Saturday, December 29, 2012

Favorite Christmas Children's Books


The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry, illus. by P. J. Lynch


 

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, illus. by P. J. Lynch





An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco



Christmas Tapestry by Patrica Polacco. She has also written: Welcome Comfort, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, and Uncle Vova's Tree. 



 
The Last Straw by Fredrick H. Thury, illus. by Vlasta van Kampen



The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard, illus. by Wendy Edelson




The Miracle of Saint Nicholas by Gloria Whelan, illus. by Judith Brown



A Christmas Dress for Ellen by Thomas S. Monson. He has also written A Christmas Train: A True Story





Christmas Oranges by Linda Bethers and Ben Sowards




Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale and Tim Ladwig



The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston, illus. by Barbara Cooney




Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale by Martin Waddell, illus. by Barbara Firth




The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola. Other Christmas stories by Tomie dePaola include The Night of Las Posadas, The Legend of Old Befana, Joy to the World: Tomie's Christmas Stories, The Story of the Three Wise Kings, The Friendly Beasts, Merry Christmas Strega Nona, The Clown of God, Christmas Remembered, Jingle the Christmas Clown, An Early American Christmas, Country Angel Christmas, The Family Christmas Tree Book, Four Friends at Christmas, and more.



The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden, illus. by Barbara Cooney. Another edition is illustrated by Christian Birmingham



Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren, illus. by Ilon Wikland




Too May Tamales by Gary Soto, illus. by Ed Martinez





Letters from Father Christmas by J. R. R. Tolkien





Shoemaker Martin by Leo Tolstoy, illus. by Bernadette Watts. There is also a DVD titled Martin the Cobbler.



The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Selma Lagerlof, retold by Ellen Greene, illus. by Charles Mikolaycak




The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hooks, illus. by Richard A. Williams

Thursday, December 27, 2012

Mossy by Jan Brett

One of many Jan Brett pictures books is Mossy. Recently released, fans of Jan Brett will want to add this delightful picture book to their collection. Mossy is a turtle that collects moss on her back, but her lovely garden catches the attention of Dr. Carolina and life dramatically changes for her.

Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Monday, December 24, 2012

Christ is Born!


"At the thought of God my heart leapt for joy, and I could not help my music's doing the same."

Franz Joseph Haydn

Sunday, December 23, 2012

Germany, Land of Poets and Thinkers: Discover Germany Through Children's Literature

One way to experience other cultures is through children's literature. Here is a list of our favorite children's authors. For a more extensive list of children's authors from Germany you can go here.

As with any unit study, begin with a map of the world and locate the country you are studying.

Until I did a google search, I did not know that Germany is a land of poets and thinkers. I don't think there are too many children's books on the German poets, but there are many biographies of Albert Einstein, including Childhood of Famous Americans.

Select a Favorite Children's Author:

Under a Changing Moon is one of many books written by Margot Benary-Isbert. Bethlehem Books has reprinted this lovely edition of Under a Changing Moon.



The Brothers Grimm are perhaps the most famous authors from Germany. Many of their stories have been redone in picture book format.




Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner is a fun read that you won't want to miss.



Many people have heard of Curious George, the famous monkey in children's picture books, but few know the incredible story of Margaret and H. A. Rey's journey to freedom.




Another favorite author is really better to read when studying Ancient Rome. Henry Winterfeld's Detectives in Togas and Mystery of the Roman Ransom.


Food:


Pretzels found at Catholic Cuisine


Food: If you would like to round out a unit study on Germany with food, there is much to choose from. Besides your favorite cookbooks, you can find many recipes on the internet. Here is an odd assortment of German foods.

Wiener Schnitzel, Pretzels, Bratwurst, Spatzle, Black Forest Cake (torte)

Art:




Art: The one painter to study is  Albrecht Dürer (1471–1528). Ernest Lloyd Raboff has written Albrecht Duer as part of his The Art for Children series.





