UNDER THE WEATHER: THE ADVENTURES OF SOPHIE MOUSE by Poppy Green. Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell I have really fallen in love with sweet, Sophie Mouse. Her books are just delightful, and I will be sharing them from time to time. Perfect for early readers, think of them as on the Magic Treehouse level. I find these to be stories that you don't have to read in order, so I've been picking them up by season appropriateness. It's the time of year for sniffles, coughs, and fevers. Yuck! In Sophie Mouse: Under the Weather by Poppy Green, Sophie's brother, Winston, comes down with the flu. It doesn't take long for Sophie to notice all the special attention he's getting. She even starts to wish maybe she'd get sick, but is all the attention really worth being sick? Illustrated by Jennifer A. Bell, Under the Weather is chock full of sweet black and white pictures that readers will enjoy! Bell graduated from the Columbus College of Art and Design.

THE BOYS" WAR by Jim Murphy Callie and I recently finished up reading The Boys' War by Jim Murphy as part of her Civil War Study. This powerful book brings to light the amount of boys ( ages 12 and up) that joined up to fight in the war. Absolutely heart wrenching, this book shares the loss of innocence and the loss of life of these mere children. The text is flanked by black and white photos of real people and places. While some of the pictures do show death, they are not overly gory. I have to admit that while we read this book, my thoughts often turned to my own son who recently turned 14. One moment a young lad stood on a battlefield and the next his blood watered the ground where he no longer stood. A young life snuffed out so prematurely. My momma heart broke many times. This book is well written and worth the read to help us all remember the price paid for our country.

WHEN YOU TRAP A TIGER by Tae Keller It's very easy to see how When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller was chosen to receive the Newberry Medal. Keller's writing is beautiful and the story quickly picks you up and pulls you in until the very end. However, there are some issues to be aware of. Life has not been easy for Lily, her older sister Sam, and their mother. First, their father died in an automobile accident that leaves them reeling and Sam panicky every time she gets behind the wheel of the car. Now, they are moving away from their friends and in with their halmoni (grandmother). She's a wonderful, vivacious woman, but something has changed. She is having episodes where she gets violently sick. On top of all of this, quiet, shy Lily keeps seeing a Tiger that no one else is seeing, and it talks to her. In Korean mythology Tigers are the keepers of the stories and this one tells Lily about a girl who stole some of the stories from them and bottled them up. The tiger wants help from Lily to get them back and in exchange will give her a precious gift, but Halmoni has told her in the past that you can't trust tigers. HEADS UP- This book is heavy on Korean Mythology intertwined some with their religion. For example, The Halmoni mentions multiple times about making food for the spirits to keep them happy. Second, Sam, the older sister, "finds love" with another girl. A couple of situations happen that make the reader start to wonder, but it is verified at the end of the story.

THE MAJOR AND THE MISSIONARY: THE LETTERS OF WARREN HAMILTON LEWIS AND BLANCHE BIGGS edited by Diana Pavlac Glyer Being an avid C.S. Lewis fan I was familiar with his brother Warren but really didn't know a lot about him. To me he was the brother in the background. He was a constant and close companion of C.S. Lewis, but I always pegged him as more in the shadows where C.S. was out front. How neat it was to read through The Major and the Missionary: The Letters of Warren Hamilton Lewis and Blanche Biggs compiled by Diana Pavlac Glyer and gain insight into his life. Warren, who had been an officer in the British Army, and Blanche, a missionary doctor in Papua New Guinea, began writing back and forth after the death of C.S. She originally reached out to him asking for some advice, but the two quickly struck up a friendship and the correspondence continued. Their letters covered everything from everyday happenings to topics about their faith to struggles on the mission field. I truly found it a fascinating read. HEADS UP- In one letter, Dr. Biggs shares a stressful situation she is dealing with at the hospital. It deals with a staff member having a sexual relationship with a patient. Dr. Biggs does not go into detail but only shares about the discipline and disruption that occurs from it. Warren does comment a small amount on it in his next letter.

