The Trumpet of the Swan, by E.B. White should be on every child’s bookshelf, from the age of 3. It’s a great read-aloud book, and it has very strong messages about honesty, loyalty, friendship, love, and faithfulness. Louis, a Trumpter Swan, is born without a voice — the greatest handicap possible for these majestic and endangered… Continue reading The Trumpet of the Swan
Month: November 2005
One Life
The story of the first human heart transplants and how the protocols for performing them were developed. Far from being as dry as that sounds, this is a compelling and interesting story of the life of the man who performed the very first human heart transplant. Did you know that the first heart transplant was… Continue reading One Life
The Trellis and the Vine
This book, by Jan Karon (the Mitford queen), is a new storybook for kids. I bought it on a whim, because I was cashing out my “Treasure Points” from the Children’s Book of the Month Club and it sounded interesting. It was wonderful. Of course, it helps that the kids and I grow moonflowers on… Continue reading The Trellis and the Vine
Encyclopedia Brown Mysteries
The books in the Encyclopedia Brown mystery series by Donald J. Sobol, for pre-teen and early teen readers, are great books on a number of levels. The stories are short and to the point, packing a lot of detail into just a few pages. The mysteries are not esoteric, but they do require some thought… Continue reading Encyclopedia Brown Mysteries
Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
I discovered this book on the sale table at a local book shop in March 2004 and bought it, thinking it might help me. Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office: 101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make That Sabotage Their Careers, by Lois Frankel, Ph.D. has been all that I hoped for and more. The book,… Continue reading Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office
Two-Minute Mysteries
This is a great set of books by Donald J. Sobol, who also gave us the incomparable child-detective, Encyclopedia Brown. These books are published as both a compendium volume and as separate books by Scholastic, and have been in print since 1967. Each book contains a number of one or two-page scenarios setting up a… Continue reading Two-Minute Mysteries
The Problem of Pain
This book is a very deep and thought-provoking examination of the role that pain and suffering play in the world. If it is read carefully and with reflection adequate to ensure full understanding of the author’s theses, premises, and conclusions, The Problem of Pain provides an excellent answer to the question “How can a good,… Continue reading The Problem of Pain
Want to Turn Your Brain on End?
This little gem, which I am re-reading for the eight or ninth time, is a great mind-bender. Primarily because it’s a book about Christianity, but it’s written from the point of view of a demon in Hell. So you have to constantly remind yourself that when the demon says “The Enemy” he means God, and… Continue reading Want to Turn Your Brain on End?
Dangerous Island
Back in June, I found a bunch of books that people had tossed in the trash, and I rescued them all and brought them home to love them. In that stash, I was delighted to find this book, which I remember from my childhood and loved. Dangerous Island, by Helen Mather-Smith Mindlin, is an excellent chapter… Continue reading Dangerous Island
Movie: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
The newest Harry Potter movie had a few hitches as it was being made, not least of which was the unhappy death of the actor playing Professor Albus Dumbledore. Richard Harris truly brought this character to life; his portrayal was accurate to the last gesture — as most of Richard Harris’s portrayals were. The world… Continue reading Movie: Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban