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Giving Books: Picture Books for Mom and Baby

Nov30

A friend asked me for some suggestions for a project that her church is doing to gather some gifts for young single moms in their area. Here are my favorite classic picture books for Mom and baby (or toddler/preschooler) to enjoy together:

Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown. Some people think the mother in this story is way too overprotective, but I happen to think that the little ones like the idea of a Mother Bunny who will never let them escape her love for them.

Good Night Moon by Margaret Wise Brown. Another winning title from the pen of Ms. Brown.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.

Drummer Hoff by Ed Emberly. Drummer Hoff fired it off.

Is It Red? Is It Yellow? Is It Blue? by Tana Hoban. Beautiful city photographs introduce children to colors.

The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss. Will the carrot seed that the boy plants really grow? A lesson i patience and faith.

Umbrella by Taro Yashima. A little Japanese girl longs to take her new umbrella to school but must wait until it rains.

Noah’s Ark by Peter Spier. Peter Spier is a talented illustrator, and in his books mostly the pictures tell the story. The pictures are a little too small and detailed for the youngest ones, but children will grow into this book and others by Spier.

The Gingerbead Boy by Paul Galdone. All of Galdone’s folk tale/fairy tale renderings are wonderful with big, bold illustrations and straightforward narration. These books, including The Three Bears, The Little Red Hen, The Three Billy Goats Gruff, and many others, are my favorite beginning folk tale books for reading aloud to young children.

Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present by Charlotte Zolotow. Charlotte Zolotow is another of my favorite picture book authors, and this story of a girl who is looking for a present for her mother is deliciously repetitious but also surprising. Illustrations are by Maurice Sendak.

If I were buying only ten books for a beginning library for mom and a young child to read together over and over again, these are the ten I would choose.

What about you?

Giving Books: Series for 10 Year Old Girls

Nov25

I happen to have a 10 year old, Z-baby, and she’s also a reluctant reader. I would suggest the following series for the 8, 9, and 10 year olds in your life, especially for the baby of the family, the reader who needs a little “push”, or the precocious six or seven year old.

Clementine books by Sara Pennypacker. I love Clementine, and there’s a new book in the series, Clementine and the Family Meeting. In this fifth book in the series, Clementine’s family is experiencing some changes. But according to Clementine’s Awesome Dad, who reminds me a little bit of Engineer Husband, “It will be fine, we’ll adapt. Because this how we roll, Clementine, this is how we roll.” (I’m going to start using that phrase with my urchins and see how they like it.)
Semicolon review of Clementine’s Letter.

Dyamonde Daniel books by Nikki Grimes. Semicolon review of the third book in the series, Almost Zero. Dyamonde is growing up in a lower middle class single parent family in the city, and she’s learning how to appreciate what she has and share with others. This series is the perfect antidote to Christmas (or anytime) greed and consumerism.

Ruby Lu books by Lenore Look. Semicolon review of Ruby Lu, Star of the Show. Ruby Lu is a star—a Chinese American, Spanish-learning, Haiku Heroine, dog training, hair cutting, hard working, list making, washing machine wearing, self-sacrificing center of attention and activity.

Moxy Maxwell books by Peggy Gifford. Semicolon review of Moxy Maxwell Does Not Love Stuart Little.

Ramona books by Beverly Cleary. These stories still hold up quite well after, what, 30 years? You can get The Complete Ramona Collection, beginning with Beezus and Ramona, for $23.78 at Amazon.

The Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner. Not the new books added to the series, but the old ones that Ms. Warner wrote more than thirty years ago. The idea of children living on their own and solving mysteries by themselves is irresistible to a certain type of child.

54

Jul28

54 is a wonderful number, not quite as interesting as 52, but still a lovely number and a good place to be.

On October 13th in the year 54, the Roman emperor Claudius died, possibly after being poisoned by Agrippina, his wife and niece. He was succeeded by Nero. O.K. that’s not a very beautiful event to remember, but it is interesting. Has anyone read I, Claudius and and Claudius the God, both by Robert Graves? I read both volumes of Graves’ fictionalized biographical novels about Emperor Claudius quite a while ago, and I don’t remember the details; however, I do remember them as quite well-written and fascinating.

54 is a semiperfect number and can be written as the sum of three squares: 49+4+1
27 + 27 = 54 That’s two times three cubed.

A score of 54 in golf is colloquially referred to as a perfect round. This score has never been achieved in competition.

Car 54, Where Are You? was a 1961-63 TV series starring Joe Ross and Fred Gwynne as New York City policemen having comical adventures.

