read-a-louds

Summer Reading Goals

May 30, 2012

“You will be the same person in five years as you are today, except for the people you meet and [what] you read.” – attributed to Charles Jones

Though a bit simplistic, this quote holds a great deal of truth. The books, blogs, and articles we read have great influence in shaping our character and encouraging (or discouraging) our walk with Christ.

In his article On the Reading of Old Books, C.S. Lewis claims that our reading diet should contain at the very least “one old [book] to every three new ones.”

Why? Not because “there is any magic about the past,” but because “every age has its own outlook. It is specially good at seeing certain truths and specially liable to make certain mistakes.”

photo credit

One of the amusing things about studying history is watching the errors of one generation be disdainfully rejected by the following, only to be replaced by new ones. The trouble is, while you’re living and immersed in an era, it is nearly impossible to fully see the flaws that will be so obvious to future generations.

Fifty years from now, I’m sure history students will laugh at the blatantly-wrong assumptions our generation has made. Reading books from previous generations helps correct (at least a little) for these blind spots.

Taking the principle a bit farther, this summer I also want to read books written by Christians from other cultures and other denominations. It is so easy to get stuck in the white, middle-class, Western mindset and forget that Christ has called us to be part of His universal church. Stepping out of my reading comfort-zone points me back to the basics of what Christianity is about.

Of course, all books must be proved by the Bible. If even Paul the Apostle told us to “test” what he wrote, how much more do we need to test the writing of other authors!

With that said, my first goal is to finish reading through the Bible. I planned to finish in December but got way behind.

Other summer reading (Compiled in part from wonderful suggestions you gave on my Facebook page!):

The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer OR Confessionsby Augustine (I highly doubt I’ll get through two books of this size over the summer. Can’t decide which one to read though. Suggestions?)
I Dared to Call Him Father by Bilquis Sheikh
Phantastes by George McDonald
Grow Your Home While Growing Your Blog by Jacinda Vdb (~~I cannot wait for this ebook to be released!~~ It’s out! Hurray. Click here to order a copy!)
And Then I Had Kids By Susan Alexander Yates
The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormi Omartin

Chapter book read-a-louds ( now that reading aloud to the kids is part of my lunch routine we’re doing it consistently. So fun!)

Finish reading A Little Princess by Frances Burnett
Snow Treasure by Marie McSwigan
Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

This is an ambitious least (at least for me) but I’m working time to read into my schedule and really hope to get through it.

What about you? What’s on your bookshelf for the summer?

Linked up at Hearts 4 Home, Proverbs 31, & Consider the Lilies

[Full disclosure: links to products in this post are my referral links.]

Tagged with: read-a-louds • reading

Five More Favorite Read-a-Louds

March 19, 2012

I have been trying to be more intentional about reading daily to the kiddos.

Simply wanting to read isn’t enough though, as Amy pointed out in her excellent ebook Tell Your Time. You have to budget time for it and work it into your daily routine!

Our lunch routine helps ensure we read a chapter or two from our current chapter book (we’re reading Charlotte’s Web at the moment and loving it!)

After baby’s morning nap is storybook time. I shared a few of our favorite picture books before, but here are five more read-alouds have read over and over and over again (and have’t tired of yet!)

When Jessie Came Across the Sea: “Mama, with you read to me?” Rose asked. “I picked your favorite book!” She was referring to this one!

This beautifully illustrated book gives a touching glimpse into the life of a poor, hardworking Jewish immigrant in the late 1800s.

Young, orphaned Jessie (13) is given the chance of a lifetime: to go to America to work with a widowed seamstress. But it means leaving behind her beloved Grandmother.

Enduring love and years of hard work bring the book to a sweet and happy ending. The trials Jesse faces open the door to wonderful conversations about history, immigration, poverty, hard work… and just how blessed we are!

Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons: This book teaches vocabulary through bite-sized cookie examples. For example,

“Pessimistic means: How awful, how absolutely dreadful–I have only have my cookie left.”

“Optimistic means: This is great— I still have half my cookie left.”

Seeing the meaning of words like ‘greedy’ or ‘content’ played out through the beautiful illustrations has solidified the meaning for my children.

The Seven Silly Eaters:

A tale of seven very picky children in hilariously rhyming couplets. Each child in the Peters family has one, and only one, food they will eat. The poor frazzled mother spends her days trying to keep up with their demands.

“Creamy oatmeal, pots of it!
Homemade bread and lots of it!
Peeling apples by the peck,
Mrs. Peters was a wreck.”

A surprising twist solves her dilemma.

Dear friends gave us this book after Meg was born and we’ve read it dozens of times already. It is one of my children’s absolute favorites. (One caveat though, if you have picky eaters, I wouldn’t recommend the book. It may not help the problem!)

The Bear That Heard Crying:Set in the 1780′s, this book tells the true story of a three-year-old girl who got lost in the woods for four days.

God sent a bear to guard her (and a dream to find her)! The bear found her, watched over her and kept her warm until she was finally rescued.

Like When Jessie Came Across the Sea, this book gives a peak into a bygone era. It also opens up the door for discussions of miracles, God’s goodness, obedience, and life long ago.

Just Me and My Little Brother: Joshua grew up with the Little Critter books and introduced our children to them. I tend to like real life books best of all, but the kiddos love these! The stories are simple and told from the perspective of a little one. This one is about all the things Little Critter and his brother are going to do someday… “but first he needs to learn to walk.”

What are your favorite read-a-louds?

Linked up at Handful of Heart, Better Mom, Raising Arrows, Motivated Monday & Teach Me Tuesdays

(Full Disclosure: Links to products in this post are my referral links)

Favorite Read-A-Louds

June 26, 2010

Since I seem to be stuck in the children’s room at the moment, I thought I’d share a few of our favorite books:

Finding a child’s rendition of the great Bible stories that sticks to the story and has good drawings is a challenge. (I’m convinced that David looked nothing like a Precious Moments doll!) This series comes pretty close.

This is a tale of a little bird who hatched while his mother searching for food for him. He sets off to find her. After a long fruitless hunt, he is plopped back in his nest just as the mother bird flies home.

The minimalistic drawings are adorable and the innocent bird “hero” claims sympathy instantly. Be careful though, we hadn’t read this one in a while and my toddler actually had tears running down her face while we waited to see if he would find his mother. It’s a good thing he does! Far from minimalistic, Fancy Nancy’s bedroom made me cringe. She must have at least one hundred outfits, but the story overcame my initial resistance. The theme: “‘I love you’—there isn’t a fancy, or better, way of saying that!’”

Chinese drawings and proverbs add spice to this story of two men: one wealthy and the other poor. In the end, they both realize that “peace and happiness” are greater treasures than endless bags of gold.

I have fond memories of reading this book with my mom. Illustrated with Eloise Wilkin’s charming artwork, it chronicles two siblings’ ordinary day of helping mommy. Everyday life can be an adventure too!