That brings the total for the year to 130 books and 39 magazines and 5 abandoned.
I've been binge-listening to Sarah MacKenzie's podcast Read-Aloud Revival. The good thing about that is that several of the books for this month came from her recommendations. The bad thing is that I get overwhelmed by all the good books she and her guests talk about, and my to-read list is already sky-high!
Side note: I spent some time this month cataloging all the books in the house. Over 1860!
Cinders
by Kate Klimo
Book #13 in the Horse Diaries Series. Cinders is a Percheron with an attitude due to previous abuse and neglect. She is given a chance with a Chicago fire station and helps with the Great Chicago Fire.
Calvino
by Whitney Sanderson
Book 14 in the Horse Dairies Series. Calvino is an Andulusian stallion in Spain in the 1570s. He starts out as a ranch horse before he is bought by the king's horse master. At the king's stables he learns skills that are now called dressage. He thinks they are useless until he needs them to succeed in the bullfighting ring. Very sensitive readers might not like the bullfighting scenes.
McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm
Here Comes McBroom
by Sid Fleischman
Each of these books contains three tall tales about a farmer named McBroom, who has 11 children. He is tricked into buying "eighty acres of the best farmland" -- only to find out that those eighty acres are stacked one on top of another in a swamp. But the swamp dries out and leaves the richest soil in the world -- he can grow several crops a day. Funny stories. Great for read-aloud.
The Prairie Thief
by Melissa Wiley
A sweet fantasy story about some mythical "brownie folk" from Scottish legends meeting up with human folk on the prairies in America. There are also lessons about kindness and jumping to conclusions and making accusations without enough evidence. There are one or two instances of "Oh, lord." I'm not a big fan of fantasy in general, but this was a delightful story.
The Moffats
by Eleanor Estes
A classic and a Newberry Honor book that I had never read before. Sweet and simple stories about 4 children growing up with their widowed mother and getting into all kinds of mischief and adventures. There is one chapter about Halloween and ghosts, but it can be easily skipped, if you choose, when reading out loud without loss of continuity of the story.
Moonshot
by Brian Floca
I really loved this book about the Apollo 11 moon landing. It's written in a kind of free verse poetry, with skillful use of repeated words, phrases, and sentences. Fascinating illustrations as well. A good introduction for young children to the Apollo moon landing.
Team Moon : How 400,000 People Landed Apollo 11 on the Moon
by Catherine Thimmesh
A more detailed look at the challenges faced by those attempting to land on the moon and the many different people who helped them do it. My dad worked in the Apollo program, so I grew up hearing stories and watching movies about it. This was a fascinating book! Too much text and detail for young children, but ages 10+ might enjoy it, especially if they have an interest in the subject. The small white text on dark pages was a bit hard to read and gave me a headache if I spent too much time on it. There are many more moon landing book suggestions at Read-Aloud Revival episode 131, but they all had multiple holds on them at the library due to the Apollo 11 anniversary this month.
The Man Who Knew the Way to the Moon
by Todd Zwilich
I got this for free from Audible. This one tells the story of John Houbolt who championed the idea that the best way to get to the moon was not via a single, huge spacecraft that would go from Earth to the moon and back, but in smaller spaceships that would separate and rendezvous in lunar orbit. He met with much resistance, went out of the chain of command, and didn't receive the recognition he thought he deserved when the idea was adopted. Fascinating history, marred by some language (hell and damn used as curse words.) Thought-provoking about the necessity of sacrificing long-term goals in order to meet a deadline set by politicians. Also thought-provoking about how to handle situations when you are convinced you are right, but no one believes you and tells you to be quiet. Should you go over your managers' heads or stay in line?
Give Your Child the World
by Jamie Martin
I also heard about this one on Read-Aloud Revival (episode 48). This book contains lots and lots of book suggestions, organized geographically and sorted by age range. There is also an index that sorts them chronologically. I appreciate that she not only lists the titles and authors, but a short description of each, why she liked them, and things to be aware of. This book was so good that after I read a copy from the library, I bought my own copy to keep on hand.
Johnny Texas
Johnny Texas on the San Antonio Road
by Carol Hoff
I first heard about these from my aunt, who remembered reading them when she was a schoolteacher many years ago. They are about a young boy and his family who emigrated from Germany to Harrisburg, Texas (near present-day Houston). The story starts with the family arriving in Texas and buying a homestead from some settlers who were giving up. They soon face the upheaval of the Texas Revolution, but come through it with a love for this new land of theirs. We will definitely be reading these aloud this year as we study Texas history. Some of the characters express negative attitudes towards Indians, but this makes a good discussion point. Last year, we also read another book by the same author titled Wilderness Pioneer about Stephen F. Austin. (I thought it was fascinating, but it was a little tougher for my kids to sit through, perhaps because there are fewer illustrations and much longer chapters.) But I think they will enjoy these two stories.
