BOOKS WITHOUT WORDS Sometimes we set the writing curriculum aside and try a little different angle in our house. Sometimes I want to know what thoughts, ideas, and imaginations are brewing naturally beneath the surface of all the eyes that are staring at me when I teach. A couple of years ago I came across a fascinating book by Emily Winfield Martin entitled The Imaginaries: Little Scraps of Larger Stories. Martin's book is full of illustrations with a single sentence designed to set a mind on the path of creating a story. I wanted to incorporate a similar idea this year, so while at the bookstore I asked if they were familiar with any books similar to this. Of course, they were! They always come through! This year I will be using The Mysteries of Harris Burdick by Chris Van Allsburg. (I will include a picture from each book in the comments so you can have an idea of the layout.) How do I use these books? I talk as little as possible. There are no rules, no expectations except that you must come up with some type of story/explanation as to what is happening in the picture. Sometimes an entire story spills out. Sometimes multiple possibilities of scenarios are shared with no ending. Either is fine. Which one do you choose? Martin's book feels more fairy talish with softer colors in the illustrations. Van Allsburg's book has more of an adventurous feel to it. One minor "heads up"- Martin's book has 1 picture with a quote about the future that shows a young lady walking out of a curtained area with playing cards around her. It definitely gives a vibe of fortune telling.

HAZEL BLY AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA by Ashley Herring Blake I recently wrote a post about not panicking if your child opens a book, begins reading, and stumbles upon content that does not fit your worldview and how to then take that book and use it as a springboard to conversation. I just had another prime example. Recently, I took my 10-year-old daughter to the library. I packed my extra-large tote bag (you know the kind I'm talking about - reinforced canvas style with the metal frame that I could about crawl into myself and fit) and let her scour the shelves. She had a couple of books she was looking for, and I tossed in a couple that piqued my interest as we browsed, but it truly became a pulling of a book off the shelf, examine the cover, read the title, looks interesting in the bag it goes or looks boring back to the shelf it goes for her. (Here is where we all unanimously chant "You never judge a book by its cover!) She's old enough now so we've been going over what makes a good book and red flags speech recently. That is how this book ended up on my lap the other night with her commenting, "I'm pretty sure this girl has two moms." I thanked her for bringing it to my attention and told her I'd check it out. She was correct, and what was throwing her off a bit is that one was from England, so her name was "Mum." I'm going to admit that I didn't completely read this book. I scan read parts of it and deep read sections of it and was able to get a pretty good idea of what was going on. Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea by Ashley Herring Blake is a story filled with intense tragedy. Hazel's family consisted of Mum, Mama, a little sister "Peach," and herself. Notice I wrote consisted (past tense) because Mum and Hazel were involved in a kayak accident that left Hazel with a very noticeable scar on her face and Mum dead. Since then, Mama has been moving them from place to place, and Hazel is living with crippling guilt and fear. No one is really able to heal or move on with life. Then a chance encounter happens. While living in a beach house in Maine, their neighbor turns out to be Hazel's Mom's best friend, Claire, from elementary school that moved away. They haven't seen each other in years. We learn that they were each other's first love and first kiss. You can quickly see where this is going. Hazel doesn't want a new mom. She wants to go home. Add in the fact that she's dealing with her own attraction to a girl her own age who uses the pronouns they and them. (It took me a minute to realize that we were talking about 1 person.) When she can no longer handle the situation, Hazel jumps into a boat and rows out into the ocean. She decides to attempt what a local legend says happened to a girl named Rosemary Lee (who Hazel bears an uncanny resemblance to) whose family drowned. Rosemary Lee was unable to handle the loss of her family and one day walked into the sea. Not long after stories start occuring of a mermaid who looks like Rosemary Lee. Back to Hazel. As she slips into the water she hopes to feel flukes behind her, to find she has changed into a mermaid. Of course that doesn't happen, she panics, and her loved ones flash before her eyes, and then Rosemary Lee is there (whether real or imagined) and she helps get her up to safety where Hazel is rescued. From there the book tries to work towards closure and some sort of moving forward. New relationships are started, a new home is secured, and a mermaid club is started, but this is a lot of heaviness for me (let alone a middle grader) that doesn't leave when you close the book. It's not just YA books that are angsty anymore! Reading books like this make you feel like the innocence of childhood is a thing of the past.

