Elementary, Preschool

Created in His Image: Three Books That Introduce Theology of the Body for Tots

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Interest Level:  Ages 2-5

EVERYBODY HAS A BODY, GOD MADE BOYS AND GIRLS

“You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother’s womb.  I praise you, because I am wonderfully made; wonderful are your works! My very self you know.” -Psalm 139:14

Review and Comments:

Everybody Has a Body is a book that helps very young children begin to understand God’s plan for his sons and daughters. The story explains very simply that our bodies are created alike in many ways and yet God created boys and girls to be different in special ways.  God loves us the way he created us, and we love ourselves and others as special creations of God. Continue reading Created in His Image: Three Books That Introduce Theology of the Body for Tots →

Elementary

A Determined Spirit: A Review of ‘Stone Fox’

“A small body of determined spirits fired by unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the course of history.”  – Mahatma Gandhi

Reading Level: 

Grade 4-5 [according to common core]

Grade 3.2 [according to Scholastic]

Grade 4    [AR level]

Interest Level:

Grades 3-5

Review and Comments:

Stone Fox is a story about courage and determination.  It is a story about a young boy’s love for his grandfather and his dog that will touch the heart of the reader. Continue reading A Determined Spirit: A Review of ‘Stone Fox’ →

Middle School

The Games In Which We Compete: A Review of ‘The Crossover’ and ‘Booked’

“Continue, dear young men, to give the best of yourselves in sports competitions, always remembering that the competitive spirit of the sportsman, though so noble in itself, must not be an end in itself, but must be subordinated to the far more noble requirements of the spirit. Therefore, while I repeat to you: be good sportsmen, I also say to you: be good citizens in family and social life, and, even more, be good Christians, who are able to give a superior meaning to life, in such a way as to be able to put into practice what the Apostle Paul said about athletes to Christians of his time: ‘Do you not know that in a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it … They (athletes) do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable’” (l Cor 9:24-25).—Saint Pope John Paul II from his address to the Bologna Soccer Team, December 9, 1978

The Crossover

Interest Level:

5-9

Grade Level Equivalent:

5-6

Review and Thoughts

Kwame Alexander’s book The Crossover would’ve made my basketball-lovin’ heart oh so happy back when I was in middle school.  Alexander uses poetry to write so passionately about the sport and brings in a close family to add to the drama of the novel. Continue reading The Games In Which We Compete: A Review of ‘The Crossover’ and ‘Booked’ →

Elementary, Middle School

Venture Forth: A Review of ‘The Wishing Spell’ (Land of Stories #1)

 “Every person’s life is a fairy tale written by God’s fingers.” –Hans Christian Anderson

Reading Level:

Grade 5 [The text could likely be read independently by a student whose reading skills are at the level of a typical fifth grader.]

Interest Level: 

Grades of 3-8

Review and Comments:

The Wishing Spell is a story about a brother and sister named Alex and Connor Bailey, twins who are individually quite unique.  Alex is an intelligent and resourceful girl who spends a great deal of time reading alone and isolating herself from those who consider her different.  Connor, on the other hand, is a very popular boy who finds school a challenge and sometimes feels that no matter how hard he tries he just doesn’t measure up. He has trouble staying awake in school because, well, most lessons are just not interesting or relevant. The twins do share two very important things in common however.  They love fairy tales.  Their father and grandmother have been telling them fairy tales since they were very young.  Those family times are some of their best memories.  Alex even wonders what it would be like to live in a fairy tale of her imagination. The twins also share a great sorrow.  Their dad was killed in an accident and even though it was a year ago they still grieve so much that “sometimes they expect their sadness to swell out of their bodies”. Continue reading Venture Forth: A Review of ‘The Wishing Spell’ (Land of Stories #1) →

Elementary, For the Adults, High School, Middle School

One Year with Lit By the Tree! Thank you !

I can’t believe it’s been a year since we started our tiny blog. Our hope was to review wonderful books parents could  read with their kids and suggest great Catholic lessons to go along with them.  We also hoped to provide a place for parents to look for help with determining if books were healthy for their older kids.  Hopefully we are doing what we set out to do and  we are incredibly grateful for those of you who have read us and shared us and supported us!Thank You

A lot has changed in our lives over the last year and we thank you for standing by us as we worked through some kinks and built our base of reviews.  We absolutely love being able to share our thoughts with you and we are grateful that we have been given this forum.  We hope you stay with us as we continue to grow and learn.

