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 […]
Armstrong Sperry’s “Call It Courage”: A Hero’s Journey, a Universal Tale
The treasury of Newbery winners is vast and deep. One we recently enjoyed was Armstrong Sperry’s “Call It Courage,” which won the […]
Elizabeth Janet Gray’s “Adam of the Road”: Fine Historical Fiction with Much Medieval Minstrelry
When you’re reading a good book, your impulse is to tell a friend. In the case of “Adam of the Road,” I […]
Pollyanna’s Glad Game: “Just find something about everything to be glad about—no matter what ’twas”
I like Pollyanna. One child listening to the story by Eleanor H. Porter objected to the girl Pollyanna’s overly dramatic episodes, but, […]
Buyer Beware: The Great and Terrible Advice of Orion Taraban
Recently, I, like millions of other people on the internet, discovered the online persona of Orion Taraban, whose viral star has been […]
Gathering Light Offers a Beautiful Book List for Easter
There are so many beautiful books, there’s no excuse for suffering with second rate material. It can be hard to remember where […]
In Defense of Self-Help and Good Ideas From Other People
In 1889, Samuel Smiles, a British doctor turned journalist, published “Self Help.” This tome of encouragement in personal discipline and improvement spawned […]
Diet and Lifestyle Changes: The 1% Improvement Plan and Compounding Results
After encountering a book like “Good Energy,” it’s tempting to try pitching every ounce of processed food in the trash, rid your […]
Let Them Eat….Poop?
At an event for children earlier this year, there was a spirited game of bingo underway. The first boy to call out […]
Caspar Babypants and the Fun of Goofy Music
I may be behind the times on this one, but it was only recently that I became aware of the music of […]