Non-fiction
The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes
edited by Lucy Spelman
A collection of stories about zoo and wildlife vets and some of the animals they've treated. Some of it was laugh-out-loud funny. A couple of stories were from our own Houston Zoo. One story used a couple of curse words. Another had one instance of using the Lord's name in vain. A few references to evolution. Overall, it was a fascinating book.Classics and other Old Books
His Dog
by Albert Payson Terhune
Loner Link Ferris finds an injured collie by the side of the road, takes it home, sets its broken leg, and finds friendship and purpose in life with his new chum.
The Heart of a Dog
by Albert Payson Terhune
A collection of dog stories, most from Terhune's other books. There were a couple that we hadn't seen in our extensive collection of Terhune books.
Mansfield Park
by Jane Austen
Fanny Price is taken in by her more affluent aunt and uncle when she is 10 years old. Influenced and guided by her older cousin, Edmund, she becomes the center of stability and morality in the family as the other cousins flirt and dabble in unrespectable pursuits. I listened to the discussions on The Literary Life Podcast as I read the book. They were very helpful in understanding the book and Jane Austen and her world. The podcast helped me see that Jane Austen's books are about more than people running around trying to get married, worrying about much money people have and what their family connections are.
Biography
Memoirs of a Bible Smuggler
by Jenna Kendrick
Jenna and her husband (originally from Conroe, Texas) spent much of the 1980s working in Europe smuggling Bibles into Eastern European countries closed by Communism. An interesting read. A challenge to American Christians who have faced very little, if any, true persecution and deprivation.
Handel at the Court of Kings
by Opal Wheeler
A children's biography of George Fredrich Handel. We read this one aloud, complete with excerpts from some of Handel's works, as part of our music appreciation studies. We also enjoyed listening to some podcast episodes about Handel from Classics for Kids.
Sebastian Bach : The Boy from Thuringia
by Opal Wheeler
A children's biography of Johann Sebastian Bach. We read this one aloud, complete with excerpts from some of Bach's works, as part of our music appreciation studies. We also enjoyed listening to some podcast episodes about Bach and his sons from Classics for Kids.
History and Historical Fiction
Into the Flames
by Robert Elmer
The third book in the "Young Underground" series. Peter and Elise are twelve-year old twins caught up in the underground resistance in Denmark during World War II. Literally. They get caught by Nazis and sent to a prison for questioning. As the British bomb the building, they are able to escape and free their uncle and his girlfriend as well.
Far From the Storm
by Robert Elmer
The fourth book in the "Young Underground" series. The war has ended, and Uncle Morten has returned home, but Peter struggles to forgive the Nazis. The kids try to solve a mystery as to who is trying to burn down Uncle Morten's boat. A fast-paced mystery and historical fiction novel. A bit unrealistic, I think, in that immediately after the war is over, they are having feasts and new dresses. I'm not sure they were able to get those supplies that quickly. The series is a fun and informative read for kids 9 and up, but very shallow in its presentation of following Jesus.
Geography (Read-aloud)
by Carole Roman
A nice introduction (with pronunciation guide) to the country and life of Russia.
The Gigantic Turnip
by Aleksei Tolstoy
A Russian folktale about an old farmer and his wife trying to pull up a gigantic turnip, with the help of the animals on their farm.
Deep in the Woods
by Christopher Corr
Another Russian folktale about some animals who find a house in the forest and make their home.
The Littlest Matryoshka
by Corrine Bliss
A sweet story about a set of 6 matryoshka dolls and how the littlest one gets lost and later reunited with her sisters.
Peter the Great
by Diane Stanley
A picture book biography about Peter the Great, tsar of Russia. Focuses on his positive aspects: not taking special privileges but working like common folks, wanting to modernize Russia and create a port city. Also touches on some negative aspects: high taxes, forcing people to change their fashions.
Of Numbers and Stars: The Story of Hypatia
by D. Anne Love
A picture book biography of Hypatia, an Egyptian girl who lived in fifth-century Alexandria. Against the custom of the day, her father taught her math, astronomy, philosophy, etc.
We're Sailing Down the Nile: A Journey through Egypt
by Laurie Krebs
A picture book tour of the major historical landmarks along the Nile River. The main text is simple enough for young children. Several pages of back matter give more details on the different sites mentioned and pictured.
One Hen: How One Small Loan Made a Big Difference.
by Katie Milway
A young boy in Ghana borrows a small amount of money to buy a brown hen. He sells her eggs, buys more hens, etc. until he is able to afford to go back to school. After his schooling, he is able to use his experience to get a loan from a bank to start a large poultry farm, which in turn provides work and a living for many more people.
Emmanuel's Dream: The True story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah
by Laurie Thompson
In Ghana, Emmanuel is born with only one food leg. His father abandons the family, but his mother loves her son and challenges him, "You can have anything you want, but you have to get it yourself." So, he learned to crawl, scoot, hop, etc. and eventually to ride a bike. He rode around Ghana to demonstrate and proclaim that "disabled" does not mean "unable".
The Watcher: Jane Goodall's Life with the Chimps
by Jeanette Winter
A picture book biography of Jane Goodall, showcasing her lifelong study of chimps in Africa.
A Thirst For Home: A Story of Water across the World
by Christine Ieronimo
An Ethiopian girl and her mother walk many miles every day to find water and struggle to find food. Eventually, the mother takes the girl to an orphanage in hopes that she will find a home where she will never be hungry and thirsty again. An American family adopts her and brings her to America, but she doesn't forget her mother.
The Best Beekeeper of Lalibela : A Tale from Africa
by Cristina Kessler
A young girl in an Ethiopian village famous for its honey wants to be a beekeeper. But that is "a man's job", and the male beekeepers laugh at her when she fails to climb a tree to reach a hive. But a priest encourages her to try, so she comes up with a different way to set up her hive. Eventually she comes to have the sweetest honey in the village and is respected even by the ones who laughed at her.
Just for Fun (Read-aloud)
Whiteblack the Penguin Sees the World
by Margret and H. A. Rey
By the creators of Curious George, this book follows a penguin as he travels around the world looking for adventures and stories to tell his friends on his radio station W-O-N-S (snow spelled backwards). I had never heard of this book before I read The Journey That Saved Curious George. Apparently, this was never published during their lifetimes, but was rediscovered and published this century.
More Favourite Animal Tales
by Jill Tomlinson
This contains 3 smaller chapter books in one. We read The Penguin Who Wanted to Find Out last month. This month, we read The Gorilla Who Wanted to Grow Up and The Aardvark Who Wasn't Sure. All of these stories are about young animals growing up and learning about their species and their world. Perhaps not always exactly accurate, but fun stories for my younger crowd.
