. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
Fairy tales are some of the most enduring forms of literature. The reasons for this are that fairy tales teach eternal truths about human existence. There is never doubt about right and wrong in fairy tales, and this helps children judge situations and make positive moral choices.
Since the writers of fairy tales understand that there is such a thing as unchangeable moral truth, these stories threaten the cultural relativism of contemporary society. As a result, modern people want to constantly rewrite fairy tales since they stand in opposition to the current belief that truth is only what we want it to be. This white-washing of fairy tales is disastrous and ruins the value of the literature. With their superior understanding of morality, traditional writers of fairy tales have a great deal to teach modern society. Among the great writers of fairy tales is Hans Christian Andersen, and one of his most famous stories is "The Ugly Duckling."
As the story begins, a large, unsightly egg rests in a nest with some nicely-formed duck eggs. The mother duck is quite pleased when the chicks begin to hatch. Since the large egg is taking so long to hatch, an old duck comes by and states that the last egg is actually a turkey egg. The mother duck decides to sit on the egg for a little longer and at last it cracks open. Out comes the oddest, ugliest chick the ducks have ever seen.
The mother duck doesn’t really know if this large chick is a duck, so she calls all of her chicks to the water to see if they can swim. Sure enough, the ugly chick can swim. But all the farm animals begin insulting and biting the odd-looking chick. At last the mother duck can’t stand the persecution anymore, and turns on the odd baby.
Completely devastated by this rejection, the downtrodden chick flees the attacks and flies to a nearby marsh. There he sees some majestic, graceful swans swimming in the pond and wants to join them. Then to the ugly duckling’s amazement, they spread their beautiful wings and soar into the sky. But he doesn’t know where to go or what he should do. So he continues to swim around the pond as winter sets in.
Soon the bitter cold brings great suffering to the rapidly-growing ugly duck. But he perseveres throughout the difficult winter of ice and snow and happily sees the swans flying back to his pond. He wants to be with the swans and then a wonderful thing happens to the now grown ugly duck.
What is it that transforms the life of the Ugly Duckling? Why is he such a noble bird? Why has his suffering been so helpful in developing his charitable personality? Have you ever felt odd or out of place or seen someone else in this condition? What did you do? And finally what happens to the Ugly Duckling. To find out, go to the library and check out this wonderful story, "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen, as retold by Stephen Mitchell.
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was considered a national treasure in his native Denmark during his lifetime. "The Little Mermaid," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "Thumbelina" and "The Snow Queen" are also among his many famous fairy tales. Andersen’s stories are poignant and beautiful and children should become acquainted with them at a young age.
Many modern artists have illustrated many of Andersen’s fairy tales for modern picture books. Please take the time to go to the library and check out any of these wonderful fairy tales. You and your family will have a delightful time reading them. I enjoyed revisiting Andersen’s fairy tales and think you will as well.
When children begin the difficult task of learning to read, it is frequently helpful to use rhymes and songs. The reason for this is that children can memorize the cadence and be delighted as they learn the alphabet.
With repeated readings of these rhyming alphabet books, young children begin learning the complicated activity of understanding written text. Illustrations are particularly helpful to students of this age because they assist in decoding the meaning of the work.
Since learning to read is challenging for many students, educators should use every type of learning medium available to help in this process. Among the first great illustrators of children’s books was the Englishwoman, Kate Greenaway (1846-1901). One of the charming books she created for young children learning to read is "A Apple Pie."
On the title page, we see children holding apples, flour, sugar and a rolling pin. Obviously, they are about to bake an apple pie.
On the first page, a number of boys and girls are dancing around a large apple pie. Greenaway writes the letter A in bold print. The next page has the bold print B and the next part of the nursery rhyme.
As the new pages are created with their corresponding letters, the author continues to tell the story of the apple pie. We see the children cutting the pie and eating the dessert. Unfortunately some of the middle letters of the alphabet such as L and M cause the youngsters to long and mourn for the pie.
Later on, R and S, the children are much more aggressive to get the pie by running and singing for the delicacy. By the end of the book, all the children are sampling a delicious slice of the pie as they march off to bed in their charming 18th-century bedclothes.
This book is a pleasant and delightful experience to share with children. After hearing the book read several times, children will naturally begin clapping their hands and chanting, "Apple Pie, Bite it, Cut it, Dealt it, Eat it etc." The cadence and rhythm of the book are enjoyable and children will especially like the warm and caring mood created by the story.
All of the figures are drawn in old-fashioned clothes favored by Kate Greenaway. The girls wear smocks down to their ankles, with a sash tied around the waist. They rather look like the "empire dresses" so favored in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
The boys wore jackets over high-waisted trousers. Though they look somewhat stylish, they would have taken some getting used too, as they seem uncomfortable.
The Kate Greenaway Medal is named after the famous illustrator. It has been awarded since 1955 in the United Kingdom for books with outstanding illustrations.
I hope you get a chance to go to the library and read this appealing alphabet book by Kate Greenaway. Her illustrations and drawings are always enjoyable and entertaining.
When you read "A Apple Pie," just don’t start chanting the rhyme before you get to the end of the alphabet. Enjoy!
Thanksgiving is one of the most enjoyable holidays of the year. Each year, families gather for a day of feasting and relaxation. Many families will plan some special event each year during Thanksgiving, which only adds to the fun. Most people can’t wait to eat turkey and dressing, potatoes and gravy, with cranberries and hot rolls. This glorious meal is usually topped off with pumpkin pie, or in the South, with sweet potato pie.
While modern-day Americans cannot imagine a November without Thanksgiving, the holiday nearly ended in mid-1800s. One courageous woman, Sarah Hale, decided the United States needed this great festival, and in the face of considerable opposition, she rallied support for its establishment.
Born in New England, Sarah grew up listening to stories from her father, a crippled Revolutionary War veteran. The accounts of the birth of the United States stirred her heart with an appreciation for the sacrifices and ideals of the founders of the country.
However, by 1825, though still celebrated by the people in New England, Thanksgiving was fast fading in other parts of the country. Sarah believed the United States needed to have a day to give thanks for all the blessings the citizens had received. So she started a letter-writing campaign to have the fourth Thursday of November declared Thanksgiving.
At first, few people pay attention to Sarah’s efforts. Unfazed, Sarah begins composing elegant letters to the presidents of the country urging the establishment of Thanksgiving. The first president to receive her letters, Zachary Taylor, refused to declare Thanksgiving a national holiday. Since presidents come and go, Sarah just waited for Millard Fillmore to be elected to the office. Fillmore also didn’t want to dedicate the holiday. Next, she harangued President Franklin Pierce to create Thanksgiving. He declined. As the Civil War was about to begin, Sarah continued to send more letters to the recently elected President James Buchanan. With the country about to divide into war, the hapless Buchanan had more things to think about than holidays.
Finally, as the United States was embroiled in the bloody and deadly Civil War, Sarah pleaded with President Abraham Lincoln to establish Thanksgiving. Surely the beleaguered country needed something to give it hope and bring people together. The idea began to resonate with Lincoln and he became determined to act.
What did Lincoln decide? Did Sarah Hale’s 38 years of organized letter writing with a quill pen finally pay off? Is hard work and perseverance worth the effort? What have you worked diligently to achieve? And finally, why does the entire country owe a debt of gratitude to this inspired woman? To find out, go to the library and check out this captivating story about the establishment of Thanksgiving, "Thank You, Sarah" by Laurie Anderson.
At a young age, Sarah Hale was left a widow with five children. To support her family, she began editing one of the country’s first magazines for women. She published many famous authors, including Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Edgar Allen Poe. Additionally, she wrote essays, novels and poems with her most famous work being the universally loved poem "Mary Had A Little Lamb."
Quite simply a whirl-a-wind of energy, Sarah Hale persisted for years in writing letters and organizing letter writing campaigns to have Thanksgiving declared a national holiday.
The illustrations in this book are filled with humor and assist children in understanding the issues behind the establishment of Thanksgiving as a national celebration. Quite simply, this is a fun and informative book about a dynamic woman’s drive to establish one of the most pleasant holidays in the United States. The book is fun to read, and has an excellent appendix. So before you roll up your sleeves and get ready to eat this year’s Thanksgiving turkey, check out this interesting book. Enjoy!
World War II was one of the most destructive wars in the history of the human race. For the United States this terrible conflict began December 7, 1941 with the surprise attack on the United States Army and Naval bases at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii by the Empire of Japan.
This "day of infamy," to use Franklin D. Roosevelt’s words, aroused the anger and hatred of the United States and eventually led to the near destruction of Japan by the end of the war. Harry Mazer creates a very realistic account of this awful day in "A Boy At War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor."
December 6, 1941 begins at Adam Pelko’s house with the return of his father, Lieutenant Emory Pelko, from the Battleship Arizona. As a military child, Adam has moved many times during his father’s various deployments. Lt. Pelko runs a tight ship at home and Adam makes his bed military-style and obeys when he is told. But there is tenderness in the soldier’s relationship with his wife and daughter.
There is great tension in Hawaii however because of the deteriorating relationship between Japan and the United States. Everyone is fearful that war will soon break out. Emory receives an unexpected call from the officers of the Arizona telling him to return to the battleship. As the father leaves home for the fleet, his little sister, Bea, plays blissfully with her Japanese American nanny, Koniko.
On Sunday morning, Adam meets two of his friends to go fishing at Pearl Harbor. One boy is native Hawaiian and the other is Japanese-American. They row an old boat out near the massive Battleship Arizona. Adam has been on the Arizona many times and proudly tells the boys of the immense power of the vessel.
As the flags are being raised over the sleepy naval base, planes suddenly begin sweeping over Pearl Harbor. Bullets and bombs start raining down on the unsuspecting American navy. Adam realizes that the planes are Japanese, and one banks to strafe the rowboat. The bullets rip through the nearby water and slash the boat. All three boys are hurled into the water amid screams and pain.
As Adam tries to get back into the crippled boat he turns and sees the mighty Arizona lift out of the water and explode. Other ships begin blowing up and hundreds of sailors are flung into the burning, oil-covered waters. Adam and the boys don’t know what to do.
What choices do the boys make? How do all three show heroic courage on this terrible day? What role does racial bigotry play in the story?
And finally, how do hundreds of Hawaiian families and the entire United States react to this horrifying attack? To find out, go to the library and read this heartbreaking account of one of the worst days in United States history, "A Boy At War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor."
Obviously this book contains many brutal facts from the Pearl Harbor attack and it is nearly impossible to convey mayhem of that day. While it is not fun to read this book, it is important to remember the valiant sacrifices made by defenders of Pearl Harbor, and to understand that peace can be taken away from a nation. The book contains many graphic and realistic scenes from the Japanese air assault, and includes a mild curse when the Japanese begin machine gunning the boats in Pearl Harbor. It is important for the youth of a nation to know their history and the Pearl Harbor onslaught is part of that story. Students should read books like "A Boy At War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor" to better understand their heritage.
Buying books for your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces is one of the most pleasant Christmas activities of the season. Below is a list of books that have been reviewed in the last weeks of 2010 and through mid-December of 2011. I hope that this list will give some ideas for Christmas presents. It has been an honor to have written these book talks for the Southern Nebraska Register. Thanks for the book recommendations and encouragement you have given me. I hope that you and your family have a Merry Christmas.
1. Benson, Robert Hugh. Lord of the World. Newman Press, Long Prairie, Minnesota, first published in 1907, republished in 1982, Grades 10 and higher.
2. Spirin, Gennady. The Christmas Story, According to the Gospels of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1998, 32 pages, all ages.
3. Juliana, Isabella et al. Knut: How One Little Polar Bear Captivated the World. Scholastic Press, New York, 2007, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
4. Buckley, James Jr. Super Bowl. DK Eyewitness Books, New York, 2003, 64 pages, Grades 4-7.
5. Montgomery, Sy. Photographs by Bishop, Nick. Kakapo Rescue: Saving the World’s Strangest Parrot. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Boston, 2010, 74 pages, Grades 4-7.
6. Ryan, Munoz, Pam. Paint the Wind. Scholastic Press, New York, 2007, 327 pages, Grades 3-5.
7. Warren, Andrea. We Rode the Orphan Trains. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 2001, 132 pages, Grades 4-6.
8. Freedman, Russell. Lafayette and the American Revolution. Holiday House, New York, 2010, 88 pages, Grades 5-7.
9. Hest, Amy. Illustrated by Bates, Amy. The Dog Who Belonged to No One. Abrams Books for Young Readers, New York, 2008, 32 pages, Grades K-2.
10. Marrin, Albert. George Washington & the Founding of a Nation. Dutton Children’s Books, New York, 2001, 276 pages, Grades 7-9.
11. Steward, Mark and Kennedy, Mike. Long Ball: The Legend and Lore of the Home Run. Millbrook Press, Minneapolis, 2006, 64 pages, Grades 4-6.
12. Lies, Brian. Author and Illustrator. Bats at the Library. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2008, 32 pages, K-3.
13. Urbanovic, Jackie. Author and Illustrator. Duck Soup. Harper Collins, New York, 2008, 32 pages, K-2.
14. Fishman, Cathy Goldberg. Illustrated by Hall, Melanie W. On Passover. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, New York, 1997, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
15. Greenberg, Jan and Jordan, Sandra. Illustrated by Floca, Brian. Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring. Roaring Brook Press, New York, 2010, 48 pages, Grades 4-5.
16. Passages about the Holy Eucharistic in the New Testament. Revised Standard Catholic Edition of the Holy Bible. Ignatius Press, 2005, 1096 pages, 2005, all ages.
17. Friedrich, Priscilla. Adams, Adrienne, Illustrator. The Easter Bunny That Overslept. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books, New York, 1957, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
18. Maier, Paul. Illustrated by Francisco Ordaz. The Very First Easter. Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, 1999, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
19. Wiggin, Kate Douglas, Editor. Illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. The Arabian Nights. Macmillan Publishing Company, New York, 1909, republished in 1992, 344 pages, Grades 5-7.
20. Byars, Betsy. Illustrated by Doron Ben-Ami. Tornado. Harper Collins, New York, 1996, 49 pages, Grades 2-4.
21. Gordon, John. The Kids Book of Golf. Kids Can Press. Toronto, 2001, 48 pages, Grades 3-5.
22. Kent, Deborah. The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927. Children’s Press, New York, 48 pages, Grades 4-6.
23. Wiesner, David. The Three Pigs. Clarion Books, New York, 2001, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
24. Yolen, Jane. Illustrated by Jim Burke. All Star! Honus Wagner and the Most Famous Baseball Card Ever. Philomel Books, 40 pages, 2010, Grades 2-4.
25. Van Leeuwen, Jean. Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. A Fourth of July on the Plains. Dial Books for Young Readers, New York, 1997, 32 pages, Grades K-3.
26. Sidman, Joyce. Illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski. Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2009, 32 pages, Grades K-2.
27. Hamans, Father Paul. Edith Stein and Companions: On the Way to Auschwitz. Ignatius Press, San Francisco, 2008, 310 pages, Grades 10 and higher.
28. Marshall, James. Illustrator, Sendak, Maurice. Swine Lake. Harper Collins, New York, 1999, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
29. Robinson, Sharon. Illustrator: Nelson, Kadir. Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson. Scholastic Press, New York, 2009, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
30. Rumford, James. Cherokee Translation by Anna Sixkiller Huckaby. Sequoyah. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004, 32 pages, Grades 3-4.
31. Mohan, Claire Jordan. Illustrated by Charlie Craig. Joseph from Germany: The Life of Pope Benedict XVI for Children. Pauline Books & Media, Boston, 2007, 38 pages, Grades 3-4.
32. Cole, Joanna. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures: Medieval Castle. Scholastic Press, New York, 2003, 40 pages, Grades 3-4.
33. King-Smith, Dick. Illustrated by Mary Rayner. Babe: The Gallant Pig. Random House, New York, 1983, 118 pages, Grades 3-5.
34. Gallico, Paul. Illustrated by Barrett, Angela. Snow Goose. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 1940, reprinted in 2007, 48 pages, Grades 4-6.
35. Celenza, Anna Harwell. Illustrated by Kitchel, JoAnn E. Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Charlesbridge, Massachusetts, 2006, 32 pages, and sound recording, Grades 3-4.
36. Say, Allen. Home of the Brave. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 2002, 32 pages Grades 3-4.
37. Sutcliff, Rosemary. The Eagle (Previously published as The Eagle of the Ninth.) Farrar Straus Giroux, New York, 1954, 212 pages, advanced Seventh Grade and Higher.
38. Dejong, Meindert. Illustrated by Sendak, Maurice. The House of Sixty Fathers. Harper & Row, New York, 1956, 189 pages, Grade Five and higher.
39. Waugh, Evelyn. Saint Edmund Campion: Priest and Martyr. Sophia Institute Press, Manchester, New Hampshire, 1996, (originally published in 1935) 232 pages, Ninth Grade and older.
40. Andersen, Hans Christian. Retold by Mitchell, Stephen. Paintings by Johnson, Steve and Fancher, Lou. The Ugly Duckling. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 2008, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
41. Greenaway, Kate. A Apple Pie. Frederick Warne, London, Year not given, 32 pages, Grades K-2.
42. Anderson, Laurie Halse. Illustrated by Faulkner, Matt. Thank You, Sarah. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2002, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
43. Mazer, Harry. A Boy At War: A Novel of Pearl Harbor. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, New York, 2001, 104 pages, Grades 5-7.
The Third Sunday in Lent is named Gaudete Sunday, or the Sunday of Rejoicing. Since Christmas is now near, the Church wants the people of God to rejoice. Soon we will be in the presence of the Child Jesus and we will lift our hearts and sing the famous song, "Joy to the World." But in this happy period many people struggle with sadness. Their lives have been affected by events that do not match the beautiful season of Our Lord’s birth. Kate DiCamillo has written a beautiful story about a man with such a life, struggling during the season of the Nativity. She tells the Christian message of loving others when they are in distress in this compassionate picture book entitled "Great Joy."
The week before Christmas, a poor organ grinder and his pet monkey appear on a street corner. In the cold and snow, the organ grinder plays his music while the monkey holds out a cap for tips. No matter what the man plays, there is a continual quality of sadness in the music. Most people hurry by the older, poorly dressed musician. A young girl named Frances and her well dressed mother see the old man and his monkey attempting to earn a few coins on the cold street corner. The child is moved with pity for the poor man’s plight and asks her mother where he sleeps during the night. The mother brushes her daughter’s question aside and says that everyone goes somewhere each night and to not be concerned about it. She needs to hem Frances’ dress for the Christmas play and has little time to worry about organ grinders and monkeys. This dress is for Frances’s role as an angel in the Nativity Play. But Frances is so moved by the plight of the old man that she stays awake all night looking through the snow and cold to see where he goes. Much to her shock, she sees that he is sleeping on the street. As her family is hurrying the next day to get to church for the Christmas play, Frances sees the old man and invites him to the play. The child tells the impoverished musician that she only has one line in the play, but he is welcome to come and hear it. At the church the play begins with the angels walking onto the stage but the beautifully attired Frances looks out in the audience and simply can’t say her one line. As everyone waits breathlessly, the back door opens. A smile then spreads across Frances’s face and she throws open her arms and powerfully shouts her line.
What message does Frances proclaim? Who has walked in the back door? Why is compassion always at the center of the Nativity? Have you ever helped someone desperately in need of help? Why were your actions based on the heart of the Gospel? Finally, how does this little girl bring the message of Christ’s Birth to everyone? To find out, go to the library and check out this touching picture book, "Great Joy" by Kate DiCamillo.
Kate DiCamillo is a compassionate writer with many fine novels to her credit. Her stories are filled with charity and courage, and her characters are memorable. The illustrations are filled with the tenderness a child would feel for the afflicted. They are simply beautiful. When you see Frances announce her line, you will be filled with the spirit of Gaudete Sunday. You too will rejoice!
Christmas is filled with joy and giving. This is only proper since God the Father gave His Son to the world on this happy day. Since the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, people had only a promise of redemption. Through God’s mercy, a people were chosen to be the instrument to spread God’s love in the world. This people, the Jewish nation, persevered in the Faith for centuries despite their sometimes sinful disobedience which resulted in exiles and sufferings. At last in the fullness of time, God sent His only Son into the world to save us. This fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament occurred in Israel in the town of Bethlehem during a census ordered by the Roman Emperor, Caesar Augustus. This marvelous book uses the Infancy Accounts of St. Matthew and St. Luke’s Gospels to tell this wonderful story. Additionally, the Editorial Staff and Art of World Book blend in current photographs and texts of many of the holy sites mentioned in the Gospels.
The book begins by giving sections of the Infancy Narratives of St. Matthew and St. Luke. Included with each biblical account is a classical picture of the event. St. Luke’s Annunciation is naturally the first scriptural description given. Botticelli’s beautiful rendition of this holy scene is painted next to the text. As the world held its breath, the Blessed Virgin gives her marvelous "yes" to the Archangel Gabriel. Next, we see St. Matthew’s account of St. Joseph having the angel announce to him in a dream that the Child being carried by Mary is of "the Holy Spirit" Mt 1-18-21. St. Joseph too is asked to believe and take Mary as his wife. The angel specifically tells St. Joseph that he is to name the baby, Jesus. Though St. Joseph is not the biological father of Our Lord, this command to name Jesus grants him the power of being the earthly father of Our Blessed Savior. The book continues with scene after scene from the birth of Jesus.
