The Warren & the World is Story Warren’s weekly newsletter, providing a round-up of our favorite things from around the web as well as a review of what was on our site over the past week. We’re glad you’re here!
Around the Web
The Bountiful Feast
Andrea Burke writes at GraceTable about the blessing of bounty at the table.
- “Is anyone joining us tonight?” she asks as she counts the plates for dinner. The fact that she doesn’t know this answer points to the varying numbers that gather around our little faux wood dining set.
“Just us tonight,” I say, and flip another tortilla in the cast iron pan. There’s a stack of 15 tortillas on the plate and I’ve rolled out the last one.
We won’t eat 16 tacos. It’s another meal of which I’ve made too much.
If—
- If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
Helping Kids Cope with Cancer in the Family
- My children loved watching Mister Rogers Neighborhood on TV and if I’m honest, his quiet deliberate way of talking about life had a calming effect on me, too. The former Presbyterian pastor’s warm smile, compassionate heart and friendly puppets were convincing to viewers that he, indeed, did “like you just the way you are.”
But in June of 1990, when I was 36 and our daughters 8, 10 and 12 were no longer Mister Rogers’ fans, it was not “a beautiful day in the neighborhood” as cancer knocked on (crashed through?!) our family’s door.
Helping Kids Overcome Envy
Joshua Becker has a post at Becoming Minimalist about helping your kids overcome envy.
- One common stumbling block for parents in the journey to simpler living is the notion that they need to protect their children from envy. They fear because their home will not be filled with all the latest and greatest products on the market, their children will become jealous of other kids.
But our role as parents is not to eliminate the opportunity for envy. Our role is to parent our kids intentionally and train them to think mindfully about envy and learn to overcome it.
Around the Warren
The Sporadic Tolkien Reader
Scott James explores the stories of Tolkien through the eyes of his five-year-old.
- We have a new Tolkien fanatic in our house. Her name is Bethan and she is a 5-year-old sparkplug with freckles and curly hair. Every single day, she peppers me with requests to read from our Tolkien storybook.
I’m thrilled about this, of course. The works of JRR Tolkien are favorites of mine and I am unabashedly campaigning for my children to become aficionados as well. My older three are at various points on the road to Tolkien appreciation and I’m always looking for opportunities to prod them along. I wasn’t expecting my youngest to outstrip her siblings so soon, though.
You may be wondering how a 5-year-old who can’t read (or sit still) very well became such a fan of Tolkien’s winding prose. It’s a fair question.
Jennifer Trafton’s Henry and the Chalk Dragon
Laura Peterson introduces us to our friend Jennifer Trafton’s new book, Henry and the Chalk Dragon.
- It’s not often that I read an entire book in just one or two sittings, but that’s exactly what I did earlier this week with Jennifer Trafton’s eagerly-anticipated new novel, Henry and the Chalk Dragon. Friends of Story Warren might know Trafton from her earlier book, The Rise and Fall of Mount Majestic, or her awesome creative writing classes for kids, or her contribution to this year’s Wingfeather Tales collection. Knowing and loving all those things as I do, I was thrilled to sit down with Henry and the Chalk Dragon and jump into more of Trafton’s writing.
Henry is a story for anyone—ANYONE—who has ever sat down and started to draw, or paint, or write, or play the piano, or participate in any type of creative endeavor at any point in their lives.
Something to Do with Your Kids
As you prepare for Easter, you may have an abundance of work to do in the kitchen. Over at the Kids Activities Blog, they’ve got a great list of tasks for kids in the kitchen—for every age. Maybe your young ones can help out.
And Something to Watch
David Hakkens has a company called Precious Plastics in which he repurposes plastic waste into artistic and functional object. It’s really cool–and he’s made the designs for the machines he uses available to the public, so you could build your own if you want!
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 16 - May 10, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 15 - May 3, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 14 - April 26, 2025
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