My summer self-indulgence has been to read a good number of children’s books. This is a refreshing breather in my busy season and helps me keep my balance. I have read several novels by old and beloved author friends of mine, some gems of theirs I have not read before. Hilda van Stockum, of course,… Read More Summer Goody: The Bantry Bay Series
My summer diversion this year is to look for unread titles by some of my favorite children’s authors. I came to know Gary D. Schmidt three years ago and devoured The Wednesday Wars, Okay for Now, Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy, and Orbiting Jupiter in rapid succession, truly excited to read worthwhile young adult… Read More Summer Goody: Poetry for Young People, Robert Frost
This is the kind of question that apparently wakes mothers early in the morning, or keeps them up nights, since the following was sent to me at 5:50 a.m., the day my “Summer Reading” query was posted. I had asked, what questions do you have about keeping your kids reading through the summer: “I’m glad… Read More Can You Help Me With My Struggling Reader?
It’s time to stock the summer reading shelves for our kids so they can make use of those long, lazy days of summer ahead to travel places and meet people they never have before in the pages of books they don’t otherwise have time for during the school year. (I sincerely hope you have not… Read More Summer Reading Goodies
As my son and I put his schoolbooks away together yesterday, I was telling him about my own seventh grade year. He was amazed at the differences. That I went off to school and shared classrooms with two dozen other students and had a different teacher for each subject, wasn’t surprising news to him; rather,… Read More A Living Difference
The long-awaited day has arrived. After years of dreaming, we are proud to announce that we have reprinted our first book! Our library is packed with books most families cannot use because they are old, out of print, expensive, or unavailable. Families interested in using living books for their curriculum especially desire good non-fiction titles.… Read More Men, Microscopes and Living Things
I made a friend in junior high who I got to visit with again just a few weeks ago. There have been more than four decades between visits and yet her impact on my life has been powerful. She was there for me during a rough time back then and offered me wisdom, courage and,… Read More A Second Visit to Brooklyn
As I write, the temperatures in Virginia rival the bitter winters of the far north. My children and I just finished reading a book about a hero of those brutal, wintry regions. Canada values the feat of courage and fortitude displayed by one of her pioneers so much that a statue stands on the bank… Read More Winter Inspiration for the Entire Family
It’s here, like it or not. Most people love the fall–the crisp and invigorating air, the splashes of color, the return from summer laze to busy days. The best part of autumn for me is that I gave birth to three of my children during that season. Growing up in northern Michigan, I have an aversion to winter and… Read More Autumn
For most of us, Labor Day, a holiday for workers, marks a shift from summer’s leisurely pace back to the routine of the school year. Though we love the fun and freedom of summer, somewhere deep inside, we also relish getting back to work. Work is a gift. After all, if we were always at play, the world… Read More Work and Play