Blended in with the paintings of these sacred events are photographs from modern day Palestine. Readers see shepherds watching their sheep on the rocky hillsides just like 2,000 years ago. In fact, so little has changed in the dress of Palestinian shepherds that modern readers might think they were the shepherds mentioned in the Gospel Narratives. In the latter half of the book, World Book takes us into modern day Bethlehem focusing specifically on Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity. The authors tell of the complicated relations that exist with various Christian denominations in Bethlehem. We see the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem leading the pilgrimage through Bethlehem which concludes with the celebration of Mass at St. Catherine’s Church in Bethlehem. The archbishop of the Eastern Orthodox Church is also shown presiding over services on Christmas Eve. The book concludes with a series of interesting classroom activities that allow children to better understand the Christmas events.
This is both a simple and a complicated book. The biblical passages will be quite familiar to readers. The blending of great works of art with the scriptural verses gives an immediacy and visual power to the Christmas event. However, the writing by the World Book staff on Bethlehem requires a great deal of attention and reading skill. Because of this I feel that this book is best shared together by two students, or an adult and a child. This is a beautifully written book with remarkable paintings and photographs. Go to the library and check out this fine title and enjoy it with your family.
During the early stages of World War II, England was the only country standing in the way of the total domination of Europe by Nazi Germany.
During these dark days in which civilization seemed to be hanging in the balance, the British Prime Minister, Winston Churchill, rallied his people. Vowing to fight the fascist aggression of the Nazis on land and sea, Churchill staved off what appeared to be certain defeat.
But the doughty prime minister knew he would need the help of the United States if Germany was to be defeated. President Franklin D. Roosevelt could see that a German victory in Europe would be disastrous for Western Civilization, but the American people had little taste for another major war in Europe.
However, the tranquility of isolation felt by the United States ended with the Japanese attack on the American naval base at Pearl Harbor Dec. 7, 1941. This caused a new set of concerns and by Christmas 1941, Winston Churchill steamed across the stormy Atlantic Ocean on the battleship Duke of York to meet with the president of the United States. This book is the account of this important visit and the decisions made by two countries to stop the spread of totalitarianism.
Both leaders had overcome difficult problems in their lives. Winston Churchill’s father never had much confidence in the young man. Rather than defeating him, this caused the young Englishman to develop toughness in the face of difficulty.
Franklin D. Roosevelt (FDR) had been stricken with polio as a young man and had to rebuild his life from a wheelchair. FDR had been elected president in the worst economic depression in the history of the country, and had to rally the country throughout these hard years. The perseverance developed by both men would soon be needed.
Now together, these two heads of state needed to convince the United States Congress to support an alliance between Great Britain and the United States to fight the evils of fascism. On Christmas Eve, Winston joined Franklin for the lighting of the national Christmas tree. Later that evening, FDR joyfully carved a turkey at the Christmas Eve dinner for the British leader, but both men knew this serious issue would soon come to a head when Churchill addressed the United States Congress.
Could Churchill convince the Congressional representatives to support the great alliance between the two countries? Without this agreement, the Nazi and Japanese threats could not be adequately repulsed. Finally, Churchill began speaking before the members of Congress as millions of American citizens listened on the radio.
What speech did Churchill give? How was it received by Congress and the American people? Why do words and ideas shape the actions and decisions of people and entire nations? Why can nations usually not stand isolated from world events? To find out, go to the library and check out this excellent title, "Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World."
Douglas Wood has told the story of the American and British Alliance in this compelling account. The pictures are attractive and the text is interesting. The friendship between these two great leaders is inspiring, and I hope you get a chance to go to the library and check out this fine book.
Reading out loud to young children is one of the most enjoyable experiences parents can encounter. While it may not seem to be so important to adults, this type of reading creates a positive mindset in children. Reading is fun and oral reading shows children how much their elders love and cherish them. Most successful early readers have had books read to them from an early age, so the value of this activity cannot be overstated. In the 1950’s, a very successful series of books were published by Random House Press in New York. They are known as the Golden Book Series and were extremely popular during that and later decades. Fortunately they are being republished today, and can be purchased at grocery stores, bookstores and on the internet. "Baby Farm Animals" is from this series and is a delightful tale for young children.
In the farmyard, all the animals begin to stir. First, a baby lamb begins walking in the meadow. Second, baby cats start playing and tussling with each other. Then more baby animals are introduced into this delightful setting. Soon rabbits and guinea pigs are rolling in the pasture and playing with each other. Someone tries to trick Baby Donkey with carrots hanging from a tree limb. They are trying to make him stand up on his hind legs to grasp the dangling treasure, but he is too clever to fall for that old trick. More and more animals come into the story. Ducklings can be seen swimming in the pond and inviting the baby chickens to go swimming. But the chicks have little interest in the water. However, the swans and geese cannot get enough of the lake and can be seen diving under the water and dipping under the water looking for something good to eat. A section of the barnyard next to the lake has fresh, clean straw. Here the piglets roll, play and dig into the earth with their strong snouts. Soon, readers see puppies chasing each other and chewing up old shoes. All the animals are having the time of their lives and all are playfully encountering the other animals. Outside the barn, two young goats or kids, line up across from each other and ram each other in the head. The kids do not seem to mind the collision and are ready to do it again. A beautiful young colt looks on at all this play and begins running gracefully across the pasture. The book finally closes with several other delightful scenes from the baby animals.
This book is not difficult to explain or interpret. All the baby animals are presented in a charming manner. Young children will love to hear these stories read to them. Garth Williams is the famous illustrator of the children’s classic, "Charlotte’s Web," and the animals bear a strong resemblance to the characters in that story. A sense of calm and peace prevails throughout this wonderfully illustrated title. Adults reading the story will enjoy the book as much as the children hearing it. There are any number of Little Golden Classic books in reprint. Be somewhat careful with the Disney reprints of the many fairy tales in the series as Disney mutes the moral purpose of the fairy tales by making them "politically correct." Since fairy tales originated to teach children right and wrong, these sanitized versions can blunt the basic purpose of the stories. But "Baby Farm Animals" will fill your heart with pleasure. I hope you enjoy it as much as I have.
The American Library Association (ALA) began awarding the Caldecott Medal in 1938. The award is named after Randolph Caldecott, the famous 19th century English illustrator. The award is annually given to the American picture book deemed to have made the "most distinguished contribution" to the field of children’s literature.
Some of the most famous picture books since 1938 have won this prestigious prize. While all the winners have been outstanding, some have stood the test of time. One such book is the 1945 winner, "Prayer for a Child" by Rachel Field, which still cannot be recommended too highly.
"A Sick Day for Amos McGee" was announced as the winner of this high honor Jan. 10, 2011. It is an endearing book that will fill adult readers and children with pleasure.
Amos McGee is a man of faultless timing. Every morning he arises at the same time and makes himself a pot of tea. Then he makes a bowl of oatmeal and uses one teaspoon of sugar. Having contentedly started his day, Amos goes to the bus stop and waits.
When the bus pulls up at exactly 6 a.m., he takes out his pocket watch and states: "Right on time."
Amos rides the bus to the city zoo, where he is employed. He works diligently at the zoo, but has a deep interest in all the animals under his care. The zookeeper worries about the animals’ physical and mental health. Because of this, Amos always plays a game of chess with the elephant. For a man so dedicated to time, this is a great challenge, for the elephant must think and think before making a move.
Next, he moves on to the tortoise. Each day, to improve the tortoise’s spirit, he races him to the finish line. After the race the tortoise proudly smiles at Amos.
As he continues his rounds, he comes to the penguins’ pool. There Amos meets a very shy penguin needing some comfort. After that he goes to the yard of the rhinoceros. The rhino suffers greatly from allergies, and Amos wipes his great, horned nose and helps him to feel better.
At last Amos systematically visits the owl. The bird is greatly frightened by the night and needs to hear a story to settle down. All in all, each day ends pleasantly.
But one day, Amos wakes up and feels terrible. He begins coughing and sneezing and knows that he cannot go to the zoo. He lies back in bed, feeling terrible. The bus comes and Amos is not at the stop. The animals in the zoo are eagerly waiting for their dear zookeeper. As the day continues, he still doesn’t come to work. All the animals become alarmed and decide that something must be done. Where is Amos and what is is wrong with him? The animals decide to take action.
What decision do the animals make? How does their concern and love for Amos compel their actions? Do they find the zookeeper and help him?
Have you ever helped a sick person? Why is it so important to care for others? To find out, go to the library and check out this lovely book, "A Sick Day for Amos McGee," by Philip C. Stead.
This is simply a beautiful little story. It will make an outstanding book to share with younger children. Questions of care and consideration will naturally flow from the text and pictures. Do yourself a favor and read this charming book with a child you love.
Enjoy!
Tyranny is the malformed system of government that takes away basic freedoms from its citizens.
Throughout history, many tyrants have arisen. In the 20th century the evil twins of tyranny were fascism and communism. Though they looked somewhat different, both forms of domination denied basic freedoms to citizens and crushed dissent violently.
For either of these political sorrows to develop, the press, radio and other forms of communication need to be controlled. This all begins with a powerful leader deciding what direction the country is going to travel, and then getting rid of all opposition. George Orwell tells stages of this terrifying process in a brilliantly written animal fable. The name of this famous book is "Animal Farm."
Mr. Jones owns a somewhat typical farm in England. There are pastures, barns, ponds and fields. Jones is a somewhat lazy and brutal man and his techniques cause anger and resentment among the animals. After suffering for a number of years, an ancient boar named "Old Major" addresses the animals about their plight. He rallies all the animals and tells them that "all men are enemies, and all animals are comrades." The speech electrifies the animals and they go into full-scale revolution against Farmer Jones.
In short order the animals drive all humans from the farm and set up a new government. Two pigs, Snowball and Napoleon, are the leaders of the animals. Snowball is a dynamic speaker and creative thinker. He constantly tries to improve the new government through insightful plans and projects.
Napoleon has a very different type of personality. He says very little but is capable of violent action and cruelty. Soon the farm is under great stress as both pigs inevitably disagree with each other.
One day, Napoleon begins planning to take over the government and implement his will on all the other animals. He gathers a number of puppies and trains them to be vicious dogs while inculcating a cult-like devotion to himself. Napoleon then puts spiked collars on the canines and in the presence of all the animals, has the dogs attack Snowball. The harassed pig barely escapes with his life and Napoleon takes complete charge of the farm.
Immediately, changes begin showing up throughout the farm. Napoleon grooms other pigs to browbeat the animals into compliance. This begins by increasing the workload and reducing the food supply. Next, Napoleon vigorously propagandizes the animals. All the problems on the farm are blamed on nearby humans and the now-evil Snowball. In short order the animals are thoroughly brainwashed by the propaganda. Finally, beaten down, hungry and defenseless the animals are totally vulnerable. Napoleon’s time has arrived.
What does Napoleon do next? Can a leader deceive and brutalize his followers? What can the animals do in the face of this rising evil? What happens to the animals that disobey Napoleon? And finally, how does Orwell use this story to tell the chilling tale about the rise of despotic rule? To find out, go to the library and check out this famous fable detailing the rise of evil in a government.
"Animal Farm"is a classic work of fiction. Published in 1946, it predates by three years his equally famous and frightening novel, "1984." Orwell accurately and relentlessly addresses the abuses, lies and manipulations of an unscrupulous governmental leadership. He shows how corrupt leaders can take power away from their citizens through the use of raw force and deception.
As our world seems to be entering a period of great political uncertainty, this book is more necessary to read than ever. People in North America and Europe think their freedom can’t be taken away. Orwell has one response: "Think again!"
Pastor Martin Niemoller prophetically told the world the consequences of the loss of civil rights in his famous poem about the Nazi takeover of Germany. Though he changed the words somewhat in his many public addresses following his release from a seven-year imprisonment in two concentration camps for opposing the Nazi Regime, they are basically as follows:
"First they came for the communists, but I didn’t speak out because I was not a communist.
Then they came for the trade unionists, but I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.
Then they came for the Jews, but I didn’t speak out because I was not a Jew.
Then they came for the Catholics, but I didn’t speak out because I was a Protestant.
Finally they came for me, and there was no one left to speak for me."
Russell Freedman has written an important book on the meaning and importance of the Bill of Rights to the American Constitution. He tells the historical background and significance of the Bill of Rights and why the Founding Fathers of the United States were so determined to write these guarantees into the Constitution. Freedman states that the creator of the Bill of Rights, the future president, James Madison, wanted the Bill of Rights to be guarantees made to the citizens of the United States, not merely tolerant promises that could be revoked by executive will.
In his book, Freedman analyses the first 10 amendments to the United States Constitution that compose the Bill of Rights, but for this review, I will look primarily at the First Amendment: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or the press, or the right of the people to peacefully assemble, and petition the Government for a redress of grievances."
Religious persecution was one of the primary reasons for the founding of the American colonies. Many of the early colonists had been heavily fined and even driven into exile for their religious beliefs. Some of their ancestors had actually been brutally murdered in England for their religious convictions. These horrible events taught the Pilgrims in Massachusetts, the Catholics in Maryland, and the Quakers in Pennsylvania, among others, that the government can never be allowed to define religious beliefs.
State religions are created by rulers and focus on what is successful in the present world, paying virtually no attention to the next world. These state-imposed religions are always based on secular values; or what gets one ahead in this world, and will always be the enemy of true religion. Sometimes the colonists did not practice what they preached, but they all understood the immense problems of state religions.
While the Constitution was approved Sept. 17, 1787, the problem of civil rights remained. During the Constitutional Convention, Thomas Jefferson wrote a letter to James Madison urging the creation of a measure to permanently stop the problem of state religions. After some reflection, Madison created our magnificent Bill of Rights. The states gratefully approved the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and it was added to the document Dec. 15, 1791.
Freedman gives a comprehensive review of numerous court cases that establish the basis of the first 10 amendments. He shows that if the government can attack one of the amendments, the others are in jeopardy as well. In the terrible decision made by the Obama Administration to impose its secular values on health care, we are again facing the establishment of a national religion, and the abrogation of the Bill of Rights. Do something! Educate yourself by reading Freedman’s book, write letters, speak to your friends about these encroaching evils, and pray. This revocation of the Bill of Rights can be stopped as we still have access to the voting booth in November. If the citizens of the United States are not diligent, we will soon learn the bitter truths that Pastor Niemoller experienced.
Adversities frequently happen to people. These challenges can come in many forms. They can be health issues or life situations. Regardless of the shapes of these trying times, the response of individuals to these occurrences is critical. Can people rise above difficulties or do they give up and accept smaller goals? Are the troubles building blocks in character development or crushing blows to aspirations?
The common denominator to conquer adversities seems to be personal choices to use these trying times as building blocks instead of stumbling stones. Jean Lee Latham has written such a story in her acclaimed adolescent biography, "Carry On, Mr. Bowditch."
As a young boy, Nathaniel (Nat) Bowditch witnesses many troubling events. His father has wrecked his ship off the coast of Massachusetts, harming the Bowditch’s family fortune. Instead of living the life of a wealthy shipman, Nathaniel sees his father struggling to support his family as a cooper by making barrels.
The Revolutionary War erupts at this time, causing great hardship throughout the American colonies. Periodically, diseases sweep though Salem, killing many local citizens. Nat’s mother weakens from all of these trials and eventually dies.
Now Mr. Bowditch realizes he cannot continue to take care of all of his children, and signs over Nat to be an indentured servant to an accounting firm. The 12-year-old boy knows that he will have to labor for the next nine years without pay.
At first, Nat struggles with loneliness and the difficulties of learning the intricacies of accounting. But the boy is quite intelligent and realizes that he can learn something valuable from this experience.
Quite talented in mathematics, Nat diligently studies everything he can on the subject. Soon he teaches himself algorithms, geometry and starts studying trigonometry. A chance visit with a Harvard University professor starts him off on the study of Latin so that he can read Isaac Newton’s "Principia Mathematica." He takes his struggles and channels that energy in his work and studies.
By the time Nat turns 21 years old, he knows as much mathematics as a Harvard graduate. What he doesn’t have is anyone to lead him when his indentured servitude is over. He is offered a surveying job and throws himself into the trade with his normal vigor.
A beautiful young woman named Elizabeth Boardman notices this virtuous young man and is impressed. Being born into a rich Salem shipping family, Elizabeth knows the perils and prosperity of sea life.
Nathaniel becomes such an accomplished surveyor, that a shipping company soon hires him to be a navigator for a voyage. Just before leaving, Nat meets Elizabeth and falls in love with her. As he leaves Salem on his first voyage, Elizabeth stands on the upper porch of her family’s beautiful home and wave’s goodbye. Having finally found the love he always wanted, Nat is again faced with the challenges of life.
What happens to Nat and Elizabeth? Do they marry and have a beautiful and long marriage? Or does life throw more trying and difficult ordeals Nat’s way?
What do you do when you are faced with hard times? What does Nathaniel do? To find out, read this outstanding biography about Nathaniel Bowditch.
Nathaniel Bowditch actually overcame the long odds described in Latham’s biography. He rewrote the navigation manuals of the time and published his famous book "Bowditch’s American Practical Navigator." The book was so much more accurate than any other books on naval navigation that it became a standard text in the sea world.
I hope you enjoy this biography as much as I did. It is well written and shows the power of making the most of opportunities and staying optimistic when trials arrive.
Conscience is the innermost sanctum where God informs everyone of their moral duty. This makes conscience one of the most treasured gifts given to humanity by God. In trying times it is even more important to listen to our conscience. To do this we need courage molded through fortitude; recklessness must not be confused with courage. Fortitude perfects courage by strengthening hearts to follow God’s will. Therefore fortitude overcomes fear through a reliance on God’s grace.
In the political arena many ominous events have recently arisen that will require a well formed, brave conscience. In our country’s history many people have been forced to choose between being liked by the populace and being true to conscience. In 1956, Senator John Kennedy wrote a detailed and interesting account of eight U.S. senators holding true to their consciences in spite of vicious personal attacks. The name of this compelling title is "Profiles In Courage."
John Quincy Adams, Daniel Webster, Thomas Hart Benton, Sam Houston, Edmund Ross, Lucius Lamar, George Norris and Robert A. Taft are the senators analyzed in the book. Each man was placed at a critical juncture in American history and had to make choices fraught with peril for themselves. All eight men knew the way to succeed in the American Senate was by going along with public opinion. But each knew in his conscience that public opinion is a false barometer of the truth.
Edmund Ross in particular found the bitter path of suffering for his conscience. In the trumped up impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson, Ross knew in his heart that Johnson was not guilty of anything but imprudence and bad judgment. He realized that Radical Republicans in the House and Senate were trying to corrupt the U.S. Constitution. Public opinion in his home state of Kansas also wanted to see the president broken and the former Confederacy further humiliated. During the impeachment trial, Ross received repeated threats if he voted to acquit. He knew a vote for acquittal would mean his personal and financial ruin. On the fateful day of the verdict during the trial, the vengeful senatorial leadership was ready to turn its poison on the first-time senator from Kansas. The packed Senate gallery turned its eager eyes on the tortured senator. Would he falsely convict and be handsomely rewarded, or acquit and face the wrath of a nation?
What did Edmund Ross do? What would you have done if faced with this grueling choice? All the senators described by Kennedy faced equally daunting situations that demanded a fidelity to conscience. Kennedy relates the salty language used by their enemies to condemn them, but shows how their choice to be faithful to their conscience makes them examples of the virtuous life.
There is much to be learned from reading about the lives of these eight senators. This courage will be needed. In our own times, the American bishops, and Bishop Bruskewitz in particular, have shown the faithful how to be true to conscience during the appalling attack on religious freedom made by the Obama Administration. The bravery of the eight senators discussed in "Profiles In Courage" can guide us in the proper response of a well formed conscience.
"Profiles In Courage" won the Pulitzer Prize for journalism in 1957. Kennedy was later accused of having the book ghost written for him by his speech writer, Ted Sorenson, a Nebraskan. However in the forward of the book, Senator Kennedy publically thanks Mr. Sorenson for his assistance in the "assembly and preparation of the material on which the book was based." In Chapter 13 of his own autobiography, "Counselor," Mr. Sorenson, a Lincoln native, discusses his role in the writing of "Profiles In Courage" and ascribes authorship to Senator Kennedy. "Profiles In Courage" is well written, interesting and continues to speak to our current times. I hope you get a chance to read this outstanding book about the importance of living courageously and being true to conscience.
Presidents Day is celebrated in February. Many biographies have been written about the presidents of the United States of America. Some of them were military heroes; others were university presidents while some came from the business world. As a group, they are quite remarkable.
But equally interesting are the First Ladies of the United States. In recent times some First Ladies have been heavily involved in social justice. All First Ladies have had social responsibilities during the presidential term. Of these none is more beloved than the fourth First Lady, Dolley Madison. Her grace, wit and courage continue to serve as an inspiration.
