A few years ago my husband and I started collecting storybooks to introduce the classic tales to our kids. As we searched and read, we found a strange disconnect between the stories we remembered and what was being published. In one version of the Three Billy Goats Gruff, it turns out that the troll who […]

We were gathered around our dinner table with friends and a home-cooked feast, and the conversation turned to reading. My friend mentioned that in the past twenty years he has read, at most, three fiction books—out of hundreds of nonfiction books. “With so many things to learn in the world, I don’t have time for […]

Sally Lloyd-Jones is releasing a grown-up version of The Jesus Storybook Bible. Did you know that? It’s a testimony to the deep insight and beautiful simplicity Lloyd-Jones brought to this lovely piece of work. The chapter titled “The Terrible Lie” would be enough to set the proper tone for all future encounters with God, all […]

My little boy is awesome. Logan is three, and taller than a lot of four-year olds. He loves to roughhouse, to be outside, and to ride roller-coasters. He’s also afraid of the dark, the vacuum cleaner, and bugs small enough to be bullied by bacteria. Knowing myself as I do, I shouldn’t be surprised by […]

“There’s a positive correlation between a student’s vocabulary size in grade 12, the likelihood that she will graduate from college, and her future level of income. The reason is clear: vocabulary size is a convenient proxy for a whole range of educational attainments and abilities—not just skill in reading, writing, listening, and speaking, but also […]