Reggie Dabbs is someone I would like to call a friend. Not only is his story a remarkable; his vision and dedication to helping others is inspiring.
While just in the second grade he learns that his parents are not really his parents. He also learned that his conception was truly an accident. His mother had to sell herself to feed her three children. And during that act she became pregnant with him. His life began at a value of $20. What a blow to a young child’s sense of self. Read more… »
This beautifully illustrated four book series “Seasons of Faith” is based on four of the best Children’s Bible Hour (created by CBH Ministries) radio scripts. The four books that I received for review were:
You Can’t Come In (Summer)
Braving the Storm (Winter)
Race with Midnight (Spring)
Seventy Times Seven (Autumn)
Of the four, “Seventy Times Seven“ was my favorite with with “Braving the Storm” a close second because they were the most realistic scenarios for me. “Seventy Times Seven” illustrated the point that we all struggle with — learning to be empathetic and forgiving others in the manner that we wish to be forgiven.
My daughters were split on their favorite. My older daughter enjoyed “You Can’t Come In” while the younger daughter really loved “Race with Midnight” (she’s an animal lover so I think that was the deciding factor). I guess our choices also reflect where we are on our journey of life.
My oldest daughter actually was frightened by “Braving the Storm” because it dealt with real world problems such as losing a job, injuries, etc. At 10 she’s working very hard to remain an innocent child and I guess that story had too much realism for her. I on the other hand appreciated the realism in the last two books. The first two books were a bit to pat for my tastes.
One feature that I thought was such a great idea is the inclusion of the CDs with each story. This allows my younger daughter to follow along with the book and get familiar with new words or just enjoy the story whenever she wants. I love reading with my children, but sometimes time is an issue and the CD can be my surrogate reader.
The four book/CD series costs $40 or you can buy individual books/CDs for $10 a piece. I think this is a good addition the library of families who want to inspire their children to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
My first taste of Ed Dunlop’s work came in the form of a Sherlock Jones mystery. My family loved it. It was funny, exciting and spiritual all at the same time. So, I was very excited to receive the Terrestria Chronicles: The Dragon’s Egg and The Crown of Kuron by Ed Dunlop for review. There’s nothing better than a good book and so I split the books with my daughter. She took The Crown of Kuron and I took The Dragon’s Egg. Ready, set, read!
Now, although we read different books our reactions were pretty similar. We were bored. Maybe we’re just not the castle and knight type of girls. Jade reported that it took a long time to read the book because the plot was “kind of slow and not really exciting.” And that’s pretty much my take on it also. I also found it to be heavy-handed with the delivery of Christian values.
Don’t get me wrong. I love the premise of the books. I love the values that the stories are illustrating. But to be honest (and please don’t pelt me with eggs), but the writing style for these particular stories reminded me a lot of Moses’ writing. Huh? What I mean is, Moses repeats himself an awful lot in his writings. I later understood that in Hebrew repetition signifies the weightiness of a matter so I learned to appreciate it (or at least be patient) but it’s not something I look for in secular stories.
For example in The Dragon’s Egg, Josiah just keeps repeating how he can’t disobey King Emmanuel. He can’t disobey King Emmanuel because he’s done so much for him. He can’t disobey King Emmanuel because of his vows. He can’t disobey because … well, you get the idea. Then the names of the knights (although wonderfully and vividly explained) got on my nerves. I understand the point behind them (we should be faithful (Sir Faithful), dedicated (Sir Dedication), watchful (Sir Watchful), etc.) but it just didn’t work for us.
And I hate to say it but I liked the dreaded Morphina better than the knights. She really is a sneaky villainous who is a force to be reckoned with in the books. Mr. Dunlop’s depiction of how people allow their secret desires to morph their sensibilities was very well done (and oh so true). And while Josiah can be annoying at times, he is an excellent example of what all people face when they’ve chosen a higher path to live on.