Twenty-one Texas Heroes
by Eileen Santangelo Hult
A series of poems about people from Texas history, government, sports, and entertainment. I was looking for some poems for us to memorize along with our Texas history studies this fall. These poems, however, seemed a bit awkward in their rhymes and meter and I had a differing opinion about calling some of them "heroes".
Dewey
Dewey's Nine Lives
by Vicki Myron
Another book I heard about from my aunt. These two books tell the story of a cat who became a fixture at a public library in a small town in Iowa after he was dropped in the book drop as a kitten. It's not just about the cat, but about the author's life and the town and region. The second book tells a few stories involving Dewey, but mostly stories about other cats and their people. Cat lovers would especially relate to these books. They do deal with topics of alcoholism, divorce, cancer, loss, grief, mental illness, and suicide. Nothing inappropriate, but the tough stuff of life. The second book is a little rougher than the first. Probably not best for children.
And just maybe I have a strange sense of humor, but I thought it was hilarious when I realized which bookmark I was using while reading a book about cats...
And just maybe I have a strange sense of humor, but I thought it was hilarious when I realized which bookmark I was using while reading a book about cats...
Dewey: There's a Cat in the Library
Dewey's Christmas at the Library
by Vicki Myron
These are two picture books drawn from the stories in Dewey. Gorgeous illustrations! Highly recommended!
A Bear Called Paddington
More About Paddington
by Michael Bond
We have these classic books at home, but I haven't read them out loud in a very long time. My younger kids have only been exposed to the shortened stories in individual picture books and easy readers. Since we were doing a lot of driving around this month, I got the audio versions for a fun listen. Excellently narrated by Stephen Fry. Highly recommended!
Just One More
by Wendi Silvano
As a bus travels down a hill in rural Peru, the driver keeps stopping to pick up "just one more" passenger, even though there seems to be no more room.
Maybelle the Cable Car
by Virginia Lee Burton
I just love Virginia Lee Burton's books! This one is the story of the cable cars of San Francisco and the effort to save them from extinction.
The Road Builders
by B.G. Hennessey
A picture book about the different types of machines used in building roads.
Benjamin Dilley's Thirsty Camel
by Jolly Roger Bradfield
A young boy imagines all sorts of wonderful creatures that become so real to him he is puzzled why the adults all around him can't see them. When his dad breaks a pipe in the basement and it starts to flood, Benjamin imagines a great big thirsty camel who drinks up all the water.
Recycled Robots
by Robert Malone
This book gives an introduction to robot history and terminology. Then it gives step-by-step directions for creating 10 robots from various household materials and recycled items.
The Horses in My Life
by Monty Roberts
I saw this on the shelf at the library when I was looking for the Dewey books. I had heard of Monty Roberts and his non-violent training methods but had never read any of his books. He tells a short story about each of 20-30 horses that he has worked with throughout his career and what they taught him. Very interesting. Some use of "hell" and "heck".
The Vanderbeekers and the Hidden Garden
Karina Yan Glaser
This is a sequel to The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street. The five Vanderbeeker kids live with their parents on the first two floors of a Harlem "brownstone." An elderly couple lives on the floor above them, and their landlord lives on the top floor. When the elderly man, Mr Jeet, suffers a stroke and ends up in the hospital, the kids decide to work on a project that Miss Josie had been trying to get them to do : turn an abandoned lot next to the church into a garden. They do that, but then they must defend it against being destroyed by a luxury condo developer. I like everything about the book except for the substitute swear words.
The Pastoral Handbook of Mental Illness
by Steve Bloem
This book was written by a man who has been a pastor and has a biblical counseling ministry. He also has experienced bipolar disorder in his own life. I had a hard time getting through the first part of the book. I had trouble following his train of thought. He seemed to be jumping around from one topic to another. The latter portion of the book describes many different mental illnesses, their treatments, and how pastors (and others) can help support people suffering from mental illness.
Teaching from Rest : A Homeschooler's Guide to Unshakable Peace
by Sarah Mackenzie
I've been listening to a lot of Sarah Mackenzie's podcasts on Read-Aloud Revival and also enjoyed her book The Read-Aloud Family. I got this audio version (read by Sarah herself) for less than $5 at Audible.com and it did not disappoint! I'll be listening to it many times! It was especially timely as I begin to plan out our school year. Her advice is to simplify the curriculum, simplify the schedule, and prioritize relationships over lesson plans.
Just three magazines this month:
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