No name

The Donkey and the Golden Light

Book cover: ‘The Donkey and the Golden Light’
Author(s): 
Gill Speirs
Illustrator(s): 
John Speirs
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2004
ISBN: 
0810948125
Publisher: 
Harry N. Abrams
Setting: 
Ancient Israel
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 
The story follows a donkey, named Bethlehem, who was born on the same night and in the same stable as Jesus and who never forgets that it was a special night, symbolized by the mysterious golden light that shines from the star that guided the Magi. After the Nativity the donkey also accompanies his mother when she carries the Holy Family on their flight to Egypt. When the family returns to Israel, he goes to work in the Temple garden. We continue to follow him as he passes from owner to owner in events not directly related to the life of Jesus and as he continues to ponder the events in his life and especially the meaning of the golden light he has witnessed. All of the art in the book is inspired by various paintings from Pieter Brugel the Elder and is rich in detail and color. A nice touch is that various events in the life of Jesus are occurring in the distant background during these other scenes in the life of Bethlehem the donkey: the child Jesus in the Temple, the baptism in the Jordan, the temptation in the wilderness, the feast at Cana, Jesus walking on water, blessing the children, the raising of Lazarus, the Sermon on the Mount, etc. A list of these appearances is in the back of the book, with thumbnails to highlight Jesus. Also, this list explains which Brugel painting inspired each of Speirs' paintings. The story is recursive: each incident adds another item to the list that the donkey remembers and ponders which grows longer and longer. This is from near the end:
As he made his way into the city, Bethlehem thought of the donkeys seeking comfort in one another, the woodcutters struggling to make a living, the village children looking for fun, the farmer helping him find strength, the peasants hoping for a bountiful future, the merchants pursuing riches, the vagabonds entertaining the villagers, the students seeking knowledge, and his family searching for safety...
The repetition can get bit tedious, not only for me but even for my almost 3 year old; mostly because there are so many items in the list by the end. At the same time, it works quite well as a subtle reminder of the universality of salvation. Bethlehem later reenters the Gospel narrative when he carries Christ into Jerusalem, thinking as he does so that there is something familiar and special about this man. He stands outside in the street during the Last Supper, unaware of the momentous event happening above him. The crucifixion is not really dealt with directly in the story. The donkey is only aware of an earthquake and a great disturbance as angels challenge the forces of evil in a painting inspired by Brugel's "The Fall of the Rebel Angels". A small circle with three crosses hangs in the background almost lost in the tumult and confusion. I think it rather works, though. I like the oblique approach that allows the adult reader to mediate for the child the details of Christ's passion and death since the crucifixion itself can be rather strong material for very young children. The book ends as Bethlehem meets the resurrected Jesus in the garden and recognizes him and finally enters into his rest and peace:
The donkey's sadness, pain, and weariness left him. With joy, Bethlehem went to Him and His promise of peace, goodwill, and a new beginning for all.
I really appreciated the fine art aspects of the book. The detail-rich paintings are fascinating to our toddler, who loves to point at and ask questions about various figures in the scenes. Though I'm not sure she understands the more hidden meanings just now, as she grows she will be able to appreciate other layers. Older children will be able to understand more about the Biblical themes, to hunt for the scenes from the life of Jesus, and to connect their reading of this book with a study of Brugel's paintings. Although this book is aimed at 4-8 year-olds, it will appeal to all ages simply because of the beauty of the art and the simplicity of the story.
Reviewed by: 
Melanie Bettinelli
First reviewed: 
4-7-2009

The Door in the Wall

Book cover: 'The Door in the Wall'
Author(s): 
Marguerite de Angeli
Number of pages: 
121 pages
Copyright: 
1949
Publisher: 
Dell Yearling Edition
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Historical Fiction
Setting: 
14th century
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 3-5
Grades 6-8
Review: 
The Door in the Wall is set in England in the 1300's. It tells the story of a young boy who survived the plague. The main character is Robin de Beureford, the son of a nobleman. Robin is suddenly stricken with an illness that cripples him. After the servants leave, fearing the plague, Robin is taken to the monastery of St. Mark's by a kindly monk who heard of his plight.

