Will There Be Books in Heaven?
I had a wonderful time writing this article for the Stella Maris Center about how to find good books. The short answer […]
Stuck in the Winter Blahs? Try Elizabeth Von Arnim’s “The Enchanted April”
“… Why, it would really be being unselfish to go away and be happy for a little, because we would come back […]
Looking for Cheap Thrills? Try Sentence Diagramming
I was fortunate to have a few teachers old enough to remember sentence diagramming, and I got a taste of it in […]
Betty MacDonald’s “Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s Magic”: The Inspiring Fiction of Adults Who Enjoy Children
“Of course the reason that all the children in our town like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is because Mrs. Piggle Wiggle likes them. Mrs. […]
Unlikely Advent Reads
There are many good and worthy meditations for the Advent season. There are also stories that would not make an obvious choice […]
Elizabeth Goudge’s “The Little White Horse” Revisited: I Was Wrong
Having reread “The Little White Horse,” I can say with confidence that I was a nincompoop for not appreciating it more the […]
Books to Give as Gifts to Everyone You Know
There are picture books I’ve given as gifts no less than a dozen times. Whether the oldest child in the family is […]
Annis Duff’s “Bequest of Wings”: The Pure and Timeless Pleasure of Good Books
Through another bookish blog I discovered Annis Duff’s “Bequest of Wings: A Family’s Pleasure with Books.” I learned so much, including that […]
Gordon Neufeld’s “Hold On to Your Kids”: Getting to the Heart of the Matter
One of the most remarkable aspects of childrearing is how miserable it can make people. No one chooses to have children with […]
Russell and Lillian Hoban’s “The Sorely Trying Day”: A Minor Masterpiece on Family Life
Long a fan of Russell and Lillian Hoban’s collaborative “Frances” books for children, “The Sorely Trying Day” is, arguably, even better. The […]