Review: World War II for Kids

World War II For Kids has been a helpful resource in our homeschool, and I also use it as a supplement to our teen literature discussion group whenever we read a novel set in the WWII era.  I recently reviewed this book for Home Educating Family:

The World War II era is such an interesting time to study, but many resources are geared toward older kids due to the intense subject matter. In our homeschool, I like to incorporate hands-on activities whenever possible, and I found World War II for Kids to be a complete resource for incorporating activities and background information into our history studies. Though younger kids might not need to be exposed to all aspects of the war, teaching them about this time period in a gentle way will introduce them to topics that they will revisit in high school.

The wide variety of information and activities makes World War II for Kids suitable for use with elementary, middle, and high school aged students, with some modification...(Read more)

Review: Kit and Kaboodle

{Read my disclosure policy}

   

Kit and Kaboodle by Chris Robertson is an example of exactly what an eBook should be.  Although I love traditional books, and I cannot imagine a world without them, eBooks definitely have their place too.  I look at eBooks not as a replacement for my paper and print books, but as a different form of media.  Kit and Kaboodle demonstrates this exceptionally well.  KiteReaders has formatted this book in a unique way--it is similar to a comic book but is also interactive.  My comic-book loving kids were as delighted by the story as they were enchanted by the changing scenes as they clicked from page to page.

Kaboodle the elephant is shown munching away on a bag of peanuts, and Kit tries everything he can think of to get Kaboodle to share.  Kit is missing the most important part of asking for a favor, and through his antics, he does not impress Kaboodle at all.  The scenes seem to come to life on the screen as readers click to the next page.  Word balloons appear, characters' expressions change, and Kaboodle stays planted in same spot as Kit's methods of persuasion get sillier and sillier.  Kaboodle finally reminds Kit what he has failed to do, but Kit ends up getting the last laugh. This book is laugh-out-loud funny and will appeal to kids of all ages because of its ingenuity.

If you have been hesitant to give eBooks a try, Kit and Kaboodle might just win you over!

Review: Geography Based Writing Lessons

My latest review for Home Educating Family Reviews is for a curriculum that my kids have really loved.  We used this Institute for Excellence in Writing program in conjunction with Beautiful Feet's Geography.

Geography-Based Writing Lessons: Incorporating Beautiful Feet Books’ Geography Through Literature Course teaches writing by utilizing the Holling C. Holling classic books and complementing Beautiful Feet Books’ Geography Through Literature course. These lessons, which are geared toward emerging writers in the elementary grades, are designed to follow the classical system taught by the Institute for Excellence in Writing. The guide recommends that parents are familiar with the Institute for Excellence in Writing’s method through previous training, but parents who have previous language arts and writing knowledge will be able to use this guide on its own. A free download of the Student Resource Notebook is included with the purchase of this guide. Combined with the instructions in Geography-Based Writing Lessons, I find the lessons easy to understand and implement.  (Click on over to read the rest)

Review: Advice for Seekers

   Advice for Seekers is a reproduction of Charles Spurgeon's Words of Advice for Seekers from 1896, which is still as relevant today as it was when it was first written.  This edition is beautifully presented in a hardback gift-quality format with deckle-edged pages and an antique font.  Readers will feel like they are holding an antique book in their hands, making this book extra-special.  Divided into fourteen short chapters, this 134-page volume is full of "advice" that every person should hear.  

   During his lifetime (1834-1892), Charles Spurgeon preached to millions of people and was a prolific writer of books, hymns, poetry, and commentaries.  There is so much to be learned from great scholars of the past, and though the language of this book is the same as the original, Charles Spurgeon's writing is both beautiful and plain, and his message is trans-generational:  we are all seekers.  The chapters are short, yet the messages are powerful:

"Faith is essential all along; every day and all the day, in all things.  Our natural life begins by breathing, and it must be continued by breathing; what the breath is to the body, that is faith to the soul" (p. 114)

Isn't that just beautifully said?

"The way of salvation has in all ages been one and the same."
-Charles Spurgeon

   As a homeschool mom, one of the many advantages I have is being able to teach my children with living books, some old and some more modern.  Instead of wondering why our great grandparents did a certain thing, we look back at writing from that time to learn valuable lessons from the past.  We usually learn that they were no different from us:

"Some appear to deal with God as if he were bound to give salvation; as if salvation indeed were the inevitable result of a round of performances, or the deserved reward of a certain amount of virtue.  They refuse to see that salvation is a pure gift of God, not of works, not the result of merit, but of free favor only; not of man, neither by man, but of the Lord alone: (p. 31)

  In the same way, Advice for Seekers is important for modern readers because it shows how we all have the same struggles, we all need to learn the same lessons:

"If you are not saved, it is because you will not believe in Jesus.  There is the only hitch and the only difficulty.  Your damnation is not of God, but of yourself; it is necessitated by your own wilful wickedness in not believing in Christ; but inasmuch as you are so wicked as to dare to excuse yourself, you have great need of healing, urgent need of saving" (p. 59).

