Joan of Arc

Joan was born in 1412 in the tiny village of Domremy, France.  She led an ordinary life until she was 13 when she says the Archangel Michael appeared to her and told her to save France.

From this day forward, her life would change forever.

It was during the Hundred Years’ War where France had been at war with England over a dispute for the French crown.  The French people were divided as to who should rule: the English or the French.  The Burgundians, a province of France, was one group of French people who were helping the English.

For 3 years the voices (Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret appeared to her as well) haunted her and finally told her urgently to go to see the dauphin Charles (the rightful king of France but he hadn’t been crowned yet) immediately.

She obeyed.

Following her voices, she met Charles and picked him out of a crowd when Charles was trying to trick her.  Her commission by God was to free the city of Orleans (under siege by the English) and to crown Charles King.

She led an army against the English and drove them off.

After Charles was crowned in 1429, Joan wanted to go home.  But the king refused to allow her to go.  Against her voices, she obeyed the king.  Her voices had told her she only had a year to help.  It was over a year now.  Hence, the voices fled.  She had been protected by God up until this point.  But when she obeyed the king and not her voices, everything changed.

Joan of Arc

Her battles were unsuccessful as Charles delayed action.  She was captured by the Burgundians and ransomed.  Charles refused to pay her ransom so she was sold to the English.

She stood trial on trumped-up charges of heresy and was found guilty and sentenced to death.  However, if she confessed, she could save her life.  She signed the confession but then recanted. Immediately, acknowledging she had done all for God, her voices returned.

She was cruelly burned at the stake.  She cried, “Jesus” three times at her death.  Her ashes were scattered in the Reine River so they could not be made into relics.

Twenty-six years later, Charles gave Joan a new trial and was declared innocent.  She was canonized in 1920 and is beloved in France today.

Undoubtedly Joan turned the tide of the Hundred Years’ War.  The French were languishing under a young and indecisive dauphin (who would become King Charles VII) until this girl comes out of nowhere to revive the French cause.

The most profound part of this was the fact her voices left her when she obeyed man instead of God.

We know more about Joan of Arc than any other woman in the Middle Ages because of the transcripts of her trial.  Every word was recorded at her trial as well as at her Trial of Rehabilitation where people who knew her were interviewed.  Very cool for a girl of only 19 years old.

Joan of Arc is the epitome of someone who came from nothing (she was a girl and a peasant in a tiny village in the Middle Ages) and changed the course of the world, proving God uses everybody for His purposes.  She is a great role model for young girls as well as those struggling to find themselves in today’s world.

There are many good picture books of Joan of Arc.  The one pictured is by Diane Stanley but we have also read Joan of Arc by Demi and Ann Tompert and enjoyed them as well. All are highly recommended.

The Miracle of Saint Nicholas

Alexi is walking with his babushka on Christmas Eve in a small village in Russia. He wonders why they won’t celebrate Christmas in church.

His babushka explains how long ago soldiers closed the church and threatened to take anyone away who are found inside.  Shortly afterwards, all the items in the church disappeared.

Curious, Alexi visits the church a bit later and finds it open.  He enters and begins cleaning up inside.  He collects pine boughs and places them near the altar.

Soon, the whole village comes to see what Alexi is doing.

After dinner, Alexi returns to the church to find how all the villagers have brought relics and church items their grandparents had taken when the church closed.  His own babushka even had the painting of Saint Nicholas kept safe in her barn.

All wait in the church for the priest who turns out to be the shoemaker.  He was hidden from the soldiers by the people.

Candles were lit and the Christmas service was just how babushka remembered.

This childrens’ book by Gloria Whelan will surely delight with it’s surprise ending.  I loved how all it took was one little boy to bring God back into a little village that had forgotten.  It was as if the villagers were all just waiting for someone to take the first step.

Like God waits for us to say “Yes” to Him.

Goddess Girls

My two girls (ages 8 and 7) have been devouring these books ever since we saw them at a Book Fair.

The Goddess Girls series by Joan Holub and Suzanne Williams chronicles the adventures of four Greek Goddesses (Artemis, Athena, Aphrodite, and Persephone) while they are pre-teens at Mount Olympus Academy (MOA).  And of course, the “godboys” are fixtures as well (Ares, Apollo, Hephaestus, Hercules, Hades, Actaeon, Poseidon, etc.)

It goes through first crushes, being the new girl (Athena who didn’t know she was a goddess before), loyalty to friends, helping others, etc.

I like these books because they are true to the original Greek myths. For example, Persephone falls for Hades.  Well, in the Greek myth, Hades kidnaps Persephone and makes her live with him in the Underworld.  Artemis is Goddess of the Hunt so she’s proficient with a bow and arrow and keeps animals as pets (as she is also Goddess of Animals).  Aphrodite is the match-maker of the group, fittingly since she’s the Goddess of Love.

A temple is built in Ephesus for Artemis and does become one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World (mentioned in Artemis the Brave or the Loyal–I can’t remember which).  So they are historically accurate as well as great reads.

