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Reviews
"I Wonder" by Christian Light Publishers
"The Values Driven Family" by Marc and Cynthia Carrier
"Lady of Milkweed Manor" by Julie Klassen *NEW*
My Library
We are coming up on the end of our “ I Wonder ” book, by Christian Light Publishers! Pumpkin has really enjoyed this book. It is easy to hold open and read, not to mention being durable, since it is a hardcover book. The stories within the book are long enough that Pumpkin gets good reading practice, but short enough to not become tedious. The vocabulary words are written in bold text, which is convenient. If I choose, this would give me an easy list of vocabulary words for Pumpkin to copy.
Pumpkin has enjoyed the content of these stories. I enjoy the fact that they are more real-to-life experiences, instead of fairytale scenarios. The story lessons encourage children to love God, and to also love their neighbors as they love themselves. We feel good after having read a lesson!
If I had to sum up the feel of “ The Values Driven Family ” in one word, it would probably be ‘humble'. I have read many parenting books, and so many of them are full of “you have to do it MY way” language. That was missing from this book, for which I was very thankful.
In VDF, the authors Marc and Cynthia Carrier outline what works for them, in the hopes that it will work for all of us also. The book is well organized, and areas of interest are broken down into easily digestible sections. There are also a few convenient charts that are included, which I found very helpful in explaining what kind of behaviors I would be looking to encourage in order to teach what the Carriers refer to as their 12 core values.
The 12 Core Values of : faith, surrender, love, faithfulness, wisdom, self-control, righteousness, humility, holiness, diligence, generosity, and praise form the nucleus of VDF. Throughout the various sections of the book, Marc and Cynthia talk to the reader as though you are sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, the bible open next to the sugar and milk. On the pages, we are taken through a friendly conversation about what character traits God values, and how to grow them in our hearts as well as within the hearts of our children.
One of my favorite quotes from the book is, “So stay the course, and remember- it's not just about accomplishment, it's about progress.” It is refreshing to read a book that is encouraging me, as a parent, to keep moving forward when things are tough- instead of heaping on guilt that I am not a “good enough” mom if my child(ren) don't act/think *just so*.
A reoccurring theme that I found laced throughout the pages of VDF is that- we need to model all of the behaviors that we want our children to know and live. With that in mind, I found that instead of being a “fix the kid” kind of book, VDF went to the heart of some of my own struggles. In my opinion, this book is more about relationship with the Lord, and also with our family members- not so much a step-by-step how-to book for having perfect mannered children. I thank God for that! *lol* The authors reminds us more than once that children are children.
All in all, I think that Christian parents will enjoy this book as much for their own growth as for childrearing help. It is full of encouragement, not condemnation. Each “Core Value” is discussed fully with lots of scripture to explain and support it. I think that it would be the perfect stocking stuffer for friends and family.
This substantial book took me on a journey into the fictitious life of a young woman by the name of Charlotte Lamb. The daughter of a Vicar, there are many expectations placed on Charlotte . Somewhere in the quiet of her own girlish mind, she harbored hopes for a good love match. However, this wasn't the main theme of her story. Instead, I followed along as Charlotte found herself vulnerable, and ultimately discarded.
I wanted very much to like this book. I enjoyed Charlotte 's character, especially as I could see so much of my own feelings woven in through the words of the story. I, too, have made my own mistakes and faced the anger and disappointment of my family. Time and again, I waited and turned the pages, waiting for something good to happen in Charlotte 's life. While these little blessings did come, they were usually quickly followed by an even greater tragedy. I looked for the words of comfort that I was sure I would find in a book that I had purchased as a “Christian romance”. However, there were just occasional mentions of God, and nothing that seemed to indicate that Charlotte had any relationship with her Creator.
I'm not above admitting that there were a few places in this book that had me in tears. I've experienced the loss of my own children, and it touched me deeply to read of mothers who had been overcome by their grief. I hurt for the many women of the world whom I know have grieved like I have, because I knew that any number of us could wear the faces of the women in this book.
This was a book that was very intense for me, and not at all what I had expected. Eventually, the story worked out to what some may see as a happy ending, and yet I didn't gain any relief in its telling. Instead, I was just happy to close the book and set it down, because it had seemed emotionally draining to read. It seemed that death, madness, starvation, and deprivation were written on nearly every page. Without the healing love of God being mentioned, the book felt like a brick in my lap. While I was stirred and did enjoy some parts of the book, I found the overall “feel” of it to be quite depressing.
