The Fairy Caravan, by Beatrix Potter

I had never heard of The Fairy Caravan before just a few months ago. I feel like I ought to have heard about it, but I hadn't. I've always associated Beatrix Potter with England but when our family was in Scotland, driving between locations, we passed by Birnam. We spotted a sign advertising the Beatrix Potter Exhibit which resulted in a quick exit into Birman and to the Birnman Arts Center where we learned all kinds of things about Potter than we never knew before! As it would seem, the Potter family spent summers in the Birman/Perthshire area. Two of her books were penned in this region, specifically The Tale of Peter Rabbit and The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher. The museum in Birman is small but cute and the kids enjoyed the stop. Mostly the exhibit featured posters sharing information about the Potter family but then they had a lovely play area for kids to dress up as Potter characters, color, and play at being old fashioned grocers. I wouldn't say that this is a Must See Attraction but we certainly didn't mind the pit stop! (UK pit stops are incredibly enjoyable, in our opinion! Ha!)

At any rate, inside the gift shop I came across one last copy of The Fairy Caravan. It's a Puffin Classic Edition - (which #bookstagramers will note as being supremely cute!) - and I feel in love with it immediately. Books are my souvenirs of choice when traveling and this seemed a fine thing to bring home. I had intentions of reading it while we traveled but that didn't happen. We read it at home instead, finishing it up this week.

The Fairy Caravan tells the story of Tuppeny the guinea pig who decides to leave town, home, and nagging wife to start a new life. He comes across a miniature traveling circus made up of a variety of different animals. These animals travel about unseen by human eyes because they have magic hayseeds which keep them hidden from view. They travel about the countryside, unawares, and put on performances for various other animals. They have all sorts of adventures in very Potter-y fine form.

We fell in love with the book instantly upon reading. The character of Paddy Pig, a jovial but somewhat crazy sound pig, quickly captured our hearts and we laughed at his antics and speeches. You know a book is going to be great when it induces laughter. However, I would say that although the book stayed cute and enjoyable for me, my younger kids were somewhat lost as the book continued on. The circus caravan stop to visit a herd of sheep and the sheep engage in some story telling of their own which, between the vocabulary and descriptions of Scottish landscapes and general practices of sheep herding, I sort of lost my readers. We pressed on through these passages, but they are frequent enough that I'd say this is a book worth saving until your kids are old enough to track with the descriptions of animal husbandry.

Do I regret reading A Fairy Caravan? Not at all. We found much to enjoy, despite a few chapters to slog through. It was fun and I'm glad to have become acquainted with this read. If you haven't heard of it, well, here's your introduction! If you are a Beatrix Potter fan, I've no doubt you'll want to find a copy of this story!

Links to other books we've read aloud together:

• The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder
• The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

What Katy Did, by Susan Coolidge (The Katy Chronicles)

Have you all heard of #Bookstagram? It's Instagram, sure, but all about books, so it's awesome. A friend of mine introduced me to the Bookstagram community earlier this year and it has been a joy and a delight. (If you want to find me on Instagram, look for me at @1000lives_and_severalcupsoftea.) Bookstagram has opened up a whole new world of reading possibilities to me, mostly through beautiful pictures of beautiful books!

A few months ago several Bookstagramers posted their pictures of the The Katy Carr trilogy of books by Susan Coolidge. Specifically, they featured the editions published by Virago Modern Classics. I had never read the Katy books before but these editions looked so attractive to me that I felt compelled to read them. I picked up my own copies on Amazon and dove into them recently.

The first book in the series, What Katy Did, was first published in 1872 by Sarah Chauncey Woolsey who wrote under her pen name, Susan Coolidge. The character of Katy and her siblings are all based on Woolsey's family growing up. The story is set in Ohio in the mid 1860's and is a charming tale of small town America. Katy's father is a busy doctor and her mother passed away so the family is cared for by her father's sister, Izzy. When the book opens we find a mischievous young Katy who is full of life and vivacity. Aunt Izzy has her hands full trying to keep up with all of the shenanigans of her young nieces and nephews, particularly Katy!

Admittedly, this book got off to a slow start for me. The introduction to the family and characters was not exactly riveting. However, by the middle of the book it was clear that Coolidge was setting the stage for what was to come. Katy, like many young children, believes herself to be far wiser than her elders. In her prideful condition, she ends up disobeying a directive of her aunt which in turn leads to a significant injury to herself. The second half of the book really took flight as Katy learns patience, respect, and love for others while taking lessons in "the School of Pain." The great message of this book is that pain in life is God's tool to mold and make us more like Him. Told in a very gentle manner, Coolidge uses this story to inspire her readers to endure hardship, knowing that each struggle and trial we encounter in life serves a higher purpose. Even if we can't quite see or understand the importance or significance of our trials in the moment, we must trust and believe that God is good and has good things in mind for us. Pain certainly isn't easy and it isn't any fun; gratefully Coolidge doesn't pretend otherwise. Instead she shows how Katy grows and matures through the hard times which is exactly what happens to people when they put their faith in Christ.