Although we didn’t enjoy these two books, I do think that families that enjoy knights and jousts will get a kick out of it. I think boys would probably really enjoy it since there’s jousting, dragons, glory and treasure involved. (And if you’re a mystery buff like we are, definitely check out Ed Dunlop’s Sherlock Jones (and other) series. )
"Sarah's Wish invites you to enter the 19th century world of secrets and broken promises, runaways and slave catchers, colorful gypsies and noisy riverboats, and Granny. Although Granny's hilarious dialect and lively antics are sure to keep you laughing, not all is happy. Emotions take a ride as Sarah's big wish appears hopeless. But when life is at it's darkest, the butterflies come!"
“Sarah’s Wish” is the creation of Jim Baumgardner, an entertaining storyteller and easy-going person (as evidenced in his monthly newsletters). This is the first in the growing series of books. The other two completed stories are called “Sarah’s Promise” and “Sarah’s Escape”. Sarah’s Wish shines a light on a period of time that is usually glossed over — the period just before the Civil War — and demonstrates how abolitionists worked to help runaway slaves get to freedom as well as the risks they took to maintain their integrity to their personal beliefs. The bounty hunters were a force to be reckoned with and we get a chance to see just how cruel a person can become when greed becomes their sole motivator.
When I received the book I was in the middle of a “crisis” since my son was very ill with a stomach flu so I only gave it a cursory glance. Since I was too swamped with Michael, I asked my nine-year old if she’d like to read the book first. She opted out because she’s in the middle of “Cheaper by the Dozen” and (I believe) glanced at the typeface and decided it was going to be one of those boring books.
Actually when I first looked at the type I kinda groaned because I thought that it would be a difficult read, but boy was I wrong. During one of my all night sick bed sessions with Michael I opened up the book and didn’t put it down until I finished it. After reading the opening which explained how Sarah became an orphan I was hooked and her mother’s last words. It wasn’t the tragedy that hooked me. It was the way that Sarah’s heart and spirit shone through Jim’s words. I felt that she was a real person, and one that was worth getting to know better. And she’s definitely someone that my children will know very well indeed since I’m purchasing the next two books in the series!
Isn’t the cover art for the book beautiful? But don’t be fooled — this book contains secrets like you wouldn’t believe. Each book in the series has an e|Live component to it. What’s e|Live? It’s a way to make books interactive for people. When you purchase the book, you not only get a physical book, but the audiobook as well.
And I’m eternally grateful for this because my family listens to a lot of audiobooks while driving and this is a guaranteed way for my youngest daughter to appreciate the entire story. She’s a beginning reader and although the book is only 128 pages, by the end of the day my good intentions to read to her each night sometimes falls apart. With the audio download that I can burn to CD she’s guaranteed the opportunity to learn how special Sarah is.
I highly recommend the Sarah Series for the whole family. The values it teaches are simply stated, clearly demonstrated and well worth implementing in our every day lives.
P.S. Jade finally got around to reading the book after my initial review and guess who wants me to pick up the next installment … I guess Mommy does know best.
I have never seen a more beautiful magazine than the one called “Nature Friend Magazine” that arrived in my mailbox this past August. As soon as we took it out of the mailbox the tug-of-war began. My little nature child, Alaya, wanted to look through the pictures and ask a billion questions as she’s still a beginning reader and the text was a bit much for her. My eldest child wanted to read it immediately (and aggravate her sister by not letting her look over her shoulder) and Michael just assumed that it must be for him so he was upset that the other two were touching his treasure. Needless to say the neighbors were getting quite a show by the mailbox that day.
What makes Nature Friend Magazine different from other nature/animal magazines are the photographs. Sure, other magazines have photos of the animals. But I’ve never seen any that really jump off the page the way that Nature Friend Magazine does. They are stunningly beautiful. The August 2009 issues has a cover shot of an owl as he’s about to catch a mouse for dinner. It is so detailed that you can count how many the long feathers on it’s outstretched wing (11 by my count). I have never seen an owl in real life, but this picture conveys the beauty, grace and strength of this beautiful bird.
