A Net in Time

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Review

Books Read in March

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The
Homeschool Review Crew does word prompts for Instagram fun, I think
it’s great to have these words prompts for doing quick posts.  🙂   I
find them fun as sometimes it surprises me where my brain goes.  🙂   The word for today is Books. 

Since I haven’t done my books read for the month I thought I’d do that up today.    I know I know, hardly innovative eh?  You’ll cope I think?

Books that I read just for me.

 Fledgling

I loved this book so much I went out and got the second book in the series before I even finished the first one.  

A great series about a lad who crosses two cultures and is not accepted in either one.  He meets a dragon and his life is forever changed.

The second book Avian is just as good.  🙂  Now to read Traitor and then Immortal…  I have to know how it all ends  .. I just have to know!!!!

Hubby and I just finished listening to  Balanced on the Blade’s Edge. 

I love the story aspect…it’s actually quite fascinating.  I’d rather not have the romance aspect to it as I find that I dislike that aspect in books now, but the story behind the romance has me hooked.  I want to know how the crisis will be worked through.    

Her second book I am liking more as the romance part isn’t quite as in my face.  “Deathmaker” It is called.   Definitely a fantasy type series of books, with powers of magic, dragons of old, and fear of magic rampant.

Books Reading with my Lad (in progress or finished)

We have been working through story of the world for quite a while.   I expect we’ll be done this book by the end of the month as we are in the last 1/5th of it.

We’ve learned a whole lot reading through this series.

The Natural World.

We’ve learned about all sorts of animals and natural phenomena.   
Trees, rainforests, critters of all sorts.

Currently we are in the midst of learning all sorts of fascinating facts about birds.

It will be a spell before we are done this book though.

A Wind in the Door
I loved this book as a child and it stuck with me forever.  

I could hardly wait for my lad to get old enough to share it with him.

He LOVED it.  And often begged me to keep reading through it.  

He was as sad as I was at the end when Progo died. “BUT MOM!!!  HE can’t die!!!”   What love will do eh?

Canada’s Natives Long Ago.

This book contains stories from early Canadians…both natives and early explorers.   We’re learning lots and being amazed often.   

We just finished reading a section about a young explorer trying to cross a river where the current was so strong it bent a tree FOUR FEET in diameter in half!   Can you imagine it?   They gave up trying to cross the river.

We continue to read through “Getting to Know Nature’s Children”.  This month we are learning about the grouse, last month we learned about otters and the red fox.   There are two animals in each book.

The lad continues to enjoy this series and as long as he does, we’ll keep reading through them.   

 

Irish Chain

I can’t say what a great book this is that we are reading.  I would call this a living book about a disaster in Canadian history.. devastated the town and harbor.  Killed 1000’s of people.   The lad and I are captivated by the story of Rose and her strength that she didn’t even know she had.   She lost so much…and yet..her family and her memories remained strong.

If you can…read this book.  It’s a good one.

Books Read for the Purpose of Reviewing Them.

Amazing Animal Adventure.   This was a GREAT seek and find book on biomes located throughout the world.

War Plan Red.    This was simply a fun review to do and I learned so much about the history between Canada and the United States. 

Found – Psalm 23.   A book for young children, a simple, gentle look at Psalm 23 and how the good shepherd cares for us. 

Let’s Explore…Mountain.   Want to learn about different mountains throughout the world?   Text plus activities to educate and entertain.  

 

The Kid from Diamond Street.   A story of women’s baseball, which focuses on Edith Houghton.   A very interesting book.   A meaty picture book that I enjoyed. 

A Dog in a Cave.   This was a somewhat different book that I enjoyed none the less.  Less about evolution and more about how two species can influence the development of the other. 

Really Woolly Easter Blessings.  A board board for the youngest children, to teach about Easter with Verse and prayer.

Three Middle School Books: I love you Michael Collins (Learning about the forgotten astronaut through the eyes of a young girl struggling with growing up and family issues), Ten: A soccer Story (a young soccer fan who works to make her dreams come true) and The Journey to Dragon Island (a light fantasy).  

 

 Books in process.

My son continues to read through the Erin Hunter “warrior cats” series, last I heard he was on the fourth series.   He has also started Shepherd, Potter, Spy…and Star Namer. 

I am currently reading: “Voyage to the Magical North” and “Head First”.   Also will be finishing book two, and hopefully book three of the Dragonrider Chronicles.  🙂

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©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: Shepherd, Potter, Spy–and the Star Namer

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It has been my delight over the past few weeks to read through  Shepherd, Potter, Spy–and the Star Namer by Peggy Consolver – Author.  It’s a fascinating book where I got to see biblical history come to life in a creative format.  It was a great book that I would love to have more people read.  🙂

I THOROUGHLY enjoyed this book.  I’m sitting here thinking, how do I effectively tell people how good this book is?

