The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois

I first heard about The Twenty-One Balloons, by William Pene du Bois from Amy at Hope is in the Word who mentioned that her girls were eager to listen to this audio book but then were scared by the volcano in the story. She mentioned that it was the winner of a Newberry Medal in 1948 and I figured it sounded like a fun adventure story to tuck away and read with our boys when they are older.

Almost immediately after she talked about it, I came across a copy and picked it up. Flipping through the illustrations, Bookworm1 noticed that there was a shark in the story and expressed an interest in reading it together. I obliged and we started reading The Twenty-One Balloons together. However, I ended up finishing it alone. The vocabulary was just too far above his head at this time and I could tell he was having a difficult time connecting to the story. I didn't want to ruin his impression of the story and so suggested we move on to something else at this time. As planned, I'll set it aside to read with our boys later because it is a fun (and intriguing) adventure story!

The idea is this:

Professor William Waterman Sherman decides to leave San Francisco in a hot-air balloon, travel across the Pacific Ocean and basically be alone for several years. He has grown weary of his teaching career and just wants to escape life and view the earth from above. He builds an elaborate hot-air balloon and loads it with plenty of supplies for his extravagant journey. What he forgot to factor in though was menacing seagulls who might, just perhaps, pop his balloon. Professor Sherman ends up finding himself on a rather remarkable island that the rest of the world believes is uninhabitable due to a volcano which resides on the island and can potentially wreck quite a bit of havoc. Sherman is shocked to discover that there is a colony on this island, comprised of many families. They are housing a great secret among them and live a rather intriguing lifestyle.

This book is actually open to being spoiled so I'm going to exercise a bit of caution and end my description of the book right there.

Suffice it to say, I found this book to be a really fun adventure story for boys in particular. (Not saying that girls would be unable to enjoy this book, just saying it's a great one for the guys!) The Islanders have a rather unique worldview that can come across as rather legalistic and cult-like in certain respects, making this an interesting adult read as well.

Apparently du Bois' publisher noted a resemblance between this story and a a story by F. Scott Fitzgerald entitled "A Diamond as Big as the Ritz." Our author of The Twenty-One Balloons had to acknowledge a similarity between the two tales, but stated that it certainly was not intentional. Given the fact that Fitzgerald's book was intended to be more of a parable for adults and du Bois story was for children, some differences can be drawn between the two. I found that interesting, given the thought-process that The Twenty-One Balloons causes an adult reader to go through. I've not read Fitzgerald's story but now I'm definitely curious about it.

Apart from the worldview which begs for discussion, to a younger reader this book would be all about imagination and the wonders of science.

I'm very glad Amy mentioned this book and I'm glad to have found a copy for us to enjoy. I highly recommend it - although perhaps to ages 8 and up, just to make sure that they can properly understand and enjoy the story more fully.

Inconceivable, by Carolyn and Sean Savage

I was asked if I'd like to read a copy of Inconceivable: A Medical Mistake, the Baby We Couldn't Keep, and Our Choice to Deliver the Ultimate Gift. I vaguely recalled their story from news articles I read at the time that it was discovered that a fertility clinic implanted the wrong embryo into Carolyn Savage during what should have been a "routine" IVF procedure back in February 2009. The Savage family, upon discovering the mistake, decided against aborting the child - even though it was not their own - and decided to give it life instead. Furthermore, they opted not to engage in any type of custody battle but decided to turn the child over upon birth to the biological parents.

This book is their story of hopeful anticipation, heart ache, despair, sacrifice and joyful pain.

I'm not here to debate the issue of IVF - just to talk about the book and the Savage's story. Carolyn, Sean and their family are Catholic and the Catholic church is opposed to the idea of IVF, but Carolyn and Sean felt that their desire to have a family was a godly endeavor. They had always dreamed of having a large family but Carolyn had infertility issues which made conceiving quite difficult. Although they did end up having two sons in the natural way, their young daughter was born as a result of IVF. They longed to have at least four children and despite Carolyn's difficulty in child bearing and delivery, they opted to try for one more. Carolyn was 40 years old when the embryos were implanted in her and it was devastating to them to receive the phone call that they were indeed pregnant, but not with their own child. Their last chance at being pregnant and having a fourth child was now beyond them and instead of getting to birth and welcome a child into their home and family, they had to birth a child and give it away.

