No name

Redwall (additional review)

Number of pages: 
333 pages
Copyright: 
1945
ISBN: 
0441005489
Publisher: 
Ace Books / Penguin Putnam Inc. NY
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Redwall Abbey, inhabited by peaceful monk-like mice, is set in the heart of Mossflower Woods and is the center of life for all the peaceful creatures who inhabit the woods. In this story the abbey is besieged by evil sea rats with an infamously merciless huge rat, Cluny the Scourge, as their leader. The rats are unable to conquer the abbey at first fight and thus infuriated, Cluny is all the more determined to have Redwall Abbey as his own. The rats attack the abbey with various battle plans and finally enter the abbey through the betrayal of a field mouse.

One of the abbey mice, Matthias becomes an unlikely hero, rescuing captive field mice, solving mysterious riddles of prophecy, fighting warlike sparrows, killing a huge adder and finally facing and defeating Cluny in one last show-down. Most of this action does not take place in defense of the abbey but on Matthias' quest for the famous sword of an ancient defender of Mossflower: Martin the Warrior. Through one of the prophecies Matthias discovers that Martin had foreseen the days of the rats' attack and Matthias' heroic part of it. He had hidden the sword for Matthias to find and Matthias feels the safety of the abbey rests on this sword alone. Of course it isn't where Martin left it so Matthias must go questing to find it.

When I first read this book several years ago, I was greatly disappointed. It received rave reviews in book catalogs and from 4th and 5th grade teachers everywhere. But, I found the story much too obvious and the writing weak. The dialogue was a distasteful modern sarcastic banter. The plot was full of too many coincidences and no real surprises. The hero showed no signs of heroic virtue, or any other virtue, before he took a central role in the defense of the abbey.

Recently, through the urging of some friends of my children, my husband and I read Redwall aloud to our children. To my surprise, the story, brought to life by my husband reading the voices, was not as stale as I had first thought. The children loved it. Yes, Matthias had no great obvious character from which to draw his heroism but that made him more loveable to my children. He was an ordinary, awkward nobody who rose to greatness and defeated the greatest of evils. He was like them, and yet found the ability to wield a sword. This afforded a great opportunity for discussion about the source of our strength for battling evil.

Fortunately, while they play Matthias and company, they haven't forgotten Jim Hawkins or Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. While I thought the book a somewhat inferior literary effort, it has continued to increase their excitement about reading and storytelling and has not ruined their taste for finer pieces.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1998-99

Kindergarten Phonics for Young Catholics

Book cover: 'Kindergarten Phonics for Young Catholics'
Number of pages: 
136 pages
Copyright: 
1997
Publisher: 
Seton Educational Media
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

Unit one has twenty five lessons. The first eleven are Listening skills (stories and poems), Visual Discrimination (broad similarities, detailed similarities and detailed differences), and Motor Skills (straight and curved lines, detailed dashed, detailed straight, and slanted lines and geometric shapes).

The next nine lessons are on auditory/visual discrimination. There are then three lessons on visual discrimination involving capital and lower case letters, letter identification and tracing. Then there is a another motor skills lesson and one on nursery Rhymes.

Unit Two is the beginning of learning phonics. The first few lessons are on the alphabet. Then on to letter recognition and identifying partner letters (capital and lower case). There are five lessons on motor and visuals skills.

After this the letter lessons begin. Each lesson begins with an intro to the letter. For example, the first letter taught is "S". So for "S" there are five lessons. The first is printing. The next: initial sound and printing. The third is letter discrimination. The fourth is initial sound and printing. The fifth and final lesson is final sound and printing.

Ther next letter taught is "T". After this there is a review of "S" and "T". After every two letters, there is a review of those two letters. After every four letters , there is a review of the four letters.