Don Brown has written a funny, informative biography about this remarkable woman. The name of this attractive book is "Dolley Madison Saves George Washington."
Dolley married the brilliant James Madison, the future fourth president of the United States. Their marriage was long and happy. When the widowed Thomas Jefferson became the third president, James Madison became his Secretary of State. Jefferson occasionally called on Dolley to host parties at the presidential residence. Her charm and generous nature immediately set all visitors at ease. Dolley also helped select the furniture, drapes, silverware and paintings at the presidential home. After Jefferson retired in 1808, Dolley’s own beloved husband was elected the fourth president of the nation. During Madison’s administration, Dolley became famous for her gracious parties, beautiful dresses and cordial nature.
Unfortunately, during the Napoleonic wars, Great Britain began seizing American ships for alleged supplies being sent to the French, (contraband) and kidnapping American sailors (impressment) to become British sailors. This led to the ill-advised war of 1812, and to Dolley Madison’s great acts of courage during the British burning of Washington D.C.
During the war of 1812, the British landed armies and bombarded American cities at will. On August 14, 1814, the British Army routed the American forces at the Battle of Bladensburg and immediately marched on the capital, Washington D.C. So overwhelming was the English power that President Madison and his cabinet fled the city. But Dolley wasn’t about to give up all the priceless items of the presidential mansion. She began collecting copies of famous documents, papers and household items in the residence. As her servants were begging her to leave, she looked at the most famous painting in the home, the portrait of George Washington. Dolley decided that this painting was not going to be burned by the British. She put her plan into effect as Washington D.C. was already on fire.
What did Dolley do? How much courage is required to refuse to let your national heritage be burned by an invading army? Why were her actions in August 1814 seen as heroic by the citizens of the United States? Why is Dolley Madison even today seen as one of the finest women ever to serve the United States as a First Lady? To find out, read this entertaining biography of a graceful, beautiful woman with a heart of a hero, "Dolley Madison Saves George Washington."
Dolley Madison’s name is historically spelled in a number of ways. For many years it was simply spelled "Dolly," but later study indicates that the correct spelling is Dolley. Along with her famous husband, James Madison, Dolley made a great contribution to the establishment of the American presidency. I hope you get a chance to read this charming biography. I found it delightful and think you will as well. Enjoy!
Raw power has been used by tyrants for centuries to accomplish their evil intentions. These cruel rulers establish some principle and then declare that it represents truth. Anyone opposing this unjust measure is therefore said to be an enemy of the state.
We see an obvious example of this in the Books of Maccabees, where the Jews were oppressed by a foreign government. In the 20th century there are many examples of this calculated malevolence, none more obvious than the Holocaust.
When such dire peril falls on a society, people react in many different ways. Some participate in the oppression, others ignore it, hoping it will go away, but some brave souls fight against tyranny. These heroic people give saintly examples of literally giving up their lives for others.
At the end of World War II, Raoul Wallenberg was one such man. Louise Borden tells his courageous and heartbreaking story in this splendidly written biography, "His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg."
Born in 1912 in Sweden, Raoul Wallenberg came from a family of wealthy businessmen and bankers. Though his father died while Raoul was still an infant, his grandfather lovingly looked after the child. Eventually his widowed mother remarried and Raoul was blessed with a generous stepfather. Young Wallenberg was gifted in languages and excelled in school. Desiring to know more about the world, Raoul left Sweden and studied at the University of Michigan. Returning home some years later, he began working for an international trading company. But this happy interlude was about to end because of the dark clouds being spread across Europe by Adolph Hitler.
With the outbreak of World War II, Wallenberg’s Sweden found itself in the happy position of neutrality. But it soon became obvious that others weren’t so lucky. After several years the terrifying information about the Holocaust was known by governmental leaders. Pleas were made to the Swedish government to send a diplomat to Hungary to try to save the Jews of that country. The government knew that a courageous man gifted in languages would be needed for this task. They asked Raoul Wallenberg to immediately go to Budapest and save as many people as possible. He accepted at once.
In Budapest, Wallenberg immediately began issuing hundreds of Schutzpasses (protective passports) to the endangered Jews. So many were issued that the Nazis and their diabolical Hungarian sycophants, the Arrow Cross, finally demanded the Swedish diplomat stop this process. They said that only 4,500 Schutzpasses could be now issued. Ever resourceful, Wallenberg then developed collective Schutzpasses that included the names of every member of the family on the same document.
Fighting daily against the horror that was falling on Hungary, Raoul delayed trains, had Jews removed from the deportation lists and slowed down the processing of the Holocaust victims. He even had certain buildings declared to be under Swedish control and flew the flag of Sweden on them. In this heroic work, he was aided by many other officials including the Vatican Nuncio to Hungary, Archbishop Angelo Rotto.
When the Nazi defeat became certain, General Gerhard Schmidhuber was given orders to machine gun the remaining Jews in Budapest. Partially because of Wallenberg’s work and influence, he disobeyed these commands and actually ordered the capture of the SS men and Arrow Cross thugs sent to commit the murders.
After the German defeat, Wallenberg then met with officers from the Red Army. One day he suddenly vanished. What do we know about his disappearance? Why was Wallenberg arrested by the Russians? What seems to be the most likely explanation? Why did some countries, including Sweden, show so little courage in investigating his disappearance?
And finally, what does Our Lord really mean when He says: "Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (Jn 15:13)?
I hope you take the opportunity to read this outstanding biography of one of the heroes of the 20th century. I am sure that the life of Raoul Wallenberg will be an inspiration to you and your family.
Few husband and wife writing teams have been as successful as Stanley and Janice Berenstain. For over 40 years the Berenstains have created books that have been widely loved and eagerly collected.
It is fitting to honor the Berenstains as Janice Berenstain recently died on February 28, 2012. Beginning in 1962, they began exploring several types of children’s books. At this time, some educators taught early reading techniques with teaching resources such as rhyming books. Following this movement, the Berenstains entered the literary and educational world with a Dr. Seuss look-alike, "The Big Honey Hunt." But this book was soon followed by a more realistic type of story that discussed family problems. Though the second trend clearly marked their writing for the rest of their careers, I have chosen "The Big Honey Hunt" since this was their first book published.
The story starts out with the Berenstain Bears having a disheartening discovery. There is no honey left in their house. Mama Bear hands the empty jar to Papa Bear and joyfully tells him to go and get some honey. Though there is a honey store nearby, Papa Bear decides to show Small Bear how it is possible to find wild honey. Spying a bee, Papa Bear charges after the buzzing guide believing a beehive is close. Small Bear cannot believe how exciting it is to run after a bee on such an adventure. Soon Papa Bear sees the bee go into a tree and proudly turns to Small Bear with the discovery. He thrusts his hand into the tree to find the sweet goodness and instead wakes up the owl living in the tree. Infuriated that his house has been invaded, the owl begins attacking Papa Bear. Running for dear life, Papa Bear manages to evade the owl. At the same time, Small Bear fortunately spots the bee. Pointing out the flight path to Papa Bear, they watch the honeybee fly inside another tree. Now Papa Bear is doubly proud, he has persevered in the chase and believes he has found the beehive. Confidently reaching into the tree, Papa Bear makes an unpleasant discovery. Not only is it not a beehive, it is the home of a porcupine. Beating a hasty retreat, the bears run for their lives to avoid the angry porcupine. Still undaunted, they continue chasing the bee through several more trees. At last they come to a tree that is buzzing with bees. Papa Bear knows he has found a gold mine of honey. After breaking off a branch of the tree, he turns to Small Bear and watches honey pour out of the tree. But a massive buzzing starts and much to Small Bear’s surprise, Papa Bear grabs his hand and tells him to start running away from the hive. A large black swarm of angry bees begin flying after the fleeing bears.
What happens next? Do the Berenstain Bears get stung by the angry bees? How do they avoid being attacked? What happens when you don’t do things sensibly? Do the Berenstain Bears learn from their mistakes? To find out, go to the library and checkout "The Big Honey Hunt" by Stanley and Janice Berenstain.
The adventures of the Berenstain Bears have charmed children for more than 40 years. The authors do not try to turn the books into "great literature." Rather, the stories address problems young children have in starting school, going to the dentist, making friends and learning to make good decisions. Because of this the Berenstain Bears books will continue to be popular with younger readers. I hope you get a chance to read one of the many Berenstain books to your children. They are usually very well liked. Have fun!
Death will always be a mysterious event. Our Lord tells us in Genesis that death came into the world because of the sinful behavior of man. Because of this, everyone must die and render an account for their actions on earth. And yet St. Paul states that "no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived, what God has prepared for those who love Him." (1 Cor. 2:9). Because of this faith, death doesn’t have to be seen as a dreadful terror. Many saints have had similar revelations about heaven and have been unable to describe its beauty.
Unfortunately, many modern people frequently only think of this world and completely discount the possibility of heaven. They will sometimes even ridicule people believing in eternity. In reply to this ignorant skepticism, a book on the New York Times Best Seller List about a 4-year-old boy’s visit and return from heaven has captivated thousands of readers. The name of this remarkable story is "Heaven is for Real," written by Todd Burpo.
Colton Burpo is 4 years old when all of these events occur. Colton’s father Todd is a minister in the town of Imperial, Neb. The family begins a trip to Colorado for a vacation and Colton starts complaining of terrible stomach pain. His parents eventually decide to take him to a hospital, but doctors are unable to diagnose any problems. In the meantime, Colton’s appendix bursts. As the child begins to die, his father first rages at God and then begs for his son’s possible death.
After some time, Colton miraculously recovers from the deadly situation. Later, when his parents take Colton home, he begins telling them of events that were impossible for him to know. First, Colton tells his parents that angels sang to him in the operating room. Second, he says he sat on the lap of Jesus. Finally, he tells them exactly where they were and what they were doing during his operation. Stunned, both parents do not know what to believe and what questions to ask about these events.
In the following months, Colton continues to inform his parents about all sorts of facts a 4-year-old could not possibly know. Some of these involve family events, and some concern heaven and the people he met in paradise. As his theologically trained father continues to probe the child, his own ministerial training begins to seem small and limited. Colton explains some of the deepest religious problems about man’s relationship to God in the simplest, most complete answers his father has ever heard.
As more and more of the stories pour out of the child, the Burpos began testing Colton to see if he was making up these experiences. They discover that Colton is not lying and his answers completely stagger them. One day he tells his dad why Jesus died on the cross and his father’s jaw drops.
What was the beautiful, touching explanation Colton gives his father for the crucifixion of Our Blessed Savior? Why are all of Colton’s answers to these difficult theological issues so simple and convincing? What does he tell his amazed Protestant parents about the Blessed Mother? Why does the reader of this book begin to understand the phrase "out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast brought perfect praise?" (Mt 21:16). To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out "Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo.
Todd Burpo never states that Colton’s experiences form some new type of doctrine. He simply uses his son’s childlike language to tell of Colton’s amazing encounter with Jesus and his intense desire to go back to heaven. The book will cause you to weep at times, but they will be tears of joy. Colton’s story will leave you yearning to be in heaven in the arms of Our Lord. I hope you get a chance to read this beautiful story of a 4-year-old boy’s encounter with his Savior. I loved it and think you will as well.
Easter is the highest religious celebration in the religious calendar. On this glorious day, Our Lord defeated the bonds of death by rising from the tomb.
While this will always be the most significant aspect of Easter, many enjoyable secular activities have arisen for this happy time. Some of the most common gifts given at Easter are eggs. While many of these are made from candy, some eggs are dyed and can be eaten. Eggs are particularly appropriate for Easter since they signify life.
The gifted artist/writer Jan Brett has given us a beautiful, spectacularly drawn picture book about this secular side of Easter. The name of this gorgeous book is "The Easter Egg."
As winter is ending, all the rabbits in the forest begin creating Easter Eggs. The Easter Rabbit visits the forest on Easter Sunday and judges the eggs. The winner of the event then is allowed to help the Easter Rabbit hide the eggs.
Hoping to be the Easter Rabbit’s assistant, all the rabbits eagerly work on their eggs. The eggs are made out of all kinds of material. Some are made out of chocolate, others from finely carved wood, while still others have hand-drawn designs on the shells.
Hoppi is a young bunny able to enter the Easter Egg Contest for the first time. As he goes through the forest, he first meets Flora Bunny. The grandmotherly rabbit is planting wild flowers in her eggs, creating a fantastic effect. Hoppi starts picking flowers thinking these eggs will surely win. Flora kindly gives Hoppi several flowers to begin his project.
Down the lane, the young bunny meets Buster Birch. Standing in amazement, Hoppi watches as Buster carves a gorgeous egg from wood. The wood-carving rabbit gives Hoppi a piece of wood to begin a similar egg. Next, Hoppi sees Aunt Sassyfrass decorating creamy chocolate eggs. They look so delicious that Hoppi is sure this type of egg will impress the Easter Rabbit.
But the further into the forest he goes, Hoppi gets more bewildered. All of these eggs are beautiful but they don’t really seem like eggs he could create. So he lies down in the forest and an accident happens. A frightened mother robin knocks a lovely blue robin egg from her nest. Hoppi knows that the robin egg cannot survive without someone sitting on the egg to keep it warm. He also knows that this will take up all the time he has to make an Easter Egg. He so wants to win the contest and have the Easter Rabbit acknowledge him. But his assessment makes things painfully clear, without his help the baby robin will die. He makes his decision.
What choice does Hoppi make? What comes with a sacrifice? Have you ever made a hard decision? What was it? What reward comes from dying to self? What wonderful thing happens to Hoppi because of his sacrifice? To find out, go to the library and check out this lovely book, "The Easter Egg" by Jan Brett.
Jan Brett is a master artist and story teller. Her books have won numerous awards for their artistic brilliance and beauty. The stories told by this remarkable woman are very comforting for children. Brett has been a prolific writer/artist as well. You need to pour over the pages of her books with children since she imbeds so many clues to the story in the elaborately drawn sidebars. I love all of her work and think you will as well. I hope you get a chance to go the library and begin sampling Jan Brett lovely stories. Enjoy and savor!
Americans tend to be practical people. We want things to work efficiently and tend to be impatient with dreamers. After all, what good does it do to sit around thinking? What does this mental and emotional effort accomplish?
Since we are a "can do" nation, Americans tend to see such people as productive. This of course raises the question of what is work supposed to accomplish. Frequently in American schools there is an intense desire to raise reading, writing and math scores. While these areas are vital in a society, so too is the ability to develop thoughts and ideas. If students aren’t ever shown there is something other than being "productive," they will likely soon have little to read, write or think about. This is why the development of imagination is so important and "useful." Creative students can develop their classrooms with new and exciting ideas.
The famous children’s literature writer Leo Lionni has written a delightful story about what is really useful and necessary in a society. The name of this charming book is "Frederick."
As the spring breaks forth, a family of mice begin gathering all kinds of food for the next winter. Four of the mice sweat and labor to bring nuts, grains and other types of products into a wall in which they live. The fifth mouse, Frederick, sits with his eyes closed as the others labor throughout the spring and summer. Soon the hard-working mice begin to chide Frederick for his lack of production. They continue to call to him asking what he could possibly be doing. Frederick tells his family that he is gathering colors for the long days of winter. This seems absolutely preposterous to the other mice and they keep laboring all the while thinking Frederick is both lazy and irresponsible.
Each time the mice ask Frederick what he is doing; his answer is similar to the first reply. Frederick tells his brothers and sisters that he is gathering sun rays and words for the long dreary winter. The hard-laboring mice have little time for such antics and continue gathering large quantities of provisions for the approaching cold.
At last, the family contentedly burrows back into the stones in the wall, unafraid of the approaching storms. After all, they had prudently worked hard all summer to ensure they would not suffer when the snowstorms fell. Frederick moves inside the stone wall with his family as winter descends. At first the mice can’t believe their good fortune. There is an abundance of corn, nuts, grains and other types of food. But as the winter drags on, their food supply begins to dwindle, and their spirits sink. The mice are learning a hard lesson that there is more to life than just eating.
As their spirits hit rock bottom, they all turn to Frederick for help. They begin to ask him to tell them about a beautiful world beyond their narrow imaginations. The practical ones are now begging for solace from the dreamer. In a generous and kind manner, Frederick stands up and begins to eloquently inspire his family.
What does Frederick say? What lovely colors and images does he create for his unimaginative brothers and sisters? How do Frederick’s dreams sustain his family? Have you every inspired someone with your ideas and dreams? What does "useful" really mean? To find out, go to the library and check out "Frederick" by Leo Lionni.
This charming book was written in 1967 by the talented children’s writer/illustrator, Leo Lionni. Young children will love the story as it is very approachable and packed with meaning. I hope you get a chance to share this delightful book with your family. Lionni makes us reassess what we think about the meaning of the word "useful." I really like this story and think you will as well. Enjoy!
The Catholic Church especially reveres the Four Gospels. Each of the Evangelists gives the faithful a different understanding of Our Blessed Savior. The Church has always understood that these accounts were inspired by the Holy Spirit. While allowing the Sacred Writers to use their own knowledge of the Lord, the Holy Spirit inspired their writing, directed the composition, and protected them from error. As a result, the laity joyfully hears these marvelous gospels each day at Mass.
The first Gospel, that of St. Matthew, is particularly rich in the portrayal of Our Lord as the fulfillment of the prophesies from the Old Testament and in the description of the establishment of the Church. The prayers at Mass during the consecration draw heavily from St. Matthew’s Gospel. Because of the power and majesty of this Gospel, parents and relatives of younger children would do well to read the Passion account to their children and relatives during Holy Week.
Peter plays a prominent role during the Last Supper and later during the trial of Jesus. Trusting his own strength, he confidently proclaims that he will never deny or fall away from Our Lord. Calmly, Jesus tells him that he will fall from faith before the cock crows three times. Peter then states that he would die for Christ before he would deny Him. In a few short hours, Peter discovers how little strength he has when not united to Our Blessed Savior.
Saint Matthew portrays Pontius Pilate as a conflicted man. He knows that Jesus has done nothing deserving death. Only St. Matthew shares that fact that Pilate’s wife writes him a letter telling him to "have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream." (Mt 27:20) St. Matthew tells us that Pilate repeatedly tries to save Jesus, but discovers that the mob is about to riot. The scene of Pilate washing his hands of the whole affair is only found in St. Matthew’s Passion account.
At the terrible hour of Christ’s death, the curtain is torn in the Temple, and the Roman centurion states what so many people do not understand: "Truly this was the Son of God." (Mt 27:54)
After Our Lord’s burial and Resurrection, St. Matthew completes his magnificent account with the commissioning of the apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe what I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Mt 28:19-20)
Please read this beautiful Gospel story with your family during Holy Week. It will feed the souls of your family. The only caution that I give you is to pay attention to the words of Nostra Aetate, the famous document given at the close of Vatican II. In paragraph four, the Church writes that "Even though the Jewish authorities and those who followed their lead pressed for the death of Christ, neither all Jews indiscriminately at that time, nor Jews today, can be charged with the crimes committed during his passion." So the phrase "his blood be upon us and our children" (Mt 27:25) cannot mean that all Jews were "Christ killers." A more likely explanation is the mob shouted this formulaic phrase as Pilate was hypocritically washing his hands to ease the Roman’s conscience and to speed up his condemnation of Jesus. The rabble had no intention of calling down condemnation on Jews throughout history. This horrible phrase, Christ killers, was used for centuries to justify attacks on Jewish people. This hateful interpretation is condemned in Nostra Aetate. The Passion of Our Lord happened because all people had sinned and needed redemption.
St. Matthew’s Gospel is powerful and enriching. St. Jerome made the oft quoted phrase that "Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ." So share this splendid account of the Passion with your family and have a blessed Holy Week.
One of the most satisfying sounds of spring is the phrase "Play Ball!" With this happy statement, baseball season begins. While baseball does not hold the cultural dominance it had in the 1950’s, it is still followed avidly by millions of fans. There is nothing quite like sitting in the stands on a beautiful summer evening and rooting for the home team. Many teams routinely draw over three million fans a season, and some teams, like the Boston Red Sox, have to cap season ticket sales to have a few seats available for individual games. Some of this writer’s most enduring memories of childhood revolve around this fascinating sport. Baseball has a long written history dating back to the inspirational poem "Casey at the Bat" in 1888. Wayne Stewart has carried on this literary tradition with this interesting book "The History of the Kansas City Royals."
In 1969, the expansion team named the Kansas City Royals began playing. As an expansion team, they were able to draft players from other major league teams. Of course the best players on those teams were protected, which left the Royals drafting second rate athletes. Because of this, the first several seasons for the Royals were summers of mediocrity. The franchise began building a powerful team by the later 1970’s and had become a dominant force by the 1980’s. Famous players for the Royals during this period were Frank White, Willie Wilson, Hal McRae and George Brett. Interesting pictures and short summaries of their accomplishments accompany this part of the book. The October post season successes and failures are told in detail. While the late 1970’s tended to end in losses in October, the 1980’s were another story. The two World Series appearances by the Royals were exciting, and the 1985 World Series Championship was the crowning achievement of the franchise. Unfortunately, as the author states, the Royals have fallen on hard times in recent years but are hopefully on the upward surge today.