I read this book when I was weeks away from delivering my own daughter (and I'm actually writing up this review while still pregnant - even though it will not post until after the fact.) I personally cannot fathom carrying a child and then having to give it up. As an adoptive mother, I cannot imagine what emotions the birth mother of my son did and has experienced since saying goodbye to her first born. She doesn't know where he is every day or what he's doing. She has no idea how he is developing or what his personality is like. She carried him for nine months only to give him up into an unknown situation. Were I her, I don't know that I would deal with it very well. I have a hard time envisioning birthing a daughter only to have her rolled out of the room and placed into someone else's arms. It makes me heartsick to think about it! It made me heartsick for the Savages (especially Carolyn) to read this book. Maybe this was the right time for me to read this book. Maybe it was the wrong time. Regardless, I was enthralled with their honesty, raw emotions and even their joy in knowing that - regardless of their own pain - they were giving the gift of life to a precious human being.

Really, my biggest issue with this book was their theology, which I did not agree with whole heartedly. Carolyn emphasized over and over again how she did not believe God was involved in this mistake for surely He would not just allow things like this to happen. She reiterated that God is a God of love who would only ever allow kind things to happen to people. Anything bad that happens is removed from God and has no particular point or purpose. She does not see that good can come out of this situation for their family - although she does believe that giving life to someone is a good thing. I was continuously reminded of this passage from The Book of Job (Bible) when reading their story:

1 Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.

2 And the LORD said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the LORD, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.

3And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, although thou movedst me against him, to destroy him without cause.

4 And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life.

5 But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face.

6 And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life.

7 So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown.

8 And he took him a potsherd to scrape himself withal; and he sat down among the ashes.

9 Then said his wife unto him, Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die.

10 But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.

Job 2:1-10 (emphasis mine)

We are always very ready to bless the Lord and thank Him for the things we perceive as being "good" in our lives, aren't we? A bonus at work? Praise the Lord! Health? Hallelujah! A houseful of children that we desperately wanted? AMEN!

When the hard times we are more apt to want to respond as Job's wife did - with denials of God's goodness. His ways are NOT our ways and our thoughts are NOT our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8) What we forget is that God's plan is better than ours and while we might not understand it, we should still praise Him in the darkest storm. We are more than conquerors in Him and nothing can separate us from His love (Romans 8:31-39) - not even what appears to be a bad situation.

Now, I am certainly not discounting the Savages pain. It runs very deep. As they pointed out, giving up the baby at birth is like experiencing a death. I know that even in our own adoption story we "lost" our first referral when the foster mother decided to adopt the child herself. We had connected with the child and it was devastating to have this child who was already in our hearts ripped away from us. It felt like a death. And the child wasn't even inside of me! I simply cannot fathom the depths of what they felt. However, I do think it's important not to deny the sovereign goodness of God and perfection of Who He Is. It is not healthy, beneficial or in any way theologically accurate. We wound ourselves further when we shove God away and say, "YOU wouldn't do this to me so I don't think I can talk to you about (fill in the blank)! CLEARLY someone messed up. You are not in this." God has to be in things. Without God's involvement, I can only imagine feeling like I was in the depths of despair. I am certainly not discounting their feelings or emotions - just saying that their view of God cost them peace which passes human understanding which would be terrifying to me, were I in their position.

That all said, I also feel equally sympathetic towards them. Carrying a baby to term was something that Carolyn had a difficulty doing in the past and it made me feel a little guilty to read her book and know that my baby was sitting tight (not wanting to come out apparently!) because everything was healthy and going "as planned." Reading this when healthily pregnant, knowing I was going to be able to hold my baby and keep her afterwards, caused a tear or two to fall. It's always interesting to hear someone else's story and learn their perspective. (Not saying I wouldn't have gone for an early c-section or something. I don't particularly enjoy pregnancy. Being honest here! Nothing has changed about the way I view my own discomfort levels!) I much prefer having a babe in arms. But the point is - I have a baby in my arms. The Savage family ended up without this joy - and their story can definitely soften one's heart!

Inconceivable was a very interesting, insightful and engaging read. It is a hard read, jam packed full of emotions but also filled with the message that life is sacred and meant to be carried to term and protected. I very much appreciated that aspect and message of the book.

Thank you FSB media for sending me a copy of this book to read and think about it! It was definitely an eye-opening , inspiring, and thought-provoking read.