Studio 54 was a highly popular discotheque in the 1970s and early 1980s. Studio 54 was originally a New York City Broadway theatre, then a CBS radio and television studio. In the 1970s it became the legendary nightclub located at 254 West 54th Street in Manhattan. The club opened on April 26, 1977 and closed in March 1986.

Debby Boone (9/22/1956), Carrie Fisher (10/21/1956), Katie Couric (1/7/1957), LeVar Burton (2/16/1957), Vanna White (2/18/1957), Spike Lee (3/20/1957), Vince Gill (4/12/1957), and Scott Adams (6/8/1957) are all 54 years old right now.
And Osama bin Laden (3/10/1957) was 54 years old when he died.

There are 54 countries in Africa, according to Wikipedia.

NASA has identified 54 potentially habitable, or life-friendly, planets outside our solar system.

54 Wonderful Projects is a post from last week about all the projects I’d like to read about, try out, live vicariously, or at least start. I have lots of lists of 100 (Top 100 Hymns Project), or 50 (50 Favorites) or 52 (52 Ways to Read and Study the Bible in 2011) things on this blog. In fact, one of my favorite things to do is to make lists. Look for more “54” lists this year.

54 is the number of cards in a deck of playing cards, if the two jokers are included. And by all means, I’m at an age to include the jokers. I identify with the jokers.

Psalm 54 sounds like a good prayer for this year. I’m beginning my 55th year of life, and for the past 54 years God has been my help, and the Lord has sustained me. Amen.

1 Save me, O God, by your name;
vindicate me by your might.
2 Hear my prayer, O God;
listen to the words of my mouth.
3 Arrogant foes are attacking me;
ruthless people are trying to kill me—
people without regard for God.
4 Surely God is my help;
the Lord is the one who sustains me.
5 Let evil recoil on those who slander me;
in your faithfulness destroy them.
6 I will sacrifice a freewill offering to you;
I will praise your name, LORD, for it is good.
7 You have delivered me from all my troubles,
and my eyes have looked in triumph on my foes.

Happy Fourth of July

Jul3

A favorite song for the day: Ben Shive’s 4th of July

From last year: 52 Ways to Celebrate Independence Day

From 2008: Celebrate the Fourth of July

From 2005: Read, White and Blue: Books and Links for the Fourth of July

We will be enjoying the parade in the morning and fireworks in the evening in Friendswood, TX. If you live in the USA, what are you doing to celebrate God’s grace and mercy upon our nation?

Around the World and Here at Home

May6

In our homeschool this week we started a year-long study of geography and cultures of the world. Our books this week were mostly about maps and globes and comparisons of world cultures and regions. We’ll be starting our travels in the Arctic and the Antarctic next week.

Books we read:
The Seven Continents by Wil Mara. (Rookie Read-about Geography)
Looking at Maps and Globes by Carmen Bredeson. (Rookie Read-about Geography)
Living in Polar Regions by Tea Benduhn. (Weekly Reader Life on the Edge)
The Whole World in Your Hands:Looking at Maps by Melvin and Gilda Berger.
Follow That Map! A First Book of Mapping Skills by Scot Ritchie.

Z-baby liked the last one best, Follow That Map!, probably because it had a story line and because I read it to her instead of having her read it herself. I thought all of them were adequate, information-wise, but not too terribly exciting or enticing. I’ll be working this summer and probably into the fall on a list of the BEST in primary/preschool level geography books and picture books set in countries around the world. What are you favorite around-the-world picture books?

Book links for today and this weekend:

Mother’s Day books your mom will actually like. by Kathleen Massara.

Christy Award nominees for 2011. Honoring and promoting excellence in Christian fiction. I’ve read exactly two of the books on the nomination list, She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell (Semicolon review here) and Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes (Reviewed by Gautami Tripathy). I thought both of those novels were O.K. but not really anything to write home about.

Have you read any of the Christy Award nominees? Are there any that you highly recommend?

Resurrection Sunday: He Is Risen Indeed!

Apr23

I thought I had already linked to or embedded this video from Easter last year, but I don’t see it anywhere. Enjoy, and celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

On April 4, 2010, over 1,300 young people, all of them members of Faith Church celebrated Resurrection Sunday in Budapest, Hungary.

Music: Ferenc Balogh Jr.
Lyrics: Shelly Matos, based on the Hungarian text by Tamas Pajor (Tompage)
Producer: Ákos Nemes
Art Producer: Tamás Pajor (Tompage)

Why Jesus?

Apr19

I was talking to a young man of my acquaintance last week, and we were discussing a friend of his who was dealing with lots of problems, mostly of her own making. I said something like, “Well, you know that ultimately she needs Jesus.” I knew that this young man says he believes in a Creator God, and he prays sometimes. However, he says he’s just not convinced that he has any need for or any faith in “all that Christian stuff.”

