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alicegunther
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Every Summer, we discover (or in this case re-discover) a certain living book or series of books that gives us a theme for the season. One year, we read all the Marguerite Henry horse books and spent July and August learning and experiencing all we could about horses. This year, Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons have caught our imaginations and put us all in the mood for sailing and camping and good English tea.
Our present happy phase began several weeks ago when I decided to purchase all the Swallows and Amazons books on tape. We had read some of the books before, but I wanted them on tape for car trips. After a bit of a search, I discovered the website of Gabriel Woolf, an accomplished actor and Arthur Ransome devotee, who has spent the past twelve years putting the series on audio cassette. The address listed for ordering these works was in the UK, so I sent an email inquiring as to whether or not the books could be shipped to the United States. In no time flat, I received a response from Mr. Woolf himself, and before I knew it, my mailbox was overflowing with interesting packages from the UK, each containing a small treasure--Swallows and Amazons, Swallowdale, Peter Duck, Winter Holiday--the list goes on. Mr. Woolf could not have been more gracious and even sent a follow up email to make sure the books arrived safely.
We listen to many books on tape, but I can honestly say that we have never listened to a book on tape so well done, so entertaining, so perfectly captured by the narrator, as these books are. Gabriel Woolf reads Arthur Ransome's characters flawlessly and manages to make each one distinct and "real." My children are so immersed in these books that they sometimes beg to be allowed to sit in the car in the driveway just to listen to a bit more.
The great thing about Swallows and Amazons is that the series appeals to both boys and girls and encourages the kind of outdoor play and literature-inspired games that we CM'ers prize. Our large family is particularly blessed with a player for almost every character in the books. My older girls have cast themselves as Nancy and Peggy Blackett, Amazon Pirates and Terrors of the Seas. The next three children play First Mate Susan, Able Seaman Titty, and the ship's boy, Roger, crew of the Swallow. I am of course, "Mother," and our one year old plays the Swallows' baby sister, affectionately called "The Ship's Baby." Only John, the captain of the Swallow, remains uncast, although I'm sure my three year old son, so perfect as the ship's boy, Roger, will one day grow into the role.
The other day, I surprised the children by preparing a picnic lunch based on the foods we read about in the books ("Mother" often brought special picnics for the children when she came to visit them at their camp). As I was making the preparations, I asked the children to go outside and "set up camp." They amazed me with their authentic-looking tents, made from twine tied between four trees and covered by sheets, a campfire, and even a place for Peter Duck's Cave (from "Swallowdale"). I brought out a huge wicker hamper filled with good things to eat--two piping hot chicken pot pies ("meat pies from Dixon's Farm"), a dozen or so hard boiled eggs and a packet of salt, two bottles of sparkling pink lemonade (which the Swallows would have called "Jamaica Rum"), a thermos full of hot English tea with cups to go around, Social Tea Biscuits (labeled "Hard Tack"), apples, and, just for fun, a portable fondue pot to use as a campfire, complete with chocolate-raspberry sauce and pretzels for dipping. First Mate of the Amazon, Peggy Blackett, was only too happy to light the candle under the fondue pot herself.
In my role as "Mother," I sat far away on the other side of the yard with the ship's baby in "Holly Howe." From there, I could see the Swallows and Amazons on Wildcat Island huddled around the fondue pot eating eggs and sipping tea. Now and then, they would sail over to visit me. Even the ship's boy, Roger, never once forgot to put up his arms for sails before approaching. Only the ship's baby seemed puzzled when she tried to cross the lawn to her siblings only to have them shout to her that she must "get out of the lake" so she wouldn't drown. Finally, they asked permission to "row" her across, and she had fun going in and out of the tents, just as the ship's baby of the Swallow would have done. I did hear a few complaints I do not remember from any of Arthur Ransome's books, including, "Mother! The Ship's Baby has fondue all over her hands, and Titty is dipping her pretzel into it!"
Today, we have some more fun planned for the Swallows and Amazons. I found two blow up row boats on sale at a local toy store, so now the pirates and explorers will be able to go to sea in the swimming pool. (My husband, who today is cast as Captain Flint, is blowing them up outside right now.) Nancy and Peggy have a Jolly Roger ready to fly over the Amazon, and First Mate Susan is working on a homemade banner for the Swallows' little ship.
