The Bremen Town Musicians text set

 The Brothers Grimm recorded this fairy tale. It takes place during the medieval era. 

1. The Bremen Town Musicians retold by Louise Simonson illustrated by Lisa Weber

A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster are no longer useful to their owners. Fearing that their owners will put them to death, they leave their homes, meet each other along the way, and form a band. On their way to Bremen Town, they encounter a group of bandits rejoicing over their recent thievery success. They scare the robbers out of the house & secure a home for themselves.

Warnings: People believe the house is haunted. The thieves think ghosts,monsters, a witch, and a werewolf chase them out of the house.

2. The Musicians of Bremen retold & illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat

The illustrations in the retelling are beautiful. 

Warning: The one robber reports that a witch scratched him, a troll stabbe him in the leg, & a demon hit him with a club.

-Borrowed both from the library.

E. Nesbit picture books*

 After reading and loving The Railway Children, I wanted to read more by E. Nesbit. These two delightful picture books will captivate the reader with the story, the writing, and the word choice. I highly recommend both books. Both books were borrowed from the library.

1. Jack and the Beanstalk-the illustrations by Matt Tavares are immersive. Younger children may be a bit frightened by the giant illustrations! This is now one of my favorite Jack & the Beanstalk rendition. If I see it in a bookstore, I will buy it.

2. Melisande illustrated by P.J. Lynch (another favorite illustrator!)-Melisande's parents hope to avoid forgetting to invite a fairy to her christening party, so they don't invite any of the fairies. Instead of circumventing the situation, the parents offend all of the fairies!!  Her curse? She will be bald.  The king remembers how a fairy gave him a wish for a wedding present. He asks the fairy to give it to her daughter when she is old enough to wish "wisely". Years of tribulation ensue. Will Melisande ever be free of a curse?

A wonderfully enthralling tale! I am buying this book.

A few books recommended in Soul School by Amber O'Neal Johnston

 Below are a few books featured/recommended in Soul School, which I recently reviewed. I borrowed all these books from the library.  I do not "highly recommend" all of these books. Please read carefully.😀

1. Saving the Day by Karyn Parsons illustrated by R. Gregory Christie

In rhyme, Ms. Parsons shares Garrett Morgan's childhood and his idea for the traffic signal. She imagines a story to highlight his invention. She also reveals he that invented many other helpful objects but only shares one other device-a gas mask.

2.  The 1619 Project-Born on the Water by Nikole Hannah-Jones & Renee Watson illustrated by Nikkolas Smith

A young girl needs to research her heritage. When she asks her grandmother about her ancestors, her grandmother reveals her family's rich West Central African heritage (Ndongo Kingdom) and then how they were captured, sold, and shipped across the Atlantic to Virginia to work the tobacco fields. Unique format: poems 

Considerations/discussions: I found it  one-sided-they only state about the whites capturing and selling them. Black Lives Matter is mentioned. Because of the cruel nature of slavery, I would read this book with older children, who are ready to discuss the many facets to this part of history (& be prepared as a parent to disclose how whites were not the only ones selling the Blacks into slavery).

3. The Roots of Rap -16 Bars on the 4 Pillars of Hip-Hop by Carole Boston-Weatherford Art by Frank Morrison

The history of rap/hip-hop  I did not really learn about it through the main text. The glossary and list of  who's who of Hip-Hop taught me the most. I do not have much schema for it! 

Consideration: Some of the groups and artists may have questionable lyrics. Graffiti is one of the four pillars of hip-hop. So this book will promote discussions! 😉

4. Soul Food Sunday by Winsome Bingham illustrated by C.G. Esperanza

*Highly recommend!

A family gathers each Sunday to make and eat "soul food". For the first time a young boy helps his Granny prep each item on the menu. A great book about family and working together  A recipe for mac/cheese is included! I loved the author's note where she explained how she learned to cook!

5. John Henry by Julius Lester illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

**Highly, highly recommend.

Award-Caldecott Honor Book

One can hear Mr. Lester tell this story-the words have so much voice! I especially delighted in the figurative language-hyperboles, similies, personifications etc. My favorite line-"Dying ain't important. Everybody does that. What matters is how well you do your living."

Consideration/discussion: Spoiler Alert- John Henry dies at the end.

6.  Black-Eyed Peas and Hoghead Cheese -A Story of Food, Family, and Freedom by Glenda Armand illustrated by Steffi Walthall

As a young girl assists her grandmother in the kitchen prepping and making food for the extended family's New Year's Day dinner, she listens to stories why each of the foods are significant and the history of her ancestors. Learning about the food history was interesting. I love how the book celebrates grandparents and extended family. A recipe for pralines is shared!

7.  My Rows and Piles of Coins by Tololwa M. Mollel illustrated by E.B. Lewis

*Highly recommend!

