good reads

If you're a fan of Virginia Lee Burton's Choo Choo, you'll definitely like Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. This was written for boys (the author's boys), but Carly sure loves it too. Included in this treasury are the stories Katy and the Big Snow, The Little House, and Maybelle the Cable Car as well. What a neat book. I am truly a fan of Burton, plus her illustrations are outstanding. These are good old-fashioned stories from the 30s and 40s that have stood the test of time.

Bob Books

Ever heard of these? The kids are loving these books. Or perhaps they like the box that the set comes in. These books are for beginning readers. They help build confidence as children learn to memorize and sound out sight words. There are 12 books in each set. Isaac's starting on the beginner (blue) set. Books 1 and 2 are about the extent of his reading.

Carly is working her way through the advanced beginner (orange) set. It's easy for them to memorize the words of these simple stories, but it's oh so neat to watch them point to the words as they sound like real readers.

This is one of the most eye-opening women's books I've read. Martha Peace describes what marriage is really about, which is not the way the world portrays it. She paints a picture of an "Excellent Wife" using practical advice and solid Biblical teaching. Even though I'm only halfway through, I strongly recommend this book to every woman. If The Exemplary Husband is anything like it, I recommend that too (for men, of course).

Eisenhower by Geoffrey Perret is probably Jared's best read for the last couple months. You can even read this book online.