So I blog tonight on .... a book. I picked this book off the cook book shelf at the library. Sometimes I go up and down the aisle just looking for a book to jump out at me, and boy did this one jump. I will say I think I saw it mentioned on the the common room's blog.
Anyway, the name of the book is Sixpence in Her Shoe by Phyllis McGinley. I LOVE this book. It is a collection of essays on begin a wife, mom, and homemaker. She has such wit, such great use of language, such candor and common sense. I have been reading portions of it aloud to my husband and we HMM together. Here is a quote I am in love with. Of course it is about books.
"Children, of all people, deserve the best. At this age their tastes are forming. From the first nursery rhyme to the last Arthurian legend, they should have what their elders do not often get in a story--accomplished style, honest motivation, characters proficiently drawn."
Here is very good reason we use great books instead of workbooks and textbooks for school. Here is another quote, in speaking of the taking out great long sentences and difficult words in children's books so has to make them more understandable to the child.
"And we have done more than smother word discovery; we have deleted magic and fantasy from children's lives. Most modern textbooks try to appeal to the young by talking about what they already know, their everyday activities."
She then quotes from a popular children's book on how Bill took paper and pencil to school and drew his neighborhood and was it north or south, the title being "Bill Carter's Map".
"Bill Carter drew a map and took it to school. The map showed his teacher where he lived. First he drew Main Street. Then he drew Indian Road. Bill drew a small picture for his house. He drew a bigger picture for his house. Bill marked North and South on his map. Is Bill's house South of the School?"
Oh MY!!! She compares it to a story from McGuffey's Second Eclectic Reader. (My kids love these. We use them for read aloud practice.)
"One cold night, after Old Mr. Post had gone to bed, he heard a noise at the door. He went out to see what it was, and what do think he found? He found a little babe on the doorstep, crying from the cold."
Much better beginning and even I want to know what happens now. Good thing I have the book.
So I guess this was a book review. If you find this book, and I hope to find it at the used book sale in 4 weeks, pick it up and read through it. And be sure and look in the cook book section, and pick up a book on Gluten Free cooking cause you KNOW your wheat loving family is going to jump up and down for joy and beg you to never make homemade bread again and cook with rice flour and such. Or better yet, just get a cook book on cookies, bake some, grab Sixpence in Her Shoe, and eat and read.
thanks for reading, (if you are still here!!)
Reb