If you have never read "Swallows and Amazons," I suppose much of this post will be unintelligible, but if you are looking for a fun, living and breathing book for the summer, you could not possibly find a more pleasurable read for all ages.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
      
Cottage Blessings
Brew yourself a cup of tea, and come for a visit!
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allforjmj
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| Posted: July 02 2005 at 1:43pm | IP Logged
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Wow Alice! Can I come to your house and play? 
My daughter who will be 17 in a week just loved these books. She hasn't read all of them yet we found only a few at the library, but I have been saving money hoping to buy the set one day. Now I think I want the tapes instead
You have inspired me to throw my cares away and rush off to sea! (except there is no sea close to Kansas) 
Jackie- who wants to be the "fun Mom" too
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BrendaPeter
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Hi Alice,
I noticed that the tapes are "abridged". Do you think they are missing anything because of that? Also, what was the cost per tape?
Thx!
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Blessings,
Brenda (mom to 6)
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alicegunther
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| Posted: July 03 2005 at 5:27pm | IP Logged
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allforjmj wrote:
Wow Alice! Can I come to your house and play?
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Anytime! Thanks, Jackie!
BrendaPeter wrote:
| I noticed that the tapes are "abridged". Do you think they are missing anything because of that? Also, what was the cost per tape? |
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The Gabriel Woolf tapes are what I would call, "lovingly abridged." As a general rule, we shy away from abridged books on tape, but these are done in such a way that a true Swallows and Amazons fan would not be disappointed. Mr. Woolf actually abridges them himself, and even the Arthur Ransome Society gives his tapes high marks.
The books are $29 a piece (after exchanging the price from British pounds to dollars and shipping the books from England). This may sound a bit steep, but I found them to be well worth it. Perhaps two or three families in a homeschooling group might want to chip in and take turns with the tapes for the summer. We have already leant our first book to friends whose children, reportedly, are enjoying it immensely.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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MacBeth
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| Posted: July 03 2005 at 5:31pm | IP Logged
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The books are almost unabridged. One can rarely tell what the reader has left out. I really don't care for abridgements, but in this case, I enthusiastically endorse the tapes.
Alice can speak to the cost  .
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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| Posted: July 03 2005 at 5:40pm | IP Logged
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alicegunther wrote:
| The books are $29 a piece (after exchanging the price from British pounds to dollars and shipping the books from England). This may sound a bit steep, but I found them to be well worth it. |
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And it's well below the $60 Amazon charges for the unabridged tpae of S and A, the only one they offer (a great recording, but with only one in the series, and at that price, look to the UK).
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
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cathhomeschool
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| Posted: July 04 2005 at 7:27am | IP Logged
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Alice, how wonderful! We love Swallows and Amazons, and my boys have become pirates as a result, but their re-enactments rarely get beyond hoisting their pirate flag on the fort outside and writing secret messages in semiphore with skulls and crossbones by every signature.
I hope that your post will inspire us to go further!
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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Meredith
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Alice, your post is fantastic! I had been holding off on these books because I thought they might be too old for my kids, but they sound absolutley perfect and what fun you're all having! I love to get the kids books on tape and can't wait to try these. Do you order directly from the sites you mentioned (I haven't looked at them yet) I certainly don't want to pay amazon $60 per book set. 
Thanks for your inspiration
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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alicegunther
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Many, many, many thanks.
You should go directly to the Swallows and Amazons site and send an email inquiring about shipping to the US. I was pleased to receive a personal response from Mr. Woolf and found him to be extremely accomodating and helpful.
My guess is your children will want to re-visit the tapes every summer. I know mine will! They have been asking to vacation on a lake this year!
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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alicegunther
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Here's a fun site for sailing fans: Printable Paper Model Sailboats.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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Kelly
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| Posted: July 07 2005 at 10:42pm | IP Logged
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Alice,
I emailed Mr. Woolf about ordering a S&A recording and he was indeed very helpful. I believe he refered to our group as "your charming circle of enthusiasts" or something like that Obviously, he has received more than a few emails from our 'charming circle'.
Can't wait to get the tapes.
Kelly in FL
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saintanneshs
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Alice, I was so completely inspired by your post! It is exactly what I picture when I dream about homeschool days...how lucky your children are to have you for their mother! Do you give lessons in guiding constructive play? I sure need them! Because of your post I did make an effort yesterday and put all of the "have-to"s down to pitch a tent in our livingroom and make a campfire (complete with roasted marshmallows) with my kids. Thank you!