And, sure enough, he asked me: “Why Jesus?” Why can’t we just get by with a belief in a Higher Power or God or whatever you want to call Him without having to believe everything that the Bible says about Him? Why do we need to bring Jesus and all the Christian baggage into the equation?

Now I have answers to that question, and I gave the young man a brief response, which was all he wanted or was ready to hear. However, I’ve been thinking about his query, and I thought I’d ask some people I trust or admire to answer in their own words. It’s not a bad question to contemplate as we approach Resurrection Sunday and the celebration of the culmination of Jesus’ ministry and work here on earth.

I asked: If someone asked you, why Jesus? Why isn’t it enough to just believe in God? Why are Christianity and Jesus necessary? How would you answer?

Jared Wilson, pastor and author: God reveals himself to us in Christ (John 14). So to reject Christ is to reject God. God is triune; any denial is acceptance of not-God.

Mitali Perkins, author: A loving God doesn’t make sense in a suffering world without the cross.

Martin Luther: “Either sin is with you, lying on your shoulders, or it is lying on Christ, the Lamb of God. Now if it is lying on your back, you are lost; but if it is resting on Christ, you are free, and you will be saved.”

R.C. Sproul, pastor and teacher: “There is a God who is altogether holy, who is perfectly just, and who declares that he is going to judge the world and hold every human being accountable for their life. As a perfectly holy and just God, he requires from each one of us a life of perfect obedience and of perfect justness. If there is such a God and if you have lived a life of perfect justness and obedience—that is, if you’re perfect — then you certainly don’t need Jesus. You don’t need a Savior because only unjust people have a problem.”

I would add: Apart from Christ, how do you know what God you are praying to or acknowledging? Who is your God? A remote implacable Muslim God? Or a capricious and fallible Zeus? An impersonal “watchmaker” god? The unknown God (Acts 17:23)? Jesus is God’s final and highest revelation of Himself to a fallen, but beloved world. For God, the true one God revealed in Christ, so loved the world, you and me, that He gave His only begotten Son, Jesus, that whosoever believes, trusts, has faith in, Him shall not die but have everlasting, forever, abundant, quality life.

Today and every day as we live toward the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection and eventually toward His second coming to judge the world, I wish you Jesus.

If you have answers or questions to add to this discussion, please feel free to comment.

Poems for Fools

Apr1

Happy April Fools’ Day! Have you been fooled yet? Or fooled anyone? What’s the best April Fools’ joke you ever witnessed or experienced?

Today is also the first day of National Poetry Month, a celebration that I enforce upon the poor hapless souls here at Semicolon family every year, whether they like it or not. I choose to believe that secretly they do, like it, that is.

I like poetry. Not all poetry, but lots of poetry. My younger children like poetry, too. They memorize poetry. We had a Poet-Tea a couple of weeks ago where we read poems out loud, and drank tea, and a lovely time was had by all. (Betsy-Bee had the idea of the Poet-Tea, and she and Z-baby planned and catered it all.)

My older children (teens and up) also love poetry, but they don’t know it. Shhh, don’t tell them, but the song lyrics they recite and sing and post on their Facebook pages are all poetry. Some of the lyrics are good poetry, poetry that will last, and some are not so immortal, but they’re poetry, nevertheless.

So, to start this poetry month off with a bang and a whistle, here are a few links to Poetry for Fools:

Ogden Nash. One of my favorites, Mr. Nash had a gift for making the ordinary things of life fun and joy-filled.
Shel Silverstein. Mr. Silverstein’s website for kids is filled with poetry , but also lots of teaching helps, printables, poetry starters, and other foolish and fancy foibles and follies.
Edward Lear and A Blog of Bosh.

Sunday Salon: Upcoming Events in Houston

Mar20

Here are some events that I would like to attend because they feed my fascinations:

Exhibit: Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art
February 20–May 23, Museum Hours — Audrey Jones Beck Building, The Museum of Fine Art, Houston, 5601 Main St., Houston
The MFAH presents French Impressionist and Post-Impressionist masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC. This exceptional loan exhibition brings to Houston 50 paintings from the National Gallery of Art’s premier holdings while the galleries that house its 19th-century French collection are closed for repair, renovation, and restoration. The National Gallery’s Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection ranks among the finest of any museum in the world and features some of the greatest artists active in France between the 1860s and the early 20th century. The MFAH presentation showcases works by Mary Cassatt, Paul Cezanne, Edgar Degas, Vincent van Gogh, Édouard Manet, Claude Monet, Auguste Renoir, Georges Seurat, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. A fully illustrated catalogue exploring these paintings in depth accompanies the show. Admission to Impressionist and Post-Impressionist Masterpieces from the National Gallery of Art will require a timed-entry ticket that also includes general admission to the museum. See website for full ticketing information.