LONG NIGHT MOON by Cynthia Rylant. Illustrated by Mark Siegel Forgive me a bit for bombarding you, but I have been saving back this book to use at the start of the New Year and then continue with it each month through 2024.  Did you know that each full moon has a name given by the Native Americans? I was fascinated by this fact last year and began watching on Facebook for almanac posts that would share the name of the upcoming full moon. I truly loved it. While on our way home from vacation, I came across this book, Long Night Moon by Cynthia Rylant, at the Tamarack in Beckley, WV. (I am going to put a plug in here that if you ever are close to this place, go there! It is a showcase for WV artisans and is amazing!) Anyway, Newberry Medal winner, Cynthia Rylant was born in WV, so the Tamarack has several of her books. In this beautiful picture book, Rylant takes us through the months and introduces us to the name of each full moon. So how am I going to use this? First of all, don't feel the pressure to do a single one of these possibilities! If your homeschool day is full and you just want to read the picture book to your kids, don't feel the need to add anything else! I am going to start by reading the book out loud to my kids in the next few days. Then we're going to focus on the name of the January moon. When we Google names of the January moon are there more than one given? Next, I plan on giving them blank calendar pages where we can track the phases of the moon each month. We'll also read a bit on the moon. I'll share more books about the moon later as this mini study grows! By the way, be sure and read The Adventure of Illustrating Long Night Moon at the back of the book. Mark Siegel shares how he settled on how to do the beautiful artwork in this book.

A FEW BEAUTIFUL MOMENTS: EXPERIENCING A SOLAR ECLIPSE by Kate Allen Fox. Illustrated by Khon Le. Everyone knows about the upcoming Solar Eclipse in April of this year. If you want a picture book explaining what is going to happen so your kids have an idea what to expect, A Few Beautiful Minutes: Exploring a Solar Eclipse by Kate Allen Fox is a good one. As we get closer to the event, I'll talk more about this picture book, but for now, I'm just making you aware of it!

A CHRISTMAS CAROL MURDER: A DICKENS OF A CRIME by Heather Redmond I know it's past Christmas, but I was gifted this marvelous mystery, A Christmas Carol Murder, by my daughter for Christmas. After just completing The Christmas Carol in Book Club, followed up by watching the great movie The Man Who Invented Christmas, I eagerly jumped into this read! At this stage in his life, Dickens is a journalist engaged to the dashing, young Kate. While out Christmas Caroling with friends, the group witnesses an odd murder. The body of Jacob Harley comes flying out a window of the home they are caroling in front of, wrapped in chains. Over the next few days, as Dickens tries to discover more about the murder, friend and business partner of Harley, Mr Screws, engages the help of Dickens to help unravel the murder along with some other mysterious happenings. If that wasn't enough, unexpectedly, Dickens encounters a young woman, who thrusts a baby at him claiming that the child is the result of a relationship between Dickens and her sister who has recently died. Knowing this isn't true, Dickens begins the hunt for the father before his fiancee catches wind of the supposed ordeal. Despite the supposed relationship, A Christmas Carol Murder is a clean read except for - HEADS UP- There is one curse word at the end of the story. The illegitimate child is referred to as a Bastard a handful of times.

STORIES WE SHARED: A FAMILY BOOK JOURNAL by Douglas Kaine McKelvey I enjoy keeping a record of the books we've read aloud. Call it my first born nature, but I love to flip through the pages, glance over the titles and let the memories flood my mind. I happened to come across The Rabbit Room Booth one time at the homeschool convention. In the middle of the shelves, I found this gem of a book waiting for me - a family book journal entitled Stories We Shared by Douglas Kaine McKelvey. This wonderful book gives you space to record each book you've read and some basic info about it, extra room to write yourself notes if you want to, and a place to rate the book. It also includes lots of variations of literary "quests " if you need a prompt for your read alouds. Consider diving off into a Genre Quest, World Explorer Quest, a High Adventure Quest, or more. With the start of a new year, it's a great time to start a book journal. By the way, I receive no benefit for recommending this book. It truly is a gem that I appreciate in our home!