Readers of the Katy books will quickly realize that Coolidge enjoys writing poetry. She wrote a piece on pain which is included in the story. I noted these few lines, in particular:

There are two Teachers in the school,
One has a gentle voice and low,
And smiles upon her scholars, as
She softly passes to and fro.
Her name is Love; tis very plain
She shuns the sharper teacher, Pain.
Or so I sometimes think; and then,
At other times, they meet and kiss,
And look so strangely like, that I
Am puzzled to tell how it is,
Or whence the change which makes it vain
To guess if it be Love or Pain.
~ Susan Coolidge

When in the midst of pain it's hard to appreciate it as being a lesson designed to better one's self. It is easy when in pain to feel angry and confused. I loved how Coolidge handled the subject in this "simple" story which kindly encourages the reader to stay grounded in their faith, to be patient, and to trust that there is a good, good plan at work. I think everyone needs this reminder in their lives from time to time. I certainly do. It's tempting to crumple up when one is being wounded in some way but it's a beautiful thing to bear the pain quietly, submitting to it as a great teacher. That's a hard challenge but a brilliant one.

I simply loved What Katy Did so much that I immediately picked up What Katy Did at School because I wanted to find out what happened to Katy next!

Katy has recovered from her injury in this second story and her father has been persuaded that Katy and her younger sister, Clover, would do well to attend a girl's boarding school. Off the two sisters go on a new adventure to a fairly strictly run boarding school on the East Coast. While at school they make many friends and endure new challenges. Much of the book is playful and enjoyable but there is a main point and lesson to be learned in this sequel as well as in the first story of Katy. In the middle of the girls' school year, Katy and her sister are unjustly accused of doing something which they had not done. Their attempts at being believed are snubbed and they are ultimately thought the worse of by those in authority over them. The girls must grapple with how to handle this and they do so in a manner that modern day audiences would do well to learn. They take their unjust punishment quietly and peacefully and submit to it in so much as they can and then they determine to live it down. "Live it down!" becomes something of a battle cry to Katy as she determines to respond and act to these accusations in a right way. She doesn't accept the judgment but she has to live with it. Anyone who has ever been unjustly accused of something can appreciate this read. The way that Coolidge inspires and instructs her readers is, again, something quite brilliant! This book flew by for me and I read it in two sittings.

Yet again, I loved the story so much that I jumped straight into What Katy Did Next. I felt like I was cheating by jumping straight into this one. While What Katy Did was published in 1872, What Katy Did Next wasn't published until 1886. Coolidge mentions in the beginning of the story that this particular book was written in response to the request of Katy's many fans who begged to know what happened to Katy after she finished school. If What Katy Did Next was meant to appease, it certainly did so for me and I loved it every bit as much as I enjoyed the first.

I didn't find that What Katy Did Next had any particular moral standard or lesson to pass along. A friend mentioned to me that she thought this title dragged a bit. For my part, I enjoyed it because Katy spends the book traveling. She kicks off her European tour in England with talks of Scotland and since I've been to both places I was thrilled to visit them again with Katy as my companion. Clearly Coolidge had visited Europe before writing this book and I think she described things accurate and well. By the sounds of things, I'm not so sure she enjoyed England as much as she could have though; I think I enjoyed it more. (Ha!) This last title in the series was definitely written to appease the curiosity of readers of Katy. It scratched an itch and I appreciated it.

I did mark one passage, in particular, as standing out to me:

In my observation, grief can look like different things to different people and it would really behoove the lot of us humans if we'd come to recognize this. For some people, grief is a slow process of coming to grips. For others, they grapple with change more quickly and then pick up and move along. Pain and grief are tricky things and I don't think people use enough caution when encountering either. I'm not saying that there is a perfect way to approach someone who is suffering because there isn't. Sometimes you just have to be willing to try, fail, and/or compromise to stick together in the midst of hardship. That can be a scary thing! The comfort in the trying and the failing and the compromising is in knowing that God is perfect and able to perfectly meet each grief and bear it. We fail where He continually succeeds. There is grace in that belief - grace for each of us as we process life alongside one another in community.

To summarize my thoughts here, I'd say that if you haven't yet read the Katy books, I heartily recommend them. I'm not entirely sure how I missed them growing up, but I'm glad to have rectified the situation. I'll be pleased to introduce Katy to my daughters earlier on in their young lives so that they can enjoy knowing her longer.

The Railway Children, by E. Nesbit

Once upon a time our family traveled to England for a month. While we were there we took in the stage production of The Railway Children which is performed in a specially designed theater connected to King's Cross Station. I meant to read the book before we saw the play but that didn't happen but it really was alright. Our kids were younger then and if I had read the story to them any earlier, I fear they wouldn't remember it. The play they remember in part and the book they now stand a better chance of remember in full.  (That's what we call a "win/win" right?)

As noted, we finally corrected our gaffe and read the book and it was a charming delight from beginning to end. In case you are unfamiliar with the plot line, I shall briefly fill you in:

Three children - Roberta ("Bobbie"), Peter and Phyillis - have their life turned upside a bit when their father is very suddenly and abruptly "called away" and their mother must move with them to the countryside. The children aren't sure as to why their father isn't around, but, being children, they quickly adapt to their new circumstances. Mother, who has always had time for play before, must now spend her time writing stories to make a little money. The children are largely left to their own devices and make a few choice friends down at the local railway station. Most of the story surrounds various incidents which occur around the railway line but we also get to know them through the eyes of other locals from the village. Running throughout the story are questions about where their father might have gone and when he might return. The book concludes happily alright but the family does undergo a fair amount of challenge and suffering before we're done getting to know them. Told in Nesbit's lovely style, this is a story our family is sure to remember for a long while.

I found The Railway Children well-suited for a read aloud. The chapters are a bit long so we only read one a day (we usually aim for two). Our kids are ages three to eleven and it was certainly our oldest three that got the most out of the story, laughing at all the right parts, etc. I would say if you only want to read this book once, then wait until your kids are at least six or seven before taking time out for this. However, I hardly think this is a "one and done" sort of read. I could easily see us devouring this book several times over. But that's Nesbit for you; her works are generally re-readable.

