It has been a fun month of reading, learning, and increasing in wisdom. March’s list had a few book club reads, picture books, and others which added to our learning fun. As usual, all of our reads were an adventure!
We’ve broken down the list into categories and included our personal rating from zero to five stars. To read more about a particular book, simply click the title!
Picture Books:
- The Word Collector (Peter Reynolds) ⭐⭐⭐ – Jerome discovers the magic of the words all around him — short and sweet words, two-syllable treats, and multisyllable words that sound like little songs. Words that connect, transform, and empower.
Books as Learning Resources:
- Curious Kid’s Nature Guide (Fiona Cohen) ⭐⭐⭐ – Filled with fun facts and 100 full-color, beautiful, and scientifically accurate illustrations, this nature guide will inspire kids to go outdoors and discover the natural wonders of the Pacific Northwest.
- The Brick Bible: The Old Testament (Brendan Powell Smith) ⭐⭐⭐ – Brendan Powell Smith has spent the last decade creating nearly 5,000 scenes from the Bible—with Legos
- The Brick Bible: The New Testament (Brendan Powell Smith) ⭐⭐⭐- Over 1,000 “brick” photographs depicting the narrative story of the New Testament.
Books for Fun:
- A Wrinkle in Time (Madeleine ‘L Engle) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Meg’s father had been experimenting with the fifth dimension of time travel when he mysteriously disappeared. Now the time has come for Meg, her friend Calvin, and Charles Wallace to rescue him.
- The Book of Joy (Douglas Carlton Abrams) ⭐ – Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity.
- A Thousand White Women (Jim Fergus) ⭐ – The story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians.
How are we rating these reads? Good question! If the book has a five, whether learning or for fun, it’s clean and we want it on our bookshelf permanently. Four stars are sorely tempting us, but as our local library carries them we’re in luck. Three stars are worth a look, but we don’t see ourselves reading them too often. Two stars were entertaining, but once was enough. One star was acceptable. And zero. Well, it’s zero.
What to be on the lookout for… The Brick Bibles were fun; it was great seeing the creativity which went into each panel. A Wrinkle in Time was a book club read and always a treat. It’s one of my favorite childhood series. The Book of Joy was another book club read of mine, and rather a disappointment. It was an interesting concept and I enjoyed hearing the exchange between the two gentlemen; however, I found the book itself to be lacking. Several references to scientific studies failed to have citation and no strong foundation was laid for the overall concept. I had hoped for more. A Thousand White Women was yet another mom book club read for the month. The historical fiction was brilliant, and wonderfully written. But, please note, this book is not meant for children. There are several references to intimacy and some language used; which is a shame as the story itself could have stood on its own two feet.
You may have noticed a few changes to our review format. It’s a work in progress, but one we hope will work better for you readers and us. Join us again next month as we explore a world of literature and the adventure of reading. Aren’t books so much fun?!
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