Besides educating children on the scientific facts and figures, it also highlights the beauty and wisdom of God’s design. It’s not done in a preachy, “let me hit you over the head” manner. Instead the publishers show the children (and parents) the beauty of the world that we live in in such a reverent way that to deny that this is the work of an Intelligent Creator is impossible (or at least a lot of work for the unbeliever.)
I am not a photographer. I have two left thumbs when it comes to taking pictures that I’m proud of showing to others. So, I really appreciated the tips that were included on how the cover photo and other photos contained within the magazine were taken. It has helped me to appreciate that photography is an art form that can be learned. Jade has a natural gift for taking good pictures and once I get my new digital camera (Michael decided my other camera needed a bath …) we are definitely including nature photography.
Aside from beautiful pictures, there are informative articles on the animals that were captured on film (or memory card) as well as puzzles, picture submissions by their readers and drawings of plants and other natural scenery by the children who read the magazine. My kids and I had a lot of fun with the scavenger hunts that were in each magazine. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that there are art lessons in each magazine, so you can easily use the material as an art instructional. And given the beautiful hand-drawn pictures of animals, children are definitely benefiting from the information.
Nature Friend is definitely a value at $36/year. If you’re interested in using the magazine as a formal part of your curriculum you can also purchase the monthly study guides for an additional $2 per month. These study guides can be purchased for a year, or individually. They also have hardbound copies of their past issues if you’d like to have a permanent record of the beauty of our natural world. They cost $66 per volume.
Nature Friend Magazine provided me with a free copy of their magazine to read and use in order to write this review, but they have also gained a new loyal subscriber. I plan on gifting the magazine to my animal loving daughter, Alaya, for Christmas. (But don’t tell her — it’s a secret!)
This is a great tool for creating moments to sit back and observe nature. My little ones were so entranced by the photos that we ended up having long discussions about what they saw and looked up additional information on the animal that had captured their imagination. For example, in the August edition it was butterflies and our scavenger hunt led us to other resources to look up facts about butterflies and how they live. This magazine is a tangible expression of what homeschooling is all about — igniting the imagination and wonder of the world in the hearts and minds of our children.
And now until November 30, 2009 you can save money on an annual subscription.
Just add the Coupon Code BLOG93before you checkout.
Wizz-e is a magical place where books come to life. They move, they shimmer, they speak and even give quizzes. The magic has touched the classics such as “The Three Little Pigs.” The magic has affected new books, such as “Hoop-La the Hippo.” Some books count and some books rhyme. But whatever else they do the children always have a good time.
My daughter (6 years old) is a beginning reader who lacks confidence in her decoding skills. She actually can read better than she thinks, but the second-guessing takes a lot of energy of her. So when I found out about this website I thought it would be a nice change from Starfall.com (another great reading site) since the reading material is for “bigger” girls and boys. Once I got the site up, she was immediately drawn to the site’s layout and book offerings.
The first book we read together was “The Three Little Pigs.” Actually, she opted for the narrator to read that one and I’m glad that she did. The narration was first rate. And the beautifully drawn illustrations really captivated her. They are beautifully rendered as well as animated. But unlike other sites that really go overboard when it comes to animation and music, Wizz-e is very subtle and calming. No flashing lights to distract the children from what they need to concentrate on — the Words. Even the music is soothing, creating a cozy and relaxing feeling.
Another great reason to visit Wizz-e is that although most of the books are for purchase, you can’t beat the prices. The books range anywhere from $1.99 to $8.99, are immediately accessible and available for use. The bookstore offers books that encourage counting, health, classic stories like “Old Mother Hubbard”, alphabet books and bedtime stories. Regardless of the genre, the illustrations brought to life are really a feast for the eyes. And each book comes with the option of reading the story outright, an “assist” mode that allows the child to click on an unfamiliar word and have it read to them and straight reading. At the end of each story there is a little quiz just to make sure that the children remembered the main points of the story.