The Railway Children held a few surprises for me, in particular, at the end. Nesbit's theology shines through during a particular conversation between her characters. Peter and his mother are having a little heart-to-heart on account of the fact that Peter is missing his father's presence. He doesn't know the reasons why his father isn't at home with the family and proposes that sometimes books are better than real-life. He suggests to his mother that if their life were a story, Mother could just write it out so that Father would come home. The following interaction takes place:

Peter's mother put her arm round him suddenly, and hugged him in silence for a minute.

Then she said:

'Don't you think it's rather nice to think that we're in a book that God's writing? If I were writing a book, I might make mistakes. But God knows how to make the story end just right - in the way that's best for us.'

'Do you really believe that, Mother?' Peter asked quietly.

'Yes,' she said, 'I do believe it - almost always - except when I'm so sad that I can't believe anything. But even when I can't believe it, I know it is true - and I try to believe it. You don't know how I try, Peter.'

What a gem of a passage! There are many times over the course of my life that I've wished the story was going a little differently. It's tremendously easy to believe that I know best and that I'd write the story of my life out much better. In my Chronological Study Bible I've reached the story of Job where he too questions God's plan. I absolutely love the passage in Job 38 - 41 where God thunders out His reply in a manner which causes Job to stand still and believe.

Then Job answered the Lord and said: “Behold, I am of small account; what shall I answer you? I lay my hand on my mouth. I have spoken once, and I will not answer; twice, but I will proceed no further.” Job 40:3-5

There is so much that we can't know about our own lives so long as we're here on earth. There is so much that we will dream of having happen to us or through us on their earth that will never be. We will always live with questions. We will always be surrounded by mystery. This will never change. Our sole duty and responsibility is to believe. Believe that the Lord is Who He says that He is. Believe that His ways are higher, more perfect, and more holy than our imagination can comprehend. Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ for that is how we will be saved. (Acts 16:31; Hebrews 11:6)

Nesbit, through her character of Roberta, Peter and Phyllis's mother, got it right. If we were in charge of writing our own stories and proclaiming our own destinies, we'd be at a risk getting things wrong and making mistakes. But God knows how to make each of our stories end just right - in the way that is best for us.

It's worth reading the entirety of The Railway Children for this one passage if for no other reason. I loved it in every particular and I'm so glad that we took the time to get to know this book.

Of course, now that we've read the book we are permitted to watch the Masterpiece Theater version which we will do so as promptly as is humanely possible. My own children are already at me to see it. I must confess I'm just as impatient to get to it as they are!

Reading Reflections 2017

You know my life is busy when I'm not reading. I have to be super busy not to be able to read. (Or I have to think I'm too busy to read. It's one of the two.) From October - December of 2017 the only thing I managed to read were books aloud to the kids and I was playing major catch up in my Chronological Bible in order to complete reading the Bible though by the end of the year.

You can see my 2017 Reading List here. I link reviews to titles and one thing you'll quickly notice is that while I read a little, I wrote even less. The sad thing to me is that I have a bad memory when it comes to books and writing out my thoughts on them helps to solidify stories and information. For that reason, I am sorry that I dropped book blogging because there is likely much more information lost than in year's past. While I hope to correct that this year, one never knows how life will go! Meanwhile, I thought I'd take a quick moment to record my favorite reads of 2017.

As I mentioned earlier this week, this past fall our family went to Prince Edward Island on vacation and so the large chunk of my 2017 reading was focused on the works of Lucy Maud Montgomery. A huge treat and treasure was picking up a copy of After Many Years: Twenty-One "Long-Lost" Stories by Montgomery. If I had to pick a favorite of my Montgomery-related reads, I'd have to pick this After Many Years because it was fresh, new and therefore especially fun!

As a bonus, I purchased my copy of After Many Years at the site of Maud's Cavendish Home and it is stamped as such.

The book I feel most accomplished for having read (or, uh, finished) was Atlas Shrugged and I made a very short blog post about that! Atlas Shrugged was tremendously fulfilling but a great deal of work! I can honestly say I enjoyed it and that I'm glad to have read it. Also, I'm glad it's over.

I'm still a huge fan of D.E. Stevenson books and still devour everyone that I can lay my hands on. This year I was blessed to read three different titles by this delightful author. If I had to choose a favorite I guess I'd say I most enjoyed Celia's House.

One of the most interesting books I read this past year was most definitely Upstairs at the White House: My Life with the First Ladies, by J.B. West.

I picked this up during one of Amazon's Deal of the Day offers on the Kindle and I'm SO glad that I did. This title is absolutely fascinating. If you want to get a better picture of what the life of any random First Lady is like, then this is the book for you. West served as Chief Usher at the White House for decades and he recounts his experiences with six of our nation's First Ladies. What I love is that he didn't write this book to "dish" on any one particular First Lady but to explain an institution. It's fabulously well done. Take a trip down memory lane with this one and enjoy the ride!

This past year was probably the year I learned the valuable importance of the read aloud book for me, the mother. If the only book I get to spend time with is the one that I also will be sharing with my kids, I want to make that read aloud a particularly good one! (I can see some of you smiling and nodding your heads even now!) Once upon a time I was browsing the bookshelves at Powell's up in Portland. A dad approached me to ask if I had read the Swallows and Amazons series yet. He raved for a few minutes about how he had read them aloud to his kids and absolutely loved them. His sales pitch sold me and I purchased a couple of the titles.