This book and others like it about major league teams are very popular with students from Grades 2-8. All these series books about baseball teams have exciting pictures of famous players and stadiums. The writing level keeps readers turning the pages to find out more about their favorite team. While this review is about the Kansas City Royals, similar books about most big league teams can be found in the library. Like most good non-fiction books, these accounts are often filled with charts and statistics as well. This allows readers to develop analytical skills in math and logic. While the books may seem like they are purely informational, don’t short sell their ability to teach students in a number of academic areas. So if you are looking for fun books for youngsters to read, these baseball team books are just the ticket. They can be found in the children’s 796.357 section of the library. After you have enjoyed reading these books yourself, just remember to go out and play catch with your son or daughter. After all, it is spring and that great phrase, "Play Ball" is in the air. Enjoy!
Ever since the Fall in the Garden of Eden, mankind has been engaged in the constant struggle between choosing good or evil.
Human disobedience brought about the consequence of Original Sin. Because of this fallen condition, people must struggle to achieve good. This is only possible with the help of divine grace. But all people will wrestle with sinful inclinations their entire lives. C.S. Lewis has written a perceptive and at times humorous account of this conflict in The Screwtape Letters.
In this short novel, Lewis places a senior devil, Uncle Screwtape, writing a series of letters and instructions to a junior devil named Wormwood. The whole point of the letters is to help the junior devil ruin a man. Few works of literature show the uncanny wiles used by "Our Father Below" to trap and seduce people to commit sin.
The novel begins with Uncle Screwtape counseling Wormwood on whether he should take glee in the beginning of World War II. The death, violence and horror caused by the war is very agreeable to the diabolical world, but unfortunately, many dying people call out to Christ (named the "Enemy" in the novel) and throw themselves into God’s hands. This causes all the pleasures the war brings to the devils to be lost. Now many dying people frantically cling to grace which leads them to the heaven. So, though Uncle Screwtape loves the mayhem of the carnage, he tells Wormwood that many souls are lost to the kingdom below because of the repentance of dying men. Because of this it is hard to recommend for or against war.
Wormwood’s instructions are increasingly focused on wrecking the soul of the man to which he has been assigned. Screwtape tells Wormwood to provide more information on the growing love the man has for a young woman. The Enemy frequently develops love between men and women which is a grave threat to the diabolical world. Temptations need to immediately be placed in front of the young man to cause his downfall. Since Wormwood is little versed in these evils, Uncle Screwtape gives detailed lessons in how to build up pride, lust, selfishness and the like.
Certain things such as music and peace are terrifying to Screwtape. The things almost always turn people’s hearts to the Enemy. They are to be avoided at all costs. What Wormwood needs to do is learn how to unsettle the young man with noise, novelty, boredom and distraction.
The senior devil also advocates playing off the natural feelings men and women have for each other to create havoc in relationships. In this way he can maneuver personal feelings into sinful actions. This gives the greatest pleasure to the Father Below.
But in spite of the many letters and temptations, the young man continues to progress in grace, much to Screwtape’s disgust. It seems that only the carnage of war has any possibility of bringing the man under the devils’ power. Then during a violent air raid, the worst possible occurrence happens.
What was this event? Does the man lose his soul? Do Wormwood and Uncle Screwtape eat their prey? Or does the Enemy win and take the man’s soul to paradise? To find out, go to the library and check out The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis.
This book is a masterpiece of spiritual understanding into the processes involved in human temptations. Though readers will likely find the book is funny and clever, Lewis is deadly serious about the causes of temptations. He deeply loves Our Lord, and wants to warn us about the great danger and subtlety of demons.
The novel will leave you with a healthy respect for forces of evil, and a great love for the blessings given to mankind by Our Lord. I hope you get a chance to read this important book.
After the long winter, people look eagerly forward to spring. Everything seems to be lovely until a heavy rain falls. Then people sometimes find ants scurrying across their kitchen countertops. This usually is a most unwelcome sight. Some people take this ant invasion personally and attack the insects with powerful sprays. Others try using natural spices such as cinnamon and bay leaves to keep the tiny pests away. But one thing people rarely do is ask why the invasion has happened to begin with. What might be in the ants’ hearts and minds, compelling them to come into your home? What is their point of view? The renowned children’s writer/illustrator Chris Van Allsburg provides an interesting possibility to account for the home invasion in the delightful tale, "Two Bad Ants."
A scout ant returns to the anthill carrying a remarkable shiny crystal. The dogged ant presents this odd-shaped object to the queen ant. After she tastes the delicious sweetness of the present, she eats the entire crystal. Oh, she must have more of this exquisite delight! The ants of the colony are only too happy to please their mother. Dozens of them soon set out on the perilous journey to find more of these wonderful, mouthwatering stones. They trudge through field after field of towering grass canopies, all the while fearing an attack from hungry spiders. But the scout ant keeps leading them closer and closer to their far-off destination. At last they arrive at what appears to be a mountain. It seems to be made of bricks, and after a daunting climb they arrive at a square of glass, surrounded by a wooden frame. The scout shows them a tunnel under the wooden frame. Squeezing between the wood and the bricks, the ants walk down a wall and onto an immense flat surface. This whole area smells and looks so strange that the ants want to quickly get the shiny rocks and leave. The brave scout leads the ants to an odd-shaped glass dome named SUGAR. Sensing their prize is inside the glass bowl, the ants doggedly climb up the steep, curved sides and choose a beautiful crystal. As soon as they have taken their treasure, the ants leave the odd room and begin their long and dangerous journey home. That is except two small, disobedient ants. They begin eating crystal after crystal until they are completely stuffed. Then they fall asleep. As light begins to break through this strange-looking room, a silver shovel is plunged into the glass SUGAR dome. They are scooped up and plunged into a bitter, swirling brown sea. The shovel spins them around in a dizzy circle and then they are tipped sharply and begin to be hurled into a dark, frightening cave. The two naughty ants hang on for dear life.
Do the ants drown in the hot brown lake? Are they sucked into the cave? What happens when they take shelter in a toaster? Is it really such a good idea to eat all the sweet crystals you can? Have you ever had too much of a good thing? What did you find out? What do the ants learn? To discover the exciting conclusion to this book, go to the library and check out "Two Bad Ants" by Chris Van Allsburg.
This is a delightful story to share with your younger family members. Children will enjoy the storyline and the troubles the ants create. This is not "transforming" literature, but rather a first rate rollicking adventure. I hope you get a chance to read this book with young children. I will bet you will enjoy the tale. Have fun!
The founding of the American Republic is filled with heroes and stirring accounts of daring deeds. Though about 25% of the colonial population remained loyal to England, another 25% advocated for rebellion from the mother county. The remaining 50% stood on the sidelines waiting to see which side would gain the upper hand in the rebellion. Eventually, most of the fence sitters would join in the Revolution against Great Britain. The colony of Massachusetts was at the forefront of the American Revolution, and the famous 19th century poet, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote a stirring poem about one of the most famous night rides in American history. The name of this thrilling verse is The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere.
In the early 1770’s, various incidents such as the killing of five men in the event known as the Boston Massacre had aroused insurrectionist passions in New England. As relations continued to deteriorate between England and the colonies, acts of rebellion such as the Boston Tea Party occurred. Finally the British Crown became angry enough to send a Corps of Grenadiers and Light Infantry to the villages of Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts to destroy all military provisions found in the towns. Additionally, it is believed that the British soldiers were to arrest the leaders of the uprising, John Hancock and Samuel Adams. Due to the delicate nature of the operation, the crack British troops left quietly on the night of April 18, 1775. Fortunately, the colonists had already sensed that the Imperial Army was going to attack outside of Boston. The trouble lay in warning all the nearby settlements of the invasion. The central question was how the British planned to move their forces outside of Boston. Night riders would then be needed to daringly gallop across darkened, dangerous roads to tell the colonists about the attack. Through their accurate intelligence gatherers, the Americans learned that the British would transport their troops by ship. The method of deployment was the critical report needed by the American militiamen to establish a defense. After gaining this valuable information, a night watchman would then climb up the steeple of the Old North Church and signal the warning. The number of lamps placed in the tower would tell the night riders how the English forces would be deployed. "One by land, two by sea!"
The famous silversmith, Paul Revere, was to carry this important message by horseback to a number of towns outside Boston. Having evaded British warships in Boston Harbor through skill and daring, Revere waited in Charlestown, Massachusetts for the signal lights in the tower of the Old North Church. When the second lamp was placed in the steeple, Revere knew, the British were coming by sea. He sprang on his horse and started his famous ride which Longfellow’s poem commemorates with the captivating phrase: "Listen my children and you shall hear of the midnight ride of Paul Revere."
Though all Americans know that Revere’s ride alerted the Massachusetts militia to the British invasion, Longfellow’s poem captures the heroic and dangerous qualities of the night ride, and the heroism of Paul Revere. Though a number of other riders also carried the invasion message, Longfellow chose to center his telling of the dramatic tale through the actions of Paul Revere. Having said that, the silversmith did warn many people of the impending attack, and deservedly should be considered a hero. I hope you get a chance to go to the library and checkout this beautifully painted rendition of the famous verse. The poem makes thrilling reading as Longfellow is a master of the cadence and meter of the English language. Enjoy!
Science fiction is an entertaining form of literature that uses advanced technologies and interplanetary travel to discuss important problems on earth.
Traditional science fiction does not allow any activity that cannot be explained scientifically in the story. The great writers of science fiction such as Jules Verne strictly followed this code. But this intense desire for scientifically accuracy sometimes made for overly technical books with a limited readership. The "Narnia Chronicles" by C.S. Lewis is a brilliant example of fantasy. But pure fantasy has the reverse problem of science fiction in that the stories sometimes become so farfetched as to be unbelievable. This led to a new style that combines the best of science fiction and fantasy. This blending of the two literary forms can be quite effective and Lewis’s book "Perelandra" is a fine example.
Dr. Elwin Ransom is a famous philologist from Cambridge University. This great skill in learning and understanding foreign languages has been exceedingly helpful as he has just returned from Malanandra (Mars). While on this interplanetary journey, he has met good supernatural spirits named Eldils. Unfortunately, some of these supernatural beings have rebelled against their Creator and have become twisted and depraved. These Bent Eldils have only one concern: to drag everyone they meet into an underworld filled with sinful pride and burning hate. Ransom has been summoned by the Eldils to teleport to Perelandra (Venus). No instructions are given to him other than to remove all his clothes and follow the direction of the Good Eldils. With great faith the philologist follows this request and finds himself on Perelandra.
Ransom soon meets a beautiful creature named the Green Woman, who also is undressed. Though both Ransom and the Green Woman are nude, neither has any sense of shame as there are no lustful thoughts in either of them. The woman is filled with a great innocence and tells Ransom that only she and one man live in Perelandra. The Creator desires the man and woman to live together in great peace. Ransom has a hard time believing the pure, naïve simplicity of Green Woman, and wonders why he was sent to Perelandra to converse with such a chaste, unblemished soul.
Unfortunately, Ransom is not the only human to be transported to Perelandra. Dr. Edward Weston, a world-famous physicist, lands and soon tracks down the virtuous Green Woman. Weston has given up his will and reason to the Bent Eldils, and has come to Perelandra to trap Green Woman into an act of defiance that will break the holy bond she has with The Creator.
A series of cunning and brilliantly contrived temptations are quietly presented to the unsuspecting Green Woman. According to Weston and the Bent Eldil possessing him, the Creator is keeping good things from the woman, which she can gain by rebelling against the Creator. The seductive temptations become overwhelming to the lovely Green Woman. Ransom valiantly battles back against these enticing but vile thoughts. So powerful and effective are "forbidden fruits" that Green Woman is starting to collapse. In desperation, Ransom takes a fateful step.
What does he do? Is he able to save Green Woman from the bewitching snares of Weston? Where does free will come into the story? What strengthens our desire for good and protects us from making evil choices? To find out, go to the library and check out "Perelandra" by C.S. Lewis.
C.S. Lewis is a world renowned Christian writer. "That Hideous Strength" and "Out of the Silent Planet" are his other novels utilizing science fiction. "Perelandra" starts slowly but builds up to a dramatic, stunning conclusion with a brilliant climax.
One final piece of advice: Never converse with a talking snake
In the Book of Genesis, after God created the earth, it was declared good. But this wonderful world has been often abused by God’s highest creation, man himself. In the 1950’s chemicals such as DDT were routinely sprayed in many American cities. When the insects being attacked dropped over dead, man felt assured that his scientific knowledge was nearly infallible. Not until the early 1960’s with the publication of Rachel Carson’s famous book "Silent Spring" did the awareness of the interconnectedness of the environment begin. In the late 1990s a terrible decline in the honey bee population started happening worldwide. Since most fruits and vegetables are pollinated by honey bees, this issue had to be solved. Loree Griffin Burns has written a compelling account of this crisis in the book entitled "The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe."
The book begins with a fascinating account of a beekeeper’s taking care of a beehive colony. The apiary, as a bee colony is known, is filled with thousands of worker bees bringing nectar back to the hives. There they regurgitate the nectar into the mouths of receiver bees. The honey is then carefully deposited into the honey combs inside the hives. When examining the hives, a beekeeper must be careful not to startle or frighten the bees. Left to themselves the bees will busily work and produce pounds and pounds of wax combs filled with honey.
In the late 1990s, this happy scenario was being severely threatened when a massive worldwide die off of honey bees was discovered. Commercial beekeepers found many productive hives full of honey, but lacking in bee populations. Where were the bees? This caused a worldwide crisis in agriculture since honey bees are responsible for the pollination of many fruits and vegetables. The catastrophe was named Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD.) As beekeepers around the world opened up their hives, they were staggered by the disappearance of the bees. After professional beekeeper Dave Hackenberg discovered that four hundred of his three thousand beehives had no bees, he immediately sought help through the assistance of bee scientists. Some of these experts were university professors and others were state agricultural extension experts. They quickly found that bees with CCD had any number of deadly maladies. The combination of these ailments doomed the bees. Curiously enough, the investigators had initially thought CCD might have been caused by parasites, but it was found that these deadly invaders did not cause CCD. Scientists in France began making progress in identifying the causes of CCD. American researchers used this research and discovered that pesticides commonly used in agriculture had been altered to make them work systemically. This seemed like a simple way to continuously protect plants throughout the growing season. This process allowed the plant to never lack pesticides. Unfortunately for honey bees that also meant that they would never go to flowers and vegetables that were continuously treated with pesticides. At last the scientists felt they were on the edge of a breakthrough with CCD.
Were systemic pesticides found to be the cause of this world wide collapse in honey bees? Were other predators part of the problem as well? Do you like honey, blueberries, almonds and the many other wonderful foods dependent on honey bee pollination? To find out how the scientists contained this apiary plague, go to the library and check out this well written, beautifully photographed book. It has a superb index and the engaging pictures and text draw readers into the story. While this title would be very useful in science classes in Grades 5-7, curious readers will also find the story of bee keeping and the scientific response to CCD interesting. This is a very fine book.
Sigrid Undset is one of the 20th century’s great writers. In 1901 the Nobel Prize for Literature was established and 108 winners have been named through 2011. Sigrid Undset was awarded the medal in 1928, one of only 12 women to have ever won this famous prize. These accomplishments make her something of a literary pioneer.
Yet today her powerful voice is too little heard. Why is this? The answer is very simple to this writer; Sigrid Undset was a devout Catholic and believed that ultimate truth can be found in a life surrendered to Jesus Christ. This puts her in opposition to secular humanism with its emphasis on man being the measure of all things. Her books are filled with women struggling with life issues such as a desperate need for love, abandonment, adultery and brokenness. Her literary characters eventually find the answers to their problems in the loving and forgiving heart of Our Lord. Though many of her characters are set in medieval Norway, their lives are timeless and their problems are modern.
All of these qualities are seen in the life of Kristin Lavransdatter, the main character in Undset’s three volume masterpiece "Kristen Lavransdatter 1: The Wreath"; "2: The Wife"; "3: The Cross."
Kristin is a young girl growing up under the loving guidance of her parents Lavrans and Ragnfrid. Both parents are pious and Lavrans is particularly virtuous. When Kristin is 17, as was the custom, the family betroths Kristen to a fine young man named Simon Darre. When the maid and the youth meet, Kristin cannot find anything lacking in the young man, but continues to feel unease in her heart. Simon seems too predictable and provincial. Kristin wants a great and consuming love that will soar upwards. She wants a dramatic man to help her unlock her heart.
The meetings with Simon become lukewarm and all agree it would be best for Kristin to go to a cloister for rich young women preparing for marriage. There she can learn humility and tame her pride. Kristin tries to fit into convent life, but her heart continues to be restless. One day she visits a nearby town with another girl and is accidentally engulfed in a melee that causes both girls to be carried into the countryside. They hire two local men to take them back to the convent, but the men begin assaulting the young women on the edge of a forest. Just before they will be raped, a knight and three men ride down the road and attack the assailants. After thoroughly beating the brutes, the knight releases the pair at Kristin’s request. She looks at her savior and sees an exceedingly handsome man named Erlend Nikulausson.
Instantly smitten with overpowering passion, Erlend and Kristin begin plotting a love affair. Several problems arise: first, Kristin is already betrothed, and second, Erlend has a blighted past of adultery and financial ruin. However, when she thinks of the virtuous but uninspiring man her father has chosen for her, she decides to risk her soul and her family’s reputation on the dashing knight on a horse. She chooses against the Church, the Commandments and the loving heart of her father. She decides that nothing will stand in the way of her will.
How does all of this turn out for Kristin? Why does she feel so empty? What does she find out about Erlend? What are the wages of sin? Finally, where does Kristin begin to find the answer for the turmoil she has brought upon every one? To learn the answers to these questions, check out this masterpiece by Sigrid Undset.
While this great trilogy has been published in English several times, the 1997 translation by Tiina Nunnally is by far the best. The English translations in some earlier editions are stilted and hard to understand. Nunnally’s award winning translation is outstanding and the best choice for readers.
This the second book in Sigrid Undset’s masterpiece "Kristin Lavransdatter." In Book One, "The Wreath," Kristin has disobeyed her holy parents and committed adultery with a dashing but irresponsible knight named Erlend Nikulausson. Now married to Erlend, Kristin is beginning to learn that you must drink a freely-chosen cup of iniquity to the dregs.
All of Kristin’s dreams of her dramatic husband begin to crash down around her head. In this second book, Undset shows the necessity of begging for God’s forgiveness when we sin. Otherwise the wages of sin will overwhelm us. Kirstin and Erlend are both faced with these heart-searing choices in "The Wife."
Having seduced young Kristin Lavransdatter and taken her for his wife, Erlend Nikulausson seems to have gotten away with breaking the commandments. He is unable to grasp why Kristin is so guilt-ridden by these same events. Pregnant with child, Kristin is tormented by her fall from grace and desires to go to the shrine of St. Olaf and be forgiven. Erlend’s brother Gunnulf Nikulausson is a priest. Gunnulf has all the virtue lacking in Erlend and bluntly confronts his brother about his dishonest scheming with Kristin. Unable to answer his brother’s accusations, Erlend flees from the house and rides through the forest with bow and three hounds.
Meanwhile, Kristin, with her newborn son, walks 20 miles barefoot to the shrine of St. Olaf to beg for God’s forgiveness. There at the shrine, Kristin begins to experience the merciful forgiveness of her Savior.
Discarding her sinful past, Kristin returns to Husaby, to manage the estate she and Erlend own. There she begins giving birth to a number of sons. Erlend, ever restless, becomes oppressed with all the virtue Kristin is bringing to the estate. She is so responsible that the manor begins to thrive. But all of this peace and prosperity burns in Erlend’s heart. He wants to be free of responsibility and the demands of his growing sons. Kristin’s dedication to the boys also irritates him. He wants what he wants, when he wants it.
Now Kristin’s zeal for the faith and her family forces Erlend to face who he really is. How can he escape from all this familial benevolence? A war suddenly looms against Sweden. O blessed conflict, now Erlend volunteers to defend Norway from the attackers. He is secretly glad to be rid of his family obligations. For months he is gone patrolling the coast of Norway and rejoices in a simple world of attack nor be attacked.
But when he returns to Husaby, he once again is thrust into the loving family he wants to abandon for a carefree, lustful life. He is tormented by his own irresponsible desires. Is he just a selfish man devoid of responsibility? How do Kristen and his sons respond to Erlend? Can he learn to accept the responsibilities of being a husband and father? What choices do Kristin and Erlend make? To find out the answers to these questions, read Book Two, "The Wife" of the Kristin Lavransdatter series.
Undset has a particular genius in developing the response of the characters in the series to sin, mercy and forgiveness. Modern day people struggle with the same issues today that Undset discusses. "The Wife," sometimes entitled "The Mistress of Husaby," poignantly tells of courage and weakness in human nature. But undergirding this powerful story is the sustaining and healing power of God. I hope you get a chance to read these fine books.
