tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-325281902011-09-02T15:23:19.819-07:00Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.comBlogger211100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-39745176620915855892008-09-30T21:33:00.000-07:002008-10-01T15:13:36.088-07:00

by Natalie Savage CarlsonListening Age: 5+This was one I read to my younger girls, though 13 year old Fifi might have listened in for the latter half of the book because the story was so compelling.It revolves around a self-styled Paris vagabond who loves his lifestyle for its freedom from responsibility. But one day he unwittingly befriends a trio of children who have just joined the ranks of

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-26581207013921134422008-09-10T11:59:00.000-07:002008-09-10T22:37:00.124-07:00

by Marguerite HenryListening age: 5+ Parental discretion advised for theme and languageWe loved this book from start to finish! Truly, some of the best literature for children is wrapped around animal stories. Of course, Marguerite Henry is not an unknown author to the genre; I know there is at least a trilogy of horse stories on my shelf--but until now, I don't think I'd had the pleasure of

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-40069793746010368892008-08-26T19:20:00.001-07:002008-08-26T20:35:39.860-07:00

by Norton JusterListening Age: 6+Reading Age: 10"I loved it...and that's saying a lot [from me] for a "weird" book." -Fifi, 13 years old, lover of DickensChildren like weirdness. It's true.That's why they read things like Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Alice in Wonderland. But, truly? My girls say those books are actually creepy and bizarre, and I'm not sure they really enjoyed them

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-31006978588590224522008-08-15T20:19:00.000-07:002008-08-16T22:42:05.670-07:00

by Ann WeilListening age: 5+Reading age: 9-10To get every laugh out of your children that this book deserves, you must approach it with no less than 4 European accents for no less than 8 different characters! Count them--8! The laughs are going to come in response to your effort in bringing the dialog between characters to life. This is no time to be shy!Capri and Anacapri share a tiny island

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-67905206973502342642008-08-15T16:01:00.000-07:002008-08-15T22:24:03.434-07:00

by C. S. LewisListening age: 6+This is the FIRST book in the 7-book series written by Oxford English Professor-but-Christian convert-anyway, C.S. Lewis. It is called The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. It was written first. It was published first. It was meant to be read first. Read this one first.Why? I'll tell you why. Because in the course of the series there are little asides now

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-40191585085256030062008-05-22T20:14:00.000-07:002008-05-24T21:29:55.746-07:00

by William Pene du Boislistening age: 5+This story weaves together fact with fiction so unashamedly that the hope is sure to be realized that your young reader will be intrigued and inspired to do some research on his own about the real volcanic blast at Krakatoa: the late 19th century catastrophe that really did blow up a good-sized portion of the small island in the Sunda Strait.The story here

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-12652250345259185562008-05-08T19:59:00.000-07:002008-05-10T20:18:18.679-07:00

by Elizabeth EnrightListening age: 5+All my girls, and me too, enjoyed this book from cover to cover! In fact, I think we finished it in record time because we just couldn't seem to put it down.The story caught my attention right away with the sweet descriptions of the main characters--cousins--and their ensuing summer friendship forged at the home of the adolescent boy, Julian.He and his

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-82220446739595140632008-03-26T20:28:00.000-07:002008-05-10T20:18:58.169-07:00

by Marguerite HenryListening Age: 5+There is a death in the immediate family that is handled very quickly and without dreaded detail, though it is for you, the parent, to decide if that is a thematic element that your child can handle.This was my second time reading this book aloud to my girls, though I think only Fifi remembers it from the first time when she was about 2nd grade. It's a book

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-91711227931607133822008-02-29T21:15:00.000-08:002008-05-10T20:17:54.328-07:00

by Eloise Jarvis McGrawListening Age: 7+A wonderful supplement to our study of Ancient Egypt. This historical fiction taught the young ones (and me!) things I didn't know--like the conspiracies of the tomb robbers and stone masons during the construction of the pyramid tombs. And the book let us peek into the very hard life of the working class and children. Well, at least the boys and men.

