3 hours ago
Fall is in the air, and I am ready to mix up my reading stack so I can prioritize all my coziest books - but first I have to get this post out of the queue! Getting caught up on sharing my reading is something that has been weighing on my mind for quite some time. It was a good reading summer for me, and every time I got ready to share this post I put it off so I could finish just one more book and add it. Clearly that was a mistake, because this book post has ended up being rather long, but I think most of you bookish people won't mind too much.
A Gentle Tyranny by Jess Corban - These first two books are a short series set in a dystopian future. A couple hundred years in the future, after women have suffered ever-increasing abuses due to rampant immorality, most of Earth's population is intentionally wiped out and a Matriarchal society is started with only "gentled" men - men with no testosterone. This new society is named Nede, which is Eden spelled backwards, and Reina Pierce, the granddaughter of the current Matriarch starts to see that things are not quite right in their supposedly idyllic society. She has established friendships with various "Gentles", and as she competes to take over the matriarchy, she truly sees the brutality the Gentles suffer through - but surely Gentles are still better than the "Brutes" of old, right?
A Brutal Justice by Jess Corban - At the end of the first book, Reina discovers that there are "Brutes" (ie. men with their testosterone intact) living in the jungle, and they aren't at all like she thought they were. Now she must find a way to help the Brutes, and the Gentles, who she discovered were not born that way as she was always told, but were made into the frail creatures they are. A running theme through these books is that people choose whether to be monsters or have virtue, and either Brutes or women can become evil if they so choose. The only characters in the book that don't appear to have any capacity for malice are the Gentles, which is also my main gripe with the book. Let's be realistic here - people can be wicked with or without hormones, so I thought the author should have written the "Gentles" in a more balanced way, because males with no testosterone would still be capable of sin, betrayal, etc. The author says she is a Christian, so I think she should have been realistic about the sinfulness of all humans, including her fictional, altered Gentles. Overall though, this series was a very interesting concept, and I quite enjoyed it. The ending was really nicely done - I feel that so many dystopian books end on a somewhat hopeless note, and this one didn't. Content Notes: Reina does murder someone for the "greater good", though she is tormented by her decision. There are some references to the birds and the bees as part of the plot, but not explicit at all. Vague references to same-sex relationships, which are against the culture of Nede. Violence, especially in the second book, but not excessively described. There is some mythology/false religion built up around Nede, and Reina uses a false goddess's name as a curse word.
Wingfeather Tales by Various Authors - This is a book of short stories surrounding the land of the Wingfeather Saga, which I reviewed here. I quite enjoyed this collection of short stories! So many of them perfectly captured the feel of Aerwiar, and added alot of intrigue to an already interesting world. Collectively, some of the stories reminded me of different elements of Narnia, while still being completely their own.
The only story that I'm really not sure what I think of is the last one entitled "Beyond The Edge Of The Maps". I noticed online that this story had alot of mixed reviews, and I can see why. Spoilers Ahead: The story starts out quite dark and hopeless, and I think goes on for a bit too long, though it is written quite well (aside from some intentional run-on sentences, which as a style choice on which I will reserve judgement). The main character of the story is going on a quest to question his Maker, with accusations of injustice since the man has lost his daughter. But he never makes it up the One Mountain on which the Maker is said to dwell, because he realizes he is unworthy to bring an accusation because of a choice he made (though he is quite self-righteous up until that point).
The story ends with a glimpse into the fate of the man's daughter and the afterlife of this world of Aerwiar, but I will say that I wasn't satisfied with how the spiritual questioning element was tied together...or with how redemption is accomplished in this fictional world since the man never really makes peace with the Maker, but is still in paradise in the end. Andrew Peterson is a Christian, and though Aerwiar is it's own world (kind of like Narnia), spiritual principles were woven into the original books in a creative and meaningful way that were also mostly in line with Scripture (at least on a surface level). This last story departs from that pattern a bit, and I found myself confused about what the underlying message or principle was supposed to be, aside from possibly the fact that there are things we will never understand on the earth. I'm probably thinking too much into it. So yes, I nearly gave up on the last story, but at the same time, it is also the story that has me thinking the most, so maybe that says something. Content Notes: The main character in the last story considers suicide.
Only The Beautiful by Susan Meissner - This is an interesting story about how people were forcibly sterilized in California in the early 1900's, which is a travesty. Rosanne, who has synesthesia, works in a vineyard with her family, until they are killed in an accident. She is taken in by the vineyard owners as a foster child, but really ends up being their made. She is taken advantage of by the husband of the family and ends up pregnant, and is sent by his vindictive wife into a mental institution where they sterilize those with mental problems (and synesthesia was considered a mental problem by the doctor). Th second half of the book flashes forward about 20 years, and we find out what happened to Rosie. Content Notes: This books plot was so interesting, but I can't truly recommend it because I think the author went into unnecessarily explicit detail about the night Rosanne became pregnant. Because of that, this isn't a clean book. I believe there was some bad language as well, but it's difficult to remember now.
The MacArthur Commentary on Revelation 1-11 - I've been reading this book as part of my own Bible study this summer, and I always appreciate MacArthur's detailed commentary and extensive Bible cross references! I just read this book alongside the Revelation passages this time through, but would love to go through it again with a notebook handy and go through all the Bible references that are mentioned.
The Confident Homeschooler by Pam Barnhill - I got to read this tiny booklet for free on Kindle. I'm not sure it qualifies as a book, but I think it's a great summary of some of Barnhill's best advice for homeschool moms, so I recommend checking it out!
