Mel's Mouthful Reviews Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel

I have to admit that when The Wimpy Kid books first arrived in the bookstores, I told my children that there was no way they were going to read them. It just looked "dodgy".

"Dodgy" is a word we use often in our house:

* when the children see someone suspicious across the road they tell me "there is someone dodgy on the other side of the road Mom, lock the door" - which pretty much covers almost anyone who walks past our house after we recently did a Stranger Danger study unit.

* sometimes the children refer to their food as being "dodgy" - though this is normally when Dad makes food unsupervised. In fact I remember one weekend where I went to attend a workshop and Chad crying and saying "What are we going to eat? We're going to starve."

* things are "dodgy" when it's unidentifiable, uncertain, a little suspicious looking, dirty, strange or just plain odd.

So The Diary of a Wimpy Kid was a dodgy book because I didn't want my kids using the word wimp or even consider someone a wimp because of who they are or what they do. Little did I know that this is not at all what these books are like. In fact this book is often hysterically and uncomfortably close to the truth about family life. An embarrassing mom and dad, a weird younger brother who does all the wrong things at the wrong time, an overbearing bossy brother and the challenges of peer pressure and school.

I must admit that I first watched The Diary of a Wimpy Kid on the big screen and I loved it - and so did my 71 year old mother (though I probably shouldn't put her age in here, she says it's not polite to mention a ladies age. I wish my boys knew that, as they still haven't stopped telling everyone they meet how old I am.  They also enjoy telling people very proudly that their dad is 2 years younger than their mother.) And so when Penguin Books South Africa gave me a copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel, I was thrilled. Of course I had to wait for all three boys to finish reading the book first, before they would even let me get my hands on it.

This time Greg is at middle school and he's on the hunt for a dance partner for the dreaded Valentine's Day dance with hysterical consequences. Eventually he decides to partner with his best friend Rowley Jefferson to secure a date for himself. We all know the feeling of trying to find the right date for such an important event. Taking a date equivocates with value. It seems all else fades in the pursuit a a partner - initially its all about the perfect girl till eventually it is reduced to anyone who is willing. This is the 7th in the series and with his usual skill at humour Jeff Kinney had me snickering and giggling.

It was highly entertaining and because the book has so many illustrations it really was a quick read - I don't think I took longer than an hour.

This book really is suitable for beginner readers and up (or should I just say 40 and get it out there). It's also a great tool to encourage journalling. My children enjoy journalling and every time they finish one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid  books- they grab hold of their journal and start to avidly write and draw. Also the fact that there are so many illustrations, definitely appeals to my youngest "because it has pictures and the writing is not too small"

And I know that some of you are grumbling as you read this saying: "but my child doesn't like to read, I can't even get him to take books out of the library - well never fear - Mel is near (sounds like a superhero tag line that could work - if I only had a cape!) - if he doesn't like to read why not try the audio version - after listening to this on audio first, books will follow.

If you have any Wimpy Kid fans you can even watch Jeff Kinney(the author)present a cartoon class on drawing Greg. And in fact if you browse a bit there is loads of You Tube videos to watch and share with your Wimpy Kid enthusiasts. And for even more enjoyment, if you haven't had enough already, there is even an official Wimpy Kid website: http://www.wimpykid.com/

We would like to thank Penguin Books South Africa for giving us this book to review.  We did not get paid for this review, and all the thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are entirely ours.

Book Review: A Child's Geography: Explore His Earth by Ann Voskamp

Perhaps, if you're like me, you spend hours reading about curricula and books that others are using or recommending along their homeschool journey, wondering what would be the best possible fit for your child's education. A Child's Geography, by Ann Voskamp, is one of those books I've seen on countless blogs and recommended reading lists. Ever since I stumbled upon her personal blog (www.aholyexperience.com) a few years ago, and read her book “A Thousand Gifts”, I have been dying to order this Geography Book, so imagine how delighted I was when Mel asked me to review it for her!

The Voskamps are Canadian farmers who homeschools their 6 children. Ann Voskamp has a clear passion for teaching, and a heart after God and His world, and His people in it. Her book, A Child's Geogrpahy: Explore His Earth, invites a child to do just that – to join her on a journey in “getting to know what is under our feet, over our heads and in the world around us — the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, the lithosphere — and then how to get around this world — maps, latitude and longitude. All the while, seeing Him everywhere” as she explains in the introduction.

Voskamp has created a book that is easy to use even if you yourself hated geography! She gives advice as to how to use the book, how to schedule readings, ask your children for narrations – I love that she knows exactly what it is like to have young children, and how much time they are likely to be engaged for! She has 'been there, done that' as a homeschooling mother!

Each chapter is broken up into
• one or two main adventures, which are meant to be read aloud to your children (and she encourages just one main adventure at a time, and usually one a week).
• A notebooking segment (creatively using postcards to 'write home' about what has been learnt. These are provided in the e-book).
• Narration prompts – with wonderful “memory joggers” for children who struggle to remember all the finer details.
• “Reaching Out to His World” is the segment where Voskamp draws a connection between the theory of what has been learnt and how it connects to someone or some people group on the earth. Geographers care about the planet they live on, and she takes it a step further reminding the children that everything and everyone on earth is the Lord's.
• “Too-Fun-to-Resist-Excursions” are the hands on activities in each chapter.
• Reading Lists – ooh, this is just write up my alley! Wonderful to have some extra suggested texts to dabble in if your children's interest is piqued.
And finally, the Appendix holds copywork passages organised by chapter, as well as maps provided by Terri Johnson of Knowledge Quest.