Fatherhood is one of the most important roles given to men by God. While physical fatherhood is very important, spiritual fatherhood is equally important. This second type of fatherhood is the kind that builds character, confidence and self-acceptance in children. This is why it is appropriate to call a priest by the name of father. When fathers are absent or unconcerned with their children, problems develop that are very hard to overcome. In this compelling novel, John Grisham addresses these issues through the life of a fading major league pitcher and his 11-year-old son. The name of this fascinating story is "Calico Joe."
Warren Tracey is a 34-year-old major league pitcher pitching for the New York Mets. He is a hard-living, bean-ball throwing, mean-spirited man. He occasionally uses salty and profane language when trying to teach his son the unwritten "code" of baseball. One of the first rules is to deliberately hit batters after they have homered. Warren is known as a "head hunter" capable of throwing a fastball 95 mph at the heads of hitters. He enjoys hitting batters.
His sensitive son Paul pitches in Little League and has become an All-Star but Warren despises Paul’s generous nature as a sign of weakness. As his big league career is in decline, a brilliant rookie, Joe Castle, arrives in the majors to play for the Chicago Cubs.
In a matter of weeks, Joe sets the baseball world on fire with his sensational home runs and stolen bases. Since he is from Calico, Ark., the press dub the young man Calico Joe. Castle’s first 38 games are so remarkable that he singlehandedly propels the hapless Chicago Cubs into play-off contention. Paul begins collecting every article on the young phenom and he and his friends want to become the fabulous Arkansas player.
Luckily, the Mets are playing the Cubs soon in New York. Paul and his mother go to the first game of the series in which his father is the starting pitcher. Calico Joe hits a homerun in his first at bat against Tracey. The next time Joe comes up to bat, Paul knows that his father is going to hit the batter. Warren winds up and sends a brutal fastball at the rookie’s head and afterwards smiles. But the miserable consequences are just beginning for everyone. Paul is frightened, Warren is released and Joe is badly injured.
The author then flashes forward 30 years and we see Warren and Paul struggling with the old man’s recent diagnosis of cancer. Though Paul has little reason to love his father, he reaches out to him. He proposes that they go to Calico, Ark. and visit Joe Castle.
In denial, Warren defends his actions as being part of the "code." Paul will have none of this lying and confronts his father on his deception. When they arrive in Calico, Warren meets Joe face to face. All the ghosts of the past are there to be seen.
What happens? Does Joe curse Warren for the bean-ball? Does Warren ask forgiveness for his terrible act? How does honesty and forgiveness triumph over spitefulness and cowardice?
Finally, how do we learn how men show true courage and manliness? To find out read this exciting novel, "Calico Joe," by John Grisham.
John Grisham is an outstanding writer of thrilling adult mystery, detective and legal novels. This book can be read and appreciated by high school students. The book includes occasional profanity, but is written in a compassionate style. The story is beautiful and is a testimony that love can conquer evil. My wife and I both read the book in one day. I hope you get a chance to read this excellent novel.
Coming-of-age stories have always held an attraction for adolescents. As youngsters mature from childhood to adolescence, their physical bodies change and emotional lives develop. It is a confusing time in most people’s lives. The security of childhood with its comfortable boundaries begins to vanish and a large world full of choices and opportunities emerges.
Carol Ryrie Brink has written a touching story of a young girl trying to make sense of this journey. The name of this award-winning book is "Caddie Woodlawn."
The Woodlawn family is living on the Wisconsin frontier in the late 1850s. Indian tribes mingle with the settlers in an uneasy truce. John and Harriet Woodlawn have a large frontier family. Mrs. Woodlawn was raised in Boston and came west with some trepidation. Mr. Woodlawn was born in England but orphaned as a young boy. He immigrated to the United States and has built up his small farm through hard work and tenacity.
Harriet has tried to raise her daughters in a "civilized" manner. Unfortunately, Caddie is something of a tomboy and is little interested in the "finer things." Mr. Woodlawn has encouraged Caddie to explore the woods with her rambunctious brothers, which does little to tame her.
Caddie has made friends with an Indian named John and has visited their camp. This visit shocks the white settlers as there are recent memories of Indian attacks on white communities. A wild rumor begins to spread that John’s tribe is about to go on the warpath. Immediately settlers flee their farms seeking the safety in numbers at the Woodlawn farm.
There, some militant farmers decide that the whites should save themselves by attacking John’s village. Caddie listens to all of this talk and secretly takes a horse and rides to John’s camp. This has to be stopped.
Several years later, Caddie is now trying to understand why men and women have different roles in the wilderness. Her refined cousin Annabelle visits from Boston. Caddie feels totally outclassed by Annabelle, so she and her two ornery brothers play three cruel practical jokes on Annabelle. They succeed in making the young girl cry. At this point Mrs. Woodlawn begins looking for a switch. Caddie in particular is told that women do not mistreat guests. She is sent to bed without supper. While crying in bed, she plans to run away.
Soon her father puts his soothing hand on her head and gently tells Caddie all the beautiful things women bring to family life. Caddie takes her father’s kind words to heart. Maybe she should give this woman thing a chance. She takes action.
What does Caddie do? Was she able to stop the attack on John’s village? Is she able to bring peace between the settlers and the Indians? When she finally begins to understand that the feminine aspects of life are beautiful, can she begin to enjoy them? How have you settled confused things in your heart? How does Caddie? To find out, read this 1935 Newbery Award winner by Carol Ryrie Brink.
This book has been a favorite coming-of-age story for girls since its publication in 1935. The father-daughter relationship is sensitively and poignantly described. Caddie is a real person facing issues similar to all early teenagers. Her courage and honesty are refreshing. I hope you get a chance to encourage your younger family members to read this fine novel. I enjoyed the story and think you will as well.
With wonderful foresight, the United States Constitution calls for presidential elections every four years. Candidates try to win the approval of their parties and then need to convince the populace to vote for them.
Because of this, the individual personalities of the presidential hopefuls are important. Later, when running the government, presidential quirks are often the subject of cartoons and television shows. Hanoch Piven has written a clever book using ordinary objects to show the egocentricities of a number of famous presidents.
Through the use of everything from nails to marshmallows, Piven literally shows readers what presidents are made of.
Above each president, the author writes a phrase in a box describing the man. Piven states that George Washington is made of good deeds. As befitting the "Father of the country," Washington is pragmatically dramatized helping put out a fire that actually occurred several months before his death. The author uses flags for Washington’s eyes and has him dressed in a fire fighter’s outfit. Appropriately enough, George is pumping a well handle with his foot while throwing a cup of water on the blaze.
Andrew Jackson is described as having a hot temper. His eyes are made of bullets and his mouth is formed by a pistol. True to his personality, Piven has made Jackson’s nose out of a boxing glove. Jackson is known to have fought many duels resulting in his opponents being wounded and killed. Jackson was so tough that in one duel after he had been shot through the chest near his heart, he calmly took aim and shot his opponent. The stern character of "Old Hickory," as Jackson was nicknamed is clearly evident in his portrait.
Ulysses S. Grant’s picture is comical. Grant was known to be a man in a hurry and once was arrested for recklessly driving his carriage through the streets of Washington D.C. Though fined $20 for his speeding buggy, Grant actually paid the fine and then wrote a letter praising the diligence of the policeman. Piven places Grant on a racing chariot drawn by a horse crafted from a knife, pliers and wheels. Appropriately enough, Grant is dressed like a modern NASCAR driver with a racing helmet. His famous beard is made from nails and screws while an ignition key cleverly forms a pair of sunglasses for the charging general.
Theodore Roosevelt is stated to have "endless energy." As befits a man whose favorite expression was "bully," Teddy can be seen playing tennis, rowing boats, climbing mountains and playing hide-and-seek with his children. The author turns his pinz nez eyeglasses into the beginning of an electrical outlet for his red light bulb nose. It doesn’t take the reader long to see that Roosevelt is a charming man with boundless enthusiasm for life while having the capacity to light up his surroundings.
Piven continues to create unusual and interesting settings for the presidents. What president gets stuck in the bathtub? Who is a picky eater? Which president could voraciously devour an apple in three bites? What type of jelly bean did Ronald Reagan like so much that he hid them from others? To find out the answers to these and many other questions, go to the library and check out "What Presidents Are Made Of" by Hanoch Piven.
Elementary school students will enjoy this book. They will find the drawings of the presidents from all kinds of everyday objects to be amusing. Adults will find the pictures interesting as well. I hope you get a chance to share this fun book with a family member.
Writing is a solitary craft that depends on social experience. Hence writers need to have lived in the world to be able to understand and explain life. But this group knowledge is finally expressed in prose within the solitude of a study or writing room. Furthermore, since writing is often based on autobiographical experiences, many novelists zealously guard their privacy as they fear ridicule from the public. No one was more aware of these issues than Willa Cather, the great Nebraska writer. In today’s sex obsessed culture, there seems to be an endless appetite concerning Cather’s sexual orientation. The fact is that no defining statement can be made about this as most of her correspondence was destroyed upon her death. This fixation likely says more about the pathetic state of modern public discourse than it does about Willa Cather. While not avoiding these questions, Milton Meltzer has written a sensitive account of her life in this fine book, "Willa Cather: A Biography."
Willa Cather was born on December 7, 1873 in rural Virginia. Her family was from a relatively prosperous class. As a young girl, Willa often accompanied her father on their farm and carefully noticed the beauty of the physical world. At the young age of 9, Willa’s family moved to the flat plains of Nebraska. She grew up in the thriving town of Red Cloud and became interested in reading, music, drama and science. The vast swirl of European immigrants settling Nebraska through the Homestead Act exposed the young girl to an array of cultures and languages. Many of the characters would later appear in her famous novels under different names. Upon graduating from high school, Willa entered the University of Nebraska. During her college years she began developing her immense literary talents as a drama critic and editor. These skills would prove valuable as she became an editor for leading journals while still in her twenties. Unfortunately, all of this journalistic work left little time for creative writing. At last she was able to publish the powerful novel, "O Pioneers," which gave her the financial independence to leave the field of journalism and write creatively for the rest of her life.
As short stories and novels continued to flow from her handwritten drafts, World War I erupted. This calamity caused a severe psychological problem for intellectuals. If mankind always strove for the good, why were millions killed in this hateful war? By about 1922, a break was happening in the literary classes. While many writers made a sad peace with modern society by accepting a pessimistic view leading to a godless existentialism, Willa Cather seems to have rejected modern problems and turned to a simpler time when the United States was being settled. Her books from this time in her life until her death include "My Antonia," "Shadow on the Rock" and the famous "Death Comes for the Archbishop."
What continued to motivate Willa Cather? Where did her passion to write originate? Why were so many of her novels set in Nebraska? What allowed her to describe the geography of an area so poignantly that readers will feel they can see and experience the land before visiting it? Why do some of her greatest novels have a distinctly "Catholic" feeling? To find out the answers to these and other questions, read "Willa Cather: A Biography" by Milton Meltzer.
I believe this unhealthy fixation on Cather’s personal life, mentioned above, should be laid to rest. Her novels are beautifully written and need no "informed critics" to understand. I hope you read Meltzer’s excellent biography and then move on to Cather’s outstanding novels. May I suggest "My Antonia," and "Death Comes for the Archbishop"? They are magnificent testimonies to the transforming power of love. Enjoy!
The Great Plains stretch for hundreds of miles. This vast area has a harsh geography in many places. Drought is always a possibility for the area as are spring tornadoes and winter blizzards.
When settlers came west in the 1860s, they encountered enormous amounts of grassland. Accustomed to forests and trees in their home states, the Great Plains seemed like a windswept grass ocean to many. But the Great Plains actually are quite attractive if people develop perception. But how is this possible? Jane Yolen discusses these questions in this lovely story of an immigrant family settling in Nebraska after the Civil War. The name of this charming tale is "Elsie’s Bird."
Elsie lives in Boston with her recently widowed father. They have a pleasant enough life, and Elsie loves the city with its interesting harbor and fishermen. Her grandparents love the child and she returns their affection. But each Sunday after church as she and her father walk home, Elsie notices a heavy sadness in her father’s heart. She knows he is grieving the loss of his beloved wife. To cope with her feelings, Elsie has developed close friendships with all the birds in the neighborhood. These flying beauties give the young girl happiness. But Elsie’s pleasant childhood changes abruptly when her father decides to leave Boston and its painful memories, and move to a farm in rural Nebraska.
To make the journey easier, her father lets Elsie take her yellow canary, Timmy Tune. As she waves goodbye to her sobbing grandparents, Elsie tries to figure out what going west means. But as they cross the Appalachian Mountains and continue through the prairie states of Illinois and Iowa, she begins to understand. Soon the train reaches Nebraska. For the first time in her life, Elsie looks out and sees a vast ocean of grass swaying in the wind. The Nebraska plain is so huge that Elsie becomes frightened that she might become lost in the grass sea.
When they finally get to their sod house, the child cannot believe the nearest neighbors are several miles away. An immense fear and loneliness descend upon Elsie. In particular she fears getting lost in the waving grass surrounding the sod house.
Though she quietly cries herself to sleep each night, Timmy Tune’s lovely chirping brings her joy each day.
One day, her father drives the wagon to the nearest town to get supplies alone, as Elsie is still too timid to leave the sod house. After her father’s departure, she accidentally leaves Timmy’s bird cage door open. He flies out into the tall grass fields. Elsie runs after him and quickly becomes lost. But as she searches for the canary, Elsie began to see flowers and other birds she hadn’t noticed before. She had no idea the grass ocean was so alive, and so interesting. But she is still lost and needs to find Timmy Tune and her path home.
What does Elsie do? How can she find Timmy Tune in an ocean of grass? What does she do when fear grips her heart? Have you ever been lost? Did anyone come to help you? What does Elsie’s father do to find the child? To discover the answers, go to the library and read this charming book, "Elsie’s Bird," by Jane Yolen.
Jane Yolen is one of the most prolific and beloved authors in the field of children’s literature. This picture book is a beautiful story of a family healing from past hurts and discovering the beauty of Nebraska. I highly commend this lovely read -aloud to you and your family.
This summer the world sat on the edge of their seats to watch the Olympic Games in London. Though the athletes all have individual stories, the common thread in all of these examples is the enormous effort of the Olympians to excel.
Many families have spent large amounts of their income to help train the athletes, even to going bankrupt. The United States maintains an Olympic training center in Colorado to foster this success, and some athletes are separated from their families during training. This does raise certain ethical questions about the price of success.
Other countries have taken even more severe measures to win internationally. China is currently the prime example of this win at all costs philosophy. Though this book is about the development of ballet dancers, the underlying issues are the same and the story needs to be told. What does a country gain and lose when it takes 8- to 11-year-old children and intensively trains them in national academies designed to develop stars? This beautiful, yet painful book, "Dancing to Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer," tells one such story.
Li Cunxin, a poor peasant boy, lives with his parents and five brothers in the rural town of Quindao in northern China. The wretchedly-run Communist economy continually produces starvation and misery throughout the country. But Chairman Mao needs fresh faces of success to show the world the wonders of the "workers’ paradise." So throughout the country talented children are recruited in sports, dance and other activities to give China prestige.
Li is given a series of exercises by party officials and it is determined that he has the potential to become an outstanding ballet dancer. He tells his desperately poor family about this opportunity and they encourage him to accept the offer from the Communist officials. At least he may have a better life than the other six family members.
So, frightened and alone, he moves to a dance academy in Beijing to train with other young boys the Party has selected. For years the training continues and Li gradually becomes a brilliant ballet dancer. He is so talented that the government chooses him to study advanced ballet in the United States.
But as he grows in his talent as a ballet dancer there is a deep pain in his heart for his family. His only memory of his family is an old picture of his parents and Li thinks of them constantly. As he dances in "The Nutcracker" he receives the wonderful news that his parents have arrived from China to see his performance. The curtain rises and as he dances across the stage he anxiously looks for his aged parents. Suddenly his dreams come true and he soars through the air. What caused Li’s jubilation? Did his impoverished parents see him dance? Why did so much suffering accompany his rise to success? How much different are things today in China? To find out, go to the library and check out this fine autobiography of Li Cunxin.
While it is hard not to be thrilled by Li Cunxin’s accomplishments, the brutal system founded to create such champions is toxic. Numerous examples of this could be seen in the recent Olympics in the shattered faces of Chinese athletes only capable of winning silver medals. Success has to be more than just winning if it is to be worthwhile. This book is well worth reading to your children when discussing success in any area. Otherwise we will see repeats of the life of the Boston Red Sox star outfielder Jimmy Piersall. Written after he actually climbed the screen behind home plate during a game and his subsequent nervous breakdown, it is appropriately entitled "Fear Strikes Out."
In the elementary grades, reading is the subject that unlocks the excitement of education. Early readers move from wordless board books to illustrated picture books. As children gain reading competence, they frequently ask for chapter books. Youngsters skilled in reading move seamlessly into higher level stories.
But many students need formula stories to increase their love of reading. Famous formula series from the past, such as the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, helped several generations of readers discover the pleasure of reading.
In the last 20 years a number of popular series have been written. Of these, the Encyclopedia Brown series has been extremely popular. Donald Sobol has written more than 20 books in this series and children like to read the tales. The name of this interesting book is "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander." This particular story describes 10 different cases that Encyclopedia Brown successfully solves.
Ten-year-old sleuth Leroy Brown frequently helps his father, Chief Brown, the commander of the local police, to solve crimes. Leroy is so knowledgeable at discovering criminals that everyone simply calls him Encyclopedia Brown.
A particularly difficult case has just arisen at the local aquarium. The chief tries to figure out who might have stolen a recently purchased tiger salamander. This amphibian is so valuable that it can be sold on the black market for a large sum of money. Only three people could have stolen the tiger salamander. The first is Mrs. King, a volunteer at the aquarium. Mrs. King is a likely suspect as she has a tremendous fascination with salamanders and has dozens at home as pets. Why not top off her collection with the famous tiger salamander?
The second person is Sam Maine, the director of maintenance for the aquarium. Maine has access to the entire building and has proudly told the chief that he has worked with salamanders and other lizards for 19 years.
The third suspect is Dr. O’ Donnell, an expert on reptiles and amphibians working for the aquarium. But Chief Brown is stumped because each suspect has an alibi. Mrs. King was seen by a cashier at the time of the theft in the cafeteria. Sam Maine told the policeman that he was cleaning the cages at the time the tiger salamander was stolen. Several people vouched that they had seen Sam working during the time period. Dr. O’Donnell was known to have been examining a new crocodile all morning, which eliminated him as a suspect. This was turning into a very difficult case. The Chief asked Encyclopedia for help. The young detective closed his eyes and cogitated on the facts. When he opened his eyes, the answer was clear.
What clues had given away the true thief? Why was the real crook so obvious to Encyclopedia? Have you ever solved a puzzle? What helped you find the answer? Why is Encyclopedia Brown so effective in solving crimes? To find the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out "Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander."
The Encyclopedia Brown books have been popular for the last two decades. Donald Sobol (1924-2012) created the Encyclopedia Brown series for reluctant readers. The series makes no pretense about being "serious" or "life changing." The books are written to be enjoyed, and the series has never been out of print. Right before his death, Donald Sobol finished his final book in the series. Children in many countries will be grateful for this last literary present. I hope you get a chance to encourage the children in your life to read these entertaining books. Enjoy!
Every four years Americans have the privilege to vote in the presidential election. It is critical that those of voting age take advantage of this right and go to the ballot box. This great gift of choosing our president distinguishes the United States from many other countries.
There have been 44 presidents in the nation’s history. Each of these leaders has brought an array of skills and abilities to the office. Some have been intellectual giants while others were smooth politicians. The human foibles and unusual traits of our presidents have long been the staple of cartoons and comedy. This humorous and entertaining account of the first 41 American presidents is a delight to read. Judith St. George has entitled her enjoyable book "So You Want To Be President?"
It helps to have the right name to become president. For example, six presidents have been named James and four have been named John.
Some of the presidents have come from very rich and privileged families, but others have come from backgrounds filled with poverty. Andrew Johnson came from such a deprived background that he could not read until he was 14 years old. On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson was one of the most brilliant men ever to become president. He was an architect, a political theorist, a diplomat and a writer. He is one of the primary authors of the Declaration of Independence and of the United States Constitution. Both of these brilliant documents have served as models for other countries in the 19th and 20th centuries.
Some presidents hated the presidency, with John Quincy Adams stating the presidential years were the unhappiest times of his life. On the other hand, Teddy Roosevelt loved being president. Characteristically, Teddy enjoyed most everything about being president. Ebulliently crying "bully" at all the adventures and interesting events he encountered each day, Teddy had a grand time as president. Teddy frequently had pillow fights with his equally energetic children during his presidential terms.
Several presidents have followed in the footsteps of other family members to become president. The first such father-and-son combination was John Adams and his son John Quincy Adams. President Benjamin Harrison was the grandson of President William Henry Harrison. Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt were cousins and the two Bush presidents were father and son. So there must be something to family gene connection.
St. George does not shy away from disgraced presidents either with a dark picture at the end of the book showing President Nixon and President Clinton leaving the White House under suspicion. But most of the book is filled with funny drawings of the presidents which leaves readers asking questions about the events during the presidential terms.