Seeing history come to life.
Watching a boy growing up in a volatile time. 
Seeing the horror in the worship of Molech.
Understanding the amazement of the nations in the fall of Jericho.
In the learning how God fights on the side of his obedient people.

This is a book of growth and learning and many ways for a 13 year Gibeonite lad named Keshub.   A story of a lad and his family facing troubled times and how they handled it. 

This is historical fact told with creative license. 

Overarching Themes: 
Obedience, bullying, family, servitude, sibling rivalry, survival, and negotiation.

Here’s a quick introduction to the book:

The great biblically based book is told from the point of view of the Gibeonites, with glimpses into life in the Israeli camp, and life under Zedek.   I found it a compelling story that drew me directly into the lives of the people involved.  I found myself so pleased with how Keshub took on his new responsibilities, rejoicing in his new skills, seeing his wonder that the Star Namer is the God of the Israelites.   Just an excellent book.

Peggy Consolver is the third of six children who grew up in Oklahoma.  She graduated from Southwestern Oklahoma State University where she met her husband George.

She worked various jobs until she had their two children, then was a stay-at-home parent for them. Teaching Sunday school and women’s
Bible studies, are some of her loves.  She encourages people to dig deeper into the story of God.

Due to the references to Molech, I would suggest that you gear the introduction of this book to the maturity of your student.  Seeing a young man step up to the plate, risking his life, doing a man’s work when his help is needed, oh but THAT is worth any maturing young man reading about.    Young men, reading about other young men doing good things, stretching in a reaching for manhood THAT… is a good thing indeed.  Don’t misunderstand me though, it’s a good book for the ladies of the world too, it’s just that I have a boy and I want him reading this book.  It’s a good one.

Did you know this cool fact?  There’s a study guide to go with it!  You can learn about braiding, wildlife, do some mapping and so much more. My lad is intrigued by the use of the sling, I wish I had a good place for him to practice it, kinda like with the archery he does already. 🙂   So many ways to broaden the learning to be found in this living history book.  There are also small group questions in the close of the book.

And for adults reading a book in advance of their children, or just enjoying the book for their own, just read it, learn your history, see God in action, see God preserve a people and call another to himself.   It’s a good thing this.  It’s bible history combined with creative story telling to create a cohesive whole.  Add in the study guide if you want to increase your awareness of the time and place, the memories, the land and the people in it.  It won’t be a waste of your time.  🙂

I read it before letting my lad get his hands on it (due to what I know of the time period), he is currently reading it and thus far says “I like it”. 

Shepherd, Potter, Spy — and the Star Namer. 
Written by: Peggy Consolver
Publisher: Carpenter’s Son Publishing
Age: Middle School and Up
Study Guide
Currently on Sale for $3.44.
Available as a paperback for $15.99
A study guide is also available for $12.99 (paperback) or $2.99 on Kindle

To read what others thought of story of Keshub, the Shepherd, Potter, Spy — and the Star Namer, click here or on the banner below.

http://schoolhousereviewcrew.com/shepherd-potter-spy-and-the-star-namer-peggy-consolver-reviews/
You can find Peggy Consolver on Facebook.

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Art Series: Darth Vadar and Family, coloring book

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Most of the colouring books I do on this blog are for adults, but today I have a book geared at the younger set…. particularly those youngsters who like Darth Vadar and the different characters from Star Wars.    Jeffrey Brown has put together a colouring book called Darth Vadar and Family.

Do you like Star Wars?   Are you children lovers of this long-running series?
I have to admit, I like watching the movies though I am not a die-hard fanatic.  🙂

Both my son and husband have a firm fondness for this series and frequently rewatch the movies.   I am just delighted they have a movie interest to share in common.

In this colouring book, Jeffrey Brown combines normal family life with the characters and life of the Star Wars movies.

What do you think?    Would it be fun to go sledding with Star Wars Characters, or share a hot cocoa with Darth Vadar himself?

Or go
engage in a spot of friendly fishing…who knows who will catch the
biggest one…as long as they don’t use the light saber on the poor
fish.

Each page is one sided, which prevents bleed through, and if carefully done, would tear out to make for great refrigerator art.  (if the pages were perforated it would make tear out easier).