***

P.S. The Savages just recently gave an interview on the Today Show which you might be interested in watching, following the conclusion of their journey mentioned in this book.

Baseball Picture Books

'Tis the season. Baseball season, that is. In celebration and preparation for the game, Sleeping Bear Press and Ideals Publications have published some pretty fun titles for the young fan (or maybe even the older fan) in your life. I should point out that I am NOT a sports fan as a general rule. (I hate football. There. I've said it.) Baseball is probably the one and only sport that I've ever developed an affection for, in part because I played softball when I was younger and therefore I understand the game. Then, when I was in law school, I developed a healthy competition with my fellow students over which team was best. (For the record, the Texas Rangers are way cooler than the Seattle Mariners in particular.) Baseball CAN be fun and so I rather liked these titles. Check 'em out:

Little Baseball (Little Sports) is a handy little board book fit for the youngest baseball fanatics in our midst.

"Throw and catch! Hit and run!
Baseball games are so much fun!"

This book is filled with riddles you can ask as you read along. The riddles are told in rhyme and you must guess as to what the question is referring to. For example:

"Hit the ball?
You surely could
with a mighty swing
of this piece of wood."

Know the answer? (Well, I would hope so!) It's a simple and yet engaging way to introduce some particulars of the sport to the person you hope will be as obsessed over this game as you hope they might. (In case you do love football, you should probably be aware of the fact that Little Baseball is part of the Sleeping Bear Press "Little Sports" series and there is, in fact, a Little Footballl book as well.)



I Spy With My Little Eye: Baseball is a very clever book. You're no doubt familiar with the concept - rhyming clues are given for you to find "hidden" objects within the pages. The photographs in this book are taken by David Milne and the text is written by Brad Herzog. We are able to spy things such as coaches giving signals, upside bats, scoreboards and pitchers preparing to make a throw. (Why ARE they holding the ball in different ways as they prepare to pitch?) There are photo facts on each page too explaining facts about the game - such as why and how a pitcher can throw a baseball in various ways in an attempt to confuse the batter.

This book is awesome and I really loved it! (This book is also part of a sports series. You might prefer I Spy With My Little Eye: Hockeyinstead!)



For something educational and informative, you might consider Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King. This is the true story of Lipman Pike and it takes place in the 1800's when the sport of baseball was just captivating the attentions of Americans. Pike is the son of a Dutch immigrant and loved playing the game. However, he also had responsibilities to help with his family's haberdashery business. His mother was concerned that baseball would distract Pike from receiving a good education but his father wanted to have his boys fit in with the neighbors and so he indulged the boys in allowing them to play baseball with the neighborhood kids.

As it turns out, Lipman was a good ball player. He was a good batter and a fast runner which caught the attention of professional ball players. The rest, as they say, is history.

Lipman Pike: America's First Home Run King is definitely an interesting read and a fun one to add to any baseball lover's book collection.



Lastly, if you had toddlers, they are almost sure to love Take Me Out to the Ball Game, illustrated by Mark Meyers and published by Ideals Publications. The text in this book is the traditional song. The fun part (especially if you are very young!) is that the moment you crack open the book, the song starts up! It's impossible not to sing along with this book (because that is, in fact, what it is designed for) and has been played over and over again (a time or two or three) in this house. Definite kid appeal.

Hope you find a way to enjoy these titles and enjoy this upcoming baseball season. May the very best team win. ;)

Thank you, Sleeping Bear Press and Ideals Publications for sending these titles for my perusal. We genuinely enjoyed them. Even if they are about sports.

Blackberry Crumble, by Josi S. Kilpack

When I was asked if I could like to participate in a blog tour for Josi S. Kilpack's latest book, Blackberry Crumble, I replied with a hasty YES! Blackberry Crumble is the fifth book in this culinary mystery series, the first being Lemon Tart. I had heard of Lemon Tart when it first came out and was very curious about it but never got around to reading it. I was excited and happy to be able to dive in to this series, and I hoped that it wouldn't be a problem to hop into the later part of a series instead of on the first title.

Blackberry Crumble arrived on my doorstep and I hastily dove into it. Admittedly, when I got started on it I wasn't sure it was such a great idea to have started on the fifth book. There was a lot of history and background that I was clearly missing out on, but that Kilpack provided some background for -- for about eight chapters! I was beginning to think I had made a big mistake and was going to have to set aside the book but decided to press on because I still like the idea of it.

This culinary mystery revolves around fifty-something year old Sadie Hoffmiller, who seems to have a knack for being drawn into suspicious situations that need answers. Her character kind of reminds me of a mixture of Mrs. Emily Polifax and Jessica Fletcher of Murder She Wrote. Sadie Hoffmiller is a retired school teacher who lives in the town of Garrison, Colorado. She enjoys cooking and takes great delight in trying new recipes and sharing the joys of food with others. She is a widow with two grown children and seems to be in good standing with her community - until this story begins.

Apparently in a previous book Sadie was involved in a murder mystery that is still working its way through the court system and therefore she is under a gag order and is not allowed to discuss the details of the case. A local reporter decides to raise speculation as to Sadie's involvement in this past murder and prints a humiliating article in the local paper raising suspicions as to Sadie's good character. In the middle of this embarrassment, Sadie is approached by a younger lady named May who would like Sadie's help in investigating the possible murder of May's father. Finding this a good excuse to leave town, Sadie flies to Portland, Oregon to assist May in this endeavor.

After the first eight-ish chapters, I found myself very much engaged with the story and the characters. At times I did find Sadie's love of food to be a distraction to the story. (Recipes are interspersed into the chapters.) At the other times I found this fascinating and amusing, given the fact that she was experiencing Oregonian cuisine this time 'round. That, of course, exposed her to things like yummy fresh Oregon berry recipes as well as veggie burgers. Clearly, Kilpack was mildly amused by Oregon fare (and I do admit, living in Oregon myself now, that it does take some getting used to!) However, like I said, the character of Sadie reminded me of Jessica Fletcher and Miss Polifax so I quickly grew to accept her quirks.

The story itself had a good many twists and turns and I was kept guessing as to the outcome of it all the way to the very end! Suddenly it all made sense to me -- in just the last few chapters! I love it when a book can entertain and surprise you so thoroughly. I would be very happy to read more books by Kilpack.

After completing this read I looked up information about the author online and found Kilpack's website. I discovered that she is an LDS authoress and specifically writes to that audience. As a Christian, clearly I have fundamental theological disagreements with her. That said, it also explains why Sadie's morals and character are so upstanding and why there is not a hint of foul language or suggestive material in this entire book! I expect Kilpack's other mystery stories are equally clean. I love a good clean mystery and this book definitely fit the bill! Kilpack's characters do all attend the same church, but she does not spell out which church it is. If you are at all familiar with LDS churches or theology, you can catch hints about what Kilpack's beliefs and practices are during the read. I do feel the need to point this out but I also would say again that I feel I can trust Kilpack's mysteries to be fun without being remotely profane and I definitely appreciate that! I believe it is safe to recommend this series.

Kilpack's next title in this series comes out in the fall of 2011 and is entitled Pumpkin Roll. I'd rather like to read it, but first I may have to catch up a bit and start with the first book - Lemon Tart.

I received an invitation to participate in this book tour through Pump Up Your Book publicity tours and I thank them for asking me to be involved! I very much enjoyed the read!

A little announcement to make...

Hopefully everyone had a delightful Easter celebration!

We did.



Before we get back to the books, we'd like to take a moment and let you know that our little baby girl (aka Bookworm3!) finally made her appearance! With great happiness we welcomed her into the family and have been enjoying her for the past few days. She's wonderful. We're very blessed.

Thank you for your prayers, encouragement and enthusiasm!

We'll get back to the books here very shortly...

Easter Blogging Break

Hello all! I'm going to take a week off here and spend a little time with the family. Not scheduling any blog posts ahead but hope to focus on family and then Easter next weekend. Blessings to you and yours in the coming week! See you on the other side.

In the meantime, I shall leave you with two of my favorite Passion Week hymns:



What language shall I borrow
to thank thee, dearest friend,
for this thy dying sorrow,
thy pity without end?
O make me thine forever;
and should I fainting be,
Lord, let me never, never
outlive my love for thee.



(This song can reduce me to tears no matter how many times I've heard it!)

And as He stands in victory
Sin's curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a life's first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
'Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

Amen!

May you know the above joys as you enter into this holy week.