Our Little Spartan Cousin Of Long Ago by Julie Darrow Cowles - I pre-read this book to see if I wanted to let my kids read it this fall. This is about a young boy living in ancient Sparta, and I thought it provided a really interesting look into Spartan society. I learned alot, but I do feel that the book presented mostly information in a positive light. It glossed over negative aspects of Sparta, such as the brutality of their war games, probably in an attempt to keep it appropriate for children. I will probably let my oldest read it and see what he thinks of it. Content Notes: Obviously stories about the gods of Greek mythology.
God Doesn't Whisper by Jim Osman - In this book, Osman addresses some of the unbiblical ways that Christians try to "hear the voice of God" in our modern times...including many very common practices such as fleeces, open and closed doors, feeling a "peace", etc. Your toes WILL be stepped on by this book, but it's very hard to argue with Osman's reasoning and biblical supports. Even I, as someone who barely has a charismatic bone in my body, was convinced that some of the ways I have supported my decisions in the past, using these frameworks, was not biblical. I love that Osman doesn't just leave us hanging at the end, but gives us a truly biblical model for making God-honoring decisions. Highly recommend.
State Of Lies by Siri Mitchell - I read some of Mitchell's historical romances years ago and quite enjoyed them, and have been meaning to read her first suspense novel for a while now. Georgie is a mom, trying to hold her life together after her husband Sean is killed - but mysterious things keep happening, and then her home is broken into, and she starts to ask more questions. I was truly on the edge of my seat during certain chapters of this book, and did not expect some of the twists and turns! I was rather unhappy about the identity of the villain, but other than that I quite enjoyed it. Content Notes: Somewhat graphic violence as various people Georgie interacts with are killed, and her physical relationship with her husband is referred to in various places in the book, without being described much. Also note: The paperback of this one is really cheap on Amazon for some reason, just FYI.
Truth Or Territory: A Biblical Approach To Spiritual Warfare by Jim Osman - This one is a similar book to God Doesn't Whisper, except in this one Osman discusses the modern church's idea of "spiritual warfare", and how alot of unbiblical ideas and practices have infiltrated modern Christianity. Osman does such a great job of addressing the so-called biblical support for some of these ideas, and then looking at the verses in context to understand the true meaning, which most often is nothing to do with spiritual warfare. Good examples of this would be praying "hedges", or generational curses. I listened to this one and actually wish that I had read it instead so I could have highlighted or taken notes. I may buy a physical copy in the future!
Musing On God's Music by Scott Aniol - This book is an in-depth look at the psalms as an actual book, not just a list of song lyrics. Aniol argues that whoever put the psalter together did so by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (as with all scripture), and that the order of the psalms itself is significant. It's not just a random collection of songs, it's a carefully curated collection that is meant to show us how to live a blessed life in a wicked world, a collection that is meant to form us as we sing them in order. I have never looked at the psalms as being intentionally organized in a certain way, and this book was revolutionary for me. I highly recommend this one for any believer! We don't take the psalms as seriously as we ought, and I think that is because we don't view them as a book with an overarching purpose and point!
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice For Murderers by Jesse Sutanto - This book was alot of fun - Vera Wong owns a "world famous" tea house, but one that is unfortunately about to go out of business...until a dead body shows up in her shop! A host of characters start to show up at Vera's, and she assigns herself as the investigator of the murder - even though the police aren't even sure it is a murder. A really delightful peek into Asian culture, especially the unique personality of a stereotypical Asian mother/grandmother. Also, this book made me really hungry for Chinese food and a cup of tea. Note: Bad language in this one, including several uses of the f-word.
Glitch by Laura Martin - In the future, some people are born with a "time travel gene" that allows them to glitch back in time - but unfortunately that means alot of people hopping around, trying to mess with history! That's what the Glitch Academy is meant to prevent as young people train to apprehend "butterflies" - people who are meddling in historical events. Reagan is a cadet in the Academy, and also the daughter of the director of the program, which leads her classmate, Elliot, to be jealous of how easy Reagan has it. And Reagan isn't a big fan of Elliot's know-it-all attitude either. But when they receive a letter from their future selves, they just figure out a way to save the Academy, and their futures, before it's too late! This was a really fun, imaginative world, and I loved the lessons about history that are subtly presented in this book. The only note is a little bit of violence as the cadets fight butterflies, and within various historical events that they visit.
Famous For A Living by Melissa Ferguson - In this book, a famous influencer is hit with scandal, and has to find a place to lay low for a while - she travels to a small international park run by her uncle. As she tries to help the park with their social media and do what she can to combat her bad image in the press, she falls for a guy who hates the internet. Will she give up her life for the guy or not? Fairly predictable, sweet rom-com type book, and I enjoyed it!
Such A Quiet Place by Megan Miranda - I have a weakness for suspense books set in small towns or communities, where everyone knows everyone, and this book was like that. Ruby was convicted for murdering the neighbors, but now she's been released from prison, and she's back in the neighborhood - and no one quite knows why. Content Note: This book had alot of cursing, which I did not appreciate. But it did scratch that small-won suspense book itch, and I enjoyed it overall.
Black Ships Before Troy by Rosamary Sutcliff - I read this to pre-screen it for school for my 7th grader - It was a really thorough telling of the Trojan War. I appreciated all the information it gave about the different figures, but sometimes felt like the writing was too stiff. The Greek "gods" make appearances in this book, and the Greeks make sacrifices to them, etc, but I wouldn't say those characters had a major role in this version. I'm torn about whether to have my son read this one, or keep searching for a version I'll like a little better.
Gentle And Lowly: The Heart Of Christ For Sinners And Sufferers by Dane Ortlund - This book was a surprise to me. Ortlund reviews some of the Puritan writings about Jesus statement about Himself being "gentle and lowly in heart", and explains what that means. The focus in this book is about Jesus's gentle attitude toward sinners who truly repent, toward His sheep that still fail as we go about life in this fallen world. Though there were certain phrasings here and there that I wasn't quite sure about, I found this reminder of Jesus's love toward His own to be comforting and heartening, and there were many times when I was close to tears reading a needed reminder. I'd recommend it!
