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!
Moving into a New Year
I hope your Christmas celebrations have been joy-filled and that you look forward to the New Year with anticipation of what might be on the horizon. I know this is not the case for us all, and if it isn’t for you–if you look back at this season with pain and face the coming year with trepidation–may you rest in the arms of the One who sent His Son into the world to live through rocky holiday seasons and years of hard times.
I’ve had a busy couple of weeks, so I took last week off from sending out this newsletter. Below you’ll see everything that’s posted at Story Warren in my absence. I also wanted to share a couple of my favorite posts from around the web this year, just in case you missed them the first time around. 
It’s been an exciting year at Story Warren. We’ve grown, not only in our audience, but also in our writers. If you’re interested in writing for us, we’d love to have you. You can learn more about submissions here. We’ve had more than 200 new people sign up for The Warren & the World this year. If you know of someone who doesn’t get this newsletter, please encourage them to sign up and join us as we shine light together in our little corner of the internet. We’ve also had the joy of seeing S.D. Smith’s newest book, The Last Archer, come to life and we’re anticipating the release of Ember Rising this coming year!
I pray your New Year is full of joy. Thanks for walking with us. We’re on your side.
-Carolyn Clare Givens-
Around the Warren
The Great Pumpkin and the True Meaning of Christmas
Kelly Keller shows us the lesson of Peanuts that fiction can be a scaffold for truth.
- A few weeks ago, we did our traditional visit to the pumpkin patch, followed up by a family viewing of “It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.” This viewing was made even better by a friend who joined us that night, who couldn’t remember having ever seen the cartoon. It was sweet to make the introduction to him. “Great Pumpkin” will never surpass “A Charlie Brown Christmas” for me, but it’s very dear to my heart, mostly because so much of the story centers around Linus.
How God Used A Christmas Carol to Resurrect Literature in My Life
John Sommer tells the story of his rediscovery of literature.
- My personal golden age of children’s books came much later for me than for most reading children. Coming from a family of non-readers and being dyslexic limited my exposure to great books, but visiting Granny’s house did introduce me to Dr. Seuss and the Little Bear books.
Though my little soul never knew what it was missing in those earlier years, the appetite for living books was slumbering just below the surface.
Me and My Drum
Joe Sutphin shares his art and his story of the little drummer boy.
- “Come,” they told me.
The three strangers passing through my city that night. They stopped to listen as I played my Derbekkeh, my hand drum. My only possession. It isn’t much, but it is all that I have. And it is my hope of a future. I make noise to make my living.
“Come?” I paused and asked.
A Wordless Journey, Quest, and Return
Laura Peterson introduces us to a trilogy of wordless books.
- It’s not very often that you hear of a trilogy of picture books; I frequently see popular series for early readers or for older kids, but picture books seldom seem to get the opportunity to tell a story longer than thirty-two pages. Thankfully, Aaron Becker’s beautiful wordless Journey trilogy has busted that trend. I first discovered Journey back in early 2014 when I wrote a post about wordless picture books; since then, the trilogy has been completed with Quest (2014) and Return (2016). I think these types of books are so much fun to read; in addition to featuring beautiful art, they present such an opportunity for creativity for the reader as well, interpreting what the characters might be saying or choosing words to add to the images.
And Something to Watch
In case you missed it, Andrew Peterson’s new film short of The Wingfeather Saga, is now available to the public. Go! Watch! Share! It’s even on Amazon Prime for free! If you want to see more Wingfeather, help by spreading the word.
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 22 - June 21, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 21 - June 14, 2025
- The Warren & The World Vol 13, Issue 20 - June 7, 2025
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