So, what do I really like about this text?

I like that it is a living book, written to me and my children, by a mother on another continent with the same passion as me. I like that she tries to engage with children listening to each chapter in so many ways (endless examples and day-to-day relevant references). I like that Voskamp herself lives by example, truly loving God's people all around the world (her work with Compassion International is inspirational). I appreciate what this books covers – all the basics of geography – it's a great foundational text.

What I don't like? Hmm, well, if I had to be critical, I'd have to say that I don't think this is a book well suited to a visual learner: it is quite dense with text (but then again, the lessons are meant to be read aloud), and the diagrams are small and I did not find them particularly clear.

So there you have it! This is a text I would willingly use with my children in their early to middle primary years, and I think they would have a lot of fun using it and being inspired by it. It will give them a firm geographical foundation that we can use as a spring board to more detailed studies.

Karen

A friend and fellow blogger who blogs at Karen's Clan.  

Homeschooling mother of 3, wife to a husband who makes the most amazing animated movies, heads Cape Explorers and is an inspiration to many.  

SA Carnival of Homeschooling Blogs #4: Living Books

Welcome to the 4th edition for 2012 of

SA Carnival of Homeschooling Blogs

And it's all about books - and not just any books. Living Books.  OK so now some of you may be stumped and be wondering how a book can be living, how does it have life?  How can it breath? 
But think back to books that you remember.... the ones that had you holding your breath in suspense, the ones that made you cry, books that made history seem real and relevant - real people you could identify with, you travelled the world through mountains and valleys, you discovered that Judge Grammar could teach you all about Mr Noun - those are the ones we are talking about.


Living books are bound to get homeschoolers excited and in fact its should get all mom's excited.  If you are a parent, these are the types of books you want your children to read.  They're books written by people who love their subject - whether it's Maths or Geography.(yes you even get people who love Maths - special individuals those).  It's also definitely not written as a text book or in  very structured, fact by fact, point by point kind of way.  It's written in a conversational way, a narrative, a story. 

And what child does not enjoy a good story, in fact what adult does not enjoy a good story?  Through living books, children are exposed to facts and information in such an entertaining and engaging style that so much more is learnt and retained with very little effort.  

The language used in these books is of a high and excellent standard, not the language that is common to playground antics or Facebook comments.  It stretches their abilities and understanding of the language. It often stretches mine too.  We all grow in reading books like this.  In fact it will develop a real appetite for more of the same. 

I have fallen in love with living books.  As I read them to my children, I am totally engaged, enthralled and part of the learning experience.

And I am not the only one.  There are mothers all over the world who have discovered the value of living books.  And some of these include our very own homegrown South African Homeschool Bloggers.

Nadene of Practical Pages has been homeschooling for 14 years, using living books as an important part of her homeschooling day and her Charlotte Mason curriculum approach.  

Join her as she and her daughter Learn through Living Books.  I love how she uses a white board as a type of mind map/timeline/sequencing tool in conjunction with her living books.

 

Karen, a confessed book lover and hoarder, walks us through some great living books at Karen's Clan.  Loving Living Books give you a brief glimpse into her books on her bedside table and her list of favourite living books (and her wish list of soon to be favourites I am sure). 

Taryn of Hayes Happenings offers us a thorough explanation of living books, and how her journey of discovery and adventure has led her family down a road rich with learning and literature.  The Living Books they love include powerful stories of a farm girl embarking on an adventure to translate the bible in the jungles of the Philippines, the experiences of the blind and apples and arrows.

As for me, well over the years we have collected dozens of living books, too many even to mention.  I have loved all of them except maybe one or two. I enjoy my read aloud times with my children as much as they do.  Some of my current favourites though are:

The Wheel on the School by Meindert DeJong

Why do the storks no longer come to the little Dutch fishing village of Shora to nest? It was Lina, one of the six schoolchildren who first asked the question, and she set the others to wondering. And sometimes when you begin to wonder, you begin to make things happen. So the children set out to bring the storks back to Shora. The force of their vision put the whole village to work until at last the dream began to come true.

This truly was a book where I laughed so much that my sides hurt.  I have to admit I am always inclined to opt for the living books with humour and this is one of them.  The antics of these children of course had my children planning their own types of adventures but they were introduced to the whole Dutch culture combined with lots of good geography included.  This is a classic, never to be given away type of book.  I am sure that we will read this a number of times in our schooling future.