Sing A New Song: Recovering Psalm-Singing For The 21st Century by Joel Beeke - This book is a collection of essays regarding Psalm singing, and it covers such topics as the history of psalm singing, why it's important, why we seem to have largely dropped it in the modern church, and why we should not let the art of singing psalms fall by the wayside. Some of the essays got rather academic, but I appreciated learning more history of church music through this book, and it did fire me up to make sure I'm teaching my kids a robust collection of psalms to sing. Definitely recommend if the idea of singing psalms interests you at all, along with the book I mentioned before, Musing On God's Music.
Okay, I'm going to close this out now, even though I'm nearly finished with a few more books I could add! In the future I will try not to get so behind on sharing books so these reading posts don't end up being quite so long.
What did you all read over the summer?
It has been quite some time since I shared a Wednesday Five. They are such easy posts to put together, and easy is what I need right now, so I'm going to try to share these more often.
A Quote
"Whenever the Psalter is abandoned, an incomparable treasure is lost to the Christian church. With it's recovery will come unexpected power."
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer
I read this quote in a book I read recently about Psalm-singing, which will be in a book round-up post later this week. I've been incorporating psalm-singing with the kids into Bible time with the kids this summer, and it's been so sweet to learn to sing the Psalter together.
A Book
I just started "A Biblical Case For Cessationism" by Tom Pennington, and I can already tell it's going to be thorough and helpful. You can watch his talk about Cessationism from the Strange Fire conference a while back to get something of a preview, since in the book he's fleshing out alot of the arguments he made in that message.
For a fiction book, I finally started "Homecoming" by Kate Morton. Her books always feel perfect for the fall to me. A little bit of homeyness, and little bit of mystery. I'm sure a full review is coming if I ever catch up on sharing books.
A Bit Of Nature
We visited the Botanic Gardens last week, and there were so many pretty plants. It was the perfect time to catch the flowers before things start to die off in the fall. These are some sort of crabapple, apparently.
A Recommendation
I am going to recommend this with an abundance of caution, but if you have long-ish hair, and you are getting a bit sick of it or feel like your hair is boring, this is for you. I have been feeling bored with my hair for a while, and was considering going back to a bob, but I was hesitant because I do like to be able to pull my hair up sometimes. I wasn't sure what to do about it beside going to my hairdresser and asking what she thought, but a hair appointment is also just not in my budget right now. Then one night, I stumbled across this video on Youtube comparing a wolf cut with a butterfly cut, and a wild hair (ha!) must have struck me, because I decided to give myself a butterfly cut. The worse that could happen is that I'd have to schedule that hair appointment sooner than planned. I followed this tutorial.
I'm going to qualify this by saying that I do have some experience cutting my own hair, so I felt pretty comfortable taking the risk of trying this out, because I knew I could probably salvage it into a nice bob if the cut went wrong. But that said, the tutorial worked perfectly. It added lovely, bouncy layers into my hair that look great when I curl them, and my hair has been feeling pretty glamorous ever since.
A Moment Of Happiness
My girls spent some time at their grandma's house for my 8 year old's birthday recently. When they arrived home, my 5 (almost 6) year old ran up to the door shouting "Mama, Mama!" I hurried over to greet her, and she threw her arms around me, sighed, and said "Ah, you're so comfy." I'm not sure if that would be a compliment from anyone else than my children, but from her it just made my day.
I learned from my mistakes last year and broke out my fall decorations on time this week. The autumn season is always more brief than I expect, and I want to enjoy it fully this year: including fall decor, fall candles, pumpkin muffins in the oven, and moody mystery books galore!
Summer eased out rather uncomfortably around here. We started school, but I wasn't as excited about it as I sometimes am. I think the dreary weather for a large part of our summer made it feel as if we didn't get a proper summer break, and this school year, which I've known will be a particularly difficult one, has been looming. I have all five kids homeschooling this year, and even though I feel exponentially more capable as a homeschool mom as the years go by, the challenges that come with more kids in school and older grades always seem to (nearly) cancel out my homeschool-mom gains. This year I can at least give myself the credit of seeing the challenges coming.
(The traditional first-day-of-school donut.)
Our homeschool days have been easier in some ways than I thought, because I have really got my homeschool systems down after perfecting my strategies over the last couple years. But it's also been harder in some ways. I shifted my mindset a few years back about homeschooling as the parent, treating it in my mind as more of a job that could take as long as 8 hours a day if necessary, and that helped transform our homeschool in alot of ways. However, this is the first year that it actually has been taking nearly 8 hours out of my day, and those extra demands are taking a little getting used to (for me). I also know this is most likely a temporary thing - our days will run smoother eventually, expectations will even out, skills will catch up, and I'll likely have more time on my hands again at some point. But right now my days feel packed.
We took a vacation a couple weeks ago, and I'm quite happy to report that it was uneventful! I think this may have been the smoothest trip we've had in quite some time, and a problem-free getaway was much needed. We drove up to South Dakota, we saw Mount Rushmore (including the evening lighting ceremony, which was wonderful), made a day trip to the Badlands with a stop at the infamous Wall Drug, saw a gunfight reenactment in Deadwood, took a tour of Jewel Cave. We stopped at Bear Country ( a drive-through zoo with more bears than I could count), and drove to the South Dakota Air and Space Museum (though the inside exhibits were unfortunately closed). My kids gained a grand total of six badges for various National Park Junior Ranger programs, which was quite an accomplishment.
