Books To Read

Harper Collins Treasury of Picture Book Classics A Child’s First Collection By Various

admin — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 10:16:21 +0000

This book arrived in the post today. I am so delighted. The book is a very sturdy hardback. The paper is heavy. The illustrations large.

This is going to be the book I will be reading to my preschoolers each night for many nights. We did have a similar collection but it is so well read it is starting to fall apart. This book has been better made than the previous one I bought. Although the selection is smaller, it includes 12 classic picture books, I think I love a far greater number of them. Not only will this book serve as an excellent read aloud, it will be used for my beginning readers. The stories will be familiar to them but that makes reading more encouraging: They know what those hard words are. They are delighted when they can work out some of the words themselves.

Heartbroken Open A Memoir Through Loss to Self-Discovery By Kristine Carlson

admin — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 10:29:39 +0000

I haven’t read this yet but I have requested that my local library get it. I’ll add more once I have read it. But a friend heard the author on National Radio and sent me the link

http://podcast.radionz.co.nz/ntn/ntn-20100722-1011-Feature_guest_-_Kristine_Carlson-048.mp3

It sounds like an excellent book.

The Urban Homestead (Expanded & Revised Edition) Your Guide to Self-Sufficient Living in the Heart of the City By Kelly Coyne, Erik Knutzen

admin — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:26:08 +0000

The book is full of realistic ideas to increase your self-sufficiency in the city. I have always wanted a life-style block but there are lots of great things to enjoy about city life. I have teenagers too. So that might mean a great deal of driving if I was to move out of the city. This book will help combine the two; having an urban homestead. In the introductory chapter we read how
“Even today, there are places that hold to this tradition. The citizens of Shanghai produce 85% of their vegetables within the city, and that’s just one example of a long Asian tradition of intense urban gardening. Or consider Cuba. Cubans practiced centralized, industrial agriculture, just as we do, until the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989. Overnight, Cubans were forced to shift from a large, petroleum-based system to small-scale farming, much of it in cities. Today, urban organic gardens produce half of the fresh fruits and vegetables consumed by Cubans.”
Given the current economic climate a little self-sufficiency is a great thing. I appreciated the numerous links throughout so I could explore some of the ideas further.

The Path of Loneliness Finding Your Way Through the Wilderness to God By Elisabeth Elliot

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:37:47 +0000

I found this a wonderful book to guide me in my path of loneliness. Elisabeth Elliot’s first first husband was martyred and her second died of cancer. Her wisdom was greatly appreciated. Her ability to put the thoughts and feelings of loneliness into words brought healing.

(Christian Book)

There’s a Hippopotamus on Our Roof Eating Cake By Deborah Niland and Hazel Edwards

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:13:13 +0000

Another fun picture book.

Commotion in the Ocean

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 09:02:57 +0000

We read this book over and over again until we had the poems memorised. The picture links to the board book version.

Talent Is Overrated What Really Separates World-Class Performers from Everybody Else By Geoff Colvin

admin — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 04:17:49 +0000

From the front cover :

“What if everything you know about raw talent, hard work and great performance is wrong?”

I think every home educator should read this book. What makes the difference is deliberate practice. Read the book to see what that means

Read the author’s page here

Pyramid and others by David Macaulay

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:19:59 +0000

This book shows in rich detailed illustration and text how the pyramids were built ( just by slave power, there were no cranes etc!) This book and others by David Macaulay have been particularly wonderful for my later reader son. The illustrations are so wonderful that he can enjoy the book without having to read the text for himself. He is reading now but books like this helped to keep the love of books alive when I couldn’t read to him and he wasn’t reading at his age level.

We have enjoyed Cathedral, Mill, and City. The Way We Work and The New Way Things Work would be excellent additions to your home library.
Here is the link for the books at the NZ National Library

Here is the link for the books at the Auckland Libraries

The Fourfold Path to Healing Working with the Laws of Nutrition, Therapeutics, Movement and Meditation in the Art of Medicine By Thomas S. Cowan

admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 09:15:08 +0000

This book is an excellent introduction to alternative medicine. While I would not agree with everything contained in the book, I think this book has information which will be helpful to most. You can combine many alternative therapies with conventional medicine to aid healing. The majority of the book covers alternative medicine approach for the most common ailments. I found the chapter on weight loss helpful.

I suggest you read Tom Cowan’s website to see if this is what you are looking for. Start with Nourishing Traditions first.

The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas by John Boyne

admin — Fri, 21 May 2010 10:32:03 +0000

I read this to my son (11 years). It is the kind of book to be read aloud because there is so much to discuss and the subject matter is difficult: The story is set at the time of the holocaust but when you begin the book you don’t know this. My son asked questions about what was going on so we discussed the history. The content could be very upsetting. I think this book will become a classic. My 14 year daughter appreciated the book too. It is a part of history we must pass on.

[As an aside , you as the parent might like to read Night by Elie Wiesel, Marion Wiesel ( this is not suitable for children). It is considered a classic in holocaust literature. You might also consider that hyperinflation so destroyed Germany that a person like Hitler was able to rise to power. For those interested in this aspect, you might like to read this book, available online for free at Mises.org]
You can borrow The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas from the Auckland Libraries

The book has been made into a movie which is also available from Auckland Libraries.

space

Here is the trailer to the movie

You can listen to the author talk about the book ( what is left unsaid) ( sorry the picture is poor)