Kensuke's Kingdom by Michael Morpurgo

Washed up on a remote island in a Pacific storm, Michael curls up and waits to die. But when he wakes, there is fresh fruit beside him. He is not alone… Michael Morpurgo’s vivid story of a young castaway’s struggle for survival is an unmissable modern classic. Fusing adventure and mystery, it is a heartbreaking but uplifting tale of love, loss, hope and redemption.
I am a fan of Michael Morphurgo - he writes in such a way that you want to savour every moment.  He uses expressions that come alive and his combination of excellent writing, humour (again) and history - just bring this story to life. 
Carefully woven into this book was the history of Hiroshima, island survival, conflicting cultures and languages, boating and sailing and relationships.  This is the third book I have read of his and I know that I will continue to find more.

Now you may be wondering where you can find living books like these?

There are a number of ways you can find living books. The resources are endless and are often grouped according to subjects which makes it easier to find what you are looking for.  Some of them include curriculum providers who include living books as part of their curriculum.  These can often be found at your local library or a friend, or you could opt for a second hand book store.

Here are some resources to find lists of living books for you and your family.  Though I don't always use these books as part of my curriculum, I often pack them into their library bags and let them discover something new.

*  Ambleside Online
*  Living Books Curriculum
*  Beautiful Feet Books
*  Penny Gardener's Charlotte Mason's Website
*  Librivox
*  Classical Christian Homeschooling
*  Paula's Archives
*  Sonlight
*  Veritas Press
*  Living Book List for Science
*  Living Maths Books
*  What should I read next?

For further reading on Charlottle Mason and Living books, here are some excellent resources:
Charlotte Mason Basics by Jimmie of Jimmies Collage
Excellent resource on living books at The Thinking Mother

So do the rounds, visit our South African Homeschooling bloggers and hopefully you will find some new inspiration to add to your book shelves.

I would love to hear about any living books that you might think are a worthwhile addition to our libraries.  Leave a comment and tell us about some of your favourites.

Peachy Read Aloud that has us in hysterics

“Wear the old coat; buy the good book.” C. S. Lewis is quoted to say.

So we read books, lots of them! Our children read alone (or pretend to in Ruthie's case), they read readers occassionally when we do a more structured reading lesson and we do at least 2 read alouds at any given time.  Now I know some of you are thinking - Declan has just turned 11, can't he read yet?

Of course he can, so much so that I have to remind him to eat, breath and shower daily.  If we were to allow it, he would never leave his room:0 

However we have a time daily where we read a book as a family.  This often means 6 in a our double bed with lots of "stop kicking me"...."mom Chad's taking up all the space".... "I'm falling off the bed" ... but we all manage to squeeze in (which is becoming more and more difficult as the children get bigger and bigger).  And I love it.  And then we read and read, and sometimes we don't want to stop reading and reading because a book is so entertaining.  We have one of those at the moment.  It's an oldie but a goodie.

James and the Giant Peach

  We are sooo enjoying the wonderful characters that Roald Dahl has created.  As usual they seem to have a lot of attitude and are so distinctive and memorable.  One cannot but help be drawn into this tale of extremes.  At times I found myself unable to even read as I giggle uncontrollably at some of his descriptions.  I read with different voices and really start to get into my characters which of course just has the children rolling around laughing so much that we have to stop to breath,  before we carry on.  

Some of my favourite characters in this book is surely Earthworm (wimpy, fearful, pessimistic and such a moaner), Centipede (bossy, unforgiving and a bit of a bully, with numerous shoes) and of course brave James who really grows in character, confidence and strength as the story progresses.

Opinions from the children:
Declan: (11)Each of the characters has a very different nature and that the earthworm is always so depressed. I also love that Roald Dahl makes it so funny.  What I don't like are the terrible aunts because they are always treating James like a slave.
Ethan: (9) Well one reason I like the book is because the centipede is always commanding everyone to take his boots on and off and the worm is always complaining about things that don't actually happen.  The glow worm is always asleep when they tell her to switch off the light.
Chad: (7) I like the book because the worm always interrupts and says "I don't like this idea".  But the centipede is always saying carry on and saying "I like this part" because he knows the worm might get hurt.  Every time they have to go out and they have to go out through the top, the centipede says that they are going to be stuck there forever.  Ladybird is always telling everyone to be quiet.
Ruthie: (3) I like the book. (and if you read between the lines, she does loves giggling at the boys while they are roaring with laughter)

We have read a number of Roald Dahl books are listened to them on Audio Books which is a great way to travel around.  We listen to audio books in the car and sometimes you want to just get into the car just so you can hear the next chapter.

Some of the other Roald Dahl books that we just adored and couldn't get enough of were:

Matilda

 Danny the Champion of the World

  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory

Esio Trot

 

What is your favourite Roald Dahl book?

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Something New !!!:  Book Review Blog Carnival

I have been asked to host a book review blog carnival on the 23 October 2011.  Your book review can be written about:   fiction, non fiction, children's books, novels, history, biographyor any other books you think our audience will enjoy.  To submit your review simply by emailing me the link to your post.  I will need to check of course that the content is suitable (as there are a few weirdo's out there, myself excluded of course), that's all you have to do. 

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Vinolia Luxury Soap Giveaway

If you haven't entered already - why don't you.  Just comment on the post about what you would want your mom to send you if you were in a far away land,  and you are automatically entered into the draw.