Last time we went to South Dakota it rained the entire week, quite literally. We were tent camping, I was pregnant and soggy and miserable, and we cut our vacation short because we just couldn't take it anymore. After that experience, we were both a little nervous about this trip, but South Dakota was a winner this time! Overall, it was a nice quiet trip, with no car problems, no hotel issues, and no freaky weather events. Just what the doctor ordered!
Before we headed home we drove to Devil's Tower in Wyoming, and we also read about Custer and Crazy Horse before visiting Little Bighorn. It was a sobering way to end our vacation, seeing all the markers on the hill where Custer's regiment was completely wiped out. We read about the battle, and just seeing the sloping of the hills in person, I could really picture every stage of the battle as the cavalry advanced, and then retreated, finally forming a barricade behind dead horses on a ridge, before they were ultimately cut down. It was chilling, but it peaked my interest to read more about the Wild West, and I listened to "The Summer Of 1876" by Chris Wimmer on the way home. It was interesting to listen about different historical events as we were driving past the very locations where they happened.
The wide open, empty spaces of South Dakota, Wyoming, and Montana got into my blood in a way. I live in a rural area already, but it's become very much more crowded than the places we visited, and I've been scheming and planning a fall hike somewhere more remote to get that taste of wilderness again.
I usually like to ease back into life when we get back from vacation, but I was forced to hit the ground running last week. We packed two field trips (one pre-planned, one spontaneous), plus a birthday outing for one of my kids with grandma, into that whirlwind of a week. We topped it off last weekend by visiting our local botanic gardens for a fall plant sale. We didn't end up buying any plants, but we did enjoy the gardens before coming home to watch a football game.
Then I drank some tea and and sat down to write this post before scrounging up some dinner. I've been missing writing on my blog, and I'm very much hoping I can carve out more time for writing despite this extra-busy season. Sharing on social media has always been draining to me, but writing on my blog tends to give me energy. It helps me organize my thoughts and feelings, and somehow that gives me a little boost to get on with what needs to be done. That's worth something! I'm looking forward to making it more of a routine again as we head into my favorite season.
At various times this summer...stumbling across a book by chance, seeing the news story about a lost submarine, and getting thalassaphobia videos recommended to me on Youtube (how did Youtube know I have thalassaphobia?)...I've been reminded of the incredible fact that we know so little about our own oceans. More people have been to space than have been to the deepest parts of the ocean. That is wild when you think about it! I thought studying what we DO know about the deep ocean would be a fun rabbit hole to go down with my kids in this late summer stage of the school year.
I did a little research and found a bunch of great picture books about the deep ocean and ocean exploration. These are not books about the beach, but books about the parts of the ocean that are not easy to get to, and all the creatures that lurk down there.
I encourage you to read through the descriptions before picking up any of these books for your family, because I didn't agree with everything in every one of these books, and tried to make note of that where I could. However, I think taken together, these books give a really fascinating look at the deep ocean for kids!
I also included a couple documentaries having to do with underwater creatures, if you want to make a unit study out of this list. From deep ocean creatures, submersibles, historical figures that mapped the ocean, and more - there is alot to get you started on an ocean study here!
Giant Squid by Candace Fleming - This picture book tells in pretty good detail about the mysterious Giant Squid, including it's tentacles, beak, large eye, babies, etc. The illustrations are interesting, and there is more in-depth information on the last page of the book.
Otis And Will Discover The Deep by Barb Rosenstock - A very interesting book about the first men to build their own deep-sea submersible in 1930. There is biographical information given in the back of the book as well. I love how the formatting of the words on the page add to the feel of the story!
How Deep Is The Sea by Anna Wilbourne - A great picture book to help kids understand the vastness of the ocean and the scale of how deep it really is!
Field Trip To The Ocean Deep by John Hare - This is a book with no words, with illustrations of a group of kids diving to the ocean floor in scuba gear and taking a bunch of pictures. A quirky and fun picture book!
Diving Deep by Michelle Cusolito - The previous book gives an imaginative look at diving to the ocean floor, but this book goes through all the ways that humans actually DO dive down into the ocean! Great illustrations and lots of facts included. One reference to "millions of years".
Flying Deep by Michelle Cusolito - Another book by the same author, taking a closer look at what it would be like to go down to the sea floor onboard a submersible such as the Alvin, which is the longest continually-operating submersible in the world.
From Shore To Ocean Floor by Gill Arbuthnott - A very detailed book about the history of ocean exploration, and what we do know about the ocean floors. There are some things in this book I wouldn't agree with or appreciate - for example, assumptions about the age of the earth, environmentalism, information about various false gods/goddesses in ocean lore. But there is so much other interesting information in this book that it outweighs the negative aspects, so I think it's worthwhile if you're willing to wade through it.
How Deep Is The Ocean? by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld - A great picture book about various creatures that live at different ocean depths, including information about the pressures deep down in the ocean. The illustrations are colorful and fun in this picture book!
Dive To The Deep Ocean by Deborah Kovacs - A very detailed history about the Alvin submersible, and others that came after it. The Alvin was the first submersible to explore the wreck of the Titanic!
Solving The Puzzle Under The Sea by Robert Burleigh - This book is about Marie Tharp, who was one of the people to first create a map of the ocean floor using sonar. There are a couple different picture books about Marie Tharp, but this one was the less obnoxiously feminist of the two I read. I also liked that it was more detailed about the process of mapping the ocean floor.
Trail Blazer Of The Sea by Jean Lee Latham - This chapter book is the one and only book for children that I could find about Matthew Maury, who was the first person to recognize that there were currents in the ocean and map them. This book is hard to find - in print, I could only find it on Purple House Press, but it's well written and worth the effort to search it out if you are doing an ocean study! You can also read it on the computer only here if you are interested in previewing it.