Why would a president allow his children to take a horse up the White House elevator? Who had 11 brothers and sisters? How many of the presidents played golf? How many served in the military? To find out the answers to these questions and many others, go to the library and check out this humorous book, "So You Want To Be The President?" by Judith St. George.
This book is simply charming. The information is entertaining and the pictures are comical. My favorite picture is the one showing Woodrow Wilson dancing. Talk about poetic license, the stern Wilson would likely not find the picture humorous, which of course makes it very funny.
I hope you get a chance to read this book with a younger member of your family. I am sure you will have a delightful time. Enjoy!
The baseball season sadly ends for those of us enthralled with the sport. Fortunately, the playoffs begin and fans are treated to another two weeks or so of exciting play.
Many fans avidly follow particular teams throughout the season and during the playoffs. The Chicago Cubs have a huge fan base despite years of hapless play. The New York Yankees and the Boston Red Sox also have large followings.
But the St. Louis Cardinals are one of the most popular teams in major league baseball. Year after year, the Redbirds, as they are called, provide some of the most compelling drama of any major league team. Why is this? Mark Stewart answers this question in an interesting account of the franchise entitled "The St. Louis Cardinals."
The story begins in the late 1800s when the team was originally named the St. Louis Browns. An early owner with the name of Chris von der Ahe changed the color of the players’ ‘sox’ from brown to red and then called them the Cardinals. For a number of years the Redbirds were cellar dwellers, but the early 1920s saw the rise of dominant St. Louis teams. Over a 20-year period, the Cardinals won the National League title nine times.
The greatest Cardinal player on these teams was Stan Musial. This left-handed slugger was such a good hitter that the Brooklyn Dodger fans just started calling him "Stan the Man." The team began to decline in the 1950s but fortunately rebounded in the 1960s. From 1964 through the 1980s, the Cards won six more National League titles.
The 1985 World Series became known as the Interstate 70 series because St. Louis played the Kansas City Royals. Kansas City prevailed in the 1985 World Series with the great George Brett leading the Royals to victory over the Cards. But St. Louis kept rebuilding their team decade after decade. Some of the teams were centered on base runners like Lou Brock or Vince Coleman. Both men stole more than 100 bases a year in some seasons. Talk about terrifying a pitcher!
Then in other years the Cardinals had great home run hitters on their teams. The greatest of these sluggers was Mark McGuire and his astounding blasts sometimes went all the way into the top deck of Busch Stadium. This section became known as "Big Mac Land." To this day the Cardinals continue to be one of the great teams in baseball, and their players and team are still terrific.
Mark Stewart gives the readers all kinds of fun and interesting information about the Redbirds. What great shortstop is known by the nickname of the "Wizard of Oz?" What famous St. Louis catcher has two brothers playing the same position in the major leagues? How many times did Albert Pujols win the Most Valuable Player Award? Who is the most famous manager in Cardinal history? And finally, what did David Freese do in the 2011 World Series to "ice" the victory for the Cardinals?
To find out the answers to these and many other delightful tidbits, go to the library and check out "The St. Louis Cardinals" by Mark Stewart.
This book is a blast to read. The pictures are excellent and the text abounds with details and stories about the Cardinals. The book will keep readers turning the pages. A "can’t miss" story for sports fans, take the time to read this book with your children and share your own baseball stories with them. Always remember it’s time to "Take Them Out to the Ballgame!" Have fun!
Children usually look forward to the first snowfall of the year. If it snows so hard that school is called off, the event can become a glorious holiday. Young children sometimes try to catch snowflakes in their mouths, while older youngsters want to ride their sleds down steep hills.
Of course the snow itself needs to be shoveled, which makes people pay close attention to the type of snow on the ground. Snow has different shapes, weights and shades of color. But all snowflakes have one thing in common: they are all six-sided, or hexagons. Jacqueline Martin has written an interesting book about the scientist/photographer responsible for this unique knowledge. His name is Wilson Bentley, but he is usually known as Snowflake Bentley.
Wilson Bentley was born on a Vermont farm on February 9, 1865. He finds nature fascinating as a young boy and learns of a new science called photography. His commonsense father feels that studying nature is fine, but the real purpose of a farm is to produce food and make money. But questions continue forming in the young man’s mind.
In particular, he ponders the shape and contours of snowflakes. Why are they so fragile? What makes some snowflakes large while others remain small? Do they all look alike, or are some unique? As Wilson puzzles over these questions his neighbors scoff at his curiosity. Snow is everywhere in Vermont; why would you ever study it?
But Wilson is so persistent that he eventually convinces his skeptical father to buy him an expensive camera to photograph snowflakes throughout the winter. With this new tool Wilson begins photographing snowflakes with patience and determination.
This becomes an arduous process as the young scientist must learn how to handle the tiny, fragile snowflakes. A breath on a photo slide can cause snowflakes to melt. Even slight movement on the photo negative can cause the snowflakes to shatter. Sometimes there is little snow, and at other times the photographing is a failure.
But Wilson is resolute. He is going to photograph hundreds and hundreds of snowflakes and then write a book on the topic. Finally, after years and years of selfless study, Bentley is ready. In 1926, Wilson publishes his remarkable book on snowflakes. All the years of toiling in the freezing cold reaches its successful conclusion.
How did the public receive his book? Why did this simple Vermont farmer begin to be seen as a world -wide authority on snowflakes? How much money did Bentley make for all of his masterful study? Why did he have such deep satisfaction in his heart for the project? Why do children simply call him "Snowflake Bentley?"
Have you ever risked failure to try to accomplish an important project? Why is it so important to try? What can we learn from Snowflake Bentley’s interesting life? To find out, go to the library and check out "Snowflake Bentley" by Jacqueline Martin.
This book won the 1999 Caldecott Medal for distinguished art. It is a serious biography done with beautiful illustrations and text. I hope you get a chance to share this book with your family. The next time you wonder at the beauty of the shapes of snowflakes, say a prayer of thanksgiving for the years of diligent work by Snowflake Bentley explaining these lovely, white, hexagon marvels.
The American Revolution is a very complicated event. Normally revolutions begin in countries suffering from famine, want and oppression. For the most part, these reasons were lacking at the outbreak of the American Revolution. If these problems were not present, then why did this great conflict begin?
Benjamin Franklin believed that the Revolution began because England had become similar to an old mother incapable of letting her now-grown children walk alone.
Similarly, Theodore Roosevelt stated that the Revolution started because the American Colonies had matured into a country without England realizing this important fact. Britain still held the belief that the Colonies were too immature to rule themselves. Consequently, the mother country was needed to make the important decisions for North America.
So the issues relating to the control of the colonies lay behind the mounting differences with England. These tensions eventually set both nations on a collision course.
This outstanding book written by Janis Herbert details the many events comprising the American Revolution. The writing is superb and many fascinating details are included. The name of this fine history is "The American Revolution for Kids."
With the end of the French and Indian War in 1763, England became the dominant power in North America. Unfortunately, the war left the English government with large war debts. Money is normally raised through new taxes, and the British government began proposing a number of revenue proposals.
As subjects of the kingdom, the British felt the Americans should pay more of the cost of the British Empire. The Americans responded by stating they had already paid for the war through increased taxes and by suffering many causalities. The British were unmoved and instituted taxes on tea, paper, stamps and other projects.
In addition to having to pay more money in taxes, the Americans also felt that they had no say in the political process. This turned into the cry of "no taxation without representation."
Herbert repeatedly points to turning points in the escalating struggle between England and the colonies. For example, after the famous Boston Tea Party, the British government forced the Intolerable Acts and other laws on the colonies. Boston Harbor was closed; the Massachusetts legislature dissolved, the ruined tea was to be paid for by the colonists and the borders of Quebec extended into New England. With these threatening actions by the Crown, war finally broke out.
Throughout this book, that author fills fascinating sidebars with information about famous Revolutionary men and women.
In addition to the descriptions of many battles during the war, the author further engages young readers by including recipes from the 1700s and actual games played by colonial children. Herbert continues teaching students through the participation in real life activities, such as colonial bread baking and learning how to churn butter. This gives the book an authentic life quality that draws children into the colonial period and the Revolutionary War.
This title would be an outstanding addition to any 5th- to 7th-grade social studies class on the subject of the Revolutionary War. It is packed with information, pictures, drawings and other interesting facts.
Teachers and parents would do well to encourage their students and children to read this book. It is well worth the effort. Enjoy!
Economic desperation can create terrible situations leading to evil. People in want are less likely to listen to the voice of reason and are more likely to follow leaders promising security and prosperity.
The 1920s and early 1930s were such a time in Germany. Crushed by the millions of causalities suffered in World War I, burdened with an unjust peace at Versailles, the German nation saw its once vital economic life ebb towards extinction by 1932.
In these terrible times Hitler gathered support in this shattered land. Promising prosperity and a rebirth of national pride, the Nazi Party actually won 37% of the national vote in the 1932 elections. Only four years earlier, the Nazis had won 3% of the vote. Frightened people will often listen to false prophets. Within several years, the brutal Third Reich fell upon Germany.
In short order, Hitler rearmed the nation and began annexing land bordering Germany. The country was to be cleansed of those "unfit for living" and systematic euthanasia began being practiced on the weak and ill. Any persons or groups opposing the Fuhrer’s demands were arrested, with the normal punishment being prison, a concentration camp or execution.
The Reich exerted so much power that most citizens either supported the government’s goals or were cowed into silent submission. Either way, this allowed the Nazi Party to have near total control of the nation. Germans opposing the government seemed to have no way to change this awful situation. But one small group of students at the University of Munich decided to challenge the Nazi menace. They called themselves "The White Rose."
Hans Scholl, a medical student, organized the revolt. In the face of such overwhelming force, Scholl began practicing nonviolent resistance to the government. He obtained a typewriter, a duplicating machine, and soon began writing pamphlets denouncing the Nazi government. He was quickly joined by his younger sister Sophie and several others in this dangerous work.
The Scholls felt that the world must understand that some Germans opposed the Nazis and tried to organize a revolt against the horrible evil of National Socialism. They based their actions on a deep-seated love for Christian values, which they had built up through prayer and the study of great writers such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Augustine. Their pamphlets soon started a sensation in Munich and other nearby cities where they had been distributed.
Denounced as traitors to Germany, the Gestapo quickly began searching for the members of the White Rose resistance group. After writing the sixth pamphlet, they were seen throwing a stack of writing over a balcony at the University of Munich and were arrested. The Gestapo’s subsequent interrogation then led the young heroes to their preordained deaths.
What do the Scholls and other members of the White Rose movement tell their evil judges during their trials? Why can a legally passed law be immoral? Why do White Rose participants freely confess that they carried out all the actions listed in the indictments? How did their courage continue to inspire people such as the Gestapo interrogating agent? Why does Sophie Scholl’s inner peace stagger so many people throughout her rigged interrogation? And finally, why are the Scholls considered heroes in modern day Germany? To find out, check out "The White Rose: Munich 1942-1943" by Inge Scholl.
This is a powerful story of a group of heroic young students opposing a malevolent government. The actual White Rose pamphlets are included at the end of the book, as well as the indictments by the Nazis against the White Rose members.
This is a sorrowful, beautiful story of courage and humanity in the face of grave moral evil. Sophie and Hans Scholl have much to teach us today.
"But standing by the cross of Jesus were His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing near, He said to His mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ Then to the disciple, ‘Behold your mother!’ " (Jn 19:25-27)
Through this great act of love, Our Lord authorized Mary to be the Mother of the Church and enjoined the faithful, represented by St. John, to her maternal solicitude.
Throughout history, in times of grave distress, Our Lord has sent His mother to call us back to His divine heart. Three notable examples of this are the apparitions of Our Lady at Guadalupe, Mexico in 1531; at Lourdes, France in 1858; and Fatima, Portugal in 1917. In all three cases, Our Blessed Mother was seen and conversed with very simple, ordinary people. As our mother, Mary comes with vital messages from her Son.
The three children from Fatima visited by the Mother of God were given revelations. The first two messages, called the secrets of Fatima, were once known by virtually all Catholics.
The first secret was a terrifying vision of hell where grave sinners suffered terrible torments. The second secret was a series of prophecies: WWI would soon end, but a worse war would occur if mankind did not repent from their sins. This second war would be preceded by a sign in the heavens.
Due to the seeming hardness of heart in mankind, this prophecy occurred with a solar display on the night of January 25, 1938, about one month before Hitler’s annexation of Austria.
Additionally, people were told to pray for Russia and that Russia needed to be consecrated to Mary’s Immaculate Heart. If the Blessed Mother’s requests were not followed, Russia would spread its errors throughout the world.
The Third Secret was finally published June 26, 2000 and concerns a future catastrophe caused by the refusal of mankind to turn to God.
The Fatima apparitions caused enormous interest in Portugal and elsewhere in the world. The three humble shepherd visionaries told the world that a miracle would occur during the final appearance of the "beautiful Lady" on October 13, 1917. This interest caused thousands of pilgrims and skeptics to descend on Fatima that day.
In a dreary, cold, soaking rain thousands waited for the appearance of Our Lady and for the foretold miracle. At about 12:30 p.m. that day, the clouds parted and the sun began to shine. Our Lady appeared and the Miracle of the Sun occurred. During the miracle, which lasted for about 10-12 minutes, the sun actually spun around in the sky, and threw off astonishing colors. During the miracle, sometimes called The Dance of the Sun, everyone could look directly at the sun without hurting their eyes.
At the climax of the vision, the sun came hurling straight towards the earth in an apocalyptic manner. People were so terrified that they cried out for God’s mercy and thought the world was ending. Then the sun stopped its descent and returned to its place in the sky.
So powerful was the phenomenon that even hardened atheists in the crowd were shaken and agreed that a miracle had happened. At the end of the Dance of the Sun, the rain-soaked people and earth were dry.
In this book, John Haffert gives us the personal accounts of 18 people present at the Miracle of the Sun. He gives detailed information where they were standing and how the miracle affected them.
Though he mentions the entire events regarding Fatima, his primary purpose is to record the thoughts and feelings of people present during the miracle. Though the participants had different emotional responses during the Dance of the Sun, all of them agree on the basic details of the wondrous event.
If you get an opportunity to read this book, you will be enlightened about the importance of the Fatima apparitions. Continue to pray for the conversion of the world, and thank Our Blessed Savior for sending His holy mother to help us return to Him.
Armistice Day occurred on November 11, 1918. World War I (WWI) ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918.
Supposedly World War I was to be the war to end all wars. This false illusion was built on the philosophy of The Enlightenment, an intellectual movement beginning in the early 1700s holding that mankind was inherently good.
Whereas Catholicism and other Christian denominations believe that humanity is wounded by original sin and must be redeemed by a Savior, many Enlightenment thinkers, like some secular humanists today, felt that mankind could be perfected through human values. They believed that the Incarnation of Our Lord was not needed, and churches should stand aside. This removal of religious restrictions would allow the human race to flourish and be happy.
In 1914, the philosophy of the Enlightenment had made great headway in Europe. Man’s intellect and science had triumphed creating a glorious present. This development had proven that the Enlightenment was correct about the goodness of humanity and showed the futility of most religious ideas.
Unfortunately, world events were soon to demonstrate how incorrect this pleasant view was.
With the outbreak of World War I in August 1914, the world would begin a four-year-long slaughter of the finest youth of their civilizations.
For decades after World War I, people sold red poppies on Veterans Day in remembrance of the millions who perished during the horrendous battles of World War I. People would proudly wear these pretty little flowers as a tribute to these fallen heroes.
But where did this beautiful practice come from? The answer is found in one of the most moving poems written during World War I. Dr. John McCrae worked in field hospitals during the war on the Western Front of WWI. He treated an endless stream of wounded and dying soldiers after many battles. He used poetry to tell of the pain and beauty he encountered during WWI. So moving was McCrae’s great poem "Flanders Fields" that school children memorized its stanzas for years after the war. His beautiful poetry has always touched the deepest chords of the heart. This is the poignant poem "Flanders Fields" by Dr. John McCrae:
In Flanders Fields
In Flanders fields
the poppies blow
Between the crosses,
row on row,
That mark our place;
and in the sky
The larks, still bravely sing, fly Scarce heard
amid the guns below.
We are the Dead.
Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn,
saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel
with the foe:
To you from failing hands
we throw
The torch; be yours
to hold it high
If ye break faith
with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields.
As our society becomes more secularist, the important lessons so beautifully written about by Dr. McCrae are being forgotten. The red poppies worn so proudly for generations demonstrate the need we have for God’s mercy and guidance. Let us pray that our country remembers this most important fact, or else we may be like the people in the poem who "loved and were loved, and now we lie, in Flanders fields."
Hanukkah is the eight-day Jewish feast celebrating the rededication of the Jewish Temple in the 2nd century B. C. The Temple had been desecrated by invaders and spiritual abominations carried out through the worship of false gods. After Judas Maccabee, the great Jewish warrior, had driven out the foreigners, he rededicated the Temple through an eight-day period of prayer and celebration.
This happy time is also called the Festival of Lights and uses the famous Menorah. This well-known candelabrum has eight candles, one for each day of the Festival, and one additional candle should anyone need to light something in the house. The eight candles are level, with the ninth candle being elevated over the rest. The Menorah is one of the most famous symbols of the Jewish religion. Hanukkah can fall at any time from late November to late December. Patricia Polacco has written a touching account of a Hanukkah from her childhood. The name of this lovely story is "The Trees of the Dancing Goats."
The snow is beginning to fall and all the families outside Union City, Mich. start preparing for the religious holidays occurring in December. Almost all the families begin chopping down Christmas trees and getting ready to celebrate the birth of Our Lord. But the author’s family is Jewish; they commence getting ready for Hanukkah. However, since most of their neighbors are Christian, they often assist their Christian friends preparing for Christmas celebrations.
As the festival draws nearer, the family eagerly anticipates the joyful time of Hanukkah. Shortly before the feast, young Patricia visits her best friend Cherry Kremmel. When she arrived at the Kremmel house, she finds the entire family in bed with a fever from an epidemic. Patricia watches helplessly as Cherry lies in bed groaning in pain. When Patricia returns home, she is immediately quarantined by her family so that she can’t spread the epidemic. But the dangerous fever spreads throughout the area.
Fortunately Patricia has not contacted the illness and begins looking forward with anticipation to the Festival of Lights. While the older women start preparing baked chicken and potato pancakes, Patricia’s grandpa busily carves beautiful little wooden toys for the children. As the first candle is lit on the Menorah, the family joyfully embraces the beautiful holiday.
But after a while Grandpa wonders about all of the Christian neighbors in the area unable to prepare for Christmas. Ideas for helping them get ready for Christmas form in his mind. When he tells the family about this idea, they respond with generosity. The women start cooking again, and he and his grandson head into the forest with an ax. Soon the plan is complete.
What does Patricia Polacco’s family do for their sick neighbors? What is the cost and joy of friendship? How does the young girl learn that charity is such a blessing to the giver? Have you ever gone out of your way to help someone? Have you discovered the joy of giving? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this delightful story "The Trees of the Dancing Goats" by Patricia Polacco.
This beautiful tale is another gift from Patricia Polacco. She is one of the most poignant and endearing author/illustrators in the field of children’s literature. You will love reading this story with the children in your family. It teaches us the great joy of charity. Enjoy!
Each December, people around the world await the joyful event of Our Lord’s birth. Christmas is the wonderful day that God was born in a stable in Bethlehem. In plays, celebrations and family festivities people enjoy this happy moment.
"But when time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Gal 4:4-5) The magnificent gift of Our Lord’s birth has been celebrated in music and art throughout the ages. While reading the first chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke are of inestimable value, a marvelous picture book such as "The Story of Christmas" will nourish the love of Christ in the hearts of young readers.
Since all the Sacred Scriptures are divinely inspired, the Bible in a sense is one very large book detailing God the Father’s plan for mankind. Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "Jesus of Nazareth," follows this idea when he treats the Infancy Accounts of the St. Matthew and St. Luke as one basic narrative. This blending of events in both Gospels helps readers better understand the events of the Nativity.
Dalton uses the Annunciation as the opening illustrations of the book. The Angel Gabriel greets Mary with the regal word "Hail." Only a queen is addressed in this manner. The beauty of the Angel Gabriel and Our Lady in the first two pictures set the tone for the entire book.
Next readers see St. Joseph leading Mary, seated on a donkey into Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. The drawing of Jesus in the manger is simply wonderful. Beautiful angels then appear to the shepherds watching over their flocks. The two-page drawing of the angels saying "Glory to God in the highest" takes my breath away. As Our Blessed Mother lovingly holds the Christ Child, the shepherds come and reverentially pay homage.
Then the artist shows the Three Wise Men pointing to the star leading to Jesus. As they later kneel in front of the newborn King of the Jews, they give their gifts of gold (acknowledging His kingship), incense (stating His divinity) and myrrh (foretelling His death.)
The warnings given to the Three Wise Men to avoid Herod, and to St. Joseph to flee into Egypt are then presented. The two-page drawing of the Flight into Egypt is very detailed and instructive.
Finally the book concludes with an uplifting picture of the Holy Family busy at work after they have returned to Nazareth.