Robin is taught how to read and write, woodcarving, and how to swim at the monastery, but is very disappointed that he cannot become a knight. Who would want a knight who is unable to ride a horse and can only walk with the help of crutches? Robin is finally taken to Sir Peter's castle at Lindsay, where he was to have served as a page and then a knight. He is taken into Sir Peter's service. The castle is soon besieged by the Welsh, and the food and water is slowly diminishing. Robin has an idea of how to save the castle, but can he get out of the castle and obtain the assistance of Sir Fitzhugh in time? Will Sir Fitzhugh help him?

The Door in the Wall gives you a good idea of what life in the Middle Ages was like for a young boy. It has beautiful black and white drawings that show you some of the Medieval styles of clothing. I think that this book would be good for children in grades 4 to 7. My only complaint was that I found the plot slow-moving. I would recommend this as an addition to your study of the Middle Ages.

First reviewed: 
2-22-2000

The Dot and the Line

A Romance in Lower Mathematics
Author(s): 
Norton Juster
Number of pages: 
70 pages
Copyright: 
2001
Publisher: 
Sea Star Books
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Math
Thinking Skills
Grade / Age level: 
All ages
Resource Type: 
Supplement
Review: 

"Freedom is not a license for chaos" is my son's signature below his email messages. It was written by Norton Juster, of The Phantom Toolbooth fame, and it comes from our almost-17-year-old's favorite book.

The phrase is the turning point and premise of this amazing, simply delightful little Math book. Math? That is our son's most disliked subject. Wait, The Dot and the Line is not a Math book! It is a hilarious comedy! But is that all? It is a romance, a story of love deeply felt, pursued, capable of provoking great things in the soul. In a little math book? Is it possible? Yes, it is.

Our classic languages-loving son reads it aloud every time this book visits us from the library. He suffers with the straight, dull and unbending line when driven to the "edge" (of the paper— the line is drawn on the edge of the page) as the "perfect by every measure" dot flirts around with the anarchist, slothful squiggle. Moved by great love, the line at first attempts to show its own grandeur by asserting its importance in art, world politics, sports. To no avail: the dot is not impressed. Then the unimaginable happens: when almost giving up, the line, using great concentration, becomes able to make angles!

What follows next is what makes this little book a great book: the enthusiastic line makes more and more angles in a chaotic frenzy, until... it realizes that chaos without order leads nowhere. It stops, straightens itself again and it discovers that freedom is not a license for chaos. From then on, life changes for the line: exercising great control and virtue, it discovers a new world:

For months he practiced in secret. Soon he was making squares and triangles, hexagons, parallelograms, rhomboids, polyhedrons, trapezoids, parallelepiped, decagons, tetragrams and an infinite number of other shapes so complex that he had to letter his sides and angles to keep his place. Before long he had learned to carefully control ellipses, circles and complex curves...

Ah, the virtue of Mathematics! The beauty of its exact angles and dimensions. The rhythm, art and music of what it is able to create, using exercise and order! I will refrain from spoiling it completely for the new reader, but let me repeat the "moral" of the story: to the vector, the spoils.

The back jacket, after telling us that the author, among other things, runs "a support group for negative numbers" (one can glimpse Mr. Juster's opinion of the state of the culture in the 60s) mentions an award winning film, and I found it on You Tube. I was happy to see that that the screenplay was also written by the author but I warn you that the book is much better. This new 2001 edition has wonderful graphics and some different pictures as well.

Additional notes: 

Original copyright 1963. 

Reviewed by: 
Ana Braga-Henebry
First reviewed: 
4-21-09

The Drovers Road Collection

Adventures in New Zealand
Book cover: 'The Drovers Road Collection: Adventures in New Zealand'
Author(s): 
Joyce West
Number of pages: 
416 pages
Copyright: 
1963
Publisher: 
Bethlehem Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Family Stories
Grade / Age level: 
Grades 6-8
Review: 
Drover's Road is a sheep "station" set way back in the hill country of New Zealand in the 1920s. Gay (Gabrielle) Allan, who lives at Drover's Road with her cousins and her uncle, writes of their happy childhood, of their adventures on the farm, on horseback, and exploring the hills and caves surrounding Drover's Road, in an "upside-down world" (to those of us from the Northern Hemisphere) where at Christmastime the house can be decorated with fresh flowers from the garden and the weather is very warm. It is a world filled with family, humor, hard work and horses.

