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
Finding Faith Like an Odd Child in A Wrinkle in Time
K.B. Hoyle explores the themes of faith in the book and film versions of A Wrinkle in Time.
- Disney puts a certain stamp on stories: A little humor here, a forced romantic interest there, and some vague messaging about love conquering all to tie it together. Sometimes this formula works to elevate a story. Other times, it thins out an already elevated narrative, excising meaning and depth in favor of fluff and good feelings.
The latter is sadly the case with Ava DuVernay’s A Wrinkle in Time. Many excellent reviews have already covered how the most recent movie adaptation of the beloved Madeleine L’Engle children’s science fantasy novel changed the story to resonate with Disney’s vision of truth—a vision at odds in many places with the theologically laden work written by L’Engle in 1962. Watered down to a feel-good narrative about finding one’s true self, becoming unified with the universe, and battling an encroaching darkness with personal, inner light, the movie focuses on awkward pre-teen Meg Murry (Storm Reid) and her need to self-actualize. But despite changes that erased much of L’Engle’s direct Christian references, DuVernay’s take on A Wrinkle in Time is not without virtue, beauty, and redemption, particularly in following the narrative of Meg’s brother, Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe).
The Truth I Found as a Suddenly Single Mom
At Risen Motherhood, Lisa Appelo looks at walking in faith through the unexpected.
- Six years ago, I went to bed happily married and woke up a widow and single mom to seven.
Dan’s death had shattered my assumptions and expectations. I wrestled to know who I was without Dan and what in the world my future looked like.
The stark reminders that I was now a single mom were everywhere. On banking applications and social security forms, I checked the box marked “widow.” When I signed my kids up for camp or basketball or vacation Bible school, I put N/A in the space for spouse’s information. When my daughter graduated high school and my son was honored midfield for football, I stood with them alone while other students were flanked by their mom and dad.
What’s New in Nonfiction Children’s Books Winter 2018
Over at Imagination Soup, Melissa Taylor introduces new nonfiction books.
- I’ve got a group of nonfiction picture books and middle grade choices to tell you about today — new publications you’ll want to know about.
I have about a kazillion (or 20) nonfiction picture book biographies but I’ll write about those in a separate post next week.
Why Youth Stay in Church When They Grow Up
Jon Nielson explores what young people who stay in church have in common.
- “What do we do about our kids?” The group of parents sat together in my office, wiping their eyes. I’m a high school pastor, but for once, they weren’t talking about 16-year-olds drinking and partying. Each had a story to tell about a “good Christian” child, raised in their home and in our church, who had walked away from the faith during the college years. These children had come through our church’s youth program, gone on short-term mission trips, and served in several different ministries during their teenage years. Now they didn’t want anything to do with it anymore. And, somehow, these mothers’ ideas for our church to send college students “care packages” during their freshman year to help them feel connected to the church didn’t strike me as a solution with quite enough depth.
Around the Warren
Eggs, Peanuts, and the Wedding Supper of the Lamb
Jim Miller looks at how allergies teach his family of kingdom longing.
- When our second daughter grew out of baby food and began to eat things we might eat, my wife made her pancakes for breakfast. As she ate and enjoyed her first experience with maple syrup, we noticed some red splotchy marks near her mouth. It didn’t seem right – I lifted up her bib and shirt and found angry-looking hives covering her torso, both front and back. Having worked in healthcare for some years, I knew this was an allergic reaction, but I certainly didn’t know to what. We made a quick assessment of the situation and she didn’t seem to be having any trouble breathing, so we made all the necessary phone calls, scheduled all the necessary appointments, and put her through all the necessary tests.
To Be A Princess
Helena Sorensen dives into the idea of princess outside the Disney realm.
- Let’s play a game, shall we? I promise to keep it short and simple. I’ll say a word, and you tell me everything that comes to mind. Ready?
“Princess.”
I’ll give you a minute…
Now, if the words that spring to mind are “crown,” “castle,” “ball,” and “prince,” I think it’s fair to assume that your (our) conception of what it means to be a princess has been shaped almost exclusively by Walt Disney.
Something to Do with Your Kids
A portion of the Atlantic seaboard got walloped again this week with another snowstorm so I thought we’d take the chance to dig out this sensory play activity around the book Katy and the Big Snow.
And Something to Watch
The story of a man who adopted a turkey.
Thank you for reading. We’re on your side.
Carolyn Clare Givens is a displaced Northerner exploring the foreign ways of the South. She lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with her literary cat, Lord Peter Wimsey. She's the author of The King's Messenger and Rosefire and in her free time helps run Bandersnatch Books.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
You can find her at carolyncgivens.com or on Facebook or Instagram at @carolyncgivens.
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