Readers will find this picture book both beautiful and comforting. Though the story of the Nativity is well known to most people, the artwork of Pamela Dalton will draw young children into the heart of the magnificent account of the Incarnation. Your heart and spirit will be lifted as you read this inspiring story from the Bible and point out the endearing pictures accompanying it. Young children will want to kiss the picture of the Christ Child in the manger. And this is how it should be.
I hope you take the opportunity to check out or buy this lovely book for your family. "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is 9:6)." Amen.
Each December, people around the world await the joyful event of Our Lord’s birth. Christmas is the wonderful day that God was born in a stable in Bethlehem. In plays, celebrations and family festivities people enjoy this happy moment.
"But when time had fully come, God sent forth his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons." (Gal 4:4-5) The magnificent gift of Our Lord’s birth has been celebrated in music and art throughout the ages. While reading the first chapters of St. Matthew and St. Luke are of inestimable value, a marvelous picture book such as "The Story of Christmas" will nourish the love of Christ in the hearts of young readers
Since all the Sacred Scriptures are divinely inspired, the Bible in a sense is one very large book detailing God the Father’s plan for mankind. Pope Benedict XVI, in his book "Jesus of Nazareth," follows this idea when he treats the Infancy Accounts of the St. Matthew and St. Luke as one basic narrative. This blending of events in both Gospels helps readers better understand the events of the Nativity.
Dalton uses the Annunciation as the opening illustrations of the book. The Angel Gabriel greets Mary with the regal word "Hail." Only a queen is addressed in this manner. The beauty of the Angel Gabriel and Our Lady in the first two pictures set the tone for the entire book.
Next readers see St. Joseph leading Mary, seated on a donkey into Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David. The drawing of Jesus in the manger is simply wonderful. Beautiful angels then appear to the shepherds watching over their flocks. The two-page drawing of the angels saying "Glory to God in the highest" takes my breath away. As Our Blessed Mother lovingly holds the Christ Child, the shepherds come and reverentially pay homage.
Then the artist shows the Three Wise Men pointing to the star leading to Jesus. As they later kneel in front of the newborn King of the Jews, they give their gifts of gold (acknowledging His kingship), incense (stating His divinity) and myrrh (foretelling His death.)
The warnings given to the Three Wise Men to avoid Herod, and to St. Joseph to flee into Egypt are then presented. The two-page drawing of the Flight into Egypt is very detailed and instructive.
Finally the book concludes with an uplifting picture of the Holy Family busy at work after they have returned to Nazareth.
Readers will find this picture book both beautiful and comforting. Though the story of the Nativity is well known to most people, the artwork of Pamela Dalton will draw young children into the heart of the magnificent account of the Incarnation. Your heart and spirit will be lifted as you read this inspiring story from the Bible and point out the endearing pictures accompanying it. Young children will want to kiss the picture of the Christ Child in the manger. And this is how it should be.
I hope you take the opportunity to check out or buy this lovely book for your family. "For to us a Child is born, to us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace (Is 9:6)." Amen.
Dear Readers: I hope that you have enjoyed the Children’s Literature Bookshelf during the past year. Buying books for your children, grandchildren, nephews and nieces is one of the most pleasant Christmas activities of the season.
Below is a list of books that have been reviewed in the last weeks of 2011 and through mid-December of 2012. I hope that this list will give you some ideas for books that might make nice Christmas presents.
It has been an honor to have written these book talks for the Southern Nebraska Register. Thanks for the book recommendations and encouragement you have given me. I hope that you and your families have a joyful Christmas.
DiCamillo, Kate. Illustrated by Ibatoulline, Bagram. Great Joy. Candlewick Press, Cambridge, Massachusetts, 32 pages, 2007, K-2.
Editorial and Art Staff of World Book. Christmas In The Holy Land. World Book, Inc., Chicago, 1987, 80 pages, Grades 4-6.
Wood, Douglas. Illustrated by Moser, Barry. Franklin and Winston: A Christmas That Changed the World. Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA 2011, 38 pages, Gr. 3-5.
Corporate Author. Williams, Garth, Illustrator. Baby Farm Animals. Classic Little Golden Book, Random House, New York, 1953, 24 pages, pre-school-Grade 1.
Stead, Philip C. Illustrated by Stead, Erin E. A Sick Day for Amos McGee. Roaring Book Press, New York, 2010, 32 pages, K-2.
Orwell, George. Animal Farm. Penguin Press, New York, 1946, reprint 2003, 97 pages, Grades 9 and higher.
Freedman, Russell. In Defense of Liberty: The Story of America’s Bill of Rights. Holiday House, New York, 2003, 196 pages, Grades 7-9.
Latham, Jean Lee. Illustrated by Cosgrave II, John O’Hara. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston, 1955, 251 pages, Grades 6-8.
Kennedy, John. Profiles In Courage. Harper-Collins, New York, 1956, reprinted in 1983, 282 pages, Grades 10 and above.
Brown, Don. Dolley Madison Saves George Washington. Houghton Mifflin Company, New York, 2007, 32 pages, Grades 2-3.
Borden, Louise. His Name Was Raoul Wallenberg. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, Boston, 2012, 135 pages, Grades 4-7.
Berenstain, Stanley and Janice. The Big Honey Hunt. Random House, New York, 1962, 64 pages, Preschool-2.
Burpo, Todd and Vincent, Lynn. Heaven is for Real. Thomas Nelson, Nashville, 2010, 162 pages, Grades 6-8.
Brett, Jan. The Easter Egg. G.P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Young Readers Group. New York, 2009, 32 pages, K-2.
Lionni, Leo. Frederick. Pantheon, New York, 1967, 32 pages, K-2.
St. Matthew’s Passion Account Chapters 26-28. The Holy Bible: Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition. Oxford University Press, 2001, 1516 pages.
Stewart, Wayne. The History of the Kansas City Royals. Creative Education, Mankato, MN, 2002, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Lewis, C.S. The Screwtape Letters. 67 pages. Included in The Complete C.S. Lewis Signature Classics. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, 2002, 499 pages, Grade 10 and higher.
Van Allsburg, Chris. Two Bad Ants. Houghton Mifflin, New York, 1988, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth. Painted by Bing, Christopher. The Midnight Ride of Paul Revere. Handprint Books, Brooklyn, New York, 2001, 32 pages, Grades 4-6.
Lewis, C.S. Perelandra. Scribner Classics, 1944, reissued in 1996, 190 pages, Grades 10 and higher.
Burns, Loree Griffin. The Hive Detectives: Chronicle of a Honey Bee Catastrophe. Houghton Mifflin Books, Boston, 2010, 66 pages, Grades 5-7.
Undset, Sigrid. Kristin Lavransdatter: 1 The Wreath. Penguin Classics, 1920, new translation, 1997, 304 pages, Grades 9-12.
Undset, Sigrid. Kristin Lavransdatter: 2 The Wife. Penguin Classics, 1920, new translation, 1997, 379 pages, Grades 9-12. Also available in E-book.
Grisham, John. Calico Joe. Doubleday, New York, 2012, 194 pages, Grades 9 and higher.
Brink, Carol Ryrie. Illustrated by Hyman, Trina Schart. Caddie Woodlawn. Macmillan Publishing, New York, originally published in 1935, republished in 1973, New York, 275 pages, Grades 4-6.
Piven, Hanoch. What Presidents Are Made Of. Atheneum Books For Young Readers, New York, 2004, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Meltzer, Milton. Willa Cather: A Biography. Lerner Publishing Company, Minneapolis, 2008, 159 pages, Grades 5-7.
Yolen, Jane. Illustrated by Small, David. Elsie’s Bird. Philomel Books, New York, 2010, 32 pages, K-3.
Cunxin, Li. Illustrated by Spudvilas, Anne. Dancing To Freedom: The True Story of Mao’s Last Dancer. Walker and Company, New York, 2007, 32 pages, Grades 1-3.
Nelson, Vaunda Micheaux. Illustrated by Christie, R. Gregory. Bad News for Outlaws: The Remarkable Life of Bass Reeves, U.S. Marshall. Carolrhoda Books, Minneapolis, 2009, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Scholl, Inge. The White Rose: Munich 1942-1943. Wesleyan University Press, Middletown, Connecticut, 1983, 160 pages, Grades 9-12.
Sobol, Donald J. Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Slippery Salamander. Delacorte Press, New York, 1999, 87 pages, Grades 3-4.
St. George, Judith. Illustrated by Small, David. So You Want To Be President? Philomel Books, New York, 2000, 52 pages, Grades 1-3.
Stewart, Mark. The St. Louis Cardinals. Norwood House Press, Chicago, 2012, 48 pages, Grades 4-6.
Haffert, John. Meet The Witnesses Of The Miracle Of The Sun. The American Society For The Defense Of Tradition, Family And Property, Spring Grove, Pennsylvania, 1961, 120 pages, Grades 7-12.
McCrae, John. "In Flanders Fields." Widely published poem during World War I. Appeared in magazines and poetry anthologies. 1915, Grades 6 and higher.
Martin, Jacqueline Briggs. Illustrated by Azarian, Mary. Snowflake Bentley. Houghton Mifflin, Boston, 1998, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Polacco, Patricia. The Trees of the Dancing Goats. Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers, New York, 1996, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
Dalton, Pamela. The Story of Christmas. (From the King James Bible) Handprint Books, San Francisco, 2011, 32 pages, Reading Level: Grade 5 and higher, Interest Level: All ages.
Buck, Pearl S. Illustrated by Buehner, Mark. Christmas Day in the Morning. Harper Collins Press, New York, 2002, 32 pages, Grades 2-4.
It has often been noted that "He who sings, prays twice."
Music is a beautiful way to express our joys and hopes during the Christmas season as many uplifting concerts are presented. The reason for this phenomenon is that Our Lord Jesus Christ took on flesh and was born of the Virgin Mary on Christmas Day. This marvelous event needs to be celebrated in song as the birth of the Divine Child began building the bridge across the divide caused by the sinful disobedience of man.
The music that has been composed for Christmas ranges from Handel’s majestic symphony the "Messiah," to simpler songs such as "Silent Night." The number of instruments needed to play the music for Christmas songs is not really important for the success of the music. "Silent Night" was composed for a single guitar and is one of the most popular Christmas songs of all time.
The most important aspect of Christmas music is its uplifting spiritual or festive qualities. While secular Christmas songs bring much joy and happiness to the season, it should be remembered that Christmas is primarily a religious holiday. This is why religious Christmas music is so important to a culture.
The book "The First Noel" is a compilation of 13 favorite Christmas carols. Given the reluctance of many public institutions to encourage the singing of religious carols during the Christmas season, this book is particularly beneficial.
After the introduction, readers are presented the music and lyrics of "O Come All Ye Faithful." Opposite the music is a lovely picture painted by J. Latham entitled "Christmas Eve." The painting is warm and inviting, and readers will be drawn to the lovely lighted church. Appropriately, the artist shows people arriving at the church to praise Our Lord on His birthday.
The second song develops the theme of travelling to the site of Christ’s birth. This song is the famous "We Three Kings Of Orient Are." The picture is painted by Linda Benton and shows the three kings eagerly looking at the star in the heavens as they hurry to Bethlehem.
The third song is "Hark the Herald Angels Sing." A stunning picture of an angel playing a trumpet has been chosen to represent the song. The painting is so gorgeous that it is a perfect match for the uplifting music of this hymn.
The songs continue one after the other leading to the most famous Christmas hymn of all, "Silent Night." The painting chosen for this wonderful song was painted by Sassoferato in the 1600’s and is entitled "The Virgin and Child Embracing." It is breathtakingly beautiful and conveys the love and innocence of the Christ Child, and touching eloquence and beauty of Mary whom the Angel Gabriel declared to be "Full of Grace."
"It Came Upon a Midnight Clear" soon follows and is accompanied by lush painting of angels by the Renaissance artist Bernardino Luini. The book then closes with the rousing song, "We Wish You a Merry Christmas."
After singing these 13 songs and looking at the inspiring paintings, I’m sure you and your family will be assisted in having a thoroughly joyful Christmas season. The music is sonorous and the paintings are descriptive of the feelings evoked by the carols. I hope you get a chance to go to the library and check out this delightful book. As well, I wish you and your entire family have a very Merry Christmas!
Martyrdom is the sacrifice of one’s life for another person or religious ideal. Since Roman times, the Catholic Church has repeatedly faced periods of great attacks resulting in the martyrdom of many believers.
During the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass mention is made of many of the early martyrs of the Church. In the First Eucharistic Prayer, (the Roman Canon) the names of the Apostles and a number of popes and consecrated virgins are prayerfully intoned. Nearly all of these saints were martyrs for the faith. So from the very beginning of the Church, as the theologian Tertullian states, the blood of the martyrs has been the seed bed of the Faith.
While it is easy to think of martyrdom as a dark period from ancient times, Christians throughout the world are being martyred on a massive scale today. In fact, the recently concluded 20th century was a time of unparalleled suffering for the faith. The amount of martyrs dying for Christ in the 20th century dwarfs the number of all martyrdoms prior to 1900. Catholic scholar Professor Robert Royal has masterfully gathered an immense amount of information on the great sacrifice for the faith of these 20th century martyrs. The name of this powerful work is: "The Catholic Martyrs of the Twentieth Century: A Comprehensive World History."
Dr. Royal begins with an account of the savage persecution of the Church in Mexico during the 1920s. When the Mexican Revolution of 1910 finally ended, the first presidents of the country were violently anti-Catholic.
President Plutarco Calles in particular attacked the Church with vengeance. This venomous hate by Calles came from his total acceptance of Karl Marx’s ignorant idea that religion was "the opiate of the people." As a result, Calles began passing laws to strip Holy Mother Church of Her schools and social ministries. Following this was a direct attack on the clergy and the faithful. Calles may have been an evil, misguided leader, but he meant what he said. The clergy was to be killed or exiled and the faithful cowed into submission. So in this deeply Catholic country, visited by the Virgin of Guadalupe, Calles ordered the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands of faithful Catholics. So violent was this assault that in some states in Mexico all the dedicated priests were either martyred or driven into hiding. Nor did Calles spare the laity in his hate-filled war on Catholicism. Writers, catechists, teachers, housewives and even children were executed by his wrath filled attempt to build the "workers’ paradise."
But the most famous martyr of this blood filled time was Father Miguel Pro. After successfully dodging the government agents determined to execute him, Father Pro was captured. The government decided to film his execution to prove the uselessness of Catholicism. So before being shot, with his arms extended like His Master’s on Calvary, Father Pro uttered the words that will always defeat the forces of Satan: "Viva Christo Rey." (Long Live Christ the King)
By the 1930s the terrible direct attack on the Church had ended in Mexico and a semblance of balance returned to the country. Father Pro’s magnificent testimony to Jesus Christ still endures as a witness to the faith of the Mexican people.
Professor Royal gives accounts of martyrdoms in Nazi Germany, Soviet Russia, Ukraine, Latin America and parts of Asia and Africa. In all of the faith-filled example of millions of Christian martyrdoms, the perseverence of Christians is repeatedly chronicled. I hope you get an opportunity to purchase this insightful title for your personal reading. Bishop Bruskewitz has warned the faithful in Nebraska that a time of suffering may be upon us in the United States. If that occurs, let us pray that we, like Father Miguel Pro will cry out "Viva Christo Rey."
Snowfall is usually an exciting time for children. While looking out their windows, they see the snow drifting down out of the heavens. If this happens on the night before a school day, they eagerly hope that school might be cancelled due to the weather. If that happy event occurs, children begin thinking of many exciting games to play in the cold, crisp air. These include sled riding, ice skating and snow ball fights. As long as the temperature is somewhat moderate, the day will be filled with adventures. The famous author, Ezra Jack Keats, has written a classic account of one such day. This delightful story recounts the enjoyable winter activities of a young boy named Peter. The name of this award winning book is "The Snowy Day."
Young Peter wakes up and looks outside his window. Much to his delight, the entire neighborhood is covered in a thick snow. The boy is attracted by the wonder of this white blanket and quickly decides to play in the winter wonderland. After breakfast, Peter dresses for the weather and hurries out his front door. The snow has piled up all around the house. His mind fills with the many adventures he can have in this frosty world. He begins by dragging his feet and making various designs in the snow. So pleased is Peter with the patterns that he throws himself into a snowdrift and rotates his arms to make a snow angel. Looking up ahead, he sees an inviting hill and decides to slide all the way to the bottom. This is an exhilarating feeling for the young boy. But the day is getting late and it is time to go home. When he arrives safe and sound, his mother is waiting for him. Peter tells his mother of his many adventures and she runs a hot bath for him. That night Peter dreams that the sun has melted all the snow, but when he wakes up he looks out and sees that the snow is still falling. Happily he jumps up, goes across the hall and asks his friend to join him for another winter adventure. They head out.
Have you ever had adventures like Peter on a snowy day? Did you have as much fun as he did? Do you like sled riding? Have you ever thrown a snowball? To find out all the things that Peter did on his snowy adventures, go to the library and check out "The Snowy Day" by Ezra Jack Keats.
This classic title still brings joy to young children. Though it will not seem unusual today, in 1962 it was one of the first children’s books to use an African American child as a protagonist. In this sense, Ezra Jack Keats created a new world for minority characters in picture books. Besides being a delightful book to read to children, this new world of positive minority characters was an important contribution to American culture by Keats. I hope you get a chance to read this lovely title to a child you love. It is a beautiful story. Enjoy!
While all children enjoy books filled with action, boys in particular seem to like books filled with heroes, villains and adventure. These robust stories often contain swashbuckling characters, spine-tingling sword fights and hair-raising plots. Frequently these books have plotlines with treacherous pirates and tales of sunken treasure.
In 1883, Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a novel with these thrilling scenes. It is sometimes noted in lists of the 100 greatest books ever written. The name of this special novel is "Treasure Island."
The Admiral Benbow Inn sits near the sea. The Hawkins family manages the modest business. Since Mr. Hawkins is quite ill and near death, his young son Jim has many responsibilities.
One day a frightful-looking sailor named Captain Billy Bones appears at the inn. Coarse and vulgar, the Captain drinks heavily and seems to harbor a deep secret. He closely guards a trunk in his room and pays Jim to be on the lookout for another sailor with a peg leg.
After a few weeks another terrifying buccaneer named Black Dog arrives. A threatening conversation between the scoundrels takes place and soon a swordfight breaks out. Black Dog barely escapes with his life, but the captain is badly shaken.
The local physician, Dr. Livesey, visits the dying Mr. Hawkins one last time and becomes aware of the strange Captain Bones and his mysterious treasures. The pirates threaten to attack the Captain at 10 p.m. that night to open his footlocker.
After they have left, Bones is so distraught that he dies from apoplectic stroke. Jim and his mother run to the Captain’s room and open the footlocker. They find all manner of gold coins from many nations and Mrs. Hawkins is determined to get back the money that Bones owes her. But Jim hears a mob of pirates breaking into the inn and tells his mother to flee. The last thing he takes from the chest is an oilskin packet.
The leader of the thieves is a blinded sailor named Pew. He curses his men and tells them to find the Hawkinses. Flailing about in the dark, the desperados are about to find Jim and his mother, but a group of horsemen surge over a nearby hill and frighten the pirates - all except the blind, evil Pew who is tromped to death by one of the chargers.
The next day Jim visits Dr. Livesey and a well-to-do country gentleman named Trelawney. The older men open up the packet and take out a document containing an extensive financial ledger and a map of an island with buried treasure. Livesey and Trelawney agree at once to make a sea voyage to Treasure Island. They feel it will be easy to find the treasure with the map. Both decide to take Jim along as a cabin boy.
The naive Trelawney buys a ship and prepares for the voyage. One of the first sailors he hires is a man with a peg leg. His name is Long John Silver. He has long awaited some fool to hire him for this treasure voyage. The ship casts off on what will be an action-packed, murderous adventure.
"Treasure Island" is a must-read classic for children. Robert Louis Stevenson has created a number of unforgettable characters in this gripping novel. He also interjects some interesting moral observations throughout the story.
But most children will simply have a rollicking good time reading the book. Just remember "Fifteen men on The Dead Man’s Chest, Yo-ho-ho and a bottle of rum." Aarrgh, you’re a pirate!
Though baseball has long been considered the national pastime, professional football has captured the imagination of many during the last 40 years.
While today’s football teams have intimately detailed offensive and defensive schemas requiring a playbook resembling a city’s phone directory, there is a certain gladiatorial primitiveness about football that engages viewers. Quite simply, the game can be thrilling.
As in all sports, the playing season ends in a series of championship games. This final game in the playoffs is the Super Bowl. Interest in the Super Bowl began to build prior to the inaugural game in 1967 and over the years has evolved into a passionate fervor.
The Super Bowl is today the most widely-viewed event in the United States. Where did all this enthusiasm come from? Mark Stewart attempts to answer these and other questions in his highly readable book entitled "Super Bowl."
In 1967, professional football is divided into the National (NFL) and American (AFL) football leagues. The question of which league has the better players becomes a source of national conversation. Vince Lombardi’s famous Green Bay Packers are the champions of the NFL and the Kansas City Chiefs are the champions of the upstart AFL. With bragging rights and reputations on the line, the game is played in the Los Angeles Coliseum.
