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G.K. Chesterton's The Blue Cross, Study Edition

Book cover: 'G.K. Chesterton's The Blue Cross, Study Edition'
Author(s): 
Nancy Carpentier Brown
Number of pages: 
95 pages
Copyright: 
2006
Publisher: 
Hillside Education
Binding: 
Spiralbound
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
First, let me say that I'm a "study guide, unit study" kind of homeschooling mom. I love it when someone else has found all the links and critical vocabulary words within a book or subject to be studied. I do however almost always "tweak" the study guide to ensure that my kids are getting everything they can from the resource.

With this study guide I don't have to tweak much. Mrs. Brown has given her reader everything they need for a study of the short story "The Blue Cross" - even the story - in this 90-page study guide.

The study guide includes biographical information about Chesterton - a British Catholic convert well-known for his wit and deep, symbolic writings. Mrs. Brown is somewhat of a Chesterton scholar, so her write-up is not only accurate, it's extensive. She includes references to the Catechism of the Catholic Church to ensure the student understands the Church's teachings on reason; teachings that always play a big part in Chesterton's writings.

Mrs. Brown includes a suggested schedule which takes about 10 days to complete - you of course could make the study of this exceptional short story either longer or shorter. There are essay topics and short-answer questions to help the student delve into the meaning of the story. There are vocabulary words, literary terms (for example, alliterations and similes), understanding through contextual reading, and other activities to enliven the reader's experience of this first of the Father Brown stories. An answer key is included at the end of the study guide.

The study guide itself is a useful size - a 6"x 8" spiral bound volume with a great silhouetted graphic on the laminated cover. This study guide just begs to be opened and used -- always a bonus when spending money from usually quite limited homeschool budgets.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1-20-06

Galen and the Gateway to Medicine

Book cover: 'Galen and the Gateway to Medicine'
Author(s): 
Jeanne Bendick
Number of pages: 
123 pages
Copyright: 
2002
Publisher: 
Bethlehem Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Jeanne Bendick's second title in Bethlehem Books' "Living History" series (after Archimedes and the Door of Science) brings to life the 2nd century (A.D.) Roman doctor whose work in learning to understand the human body became the standard authority on human physiology for over a thousand years. Although many of his theories were corrected through advancements in science since the middle ages, his story is interesting both for its own sake and for the light is sheds on Roman history and culture and the Hippocratic tradition of medicine.

Galen was born in 129 A.D. in present day Turkey (at that time part of the Roman Empire). When he studied medicine, medical training was very haphazard, but in his lifetime he revolutionized the idea of what a doctor should be, both by his example as a renowned doctor and his extensive writings on anatomy and pharmacology (some of which are still in existence today). His experience in treating patients from wounded gladiators to the wealthy of Rome to Roman emperors, extensive study of medicinal plants, dissection of animals, etc. led to his remarkable success as a doctor and the respect with which his writings were treated.

The medical aspects of the book largely focus on the quest to understand the purpose of each of the organs and the workings of the circulatory system. The author also provides us with a final chapter which summarizes the medical advancements after Galen that led to our current understanding of how the body works. Like Archimedes and the Door of Science, this story will be best understood by ages ten and up and takes a certain amount of concentration to follow the story and absorb its content well. However, the rewards are great in acquiring a deeper understanding of Roman culture, medicine, and the respect for life that has been passed down from the Hippocratic tradition.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-3-03

Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment

Author(s): 
Wendy Macdonald
Illustrator(s): 
Paolo Rui
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2009
ISBN: 
9781570918698
Publisher: 
Charlesbridge
Binding: 
Glued Hardcover
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 

Science readers are to be found if you look around enough as this book demonstrates.  It is the fictional story of Massimo, a boy who regularly throws his uncle's lunch off a bridge to his boat as his uncle rows by below.  Galileo happens to see that the bread and the cheese land at the same time.  The story ends atop the leaning Tower of Pisa, as legend suggests Galileo did.

The illustrations are a little disappointing, the people in particular. The story is sometimes forced as math and science readers often are; however, overall it is a great tale that teaches a basic principle of physics sure to have your children dropping objects from heights.  It even alludes to Galileo's ramp experiments on acceleration.  The last page briefly fills in the reader on the period in history, what in the story is fact and fiction, and the formula for calculating speed.

Overall this is a great introductory physics science book.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
07/17/2010

Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment

Cover: Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment
Author(s): 
Wendy Macdonald
Illustrator(s): 
Paolo Rui
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2009
ISBN: 
9781570918698
Publisher: 
Charlesbridge
Setting: 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 

Additional review: World Geography, World History, science... and some creative fictional characters as well! All in a beautiful information Picture Book.

The story of the legendary Leaning Tower of Pisa experiment by Galileo is brought to life here around the story of a boy, Massimo, who was very clever, and dropped his father's lunch from a bridge everyday in calculating motions... until a passer-by professor named Galileo witnesses it and rethinks the whole Aristotelian notion on the subject!