Yoshi And The Ocean by Lindsay Moore - This book is about a sea turtle that was nursed back to health and then released. We follow her as she travels all through the ocean and back to the beach where she was born. It is amazing that little sea turtles can travel so incredibly far in the ocean, and this book gives lots of additional information about sea turtles in the back as well.
Into The Deep: An Exploration Of Our Oceans by Annika Seems and Wolfgang Dreyer - This is a big book, full of colorful illustrations and lots of information about different sea creatures and the ocean itself. This is a long one, so I haven't read every page yet, but from a limited flip-through I didn't see any references to evolution, etc. There is page after page of beautiful illustrations and information, and I think we'll be looking through this one for a while!
Documentaries:
The Riot And The Dance: Water - My kids have watched this documentary a couple times now, and my oldest declared it "such a good documentary" - I have to agree! It's a nature documentary from a Christian perspective, and it is truly impressive the quality of shots they were able to get on a relatively low budget. The music really sets the mood for a documentary, and I also learned about some creatures I legitimately never knew about before. Really interesting, and inspiring!
My Octopus Teacher - This documentary isn't so much about the deep ocean, but it is an interesting peek into the world of an octopus. I had two different people recommending this to me, and after watching it I know why! Some mentions of "millions of years of evolution" in this documentary, so when I let my kids watch it we will just talk about that beforehand.
I have been procrastinating on sharing this post because I keep thinking that as soon as I share it, I'll stumble across other books or documentaries that I'll wish I included - but it's time to get this published. Expect this post to be updated with more resources as time goes on, and if you know of any great resources about the deep ocean, please let me know!
I waver between feeling excited for the school year and very nervous. This is the first year that I'll be doing work with all five kids, and the thought overwhelms me. I try to remember that I felt that way each time I added a new student to the mix. This is the last time I'll have to recalibrate.
We've been making good use of our last week. Yesterday we went mini-golfing with our dear friends who now live a couple states over. I'm so happy whenever we get to see them, and we talk and laugh like we still see each other every week. Friends like that are special, something to treasure. The hardest part is always saying goodbye, until the next time they come here or we go there.
Later this week the kids have "cousin camp" at grandma's house, which means that Derek and I get a date night which we don't quite now what to do with. I'm hoping to do something fun on Saturday as a last hoorah for summer break.
The plan for today is a hike up in a state park, perhaps to an old broken-down lumber mill we discovered a couple weeks ago. Or perhaps we'll try a new trail. The kids are packing nature notebooks, binoculars, and snacks into their packs. I try to get them to draw something each time we go out into the mountains, but we are meeting a friend today, so my expectations are low for amazing nature drawings. Laughter, and silliness, and foot races, and sun-kissed cheeks are on the agenda.
We've been watching movies on the porch this summer. The kids lay out their sleeping bags, and we all wear long sleeves and pants to protect ourselves against mosquitos as the sun fades. The TV glows in the dusk, hummingbirds whir past our porch, and the kids laugh as we introduce them to childhood classics, like The Princess Bride and Hook. When my littlest looks cold I call her over to settle on my lap and zip her up inside my over-sized sweatshirt. She giggles against my chest at the defeat of the pirate captain.
The swimming pools have officially closed, despite my wish that they would stay open until Labor Day. Before they did, I took the kids to every family swim night I could, and I'm impressed with how much their swimming has improved. It's rather a magical stage, swimming right now. I stand in the pool and watch them play, but they mostly entertain themselves with very little help from me. I can just enjoy the sunshine and the sound of their antics. We always bring licorice or skittles for a snack on the way home.
I've had a running to-do list for several weeks now. Every time I crossed one thing off, two more were added, but I've finally chipped away at it this week. Plan enrichment subjects? Check. Choose read-alouds for the year? Mostly check. Set up sewing station, clean out the kids' toys, schedule doctor appointments, do the grocery shopping? All check. The things that are left are mostly the items I wanted to do for fun or things I've been putting off. Work on researching my family tree. Make clay earrings. Clean out the car. Organize the kids' fall clothes.
We are going on a vacation in September, and those last two things need to be accomplished before then. I'm just excited to get to go on vacation at all, since every unexpected expense this summer cut into our vacation budget. It'll be a shorter trip, but we have alot of interesting stops planned, and you can bet I'll count every educational experience as a school field trip, because we can. I don't typically like taking trips in the fall instead of the summer, but out of necessity it has started to grow on me. It also makes it easier to get started on school when I know that we have more fun things coming right around the corner.
My coffee is lukewarm. It's time for a warm-up so I will close this out. I wish you all the last bits of summer fun you can muster before pumpkin spice starts to fill the air!
We are over halfway through our summer! Summer can become so busy for our family, and I'm trying to squeeze so many activities in, that we don't always have the time or schedule to sit down and enjoy picture books together. But a few weeks ago I decided to put a little effort into finding good picture books for the season, and we have discovered so many good ones with a summertime feel to them!
These picture book lists have become quite useful for my own family - they help me to remember which seasonal picture books I want to revisit each year, and hopefully you all will find some favorites here as well.
I will be linking the books on Amazon because it is a permanent place for you to read more about each title, but I encourage you to request these books on hold at your library, or if you find one you want to buy, look for them on used book websites! When you request books from the library it helps with the library's circulation, and if you prefer to buy you can get books so much more affordably with used book sites.
Be sure to grab the printable list at the bottom of this page!
Twenty-One Steps by Jeff Gottesfeld and Matt Tavares - The beginning of summer is often marked as Memorial Day, and this book is about the Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier. It's a great book for teaching kids the true meaning of Memorial Day, and remembering those who have died in the service of our country.
