Think back to your favorite summer vacation—did it have times of relaxation? Scenes of adventure? Perhaps new friendships forged? Maybe a bit of all three. All these great elements of a good summer adventure story can be found in Jeanne Birdsall’s The Penderwicks. I picked this up a few months ago and was certain I…
A new song from Slugs & Bugs! If you enjoyed that…I’ve got good news. There is more Slugs & Bugs music on the way. This is music our entire family loves, from 3 to 38. On our way home from Inkwell, someone popped in an older Slugs & Bugs CD, one we hadn’t heard in…
Oh, man. Our Story Warren Family Conference, Inkwell, was incredible. I’m so grateful for how it went. We had around 250 kids with their families together all day for an amazing experience. Inkwell is a day for Unbottling Imagination. Why? For Kingdom Anticipation. It’s a fun, funny, and friendly event. But the heart of the thing…
I feel like a traitor. Is it wrong to recommend a television show to parents who have gathered with the goal of guiding their children away from technology, away from mindless media absorption? Do we lose ground if we allow television to play any role in our children’s lives? Frankly, I don’t know. And for…
Editor’s Note: In the aftermath of our family conference, Inkwell, we have some new folks here at our site. I thought it would be a good idea to share Julie Silander’s post on a subject so many of us as parents find challenging. If you have no worries in this area, then great. But many…
As I laze on my front porch in the sweltering humidity of a summer’s day in Virginia, I find myself wishing for the frigid waters of Lake Michigan where I spent most of my life. Then, in that meandering way thoughts have of wandering through, I find myself smiling over memories of my children’s lake…
If you can imagine this, when I was a child, a little Golden book cost $0.25. My grandmother used to slip a quarter into her letters to our family for me, and it was a treat to go to the local “dime store” (also a phenomenon of past days) to buy a new book. Along…
Mrs. Eddlemon, my second –grade teacher, earned my undying love in two ways: first, she rewarded good behavior with “Funny Bucks” (which we stored in cigar boxes) and allowed us to shop at her General Store on Friday afternoons, and second, she read Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books to our class whenever she could squeeze them in….
A few weeks ago I headed to out with a few friends in the middle of a Sunday afternoon to catch one of the few showings that my local movie theater was airing of the animated film Song of the Sea. It’s true that I don’t usually zip to the theater for animated films unless…
I can think of plenty of reasons not to review S. D. Smith’s The Green Ember. One is that I always think it’s a bit awkward to post about titles with which I have a personal connection. (I served as a beta reader for a early draft of the manuscript.) And I truly try to avoid…
Frequently, I am asked by parents in my library for a book on “character.” They want help in teaching their children about right and wrong, about virtue, about knowing how to make wise choices. Sometimes, they want a book specific to encouraging a certain character trait or overcoming a bad one, such as lying, or…
This is just fantastic. If you aren’t a subscriber to the Read-Aloud Revival, then get on it. (On iTunes or Stitcher.) In this episode Sarah moves from being the one with the brilliant questions to the one with the excellent presentation. As with everything from the author of Teaching From a State of Rest, this pod is winsome,…