OVER AND UNDER THE WAVES by Kate Messner. Illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Heading out to the beach soon or do you have a child who loves ocean animals? Kate Messner's Over and Under the Waves is a perfect look into this amazing world! Looking through the eyes of a child as she kayaks with her parents, Messner easily captures the joy and wonder of discovery around this sweet, little girl. The creatures featured are amazing and Messner is not an author that leaves us wondering about how they live. There is lots of extra information about each one in the end notes. Before long, though, it's time to leave this watery world and return to normal life. The reality of spaghetti and chocolate chip cookies before snuggling down into bed to dream is just about as perfect a touch of complete satisfaction as possible! Illustrator Christopher Silas Neal brings the book to life for us! I would tell you on this hot, Ohio day the temperature dropped by 10 degrees when staring at these ocean pictures. The blues and greens are so cool and inviting. The splashes of red remind us that the day is still hot outside of this inviting oasis. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Visit the ocean, or visit an aquarium if possible.This book is set in Monterey Bay, California. Find it on the map. Research animals that live in the bay. Need a chapter book to go along with this? Check out Odder by Katherine Applegate. (You can read the review if you put it in the search bar.) Not possible to do any of those things? How about good old fashioned cooling down in water? Run through a sprinkler, go swimming, spray each other with water guns. Have fun!

THE RADIUM GIRLS: THE DARK STORY OF AMERICA'S SHINING WOMEN by Kate Moore There is a YA edition of this book for high school age. My daughter read the adult version in upper high school, and it was very tragic but doable for her. Radium Girls by Kate Moore is a hard, nonfiction book to read, not because of the dense text, but because of the mental images that form as you read the story. As one of my older daughters recently told me, she could not read the book at night due to the descriptions of physical deformities and death that happened to these innocent girls. So what exactly happened? Radium was the new rage! Touted as a health tonic and prized for its illuminating properties, these poor girls never dreamed in a million years that they were subjecting themselves to a very painful death by working with it. In fact, quite the opposite! It was a privilege to be one of the few girls chosen to be a dial painter. A dial painter took a very fine paintbrush and painstakingly painted the numbers on watches. The result was numbers that glowed. These girls were paid very well for their work. They could afford to dress in the top fashions and light up the town literally! They would paint their skin, their lips, etc with the radium, and their clothes glowed from the dust that would settle on them. The most horrific thing they did? In between their brush strokes they would lick their paintbrushes to form them back into the finest points for the best results of painting over the watchface numbers. They never imagined they were killing themselves in the process. Radium equaled good health, remember? It did until their teeth started falling out, and sores that wouldn't heal formed in their mouths, and their jaws started fracturing in pieces, and they could spit the pieces out in their hands. Next came hemorrhaging and cancers, and bones that were disintegrating in their legs and hips. What did their company do for them? They let them go. They denied what was happening even when it happened over and over. This book is their story. HEADS UP- This book is squeaky clean! Just be prepared for intense descriptions of the breakdown of these girls' bodies due to the poisoning that was going on. There is also a section of photographs. Most of the photos are pictures of the real people in this story. However, there are a few showing the deformities that occured.