Anansi And The Moss Covered Rock by Eric A Kimmel - This story takes place in a jungle, and a spider accidentally discovered an enchanted rock that knocks people out. He fools different jungle creatures with the rock, until he himself is fooled. Note: Some magic in this story, of the fairytale variety, since it involves an enchanted rock.
Anansi And The Talking Melon by Eric A. Kimmel - This is another story featuring the tricky Anansi, who fools Elephant into thinking a melon is talking to him! My kids thought this one was funny.
Summertime In The Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - This is a short picture book based off the Little House On The Prairie Books. The girls are shown in different fun summer activities, and the illustrations are gorgeous.
The Summer Visitors by Karel Hayes - This is a picture book very light on words - you really need to look at the pictures to follow the story of a family of bears who steal the summer family's things and shadows them in all their fun summer activities. It's almost like a comic book in a picture book, and one that younger kids could enjoy even without you reading to them! If you have a young one who likes to make up stories based off the pictures, this would be a winner.
The Umbrella by Jan Brett - I associated Brett's books so much with winter that I am always interested to see a book that doesn't fall into a cozy holiday category. In this book, a boy goes looking for creatures in the rainforest, but they all have an adventure surrounding an umbrella he drops on the forest floor. This book also incorporates some Spanish, which would be a fun angle for using Spanish vocabulary during reading time!
The Donkey Egg by Janet Stevens - This book follows the same characters as the spring book Tops And Bottoms. Fox tells Bear that he needs to watch a donkey egg until it hatches. At the end of this book, Hare and Bear work together to plant a field of watermelons. Lots of fun facts in this book about the passing of time as well.
The Seed And The Giant Saguaro by Jennifer Ward - This book has a building rhyme scheme about Saguaro cat and all the creatures that live in the Southwestern desert. Some info is given in the back about the fruit of the saguaro cactus, and how long it takes to grow!
Happy Birthday, Dear Duck by Eve Bunting - All of Duck's friends give him pool-related gifts for his birthday - but they live in the desert, and there is no water! Cute book involving an inflatable pool, which makes it perfect for summer!
Peter Spit A Seed At Sue by Jackie French - This is a quirky book about some kids who start a watermelon seed-spitting war in their town. The text rhymes, and my kids thought it was really fun!
Sweet Pea Summer by Hazel Mitchell - In this book, a little girl goes to stay with her grandparents, and attempts to grow some sweet peas for a flower show. She has to troubleshoot along the way. The illustrations in this book are sweet, and all the flowers make it lovely for summer.
Summer Story by Jill Barklem - This is the summer edition of the brambly hedge stories, and this one features a wedding! The Brambly Hedge books have some of the cutest illustrations out there, and we loved this one.
Poppy's Babies by Jill Barklem - This is the follow-up story to "Summer Story", in which Poppy's new babies are having a hard time sleeping above the mill - so her husband Dusty and his friend prepare a surprise nursery!
Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping by Peggy Parish - This isn't high literature or anything, but it's a classic, and kids will enjoy all Amelia Bedelia's silly puns! This is my favorite Amelia Bedelia book from my childhood.
Summer Of The Tree Army by Gloria Whelan - This is a book about the Civilian Conservation Corps established by Franklin Roosevelt, and a boy in Michigan who befriends on of them. An interesting look at the Great Depression time period and what life might have been like for young men during that time. The illustrations in this one are so golden and summery.
Thundercake by Patricia Polacco - This is the story of how a grandma helped her granddaughter through her fear of thunder. Very appropriate for those occasional summer thunderstorms, and I think making a thundercake with the kids afterward would be so fun!
Summer Days And Nights by Wong Herbert See - This is a sweet book about some of the very ordinary joys of summer. As an adult I thought it was a nice reminder that you don't have to do big things for summer to be exciting - it is all by itself.
A Camping Spree With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - We love all the Mr. Magee books! The illustrations are adorable, and the rhyming is top notch. In this one, Mr. Magee and little dog Dee's camping trip is interrupted by a curious bear. As someone who had our own camping trip ruined this summer, I love that the book ends with them camping in their backyard!
Down To The Sea With Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen - Another Mr. Magee book! In this one, a pod of whales gets Mr. Magee and Dee in trouble - and then gets them right back out of it. I love how these books always end in such a cozy way.
A Perfect Day by Lane Smith - A cute story about a perfect summer day for a bunch of animals - or for one animal at least! This one is simple and short, I think it would be cute for the younger crowd.
A House For Hermit Crab by Eric Carle - This is a cute story about a crab who invites other sea creatures to make his house more beautiful. So many of Carle's stories are perfect for summer, especially this one!
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle - A ladybug bluffs his way out of trouble, saying another ladybug is not big enough for him to fight. To prove it, he goes on a trip to find someone "big enough" to fight...and eventually ends up right back where he started. A funny story for kids!
The Very Quiet Cricket by Eric Carle - A cute book about a cricket that wants to chirp as he meets various bugs, but he can't until he meets another cricket.
A Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle - A firefly mistakes various lights for other fireflies - including fireworks, which gives this a fun 4th of July tie-in!
Swimmy by Leo Lionni - After hearing about this book for years, I finally read it, and I can see why it's a classic. Swimmy swims faster than his brother and sisters, and escapes being eaten by a big fish. When he finds a new school of fish, he has the idea to swim in the shape of a big fish, and scare all the predator fish off. It's a cute, simple story.
The Little Island by Margaret Wise Brown - A sweet book personifying a little island, and telling about everything it experiences through the seasons - but especially in the spring and summer.
Roxaboxen by Barbara Cooney - I think this book, centered around the imaginary games of children, would also be perfect for summer. A group of kids play in a pretend town, and still remember their wonderful game years later. Very sweet story about imagination and childhood.