Music: Composers: Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Christoph Willibald Gluck, George Frideric Handel, Felix Mendelssohn, Clara and Robert Schumann, Richard Strauss, Georg Philipp Telemann, Richard Wagner.

Sampling of Music:

Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring, Brandenburg Concertos, Toccata and Fugue in D Minor for organ

Beethoven, Fur Elise,  Piano Sonata No. 14 in C-sharp minor, Moonlight SonataSymphony No. 6 in F major, Op. 68, Pastoral Symphony

Brahms: Lullaby, Hungarian Dances


Handel: Messiah

Mendelssohn: Hark, the Herald Angels Sing, Italian Symphony, Violin Concerto in E minor, Op. 64

Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra

More Music:



Bach for Book Lovers: A Soothing Companion for Reading (CD)
Beethoven for Book Lovers: An Intimate Companion for Reading (CD)
Brahms for Book Lovers: A Cozy Companion for Reading (CD)
Bach for Breakfast: The Leisurely Way to Start Your Day (CD)
Bach at Bedtime: Lullabies for the Still of the Night (CD)
And more!



Biographies: Music Masters CDs (Each CD weaves the composer's music throughout the story of his life. Additional music is included at the end of the story): The Story of Bach, The Story of Beethoven, The Story of Brahms, The Story of Handel, The Story of Mendelssohn, The Story of Schumann and Grieg.


Books:



Johann Sebastian Bach (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) by Mike Venezia

Ludwig van Beethoven (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) by Mike Venezia

Johannes Brahms (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) by Mike Venezia

George Handel (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers) by Mike Venezia






Saints: Saint Albert the Great, Saint Boniface, Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint John Neumann, Blessed Karl Leisner, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross.


Saint Edith Stein, Blessed by the Cross (Encounter the Saints) by Mary Lea Hill (Ages 10-Up)




Bring Me an Ax: The Story of St. Boniface of Germany (Dujarie Saint Book) by Brother Roberto and Carolyn Lee Jogodits



St. Albert the Great: Champion of Faith and Reason by Kevin Vost (high school and up)


German Customs: Customs from Germany that we practice today include the Christmas tree, Easter bunnies, Easter egg hunts, and Easter baskets. The songs "Silent Night," "Away in the Manger," "O, Christmas Tree" come from Germany.


Stories Behind Silent Night:

Christmas in the Trenches by John McCutcheon 



Silent Night: The Song and Its Story by Margaret Hodges and Tim Ladwig.





Foreign Language: Culture

Count Your Way Through Germany by James Haskins
Look What Came From Germany by Kevin Davis
Germany: the culture by Kathryn Lane
Muzzy: German

Saturday, December 8, 2012

What Does Advent Mean?






Find Answers to questions about Advent:
When and how long is Advent?
What does the word "Advent" mean?
What are the traditional colors of Advent?
What is an Advent wreath?
and more!

Catholic-resources.org

Thursday, December 6, 2012

The Most Beautiful Person in the World

This is why I am prolife. The Peter Singers of the world will never understand the beauty of the human soul and how one beautiful soul can transform another.

While tabloid magazines may dicker over who is the most beautiful or handsome person in the world, they forget that beauty emanates from the soul within.

Above is a picture of Dominic Pio before surgery.


This is Dominic Pio after surgery on Dec. 5, 2012.

Today, on Dec. 6 he went into Code Blue, but is now stabilized. You can read more about him and his family at his blog,  Dominic Pio.

Giving Glory to God in the Public Square


While there are some groups who are trying to remove all mention of God from the public square, there are individuals they cannot stop. Personally, I don't know why all the hype about Tebow. There are plenty of football players who have given glory to God in the past. And there are plenty still doing it. Refreshing, compared to the usual self-aggrandizement. You can read about it at cnsnews.com.

Photo credit: Redskins QB Robert Griffin III thanks God publicly on the football field after key plays. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Watch the USA Grow from 1789 to the Present Day





Watch the USA grow from the original 13 Colonies in 1789 to the present Day in this animated atlas.

Animated Atlas.com  When you go there, click on the play button at the top. (The above image is not the map used)