WE ALL WANT IMPOSSIBLE THINGS by Catherine Newman I haven't had to quit a book for a while. Unfortunately We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman didn't make it. The idea, the premise, of this book is a good one. In this case our storyteller "Ash" is a middle aged woman who is sharing the story of watching her lifelong best friend, Edi, battle ovarian cancer. She can't fix it. It's heartbreaking. Edi's young son can't handle seeing his mother lose the battle, and it's time hospice takes over. Ash finds a hospice home that's quite a distance from where Edi lives, but it seems to be the best solution instead of dying at home. So Edi says her earthly goodbyes to her husband and son and travels with Ash to stay in the home. What ensues is two friends remembering the past and making a few last memories together. The idea cuts you to the quick, as most of us can relate whether in a small way or a big way to the journey. So what's my problem with this book? It's Ash's life that I don't want to read about anymore about. Separated from her husband, yet still having a unique relationship with him, Ash in 45 pages has had an ongoing sexual relationship with Edi's brother and with a doctor. The latest romp with Edi's brother happens while her teenage daughter is at home who walks in on them. Her daughter's response? One of the multiple times she uses the f-word. Ash later explains to her gynecologist at her check up that she is basically whoring. The doctor's response? Are you being safe? I have to speculate here going forward, because I haven't read the book. I believe this behavior is more common than we like to admit. Remember the title? We All Want Impossible Things. Families are in crisis, relationships are in crisis, people are in crisis, and all they know how to do is try and stop the emotional pain anyway they can. Binge eating, binge shopping, binge sex. Feel good for the moment, pay the consequences later. (Can I just say there is no such thing as safe sex? There is "less risk" sex but not safe sex.) I hurt when I read books like this. You know why? There's a person behind the writing!! There's an author, and somehow through her own imagination or listening to conversation around her, she has written this story! Life is painful at times. I can attest to that! In the words of a recent popular song, "I have won. I have lost. I got it right sometimes, but sometimes I did not." However, life doesn't have to end with what happens here. Life is fleeting. James 4:14 tells us that it is a vapor, but that doesn't have to be the end of the story. Those of us who have Christ are never alone. We have hope on the promised righting of wrongs in the future. No death, no tears. No loss. I truly hope this post finds you resting in that hope and not the endless pursuit of trying to live each day relieving that internal pain on your own!

BIG TRUCK LITTLE ISLAND by Chris Van Dusen Chris Van Dusen is an excellent author/illustrator. Most of us are familiar with his illustrations in Kate Dicamillo's fun series Mercy Watson. Circus Ship is a fantastic book that he wrote and illustrated. (If you haven't read it yet, grab it as well!) Today, however, I want to introduce you to Big Truck Little Island. I'm going to start with the illustrations. Remember the old Campbell Soup Kids with their round, rosy, shiny cheeks? That's what your going to see in the adults and kids in this book. The story is set in Maine, so think lots of blues, greens, and spots of sunny yellow. The pictures are inviting giving off the vibe of what a great looking place to live! The story itself is spectacular! It is based on a true story with a few adjustments, and it is told in rhyming verse. A large semi is carrying a huge load on a small island in Maine. It ends up stuck, blocking traffic both ways. People have places to go, things to do, but they are unable to move. After a little while, the kids exit the cars, group together, and come up with a solution. It is so great when you remember that this actually happened in today's world! After you finish the story be sure and check out the Author's Notes for the real experience. You won't want to miss it! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- Find Vinalhaven on the map. Take a few minutes to do something nice for a neighbor or someone you know. Write a note and send it in the mail. Bake something and deliver it. Invite someone over for supper or pie on the front porch one evening. Be a blessing!

THE LAST MAPMAKER by Christina Soontornvat Christina Soontornvat is really making a mark in the literary world! With 3 Newberry Honors under her belt her work is widely read! Rabbit trail for 1 moment - if you have not read her book All Thirteen: The Incredible Cave Rescue of the Thai Boys' Soccer Team, it is well worth it. I read it aloud to the whole family a couple summers ago, and we all enjoyed it! I will post a picture of it in the comments. Back on track now! The books that I have read by Soontornvat all have had a Thai setting, whether a real place or mythical. This adds an enjoyable air of mystique to the books. The Last Mapmaker is the fictional story of Sodsai Mudawan "Sai." Soontornvat begins Sai's story dealing with Thai cultural issues. To be someone of importance in Thailand knowing one's ancestors is key. At age 13 any girl that is anything receives her lineal, a piece of jewelry, such as a bracelet or brooch, that is composed of links or rings. Each link or ring stands for a generation of ancestors that were known and that were honorable enough to be claimed. Sai has been able to play the part of coming from a wealthy family with her peers and her work-life, but her thirteenth birthday is quickly approaching and with the fact that she is actually the daughter of a thief there is no lineal in sight. Disgrace is quickly approaching. However, a unique opportunity arises. Sai is an assistant to a famous mapmaker. The queen of Thailand is anxious for Thailand's borders to expand and desires for the mythical land of Sunderland, a land of dragons and dangerous adventures to be found and mapped. The reward? Money, honor, a lineal. Get ready for a story with lots of unexpected twists and turns. Overall this is a fun and engaging read, but there are a couple things to be made aware of. HEADS UP- Sai's relationship with her father (mother passed away years before) is complicated. He is an alcoholic and thief, and she lies to him and her employer to be able to go on this voyage. There is some redemption at the end of the story. A young boy who is a pickpocket ends up becoming a stowaway on their ship. He constantly calls Sai names usually including the word turd, etc. There is some mention of Thai gods. The item that pushed this book to the upper age of the middle grade range for me is the issue of a member of the royal family who is a part of the voyage who had a romantic relationship in the past that was beneath her and would have caused her to be disowned, so she never married the man. A child was born from that relationship (no intimate details are given). The woman does refer to the man as her husband, but the book is very clear that they never married. There is a thread of the adventure that comes from this relationship.