I have a  about a pattern I've noticed with my boys. They seem to play really well (with me in the background) for about 30 min and then they begin to get fussy with each other, arguing over who will be Peter Pan and who will be Hook or becoming (unintentionally) destructive in their sword fights. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion (I keep skipping around!) and I'd love to hear how you and other CCM moms handle disputes during creative play time. Would you mind sharing a few tips on keeping the playtime flowing smoothly?
Thank you!!
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Kristine
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BrendaPeter
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Dear Alice & Macbeth,
Thank you for the information about the price & quality. I rarely purchase books on tape because they have been so available to us from the library, however, as you both know, this series is not. It sounds like a worthwhile purchase!
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Brenda (mom to 6)
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alicegunther
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Many, many thanks for your extremely kind words.
saintanneshs wrote:
| I have a about a pattern I've noticed with my boys. They seem to play really well (with me in the background) for about 30 min and then they begin to get fussy with each other, arguing over who will be Peter Pan and who will be Hook or becoming (unintentionally) destructive in their sword fights. I'm only about 1/3 of the way through Karen Andreola's A Charlotte Mason Companion (I keep skipping around!) and I'd love to hear how you and other CCM moms handle disputes during creative play time. Would you mind sharing a few tips on keeping the playtime flowing smoothly? |
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This is such an excellent question, and I am always so sorry when a dispute (often minor and silly) starts to spoil the fun. Interestingly, the Swallows and Amazons were able to camp out by themselves for weeks at a time with little, if any, bickering. Perhaps the rigorous activity, clean fresh air, unity of purpose, and hardy meals kept them all in high spirits!
I look forward to reading what others have to say on this question, but in the meantime, I thought some of you might enjoy this Swallows and Amazons Quiz. Fans of the entire series might prefer something a bit more in-depth. It is amazing how many Arthur Ransome quizzes are available on the internet.
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Love, Alice
mother of seven!
Cottage Blessings
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alicegunther
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And how's this for a field trip?
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Love, Alice
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MacBeth
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Great links, Alice! I love the  quizzes.
I have a bunch of links to more Ransome sites on my Swallows and Amazons web site, including links to newsletters, slideshows, and more. As usual, it needs to be updated, and turn your speakers way down, as the music blasts:
Swallowdale
Ths page also includes our "cover shots" which are pictures of S and A style holidays we have taken. We tried to match the scenes with the old covers from some of the novels. I think my favorite photosa re the Winter Holiday shots we took on a frozen lake where folks were sailing ice yachts.
And what's next for us? Trip and I are going to build this:
Weekender
So, Alice, are you ready for some real camping yet? I'll bring the pemmican and the grog...
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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MacBeth
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Oh, and has either of us mentioned the nature connection? The kids are always noting S and A events in our normal lives, including Thursday's incident...Great Northern is about egg collectors who are stealing the eggs of endangered species, and Thursday, while exploring a newly opened nature center, we found an egg lying on the ground. The question was: Do we take it, or leave it? It was clearly not going to hatch, there was no nest anywhere, and it was not the egg of any of the local sea birds (it was a swallow egg, and how it got where it was is anybody's guess), so we did keep it.
If you are looking for books that discuss endangered species without being heavy-handed or politically correct, both Great Northern and Coot Club explore the topics beautifully.
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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cathhomeschool
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MacBeth wrote:
And what's next for us? Trip and I are going to build this:
Weekender |
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Are you serious, MacBeth?!
MacBeth wrote:
| So, Alice, are you ready for some real camping yet? I'll bring the pemmican and the grog... |
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Can we come too?
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Janette (4 boys - 22, 21, 15, 14)
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MacBeth
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cathhomeschool wrote:
Are you serious, MacBeth?!
Can we come too? |
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Yes, we are serious, and oh, would you folks be welcome! Too bad you live so far! Too bad we all live so far from one another!
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God Bless!
MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
MacBeth's Blog
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Erica Sanchez
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What about a CCM gathering in the middle of the country sometime? It would be (relatively) easy for people to get there. It could be for just the moms for maybe a weekend or whole families for some big adventure. Just an idea....or a dream maybe......
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Have a beautiful and fun day!
Erica in San Diego
(dh)Cash, Emily, Grace, Nicholas, Isabella, Annie, Luke, Max, Peter, 2 little souls ++, and sweet Rose who is legally ours!
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Swallows and Amazons Forever!
