This book is a charming example of how to teach science to children with stories, pictures, and hands-on activities rather than textbooks. I know mushrooms are fungi, but I’ve never done much mushroom study, so they really are rather mysterious to me. One thing I appreciate about books like this is that they provide enough…
Tag: Purple House Press
The Heir of Mistmantle
In my first two reviews of the Mistmantle Chronicles (Urchin of the Riding Stars and Urchin and the Heartstone), I mentioned that I was surprised and delighted by Urchin and his adventures. I said that the openings were interesting (they are), that the writing was elegant (absolutely so), that the characters were delightful (they are),…
Mr. Pine’s Purple House
“Mr. Pine lived on Vine Street in a little white house.” Which was fine. But there were fifty identical white houses on Vine Street. Mr. Pine just wanted to be able to tell which house was his. He has an idea! He plants a little pine tree in his front yard so his house will…
Bargain Bride
Bargain Bride by Evelyn Sibley Lampman is an exciting and fascinating story about a young bride in the Oregon Territory. What could have been a tragic or depressing story is instead charming, wholesome, and a little romantic. Elegantly written, it pleases the mind as well as the heart. And, because it is based on cultural…
The Pickle Chiffon Pie Olympics
About ten years ago, Jill Morgan was working with Roger Bradfield on the republishing of Pickle-Chiffon Pie. In one of his letters to her, he sent Jill a few pages of creative scribbling. Jill enjoyed those pages and tucked them away in a drawer. A few years later, Jill found the pages and sent them back…
The Borrowed House
“[Hilda van Stockum] says, ‘It is light that creates beauty in nature. Without light we can’t see, and all form is lost, whereas the most common and despised objects can be made beautiful by the light that plays on them. You don’t have to paint heroic scenes or idealized goddesses . . . a common…
Purple House Press Sale
Here is a cheat sheet for the books we have reviewed that are in the Purple House Press Spring 2022 Sale – May 6-9, 2022. From their Facebook Sale Post: We had our 22nd birthday a few days ago, so naturally we’re having a 22% off sale….wait no, we can do better…let’s have our biggest…
Rowan Farm
Rowan Farm is a delightful sequel to Margot Benary-Isbert’s treasure, The Ark. This sequel picks up just a few weeks after The Ark concludes. I enjoyed this book. Rowan Farm is just as wholesome and enriching as the first. I am handing it to my 13-year-old without any concern except for one which I will…
The Ark
Oh, how I would have loved Margot Benary-Isbert’s The Ark when I was a teen! The Ark’s main character, Margaret Lechow, is a lovely soul whose sympathy with animals resonates with my own deep longing to have been raised on a farm. Like Margaret, I was never more comfortable anywhere than when I was at…
Urchin and the Heartstone
Urchin and the Heartsone, the sequel to Urchin of the Riding Stars, is easily one of the most beautiful books I have read this year. And, I read a lot of good books. In my review of the first Mistmantle book, Urchin of the Riding Stars, I mention that I was surprised and delighted by…
Urchin of the Riding Stars
Urchin of the Riding Stars, the first book in The Mistmantle Chronicles, renewed my passion for reading aloud in my home. My children are now eleven, nearly thirteen, and nearly fifteen. In the early years of our family, read-aloud was more than just a daily staple in my home. It was something that happened multiple…
Giants Come In Different Sizes
In 2018, Jill Morgan of Purple House Press sent me a few of her favorite picture books for review. I appreciated the beauty and timelessness of Miss Jaster’s Garden and have since given it as a baby gift. I truly enjoyed the sweet and relatable Alexander, and recommend it to mamas of littles who have…
After the Sun Goes Down
From 1953 to 1973, Glenn Blough and Jeanne Bendick collaborated on 14 delightful nature books for children. Blough, an educator and leader in children’s science education, wrote these informative, but also delightful science books for young readers so that children would become more curious about the natural world and feel more connected to it. Jeanne…
Who Lives In This Meadow
From 1953 to 1973, Glenn Blough and Jeanne Bendick collaborated on 14 delightful nature books for children. Blough, an educator and leader in children’s science education, wrote these informative, but also delightful science books for young readers so that children would become more curious about the natural world and feel more connected to it. Jeanne…
Ostriches
I have seen ostriches at the zoo, and I remember learning about them in elementary school, but I don’t remember ever being impressed by them or even caring about them. In fact, what I knew about ostriches before reading this fascinating book by Herbert Zim could be summed up in just a few facts: ostriches…