I’m sitting on a screened porch in the North Carolina mountains this afternoon, able to hear the boats on the lake below me even though the trees block the view of the water. The ridges in the distance are hazy from the smoke that’s made its way down this far, but we are not facing the yellow skies or fearful fires of the northeast right now. I’m praying for those fighting the wildfires and those living in their path.
Around the Web
Why We Should Read Poetry
Daniel Dorman reminds us why poetry is still a valuable pursuit.
- For most people today the reader of poetry is a quaint and obscure character, like a collector of antique dolls or stamps. The reader of poetry is looked upon as someone absorbed in a personal and sentimental interest with almost no cultural or political significance. Literary theory (i.e. critical theories) are enjoying a cultural and political ascendency, but poetry itself is almost entirely peripheral to twenty-first century life.
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Two Middle Grade Novels about Homelessness
Carolyn Leiloglou recommends two novels that approach the topic of homelessness for middle grade readers.
- I haven’t encountered too many middle grade novels about homelessness for kids, but two good ones happened across my path recently. If you haven’t encountered it personally, child homelessness isn’t something you and your kids have thought about. Reading one or both of these books can help remedy that.
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A Global Cinema Event: The Hiding Place
Author and playwright A.S. (Pete) Peterson introduces an upcoming cinema event: a film version of the stage play of The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom, which Pete adapted. This work may be too intense for young children, but older children and families who want to explore Corrie’s story of internment in a German prison camp in World War II may find this event an excellent introduction.
- Ayear ago this month, Rabbit Room Theatre launched with my stage adaptation of Corrie Ten Boom’s The Hiding Place. It was a project that stretched me and the whole theatre team in a wealth of ways, and we were overjoyed with the reception. The show ran for 4-weeks to sold out performances at the Soli Deo Center in Nashville, Tennessee, and since then theater-goers and Corrie-lovers all over the world have been asking, “What’s next?”
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5 Ways to Encourage Dads This Father’s Day
Dads do a lot for families and may need some encouragement this month.
- Dads have a vital role in the family. It is often taken for granted. They carry a load of responsibility on their shoulders; their job is to provide for and protect their families. Two simple things that carry a lot of weight. It is imperative to show dads how important their role is and to encourage them to keep up the good work.
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Around the Warren
Where East Meets West: Celebrating Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month
A.C.S. Bird helps us look for ways to celebrate this month.
- Losing as well as finding ourselves in story is a joy for readers of all ages. Sometimes a thoroughly unfamiliar topic piques my interest, but more often it is a spark of recognition that attracts me to a book. I hope parents as well as children will find the titles below broadly relatable.
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Review: The Biggest Story Curriculum
Kathryn Butler reviews this Bible curriculum to tell the Great Story to your little ones.
- As one who’s gifted it to expecting parents over the last year, I was delighted to see Kevin DeYoung’s The Biggest Story Bible Storybook win a Christian Book Award from the ECPA this month. And I was even more excited to learn that Crossway has published an entire Sunday school curriculum based on this fantastic kids’ resource.
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Choose Your Own Adventure: Learning to Write
Sarah Dixon Young reminds us that telling stories is a way of making adventures for ourselves.
- My oldest daughter hated writing until she was nine years old.
She picked up Deborah Hopkinson’s picture book A Boy Called Dickens because she recognized the imaginative illustrations of John Hendrix. As she admired the pictures, she read some of the words. She learned that Dickens simply wrote down the stories that he had in his head. That must be writing, she thought, and it changed her attitude toward putting pen to paper.
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Welcoming a New Baby, Messy Emotions and All
Carolyn Leiloglou reviews a picture book for families adding new babies to their mix.
- Adding a new baby to the family can be exciting, and older siblings often get swept up in the joy and anticipation. But what may seem fun and games at first can become tedium as kids adjust to mom not feeling well, frequent doctor’s appointments, and endless waiting for the big day.
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Something to Do with Your Kids
You need some fun facts to share with the family? How about exploring alligators? Here are alligator-fact coloring pages, which is just awesome.
Something to Watch
Destin at Smarter Every Day tries out a backwards brain cycle.
Thanks for reading. We’re on your side.
–The Story Warren Team
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 41 - December 9, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 40 - December 2, 2023
- The Warren & The World Vol 11, Issue 39 - November 25, 2023
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