Loose Tooth Picture Books

Guess what's coming up in our future?! That's right! We had our visit to the dentist and it was declared that Bookworm1's front teeth are already becoming loose and so we can expect an early hole to appear in his smile. (I think it'll be cute. But 4 1/2 does seem young!) At any rate, to help prepare for the Big Day I went hunting for books that talk about losing teeth. The goal, of course, is to make this a fun and exciting experience and not a scary one. (I remember being both curious and scared when I was younger.)

I was also trying to find books that didn't deal so much with the tooth fairy - since we won't be actively promoting her existence. (We certainly don't mind talking about her as a character, just like Santa. We're just making it clear it's Mommy & Daddy who dole out the prizes and not the tooth fairy.)

I found the following two books which fit the bill but if you know of any additional titles, please let me know!



Little Rabbit's Loose Tooth, by Lucy Bate looked too cute to pass up. For us, it was the perfect read. For starters, of course, it has an animal as the main character which makes it immediately likable from our perspective. In this story Little Rabbit has a loose tooth and therefore declares that it is impossible to eat carrots and beans because they are too hard. Her parents instruct their young one to use the front loose tooth for softer food items and all the others for chewing the hard things. This she does for a whole week until her tooth finally comes out in a bowl of chocolate ice cream.

It is then that Little Rabbit experiences quite the conundrum. What to do with her loose tooth?! She doesn't think she believes in the tooth fairy, in part because she doesn't want the tooth fairy to take her tooth away. Little Rabbit wants to keep her tooth. The question over whether or not the tooth fairy exists is never directly answered in this book and it is even suggested that perhaps Mommy & Daddy could be the ones hiding a gift under Little Rabbit's pillow.

This book opened up the question of the Tooth Fairy which we discussed. I explained to Bookworm1 that the Tooth Fairy is a very fun character that is enjoyable to read and talk about. But we made a deal between us. Mommy & Daddy would leave small gifts for the first two teeth that Bookworm1 loses and they would be fun surprises which we would leave for him at night. This has built up some anticipation of losing teeth, which was exactly the point, and it leaves us open to reading fun books about tooth fairies at the same time.




Bookworm1 is also an extremely. literal. child. I figured it would be wise to approach the subject from a fact-based perspective and so, with that in mind, we purchased a copy of How Many Teeth?. This book was awesome! It talks about how babies are born without teeth and then they gradually come in. The boys and girls loosing teeth in this book have 20 teeth when their teeth start to become loose. Our dentist made a point of counting out Bookworm1's teeth with him so he was able to identify.

Another great aspect of this book are the illustrations which show the baby teeth being pushed to the surface of the gums, making way for the adult - or, permanent - teeth. Seeing this particular page of illustrations was very interesting to Bookworm1 and gave him an idea of what is going on inside of his mouth. He doesn't seem scared at all and knowing some of the facts makes this whole process vastly more interesting to talk about. We are quite pleased with this book.

I don't mean to build an entire home library on the topic of loose teeth, but knowing of some other decent titles would be appreciated! If there is one in particular that you have enjoyed with your kids, drop a note! I'll look it up.

The Sword in the Stone (book and Disney movie)

A few months back I found a 1939 copy of The Sword in the Stone at our local used bookstore. I wanted to read it because it is a book that a Disney film is based on and before the Disney-fied version of The Sword in the Stone went back into the Disney vault, I wanted to see if this was a on-screen story that we'd be interested owning. (My answer at the end of the post.)

The Sword in the Stone (the book) seems to have a fairly interesting history. First published in 1938 it appears to have not only been expanded into a series (the final story being The Book of Merlyn: The Unpublished Conclusion to The Once and Future King - which was published after author T.H. White's death) but the original story was also revised a few times. Not having known this before I started the read, I'm very glad to have found a 1939 version which is the original story first published by White. (I'd have been disgruntled to discover I'd read a revision.)

The Once and Future King (published before White's death) was adapted into the Disney movie The Sword in the Stone as well as the Broadway musical, Camelot (which was then, of course, turned into a movie by the same name. White lived both to the see the Broadway adaptation as well as Disney's interpretation of his works.

If you've not read T.H. White before (as I had not prior to this book) I think you might be charmed by his writing style. He has a very P.G. Wodehouse feel about him. There are several passages that made me grin and snicker outloud. He is very engaging and witty and I thought also of Whitehouse and The Strictest School in the World series. (Bet you wondered how I was going to manage to mention that series again, eh?) I was highly entertained from the standpoint of humor.