Fast forward to 2017 and it looked like the reading level would be appropriate for almost all of our kids (ages 3- 11 now!) and so I pulled Swallows and Amazons off the shelf and read it aloud.

And. we. loved. it.

This twelve book series is set in between the World Wars and is set in the Lake District in England. Published in the 1930's, these books were the Harry Potter series of their day and they deserve another go 'round. It follows the adventures of four siblings and their explorations as they sail and camp and make friends with the locals on their holidays. We read the first book and immediately chased that book down with the second, Swallowdale. I loved these books so much that I think I have to declare them my top favorite books read in 2017! They are wonderful! Oh, and the kids liked them too. However, they did request a break before we move onto the third book in the series so I've complied with the request. Just you wait though because the moment I am "allowed" to go back in the world of the Swallows, I'll be there in a heartbeat! Also, I'm pretty sure I want to spend the rest of my life in the Lake District in England.

That pretty much summarizes my reading year. What about yours? If you've written up an end of the year reflection post, I'd love to see it! Leave the link in the comment section and I'll go visitin' my old book blogging buddies and catch up a bit!

Happy New Year to you all! I really have missed you!

The Green Meadow Series, by Thornton Burgess

Our family got started on reading through Thornton Burgess's Green Meadow series quite by accident. Years ago I had read Old Mother West Wind (linked to review) and wasn't quite sure what to make it of. My lasting reflection was that it was a cheesy story that felt like a "knock off" from other people's tales. (You'll see what I mean if you click that link to my review from back in the day.) Really, I hadn't thought about Thornton Burgess in years. Then, a few months back, Jonathan and I were out on a date night and found ourselves in a bookstore (*cough*cough*). I picked up one of Burgess's Green Meadow stories and flipped through it, thinking it might be an easy independent read for Bookworm2 (age 7) and so brought it home. In the end, instead of him reading the story alone, we read it aloud together. It was a hit!

Thornton Burgess was a great lover of nature and his children's stories are based on animals, whose habits and tendencies Burgess seemed to know quite well. Born in 1874, Burgess spent his formative years on farm land in Massachusettes. He tended cows, picked berries, trapped muskrats and observed the natural world. He spent 50 years of his life writing children's books and as the backdrop for these stories he drew a lot from the landscape which he was so a part of as a young person. All told, he wrote over 170 stories, popularly referred to as "bedtime stories" which have been enjoyed by children the world over.

For our part, after reading our first book from the Green Meadow Series (not the first in order, just the first we picked up) - The Adventures of Happy Jack - we all wanted to read more! I hopped on Amazon and found this set of six books at a royally good price and picked them up. We've been working our way through them ever since. The kids all absolutely love them. They are at times laugh out loud funny and we are often left highly entertained. (These books are super cheap on the Kindle and not at all pricey in paperback.)

Burgess is about the business of telling a moral tale through the use of his animal friends. His characters who are suspicious of others soon learn the importance of trust and kindness. The characters that are show offs and braggarts meet humility in less than kind circumstances. Perhaps the preachiness would bother some but I find the stories so quaint and well-told that the warnings against pride and selfishness are very well-received. The character of Reddy Fox, for example, has given us things to discuss when we're talking over our own behaviors between our own family members. These books are not only fun, but useful!

The Green Meadow series takes a look at a variety of animals in the forest and meadow and we learn the landscape as we spend time with each individual critter. Each title focuses on a different animal who resides in the area. For example:

• The Adventures of Reddy Fox
• The Adventures of Bowser the Hound
• The Adventures of Chatterer the Red Squirrel

The chapters are remarkably short and easy to read. We can polish off 7-8 chapters in no time flat making these quick read alouds. They are perfect as independent reads for ages 6-8. Bookworm2 has enjoyed a few titles on his own since we've begun reading them. (It takes him 2-3 days to read one title.)

I'm solidly sold on Burgess as an author of children's stories at this point in time. Not only have I been collecting the titles for us to read, but these are going to be go-to gifts for early readers. It's a beautiful world that Thornton Burgess lived in and created. There is a peacefulness about these books which is hard to find in books these days. If you are looking for an easy early chapter book and like the classic feel - look into these books. I don't think you'll be sorry! For my part, I'm glad I didn't work off of remembrances and impressions from years ago, passing the Burgess title by instead of bringing it home with me. Our reading life has been so enjoyable these days, thanks in large part to Burgess.

The Search for the Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt

I think The Search for the Delicious, by Natalie Babbitt, is a book that can stand to be read continually throughout your whole life. Perhaps my children will have the chance to do so as we've started them out on this story young. I only discovered this book for myself back in 2012. I fell in love with it instantly, re-reading it again in 2013. Usually a quick re-read of a book makes me feel a little bit weary of it but not so with this title! Each time I read it, I like it more. I've been biding my time waiting until I thought the kids were old enough to catch some of the humor in the book before sharing it with them. I felt like the time might be right and so we spent the last few weeks reading it.

The Search for the Delicious is a short book that tells of young Gaylen's adventures as the King's Messenger. Gaylen is sent out from the castle to poll the kingdom in order to find out how people would define the word 'delicious.' The Prime Minister has been writing a dictionary and when he presents his definition of the word the king disagrees with him and the queen disagrees with the king. No harmony can be found in the palace and so the locals must be polled. Will people say apples are the most delicious? Or corn? Wheat? Fish? Whatever item receives the most votes will be listed as the definition for the word.