AWAKING WONDER by Sally Clarkson Summer is flying by. My family is in a stage of life where the door is constantly opening and closing with the comings and goings of work, activities, and appointments (as I write this at 7:30 am, 2 just left for dentist appointments). In years past, by this time I had all my next year's curriculum picked, purchased, and it may have been on the shelf patiently waiting for the first day of school. I'm not there yet this year. I have some things settled on but not everything. I'm okay with that. I'm pondering. I'm revisiting methods. I had one child who was too bogged down last year, and I'm determined that this year won't look like that. Why do I tell you all this? Because a title keeps coming back to my mind as I ponder, Awaking Wonder. I have been officially homeschooling for 16 years now (although I would tell you it started from pretty much day 1 with reading stacks of books to my oldest daughter 21 years ago). Sally Clarkson was one of the first authors I read on motherhood/homeschooling, and I have gobbled her work up ever since. I read this one when it came out in 2020, but I'm wanting to refresh ideas in my head, Awaking Wonder is just what the title says. It is a book that is dedicated to helping you as a parent to awaken the wonder of learning in your child. With Sally Clarkson at the helm of this book, you can bet you're going to get the best, truly tried advice you can imagine. Sally comes alongside as the mentor most of us can only dream of having. In true Sally fashion, you can imagine her pouring you a cup of steaming tea, lighting a few candles, sitting down next to you and completely focusing on you as you relay your struggles. Then ever so gently, she'll offer up wisdom that will fill your soul and bring light to your home. HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

THE BIG BOOK OF BLOOMS by Yuval Zommer It is the season of blooming flowers. For as many years as I can remember, my children have wanted to be a part of putting a plant in the ground and watching it flourish. There is something mysterious and miraculous about covering a seed in the dirt and a few days later a green shoot appears. Almost as amazing as stepping into a garden is stepping into The Big Book of Blooms by author/illustrator Yuval Zommer. Since this is a book about flowers, let's start with the illustrations. This masterpiece is full of color, and bugs, and butterflies, and animals just as you would find in an actual garden. Vines twist and turn around each other. Bees and butterflies sip sweet nectar while resting on colored petals. Hidden throughout the pages are 15 golden bulbs waiting for discovery. Loveliness and joy spill out from the pages. The text is delightful. Every two pages is a section dedicated to a topic such as roses, pitcher plants, pollinators, etc. Every section begins with a question that fires the brain's imagination. Examples of questions are What's inside a pitcher plant, how do plants defend themselves, why are roses red and violets blue, and so on. Written with the assistance of botanical experts from the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Great Britain, this book is overflowing with information for inquiring minds, young and old alike. HEADS UP- One very small reference to millions of years. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- This book is a launch pad of possibilities where plants are concerned. Pot a plant, grow a garden, bask in blooms! Visit gardens! There are conservatories, plantations, arboretums, estates, greenhouses, grandma's garden, etc. open for tours. Check them out! Read one section of the book and hunt for real life examples in your own backyard or if it's something more exotic one of the special locations listed above. Make pictures of flowers using tissue paper. Cut a stem shape out of green tissue paper. For a darker shade of green cut 2 layers of the paper. Glue onto white cardstock. Cut petal shapes out of different colors of tissue paper and arrange them on the top of the stem and glue them down. Use flower guides for colors and shapes if needed.

