We've had a wonderful first week back to school. No, really, the little things that happened are little things that, well, happen. Life is funny; it does that. We simply pause, adjust, and move on.
In our Baldwin readings,
...we finished the couple of stories we had left of The Boy Who Knew What the Birds Said. We were all sad to see it end. It feels like there should be many more stories to be told. I suppose that's the sign of a gifted writer, and I look forward to more of Padraic Column's work. (His book, The Children's Homer, is one we've enjoyed more than once over the years.)
...and then we began Celtic Fairy Tales. The boys have noticed that these stories have a different tone, different themes, and different morals to them than the Greek and Roman stories we've been reading. A fun beginning. (Oh, James just came to me and said, "Wait! We don't have to print that one. We have it." I thought he meant we'd already printed it out, but, no, it was in 'the box in the car'! A real, bound copy! WOOHOO!)
We finished The Return of the Indian. Abrupt ending, there, but that left plenty of time for discussions about magic and mystery, people and places, and where we'd go with a magic key. (Because, seriously, they're 8, 7, and three -- how could we pass up all those lovely ideas?)
We finished The Railway Children. I did not, contrary to rumors spread by certain small males, cry as much as with The Littlest Angel. At least I could actually finish The Railway Children aloud, okay? Hrumpf. Okay.
Beowulf has slain Grendel (I'm guessing I don't need to post a spoiler alert with this, right?), and last night he sank to do battle with the Water Witch. Emily is not so fond of this story, but the boys? Riveted. Absolutely riveted. "His men were so loyal," said the boys. Yes. Yes, they were. What a lovely quality to notice, isn't it?
And I, in my Mommy Reading Time, just finished an enchanting journey through India with the Little Friend of All The World, Kim. It took a bit for me to delve into, as Kipling really does require more mental acuity than I willingly put forth in my personal reading time. But it's always, always worth the effort, and in the end, it was such a delightful way to spend a few summer evenings.
Kiss those babies!
~Dy
4 comments:
I love it when you write posts like this - it is fun to get a glimpse into your reading material and especially the ways your boys react to it. And it gives me great ideas for "someday" when my own boys are older!
Great book list! I've bookmarked them all!
Now that you've read The Railway Children, you might want to try the movie. I thought it was quite good. I've always wanted to read Kim.
I need to start taking notes on your book lists....... in October I need a new read aloud book. (yes, I am that far ahead in my thinking)
Shannon
Like you, I read Kim as an adult and loved it! (I first tried to read it when I was 10 and found it horribly dull.) I was 40 when I finally read it and I loved it so much I spent several months asking everyone I knew if they'd ever read it, and if they responded in the negative, I begged them to read it. I made my teenaged son and daughter read it, so I'd have someone to talk about it with me. GREAT book!
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