This idea of polling the audience sounds good in theory but the problem is that no two people can seem to agree on what is delicious. With the help of a villain who convinces the people that the king means to cause trouble with this question, the land is filled with confusion and the threat of war looms over people's heads. There is hope of averting a war but it is going to take the help of some creatures that some believe only to be mythical: a woldweller, some dwarves, and a beautiful mermaid. As Gaylen makes his way around the countryside he is faced with a great many challenges, one of them is whether or not to believe in fairytales.

This story is pure genius. The first time I read The Search for the Delicious I didn't discern any deep meaning; it was pure entertainment and sheer delight. The second time I read it I clued into the importance of reading and understanding the purpose behind fairy tales. This time I ached only for my kids to appreciate the delicate, subtle humor of Babbitt. I'm afraid to report that she's so subtle with her humor that it went over their heads. Not that this was a loss because my kids were still left to enjoy the story for story sake which they did! (I, alone, snickered my way through beautifully crafted sentences.) In the end though, we all enjoyed it which was the point. My kids, ages 9, 7 and 5 all claimed to have enjoyed it very much. (The three year old sat silently by and grinned. But I don't think that means anything.)

It is precisely because this book is just so enjoyable that we will revisit it again in the future, many times over! I'm certainly not tired of reading it and can only still highly recommend it to you. Seek this one out! It's worth every minute of your time.

Related posts:

• 2012 first reaction to The Search for the Delicious
• 2013 review of The Search for the Delicious

The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Ahh! It's the last day of February and the conclusion of Barbara's Laura Ingalls Wilder Reading Challenge. I thought I'd make a hasty effort to see if I can get our review of The Long Winter done. This was the title the kids and I read together this month as it was next in the series for us. I really am so happy Barbara hosts this each year as it gives me the opportunity to not only re-read these wonderful books for myself, but to also share them with my kids.

I confess that I had hoped we'd have matching weather to compliment our reading (but with a working heater!) but, alas, we here in the Northwest had a rather mild winter. We had just one snow flurry and that was that. Small pellet hail was about as exciting as it got. I believe those on the East coast had our share of snow along with their own! We ended up reading The Long Winter to the accompaniment of our usual rain.

Ultimately, we spent two weeks reading this book aloud and I think it's safe to say that all of the kids enjoyed it. The older two boys (ages 9 and 7) would ask for additional chapters to be read at the conclusion of each day's reading. Things grew especially tense as we stopped before finding out what happened to Almanzo when he went in search of wheat for the town. The boys were also especially attuned to the lack of food in the Ingalls home. Bookworm1 (age 9) - who is not a fan of potatoes - was glad not to live out on the prairies in the 1800's. He appreciates a little more variety in his diet. I thought it especially interesting to see their minds at work when we were on the chapter which talked about how Pa managed to purchase 2 lbs. of beef. As it so happened, I had just bought the same amount from the store.

Bookworm2: Well why were they worried? Two pounds is a lot of beef! That'll last them awhile!

I pulled out the wrapped two pound package of beef from our fridge and asked how long he thought that amount would last our own family of six. Realization dawned.

The Long Winter is an excellent book to be reading if you want to talk about teamwork as a family. This is a subject we focus on a great deal as with six of us, the more help we give to one another, the further we make it in a a day. An attitude that says, "I'm here for you when you need me" is something that we very much stress and wish to grow in our kids and we look for examples to show them what attitudes make - and break - the concept of being a team. This particular portion of the Ingalls' life really struck me as being one that required team work for one's very survival. Situations were tough and intense and it required the efforts of all family members to make it through that one long winter. (It also made me thankful for the rain.) We might not each face a long winter in the sense of being trapped by large snowdrifts, but we each have particular moments in time where we really need the comfort and the help of others and I really admired the way the Ingalls pitched in and worked together. On that note, I looked up a few quotes on teamwork which I liked and which I think suit this book well.

Thanks, Barbara, for hosting this reading challenge. I surely do appreciate it! We'll be looking forward to next year's challenge in anticipation of our next Wilder read.

The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, by L. Frank Baum

Late last month I was asked if I would like to review a copy of The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus and it was one of those moments when I couldn't say "YES!" fast enough. (It's rare I'll turn down a chance to read a fun Christmas story.) Penguin Classics recently reprinted this story by L. Frank Baum which was originally appeared on the scene in 1902. You'll note Baum's name, of course, as being the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz which had been published two years prior. I read Oz back in 2009 (linked to my review which I personally find to be poorly written) and thought it was weird. Honestly, I wasn't sure that I would enjoy a Baum Christmas tale if it was told in the same style as Oz but the fact that the theme was Christmas convinced me to take the plunge, regardless.

I am tremendously glad to have "taken a chance" on The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus. It was an absolute fantastic, magical tale and one which I would suggest is not to be missed in your Christmas reading. Unlike in Oz, Baum has a rhyme and rhythm in writing about Claus. It passes off as more of a fairy tale than anything else. The basic plot is that a mortal babe is found in the woods near the immortals. The immortals are not to have anything to do with human mortals, but a nymph named Necile asks to be allowed to take charge of the human infant and raise him. She is granted permission to do so and, as you might guess, she names the child Claus.

Claus spends his growing up years in the fellowship and community of the immortals. When he is full grown he is introduced to the world of men and he finds himself needing to make his way among them. He settles in a place called Laughing Valley where he builds his home and new life among men. This book is divided up into life sections of Claus, describing first his childhood then his adulthood, concluding with the explanation of how it was that he ultimately became immortal himself. Along his journey we see how he came to begin crafting toys for children, how and when he began using reindeer, as well as the evolution of the chimney and stocking traditions. It's all cleverly told in an engaging manner which kept me spell-bound from the first to the last page.

