Children's Books

It is imperative that the modern mother is well dressed at all times, especially when reading to one's young charges . In addition, one should also read in the clipped manner of a 1950's BBC TV presenter. Court shoes must be worn.

My two girls love to be read to and there's nothing more enjoyable that reading a good book with your children. It's very companionable indeed. I know that there are other benefits, it opens the world of reading to them, it increases their vocabulary, etc. But the main joy has to be that special time I have with them, sharing something we both enjoy.

But it's awful if the book is boring! Lol. I remember as a child loving the Enid Blyton books, The Faraway Tree series and, The Wishing Chair series. But by my life I find them tedious now. The girls love them though, so we are persevering. Enid Blyton was one of the most prolific children's authors ever. I've made an agreement with my eldest (8) that she will read the rest of the Wishing Chair books to herself and we are going to move onto the Adventure series also by Enid Blyton - I recall loving these as a child. The Malory Towers series was successful, we both loved reading those together. So much so that I took the books to bed with me after to see what happened! Lol.

My favourite book that we have read together was A Little Princess; love that book. The chapters are very long though, I went away hoarse every night. And we love the Lost Sheep books, great Christian books for children.

For my youngest, now 6, I have loved books like The Gruffalo and A Squash and a Squeeze and the Mog books. But her vocabulary and reading ability are expanding, so she's on the Faraway Tree books, so hey-ho it looks like I'm going to be reading them all over again! *sigh* :P


I remember as a child I loved The Large and Growly Bear so much that my Mum hid it and told me it had had to go back to the library (even though we owned it)! Oh the deception! :) I have felt the same about You Choose and the Faraway tree books many a time!

Some books that I'm looking forward to sharing with the girls include. Frog and Toad are Friends (though I need to be quick my 6 year old will be too old soon), The Wind in the Willows, Little Women, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (though she's read this at school), and The Children of Green Knowe.

What children's books would you recommend?
Are there any that your children love but you hate?
Are you an Enid Blyton fan?
Questions, questions!

Elizabeth Goudge my new favourite author

"[I]t was homemaking that mattered. Every home was a brick in the great wall of decent living that men erected over and over again as a bulwark against the perpetual flooding in of evil. But women made the bricks, and the durableness of each civilization depended on their quality, and it was no good weakening oneself for the brick-making by worrying too much about the flood.”

~ 'Herb of Grace', Elizabeth Goudge

This is a quote from one of my new most favourite books. The lovely Dulce Domum sent me a copy a while ago and I loved it. The book is Herb of Grace by Elizabeth Goudge (which may be familiar to any American readers as 'Pilgrim's Inn'). It's a simply beautiful book the second of a trilogy - but I enjoyed it immensely without having read the first in the series. It was written in 1948 and is about the Eliot family, set in the Hampshire countryside. The Herb of Grace is an old medieval pilgrim's inn. The story is about family, home and healing of past hurts and dreams.

Well now, joy of joys, my estimable friend has sent me two further Elizabeth Goudge books: The Heart of the Family (follow-up to the Herb of Grace) and also The Scent of Water.

Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them! How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
~ Arnold Lobel

I'll let you know if I grow a beard. :P

Indoors women are useful - even pleasant...

Click on the image to read the text, this advertisement is simply hilarious. "These pullovers look great anywhere. On the level!" Who needs a woman when you have a Drummond sweater?

I had to share this when I came across it; it really tickled me.

The Red Arrows

We visited family this weekend. My BIL is in the RAF and there was a family day with a fair and loads of planes to look at. The Red Arrows did a display.

I haven't time right now to download all the pictures. I'll try to get time this week. But here are a few to whet your appetite as it were.







My BIL said that they are so strict. They are accurate to the inch. Amazing skills.

Hope for Justice

Hubs and I attended a Hope for Justice event 'The Stand' in Manchester on Friday night. The cause is to end human trafficking. It was wonderful, the Name of Jesus was praised and proclaimed.

The focus of the night was Jesus' love for the oppressed. The Hope for Justice site quotes:

‘He will rescue them from oppression and violence for precious is their blood in his sight.’ Psalm 72:14

Our Aims:

Rescue

Rescue trafficked people; restore lives through rehabilitation and pursue justice by prosecuting those responsible.
Inspire

Raise awareness and inspire a generation to get involved in the fight against human trafficking.
Equip

Equip others to practically make a difference and take action against it.

This is a worthy cause. Did you know that there are 27 million slaves worldwide [UNICEF]? Hope for Justice concentrated mostly on the night into the awful s*xual exploitation of women and children. The site quotes:

• 1.2 million children are trafficked every year, two every minute
• The average age of a trafficking victim is just 14 years
• $9.5 billion is made through human trafficking each year
• The UN estimates that 80% of people trafficked are taken for s*xual exploitation.

Stories were told of children as young as three sold into such slavery. It is sick and so upsetting.

One of the speakers on the night was Tony Campolo, he told one of his famous stories and spoke of his passion for those who live in poverty and who are trapped by slavery. But the thing that moved me the most was his prayer at the end. "We are shocked by the figures of 27 million in slavery today, the most ever in history, but God knows each one by name." I could weep right now to think of that. How the Father heart of God is broken. I cannot imagine the pain of knowing that millions of His children are lost and in such suffering because of sin and oppression. How He longs to set them free.

Jesus' was sent to earth to break the bonds of slavery, the bond of slavery to sin by His death on the cross and His offer of eternal life, but He also stated:

"Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practised the latter, without neglecting the former. You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel." Matthew 23:23-24

God requires us to give our lives to Him indeed to worship Him and forever show our thanks for the work of the cross; but sacrificial love also means that we will offer help to those who need it - both practical AND spiritual. Yes our focus must be on the eternal soul, but our love for others in Jesus must prompt us to reach out a helping hand to those in need.

What good is it, my brothers, if a man claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save him? Suppose a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to him, "Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed," but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead. James 2:14-17

"And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Matthew 10:42