The pictures are colorful, warm and very pleasant, and some of the angles are taken from delightful perspectives!

A gem. A very nice way to introduce children to Galileo and to some concepts of Physics.

See our other review of Galileo's Leaning Tower Experiment here.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
October 14, 2009

Garden of Virtues

Planting Seeds of Goodness
Book cover: Garden of Virtues: Planting Seeds of Goodness
Author(s): 
Christina Keffler
Illustrator(s): 
Rebecca Donnelli
Suzanne Etman
Number of pages: 
208 pages
Copyright: 
2000
ISBN: 
9780883474495
Publisher: 
Thomas More Publishing
Binding: 
Softcover
Review: 

This is a friendly and lovely little book on practicing the virtues in the midst of family life. Although it is clear that at least one of the authors is Catholic, the book is written on a very practical level and in such a way that it would be appealing to any family attempting to live a peaceful and virtuous life (particularly in the midst of raising children).

The book is intended to be used by the family as a whole, perhaps sharing a new chapter at the dinner table each week. Each chapter (three to four pages long) covers one virtue. A simple definition of the virtue is given, along with ideas for fostering the virtue, avoiding its opposite and a good, related family rule to apply. The chapters include simple ideas and stories which illustrate the importance of the virtue and its true meaning. There are fifty-two virtues in all - one for each week of the year. Virtues covered range from Audacity (they even quote St. Thomas Aquinas in defense of considering audacity a virtue - very impressive!) to Wisdom and other important virtues (listed alphabetically) in between.

The book is very charming, with full-color garden-themed illustrations on every page (in a style reminiscent of Mary Engelbreit). This is a nice supplement to the more theology-oriented studies of virtue to remind children (and their parents) about the basics of living a moral life.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-3-01

Geography Songs

Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
We love Geography Songs! My girls have been able to memorize quite a bit by these songs and they can easily apply these to maps at a very young age. They love to sing so they are very interested in doing geography.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
12/27/99

Geometry: Seeing, Doing, Understanding

aka Jacobs' Geometry
Book cover: 'Jacobs' Geometry'
Author(s): 
Harold R. Jacobs
Number of pages: 
751 pages
Copyright: 
2004
ISBN: 
9780716789710
Publisher: 
W.H. Freedman and Company
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

Saxon is a tried and true mathematics choice for many homeschoolers, but one complaint about the high school level texts Algebra I and Algebra II is that geometry is included piecemeal in the algebra courses rather than being taught separately in a systematic fashion. Jacobs' Geometry is one alternative for those who find this to be a problem. It is a friendly, thorough approach to high school geometry that starts with an introduction to deductive reasoning and takes the student through to non-Euclidean and coordinate geometry.

The format is very appealing, at least to my high-school age son and myself. The book is divided into chapters covering broad topics like Rays and Angles, Congruent Triangles, and Quadrilaterals. These are subdivided into lessons. Each lesson opens with a cartoon or thought puzzle which draws the student into the topic being discussed. There are three sets of problems in each lesson: the first one usually checks comprehension of concepts and knowledge of theorems, the second set is an application of the lesson to proofs, and the third set, usually a single question, presents a brain-teaser which allows the student to think and ponder creatively.

A Letter to the Student at the beginning tells the story of Pythagoras, the Greek geometer, who taught a reluctant student by paying him for each theorem he learned. By the end of the course, the student was paying Pythagoras. The anecdote sets the tone for the whole book, the assumption being that geometry is a noble, worthwhile endeavor and that a student will realize this and be willing to apply himself to mastery.

Though I haven't used the Jacobs' Algebra, the format looks similar to Geometry. My high-schooler is using it now in short sections as a review. With my next high schooler, I am planning to go from Saxon Algebra ½ to Jacobs' Algebra. There is no book in the Jacobs' series after Geometry; the author Harold Jacobs recommends Algebra II and Trigonometry by Paul A Foerster as the next step before Calculus.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

George Washington

Book cover: George Washington
Author(s): 
Ingri & Edgar Parin D'Aulaire
Number of pages: 
60 pages
Copyright: 
1936
ISBN: 
9780964380318
Publisher: 
Beautiful Feet Books
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

It is just like the D'Aulaire's to create a story (complete with beautiful full-color illustrations) that would be interesting and appealing to small children and yet teach more about the character and upbringing of "the Father of Our Country" than most textbooks. The story covers our First President's early childhood – growing up in Colonial America – his adventures (and character) as a young officer during the French and Indian War and, of course, his role in the American Revolution and as president.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Getting Started with Latin

Beginning Latin for Homeschoolers and Self-Taught Students of Any Age
Author(s): 
William E. Linney
Number of pages: 
224 pages
Copyright: 
2007
ISBN: 
0979505100
Publisher: 
Armfield Academic Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
12-1-2007

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