THE LAST DEVIL TO DIE by Richard Osman Book Four in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club Series, The Last Devil to Die, is a read that has some very lighthearted times and some very heavy times, but unfortunately, it is not without some hiccups. Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim are back at it again. These four active senior citizens have had another murder fall into their laps, and this one is decently close to home. When a friend, who owns a pawn shop, gets caught up in an unplanned heroin exchange and ends up dead, the four friends can't let it go unsolved. What exactly happened that caused their friend to even become involved in the first place? Once the door is cracked up, the four friends step into a world of antique dealers, art forgers, and drug dealers. It's an intricate, deadly world with no room for mistakes. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's precious husband, Stephen, is slipping further and further away due to his battle with dementia. It is time for some very serious decisions to be made, and these decisions are life changing. Even with all of this going on, Stephen will have one more brilliant surprise for them all. I really like the overall idea that Osman has created with four senior citizens. We all long to be active and productive even in our older years, and these four are doing exactly that. However, I have to say this series is pushing me to the end of my limits. HEADS UP- Within this book you will deal with a smattering of language that includes "Jesus." There are some sexual relations going on although there are no intimate details. Also one of the characters shares about a gay relationship in his past. He tells the story of how they met and moved in together. He also shares about his partner's unexpected death. Again, no intimate details. SPOILER ALERT One of the hardest parts to read is the decision of Elizabeth and Stephen to follow through with his plan of patient assisted suicide. The book chronicles their last few minutes together and tracks her grief to the end. Osman does allow the reader both sides of the issue as Elizabeth's friend writes her thoughts in her journal when she finds out.

KINGDOM'S DAWN by Chuck Black We recently read Kingdom's Dawn for our family devotions. Book 1 of 6 of The Kingdom Series by Chuck Black, this amazing allegorical story goes through many of the Genesis stories of the Old Testament but is told in a medieval setting. Reading the story you will recognize the stories of Creation and the Fall. You'll recognize the Biblical characters of Satan, Joseph, Moses, Pharaoh, and more. Once you finish the story be sure and flip back to the Author's Notes to fully appreciate all the parallels from the Bible that Black wrote into his story. I was unfamiliar with this series until this spring when I had multiple encounters with the book. First, my husband and I heard Chuck Black speak at the Homeschool Convention we attend. We both walked away from his session very touched and convicted. Black is a former Air Force F-16 pilot who has an amazing heart for God and his family. He wrote his stories originally for his kids, and now we are blessed to be able to enjoy the stories as well. Second, my eldest daughter attends a dramatic arts school. This spring as well, one of the students, who had grown up reading this series and was very spiritually touched by them, wrote the story into a script, and the academy performed the play. Chuck Black was able to attend one of the performances. It was clear it was time for us to experience this wonderful book.

JOY TO THE WORLD: A REGENCY CHRISTMAS COLLECTION Sometimes when you have a super busy week you just need some fluff to add into your reading pile. Joy to the World was my little bit of reading respite. Three Christmas novellas in one book to enjoy, Joy to the World is a Christy Award winner. All three short stories have lines from traditional Christmas Carols and romance with happily ever afters waiting to happen. So tonight while the snow falls outside the window and my flannel sheets call my name, I will happily drift away to fluff land for a little while! HEADS UP- The second story has a main character who is a single mom that was raped and got pregnant. There are no details to the act. The story is one of restoration and healing.

FUN WITH NATURE/MORE FUN WITH NATURE These are some of my favorite nature reference books for elementary. I bought these when my oldest was around first grade, and she's now 21! So why in the world am I sharing nature books with you as winter begins? I am pulling them off the shelf for us to reference as we watch birds at the feeder and will be looking for tracks and scat in the upcoming snow. I've talked about this before, but I loved doing Bird studies with my kids when they were younger. We would watch for birds to come to the feeder. We would observe their behavior. Did they prefer suet, sunflower seeds, or mixed seed? I had purchased Dover Coloring Books on birds and we would color the picture of the bird we were studying. Then we would read about the bird. Depending on the child's age we would record 2-5 facts about what we learned. We would wrap up with listening to the bird's call. (You can do this by googling.) We all really looked forward to this winter study.