Lecture and Book Signing: Louis Markos discusses C. S. Lewis
March 23 and 30, 6:30 pm — Deacon’s Parlor, Second Baptist Woodway Campus, 6400 Woodway Dr., Houston
Louis Markos, professor of English and scholar in residence at Houston Baptist University, will give a two part lecture series on C. S. Lewis based on his two new books: Apologetics for the 21st Century and Restoring Beauty: The Good, the True, and the Beautiful in the Writings of C. S. Lewis. The talks are free and open to the public, and will be followed by a book signing.

Concert: St. John Passion
March 27, 5:00 pm — Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, 800 Bagby, Houston
Bach’s setting of the passion narrative from the Gospel of John is sacred drama of the highest order. This beloved work, presented in collaboration with the Moores School of Music Concert Chorale, features tenor Tony Boutté as the Evangelist and a stellar lineup of soloists and players. Presented by Ars Lyrica. Tickets are available online or by calling 713-315-2525.

Free Performance: UST Jazz Ensemble Concert
April 5, 7:30 pm — Cullen Hall, University of St. Thomas, 4001 Mt. Vernon, Houston
Dr. Malcolm Rector leads the talented UST Jazz Ensemble in performing some of the most spectacular selection from the harmonious music genre that is Jazz music. The UST Jazz Ensemble, famous for its sophisticated sound and fabulous improvisation, will be performing in UST’s Cullen Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

Performance: Amadeus
April 6–May 1, Times Vary — Alley Theatre, 615 Texas Ave., Houston
Peter Shaffer’s Tony Award–winning play is a riveting tale of obsession and vengeance. Loosely based on the lives of Viennese court composer Antonio Salieri and his young rival Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Amadeus follows a murder plot that shocks and fascinates. After committing his life to God in order to be blessed with the ability to create the world’s most sublime music, Salieri believes that God graced the rebellious Mozart with greater inspired creativity. Envious Salieri schemes to destroy Mozart and, in so doing, rebukes God. See website for performance schedule. Purchase tickets online or by calling 713-220-5700.

Free Lecture: Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson
April 13, 7:00 pm — Hilton Hotel, University of Houston, Houston
Dr. Neil de Grasse Tyson is the Frederick P. Rose Director of the Hayden Planetarium at the American Museum of National History and Visiting Research Scientist and Lecturer at Princeton University. Dr. Tyson published the first of six books on astronomy and astrophysics in 1988. His research interests include star formation, exploding stars, dwarf galaxies, and the structure of the Milky Way. To conduct his research, he uses telescopes all over the world as well as the Hubble Space Telescope. This lecture is presented as part of the Elizabeth D. Rockwell Ethics & Leadership Lectures.

Concert: Rodgers & Hammerstein and More
April 21, 8:00 pm — Jones Hall, 615 Louisiana St., Houston
Ashley Brown, celebrated leading lady of the Broadway stage in such Disney blockbusters as Mary Poppins and Beauty and the Beast, recently came to Houston to reprise the role of Mary Poppins in the National Tour. She comes to Houston again to be a part of an unforgettable concert with the Houston Symphony and Robert Franz. Hear her perform your favorite Rogers and Hammerstein songs along with selections from her Broadway roles and much, much more. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling 713-224-7575.

Writings of St. Patrick

Mar17

40 Inspirational Classics for Lent

I have written in past years about this poem, The Breastplate, attributed to St. Patrick, but probably not actually composed by him. However, we do have a couple of written pieces that most probably were the work of St. Patrick, one of which is his spiritual autobiography, St. Patrick’s Confessio. For today’s Lenten reading, I suggest you take a few minutes to read through Patrick’s confession.

“I was like a stone lying in the deep mire; and He that is mighty came and in His mercy lifted me, and raised me up, and placed me on the top of the wall.”

“For beyond any doubt on that day we shall rise again in the brightness of the sun, that is, in the glory of Christ Jesus our Redeemer, as children of the living God and co-heirs of Christ, made in his image; for we shall reign through him and for him and in him.”

For a fictional treatment of Patrick’s life and work, I recommend Stephen Lawhead’s novel, Patrick, Son of Ireland.

And here’s a list of picture books for St. Patrick’s Day from Amy at Hope Is the Word.

And yet another list of St. Patrick’s Day picture books from Mind Games.