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!
Ember Rising Kickstarter
S.D. Smith has just launched his Kickstarter for the next book in the Green Ember series! Check it out and back if you can.
Around the Web
Why Children’s Books Should Be a Little Sad
Kate DiCamillo responds to author Matt de la Peña on the topic of how honest you can be with kids.
- Dear Matt,
I read Love, and I want you to know that when I turned the page and saw that child hiding under the piano — small, worried, afraid — I felt a wave of recognition. I felt seen. I was a kid who hid under the literal (and metaphorical) piano. I felt isolated by the secrets and fear in my household. For me, as a kid, to see that picture would have been such a relief. I would have known that I was not alone. I would have felt less ashamed.
Want to Help Your Daughter? Be Her Emotional Coach
Kari Kampakis explores the need for moms to help walk their daughters through the perils of growing up.
- A friend called me about an issue I often get asked about.
As a mom of younger girls, she is experiencing what I’ve now have gone through with 3 of my 4 girls.
“My daughter,” she said, hesitant to voice her concern, “has always been so sweet. But lately she’s been different. She gets mad over the smallest things, and I don’t even know what I’ve done.”
Immediately I assured her that her daughter is perfectly normal. I’ve had this conversation with countless moms, and I understand the exasperation as well as the unspoken fear.
You Can’t Have Ethics Without Stories
Russel Moore writes of the importance of the Bible as a faith-forming narrative.
- Biblical illiteracy is a problem, not just for the theological integrity of the church, but for the ethics of our everyday lives. You can’t have morality or justice without stories.
In a previous post, I discussed biblical illiteracy by interacting with a new book, A Concise Guide to Reading the New Testament (Baker). The introduction to this volume makes a persuasive case that many contemporary Christians no longer know how to engage with the story arc of the Bible. He goes on, though, to argue that we often forget what the Bible actually is. If not a dictionary or an encyclopedia, what is it? The Bible is, among other things, he writes, “a faith-forming narrative.”
Helpful Children’s Picture Books About Grief and Death
At Imagination Soup, Melissa Taylor has another great list for us.
- When children lose anyone to death, it’s important to help them process their grief. Whether it’s a beloved family member (mom, dad, grandparent), friend, or pet, kids may find picture books can help.
How can books help? They can prepare children to understand what it might be like to experience a loss. They can help normalize the range of emotions when experiencing the grief of a death. They can give us empathy for others who are going through the grieving process.
Around the Warren
James Witmer Named Managing Editor of Story Warren
S.D. Smith introduces Story Warren’s new managing editor.
- I’m very happy to announce that James Witmer has been named managing editor of Story Warren. He’s been doing this for a while, but I wanted to wait till we relaunched our site to share the news. James has been a popular contributor and influential editor at Story Warren for many years.
Glow Has Moments of Brilliance
Loren Eaton reviews John Palmer Gregg’s young adult supernatural thriller.
- Evangelicals like to say they love the Inklings, that group of Oxford-associated authors who produced lots of narrative-friendly prose during the 1940s. But do something for me, would you? Name as many of them as you can. I suspect that most can readily recall C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, and probably a few will cite G.K. Chesterton and Dorothy Sayers (even though those two were only loosely associated). Hardly anyone, though, knows much about Owen Barfield and Hugo Dyson, Robert Havard and Adam Fox, all far more regular members of the group. And then there’s Charles Williams, the Inkling who played William Blake to Lewis’ Samuel Taylor Coleridge. In other words, he was … a bit different. Forget lions and wardrobes. He wrote books with Christian takes on the Tarot, black magic, and succubae. It was Williams I kept thinking about as I read John Palmer Gregg’s young-adult supernatural thriller Some Glow Brightly.
Ember Rising: Kickstarter (pre-orders) Available Now!
James Witmer had a preview of S.D. Smith’s new Green Ember novel and he says it’s worth backing.
- Our own S. D. Smith is running a Kickstarter campaign to finance publication of the third book in his Green Ember series, Ember Rising!
I’ve read the manuscript. Ember Rising is everything the next book in this series should be.
Something to Do with Your Kids
It’s the time of year when much of the US gets snow, so if you’ve got a fresh snowfall, it may be time to make some Snow Cream.
And Something to Watch
I’m sorry that last week’s video link didn’t work! Here’s the link again. Enjoy the Star Wars characters singing “Mmmbop.”
This week, here’s something new. Destin at Smarter Everyday has shown us how to record slow motion sound.
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.
Latest posts by Carolyn Clare Givens (see all)
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 43 - December 5, 2024
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 42 - November 30, 2024
- The Warren & The World Vol 12, Issue 41 - November 23, 2024
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