I didn't grow up believing in Santa Claus but always thought he was a rather fun character. My children understand that though he is not real, he is based on a real person and that person was worth admiring. We like reading stories about this jolly, giving soul and The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus foot the bill when it came to a relaxing, enjoyable Christmas read. As soon as I was done with it, I passed it along to my oldest (age 9) who read it in two days and said he enjoyed it also. This is a title that I'll be sliding up on my shelf to re-read in Christmas seasons to come. If you have a chance to look it up, DO! It's just plain, jolly fun.

Many thanks to Penguin Classics who sent a copy of the above title my direction in order to facilitate this review. I received no additional compensation and all opinions are 100% my very own.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson

It had been years (and years and years) since I'd read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, by Barbara Robinson. In fact, the last time I read it I think I was thirteen years old. Some friends of mine were performing in the local theater's production of the same title and I volunteered to operate the show curtains which was my first foray into the world of local theater. I figured I had best know what the story was about so I read the book. (I know that some people absolutely love theater productions but I can't say I'm terribly enthusiastic most of the time. That's due in large part to working behind the scenes every now and again on a production, but I digress.)

Getting back to the book, as I say I hadn't read it in years and wanted to revisit it before handing it over to my kids. If you are unfamiliar with the storyline, I'll let the Amazon description fill you in (because I'm feeling lazy):

The Herdmans are the worst kids in the history of the world. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and hit little kids. So no one is prepared when this outlaw family invades church one Sunday and decides to take over the annual Christmas pageant.

None of the Herdmans has ever heard the Christmas story before. Their interpretation of the tale -- the Wise Men are a bunch of dirty spies and Herod needs a good beating -- has a lot of people up in arms. But it will make this year's pageant the most unusual anyone has seen and, just possibly, the best one ever.

The Best Christmas Pageant Ever is an extremely short and fast read, coming in at roughly 80 pages. I previewed it for my kids in under an hour. As I read along I laughed and snickered and figured that my kids would get a pretty big kick out of the characters and the story. The first of the six chapters opens up with a pretty good description of the Herdman kids being an incredibly rowdy bunch. Truthfully I wouldn't care to have them over to our house because they are too much of too much. Lured to Sunday School by the false promise of marvelous desserts, they show up to church and hear the announcement for the upcoming Christmas pageant. Then and there they decide that, not only do they want to participate in the performance, they also want the lead roles and threaten and cajole their way into them. The church body is in an uproar but plans proceed with the Herdman clan portraying not only the Holy Family but also the wisemen, with the youngest daughter taking the role of "The Angel of the Lord". I can see how this situation would provoke distress among church members. The lovely message that is "preached" in this book by Robinson though is that the Gospel has the power to change even the most rebellious of hearts. As a result of their exposure to the Christmas story, the Herdmans find their hearts softened to truth. We are not told what their lives look like post-Christmas pageant but we do know that there is a tenderness visible in them that was not there previously.

As mentioned, I wanted to preview this story before handing it over to my oldest to read for himself and, in the end, I'm glad that I did. Although I love the story and the message behind it, I was a bit put off by a few things. Twice Robinson has the Herdman kids swear using the Lord's name in vain and that's not something I really want my kids reading at this moment in time. (Why? Because they are at a stage where their vocabulary is growing by leaps and bounds and, more importantly, God says not to use His name in vain.) Secondly, there is an incident during one of the practices where the subject of underwear comes up and certain children are threatening to tell their mother that underwear is being discussed in church. It's a rather humorous situation but the story about the underwear grows until the pastor declares that he heard that all the Herdman kids do during rehearsals is "talk about sex and underwear." It's one brief sentence and my son might have glazed past it but I really just don't feel like we need to start reading about sex at the age of 9. I thought about blacking out that sentence and just telling him that I didn't want him to read what it said just yet. But then I internally chuckled and thought about what a dumb exercise I've considered that to be when I've overheard other people doing the same. Blacked out words only serve to make me MORE curious. Besides, the idea isn't to keep him away from the subject forever (by no means!!!) but I do think that childhood is but a brief period of time and innocence preserved is a beautiful thing. He's under 10 years old, for crying out loud! Instead of blacking out anything, I left it alone but decided to make this a read aloud book and in this way I could just edit out the few things I don't want my 3, 4, 6 and 9 year old exposed to quite yet. All of them will be reading the non-blacked out version for themselves in a few years, so no worries. It'll come, but I don't see the need to rush it.

There was a sense of disappointment in not feeling able to hand this book over freely at the moment, but this feeling did not distract from our enjoyment of the story. I read it aloud to everyone and we all got a good chuckle out of the antics of the Herdmans and their questions and interpretations surrounding the Christmas story. We read the book in two sittings only because I forced them to. My kids would gladly have sat still for the entire book in one sitting had I the voice for it. Sometimes though it's better to linger, right?

I can see The Best Christmas Pageant Ever being an annual read for our family for the next several years. (It helps that it's so short! Makes it easy to squeeze in!) Overall it was fun, we all enjoyed it, and so I'd recommend it with those two notes of warning for the conservative reader.

The Book of Dragons, by E. Nesbit

I read The Book of Dragons with Bookworm1 back in 2013 (linked to review). Our current science studies have been focused on dinosaurs and dragons so, to coincide with that, I pulled out our copy of this title to read it again with all of the kids.

As mentioned previously, The Book of Dragons is a collection of 8 short stories about dragons. When I say short I mean "Nesbit in length" which means that a chapter could vary between 15-20 pages minus illustrations. Do be aware of that but also rest assured that Nesbit is so engaging a writer that even my four year old sat mesmerized by the stories contained herein.

All of our kids loved this book which contains the following individual tales:

• The Book of Beasts
• Uncle James, or the Purple Stranger 
• The Deliverers of their Country
• The Ice Dragon, or do as you are Told
• The Island of the Nine Whirlpools
• The Dragon Tamers
• The Fiery Dragon or the Heart of Stone and the Heart of Gold
• Kind Little Edmund, or the Caves and the Cockatrice

We read one chapter/story a day. At the end of each chapter you'd hear a chorus of phrases along the lines of, "I love this book." or "That was a great story!" Each of the kids had moments where they laughed and some where they were tense. Nesbit tells fantastic stories full of hard vocabulary words which stretch children and delight adults. Nesbit had quite the imagination and her stories take twists and turns that you don't always expect and which are intelligent in design. If you have a chance to read Nesbit aloud to your children, do! If you want to start out small, then we'd definitely recommend this collection.

My favorite in this collection is The Dragon Tamers and I was amused when I went back to read my 2013 review and discovered I had quoted the exact same passage which stood out to me this time as well. Coincidentally, it's also the passage which made the four year old laugh!

The other passage I marked down during this current read is from The Island of Nine Whirlpools. Apparently that was the second passage which made a mark on me during the last reading. I guess I just found those two stories rather clever and amusing!

The Book of Dragons is a delightful read no matter how many times you read it. It's magical and fun. What other reasons do you need? I'm glad we re-read it. I suspect we'll do so again in another couple of years.

The Phoenix and the Carpet, by E. Nesbit

The books I seem to be getting through the quickest these days are the ones which I'm reading aloud to the kids. This is not something I mind, because I tend to read them books which I like as well! We recently finished reading The Phoenix and the Carpet which is the sequel to The Five Children and It (linked to my review of 2013). It took us awhile to get to book two in the series but it was well worth the wait. We thoroughly enjoyed it.

In The Phoenix and the Carpet we find ourselves again spending time with Robert, Anthea, Cyril, Jane, and their baby brother, "Lamb." This time their parents have purchased a new carpet for the nursery which, once rolled out, reveals an egg. They try to return the egg to the shop owner, believing it to be his, but are unsuccessful at doing so. The children's father grants permission for them to keep the egg which begins the adventure. The egg ends up being knocked into the fire and, as a result, a phoenix is born. Not only are the children amazed by a golden bird in their midst, but they are also quite happy to discover that this newly purchased carpet has certain magical properties; it can take them anywhere they wish to go and fulfill wishes.

In The Phoenix and the Carpet we travel along with the four children as they ask the carpet to take them hither, thither and yon. Each chapter contains a separate adventure which usually begins to fall apart in some form or fashion, always leaving the children grateful for their "normal" and "boring" life without magic.  It would seem that adventures just aren't always what they are cracked up to be.

Near the end of the story, after having several misadventures with both the carpet and the bird, the children realize that its time to say goodbye to both. They are full of memories of good times and bad but for the sake of the family they need to send the Phoenix away and get rid of the carpet. All's well that end's well by the time the book comes to a close. The children are sad about the conclusion of their adventures, but happy about the lessons learned and memories made.

My kids have thoroughly enjoyed each Nesbit title that we have read. Immediately upon closing the pages of this one they asked if there was another title involving these same children. What great joy to be told that there is a third title in this series, The Story of the Amulet! Perhaps we should scoot along to it before two years passes this time, hmm?

Nesbit is such a great author. Her stories are decently complex, full of imagination and magic, and are just plain good fun. She also sprinkles a great deal of wit throughout the story which makes reading the book fun for both adults and kids. C.S. Lewis read her voraciously and it is rather safe to assume that her writings influenced his own. This might be in part why I'm drawn to Nesbit's stories just like I'm drawn to Lewis's. It might also be why my own children enjoy her tales. There is a similar delight between Nesbit and Lewis. I believe it safe to say that if you enjoy the one, you're more than likely to enjoy the other.

If you haven't yet read E. Nesbit, make a point to! We very much enjoy and highly recommend them to you!

The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White

Three out of five kids are now of the age to be in school and so I feel like we're "real home schoolers" now. No longer is there just one kid working alone on an assignment (looking longingly at his siblings who are playing). We're all in this together. In some ways my days have become really long and in some respects they are shorter. Certainly they are busier which everyone warned me would be the case. In so much as it is possible, we doing our schoolwork as a team. For example, we all work on spelling at the same time, each child at their level. This year for science we're learning about birds, each child taking in as much info as they can and fulfilling projects as they are able to participate. Read aloud time is a group activity, of course!

We started off the school year with The Trumpet of the Swan, to compliment our science studies. Bookworm1 (age 9 this month, y'all!!) was particularly excited about this read due to the fact that several months back he had spent the night at a friend's house and they read a chapter of the story at bedtime. He'd be curious to know the entire story and was pleased with my choice. (It's always nice when everyone is pleased with mommy's choice!)

We read The Trumpet of the Swan over the course of about two weeks. In case you are unfamiliar with this story by E.B. White, I'll fill you in on the details via Amazon (I know, I know....I'm cheating!):

Louis is a trumpeter swan. But unlike his four brothers and sisters, Louis can't trumpet joyfully. In fact, he can't even make a sound. And since he can't trumpet his love, the beautiful swan Serena pays absolutely no attention to him.

Louis tries everything he can think of to win Serena's affection-- he even goes to school to learn to read and write. But nothing seems to work. Then his father steals him a real brass trumpet. Is a musical instrument the key to winning Louis his love?