Pie Is For Sharing by Stephanie Parsley Ledyard - This book captures all kinds of childhood summer fun in the illustrations, while highlighting all the things we can share in the summer. I loved the style of illustrations in this book, which were also somewhat 4th Of July themed.
Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee - A simple picture book about the fun of roller coasters!
The Streak by Barb Rosenstock - This is an interesting picture book about the history of Joe Diaggio's batting streak. This book would be fun to read before going to a baseball game to incorporate a little sports history!
Yogi by Barb Rosenstock - For another baseball-themed book, this picture book biography of Yogi Berra is a fun one!
Quick As A Cricket by Audrey Wood - This would be a cute one to read before a trip to the zoo, as a child compares himself to a bunch of different animals! To me it also had summary vibes.
Sea Glass Summer by Michelle Houts - In this story, a boy finds some sea glass, and dreams about where the glass originally came from. The illustrations in this book are beautiful, and it's interesting to think about what each piece of sea glass may have been originally.
Jabari Jumps by Gaia Cornwall - Jabari is afraid to jump off the diving board - until his dad helps him to be brave enough. Perfect for summertime, and I love the strong dad figure in this book.
Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackwell - In this book, we see scenes in the life of a lighthouse keeper, until electricity and a new light eliminates the need for him to live in the lighthouse. The illustrations are gorgeous, and this book is an interesting peek into the history of lighthouses.
Honey... Honey... Lion! by Jan Brett - Badger and Honeyguide always share honey - until one day, Badger decides not to share, and the honeyguide bird teaches him a lesson. A fun story about African animals!
Hattie & Hudson by Chris Van Dusen - A girl named Hattie makes friends with a sea monster and names him Hudson. My kids are fascinated by the notion that sea monsters might live in deep lakes, so this is a fun, summery story for them! This is from the same author as the Mr. Magee books, and the illustrations are a similar style!
Armadillo Rodeo by Jan Brett - Thinking he has found a friend, a little armadillo follows a bright red set of boots straight into a rodeo! A cute story set in Texas.
The Darkest Dark by Chris Hadfield - In this story, a young boy is scared of the dark - until he watches the moon landing, and looking at the bright moon in the dark sky fills his mind with imagination. This book was written by a Canadian astronaut and is based on his childhood experience of watching the moon landing. Note: There are some little imaginary monster figures in some of the illustrations when the boy is still afraid of the dark, so be aware of that since it may be a bit scary for small kids.
Possum And The Summer Storm by Anne Hunter - The possum family's home is washed away in a storm, and all the creatures help them create a new home. A cute and cozy story for a stormy summer day.
Down By The Bay by Raffi - I don't know anything about Raffi, but this book is based on a silly summer song that I think would be lots of fun to sing with kids on a road trip!
The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant - A sweet story about relatives coming to visit for the summer.
Otis And Will Discover The Deep by Barb Rosenstock - A very interesting book about the first men to build their own deep-sea submersible in 1930.
One Morning In Maine by Robert McCloskey - In this story, Sal loses her first tooth while working and running errands with her father. This story had summer and small-town vibes.
Tacky Goes To Camp by Helen Lester - It's summer in Antartica, and Tacky goes to camp with his penguin friends - but does everything a little differently than them! I loved the Tacky books as a kid, and this is a cute "summer" one.
One-Dog Canoe by Mary Casanova - A cute story about animals that want to join in canoeing fun - even though it's only a one-dog canoe!
Mornings With Monet by Barb Rosenstock - A great book about Monet and the process of painting. This one is bright and colorful as it shows Monet painting flowers on a morning in his garden.
The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco - Mary Ellen chases a bee to it's tree with her grandfather - and they pick up a crowd along the way! There is an unexpected and sweet lesson about the value of books at the end of this story.
Island Boy by Barbara Cooney - A book about the life of a boy named Matthias, as he grows up with his family on an island, marries, has children and grandchildren, and one day dies. It's a bit of a bittersweet book, but so homey as well.
When Lightning Comes In A Jar by Patricia Polacco - This book captures the happiness and fun of family reunions, with a firefly tie-in. Very sweet for summer.
The Golden Glow by Benjamin Flouw - Fox finds a page in his botany book that doesn't have a picture, and goes on a mountain hike to find the elusive "golden glow" flower - and he's helped by friends along the way!
It Began With Lemonade by Gideon Sterer - A whimsical story about a girl who has to be creative with the location of her lemonade stand - and has alot of unexpected customers.
Insect Detective by Steve Voake - This is a great book for making kids more aware of summer insects and sparking an interest in going outside to look for them!
The Circus Ship by Chris Van Dusen - A circus ship sinks off the coast of Maine, and all the animals terrorize the townspeople - until they realize the animals aren't mean after all. Cute illustrations, with great rhyming text!
The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, And The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood - An adorable book with the narrator talking to a little mouse about how to hide his strawberry from the big hungry bear!
The Mystery of The Monarchs by Barb Rosenstock - An interesting book about the people who discovered where the monarch butterflies spend the winter months. Since we see the Monarch butterfly in North America during the summer, it's a good time to read this book!
Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen - This is a fun book about Randy Riley, who cannot hit a baseball...until a fireball is hurtling towards earth and he builds a robot to hit it back into outer space! Really cute, retro type illustrations in this one!
Rattlebang Picnic by Margaret Mahy - This is a quirky book about a family that decided to have seven children instead of buying a speedy car. They buy an old "rattlebang" car...but what will happen when they accidentally go for a picnic on a volcano? A cute story about a big family on a summer picnic gone wrong! Note: This one is a bit rare, so if you find a copy, snag it!