Numerous future Hall of Fame players are on each team. Then in one of the curious foibles that happens so frequently in the Super Bowl, an unexpected player rises to the occasion. Early in the game, Boyd Dowler, a starting end for the Packers, goes down with an ankle injury. His replacement, Max McGee, enters the game.
McGee is known as much for partying the night before games as he is for catching passes. In fact, before the first Super Bowl, McGee went to a number of pregame parties and tumbled into bed in the early hours of the morning. Not feeling exactly rested, McGee gets to the stadium just before kickoff. His coach, the stern disciplinarian Vince Lombardi, now has little choice but to insert the freewheeling McGee into the game.
Though his mind is still foggy, McGee somehow begins running precision pass routes and makes a sensational one-handed catch for a touchdown. Before the game comes to an end, McGee torches the Kansas City secondary by catching seven passes for 138 yards and two touchdowns. McGee later admits that he did not feel very perky at game time because of his self-induced illness. But he starts a trend that continues throughout the history of the Super Bowl of unusual players having the game of their lives at the contest.
Which Super Bowls are the most memorable for you? Do you have a favorite player you follow during the post-season playoffs?
Have you ever witnessed some play that is clearly bizarre during a Super Bowl? One of my favorite plays comes from Super Bowl XXVII when the speedy Buffalo Bills split end Ron Beebe runs down a Dallas Cowboy lineman showboating his way to a touchdown. Beebe causes a fumble and restores some pride to the Buffalo team getting trounced by the Dallas Cowboys. It is one of the most remarkable plays in any Super Bowl.
Do you have a favorite play? What is it? For fascinating information about the first 36 Super Bowls, go to the library and check out "Super Bowl" by Mark Stewart
This is a fun-filled story about the first 36 Super Bowls. There are interesting stories of each game and brief accounts of many famous plays and Most Valuable Players. This is your book if you or one of the other family members is interested in professional football. It has concise accounts of all the Super Bowls through 2002. Check it out of the library; you’ll be glad you did.
When people venture into an unknown land they may have many dangers and perils. But with the risk comes the possibility of great gain.
In the early 1600s many hardy souls left England to come to the New World. They find a vast land with great possibilities. Among these groups are the Pilgrims. They are devout Calvinists and want to escape the Anglican Church of England.
On September 6, 1620, they leave England for the colony of Virginia. Their ship is named The Mayflower and the sailing crew numbers about 30. Below the decks, 102 intrepid Pilgrims gather as the ship casts off.
In this fascinating book, Kate Peters gives an interesting account of the voyage through the use of re-enactors. The photographs of crew and the passengers are very revealing. The story is seen primarily through the eyes of the ship’s youthful apprentice, William Small, and a young Pilgrim girl named Ellen Moore.
As they cast off, readers see the sails filling with a hearty breeze. William Small is nervous and excited, as this is his first voyage to the New World. As the ship leaves Plymouth Harbor and England is left behind, all kinds of work begin on the Mayflower. Though William is young, he must help pull the heavy rigging that control the sails.
The captain of the ship decides that William must learn to be an accomplished sailor and starts teaching him how to measure the position of the sun and the horizon with a quadrant. The first night, William attends to his other duties of serving food to the officers. Meanwhile, the Pilgrims are down at the bottom of the ship eating dinner and getting ready for their first night at sea.
The next morning a young girl named Ellen Moore walks up to the deck. She and William begin talking about their lives and homes. Ellen tells William that she is quite busy below. She helps the older women preparing the meals for the other travelers. There is constant mending of torn clothes and attending to passengers suffering from sea sickness. For being a girl no older than 10, Ellen is an accomplished sewer and dutiful helper on the sea voyage.
But suddenly frightening news comes from the captain. A severe storm is about to strike that will test the courage and tenacity of both the crew and the Pilgrims.
What effect do the storms the Pilgrims encounter have on the ship’s navigation? Why do they wind up in Massachusetts inside of Virginia?
Do many people get sick during the storms? Is there ever a fear that the ship might sink? How do the children react? Do you think you would be up to the challenges faced by William and Ellen?
To find out the answers to these and other questions about the Pilgrims, go to the library and check out "On the Mayflower: Voyage of the Ship’s Apprentice & a Passenger Girl" by Kate Waters.
This is a very interesting story about the voyage of the Mayflower. The pictures throughout the book are taken on an exact replica of the original Mayflower. All the re-enactors are dressed in clothing of the time. Waters gives readers a feeling that they are part of the Pilgrim experience throughout the book. There is a useful glossary of terms at the end of the book.
I enjoyed reading this book. It gives important historical information in a very intuitive manner. It is always good to learn in a manner that is also entertaining. Share this book with a member of your family. You will enjoy the experience.
In the founding documents of the United States, we hear the soaring themes of inalienable rights and the fact that all are created equal. The sad fact is that these majestic ideas are violently abused by the institution of slavery. Though not all slave owners practice the malignant evil of Simon Legree from Harriet Beecher Stowe’s "Uncle Tom’s Cabin," everyone involved in continuing slavery contributes to the brutal subjugation of African Americans. Although state’s rights versus the power of the federal government are part of the cause for the outbreak of the Civil War, unquestionably slavery is the overpowering issue during the four years of awful bloodshed. During the conflict, Lincoln wrestles with the idea of emancipation. There are many reasons for Lincoln to immediately free the slaves, but serious consequences for the North if he issues the edict. Justice demands an immediate emancipation of the slaves, but the military necessity of keeping the four states (Delaware, Maryland, Kentucky and Missouri) bordering the Confederacy loyal to the Union remains foremost in Lincoln’s mind. Tonya Bolden tells the story of the monumental heroism needed to finally write the Emancipation Proclamation. The name of this outstanding work of nonfiction is "Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty."
For over 200 years, African Americans are enslaved in North America. During this time, black people have no rights in slave states and can be violently punished, whipped or sold like animals to other slave owners. As the United States expands westward, the slave issue begins pitting the northern states against the slave states in the South. Finally, with the election of Abraham Lincoln, the southern states begin seceding from the Union. Lincoln is not an absolutist on the abolishment of slavery. He will put the reunification of the rebelling southern states ahead of black emancipation. In fact, Lincoln will publically state that "My paramount object in this struggle is to save the Union, and is not either to save or to destroy slavery. If I could save the Union without freeing any slave, I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that. What I do about slavery, and the colored race, I do because I believe it helps to save the Union; and what I forbear, I forbear because I do not believe it would help to save the Union." (p. 64) But Lincoln begins to develop a plan that will result in the writing of the famous Emancipation Proclamation. However, an incredible series of political maneuvering, battlefield victories and losses must first occur.
Why is the policy of colonizing parts of South America with freed slaves considered? How many drafts of the Emancipation Proclamation are written? Why are they so very different? Why are people like John Brown revered in the North and hated in the South? Does Lincoln actually free all the slaves in the United States with the Proclamation? Why does Frederick Douglass write that the Emancipation Proclamation was not about logic, but the triumph of jubilee. To find out the answers to these and other questions about this great event, go to the library and read "Emancipation Proclamation: Lincoln and the Dawn of Liberty."
This is a must read book for middle school students. Bolden does a masterful job in writing about the issues involved in issuing the Emancipation Proclamation. We see the great leaders of the movement struggling to overturn slavery while Lincoln desperately tries to hold a fractured nation together. This book poignantly tells the story of the people and events that cause the writing of the Emancipation Proclamation. I hope many students get the opportunity to read this marvelous account.
Throughout history, people change locations when things are bad and hope lies somewhere else. Most of the people coming to the New World are driven by this idea. Since life is hard for many in Europe, Asia and parts of Africa, people are attracted to the freedom and promise of North America.
Of course, many African Americans are carried to the United States against their will on brutal slave ships. For about 250 years these hard-working, long-suffering people toil in the harshest, most demanding jobs in the American South. After the Civil War, sharecropping takes the place of slavery. While not officially slavery, sharecropping ensures that the poor farmers will never make enough money to escape its clutches. Sharecropping keeps people destitute and economically imprisoned.
This terrible situation begins changing at the end of World War I. Many jobs are created in the North and there is a need for manpower. To many poor African Americans, this is the opportunity they have been waiting for, and more than one million African Americans start moving north. Eloise Greenfield describes this massive cultural event in her excellent book, "The Great Migration: Journey to the North."
The story begins with a poor African American family in North Carolina hearing about the wonderful opportunities in the North. Having lived with racially discriminatory laws their entire lives, these letters and newspaper articles sent by relatives seem too good to be true. There seems to be a great deal of work available in stock yards, factories and railroads. Compared to the bare existence being eked out in the tobacco and cotton fields of the South, these comparatively well-paying jobs promise a completely different life.
But most of these people had never been out of the areas where they were born. How do people find the courage to strike out in a completely different manner? Will the terrible economic times give the first push to begin the migration?
The father receives word that his relatives will let him stay with them as he finds work. So with a mixture of fear and hope, he moves to Washington, D.C. His wife waves goodbye and tearfully walks back home with her two little babies. True to his word, one month later, the father sends his wife three train tickets to Washington, D.C. She packs their possessions and leaves behind the only life she has ever known. On the way north, they meet countless other poor African Americans waiting in other train stations heading out of the South. After one day and night of travelling, the train pulls into Washington, D.C. There they are met by the father and he guides his family to a better life.
What do these southern African Americans find in the northern cities? Racial discrimination is also found throughout the North. Why do so many millions believe the migration will lead to a happier life? Why are the inner cities seen by these immigrants as a protective oasis from societal problems? How does this great movement of people change American culture? To find out, go to the library and read "The Great Migration: Journey to the North," by Eloise Greenfield.
A second migration of African Americans occurred during World War II. This movement totaled more than five million people coming north and some moving west after 1940. In recent decades, as racial discrimination and prejudice has lessened, and economic opportunities have improved, a substantial number of African Americans have returned to the South.
Middle elementary school teachers will find this book useful in social studies classes. I hope you get a chance to read this book and discuss its contents with your children.
In the United States after the Civil War, African American leaders face a number of daunting questions: How can a formerly enslaved people live in an emancipated world? Should the impetus be given to developing a strong sense of black identity before addressing economic concerns or developing a powerful set of skills to overcome the problems of racism?
Unfortunately, few ever think of combining these two ideas. The great African American leader W.E.B. Du Bois favors the first approach as this philosophy will create a positive sense of identity in the black community. This in turn will enable African Americans to overcome the continued effects of racism. Another productive way to empower the newly freed blacks is to develop an outstanding educational system that will teach them important skills.The society will need these newly acquired talents, which in turn will make African Americans more valued in the larger society.
These two approaches are long debated in the United States. Jabari Asim has written an excellent biography about Booker T. Washington, a proponent of the idea of educational empowerment. The name of this book is "Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington."
Born into slavery in 1856, young Booker can only dream of learning to read. Under punitive laws, blacks can be severely punished if they try to learn to read. He watches the daughter of his owner reading from her elementary reading primer. The young boy longs to understand the written word.
By the time he is 9, the Civil War ends and emancipation begins. His parents encourage his studies and give him an early reader and later, a copy of Noah Webster’s "The American Spelling Book." Fortunately, a school starts in the area and Booker is able to attend. Much to his surprise, the teacher is black. The more the young man learns, the more he thirsts for knowledge.
But times are hard and Booker is forced to work long hours in a coal mine to help his family survive, although the dream of education still dominates his mind. He hears that Hampton Institute, about 500 miles from his home, will educate African Americans. So with hope in his heart the 16-year-old begins walking the long hard road to the Institute. He arrives with 50 cents in his pocket.
What happens to Booker T. Washington? Does he fulfill his love for books and learning? What phenomenal accomplishments does he achieve? What powerful statue of him adorns the campus of Tuskegee Institute today? To find out the answers to these questions, go to the library and check out this fine biography, "Fifty Cents and a Dream: Young Booker T. Washington."
Booker T. Washington has been vilified for his acceptance of segregation. Since he lived in a time when the KKK lynched blacks and burned crosses in front yards of those deemed enemies, the philosophy of integration might have seemed impossible. But far from being an accommodating "Uncle Tom," Booker T. Washington led an educational movement that resulted in the establishment of African American colleges throughout the South. The inspiring statue of him entitled "Lifting the Veil of Ignorance" (p. 42 of the text) on Tuskegee University depicts his aspirations for African Americans. A man can only be judged by his own time, not ours. If he didn’t get the whole picture right, did any of our Founding Fathers do better? I doubt it. The country owes a debt of gratitude to Booker T. Washington for what he accomplished. I hope your students and children get a chance to read this book and to get acquainted with this great American educator. His life story is well worth knowing.
Happily, at the end of a long winter, those exciting words are uttered: "Play Ball."
This soothing statement points to that joyful baseball time known as Opening Day. For the following 162 games, more than 30 million people will go through stadium turnstiles to watch Major League Baseball. Though football has begun capturing the imagination of the nation, there is still a magic about watching baseball with your family on a beautiful summer evening. So many writers have eulogized about baseball that it is difficult to pick out the best.
In the field of poetry however, one poem seems to continue to be the most popular. This poem is the famous "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. Published in 1888, the poem is still widely recited today. Though Casey did not hit a home run in the original poem, Thayer wrote more poems about Casey in which he did make a successful comeback. Dan Gutman has written a modernized version of Casey’s exploits in a delightful tale called "Casey Back at Bat."
The fans of Mudville are still bemoaning great Casey’s failure in the first poem. The hardy slugger shrugs off all this scorn and returns to the ballpark. There the Mudville Nine will face the powerful team from Rutland. The victor will get fame and glory and the loser will get, well, second place.
In the ninth inning Mudville is losing by two runs and there are two outs. Again grim tidings set upon the beleaguered Mudville fans. The thought of losing to the hated Rutland warriors is almost too much to take. But the Mudville players refuse to say die and put two runners on base. Finally, the Mudville fans begin to cheer as they see that it is mighty Casey’s turn to bat. The towering batsman sneers at the Rutland players. Some young ladies catch their breath merely looking at the great hitter. Others feel that Casey is simply a jerk.
The pitcher winds up and hurls the first pitch toward the plate. Casey is fooled and takes strike one. The next pitch nips the outside of the plate and leaves Casey with his last swing. The final pitch flies towards home plate and Casey takes a ferocious hack at the ball. Unlike the last game, Casey crushes the pitch and it rockets out of the stadium. The Mudville fans begin cheering as their hero proudly rounds the bases. But the ball continues to go and go. When is it going to land?
Where does it land? How far can someone with the massive arms of Casey hit the ball? Have you ever really connected on a fastball? Isn’t it a sweet sound and feeling? Does Mudville finally win the game? To find out the answers to these and other questions, go to the library and check out "Casey Back at Bat" by Dan Gutman.
This is a delightful story that would make an outstanding oral read in Grades 1-3. The paintings throughout the book are interesting and children will easily identify with the characters. The picture of Casey connecting on the third pitch is the fulfillment of young baseball lovers’ dreams.
Dan Gutman has written many fine sporting books and sports biographies. I hope you get a chance to share this book with younger children in your family. I guarantee that you will have as much fun as they do. Enjoy!
An enduring problem in contemporary fiction is to find exciting books that are not filled with profanity or aggressive sexual themes. At times it seems very difficult to find interesting contemporary novels reflecting the values of Judeo/Christian culture. Hence, I was absolutely overjoyed to find this book at the public library. It is an exciting story and readers can see the leading characters mature and grow in virtue as they are forced to face dangerous situations. The title of this gripping book is "Wildfire Run," by Dee Garretson.
At 5:41 a.m. the New Madrid earthquake fault in southern Missouri violently moves, sending massive shock waves across North America. Four minutes later the surging energy reaches the presidential retreat of Camp David. The entire compound begins shaking and numerous computer alarms go off. Luke Brockett, the 12-year-old son of President Pierce Brockett, feels the movement in his room and wakes up. His ‘computer geek’ friend, Theo Ellias, sleeps through the entire event. Luke’s mother, the First Lady, has stayed behind at the White House. Of course Luke is not really alone since Secret Service agents are nearby to take care of him. But the massive quake continues to have repercussions. Campers quickly leave the nearby national forest without completely putting out their campfires. Sparks blow to the nearby tinder dry forest. Soon a massive forest fire begins.
The president and his advisors have to return to Washington D.C. to handle the evolving crisis in Missouri. The president asks Luke if he would like to return to the White House by helicopter. Luke can think of nothing so boring, and asks to stay at Camp David. The president agrees after telling the Secret Service to leave quickly if the forest fire moves towards the presidential retreat. With this he leaves by helicopter. Luke then begins telling Theo about the layout of Camp David and all the security fences and defensive electric devices in place. Luke has overheard his father saying that some of the microwave defenses can actually cripple intruders. You have to know where you are going or you could get severely shocked. Theo is impressed with Luke’s accounts. Nobody can seemingly break through all these sophisticated defenses.
Meanwhile, Luke’s old friend Callie Lansa arrives from Colorado with her father. Mr. Lansa is to be the new chef at Camp David. No sooner do they get there than the Secret Service orders everyone to leave as the forest fire is heading directly towards them. Callie, Luke and Theo jump into one SUV with three agents. As they pull out of the complex, their SUV crashes into the front gate. One agent is electrocuted, two are severely injured and Theo sustains a concussion. Unfortunately, the wrecked vehicle is on the wrong side of the electric fence. The earthquake and fire have damaged the control switches, so the electricity cannot be turned off. Unable to get out of Camp David, Luke is forced to make some dangerous and heroic decisions. Behind the boy is a raging forest fire, ahead of him is an electric fence and numerous crippling microwave devices. Only he has the knowledge of Camp David necessary to save to the others. He has to lead. But where do you find courage when you are absolutely frightened? Luke reaches deep inside himself and plans an escape through the burning fire. The odds are stacked against the children.
What happens to the group? How do you escape through a burning forest still filled with active electronic devices set to shock people from any direction? Have you ever faced a situation that forced you to become brave? Where did you find the courage? What does Luke do? To find out, go to the library and read this exciting book.
"Wildfire Run" is a Golden Sower nominee for 2012-13. The Golden Sower award is given each year by the Nebraska Library Association to the books voted most popular by school children of the state. There are three different levels, and this book is in the Intermediate Level, Grades 4-6. I hope your children get a chance to read this book. It’s a great read. Enjoy!
Each of the Four Gospels tells the faithful a beautiful and inspiring account of the life of our Blessed Savior. The first gospel, St. Matthew’s, is a majestic account of how Jesus is the fulfillment of the promises made to the Chosen People during the times of the Old Testament. There is a great amount of detail about Jewish life in the First Gospel.
St. Mark’s account of Christ is very brief and has a human freshness about it. In this Gospel, we see Jesus becoming angry at times and showing His human nature.
St. John’s Gospel is quite different than the first three Gospels in that we are often shown the divine side of Our Lord. Because of this, St. John’s Gospel often seems to soar above the world.
St. Luke’s beautiful Gospel is different in its nature since it was written for the Gentiles. St. Luke repeatedly shows Jesus loving the poor, downtrodden and those outside the Jewish covenant. His Passion account is very important since some of the pivotal events occurring during the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus are only found in St. Luke’s writing.
A Gentile companion of St. Paul, St. Luke was a physician and carefully relates the physical effects of these brutal days on Our Lord’s body.
At the Last Supper, St. Luke carefully relates the events surrounding the First Mass and the Institution of the Holy Eucharist. In Chapter 22:19, St. Luke writes that Jesus states: "And He took bread and when He had given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them saying. "This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." This one verse helps explain the nature of the Holy Eucharist as well as the establishment of the sacrament of Holy Orders.
After the First Mass had ended, St. Luke alone among the Evangelists tells us that Jesus warns Peter that he will be sifted "like wheat" (Lk 22:31-34) but when Peter has "turned again, strengthen your brothers." (Lk 22:32)
In the Garden of Gethsemane, true to his background as a physician, St. Luke singularly tells us about the Agony in the Garden being so painful to Jesus that He sweats blood during the ordeal.
During the trial of Jesus, only St. Luke describes Pilate trying to avoid his responsibility by sending Our Lord to King Herod for judgment.
In the moments before His holy death, St. Luke relates Jesus turning to the Good Thief and telling him that "Truly, I say to you , today you will be with me in Paradise." (Lk 23:43)
The last major detail St. Luke alone writes about is the marvelous walk on the road to Emmaus. As the two completely downcast men are walking to the village of Emmaus, Jesus begins walking with them. When He asks them why they are so sad, they incredulously ask Him if He does not know about the death of Jesus. This is followed by the account of Christ opening their minds to the meaning of the Bible. But even with all this phenomenal instruction, they still do not recognize Him. It is only at the Eucharist, the breaking of the bread, that they realize Jesus himself has been talking to them.
During the final weeks of Lent, read the Last Supper and Passion Account of St. Luke. There are a number of important events and ideas relating to Our Lord’s Passion found only in St. Luke. The charity, beauty and striking personality of the Third Evangelist are also clearly seen in these final chapters of St. Luke’s gospel.
I hope you get a chance to read this wonderful gift from the Holy Spirit to the Church. Let the marvelous grace of this gospel fill your heart.
