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 Most Dangerous Place to Raise a Child
Marco Silva has a piece at the Desiring God blog on the challenges of raising children in the land of plenty.
- Our craving for more has plagued us from the very beginning.
Our first parents lusted after more when they trusted a talking snake and took forbidden fruit to satisfy their longing to be like God (Genesis 3:5). When God brought his beloved people through the parted sea, Israel’s triumphant song devolved into grumbling over meat and bread in less than two months (Exodus 16:2–3). The prophet Amos decried the northern kingdom of Israel for their gluttonous appetite, which led them to “trample the head of the poor into the dust of the earth” (Amos 2:6–8).
The Old Testament leaves us with no lack for examples of greed among God’s chosen people.
Revisiting Children’s Books as Adults: A Guide
The Englewood Review of Books has a guide of 20 favorite children’s books that adults enjoy, too. If you’re wondering what to read next as a family, this might be a good place to start,
- Inspired by this great public radio interview with Bruce Handy, author of the new book, Wild Things: The Joy of Reading Children’s Literature as an Adult, I asked my Facebook friends for their favorite kids books that they have re-read as adults.
“Images from children’s books — a great green room and a red balloon, the white witch’s Turkish Delight, a lean and wicked cat in a red top hat — act as madeleines (or portkeys, or time turners, or rabbit holes, or wardrobes) calling up sleepiness, childhood rooms, grilled cheeses, long parental legs coming in and out of rooms, and that particular, pleasant ache of nostalgia. [Bruce Handy] … puts extraordinary care into replicating and preserving those feelings.” – NPR
On the Day I Die
- On the day I die a lot will happen.
A lot will change.
The world will be busy.
On the day I die, all the important appointments I made will be left unattended.
The many plans I had yet to complete will remain forever undone.
The calendar that ruled so many of my days will now be irrelevant to me.
Moms Are Born Persons Too
This is actually an older piece from the Circe Institute, but it got shared again this week by a friend and I thought it was a good reminder to moms (whether you homeschool or do life at the speed of someone else’s school schedule) to remember you’re persons, too.
- I am always stunned by the burdens homeschool moms carry. I am pretty sure we are not meant to carry such burdens. In a culture that does not honor the past we have to start all over each generation learning the skills of life.
We talk a lot at CiRCE about not teaching out of fear and truly much damage is done when we do. Many of the burdens moms carry really are just fears. I do not have all the answers to combat this pervasive pest but I do have a couple of hints.
When in comes to Truth, Goodness, and Beauty: Relax.
Around the Warren
The Other Side
Glenn McCarty explores the introduction to death and loss that fiction so often provides us as children.
- IAs I recall her in my mind’s eye, Mrs. Thompson (first name lost to time) was a pleasantly plump, nurturing fifth grade teacher, clad in the sort of festive, seasonally-appropriate sweaters favored by seasoned elementary school veterans. During my first year at that small Christian school in Winter Park, Florida, she led my class through math and science, handwriting and Bible. And, she also had the distinction of bringing me face to face with death for the first meaningful time, through story.
My childhood, while not idyllic, was nonetheless, relatively free of loss. My dog Mac had died in the night on Valentine’s Day earlier in my grade school years, but to that point, I had never lost a close friend or relative.
Discovering Echo
Laura Peterson has found an audiobook that she thinks is even better than the print version.
- Audiobooks. In my experience, they can be hit or miss. A well-plotted and suspenseful story filled with wonderful characters can still fall flat if the audiobook narrator doesn’t capture the excitement and flavor of the book. And a great audiobook can elevate a story by adding to it; different voices, high production values, well-placed dramatic pauses, etc. I’ve enjoyed many a great audiobook, but I am about to say something that would have shocked me a few months ago: I’ve found an audiobook that I think is BETTER THAN the print book. This gem-for-your-ears is a middle-grade novel called Echo, by Pam Muñoz Ryan. It was published in 2015, and I recall seeing it on some “best audiobooks of the year” lists around that time.
Something to Do with Your Kids
I recently learned that Jesse Owens’ real name was James Cleveland Owens, and his childhood nickname was “JC.” When his family moved north from Alabama, his new teacher asked his name, and when he said “JC” she heard “Jesse”–the nickname stuck. Anyway, September 12 was Jesse Owens’ birthday and if he were still living he’d been 104 years old this year. This site has a slew of activities, videos, and more about the great Olympian and his story.
And Something to Watch
I’m not a visual artist myself, but I work with a lot of them. I knew that oil paints were made from oil and pigment and that they take a long time to dry, but I learned a lot about the whole process of making the paints–which goes back hundreds of years–when I discovered this video.
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 2 - January 18, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 1 - January 11, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 45 - December 21, 2024
Leave a Reply