“Let us come before Him in thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods.”—Psalm 95:2-3
My mother did an activity with her grandchildren this year by building a tree of thankfulness. Each day they would come up with an idea for something they were thankful for and add it as a leaf. It was a great way for the kids to visually reflect on all of their gifts.
How can we reflect on all we are thankful for this time of year? Read some reflections from our loved ones below. Continue reading Come Before Him in Thanksgiving: A List of Blessings →
“Poetry is a packsack of invisible keepsakes.”–Carl Sandburg
Grade Level:
K-1
Review and Comments:
Pocket Poems by Bobbi Katz is an anthology of 55 short poems that are both humorous and thought provoking. They cover subjects from nature themes to a twist on traditional stories like ‘Humpty Dumpty’, ‘The Old Woman in the Shoe’, and ‘Mary Had a Little Lamb’. There is even a poem written in English and Spanish entitled “You – Tu.” Teachers will find the poem using homophones and a few poems about punctuation marks good additions to English lessons. My particular favorites are “The Drum” and [from]” Arithmetic.” The poems are written by classic authors such as Emily Dickinson and Carl Sandburg along with contemporary authors like the author of the anthology, Bobbie Katz. Continue reading Rhythmical Creation of Beauty in Words: A Review of ‘Pocket Poems’ →
“The biggest challenge in life is being you – In a world trying to make you like everyone else.”–Unknown
Reading Level:
Easy Reader, Ages 4-8
Review and Comments
You Are (Not) Small by Anna Kang is a story with few words but a meaningful message. The characters in the book have a debate about their size. One character is obviously big and the other one is obviously small. Each character points out those physical traits, sometimes with passion. “You are small.” “You are big.” It seems that both are correct. The discussion progresses when they each show that there are others who are their same size so that must mean they are not really big or definitely not small. The debate begins to get heated because they will not change their viewpoint of one another. Continue reading One Size Does Not Fit All: A Review of ‘You Are (Not) Small’ →
“To appreciate the beauty of a snowflake it is necessary to stand out in the cold.” —Unknown
Reading Level
Grades K-1
Review and Comments
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a story about a boy named Peter who awakens to his world covered in the beauty of snow. Pristine snow is a marvelous scene that just begs for the romp of a child. Peter puts on his red snowsuit and goes outside to explore. The first thing he notices is the trail of his footprints so he experiments and alters the look of them. He is pleased by the different tracks and the results fascinate him. Moving along, he decides not to join a snowball fight and continues to make his own fun in the snow. His very busy day is coming to an end, but before he goes home he molds the best snowball he can make and puts it in his pocket to save for another day. Continue reading Amid the Falling Snow: A Review of ‘A Snowy Day’ →
Literature reviews from the Catholic side
How can we reflect on all we are thankful for this time of year? Read some reflections from our loved ones below. Continue reading Come Before Him in Thanksgiving: A List of Blessings