This Bethlehem Budget Book includes three titles in one volume. The first, Drover's Road introduces us to the Allan family and their adventures, pranks and mishaps as children. When the scheming Cousin Celia starts to turn her attentions toward their bachelor uncle, the children come up with a plan to "discourage" her after hearing one of the family ghost stories. After Gay and her cousin Merry adopt a good-for-nothing dog, he shows a surprising side in a pinch. And as for cousin Hugh's attempts at raising pigs, well... I don't want to spoil it for you. Let's just say this is a great family story you don't want to miss. In the second book Cape Lost, Gay meets her Great-uncle Garnet and does him a great favor for which he is indebted for life. Uncle Dunsany finally gets married and Gay begins to make plans for her future, but perhaps a little prematurely. Finally, in The Golden Country, Gay inherits some land which calls for lots of patience and some interesting adventures. Although she has a bit of trouble getting men willing to work for her on her farm, she finds herself choosing between an array of suitors.

According to the afterword, "Joyce West spent her childhood in the remote country districts where her parents taught in Maori schools. About her stories she said, 'When I began to write, it was with the wish that I might save a little of the charm and flavour of those times and places for the children of today.'"

Drover's Road is a nice place to escape to for awhile with your family, particularly when the weather is too cold or too hot outside. You can spend many delightful hours with the Allans and still ask for more.

Additional notes: 

Copyrights 1953/1963/1965

Donated for review by Bethlehem Books

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
6-13-03

The Easter Story

Book cover: 'The Easter Story"
Author(s): 
Brian Wildsmith
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
1993
ISBN: 
0679847278
Publisher: 
Alfred A. Knopf
Subject(s): 
Easter
Our Lord's Passion and Death
Setting: 
Ancient Israel
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Elementary
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 
This book tells the story of the passion and resurrection from the point of view of the donkey that carried Christ on his back. "The little donkey had never been ridden before, but Jesus spoke gently to him, and soon he stopped being afraid." The donkey (and an angel companion who is never mentioned in the text but is always present in the scenes) follows along after the entrance into Jerusalem and witnesses the primary events of the Gospel narratives including the Last Supper, the Agony in the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Ascension. Beautiful soft watercolor illustrations with gold highlights on each page bring the story to life. The language strikes a nice balance being neither overly simple nor overly flowery. Most pleasing to me, the Eucharistic language of the Last Supper is maintained:
"Take and eat this," said Jesus, holding the bread. "It is my body." And the donkey watched as Jesus lifted up a cup of wine. "Take and drink this,"Jesus said. "It is my blood."
The bloody details of the passion are gently minimized so this book is easily read to even the youngest toddlers. For example, there are no details about the scourging just the mockery of the soldiers:
So the soldiers took Jesus away. They put a crown of thorns on his head and made fun of him. 'Hail the King of the Jews!' they said. They gave him a huge cross of wood and forced him to carry it.
A this point the donkey wishes he could help Jesus carry the cross and Simon of Cyrene does help Jesus. I like the way the donkey becomes a stand-in for the child and how this aside opens up a space to discuss with the child how we can help Jesus carry his cross. And the crucifixion and death are all covered in a simple statement: "They crucified him between two thieves." The narrative moves directly from that to Joseph requesting the body from Pilate. This allows the adult reader to help a sensitive child navigate the more difficult aspects of the passion narrative. The donkey witnesses the resurrection and the ascension and then returns home:
And the donkey stayed there the rest of his life, remembering the kind and good man he had carried on his back to Jerusalem.
I'm not thrilled with reducing Jesus to a "kind and good man" in the final sentence. There are plenty of stories and pious legends about animals recognizing the divinity of Christ and I'd have preferred the story take that tack. But it isn't a terrible distortion of Christ. At least the book covers all the essentials of the story. This is a good introduction to Easter and works well with my three-year old's level of understanding and her attention span. It will appeal to older children as well.
Reviewed by: 
Melanie Bettinelli
First reviewed: 
4-7-2009

The Easter Swallows

Author(s): 
Vicki Howie
Illustrator(s): 
Paola B. Grudina
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2007
ISBN: 
0819823600
Publisher: 
Pauline Books & Media
Subject(s): 
Easter
Resource Type: 
Picture Books
Review: 

The Easter Swallows, by Vicki Howie, is a lovely book that tells the story of the Crucifixion and the Resurrection from the point of view of two swallows, Long-tail and Short-tail. Though it gets right to the point:

"What are they going to do to Jesus?" she whispered.

"I'm afraid they are going to kill Him," said Long-tail.

That dreadful Friday, the soldiers put Jesus on a cross between two other crosses. They left Him there to die.

it was still gentle enough (and of course includes the joy of the Resurrection) for Ramona. I loved the soft, watercolor illustrations by Paola Bertolini Grudina.

At the end of the story, I was ready to hunt down more books by this illustrator, and Ramona happily proclaimed, "He is Rosen!"

Perspective: 
Catholic
Additional notes: 

I recently received a couple of new books from Pauline Books and Media and Ramona was taken with both of them. The books are this one, The Easter Swallows, and Jesus Feeds Everybody! by Young-Jin Choi and Jung-Cho Kim.

Reviewed by: 
Karen Edmisten
First reviewed: 
April 05, 2007

The Educated Child

A Parent's Guide from Preschool Through Eighth Grade
Book cover: The Educated Child
Author(s): 
William J. Bennett
Chester E. Finn
John T.E. Cribb
Number of pages: 
666 pages
Copyright: 
1999
ISBN: 
9780684833491
Publisher: 
The Free Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Books About Curriculum
Setting: 
United States
Review: 

This book is designed to assist parents in choosing and judging good schools and how well their children are doing there. Brief "scope and sequence" lists (based on the Core Knowledge Curriculum) and some suggested resources are included. Although it is not specifically aimed at homeschoolers, homeschoolers are favorably addressed in several portions and will find much useful advice and ideas in the book. It's a worthwhile read, but probably not a high priority to purchase (you might want to check it out from the library before buying it.) Like the Core Knowledge Curriculum, it does have the potential to overwhelm at the expense of learning.

Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
1-18-01

The Empty Pot

Book cover: The Empty Pot
Author(s): 
Demi
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
1996
ISBN: 
9780805049008
Publisher: 
Square Fish
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
History
Setting: 
Ancient China
Grade / Age level: 
Preschool
Elementary
Review: 

This lovely little storybook has been enjoyed by my preschoolers as well as my grade-school-aged children. As the moral of the story unfolds, this colorful story book exposes children to a little bit of Ancient China. It is the story of Ping, a child with a green thumb. However when the emperor gives Ping a seed to care for, he cannot even get a sprout from it. Yet all of the children of the land, who were also given seeds to nurture, return to the emperor's palace with beautiful flowers. Ping, humbled, gives the emperor his empty pot expecting to be scolded. Much to Ping's surprise, the emperor embraces him and names him his heir, for the seeds that he gave to the children had been baked and were sterile. This is a story that will give your children a beautiful example of honesty as well as courage and humility.

Reviewed by: 
Maureen Wittmann
First reviewed: 
7-18-04

The Essence of Holy Mass

Book cover: 'The Essence of Holy Mass'
Number of pages: 
107 pages
Copyright: 
1998
Publisher: 
Catholic Heritage Curricula
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Holy Mass
Review: 

This book is divided into two sections. The first, 44 pages long, discusses the purpose of Holy Mass and its essential parts (in such a way that it would be equally useful for those attending a Tridentine Indult or a Novus Ordo Mass). The text is very simple and could be ready by many first or second graders. The large typeface and full-color photos (of children re-enacting scenes from Our Lord's life) make it very appealing. My oldest read through the book rather quickly in second grade and like it very much. As a family, we also very much enjoyed it as a read aloud for several age levels who benefited much from listening and then pausing occasionally for further discussion. We found it a beautiful source of beginning spiritual direction for young children.

The remainder of the book provides additional meditations and other material that could be profitably read-aloud to children and/or provide background reading (and helpful meditation) for parents.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
Alicia Van Hecke
First reviewed: 
10-30-01

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