I appreciate that this book has simpler drawings that children can colour in, they can imagine (and laugh about) the idea of Darth Vadar playing the role of dad.  Or Chewbacca being one of the kids or heading up into a tree fort with one the Ewoks.

It’s a fun, fanciful approach to using Star Wars Characters.   It will appeal to some or … if they are like my lad .. “BUT MOM!!!   Chewbacca would never do anything with Darth Vadar!!!!!”   So depending on what your child(ren) are like, this may or may not be the colouring book for you.

One of the small gems of this book is on the inside front cover when Mr. Brown gives the reader a “Darth Vadar drawing lesson”.

Darth Vadar and Family, a coloring book.
Author/cartoonist: Jeffrey Brown
Pages: 96
Age range – 5 and up

Reviewed for: Raincoast books

Amazon.com: Darth Vader and Family Coloring Book

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Review: The Amazing Animal Adventure

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The Amazing Animal Adventure is a large, hardcover book, filled with illustrations from all around the world.  A look and find book that teaches about different ecosystems.  Let me show you through this book eh?

This is such a neat book, one of the things I like about it is, it doesn’t just talk about the typical ecosystems, it does mention the taiga and the rainforest and systems like that.

BUT it also ventures into the lesser known ecosystems like the Japanese Hot Springs, the mountains of the moon and hydrothermal vents.  I have NEVER seen an ecosystem book talk about hydrothermal vents so I was most impressed.

21 different ecosystems, each with a two page spread.  Each system has a small write up about it and numerous items for the reader to locate.  Along with another challenge to complete.

It’s simple enough for a child to complete, yet challenging enough to intrigue older people as well.  Some pages I really had to hunt to find the hidden items, and other pages were fairly simple.   It’s all in how the eye looks and the brain processes what it is seeing.

As you can see, each two page spread is in full colour, with lots of details added.

The teaching block is written clearly, with good lettering and size.  Making it easy to read along with your children if desired.

I very much appreciated how each of the items you are search for has a picture beside it as well as a brief description with it.  Did you know that the burrowing owl uses old prairie dog burrows?

I found the add-on challenge a nice little touch, giving the reader an extra item (or three) to look for when they are done the main search.

This is a great resource to have on hand if you are studying ecosystems.  You can easily give to a student and, depending on age, ask them to find out more about any of the systems in the book and give you a report on it.

You could use it with younger students to simply introduce the huge variety in ecosystems that can be found on this great planet of ours. 

If you are concerned that you won’t be able to find all the hidden items, there is a solution page at the end of the book as well as additional resources such as animal world records, endangered animals and how animals are classified. 

It’s a wonderful book that we won’t be letting go of quickly as it’s fun to have around and gives me ideas for research subjects for the lad.  🙂

Just as a sidenote: the book binding was superb.  It’s very sturdy, my lad noticed the yarn showing through on the pages and said “neat!”.  Not something often seen in a book now. 

The Amazing Animal Adventure: An Around-the-world Spotting Adventure
Illustrator: Brendan Kearny
Publisher: Laurence King
Pages:  64
Age Range: 6 and up
Size: 10.55 x 14.1

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books

 Amazon.ca: The Amazing Animal Adventure: An Around-the-World Spotting Expedition

Amazon.com: The Amazing Animal Adventure: An Around-the-World Spotting Expedition

Attack Canada!! War Plan Red, A review

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 Hey… did you know that the United States had a secret plan to invade Canada!?!?!?!   DASTARDLY BEASTS!!!!   I tell yah!  🙂   (don’t take me too seriously eh?)  You can learn all about it in War Plan Red.

But oh no!!!!   Canada had secret plans to invade the United States as well!!!   … but really… we’re not dastardly beasts.. really.  🙂  LOL

Anyways, this book is a fascinating glimpse into the history between what is called “the friendliest border”.   We weren’t always so friendly, from the war of 1812, to the threatened trade of Canada as reparation by Great Britain for how they played both sides in the American Civil War, to the War of the Pig.  I know.. a war over a pig?!?!?!

I laughed.
I shook my head.
And the history I learned… oh my!  🙂

The things they don’t teach you in school.  

Like did you know that part of buying Alaska…was not only protection from Russia…but as a first step to buying British Columbia…and then slowly buying the rest of Canada?   Could you image that the entirety of the North American continent being one huge country?     Or how about trading Canada for Ireland or even have Canada AS an Irish Republic to launch attacks at Great Britain?  This was a scheme by the Fenians (catholic Irishmen).   It failed if only because most Irish in Canada were Protestant and the two simply didn’t cooperate with each other.