A DROP OF HOPE by Keith Calabrese How about a book from an author who grew up in Ohio set in an economically depressed town in Ohio? Can anyone relate? A Drop of Hope by Keith Calabrese takes us to a place that a lot of us know in Smalltown, USA. Welcome to Cliffs Donnelly, Ohio, better known as If Only, Ohio, thanks to a can of black spray paint and some jokester's outlining of certain letters on the town sign. Hope is in short supply in Cliffs Donnelly. There's trouble looming on the horizon for the local factory. Families are feeling the stress, and it's filtering down to the kids. The time is ripe for something completely unexpected. That unexpected happening is actually a two part deal. Following the stories of three kids, Ernest, Ryan, and Lizzy, one is gifted a strange pile of brand-new antique toys in his grandfather's attic. The second starts with a discussion in school about myths and legends. An old legend revolving a broken down wishing well located nearby is remembered. Through a chance happening the three kids (2 at first - one later) end up in the bottom of the well. Thanks to the discussion in school, kids start visiting the well and telling it their wishes. The majority of the wishes have to do with restoration for their families. Through bizarre, seemingly unrelated connections, the gifted, antique toys set off chain reactions of events resulting in the granting of wishes. With happenings like this the story starts to spread which can mean trouble. The question of magic is raised, but the book never settles if the happenings are by chance or magical. Little by little the town begins to heal and hope creeps in. This book does not have a mystical feel to it. Instead it has a feel similar to Tuck Everlasting. Overall it is a well written, enjoyable story. HEADS UP- It's mentioned that the well is located in some woods where supposed devil worshippers are. There are no devil worshippers. It's a hangout for teens where they party. One of the wishes is by a family member for one of the teen partyers. There are some family issues such as abuse (one time it was about to happen but gets stopped), some minor talking back to parents, and one of the kids lies to parents about where he is. Still, the overarching theme in this book is healing for the families and the town.

THE BEAR AND THE PIANO by David Litchfield Do you have a child that is musically inclined or community inclined? The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield is a beautiful meshing together of both themes. A bear stumbles upon a piano in the middle of the woods. Initially when he touches the keys the sound is terrible, but day after day, he comes back. Over time, he teaches himself to play. He plays for his community, his bear friends. Then an opportunity comes along to go to the city to perform. He takes it and becomes a great success, but after a while he finds he misses home. This wonderful picture book opens the door to great conversations about the love of music, using our gifts, and not forgetting where we've come from. The Bear and His Piano takes it one step further - using our gifts to bless our communities. This book hits home for us. We live in a small, rural area. Recently there has been a concentrated effort to let our young adults know how much we need them to keep our community alive and thriving. Litchfield is also the illustrator. The pictures are full of earth tones which gives the book a nature feel until the bear goes to the city. Lots of heavy, dark colors then fill the pages giving the feeling of weight on the bear. Then there is a change. Notice when the light really shines on the bear. It is when he is back, performing in the woods. A light airyness returns to the pictures. You can almost feel the sigh of relief from the bear to be back in his own environment. ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES - Take a few minutes to listen to some piano classical music. Some great ones are Moonlight Sonata, Canon in D, Fur Elise, Clair de Lune, Minute Waltz, and Flight of the Bumblebee. Talk about the work in truly learning to play an instrument. It takes years of dedicated practice, but it's an ability that you can use for the rest of your life! If you already play, share your talent in a nursing home, church, or other community gathering.

HISTORY SMASHERS: THE TITANIC by Kate Messner Each of my older kids went through a time of wanting to know more about the Titanic. The excitement of launching such a grand ship with the thought that she was virtually unsinkable, only to have her go down in such a short amount of time, taking so many lives with her, is haunting. To know that she is resting on the bottom of the ocean, a luxurious sepulcher filled with the dead and their belongings as she calcifies, is a testimony to the fact that man does not always conquer. Now we have our own tragedy to add to this watery grave - more wreckage, more lives. Don't misunderstand me. I, in no way, fault the men for wanting a peek at what lies in those watery depths. I appreciate the pulling back of the ocean curtains to reveal the barnacle covered giant, my revealing just comes in picture form. All this to say, that a new group of children are hearing the name of the Titanic intermixed with the name Titan for the first time. I recently picked up a new book about the Titanic by Kate Messner entitled History Smashers: The Titanic. It's a fun mix of chapter book with real pictures and graphic novel depicting certain pivotal points in the Titanic journey. In this series Messner tries to ferret out the truth and myths surrounding this epic story. In doing so she "smashes" the myths and verifies the truth. If you have a child in your home asking questions, this book is a great starting spot.