Award winner- Coretta Scott King Award

Each market day in Tanzania a boy helps his mother. If it is a good market day, she gives him a few coins for him to purchase something. Instead, he saves the coins. He longs to buy a red, white, and blue bicycle.  A sweet story with a surprise ending

8. Black Cowboy Wild Horses  A True Story by Julius Lester illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

**Highly, highly recommend!

What a fascinating tidbit of history! Mr. Lester elucidates how Bob Lemmons, a former slave, tracks wild mustangs and captures them. He was a legendary Texan cowboy! Of course, Mr. Lester utilizes beautiful language (figurative) to narrate this unusual piece of history.

Whale Fall by Melissa Stewart illustrated by Rob Dunlavey

 Ms. Stewart reveals how vital a whale's death is to a myriad of sea creatures. Enlarged inserts of the creatures support the text and help the reader comprehend. In the back Ms. Stewart provides more information about each of the creatures mentioned (scientific name, size, diet, predators, life span, & field note).  

A fascinating topic! This picture book will appeal to elementary students.

Pair with Life After Whale (Life After Whale presents more information about whale falls and has better illustrations.)

-Borrowed from the library.

J.R.R. Tolkien text set

 For our "Poetry Treat", I featured Tolkien's riddles from The Hobbit plus riddles from The Exeter Book Riddles (Anglo-Saxon riddles from the 11th century  Tolkien read these and inspired him in his riddle creating). We, of course, had to feast like hobbits. We only could eat through luncheon (some of us skipped elevenses!!). 

While we feasted throughout the morning and afternoon, I shared facts about Tolkien from John Hendrix's new book, The Mythmakers. I have not read the entire book yet; I skimmed it for parts about Tolkien. So far I am impressed with it. A lion and a wizard take the readers through portals for more information. I am not sure if I like this aspect yet. At times I find them distracting (although the information is interesting).

*Warning-Some of the riddles contain innuendos. Borrowed from the library.

I own this book.

Concise-highlights main events in his life  Borrowed from the library.

This picture book gives an overview of his life and also reveals the inspiration for Gandalf and Bag's End

Other books of interest (I did not have time to incorporate them into our discussion. All are borrowed from the library.)-

Comprehensive-for junior high and high school readers

Some beautiful editions of  Letters from Father Christmas-

Haven't listened to yet

The House of Grass and Sky by Mary Lyn Ray illustrated by E.B. Goodale*

 House recalls the day it was built and the various families who have lived in it. Left empty for years, it longs for a family once more to reside within and to appreciate the joys of the countryside.

Pair with Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall and The Little Blue Cottage by Kelly Jordan (With the three books, readers will be able to make connections and compare/contrast.) I could also see writing prompts emerge from this book or being used as a story starter (older elementary students).

*Highly recommend.

Beautiful illustrations. Full of yearning

-Borrowed from the library.

Hiawatha text set

 My son read about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem in history. I had him read the picture book version by Susan Jeffers and page through the one illustrated by Margaret Early. I read both versions. We also paged through the original poem to appreciate how long it is!!

This one focuses on Hiawatha's childhood and what he learns about nature.

This one is a more comprehensive retelling of the poem. It ends with "Hiawatha's Bride".

-Borrowed from the library.

Anno text set

 When reading an introduction to a section in my son's geometry book, Anno's Hat Tricks illustrated by Mitsumasa Anno was mentioned. Out of curiosity I requested some of his books. He is quite the intriguing illustrator!

The Magic Pocket Selected Poems by Michio Mado translated by The Empress Michiko of Japan decorations by Mitsumasa Anno-very simple poems with simple decorations. I liked how the original Japanese version was on the left with the English translation on the opposite page.

Anno's Spain A wordless book  Takes the viewer through Spain  Some explanations about the illustrations are at the end  Someone who has lived in Spain or visited there for an extended period of time would enjoy this book.

Anno's Alphabet I liked this book the best. Borders have objects hidden in them that represent the featured letter.

Laurence Anholt textset*

 Author and illustrator Laurence Anholt shares a snapshot of famous artist lives when they interacted with a child or teen. These stories will connect with children and introduce them to famous artists in a meaningful way.

*Highly recommend all of these titles (all borrowed from the library)-

Beethoven text set

 This coming school year my high school freshman will study in depth Ludwig Van Beethoven (part of history) by using Charlotte Mason's Music Study with the Masters. I plan to utilize the following picture books to enrich the study-

Famous Children Beethoven by Ann Rachlin illustrated by Susan Hellard (includes interesting, personal snippets about his life but seems to be disjointed and not well organized) from the library-

Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers-Ludwig Van Beethoven by Mike Venezia*-interesting facts presented in an entertaining manner  Borrowed from the library *Highly recommend-

Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol illustrated by Scott Cameron-Lavish illustrations A fictional account told via letters between a boy and his uncle In the letters Christoph expresses his disdain for Beethoven, who is renting their family's upstair rooms. Over time his opinion changes. Readers learn a lot about Beethoven in a different format. It looks like this book was made into a movie. Borrowed from the library.*Highly recommend.-

The Golem's Latkes retold by Eric A. Kimmel illustrated by Aaron Jasinski

 Rabbi Judah creates a golem who will do any task when told. One problem-he will keep doing the task until someone says, "Golem, enough!". When Rabbi Judah visits Emperor Rudolf in Prague, he leaves his new housemaid, Basha,  in charge. Against his better judgment, he permits her to use the Golem. 