These books intertwine social situations and ancient history and myths (with all your favorite mythical characters and creatures such as Hercules’ Tasks and Pygmalion).

Good, wholesome books sure to entertain as well as educate!

The Queen Who Couldn’t Bake Gingerbread

A great adaptation of a German folk tale by Dorothy Van Woerkom.  In this tale, a king seeks a queen but she must be able to bake gingerbread.  The king cannot find a queen who can bake gingerbread so he settles on a queen who is seeking a king who must be able to play the slide trombone (which the king can’t).  They agree to set aside these demands and marry anyways.

All is well until a fight ensues and each is mad at the other for not being able to cook gingerbread and play the slide trombone.  They go to separate parts of the castle, sulking.

Finally, each realizes they are not being very wise and kind and both in turn decide to teach themselves how to bake gingerbread and play the trombone.

I loved the lesson:  if you want something, do it yourself.  If you want gingerbread, learn to bake it.  If you want to play the trombone, learn to play it.

This is great for marriages as well.  You can’t count on your spouse doing something for you if you are the one who wants it done.  You gotta do it for yourself.

In the end, each are “never disappointed” from unrealistic expectations being put upon others.

This book is from 1975 which I got from the library so it may be hard to find in print.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

 

I led a deprived childhood.

I readily acknowledge this.

Luckily, I get another chance with my children.

I just finished reading the delightful tale of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory out loud to my kids.  In case you didn’t know, this is the tale of Charlie Bucket, a boy who is exceedingly poor, lives in a shack with his mother, father, and both sets of grandparents right next to a chocolate factory, owned by Willy Wonka.

The factory has been closed to outsiders since Mr. Wonka discovered some were sneaking his secrets out.

One day, Mr. Wonka announces a contest for 5 children to tour his factory and learn his secrets.  These kids will be chosen by finding a Golden Ticket, which is the inside wrapping of his candy bars.

Naturally, this sparks an all-out buying frenzy, where every child wants to find these.

Charlie Bucket finds the last ticket.  He is whisked away for tons of crazy adventures as the other children inevitably succumb to their greedy desires.  Charlie is the last child standing and so is selected by Mr. Wonka to take over his factory when he is older.  He wants to train a child since a grownup “won’t listen to me; he won’t learn.  He will try to do things his own way and not mine.”  (So true, isn’t it?)

I loved the poem the Oompa-Loompas (the workers in the factory) sing about the evils of TV, how it “rots the senses in the head and kills imagination dead!” and how one should read books instead.  Ingenious!

This book had my kids laughing and begging to continue.  They loved the other kids falling to their doom and Charlie winning out in the end–simply by being good.

I loved the Grandparents who commented on every single kid who won the tickets based on the newspaper reports.  Grandma Josephine says one “needs a real good spanking” and calls another “beastly”.  The funny part is that this is the truth about these kids behavior and it is so refreshing to read before the advent of political correctness.

It’s easy to see why Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl is an enduring classic that every child must read.  And finally I get to read it too!

In God’s Hands

In God’s Hands by Lawrence Kushner and Gary Schmidt is a charming traditional Jewish folktale of obeying God that children will be sure to delight in.

Jacob, a rich man, always feel asleep during service but one day he woke up just long enough to hear one verse from Leviticus, saying he should make 12 loaves of challah and give them to God.

Believing it had been God who had spoken to him, Jacob obeys.  He bakes the challah and brings it to the synagogue and places it in the ark.

David, a poor man with a family to feed who cleans the synagogue, finds the challah and believes God has answered his prayers for food.

This cycle continues on for years with Jacob believing God ate the challahs and David believing God made the challahs until one day the rabbi discovers what is happening.  He calls the two men together and reveals the truth.  At first, both are disheartened as their belief in God is shattered.

But the rabbi points out that even though their conception is wrong, they must go on continuing to make the bread, knowing how both of their hands are God’s hands, doing His work, for His people.

Great lesson for all about obeying the whispers from God and seeing how the outcome of obedience is God’s plan with often unpredictable and wonderful results.  My kids loved this tale and couldn’t wait to read it again.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

 

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua chronicles Ms. Chua, a child of Chinese immigrants, as she raises her two daughters in the Chinese parenting model.

She pushes both girls to be the best in everything, never settling for second-place (as Ms. Chua explains most Chinese parents do).  Both must practice their instruments (piano and violin) for 2-3 hours a day, every day.  Both must excel in school and be fluent in Chinese and she pushes them relentlessly to achieve as much.

She calls this “The Virtuous Circle”, which she explains on P. 29 of her book.  She propounds what Chinese parents understand is that nothing is fun until you are good at it.  To be good at anything, you have to work.  Kids don’t inherently want to work so parents much push them.  Practice is the key.  Once the child starts excelling, the child receives praise from others, builds confidence, and makes the activity fun.  This will then created intrinsic satisfaction on the child’s part and he or she will want to work.

For her first daughter, Sophia, this works brilliantly.  Sophia works hard and is rewarded when she wins a contest and plays at Carnegie Hall.  For her second daughter, Lulu, this method creates all-out fights, screams, and general mayhem escalating to the point Lulu finally quits violin.

