This is a somewhat unusual, but highly rewarding story of a half-wild woodsman (who "lived by the woods. He had no trade, he couldn't farm a lick or keep a store or run a tavern. All he knew to do was follow the bear and deer through the woods and sleep in caves and hollow trees.") and his eleven year old son Caje. Caje and his father travel through the wilderness - living off the land and escaping from unfriendly Indians. Although Caje would love to settle down in a real house among civilized people, his father is happier in the woods and frets about being "beholden to others". In the past Caje traveled with both of his parents throughout the warmer seasons and they all settled down in an abandoned house or with relatives during the winter. Now that Caje's mother has died, though, his father wants to stick to the wilds, even through the winter. They begin seeing signs, though, that the winter will be particularly bad and decide to go stay with Caje's aunt and uncle. Disgusted with "soft" living and feeling out of place, Caje's father leaves to spend the winter on his own. Now Caje is in an awkward position - he has the home and company he has so long desired, but lacks the skills to earn his keep (as he sees it). The winter gets really harsh as record cold spells and lack of good hunting take their toll on the family. The situation becomes more desperate when the family cow is killed by a hungry panther and Caje's uncle is seriously injured in a fall. Caje worries more and more that he is taking food away from the family, until he finally discovers how he can help the family out. Even after this great help he provides, he comes to realize that it isn't tallying up what we do for each other that really matters.

As an adventure and historical tale, this is a great read, but it offers a deeper level too. The story touches upon some very essential points about the purpose of civilization, family and loving one's neighbor. This is a fairly easy read for 2nd or 3rd grade and up but would also make a great read-aloud.

These beautiful wooden blocks are about 1/8th of an inch thick and come in six different shapes (each shape is a different color).They can be fitted together to make beautiful patterns and designs. We've been using them for many years and they've been a hit with every one of my children. They're fun and beautiful and promote fine-motor skills, eye-hand coordination (intricate patterns can be too frustrating to really young children) and visualization and thinking skills. One way I use them with my kindergarteners is this: the child and I will each start a pattern or design and then switch so that the other one has to finish it. The wooden set has such a nice feel to it - playing with it is so relaxing and peaceful for young children (especially while you're trying to work on academics with older siblings.

Available in various materials, sizes and quantities - we prefer the wooden set.

First Lesson Word List: a, big, dog, is, my Final Lesson Word List: way, glad, happy, how, ten, stand, very, name, walked, train Weekly lessons introduce a new word list (the number of words in the list increase as the book progresses) and gives practice writing and recognizing the words in the context of sentences and to describe illustrations. Some handwriting practice is included (including a page with directions for printing, and later in the text one for writing cursive letters). The text works a bit on the meaning of words but doesn't get into phonetic rules. A special format for keeping track of and practicing problem words allows the student to additional review throughout the text for problem areas. There are some instructions to the teacher at the beginning of the book which outline "how to study a missed word" and how the lesson plan is supposed to work. Directions to the students are intermixed with the text, but I found it difficult in a few places to determine what was to be done.

The text reminds me of the Rod and Staff workbooks, but with some Catholic content.

This is a well-written and engaging account of the major events of World War II - military, political, humanitarian, etc. - treated at a level appropriate for children - particularly ages 10-14. The book is divided into seven major chapters - The World at War (which covers the history of World War I through the end of 1941), The Long Road Ahead (which highlights some of the vast geographical areas involved in the war), The Home Front and Life During the War, Hope Renewed (the progress in 1943), D-Day and Victory in Europe, When Every Day Seemed to be a Year Long (which covers the Holocaust) and Pacific Victory.

The tone of the entire book is pro-American and patriotic. I particularly enjoyed the author's nostalgic reflections on some of the more wholesome entertainers of the day - like Bud Abbott and Lou Costello. First-hand accounts of various parts of life at that time are scattered throughout the book and cover an impressive array of nationalities. The 21 activities advertised in the title are very creative, but not overwhelming. Some of my favorites include: Decoding a Message, Rationing Game, and Make a Ration Kit (this is very detailed and fascinating).

This book would be particularly interesting for a family interested in delving deeper into World War II than the history textbooks do. It gives a great, but easy-to-use overview of the whole war chronologically (I learned a lot from reading it myself!). Combined with a dozen or so living history books, this could make a fun summer project or unit study for the entire family.

The author has done a fine balancing job in keeping the material appropriate for children without watering it down. However, there are a few areas that might be inappropriate for younger children - particularly the segment on the Holocaust.