I'd leave all the hurry,the noise and the fray for a house full of books and a garden of flowers. -Andrew Lang
Winter is the perfect time to curl up and read with the children. It seems as though most of our reading is done in the cold months when the wind is howling at the windowpanes and a fire is blazing on the hearth. We are learning and experiencing so much from the wonderful books in our family's library. Ben has been studying World War II and together we have recently read Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop, The Winged Watchman by Hilda van Stockum and Snow Treasure by Marie Mc Swigan. We also recently finished The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare and are currently reading Ginger Pye by Eleanor Estes for fun.
Christopher is currently on a cowboy kick so we have been saturating ourselves in the Cowboy Sam series by Edna Walker Chandler. He loves to hear about the adventures of Sam, Shorty and Big Bill. We have read a number of biographies of Buffalo Bill Cody together. He is also quite fond of the Little Tim picture book series by Edward Ardizzone which are set in England in the 1920's.
Mary enjoys anything by Eric Carle and is fond of the Flicka, Ricka and Dicka series by Maj Lindman. Of course, no toddler can resist the Story of Miss Moppet by Beatrix Potter!
There are many places to visit when you open a book. We have travelled all over the world and met hundreds of interesting people simply by reading great, living literature. A child's character and very personhood is formed by what they are exposed to. According to Charlotte Mason, books that do not enrich the mind are called "twaddle". They are insipid, dumbed down books that reject the beauty, goodness and intellect of the child. If we forgo the twaddle for our children and ourselves, we can turn our focus to rich stories with interesting characters like Peter Pevensie, Anne Shirley , Johnny Tremain and Caddie Woodlawn.
A picture book's illustrations are just as inspiring as the written words on its pages. Choosing books for my children that contain beautiful paintings and drawings is important to me. We have enjoyed the illustrations of Beatrix Potter, Tasha Tudor, Berta and Elmer Hader, Mary Azarian and Garth Williams as well as many others.
Much of our family's collection of books was purchased at library book sales and used book stores. These are two places to find a treasury of books, many for less than a quarter a piece. Who can resist spending only $5.00 and carrying home a big, brown paper bag full of adventure?