Chua says this method is magical when it works but she does finally admit on P. 212 that Chinese parenting doesn’t always succeed like in the case of her daughter, Lulu.

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother offers a fascinating insight into Chinese culture and why so many of these kids are excelling.  While definitely not agreeing with some of Ms. Chua’s parenting styles (like screaming at her kids for hours a day and using threats for coercion), I did glean how we as parents need to guide our children who are still children. However, I think a gentle steering and encouragement would be a better approach and still produce wonders in your child. Suffice it to say you are guaranteed to learn something from this book.

Favorite quotes from the book:

“Just because you love something…doesn’t mean you’ll ever be great.  Not if you don’t work.” P. 215

“There is nothing better to spend our money on than our children.” P. 111

“It’s too idealistic to expect children to do the right things on their own.” P. 104  I liked this one because I tend to think my kids know right from wrong.  But a lot of the times they don’t.  That’s my job to teach them this.

“Winning prizes gives you opportunities, and that’s freedom.”  P. 193  I liked this one due to its implications to foreigners.  We Americans forget that we live in the greatest country on earth and many, many others want to come here.  It’s hard for us to understand cut-throat competitions when so much is hanging on the results, so much that we don’t even realize.

Winning the Olympics or having talent (like musicality) can be the pathway to the United States. I think this is why immigrant-kids are pushed so hard and work so much harder. It’s not about the medal, trophy, or prize at the end.  It’s about a way of life.  Ms. Chua touched on this point very briefly in her book.

Heaven is for Real for Kids

A follow-up to the hugely successful adult book Heaven is for Real by Todd Burpo (see my review HERE), this book is a picture book in the same vein written in Colton’s words.

Heaven is for Real for Kids focuses on Colton’s memories of heaven.  He talks about Jesus, what heaven looks like, who you meet in heaven, what you do, the animals, the angels, and many more sights and sounds in heaven.  He talks about God’s throne and highlights how the Holy Spirit is with you when you pray.

Hebrews 12:2 “Jesus…sat down at the right hand at the throne of God.”  I’ve never really pictured an actual throne, even after we studied this passage this year.  Until this book where Colton says he saw God’s throne and Jesus was on God’s right side.  He says this was his favorite place in heaven.  There is an accompanying picture of God with Jesus by His side. Finally!  I can visualize it!  And what a glory it will be when I see it!

The book concludes with the most important thing Jesus told him, which was how to get to heaven:  believe in Him.  Then Jesus sent him back because he was answering his Dad’s prayer (something we all struggle with in different ways).

Great lessons for kids (and adults) with vivid pictures true to Colton’s memories.  The book ends with a great prayer for kids, which we all prayed.  Great Christian picture book and highly recommended for all ages.  It was by far the most popular book from our recent library trip.

After reading this book, my oldest asked to read the adult book when she gets a bit older. You know it’s a good book when it prompts the desire to read more!

The King With Horse’s Ears

In this delightful rendition of a classic Irish folktale by Erid Maddern, we encounter a king named King Mark who was born with horse’s ears.  He keeps his abnormality a secret from all but the barber who of course must know since he cuts the King’s hair.

Well, the barber is going sick with keeping the secret so on the advice of a doctor he tells the ground his secret.  Relieved, this secret turns into reed plants which are cut by musicians to make pipes.  These musicians just so happen to be playing before the King where the reed pipes play the barber’s words for all to hear.

His secret out, the king is at first embarrassed and then angry.  Yet no one laughed at the King.  Instead, they wished to see his ears.  The King removed his crown and everyone clapped upon seeing them.  They were proud of him and therefore he was proud of himself.

The story ends, “So, if you have something unusual about you, don’t be ashamed, be proud.  Just remember:  you are the only one of you there is!”

I thought this a great lesson for kids these days who are under so much pressure to conform instead of embracing their God-given uniqueness.

Carnival of the Animals

We have been working through The Gift of Music by Jan Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson this year for homeschool when Camille Saint-Saens came up.  I’ve personally never heard of this guy (like quite a few other composers from this book).

We always get a sample of their music from the library and if we’re lucky a biography for kids or two.

Well, during an online search of my local library, I found a gem of a book entitled Carnival of the Animals put together by Barrie Carson Turner, which illustrates this classic tale and has an accompanying CD.

The Carnival of Animals is Saint-Saens most famous work and it was written when his students asked him to compose a musical joke for them.  Saint-Saens matches animals such as the kangaroo, lion, roosters, mules, and tortoises to music beautifully as they parade through a carnival.  The total time of the composition is only 23 minutes with only about 2-4 minutes for each animal, which is perfect listening time for a child.

Many times I get musical compositions from the library and they are long and tedious. Not so here.  With the textbook to explain to children what the composer is trying to accomplish, why the author chose a particular instrument to play a certain part, and pictures to delight this book is sure to introduce children to the wonderful world of classical music and spawn a desire to learn more.