If I Built A Car by Chris Van Dusen - In this book a boy on a road trip imagines a better design for a car - one that has couches and endless snacks, and sails and flies while we're at it! I think we all have that childhood experience of being on a long road trip and imagining all the things we wish we could do in the car, and this book captures all that in a fun, imaginative way.
A Family For Old Mill Farm by Shutta Crum - This is a cute story about a family visiting different homes, looking for the perfect one...while different animal families settle down at the abandoned Old Mill Farm.
Town Mouse Country Mouse by Jan Brett - The town mice think they'd like to try life in the country, and the country mice would like to take a vacation in the town - but each set of mice soon realize that they miss their own homes! I love Jan Brett's version of this tale, and it reminds me of why vacation is always so refreshing - it gives you a fresh perspective on home.
I hope you all are able to find some interesting books to add to your family favorites - and if I missed a great summery picture book, let me know and I may just add it to this list!
You can click here for a printable version of this summer picture book list!
Hope you are enjoying every last bit of the summer, as we intend to do as well!
Currently...
Watching...alot of survival shows. As a family we are watching the latest season of "Alone", and by ourselves Derek and I are rediscovering a series called "I Shouldn't Be Alive". I remember a few years ago catching a terrible stomach bug, and I basically binge-watched this show, and then I forgot about it because thinking about it after that made me feel queasy. I no longer feel queasy about it though, and Derek and I are hooked. I also just discovered this Youtube channel talking about lost hiker stories, so kind of along the same line (except not all of the hikers make it out).
Reading...alot of picture books for the kids, and picking out my favorites for a summer picture book post coming up soon. I'm not sure if anyone needs another picture book list, but I am enjoying putting these posts together because they are lists of our personal favorites - so instead of re-visiting other lists, and trying to remember which books we liked and which ones we didn't, I have my own list to request from the library each year. And hopefully some of you kind find a few winners from the lists too! Here are all of the lists I've done so far.
Sipping...limeade, or homemade virgin pina coladas. I basically just mix together pineapple juice and Silk Coconut, and call it a pina colada. Yum.
Sporting...shorts and dresses, finally, because we've finally had a turn in the weather! It was the rainiest June I remember in a long time, and was quite cold until after July 4th. I still wouldn't say it's as warm as a normal July, at least not in the mountains, but it's so much nicer out than it was. The weather was so unlike summer until just the last couple weeks, so I'm just now getting into summer mode, with less than a month left until we were planning on starting school again. I may just delay our start by a week so summer feels less short.
Trying...to figure out if we can afford a vacation this year, or if we should opt for a staycation. I know everyone is probably hurting financially with this inflation - so many of our monthly bills have gone up in the last few months, and I can't get out of the grocery story under budget anymore. But as I talked about in my last post, we've also had several things break on us this spring/summer - our microwave, Derek's car, our whole tent debacle. And finally, our stove officially died this past week. A few of our buttons were fried by a power surge in June, but we were hoping we could just make do...until I tried preheating the oven and none of the buttons worked. All of these annoying costs are coming out of our vacation budget, so I'm not sure what is going to happen with that now. We will either scrape together enough for an inexpensive camping vacation, or we will do a staycation (which could also be really fun, if we can just sell it right to the kids).
Remembering...that we did at least get to visit an interesting place when we went on a short trip to visit my grandma - Mesa Verde! Mesa Verde National Park has the oldest buildings in North America, thought to be built around 1200 AD (or some maybe earlier). They figured that out by tree ring data - they looked at some of the oldest trees in the park, and then looked at some of the logs used in the building construction, and matched up similar wet/dry season patterns in the tree rings to get to the guess of 1200 AD. I don't know much about the accuracy of that, but it's pretty interesting anyway!
We went on a tour, but a word to the wise, if you sign up for a Mesa Verde tour, it takes about an hour to get from the Mesa Verde Visitor Center to where to tours actually leave. Not knowing this ahead of time, we somehow arrived just on time for our tour, but the tour guide must have left early because there was no one to be seen. We waited until the next tour arrived an hour later, and they pretty much had to let us in since the other tour had departed early. If you ever visit and you schedule a tour there, plan to be at the visitor center at least an hour and a half before your tour time. I thought they should have put some of this information on the website, but really, I should have known better. It's been along time since we had been there.
Looking forward to...taking the kids to the pool in the next couple weeks. We haven't been swimming all summer because of weather and sickness, but I think we might finally make it to the pool next week. There are no outdoor pools near us, but there are a couple in town that have affordably-priced family swim nights. I always stock up on licorice and watermelon before the pool - those are just the traditional pool snacks, I guess.
Growing...a lovely herb garden in our porch greenhouse. My herbs are doing so well this year, despite the cold start to the summer. I want to avoid the mistake I made last year and start harvesting some of the herbs now! My oldest is also growing a tiny straw-bale vegetable garden, and I think it's doing well...we have flowering squash plants right now, so hopefully that's a good sign!
Planning...to start doing a few hikes before summer is over. The mountains are in rare form this year, with all the moisture we got in June, and there are flowers and tall grasses everywhere. It's very lush and colorful, instead brown-tinged and dry like July so often is. I'm loving that we have no fire bans, and I want to take the kids out for some nature journaling and picnics in the next couple weeks.
Preparing...for the school year, but only lightly because I don't want to get myself out of summer mode quite yet. I've mainly been putting together a history syllabus for my 7th grader, and requesting some historical fiction books from the library to screen. I'm hoping to find a few winners for him to read. He'll be studying ancient history this year, for the first time seriously, including the Greeks and Romans. I want to give him some interesting books set in that time period, but books that don't over-glorify those societies either. I know they are important foundational to our current culture and political structure, but they were also Godless, so I'm hoping for something that will give him a realistic (but appropriate) feel for those eras. Open to suggestions if any of you homeschool moms have already studied ancient empires.
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