Pair with Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola & Sweep: The Story of a Girl & Her Monster by Jonathan Auxier (for older kids-grades 4 & older) to make T-T connections.

-Borrowed from the library.

Greek Mythology text set

 My eighth grader will soon be reading Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus for literature class. So he could understand the allusion in the title, he read the myth about Prometheus in two of these books. Although I only read the Prometheus retellings in these books, I wanted to record the titles so I can borrow them again when we study ancient history. 

-Borrowed from the library.

**Full of interesting facts & history -will appeal to reluctant readers.

A classic!

Walt Whitman text set

 For this month's poetry treat, we are reading Walt Whitman's poems. Below are some resources we used. Be aware that some of his poems are descriptive of attraction and intimacy. It is easy to find ones that do not include these topics. Although I do not include a summary here, I am showing the physical copy of Leaves of Grass so they can appreciate the amount of poems he wrote.

1. Who Was Walt Whitman?-by Kirsten Anderson -a quick, but thorough overview of his life- Created/written for elementary readers, but junior high and high schoolers can read this in one sitting and have a great insight about his life. *Highly recommend. Borrowed from the library.

2. Walt Whitman by Catherine Reef-more in depth biography with a lot of photographs for junior high and older-Borrowed from the library.

3. Walt Whitman Words for America by Barbara Kerley illustrated by Brian Selznick-I own this one. Highly recommend. Beautifully illustrated biography.

4. Poetry for Young People Walt Whitman Edited by Jonthan Levin illustrated by Jim Burke  A great poetry series-includes many poems with summaries at the top of each poem with unusual words defined at the bottom of each poem.  *Highly recommend. I own this book.

5. Poetry for Kids  Walt Whitman Edited by Karen Karbiener, PhD illustrated by Kate Evans  (similar to Poetry for Young People as it features a mixture/excerpts of his poems with unusual words defined on the side/bottom of each poem).  -Borrowed from the library.

6. The Civil War Poems Walt Whitman (Barnes/Noble)-When I was in high school, my best friend gave me this anthology for either a birthday or Christmas gift (I really liked Whitman and studying the Civil War in high school, so it was a thoughtful and creative gift), but I did not keep it. I regret giving it away now!! -Borrowed from the library.

7. O Captain, My Captain -Walt Whitman, Abraham Lincoln, and the Civil War by Robert Burleigh illustrated by Sterling Hundley  Mr. Burleigh takes quotes from Whitman and lines from his poems and uses them as headings/topic sentences to create a highly illustrated and engaging biography. For late elementary through high school.

8. The World Below the Brine by Walt Whitman illustrated by James Christopher Carroll    Mr. Carroll uses deep colors to illustrate Whitman's poem.  *Highly recommend for elementary readers. Borrowed from the library.

Ruby Bridges text set

 We will be studying the 1960s soon in American history. I am having my youngest son do a deeper study of Ruby Bridges. The following books he could use for his study-

1. The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles-narrative picture book for grades 2nd-6th, junior high  It includes the prayer Ruby prayed over the angry mob. Her prayer made me emotional. *Highly recommend. I own this book.

2. Ruby Bridges Goes to School My True Story by Ruby Bridges -Scholastic Reader Level 2-perfect for beginning & transitional readers, full of photographs *Highly recommend. -Borrowed from the library.

3. This Is Your Time by Ruby Bridges Written in 2020, Ms. Bridges encourages children of this era to stand vs racism  She recounts her school integration, exalts her father, shares about her sons, and points out modern racial issues. Lots of photographs-some show the hatred people had toward blacks & integration. She mentions Black Lives Matters & includes several photographs of their demonstrations. One photo has a preschooler wearing a t-shirt that states, "lightly melanated hella black". Ms. Bridges does NOT focus on how racial relationships have improved since 1961. She does place hope in this younger generation to break prejudice. This book should provide opportunity for an interesting discussion with my son. 

Suited for grades 4 and older.  Borrowed from the library.

4. Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges 

published 1999 This longer narrative shares how Ruby Bridges participates in the civil rights struggle. Tons of photographs. The photographs do expose the hatred people had towards blacks and integration. *Highly recommend.  For readers in 5th grade & older.  -Borrowed from the library.

*I just read on-line that Barbara Henry, Ruby's teacher, is still alive (91 years old)!!

A book should be written about her!