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Tina P.
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Can I pretty much trust any books that Chinaberry has to offer? I try to be so careful as to what I expose my kids to.
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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Mackfam
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I would exercise caution Tina. I ordered a book from them that I wasn't happy with. There is a kind of new-agey feel to them in general. Having said that, they do offer some really neat books. If you're wondering about a particular book, I'd come here  and ask about it first.
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Jen Mackintosh
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aiereis
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I haven't seen a Chinaberry catalog for a long time, but my husband said that he once read a glowing description for "The Golden Compass" which said nothing about the book being atheistic or anti-God. This was a while ago, so I don't know if things have changed there.
Christina
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5athome
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I would use great caution. While I do order from them, I was shocked when one of the books in the good adult reads sections had characters joking about child abuse.
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Margaret
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Lisbet
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I stopped getting the catalogue years ago when my kids started reading everything in sight, including the catalogues. Like mentioned above, it has a very new age-y feel too it, and it just made me uncomfortable.
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Tina P.
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| Posted: Nov 29 2007 at 3:20pm | IP Logged
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OK Jennifer. Here's my book  list:
Father and Son by Geraldine McCaughrean
Little One, We Knew You'd Come Sally Lloyd Jones
Martha Gennary Spirin
A Log's Life Wendy Pfeffer
Fairy Crafts Heidi Boyd
One Thousand Tracings Lita Judge
Small Beauties Elvira Woodruff
Racketty-Packetty House Frances Hodgson Burnett
The Extraordinary Adventures of Ordinary Basil Wiley Miller
The Lighthouse Family (4-book series) Cynthia Rylant
A Bear Named Trouble Marion Dane Bauer
Before you all think I'm too greedy, remember I have seven kids!
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Tina, wife to one and mom to 9 + 3 in heaven
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Tina P.
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| Posted: Nov 29 2007 at 3:28pm | IP Logged
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But I *did* see something rather strange and worrisome in the Chinaberry catalog. It's about Teresita Urrea, dubbed the "Saint of Cabora, Mexico's Joan of Arc." The Catholic church has not canonized her. It talks of "magical shamanic world of medicine women ..."
Some of the other stories (like The Expected One) give me pause. Any fictional story about Mary Magdalene worries me.
I didn't look at the adult section until now. Hmmm ...
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MaryM
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Tina P. wrote:
One Thousand Tracings Lita Judge
Small Beauties Elvira Woodruff |
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OR
Pick your rating system - they are both excellent!
Here is my review of One Thousand Tracings
And Small Beauties[/URL] has a Catholic element. One of the "beauties" that little Darcy takes with her to America is a bead from her gandmother's rosary. It's something she saved from the house before it was burned by the land owners. Which reminds me it is pretty intense for littles - it was harsh the way the Irish peasants were treated in those times.
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Chari
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Chinaberry has some good stuff.......I esp love lots of their crafts.....just took some out of storage to do for Christmas presents.....but, you CANNOT, as a Catholic, trust all of their books. I have been getting their catalog.......for almost 2 decades. Red flags all over the place, always.
Good for you, Tina........to ask.
I cannot help you with the titles.....I have never heard of any of them. Did you check out reviews at Amazon about any of them?
Just MY strong opinion 
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aiereis
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| Posted: Nov 29 2007 at 10:06pm | IP Logged
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I haven't read Father and Son by Geraldine McCaughrean but I am assuming it is a good book since it is in the Christmas Mosaic. 
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Christina
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MaryM
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aiereis wrote:
| I haven't read Father and Son by Geraldine McCaughrean but I am assuming it is a good book since it is in the Christmas Mosaic. |
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And here is Kathryn's review at The Bookworm.
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KackyK
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I have bought a lot from Chinaberry but a lot of it I check it out from the library first, then peruse carefully or read entirely, before handing them off. The one title you mentioned, The Lighthouse series, I can't remember why (sorry!) but I looked at it last spring from the library and nixed it...but I really can't remember why. So that's probably not much help!
Ordinary Basil does look good! That one and the Rackety one are on my hold list at the library now.
And I'm with you all thinking about the New Agey stuff. I feel like that has really been happening in just the last couple of years. They also have some sort of an offshoot catalog, called Isabella. Anyone seen that yet...I opened that and threw it right in the trash!