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-43684723593446856202008-01-24T20:26:00.000-08:002008-05-10T20:19:33.042-07:00

by Jules VerneListening age 8+Oh, we did enjoy this book! It was a stretch for...well, honestly...all of us. There are oodles and oodles of rich, new vocabulary words (of which, I assure you, "oodles" was not considered), and plenty of geography. While not nearly as in-depth as--say, Hans Brinker or the Silver Skates, the story line surely got us around and across the Northern Hemisphere with

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-5999023455433533862007-10-16T20:51:00.000-07:002008-05-10T20:20:01.490-07:00

by Carlo CollodiListening age: 5+I was a bit hesitant to continue with this book before I had got very far because that Pinnochio--he's some kind of bad character! But, alas, his behavior does not go undisciplined, if only by the harsh consequences that come naturally (if you can call turning into a donkey, "natural").The book is full of adventure and suspense, and after a horridly malicious

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-70948507069324726342007-09-02T20:46:00.000-07:002008-05-10T20:20:55.059-07:00

by Charlotte HermanListening Age: 4+I'm not even sure how we came across this one. It was long ago, and if you were to check our library history, I'm sure we've checked and rechecked it several times. All the girls love it, but particularly 7-year old Dumpling.The story is of a simple Jewish family marking the weeks with the tradition of the Shabbos meal. Christian speak: Sunday dinner. Only, of

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-73611065408337016332007-08-04T13:58:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:17:20.878-07:00

Listening Age 5+Guest reviewer: Fifi Hitty: Her First Hundred Years is a very entertaining story about a little mountain ash-wood doll that is crafted in the state of Maine for a little girl named Phoebe Preble. This book is written in first person, from the doll's perspective. Hitty recounts 100 years worth of her adventures, and this book skillfully covers the changes in culture, clothing and

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-3535790379029105652007-03-15T20:33:00.001-07:002008-05-08T21:17:44.340-07:00

Listening Age 4+I don't usually prefer abridged versions or stories "retold," but I chose to bend with this one so that my younger girls could enjoy it. And they did. As did I.I look forward to reading the original one day, but meanwhile, this sweetly-illustrated analogy was a delightful read and even convicting. Much-afraid is the main character who is challenged to overcome her fear and

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-24423288908891085062007-02-05T20:04:00.000-08:002008-05-08T21:18:09.979-07:00

Listening Age 6+This book is from the same author as is Strawberry Girl. It takes place in the bayous of Louisianna in the early 20th century. It is centered on the young daughter of a large, poor family and the Indian girl she tries to sneak into the family. The Indian girl, Marteel, brings out the worst prejudice in young Suzette's family, but time after time, wins them over with her brave

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1167889532831447382007-01-03T21:31:00.001-08:002007-08-06T20:18:32.180-07:00

Ages 5-13The Laura Ingalls Wilder series chronicling her childhood in the midwest and plain states seems a "staple" of every young girls literary diet, but it is not the parental instruction guide on raising Godly children that I thought it might be!Don't get me wrong -- it is very honest and delightfully informative, and I appreciate that. However, I was surprised and disappointed about a

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1163013283706047532006-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:002007-08-06T20:18:59.688-07:00

Ages 4+This was our first read of the unabridged version and it was delightful! The narrative is beautifully composed and easy to read. The story is compelling, and God-honoring...even evangelical.There is the element of reality brought forth through the character of Peter; he is at times jealous and at least once, acts out his envy through crime. But his behavior is not pictured as acceptable

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1156564658147928432006-08-25T20:56:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:19:35.600-07:00

Ages 4-12This is a book that Fifi spotted at the checkout of our local Christian homeschool bookstore. What a great find! I'm so blessed that Fifi has the presence of mind to recognize a blessing when it's right in front of me, but I'm too frazzled to see it myself.This book unapologetically promotes the conviction that purity is important; that those who profess Christ are to be chaste until

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1156115322805777352006-08-20T15:59:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:20:08.363-07:00

Ages 8+Usually I will try to make my reviews as soon as I've finished reading the book. This book was one we tried to read together last summer. Despite its age, it was curiously and offensively full of references to the Lord's name -- in vain! It was shocking, frankly!I censored the language when necessary and forged ahead. A number of friends had read and recommended it for its humor, so I

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1155957466946008552006-08-18T20:02:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:20:27.239-07:00

Ages 3+This is one of possibly hundreds of easy-read nature books written by Thornton Burgess for children. This particular selection was not my favorite, but that's just because Muskrats aren't my favorite animal! Burgess consistently uses beautifully-crafted phrasing and clever personification elements:(1) The rising sun is refered to as, "Jolly Red Round Mr. Sun was climbing up the blue,

Grafted Branchhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13234492249971474897noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-32528190.post-1155235803489622002006-08-10T11:49:00.000-07:002007-08-06T20:20:42.715-07:00

Ages 5+Very fun children's read aloud about the British Royals and the Queen's love for corgi dogs. The dialog is laugh-out-loud humorous if you give each character a proper English voice and work it with wild abandon!This book chronicles the adventures of Prissy's last and lone surviving pup: Titus. His obedience and loyalty wins him a place as the Queen's favorite amongst her many corgis.In the

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