In honor of our first year, here are our top shared reviews!  If you missed them, be sure to check them out…and maybe add them to your summer reading list!  Click on any picture for more information! Continue reading One Year with Lit By the Tree! Thank you ! →

For the Adults

A Blessed Time: A Review of ‘The Moment is Now’

“Pray, hope, and don’t worry.  Worry is useless.  God is merciful and will hear your prayer.”—St Padre Pio

Review and Thoughts

*I am so excited to be able to review this book.  It comes out today!  I was lucky enough to get an advanced copy.  Please share and spread the word for this lovely author!*

I spent the majority of my twenties as a single woman.  There were a few romances along the way, one or two that broke my heart, but most of my time was alone.  Waiting, wondering, praying and hoping for my husband to find me.  I’m pretty sure I prayed every Catholic novena, some with my other single friends and many on my own and I prayed every night for my husband…wherever he was. Continue reading A Blessed Time: A Review of ‘The Moment is Now’ →

Elementary

A Friend of the Heart: A Review of ‘Finding Winnie, the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear’

“As soon as I saw you, I knew a grand adventure was about to happen.” – Winnie the Pooh

Reading Level:  

K – Grade 3 [approximately]

 Grade Level Equivalent:

3.4 [The text could likely be read independently by a student whose reading  skills are at the level of a typical third grader during the fourth month of  school.]

Review and Comments:

‘Finding Winnie’ is a fascinating and true prequel to Winnie-the-Pooh and his familiar adventures. It is a story within a story that begins when a young boy named Cole asks his mother to tell him a true story about a bear – the authentic story of Winnie-the-Pooh. Continue reading A Friend of the Heart: A Review of ‘Finding Winnie, the True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear’ →

For the Adults

Ordinary Things: A Review of ‘The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy’

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“The family is the first essential cell of all humanity.”–Pope Francis

“In my little way there are only very ordinary things.”–Saint Terese of Lisieux

Review and Comments

The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy was a blessing for this young  stay-at-home mother of two (soon to be three).   With such young kids so close together, and with days when I often feel I do the same thing over and over again, it was relieving to read that I, too, can work for the glory of God in this Year of Mercy.

The corporal works of mercy were concepts I was taught in the third grade.  (My mother was my teacher and I remember learning them well.)  As an adult, I often think about how I should be doing more…how these corporal works should be the forefront of my life.  Then, Dr. Greg and Lisa Popcak wrote this wonderful book reminding us all that we can all live these works every day in our own families.  And what better way to teach our children the love and mercy of Christ?   When they see us live this way every day, they are learning as well. Continue reading Ordinary Things: A Review of ‘The Corporal Works of Mommy and Daddy’ →

Elementary

A Most Enduring Home: A Review of ‘The Little House’

“Where we love is home – home that our feet may leave, but not our hearts.” – Oliver Wendell Holmes

Reading Level:

3.9 [according to Scholastic – reflects the grade level at which a student reading on grade could read the book independently]

Interest Level:

K – 2

Review and Comments:

Little House was lovingly built for family – generations of family. She was very content watching the family grow and the changing seasons from her small hilltop.  As time passed, Little House also saw further transformations of the landscape.  There was an increase in traffic so bigger roads were built through the beautiful countryside, and more and more people followed those roads right up to her little world. After awhile the ever-expanding and consuming city grew. Little House was in the middle of that crowded city with feelings that she was abandoned by the family who loved her. She was alone, boarded up and shabby, yearning for the life she used to have. Continue reading A Most Enduring Home: A Review of ‘The Little House’ →

Elementary, Middle School

Facing Fears and Gaining Courage: A Review of ‘Elijah of Buxton’

“It really boils down to this: that all life is interrelated.  We are all caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied into a single garment of destiny.  Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.” – Martin Luther King, Jr.

Reading Level:

Grades: 4-5 [according to common core]

Grades: 6     [according to Scholastic – reflects the grade level at which a student reading on grade could read the book independently]

Interest Level:  

Grade:  7

Review and Comments:

Elijah Freeman is the first free born child born in the settlement at Raleigh in Canada West called Buxton.  The honor makes Elijah well known among the citizens of almost all ex-slaves.  Elijah’s life is intertwined with many strong and often damaged people from the town.  His relationship with those people and the events they share begin his journey to see life as it really is. Continue reading Facing Fears and Gaining Courage: A Review of ‘Elijah of Buxton’ →

Literature reviews from the Catholic side