Aside from the library, which is expanding each month, there are also games, free downloads and jokes for the kids to tell us a million times. The game section is also a work in progress, so the interface doesn’t always work as well as it should. My daughter and I both got frustrated with the “Seek and Find — Find the Teddies”. Once again the illustrations are beautiful, but when we tried to circle the bears the interface didn’t always acknowledge you and put a circle around the bears. And since this is a time sensitive game it’s very annoying to know you lost even though you found all of the teddies. So, I would suggest that parents with small children give this a pass for now.
The “Hoop-La the Hippo” puzzle worked very well. My daughter’s only complaint was that there wasn’t a greater variety of puzzles. By that she meant that you weren’t able to choose a 9 piece puzzle versus a 21 piece puzzle. She suggested that I tell the owners that they need to fix that so that older kids could play too without getting bored. So, if anyone from Wizz-e finds my review, please add more puzzle piece choices. It’ll make Alaya very happy.
I know that a lot of parents are wary of allowing their children to access the internet without close supervision, but Wizz-e has solved that problem for you. Once you purchase the book you can immediately download it to your hard drive for later use. Although you can’t transfer it from whichever computer you download it to, this is a good way to keep the kids safe. And it’s a great way to entertain the children for a few minutes while encouraging reading and reading comprehension. I think once you take a look you’ll definitely see it as a worthy addition to your teaching arsenal. You can visit their site and get more information by going to www.wizz-e.com.
Today is bittersweet for me. Today is the release of the final book in the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. I can’t wait to find out how Percy’s prophecy will affect his quest to save the world. I mean, our lives hang in the balance so it’s kind of important.
But as excited and happy I am to listen to the story, I am saddened because we it seems that this will be the last time we’ll catch a glimpse of the realities that half-bloods face everyday. I mean, that big hairy guy you’re sitting next to on the train just might be a cyclops or other monster from Greek mythology. It’s just a good thing that we mortals are pretty much uninteresting to these beasts — the subways of New York are savage enough without adding man-eating monsters.
Speaking of New York City, Mr. Riordan, Chief Scribe of Camp Half-blood, explains that Olympus follows the pinnacle of Western Civilization, and right now is located on the top of the Empire State Building in NYC. Zeus wears a pinstripe suit, Ares is garbed as a Hell’s Angel motorcyclist, and Hera is dressed like Donna Reed or the mom in “Leave It to Beaver”. Artemis is a feminist, Hades is an overworked bureaucrat and the list goes on. Being a Greek mythology aficionado, it’s very entertaining seeing these ancient Gods hanging out in the Big Apple having parties on the top of the Empire State Building. I mean, Hermes jogging around in his running suit with his caduceus (disguised as a cell phone) drinking Coca-Cola isn’t exactly the traditional way of thinking about the ancient ones.
There are six books in the series:
“The Lightning Thief”
“The Sea of Monsters”
“The Titan’s Curse”
“Battle of the Labyrinth”
Percy Jackson: The Demigod Files”
And the final book, which was released today:
“The Last Olympian”
There is also a companion book called:
“Demigods and Monsters: Your Favorite Authors on Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians Series”
I haven’t “read” that one yet since it’s not an audiobook so I’ll have to read it the traditional way.
The basic premise of the story is that Percy Jackson is an undiscovered demigod that has been accused of stealing Zeus’ master bolt. Hades has sent his minions after Percy, Zeus wants him dead and there’s a third, unknown party that is also in the mix.
Percy doesn’t know about any of this. He’s just struggling through his class work, trying not to get expelled and trying to figure out why he doesn’t fit in anywhere. Then one terrifying night everything changes and Percy must quickly get up to speed on the “real” world of Olympian intrigue, betrayal, friendship and powers he never knew he possessed, before the Olympian gods kill him.
Obviously Percy survives and each book builds upon the events in “The Lightning Thief.” We learn more about the demigod world and the treacherous plans of the unknown instigator behind most of Percy’s troubles.
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Before going any further, I want to give a rousing applause to his alter audio ego, Jesse Bernstein. Jesse Bernstein is the perfect narrator for this series. He captures the youth, the wonder and essence of Percy Jackson, an unlikely key to the survival of the Olympians. Each of his characterizations is well planned and executed.
