Adventures in Parenting

"Read more!" Elisabeth exclaimed, but I couldn't. I had just read these words:

"'There was a real railway accident,' said Aslan softly. 'Your father and mother and all of you are - as you used to call it in the Shadowlands - dead. The term is over: the holidays have begun. The dream is ended: this is the morning.'

And as He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at last they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story which no one on earth had read: which goes on for ever: in which every chapter is better than the one before."

These are the final words of C.S. Lewis' The Last Battle. There is no more of Narnia to read (except to re-read!); but what a love for literature - and the Reality to which it points - it has inspired in Elisabeth!

Lately we have been reading aloud together often. At Rebecca's prompting, I'm going to keep a running list here of what we've read (and enjoyed) until we get the Tumblon book list feature built.

1. Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
2. Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
3. The Tale of Despereaux (Lisa DiCamillo)
4. More Tales from Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
5. Still More Tales from Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
6. Betsy's Busy Summer (Carolyn Haywood)
7. B is for Betsy (Carolyn Haywood)
8. Betsy's Winterhouse (Carolyn Haywood)
9. Heidi (Johanna Spyri)

What are some of your favorite books to read aloud? (I need to start another post with a list of books that Elisabeth reads to us - and all of us enjoy!)

Yesterday we took a trip to the library to find books about Philadelphia so that we'll have a little bit of historical and geographical background for our time there later this week. One of the best books that we found on the stacks was Saving the Liberty Bell, a slightly fictionalized and well illustrated book of a boy who is involved in rescuing the Liberty Bell (before it was cracked!) from the redcoats.

Even though Elisabeth has very little prior knowledge about Philadelphia, the revolutionary war, or the Liberty Bell, she was excited to read the book and gained a sense of why that piece of metal is such an important part of our nation's history.

In my search for easy readers, I have been frequently disappointed with the lack of plot. The obvious exceptions are authors like Dr. Seuss who spin hilarious tales with short, simple words. However, the length of The Cat in the Hat and the like can be intimidating for Elisabeth. So after becoming acquainted with Mo Willems through his fantastic Knuffle Bunny stories, I checked out four of his Elephant and Piggie books.

They are fantastic for Elisabeth, with simple text, a fun plot and clever illustrations. I'd highly recommend them for emergent readers!

Over the past week or two Elisabeth and I have been reading Little House on the Prairie. I have to admit, I've been impressed by Charles Ingalls. Why?

1. He travels from Wisconsin to Kansas during winter with all his worldly possessions (and family of 5) in a wagon drawn by two horses - crossing the Mississippi when it is iced over.
2. He builds a house in the plains from trees in the creek bed, and a fireplace from the stones in the creek bed.
3. He makes and smooths a floor for the house without a plane or sandpaper . . . just an axe.
4. He makes a door for the house without any nails, hangs it without metal hinges, and builds a lock system out of wood and leather.
5. He digs a well for fresh water.
6. He hunts the food that they eat - and, of course, skins, and cleans it.

His hard work, ingenuity and resourcefulness are simply amazing to me.