Canadian Pride was well-establish since the start of my beloved land.   We started off declaring  “We are a northern people…more manly, more real, then the weak-marrowed bones and superstitions of the effeminate south“.  (p.57)  Our success at Vimy Ridge solidified our national pride.  To this day, part of being Canadian is to tease our neighbour to the south.

So why build a plan to attack Canada?   As a means to attack Great Britain.   The awareness was that to attack Great Britain you would first need to take out their northern neighbour.

Included in the last 1/3 of the book is a reproduction of the American plan of attack.  The War Plan Red.

How we went from that to having such a friendly border… I don’t know… but we’ve managed it.  🙂  

Should you read it?
Yes!  If you are interested in the history of the border between Canada and the United States.  I found it fascinating… but I’m a Canadian.  I intend to hold on to it until my lad is old enough to read it for himself.  I suspect he’ll find it interesting as a teenager.    It is a book written for young adults and up.

 

War Plan Red
Author: Kevin Lippert
Publisher: Princeton Architectural Press
Pages: 128

Reviewed for: Raincoast Books. 

 Amazon.ca: War Plan Red: The United States’ Secret Plan to Invade Canada and Canada’s Secret Plan to Invade the United States

Amazon.com: War Plan Red: The United States’ Secret Plan to Invade Canada and Canada’s Secret Plan to Invade the United States

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time/

Review: Found – Psalm 23

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 Found, a board book based on Psalm 23, is filled with the quiet peace and awareness of the care that the Shepherd of our lives watches over us all the time.

A Sturdy book to put in the hands of our littlest one, this is a tender story of how a shepherd takes care of his sheep, even the littlest, more way ward lambs. 

Many of the full-colour pictures show a young lamb cavorting around the shepherds feet, or being carefully carried.   Jago does an excellent job of illustrating this faith-based board book.

Put together by the same folks who did the Jesus Storybook Bible, it is simply a great book to share with young children. 

Isn’t the detail on the page just lovely?   See the care the shepherd has for his lamb?

It’s a book of verse, but not mindless trying to rhyme it all verse, it’s verse the speaks of the simple truths found in Psalm 23. 

With Easter coming up, wouldn’t it be great to introduce your young ones to the true Lamb of Easter.  Check out the book Found: Psalm 23.  Let the gentleness and peace of the Saviour come to you this season.  

I just love this scene of the shepherd running to mind that little lamb all lost and alone.

Found: Psalm 23
Author: Sally Lloyd-Jones
Illustrator : Jago
Pages: 20
Age: 1-4 years
Publisher: Zonderkidz

Reviewed for: Booklookbloggers.   

You can also find this book on Amazon.com: 
 

This post may contain affiliate links – using affiliate links from A Net in Time helps fuel this blog and our homeschool – thank you!

©2006-2017 A Net In Time. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. A Net In Time

Draw & Discover by Yasmeen Ismail

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 I have a DELIGHTFUL series of books for you to learn about today.  Draw and Discover books by Yasmeen Ismail.   Each book has it’s own theme from emotions, directions, or even perspective. 

I have got to walk you through these books that are geared for the younger crowd! 

One of the aspects of these books that I like is they use simple drawings and text to allow children the freedom to explore the meaning of a word using whatever they want to draw to do so. 🙂   Great paper… a thicker quality that will resist leaking through, ripping, and multiple pencil erasures.

 
The pages leave plenty of room for drawing and colouring. 

There is so much room given for children to express their creative side while learning new words.     Why not use art to help teach?

Each book is 56-64 pages long with a two page spread to help explore a single emotion (excited, sad, proud etc), or opposite words (up/down, push/pull etc). 

If you have a singleton child it is definitely a use it up as you go book, or if you have multiple children, you could use it as a springboard to developing your own pages.

Each book has a hard fly (front and back)that could be used as a book mark or a “put behind the page” sheet to prevent leaking of paint or markers to the next page.
That fly contains all the words used within the book as well, making it a good “let’s look ahead page” or a “let’s review what we’ve learned page”. 

The three books are called:
  
Happy, Sad, Feeling Glad.  Cat and Dog lead the way of exploration.
Inside, Outside, Upside Down.  Bear, Rabbit and Duck are the guides.
Push, Pull, Empty, Full.   Rabbit, Duck and Bear show the way.

All published by Laurence King.   Geared for ages 4-7 years old.  56-64 pages long.  
Everything in these books is designed to get children thinking, doodling, drawing, colouring and learning.   An innovative series by a remarkable children’s author: Yasmeen Ismail.
 

This review is part of an Art series is part of an on-going series of Art books reviewed for your pleasure and resource.    You can find more books here and here.