Pride and Prejudice

It has been a VERY long time since I wrote on my blog.  Life has been busy, like every one else, and it just got away from me!  Recently, I joined PaperBackSwap.com and I absolutely love it!! You get to list books you will not read again and for every book someone requests from you, you get to go on the site and request a book you want from someone else.  All you pay is the nominal fee to ship your books to those who want them.  It is a great way to get books you don't want to go out and pay full price for and to get rid of books you won't read again.

One of the books I requested was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Believe it or not, I had never read this classic.  I've watched the movie with Keira Knightley, but never read the unabridged version of the book.  It was AMAZING!! I love the English way of talking and it's fun to read.  I found myself wanting to talk like them in my every day conversations!! I just love the main character, Elizabeth Bennett, and her mother is hilarious.  Mr. Darcy, of course, is mysteriously captivating and you can't help but fall in love with Elizabeth's sweet sister, Jane.

This is a must read for every adult and older teenage girl. Happy Reading!

Tried a new author and loved it!!

A friend recently told me about an author she has enjoyed reading and a specific series of hers that she has enjoyed.  Francine Rivers, the author, has written a series of books based on the lives of women in the Bible.  I just finished reading the one she wrote on the life of Mary , the mother of Jesus.  It's titled, Unafraid, and it is AMAZING!!!!

It helped me imagine Jesus as a tiny baby and then a toddler and finally growing up into manhood.  It helped me imagine what it must have been like to be Jesus' mother.  All the emotions she felt and the fears she had.  It's a fictional story but based on sound Biblical facts.  It was so good I could not put it down. I read it in one day.  It's not real long and it's easy reading!

She has others on different ladies in the Bible and I'm going to read them all!! She does have other books that she has written and I am not necessarily recommending them because I have not read them.  I don't know what they are like.  This one was amazing and I'm sure the rest of this series will be as well!

I would recommend it for older teens-adults!  Happy Reading!!

Reading and Creative Writing

Some very dear friends of mine recently lost their dad and grandfather.  Through the years, they had graciously allowed me, along with several others, to develop a grandfather-like relationship with him.  Because my husband and I stayed in the area while others moved away, I was able to keep enough of a relationship with him to where they asked me and another friend of mine to speak at his funeral on behalf of all the teenagers his life had touched.  I wrote a story to convey to the audience what he had meant to me and many others.  I would like to share this story with you.  Yes, because I loved "Grandpa" Junkens and want others to know how great of a man he still is to those of us who had the privilege of knowing him.  However, I also want to share it to illustrate what reading can do for your child in the area of writing.

Now, in no way am I saying that this little story is professional, but I do believe that my imagination and creativity was able to be used because of all the books I have read through the years.  In previous posts, we have talked about background knowledge.  If I was going to give this story a title, I guess it would be, The Quiet Giant.  When I was asked to speak, I immediately thought of the story, The Selfish Giant, by Oscar Wilde.  Not because Grandpa Junkens reminded me of the Selfish part of that title!! But because by the end of that story everyone is endeared to the Giant and it is a very touching story.  If I had never been introduced to the story, my imagination could not have pulled from what I had read.  (If you haven't read, The Selfish Giant, you should!! It's great!!)

A child needs background knowledge for all kinds of life experiences and tasks.  Writing is one of them.  The more books he reads and the more of a variety of books he reads, who knows what he could write himself someday!!  Reading will develop your child's imagination.  I have often caught my three year old acting out a story we read and adding to it in her playing.  It develops their thought process and builds their mind.  So, keep reading and encouraging your child to read!!  It can help him in many areas, even writing!!  Happy Reading!

Below, is the story I wrote about one of the greatest men I have known!

The Quiet Giant

There was once a land where everyone was busy.  They were busy serving their King.  Some of the citizens served in great, well-known capacities.  Of course, there was the captain to whom all the other citizens of this great country looked to for guidance and help as they strived to serve the King.  He was well known by many and highly respected.  Everyone wanted to be as close to him as possible.  He was noticed wherever he went and rightfully so, because, he was in fact, the captain.