Unit Two covers the following letters: S,T,B,H,M,K,J,F,G,L, and D.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-9-01

Kindergarten Phonics for Young Catholics

Book cover: 'Kindergarten Phonics for Young Catholics'
Number of pages: 
182 pages
Copyright: 
1997
Publisher: 
Seton Educational Media
Binding: 
Softcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

This volume begins with Unit three. It reviews the Alphabet sound list. Then it covers the following letters: N (including a N/M discrimination), W, C, R, P, Q, V, X, Y, Z. The lessons are the same setup as in Volume 1 (as explained above for the letter "S").

Unit four introduces the vowels. It begins by reviewing the consonants. Then it introduces Short "A". The lessons are as follows for Short "A". First is: recognizing the short sound of Aa. Then Short Vowel Aa. Then blending consonants with the short sound of Aa. Then Short Vowel Aa. Finally the short Aa sound in sentences. This is repeated for Short E, I, O and U. There are reviews after every two vowel sounds taught.

Unit 5 begins by reviewing consonants and short vowels. Then it teaches the two sounds of "C" and "G". Then it begins the long vowels.

It begins in with A. The lessons go as follows: First recognizing the long sound of Aa. Then discriminating between long and short A. Then blending consents with long A. Then again recognizing sound of the long and short A. Then it goes on to E, I, O, U long vowels. Reviews after *each* vowel.

The next section teaches consonant blends like SM, CR, PL, TR, GL, ST as initial sounds. Then final sound consonant blends like CK, NG, MP, SK, NK, and ST. Then the digraph TH is taught and the difference between T and TH.

The final section of volume two is about Y as a vowel. There are three lessons here involving Y with A, with E, and with I in one or two syllable words. The final two lessons are reading a little story about a puppy and answering questions for comprehension.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-9-01

Shakespeare Can Be Fun series

Author(s): 
Lois Burdett
William Shakespeare
Copyright: 
1999
Publisher: 
Firefly
Binding: 
Sewn Softcover
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
Lois Burdett was an elementary school teacher in Canada who found herself in a town where every public school was named after a work of Shakespeare, and yet her students knew nothing of the Bard! The books in this series contain her work to present Shakespeare to her very young (second grades) students. Not much original Shakespeare here besides the stories, as the text recreates the famous plays in simple rhyming couplets. I find these books to be cute and a good option for the introduction of Shakespeare to younger elementary school age children--and I bet some adults, like me, will greatly enjoy them as well! The truly delightful drawings and illustrations are made by the author's young students. Lois Burdett actually presented each of these plays and there are photos of the crews in splendid costumes, although I'd like to see a video sometime... Most Shakespeare plays are in this series. Several volumes have very nice, positive forewords by well-known actors who have performed Shakespeare roles on film such as Danzel Washington and Kenneth Branagh. Here's an excerpt from the latter's foreword: "Lois Burdett and her extremely talented and imaginative group of children have managed the impossible: the story of Hamlet, refreshingly retold".
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
1-19-2009

Little Black Ant on Park Street

Little Black Ant on Park Street
Author(s): 
Janet Halfmann
Illustrator(s): 
Kathleen Rietz
Number of pages: 
32 pages
Copyright: 
2009
Publisher: 
Soundprints
Binding: 
Paperback
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 
The Smithsonian’s Backyard Collection series “is a world of wonder for children intrigued by the wildlife outside their windows.” The books have an over-sized format, and each page filled with colorful and detailed illustrations with large-print text. This newest book in the series tells the story of Little Black Ant searching for food. Though the book may be written for younger children, this is not a book that is more story than science. From regurgitating food in their social stomachs, to fending off an intruding carpenter ant, to a swarming nest, this book teaches a good deal about ants. On the back page, the top section summarizes the scientific information from the story followed by a glossary; the bottom section, Points of Interest in this Book, identifies other plants and animals illustrated in the story. This book and others in the series are a great introduction to nature in our own backyards.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-21-2010

Birds do the Strangest Things

Book cover: Birds do the Strangest Things
Author(s): 
Leonora and Arthur Hornblow
Illustrator(s): 
Alan D Singer
Number of pages: 
61 pages
Copyright: 
1965
ISBN: 
9780679911593
Publisher: 
Random House
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Resource Type: 
Review: 