My kids loved this story about Louis. It was fun to hear of his adventures and misadventures, from going to school and learning how to read, working at a camp to earn money to pay for the trumpet his father stole, to his time in the Philadelphia Zoo. The chuckled over more than one passage and told me at the conclusion of each chapter that they were "really liking" the story. My daughter (age 4) said, "Ooooh, I wish we could read it again!!!" upon conclusion. It was nice to hear her say so because up to this point I didn't think she was paying very much attention to stories we read aloud. She's physically present but I haven't been sure exactly how much she has taken in. This was the first time that I can recall where she told me her favorite passages in great detail after we were done reading. (For all who are curious, she liked the part of the story where Louis father was taking all of the money Louis had earned to the music store to pay for the stolen trumpet. I shall avoid spoilers, but suffice it to say that I was a bit surprised to hear that this was the part my daughter loved the most. Well, well.)

Bookworm1 is delighted to now be in the know, Bookworm2 and 3 would like to read it again. Bookworm4 is in the "physically present" stage, but that's ok. I consider it a good thing to have even the youngest among us sitting quietly nearby learning how to listen. First, they are realizing that they are part of a family and that we do things together. Secondly, they are getting used to the sound and pattern of story. Third, they are learning to sit still and be quiet even if that's not what they'd prefer to be doing. (I think it a good skill to have.) Fourth, they learn to love stories for themselves. All of these things are great reasons to keep reading aloud to my kids. So we'll just keep at it, looking for more fun and interesting stories to revel in together.

The Little Prince :: Reading to Know Classic Book Club DISCUSSION post

This month for the Reading to Know Book Club we read The Little Prince, by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. This title was selected for us by Amy at Hope is the Word.

Normally it would be Amy who is wrapping up this book club discussion but if you've paid attention to her life over at Hope is the Word, you know that she is in the process of moving. Things are a little hectic and crazy over at her place at the moment and so I told her not to worry about writing up a blog post!

Instead of Amy you get me. I'm sorry for that too. Ha.

I read The Little Prince this past week. I found it be bizarre and confusing. I can't say that I got a whole lot of out if it and I can't in good conscious admit to enjoying it. Yet, there are those out there who absolutely love this book! I decided to spend my time in this post trying to find out why it came to be.

First, I went to thelittleprince.com and found this desscription of the book:

The author, an aviator, crashes with his aeroplane in the middle of the Sahara desert. While he is trying to repair his aeroplane, a little boy appears and asks him to draw a sheep. The author learns that The Little Prince comes from asteroid B-612 where he has left behind three volcanoes and a rose.

Before reaching Earth, he has visited other planets and met some very odd people: a king, a conceited man, a drunkard, a lamplighter, a geographer. . . .

In order to return to his planet and his rose, The Little Prince allows himself to be bitten by a poisonous snake. . . .

The aviator, who has succeeded in repairing his plane, also quits the desert. He still hopes The Little Prince will return one day and asks us to write and tell him if ever we should meet his friend.

In my online research I discovered that each planet that The Little Prince has visited is supposed to describe a different aspect of human nature. As I was reading the book I suspected that the planets each represented something but frankly I couldn't imagine what and I wasn't sure that I necessarily cared. As I mentioned, the book read off as a very odd little story to me and I like my stories to, well, make instant sense.

The Little Prince was published in 1943. After the outbreak of World War II, Saint-Exupéry was exiled to North America and during this period of upheaval in his life, alongside poor health, he wrote the majority of this book. It's meant as a children's book but there are apparently so many undertones and subjects for adult readers to dive into that it's enjoyed by people of all ages.

It is suspected that the character of the Little Prince was based on himself. The rose is thought to be his wife, Consuelo.

There is a great deal of information about Saint-Exupéry on Wikipedia and while I might normally copy more from the website to share with you all, in this case I'd just suggest going to reading through the page for yourself. There is a lot to learn about the man and this book.

I can't say that I'll be wanting to read this book again, but I can say that I appreciate it a little better knowing more about the personal history of the author.

Did you read along this month? We'd love to know about it if you did. Please let us know in the comment section below.

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Next month begins the Chronicles of Narnia Reading Challenge here at Reading to Know. This will be held in conjunction with the book club. You've got a couple of days left to gear up for it. Looking forward to the challenge and the fun!

The Little Prince :: Reading to Know Classics Book Club (June)

Amy from Hope is the Word is hosting the book club for the month of June. Her selection for us is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. Her thoughts to get us started with our read are as follows:

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In considering books for this year's bookclub, I looked no further than my own Classics Club booklist which I compiled back in 2012. It's a list of books I want to get through, yes, but it's not one that I'm highly motivated to finish. Enter challenges and bookclubs. Somehow knowing that others are reading along with me (and depending on me for some sort of concluding thoughts!) is often just enough motivation. It also helps that this is an extremely short book, especially since my family is in the middle of a move. (We've lived the same place for sixteen years this month, and we have a lot of stuff!) I will in all likelihood read this one aloud to my children, though I am reserving the right to enjoy it on my own should I find that it isn't going to work well for us as a read-aloud.

What do I know about this book? Nothing, except that I see it quoted fairly frequently. According to Wikipedia, it is the third most translated book in the world. It looks like it's time I read it!

I'm looking forward to reading along with you all!

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We always love to know when others plan to read along with us. If you are hoping to do so, let us us know in the comment section. I own a copy of this book and will definitely be reading along with. (I too am glad it's a short read this month!)