“You will be the same person in five years as you are today except for the people you meet and the books you read.” —Charlie “Tremendous” Jones I finished fifty-four books in 2018. I know because I kept a list. I’m not sure why I did this. I haven’t kept a list of what […]
About a year ago, Cedarville University, a Baptist school in Ohio, enacted a new curriculum standard based on Philippians 4:8: “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” As reported then in Christianity […]
This year I read a lot of young adult fiction, and I was struck by how much these books engaged social justice issues in a complex and nuanced way. Fair warning, though: when teenage protagonists struggle with issues of equity and difficult moral decisions, they sometimes use vulgar language. While such language is quite common […]
by Heather Altena and Eleanor Tiemens Ah, newly independent readers. First through third graders are an intoxicating mix of excitement and intransigence in their reading habits. They get hooked on one genre or topic and will. not. let. go. That’s one of the reasons they love book series so much. Unfortunately, it takes time for […]
Picture books are powerful tools for children to start understanding the world around them. Authors and illustrators of picture books covered a wide range of topics in 2017. They tackled fears, friends, family, and fun. Picking out the best ten picture books of the year was no easy task because so many important books were […]
This year I read many excellent adolescent and young adult books. Many of these books have a common theme: they take readers on a journey alongside someone very different from themselves—a good theme for students to engage in. I organized these books in order of how much I enjoyed reading them (from the ones I […]
Day: Thursday My mission, should I choose to accept it: In my one full day of work on this campus, impart a love of reading, match students with books, and teach writing, history, math, Bible, art appreciation, and library skills. 0920 hours: Fifth grade. They have worked for a month on biographies in class, preparing […]
Wall, Robert W. and David R. Nienhuis, eds. A Compact Guide to the Whole Bible: Learning to Read Scripture’s Story. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2015. This book was written by a number of members of the faculty at Seattle Pacific University who were unsuccessful in their search for a short and readable textbook that would […]
Most of us have been cornered by friends and family who insist on telling an old story that seems to go on and on. Generally, these stories can be squeezed into about a tenth of the words used without an appreciable loss of the story’s meaning or its essence. Reader’s Digest and therapists have made […]
Gender stereotyping and gender related bullying are growing concerns in our schools. Gender confusion and transgender identification are real challenges for children and families today. Alternative families and same sex parents are legal in Canada and becoming increasingly socially accepted. So, how do we talk to our children about these things? Where can we find […]