The basic plot of the book is this:

There is a young boy who goes by the name of Wart who friends a magician by the name of Merlyn. Wart is being raised by a guardian, Sir Ector, who has a son by the name of Kay. Because Wart's blood is of no distinction, he has no hopes of being able to become a knight. Kay, on the other hand, will receive such honors and will become master of his father's estate. Sir Ector does feel the need to have both boys properly educated and finds himself in want of a tutor.

One day Kay decides to go out hawking and Wart comes along with him. Their hawk gets away from them and Wart goes off in search of the bird in the mysterious woods. He happens upon Merlyn, who is expecting him, because Merlyn lives backwards in time instead of forward, like the rest of humanity. Merlyn sets himself out as the boy's tutor and returns to Sir Ector's castle with young Wart. Merlyn's purpose, of course, is to educate Wart for eventual kingship, although this is not revealed until the very end of the book. Part of Wart's education comes from being magically turned into things such as a fish, a snake, and an owl. Each lesson supposedly teaches Wart something about himself and how to rule his future kingdom.

There is a great deal of magic in the book. Merlyn professes himself to be a practitioner of white magic and his abilities are compared in contrast to Madam Mim who practices black magic and who engages Merlyn in a wizard's duel at one point in the book. Merlyn himself is kind of an absent-minded fellow who can't tell if he is coming or going (since he lives backwards in time) and provides a great deal of comedic relief throughout the book.

I've mentioned in the past that I am working on formulating an opinion as to when I think magic is used well in books and when it is not. As for this read, I'm not going to comment on that or form an exact opinion. This book read as more of a historical comedy to me than anything else. It's feel was just very light hearted and so I never experienced any real cause for alarm, other than the wizard's duel against Madam Mim who was most definitely a creepy character. Her chapter was short-lived though for which I was grateful - and Merlyn was clearly the victor in their battle.

Personally, I can imagine my boys really enjoying this as a read-aloud when they are older. (I'm thinking 11 or 12.) It is very magical and very funny. Here were some of my favorite excerpts:

Wart is bored and comes to Merlyn asking to be changed into a hawk so as to have an adventure. Meryln hushes him, being busy knitting, and Wart takes a seat.

After several minutes he said, "Is one allowed to speak as a human being, or does the thing about being seen and not heard have to apply?"
"Everybody can speak."
"That's good, because I wanted to mention that you have been knitting your beard into that night-cap for three rows now."
"Well, I'll be fiddled."
"I should think the best thing would be to cut off the end of your beard. Shall I fetch some scissors?"
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"I wanted to see what would happen."
"You run a grave risk, my boy," said Merlyn coldly, "of being turned into a piece of bread and toasted." (Chapter 8, page 109)

Kay and Wart were being sent on a quest into the Fairy Queen's castle where they were warned not to eat anything that they were offered, no matter how good it looked. White is rather fond of making up songs for his characters to sing throughout the book, but he tempts Kay and Wart with this chorus (and a spread of ice cream treats) as they wander into the Fairy Queen's domain:

"Way down inside the large intestine,
Far, far away.
That's where the ice cream cones are resting,
That's where the eclairs stay."

This book is just so oddly amusing and very unique. Definitely a boy's tale, I should think. (Although this girl enjoy it quite well herself.) White clearly had a worldview to espouse in this book and I did not agree with all of it. There is plenty of mention of the earth being millions of years old, for instance, and apparently he wrote The Once and Future King to explain his idea of an ideal society. He was definitely a political writer as well as a humorist, but the parts I did not agree with were easy enough for me to ignore.

As for the Disney version of The Sword in the Stone . . .

It wasn't quite as dark and scary as I have this vision of it being when I was younger. In fact, there is far less magic used in the movie than there is in the book. If you dislike the magic in the movie, you will absolutely not enjoy White's original work. My impression of the movie was that the magic used was no more disagreeable than what you would see in Beauty and the Beast (i.e., sugar bowls with personality, dishes being washed with the help of magic, household items being moved about under spells, animals talking, etc.)