I urge readers not to be intimidated by this book's original publication date, nor to be afraid of the "archaic" language.  Just as my great-grandparents would have cherished a book like this, I think modern readers will find it to hold valuable lessons inside and deserve an honored spot on their book shelves.

{This book is available from New Leaf Publishing Group,

 which provided me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.}

Grandma's Guest Review: A Place to Belong

      A Place to Belong is the third and final book in the Wild West Wind series by Lauraine Snelling.  The story drew me in immediately as Cassie Lockwood prepares to testify at a trial for the men accused of arson and shooting her in the midst of a raid on the Engstrom ranch.  The story opens in the winter of 1906 in Argus, South Dakota.  Cassie, a sharpshooter and trick rider, is an independent young woman trying to plan for her future now that her life has changed so drastically.  All her life, Cassie had performed in a Wild West show where her father was a partner.  As she begins her life with the Engstrom family after her father's death and the loss of her belongings, Cassie demonstrates the power of prayer and faith.  

  The Engstrom family and Cassie always turn to God for reassurance and pray frequently. This is a beautiful love story and an example of how special it is to be part of a loving, faith-abiding family.  Mavis became a wonderful Mother figure and taught Cassie many things about life and homemaking.  The events in the lives of Lucas and Cassie and the acceptance of choices made by Lucas display the fact that when one door closes in our life another opens.  Cassie and Ransom have some thinking to do and ask for help from God who always provides an answer.  Will people from Cassie's past return?  She has a natural talent to perform and is offered a new opportunity. What will her choice be?  I loved the decision she makes, and I found this a hard-to-put-down book.  A Place to Belong kept me up way past by bedtime until I finished it.

   This book was easy to get into, and it was difficult to put it down--a real "page-turner."  The characters are interesting and multifaceted, and the story line is compelling.  Anyone who is a fan of historical fiction, especially set at the turn of the century, will find this an enjoyable read, even if it is read as a stand-alone book (I have not read the first two books of the series).

{The publisher provided me with a review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinions.}

Review: Tower of Babel

   Tower of Babel by Bodie Hodge is a comprehensive study of the events surrounding the building of the tower of Babel and the dispersion of the people afterwards. The author addresses the world's attacks on Genesis 1-11 and discusses the importance of studying the history and theology of the Biblical account in order to refute these attacks.  Tower of Babel is extensively researched and includes photographs, charts, tables, and maps to support the author's points, as well as footnotes on every page.  I was intrigued by this book when I read the description of it.  The story of the Tower of Babel is my son's favorite, and he requests  that I read it to him repeatedly.  I was happy to receive this book to review so I can answer many of my son's questions and become more knowledgeable about this intriguing event from history.  

   Though this is not a children's book, educators and parents will find it to be a valuable resource for teaching.  I shared the chapters on what the purpose of the tower was, what the tower looked like, and how the people traveled with my kids to supplement our history studies.  They (and I) were fascinated with the information we learned.  As a homeschool mom, I found Tower of Babel to be a wonderful discussion-starter. 

   The genealogy portion of the book is a thorough study, and it is neat to see the people on the maps to better understand how everyone dispersed.  The author also touches on the subject of racism, "Race is often attributed to man's evolutionary origin, ignoring the effect the Babel dispersion had in leading to the ethnic and geographical concentration of people with various skin shades and features" (p. 17).  When readers see how the genealogy points everyone back to Adam and Eve, how can anyone not see that we are all  part of one race:  the human race.

  So, why is this book important?  The author not only provides comprehensive facts and historical data, but he also points readers toward the bigger picture:  the authority of God's Word. 

{This book is available from New Leaf Publishing Group,

 which provided me with a review copy in exchange for my honest opinions.}

Grandma's Guest Review: Though My Heart is Torn

Read Chapter One
For more information, visit the publisher's website or the author's website.

   Though My Heart is Torn is one of the best Christian fiction books I have read in a long time.  Author Joanne Bischof (a homeschooling mom) weaves a beautiful romance story with lovely characters and an exciting plot in this second book of the Cadence of Grace series.  The love portrayed between Lonnie and Gideon is beautiful, and as their faith and love are tested, a belief that God is leading them helps them endure trials and hardships and build their marriage. The likable characters and the Appalachian setting combined with the author's compelling writing style to immerse readers into Lonnie and Gideon's world, and the book leaves me wanting more—I’ll be eagerly anticipating the next book in the series!

   After a difficult beginning, Lonnie and Gideon have developed a deep love for one another, and their future seems bright until they are tricked and their world falls apart.  Their love is tested in surprising ways.  Gideon is faced with hard lessons to learn, and he must deal with the consequences of his past.  When they must live separate lives, Lonnie's faith holds her together; she puts her complete faith in God and knows everything is in His hands.  Gideon tries to do the "right" thing, but he longs to be reunited with his true love.  Though My Heart is Torn shows that though the characters experience so many setbacks, their reliance on God and trust in His guidance actually strengthens their faith and their love.     

{The publisher provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.}