Books are BEAUTIFUL

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I love books!!!!

 Remember books?  The things with paper.  The ones you have to turn the pages, not swipe them on a screen?  The ones you buy and excitedly sniff?

Wait...doesn't everyone sniff books?  

(My mother-in-law and I had that discussion once.  I was thrilled to know she to sniffs books and touches the pages to feel the texture.)

Don't get me wrong.  I love that books are more accessible on every electronic device we use constantly.  I have been incredibly thankful for my kindle app on my phone during long waits at the doctor's office many times.  I just don't like reading a screen that much.  I want to feel the pages in my hand while I turn them.  I don't want a screen glowing at me while I read.
I would definitely consider myself a bibliophile, a person addicted and obsessed with books.  I love them.  I carry them in my purse and my car.  I have several in every room of my house.  They are just a part of every day in our lives.  When the children were younger, we would read in each room for at least 3 hours a day!  {How are they not sick of my voice, yet?} I am thankful we have chosen a homeschool program that focuses on great literature.  We have read biographies about Christopher Columbus, Pocahontas and several others at Jamestown, members of the Lewis and Clark expedition, and Johnny Appleseed.  My children and I feel like we KNOW these people.  History has become real to them.  *THE MAGIC OF READING*  We have read many, MANY other stories this year.  We read great poetry, fairy tales, and faith stories together every day.  It isn't something the children question.  Even with 3 reluctant readers, they all snuggle into the couch and listen to any story I tell.  You can see when they become excited over the adventure of a plot or emotionally connected to the characters in a story.  I think that is beautiful.  I thought I would share a few of our favorites from this past school year.
We read Fireside Stories every year.  It has stories from around the world for Winter Solstice, Christmas, New Years, and more.  We love our Barefoot Book stories.
We also started the Legend series that began with Nicholas St. North.  We really enjoyed the adventure of E. Aster Bunnymund.  The series is very imaginative and well written.
 
The biggest hit out of our required reading for the year was Seaman.  It is a story about the sweet Newfoundland dog that traveled with Lewis and Clark.  We learned a great deal about the journey taken from the book, but there were several of us who teared up at the end.  It is a touching story and suitable for everyone who loves silly dogs and adventure! 
Anah wanted to focus on poetry, so we started with one of my favorites, and have been reading The Children's Own Longfellow.   I have part of Haiwatha's Childhood memorized from when I was a little girl, and have been reciting it to the children their whole lives.  I love to see them fall in love with poetry.


Another favorite from my childhood that we have enjoyed is Blinky Bill.  It is a story from Australia about a very easy to relate to koala.  It was my favorite book then, and the children all have enjoyed it now.  Books are timeless.

I have three favorite books that I read throughout the year, every year.

Handbook of Nature Study which I would carry with us at all times if I could.  It has stories, facts, and great questions to ask about everything out in nature.  The children can identify most types of local ducks and geese because of it.

The Book of Virtues is a book full of great character building stories and poems.  When we are all having difficult days, it is great to be able to pull out this book and use the stories to offer a different perspective.  There are a million awesome activities to do with it online.  If anyone needs resources for that, please let me know in a comment.  I am always happy to share resources.

Finally, A Charlotte Mason Companion: Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning(TM) is a treasure.  Charlotte Mason was an educational savant.  I have enjoyed her writing, but it would take an awful long time to make it through all of her books each year.  I LOVE this book by Karen Andreola.  It condenses the ideals of Charlotte Mason into an easy to understand and very practical book.  I wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone who has ever considered homeschooling.


There you go.  I love these books.  They are all worn and loved.  They are unique and intriguing.  They are beautiful.

Read on my friends.

Blessings,
Mandy

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