That said, I greatly disliked Madam Mim - just as much as I disliked her in the book. She is a scary character and any child sensitive to characters who change themselves at whim into scary looking animals should not have this film inflicted upon them. Bookworm1 is particularly sensitive to "scary things" and there is no way I would show him this film. So no, we will NOT be adding this one to our Disney library. Although Disney tried to lessen her scary impact by making her the color pink (as well as making all of the animals she was turning herself into pink) her intent towards Merlyn was evil and that was very clear. When she turns her face into a pig's face it's quite grotesque and then, of course, ultimately she becomes a dragon which Disney has a way of making kinda scary when you are talking about the villain. No, we will not be watching it.

The movie version was also too short and, I thought, lacked in substance compared to the book. They lacked the time to truly dive into the story and give a deeper understanding of who Wart was and why his education was so amazing. For example, in the movie Wart introduces himself to Merlyn as "Arthur, but everyone calls me Wart." Disney had to cut to the chase and so lost the depth of White's original story and made the film kind of fall flat for me.

Sometimes I really like the Disney-fied versions better and think they are an excellent way for children to learn to engage with stories. (For example, we've recently been enjoying Disney's The Jungle Book and Bookworm1 even expressed an interest in reading the original stories - even thought it's a dreaded chapter book! In the case of The Sword in the Stone, if we indulge ourselves in this tale I would far rather my boys not be familiar with the movie and hold off on reading this book until their imaginations can capture the adventure and the magic of it as a stand-alone.

As for myself, I'm glad to have read the (1939) book and I'll stick it up on our bookshelves for later. As for the movie - it went right back to Netflix and I don't feel the need to see it again.

Her Daughter's Dream, by Francine Rivers

I just finished reading Her Daughter's Dream, by Francine Rivers, which as I am sure you are well aware, is the sequel to Her Mother's Hope (linked to my review - not Lisa's.) ;) Before I wrote this up I had to go read my review and refresh my thoughts and impressions on Book One. I've been wanting to read this sequel since it first came out but just got around to doing so. A friend of mine loaned me the book and I was determined to finish it before baby makes (made?) her appearance. Mission accomplished! I will say, however, that this is not really a book you want to read when you are pregnant with a baby girl. I had a bit of bad timing whereas this book is concerned.

Following on the tails of Her Mother's Hope, we follow the story of Hildemara, Marta's daughter. Hildemara is struggling to survive tuberculosis. She is unable to care for her own daughter and so Marta comes to live with Hildemara's family and wins the affections and attentions of her granddaughter, Hildemara's daughter, Carolyn. (Are you following?) Hildemara grows bitter over the fact that her mother is able to spend more time with her children and her family than she is. Because Carolyn was just a wee thing when her mother had tuberculosis, she was unable to be near her mother and is unable to understand why her mother doesn't want her nearby. Instead, she bonded with her grandmother (Marta) and Hildemara is insanely jealous of their connection.

Carolyn grows up thinking that her own mother doesn't love her as much as her grandmother does. She doesn't understand that her mother cannot be around her because of the disease and fear that she will pass it along to her children. A shy and quiet child by nature, Carolyn longs for affection and attention and unfortunately finds a false love at the hands of a dirty old man next door. As a result of the secret abuse she suffers, she separates herself even further from her parents, believing them to be inattentive and uncaring. This lands her in a heap o' trouble, and she ends up making a great many mistakes as she is growing up. Eventually Carolyn becomes a mother herself and gives birth to a daughter, May Flower Dawn.

The book then shifts gears again. First we spend time with Hildemara, then Carolyn, and lastly (May Flower) Dawn. The sins of the mother's continue to be passed down, with unspoken words and lack of affection being the rule instead of the exception. Each female has issues with her mother. Each daughter suffers insecurities, pain and distress as a result of not feeling affirmed by the woman she most wants to be in good fellowship with.

In short, this book was absolutely depressing.

Seriously, if this was my first Francine Rivers book - I probably would not have read another. After reading this book, I went and read Barbara H.'s thoughts on it which I had briefly skimmed when she first published her take on it. Barbara liked the book and found it to be a "wonderfully written epic story." On that point I absolutely agree. It IS well-written. It is epic. It equally draws you in and repulses you in a single breath. Honestly, I didn't want to finish reading it. It was definitely an intense look at the darker side of human relationships and was chalk full of pain, agony and hardship. At the same time, Rivers did such a fantastic job of setting the stage in Her Mother's Hope that I couldn't fathom not knowing the conclusion of these women's individual (and collective) stories.