Around this great captain were his top soldiers.  They were the men on whom the captain heavily depended as they all worked to serve their King the best they knew how.  They inspired the people to follow the captain as he taught them how to better serve their King.  The citizens of this great land had high respect and admiration for these soldiers.  They were also well known and loved, almost as much as the captain himself.  They were well applauded for their work and diligence as they served their captain and King.  The citizens of this great land wanted to get to know these men.  They enjoyed being near them.  The little boys would play soldier at home and do their best to act just like one of the captain’s top soldiers.  The captain and his soldiers had great influence across the land and were known by all the citizens of this vast country.

There was, however, tucked away in a little corner of this great land, a quiet giant.  Although he was a giant in many ways, most would pass by this giant without noticing him.  The giant went about serving his King in ways of which not many took much notice.  He was very dependable.  For many years, he did the same job every Saturday morning.  Only to him it wasn’t a job.  It was a privilege and he put his whole heart into it.

This quiet giant made the youth of this land feel loved as he helped provide their transportation for many of their events, giving up many nights to take them on outings, listening to their nonsensical talk causing them to feel important to him and taking whole weeks away from home to spend with these youth as they enjoyed their class trips.   Not a lot of limelight, not a lot of thank yous or honors, but the quiet giant was happy to do whatever he could to help the youth of this great land find serving the King to be fun. 

The majority of the youth went on to start families of their own. They obtained careers or started serving the King in their own way.  They had fond memories of the quiet giant, but they soon faded as life became busier and they assumed their own more prominent roles in service for their King.

However, a few of the youth of this great land grew to love this quiet giant and recognized in him true greatness.  They watched as year after year he faithfully served without much fan fare.  They watched as he stood behind their captain when others did not.  They saw his big heart and kind smile and felt the warmth they brought to their own sometimes hurting hearts.

These youth had a tender affection for the quiet giant and soon began to call him grandpa.  Grandpa Giant began to slow down as age crept up on him.  He still loved his King and captain with all his heart.  He was troubled that he could not serve his King in the ways he had been known to do.  The youth would drop in from time to time to visit with their Grandpa  Giant.  Each time they did, they were reminded of true greatness.

The time came when the youth of this land had to say good bye to their quiet giant.  The King whom he had lovingly served for so many faithful years, had called him to live with Him.  The youth who loved this quiet giant with all their hearts, tearfully said good bye, but rejoiced in the knowledge that someday they would be reunited with their Grandpa giant when the King called them to live in His palace.

This quiet giant did not have a lot of followers.  He was not given many earthly honors for his faithful service to his King.  However, there was a group of youth from this great land in whose lives he made a giant of a difference.

Books for young boys 1st-3rd grade

 Recently, a mother asked me to recommend some books for her 1st grade son.  After sharing them with her, I thought I would share them with all of you as well.  It is important to get our children reading at an early age. We all know that! Sometimes, it is harder to get our boys to read at this age because they are always on the move.  Getting them the right books that will captivate their attention is important!  Here are just a few that I thought of quickly.  Feel free to add your own recommendations in a comment!

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel
Billy and Blaze by CW Anderson
Make Way for the Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
The Five Chinese Brothers by Claire Huchet Bishop
The Fire Cat by Esther Averill
Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel  by Virginia Lee Burton
Cowboy Sam and Big Bill by Edna Walker Chandler
Flip by Wesley Dennis
Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
Indian Two Feet and His Eagle Feather by Margaret Friskey
Dan Frontier by William Hurley  (These books are out of print, as far as I know, and would need to be found at the library.)

Many of these books are books within a series.  For instance, Billy and Blaze by CW Anderson is only one of many books about Billy and Blaze.  Again, feel free to recommend others in the comments below.  These are only a very few of what is out there!  Happy Reading!

Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall

Kaitlyn, my three year old, and I have been reading books furiously from the library as part of the summer reading program.  We have read many books that are new to us.  One book we found, Flora's Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall, caught my attention!

It is the adorable story of how a little girl is annoyed by her little brother and has many offers from different parts of nature to get rid of him.  After he has spilled her paints and gotten her in trouble, she is tempted to do just that, get rid of him!!  At each offer, she contemplates whether she wants to keep him or let him go.  In the end she decides he is worth keeping and takes him back home to mother.  It is the cutest little story and very well written.  Kaitlyn asked for it to be read over and over again!



Check this book out! Your little ones will enjoy reading it, especially on those days when their siblings seem to be extra annoying!! Happy Reading!!