Twenty-two stories of the natural but strange and fascinating behavior of various birds. The text covers ostriches, hummingbirds, kiwis, loons, peacocks, emperor penguins, woodpeckers and much more. The text is somewhat lengthy (approx. 12-20 lines per page), but in fairly large print and at a fairly easy reading level. My children find this book completely fascinating. Part of the "Step-Up" series which includes "Meet George Washington" et al.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
4-4-01

Fish do the Strangest Things

Book cover: Fish do the Strangest Things
Author(s): 
Leonora and Arthur Hornblow
Illustrator(s): 
John F. Eggert
Number of pages: 
60 pages
Copyright: 
1966
ISBN: 
9780394943091
Publisher: 
Random House
Binding: 
Sewn Hardcover
Subject(s): 
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

An informative and enjoyable collection of stories about some very interesting and remarkable fish – such as the Deep Sea Angler, the Archer Fish, the Lungfish, the Puffer Fish and the Mud-Skipper. Although the illustrations aren't fabulous, this book and others in the series have been real favorites with my children. The stories are engaging, fairly short (two to three pages with rather large type) and the content is very appealing. We discovered this book when my daughter was five and for her it became a starting point for a real interest in Sea-Life in particular and Science in general.

Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
12-2-99

Behind Enemy Lines

A Young Pilot's Story
Author(s): 
H. R. DeMallie
Number of pages: 
178 pages
Copyright: 
2000
Publisher: 
Sterling Publishing, Co.
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 
This is a fascinating personal account of a U.S. Air Force pilot who was shot down over Holland and spent the rest of World War II in a POW camp in Germany. He wrote it specifically to honor the Dutch who took care of him at great peril to their own lives. It was a particularly interesting read after being acquainted with Hilda Van Stockum's The Winged Watchman as locations and situations are very similar. The narrative is simple and understated (and very REAL), but you can imagine the voice of a grandfather sharing his adventures and impressions with the young people of today. The epilogue is particularly fascinating and makes it even more clear why the author wanted to write down his story for others. Violence and a few choice words make this most appropriate for seventh grade and up. It is a particularly fast read (extra-wide spacing also helps!) making it a good choice for older reluctant readers.
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
2-26-2008

Surprised by Truth

11 Converts Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic
Book cover: Surprised by Truth
Author(s): 
Patrick Madrid (editor)
Number of pages: 
269 pages
Copyright: 
1994
ISBN: 
978-0964261082
Publisher: 
Basilica Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

These are relatively short (usually about 20 or 30 pages each) autobiographical essays from Catholic converts. The stories cover a numer of converts who are becoming well-known for their vibrant Catholic ministries of various sorts, and so you may have heard the names Marcus Grodi, James Akin, Steve Wood, Tim Staples and Dave Armstrong before). Because of the variety of authors, the reading levels and vocabulary used vary greatly - some are simple and succinct and others more complex - but all are compelling in their own way; all help to shed more light on what it means to be a Catholic and why the Catholic Church is so different from other beliefs. Although primarily intended for adults, the book would make excellent apologetics reading for high schoolers because it provides a wealth of information and "holy ammunition" in intellectual battles with non-Catholics.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
4-26-01

Surprised by Truth 2

15 Men and Women Give the Biblical and Historical Reasons for Becoming Catholic
Book cover: Surprised by Truth 2
Author(s): 
Patrick Madrid (ed.)
Patrick Madrid
Number of pages: 
298 pages
Copyright: 
2000
ISBN: 
9781928832188
Publisher: 
Sophia Institute Press
Binding: 
Softcover
Grade / Age level: 
Review: 

The sequel to Surprised by Truth provides even more stories of how the grace of God, the witness of others and important conversations about the truth, brought these men and women back to the fullness of the Cahtolic faith.

Perspective: 
Catholic
Reviewed by: 
First reviewed: 
4-26-01

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