There is a lot not to like in Her Daughter's Dream. Carolyn comes of age and is very experimental (in every way imaginable) during the 1960's. Think Woodstock, Free Love and the Vietnam War. It made my stomach turn. Dawn grows up as a teen in the 1980's who falls in love in high school and is subject to the pressures of teen romance. As Barbara points out in her review, all three women highlighted in this story are wrapped up in themselves and distrust one another and God's plan for their lives. It is a harsh, harsh story.

It is a brilliantly told harsh story.

I didn't like the subject matters because they made me feel uncomfortable. I didn't like how easily each woman seemed to fall into the trap of self-pity and bitterness. Yet those feelings are reality for so many. I know a great many people like stories which are not so neatly wrapped up. If you are one of those, you will have no qualms whatsoever with this book and will no doubt like it very much. I like my stories a bit cleaner in nature, I do have to confess it. I wouldn't perhaps mind so much the messiness of it all in another season of life, but with each woman's pregnancy and relationship with their daughter, I couldn't help but be disturbed - especially considering that I am expecting to birth a daughter of my own. It was a depressing book to read at the tail end of pregnancy when you really just don't want to be bothered so much with angst and just want to be relaxed and entertained. I was not relaxed. I was an engaged reader, to be sure, but not a relaxed one.

I can't not recommend it but if I were to suggest a Francine Rivers book to someone who had never read her stories before, I would not start with this series! I guess that is the only conclusion I can come to, at the present moment, for this particular read.

Have you read it? What did you think of it? Curious to know...

Animal Picture Books

I've received a few picture books in the mail recently for perusal and I thought I'd share them in list form with the rest of you. I'm growing more particular about picture books and weed through them more thoroughly. The ones listed here are ones that we've enjoyed reading through all together.



A Pet for Miss Wright is a new release from Sleeping Bear Press. Miss Wright is a writer, and a somewhat lonely one at that. She spends all day typing and writing out stories but lacks in companionship. She decides that it might be nice to have a pet and so makes a good many trips to the pet store trying to find the perfect pet to keep her company through the day as she works. Will she settle on a fish? A hamster? A cat? A dog? Well, you'll have to read the book to find out now, won't you? This one is super cute. I wasn't sure that Bookwworm1 would really connect with the idea of it very much but I needn't have worried. It being full of animals - how could we go wrong? (And I liked the writer/book angle.) Four thumbs up on this one!

Speaking of animals...



Not only does Bookworm1 like books about the zoo, but his little brother is becoming more and more fascinated with things like apes and elephants. (I think that's because they make loud noises!) Mommy always appreciates finding a good zoo title that can be read before we make our annual trip. Therefore, we were ALL delighted with The View at the Zoo which is a new release from Ideals Books. Told from the perspective of the animals, you just never know what kind of humans you might spot at the zoo! Humans do mighty silly things - like have their babies ride on their backs, and they eat a lot sometimes, and tend to become very excited by the things that they see. A cute book which takes a look at life in the zoo in front of and behind the bars - this one receives six thumbs up!

The next two books come courtesy of Peachtree Publishers.




Bring On the Birds, by Susan Stockdale, is a very simple and straightforward read. The text is very easy to read, with very few words on each page.

For example:

"Swooping birds,
whooping birds,
birds with puffy chests."

Each page displays Stockdale's artwork as she presents different fowl for us to inspect and enjoy. Bookworm1 (age 4 1/2) is probably too old for this book and declared it to be a "surprise fast read." I would say that it's a great, easy book for those with a shorter attention span. That said though, Stockdale does a beautiful job ill with her illustrations and it was very fun to look at all the different types of birds that exist in our world.



Three Hens and a Peacock, by Lester L. Laminack, introduces us to the quite farm life on the Tucker's farm. That is, it's all quiet until the peacock showed up! The peacock has no idea what farm life is like and doesn't know what to do but spread his feathers and shriek - which happens to attract a lot of attention. The farm animals are not impressed that they have to do all the work while the peacock gets all of the attention! The peacock wishes he could be more useful, but just does not know how. Eventually the other animals recognize the value of the peacock. A cute, funny story that has been enjoyed around these parts.

Thank you to Sleeping Bear Press, Ideals Books and Peachtree Publishers for these lovely books which you sent and we enjoyed reading! (All opinions about these books are entirely our own. For the record.)