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Taffy
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 11:16am | IP Logged
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I'm afraid I don't have any ideas for additions to the reading list. Just wanted to chime in and agree with those saying that they prefer the booklist to be arranged by subject, and levels within the subjects would be great too. It makes things easier for those of us with a child who's all over the place. 
And I look forward to the revised edition and a future high school edition. Fortunately, I can afford to wait for it right now. 
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Susan
Mom to 5 on earth and 1 in heaven
Susan's Soliloquy
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Taffy
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 11:38am | IP Logged
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Actually, I just remembered and can't believe that I forgot to mention this book...
My kids have all LOVED Sleeping Dragons All Around, by Sheree Fitch which is, unfortunately now out of print. It's inspired by a poem called "The Eve of St. Agnes" by John Keats and is about a girl's quest to have a midnight snack of mocha maple chocolate cake in a house full of sleeping dragons. Written in a poetic style, it's engaging and the words are beautiful and lyrical to listen to. Here's a quote:
Quote:
Over there by the stair
Sleeps the dragon Pythagorus
A dragon of deadly precision
His obsession is mathematics
He's unusually adept at division
The dragon Pythagorus
Counts in his sleep
I strongly suspect
That he tabulates sheep.
The dragon Pythagorus
Drutters away
Until night has melted into day:
"Numbers! Numbers!
Infinitesimal!
I love numbers
Especially decimals"
And so...
With a 1 and a 2 and a 3
I must tiptoe
Tiptoe...
Softly
As I pass... |
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Anyway, that's my humble suggestion. 
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Susan
Mom to 5 on earth and 1 in heaven
Susan's Soliloquy
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 12:13pm | IP Logged
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Taffy, that sounds wonderful! I hope to find a copy some day!
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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JenniferS
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 12:43pm | IP Logged
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Many prayers for you, Elizabeth, as you finish this project. I don't have anything to add. I am so thankful for your book because it opened our eyes to a living books way of learning, and our kids do love what we have implemented so far. Our kids love learning, and that is such a beautiful blessing.
Thanks!
Jen
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Maria B.
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 1:58pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth, if I can offer you any kind of help to get this done, let me know.
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Maria in VA
Proud Mom to 10 Great kids!
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ALmom
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| Posted: March 10 2007 at 9:22pm | IP Logged
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Elizabeth:
As for organizing the books - I think by subject is a great idea but then within the list of subject go from easiest reading level to highest (don't have to tag a specific grade level so it wouldn't be quite as time consuming to organize - and yet it would provide the same benefit. I have a lot of different levels in my house and like to keep themes going so I could pick books from the beginning, middle and end of your list and know I wasn't ending up with all picture books when I was hoping to have something to draw our highschooler in to a project. I'd love to see all the books recommended on this board by subject listed in one place. I know I saw a bunch of books and reviews on WWII books here and am looking to get a lot of them eventually - when there is more money and when we get to that time period. I hope I can find these by then.
I'd also appreciate a tag for content that might not be appropriate for younger readers. I often look to read aloud from more advanced reading books, but do not always have time to preview everything so I try to stick with tried and true or a generally reliable source. I know there is a wide range of comfort zones on this board and it is difficult to id what is or is not suitable since so much is prudent judgement, so I'm not talking about perfection here. I know it is difficult to start doing this as then someone will wonder why something else was not tagged - and of course as the parent, I'm still responsible for the books we choose - with or without a list to guide me. Still, somewhat like the reviews on - line, it saves me time to have a heads up as I can eliminate some things without review and still preview before we view other things. I know there are some children's versions of mythology that still touch on infidelity - now I wouldn't want to read that to my youngers even though it is not something I'd not want to have on the list. But it would save me time to know that there is an allusion to infidelity as I might look for a different collection with only other myths for my youngest. Just some ideas. I love Carolyn Hatcher's book list organization - but sadly I cannot find many of them anymore.
Janet
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Erin
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| Posted: March 11 2007 at 12:52am | IP Logged
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ALmom wrote:
| I'd love to see all the books recommended on this board by subject listed in one place. I know I saw a bunch of books and reviews on WWII books here and am looking to get a lot of them eventually - when there is more money and when we get to that time period. I hope I can find these by then. |
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Janet
I think this is a wonderful idea, however as it occured to me that no way is Elizabeth going to be able to fit in all the books ever recommended here  another thought came to me. Could we set up a collaboration of books into a list here on the board. I know that we have picture books and literature book rec's etc however they aren't in list format. Like your need for the WW2 bks all listed together.