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Mackfam
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Sorry Tina - I haven't heard of any of the titles you mention.  Wish I could help. Maybe a quick google of the book title, or popping over to Amazon might yield a little something about a book that tilts you one way or the other.
Good luck. Glad I'm not the only one with red flags going off when I take a look at their catalogs.
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Jen Mackintosh
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Dawn
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Tina, I enjoy the Chinaberry catalog very much, but as with any resource, I take what I want and leave the rest for someone else. It doesn't bother me that they offer a wide array of products; I am sure they have a wide audience, and not all of it is Catholic (or even Christian).
I have to say I LOVE Martha by Grennady Spirin. His illustrations are gorgeous, and besides, we have a thing for crows.
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Natalia
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We have listened to The Lighthouse series by Cynthia Rylant. My 5 yo really likes them.I don't find anything to worry about in those.
Natalia
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Mary Chris
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Back before the internet with Amazon and all you ladies, the Chinaberry catalog was like getting a present in the mail, actually it was like getting a book in the mail, it was so thich. I would snuggle up with a cup of tea after the children were down and just read about books. I don't think I have ever been disappointed by one of their books, well yes a few of their adult books were ones I wish I had not chosen . But the childrens books I chose carefully.
Like Kacky, I would take the catatlog to the library with me and look for the books there before buying, and I would only buy the books we really loved.
Their warehouse and outlet are right around the corner from my parents house in San Diego, I would come home with suitcases full of books.
They have gotten very New Agey in the past years and it is disappointing. I guess they had to find their niche, it must be near impossible to compete with Amazon.
We have a few in the Lighthouse series, they are rather sweet. I like most of Cynthia Rylant's she writes, Mr. Putter and Tabby and the Henry and Mudge series. While it is not on your list, I use the Chinaberry cookbook almost every day LOVE IT! Also Wolf Story, which they only sell on audio now  is a favorite around here for the 4-9 age range.
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Tina P.
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I bought them. I couldn't resist. I *did* check them out at Amazon. I *knew* ~ despite the 3-star review average at Amazon that I wanted the Geraldine McCaughrean Father and Son book. It's for my 4 yos. I love even McCaughrean's secular books. The picture books are almost fables with morals. Here's another that tells about how grandparents don't need to be dependent upon a clock. Great respect is given to the elderly. And her history and literature and mythology books!
Thanks for all of your recommendations. I think all of you had something to say about every book except the following:
A Log's Life ~ Dawn, I'm surprised you didn't latch onto this one! ~ which looks just really precious and dear to my heart. Looks like this is a subject that's dear to the author as well.
I bought Fairy Crafts because my daughters (11 and 6) are totally into fairies. In fact, I'm begging my husband to make a treehouse or log blocks so that they can build an indoor fairy house. My 11 yod is also a major crafter.
A Bear Named Trouble is for our coming study of bears in January. It looks innocent enough and it was the cheapest of the lot I bought, so if it doesn't work, it wasn't *such* a bad investment.
While I was *out shopping* (on the internet ), I browsed at BookCloseouts. Here's what I found:
Mortimer's Christmas Manger
The Little Fir Tree
Oddhopper Opera
Gentle Ben I *know* I like this one. We've had a tattered copy with the last couple of pages torn for years.
And a few Mr. Putter books (look up Cynthia Rylant Putter), which I love as well.
I found In November at Bookcloseouts as well, but I don't see it now. I don't know whether I bought the last one or just missed it! Maybe they'll get another shipment. Can't use it 'til next year, anyway. In the meantime, it's a lovely look at November.
Now another question: I bought T.A. Barron's Lost Years of Merlin 4-book series kind of on a whim. I know at least two, if not all three of my reader boys are totally into King Arthur, the Hobbit, Chronicles of Narnia, George MacDonald books ... would this series fit in nicely with those? Or is it dark and to be avoided? I'm also considering the next series, Tree of Avalon ~ three books.
And side note. The City Under the Back Steps is a story I've wanted for many years. It was always an expensive OOP book on eBay that was out of my reach. As it dovetails nicely with our spring-to-summer insect study, I *had* to buy it. It was how Chinaberry hooked me in the first place.
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Topic: Chinaberry question
