Note: To read more about tales of winter, check out my original Story Warren post here. What child doesn’t love pirates? During my youth in south Florida, I used to wander the beach with parents, picking over driftwood, chasing sandpipers and looking for Skull Rock. No mere mental homage to J.M. Barrie, Skull Rock was […]
The Job of the Writer
What can I say? When I was 2—long, long ago, back in the time of caves, when dinosaurs ruled the earth and parents left children in cars—my sister (a fresh plumpy newborn) and I were left in the back of our Humber car while our parents popped out—just for a second. When they left us, […]
Sorry, Kids – I’m All the Dad You’ve Got
The thought comes in various moments; sitting at dinner, driving across town, lying awake at night: God has entrusted me with the care of a beautiful woman, two precious girls, and a dear little man. What the heck was He thinking? Please, someone tell me I’m not the best we have. Isn’t there someone wiser, […]
Mice that speak and the language of imagination
Beverly Cleary’s The Mouse and the Motorcycle was one of my most memorable reading experiences of my young life. It stuck out to me, I think, because it was the first time I was aware of suspending disbelief. And I was glad to. Here’s why: The Mouse and the Motorcycle features a mouse named Ralph. Ralph lives […]
Alan Jacobs (Author of The Narnian) on Directing (or Not) a Child’s Reading
This is a small section from an interview J.B. Cheany (World Magazine, etc.) conducted with Alan Jacobs (The Narnian, etc.) over at what certainly appears to be a delightful website called Redeemed Reader. (See full interview here.) I thought these answers very insightful. “Insight,” by the way, is one of the words my kids brought […]