ALmom wrote:
I'd also appreciate a tag for content that might not be appropriate for younger readers. I often look to read aloud from more advanced reading books, but do not always have time to preview everything so I try to stick with tried and true or a generally reliable source. I know there is a wide range of comfort zones on this board and it is difficult to id what is or is not suitable since so much is prudent judgement, so I'm not talking about perfection here. I know it is difficult to start doing this as then someone will wonder why something else was not tagged - and of course as the parent, I'm still responsible for the books we choose - with or without a list to guide me. Still, somewhat like the reviews on - line, it saves me time to have a heads up as I can eliminate some things without review and still preview before we view other things. I know there are some children's versions of mythology that still touch on infidelity - now I wouldn't want to read that to my youngers even though it is not something I'd not want to have on the list. But it would save me time to know that there is an allusion to infidelity as I might look for a different collection with only other myths for my youngest. Just some ideas. I love Carolyn Hatcher's book list organization - but sadly I cannot find many of them anymore.
Janet |
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Another great point
Sorry Elizabeth off the urgent need a little I know 
Are you intending including all of the Bethelehem books?
All of Kate Seredy's books are beautiful and Caroline Dale Sneedeker's books are extremely well written.
Louis De Wohl's books are excellent for the older student.
I would agree with grouping by subject although I would find it helpful to have the picture books in a separate list to the chapter books. Although still grouping them by subject or perhaps writting a P next to them in the bigger list. I like the idea of ascending level of difficulty.
It may be of interest for you to know that although I own thousands of books many of the picture books on your list I didn't have as I believe that they are of more American origin and we tend to find English picture books more frequently here. Just an odd piece of information
Have you got a particular subject that you are light on and needing more suggestions for?
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
Seven Little Australians
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MacBeth
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Tina P. wrote:
| I have a question (OK, several questions) for those of you with older children. I read (I think in Landscape with Dragons to steer clear of authors such as Lloyd Alexander and Ursula Le Guin. Is this a case of just steer clear of *some* of their books? Because I know there are authors of great books who write mediocre books which we steer away from as well. If that's the case, which of their books should we give wide berth and which should we embrace? |
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This is tricky. I really enjoyed LWD, but I did not agree with him on all counts. In the case of Lloyd Alexander, his problem with the Prydain Chronicles was a "greyness" in its world view. One could certainly not call them Christian, and they do have very frightening imagery, but I would not call them exactly pagan, either--more "pre-Christian". I think they are better than, for example, Harry Potter, not because they have "better" magic, but because they emphasize honesty and integrity the way the HP books often do not. I would put the Prydain Chronicles closer to LOTR in the continuum of children's fantasy. I have not read any of his other books,, though I have a copy of the Arkadians on the shelf. I'll have to give it a try.
Ursula LeGuin is a bit harsher. I have read some of her books, and I think the Catwings series (LWD does not included this young children's series) are fine. Earthsea is a dark, creepy, dreary setting, with characters dealing in magic and necromancy. Good and evil are very subjective in her books, and this is a problem for me.
OTOH, LWD gives Anne McCaffrey's dragon books a "pass" of sorts, with reservations, but he totally misses the very free se*uality in the main series, and the pro-abortion (herbs that terminate  ) and homose*uality implied in certain scenes (there is a subset of the books that is meant of teens that is quite nice, actually, and many of the MANY books in the series are fine with slight editing).
I guess my point is that while LWD is a good guide with which to begin to critique children's lit, it is not the last word, and in the end one must still read for himself, or rely on a friend with a great booklist.
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
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Karen T
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MacBeth wrote:
OTOH, LWD gives Anne McCaffrey's dragon books a "pass" of sorts, with reservations, but he totally misses the very free se*uality in the main series, and the pro-abortion (herbs that terminate ) and homose*uality implied in certain scenes (there is a subset of the books that is meant of teens that is quite nice, actually, and many of the MANY books in the series are fine with slight editing).
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MacBeth, it's been a few years since I read LWD but I got the distinct impression when I read it that he *didn't* approve of McCaffrey's books. I had only recently discovered them as an adult and read the entire dragon series, as well as some of her other ones. I have thought several times that ds, almost 14 now, would like them, but I remembered the se*uality and have not recommended them.
I just looked back through LWD and found only one paragraph on McCaffrey on quick look, and he says the negative impact of her books is symbol inversion, b/c she makes the dragons good and beautiful, rather than evil.
I'm with you on not following him to the letter; while I agree with some of his points I don't feel they are all valid, nor for all people. It's always nice, though, to find more lists of books TO read - like I don't have enough already!
Karen T
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MacBeth
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| Posted: March 25 2007 at 4:12pm | IP Logged
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Karen T wrote:
| MacBeth, it's been a few years since I read LWD but I got the distinct impression when I read it that he *didn't* approve of McCaffrey's books. |
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Karen, now that I think about it, I think you're correct. But here's what I was thinking, as I read his reviews. I thought that his reservations about the books came from both the imagery (good dragons) and telepathy (mind control or mind reading, or whatever), while he totally missed what I thought were the more problematic parts of the book, namely the se*xuality.
My big complaint about LWD (which I liked overall) was that he sometimes misses the real dragons when confronted with literary ones.
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MacBeth in NY
Don's wife since '88; "Mom" to the Fab 4
Nature Study
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4Real Forums : Living Literature
Topic: Revising the Real Learning Booklist