If you’ve listened to many audiobooks, you’ll understand that some narrators are very dry, can’t keep their characters voices consistent and make the book uninteresting. Sometimes, I’ve even had to stop listening to the audiobook and just go to the library and finish the novel myself because the reader was just that bad!
But Jesse is a delightful reader and I wish him well in the rest of his audiobook career.
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Enough about the alter ego, let’s start singing the praise of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson. The thing that I liked right away about Percy is his complete candor and lack of artifice. He doesn’t take himself too seriously, and when you meet some of the other demigods you’ll see why this is so refreshing. His mom is really cool – I want to be just like her when my kids are teenagers. She is willing to accept Percy for who he is – she disciplined him, advised him and set a good example—but ultimately she trusts him to do the right thing. Sometimes trusting that our kids have what it takes is the hardest job of all.
My husband, up until the past few weeks, thought that we (the girls and I) were a little nutty because of our enthusiasm for the series. But has actually become a bigger fan than we are! He’s currently up to “The Battle of the Labyrinth” and has decided that aside from Percy, his favorite character is Chiron, the Centaur Teacher of Heroes. He’s credited Chiron for teaching him how to be a mentor to his eldest daughter, who was making him just a tad bit crazy with her decisions of late. So now when he’s ready to blow he asks himself, “What would Chiron do?” So far it’s been working, so I’ll leave it at that.
My girls love Percy because he’s funny. One of the things that makes him such an entertaining character is that he comes across as a real person; a really funny person. One example of this is when he’s fighting the Chimera and has to jump out of a window from a great height. He doesn’t try to fix it up that he’s a brave guy – he reports that as he fell the only thing that he was thinking was “AAAAAAAH!” They also enjoy the internal disputes amongst the demigod camp (which is located on Long Island, don’t you know?) and the Olympian Gods. The personalities are very vivid and it’s easy to get caught up in their world.
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The series is very enjoyable and has enough real life in it to make it an
excellent jumping point for discussions on loyalty, love and friendship. Rick Riordan has also created a curriculum guide for those who want to do a unit study on his book, “The Lightning Thief” or Greek mythology. Rick was a teacher before he became a novelist, so he also includes his favorite mythological sources. It’s a free download. You can also find a teachers’ guide to “The Titan’s Curse”, some videos and other cool learning activities submitted by teachers and students who also love Percy.
You can read all about Rick Riordan, Percy’s world and his other book series (children and adult) in the works. I was especially touched to read how his two son’s interests and struggles helped shape Percy Jackson’s world. I guess, as parents, we need to let ourselves be inspired by our children just as much as we strive to inspire them to be the best that they can be. Thanks guys for getting your dad to write this series!
All hail Percy Jackson and the Olympians!
P.S. I’ve found one consolation. I can now get fully absorbed in his new 10 book collaborative series called The 39 Clues. And if you like your kids playing educational video games, they definitely should visit the 39 Clues game website that ties in with the books.
Another resolution that I’ve made involves my blogging. I want to be more consistent with my blogs. So, I’m planning on doing book reviews on Wednesdays (starting next week), cool curriculum type topics on Fridays and the musings on Sundays.
I really wish that I could spend more time blogging, but between drumming up business, doing business, educating children and trying to get some sleep (hah!) there’s not much time left. Oh, and I’m working on a new website called Homeschoolers Work at Home (www.homeschoolers-work-at-home.com). It’s definitely a work in progress — I’m still writing articles and things for it, but if you want to take a peek so far, just be kind.
Well, it’s time to get the day started with our Bible reading, so here’s tired mommy signing off!
I'm a homeschooling mom with seven children: 3 human, 2 feline and 2 canine. I'm also the wife of one very patient husband who seems to like the role of ringmaster to our circus. I am a virtual assistant who enjoys writing, crafts, music and laughter. I hope you'll visit often. Please be aware that this blog is supported by affiliate links, although every link isn't necessarily an affiliate program.
Reggie Dabbs is someone I would like to call a friend. Not only is his story a remarkable; his vision and dedication to helping others is inspiring.
My first taste of 
