book reviews
Reviews of books that explore the complexities of family throughout history and across cultures.
A Prayer to the Moon
Despite the phases of the moon, I always know its there. This provided a great deal of comfort as a child when both my parents were working. It made me understand that despite not physically being present or visible 24/7, they were always there watching over me ... the moon and my parents. Throughout the week, I’d see them at odd hours as they quickly grabbed a bite to eat or were finally able to rest after a rigorous workday. The weekends were full of adventures. Full of quality time. Full of wishes hoping the weekend wouldn’t come to an end. The weekend was also when my mom would get the chance to read a bedtime story for me.
By Kishan Baskaran5 years ago in Families
Beautiful Chaos
When I was young, my mother did all of the things expected of a young stay-at-home mother of two young children - she cooked wholesome, healthy meals from scratch, engaged us with crafts, and, most importantly, she read to us every single night. Usually she would read to us from our Childcraft Folk Tales book. This book contained condensed versions of some of the most beloved nursery rhymes, folk tales, and fables. I was perhaps three years old, my younger sister just a little less than a year younger. We would both rush through our nightly baths, struggling into our pajamas as we raced to snuggle down in our beds, excitedly waiting to discover which stories we would explore that night.
By Christian Kuhlman5 years ago in Families
My Naughty Little Sister . Top Story - June 2021.
Intro When I was around fourteen years old, I walked into my local bookshop, perusing the shelves, most likely looking for the next Harry Potter instalment, when I saw it. I audibly gasped. A beautiful hardback, duck egg blue cover with the looping calligraphy of "50th Anniversary Celebration" written in gold. There was the unmistakable, pencil-sketched illustration of a sour-faced tiny girl with red blotchy cheeks, a deep frown, and a pet lip—My Naughty Little Sister.
By Sh*t Happens - Lost Girl Travel5 years ago in Families
Be Inspired
Be Inspired Books are your friends, or so I was told growing up. My favorite book as a child was “The Story of Anne Sullivan”. I found it in the library of Riverside elementary school. I had to find a book for a report when I had summer school. I was always curious. I wanted to know how other people lived. I was the baby of the family and was raised by my single mother. She worked hard to provide for my two half-brothers and me. My mom never had time to read to me and when I finally learned to read, it opened my eyes to a new world. I always gravitated toward biographies. The story of Anne Sullivan was one that I loved. Anne was a teacher to Helen Keller. Helen Keller was an American teacher, author and advocate for people with disabilities. Helen was also co-founder of the ACLU.
By Veronica Somaratna5 years ago in Families
Big Bad Wolf
Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? Yes, you guessed it my favorite bedtime story as a child was “The Three Little Pigs”. For me it was one of those Walt Disney “Little Golden Books” version. It was a second hand book I received from a garage sale for ten cents. I liked the pictures of course. Who says you can’t just a book by its cover. Those pigs were so cute. One playing the fiddle and another the flute the third dancing merrily. I love books that have rhymes or songs in them. I don’t have much of a voice but I like the way the words flow off the page into my ears. You know the part I mean. “Who’s afraid of the Big Bad Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf, the Big Bad Wolf, tra la la la la.” At one point when I was raising my own children I think I memorized the book I read it so often.
By Veronica Somaratna5 years ago in Families
Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys
I was in a foster home with my little sister for almost 3 years with the most wonderful loving couple Deanna and Richard Lancaster. They wanted to adopt us but because our mother knew she could collect welfare from having us with her so that, unfortunately, didn't happen, and let me tell you, I was angry for a very long time about it. However, with the Lancasters, I found my love for reading books, especially mysteries! During our stay with these kind and loving people, Deanna introduced my sister and me to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys Mysteries. Deanna was a wonderful woman who worked as a nurse as well as manage a household, with cooking, cleaning, laundry, taking care of us girls and her amazing husband Richard, everyone called him Dick, He was a very kind and thoughtful man, he was a used car salesman by day and on Sundays, he would take us to work with him, we had to sit in the car for a while but eventually he would take us to lunch at a place called Sambos(which was unfortunately torn down because the picture on the building was of a little black boy with a tiger, so they deemed it "racist" which if I am being honest it was.) it always smelled so good there and the food was delicious. Deanna and Dick were also very religious, we went to lots of church and bible studies at other church members' houses and they also had a jewelry sales business they did on the side. This was not junk jewelry, this was real gemstones such as diamonds, rubies, emeralds, and Jade...a lot of Jade. We would take the summers and travel all over California selling these gorgeous pieces. I also learned my love for a lot of good old music like Paul Anka, Diana Ross and the Supremes, Niel Sedaka, Niel Diamond(whom I love to listen to still), and the like. I first started loving Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys mysteries when Deanna would read them to us at bedtime, however, my sister would be asleep the first five minutes she was in bed. Deanna would read three to four pages per night so as to keep the suspense up and make the book last longer. She would change her voice to sound like the characters, making dramatic faces that would make me giggle, and was great at leaving me hanging and very excited for bedtime each night.
By C. M. Sears5 years ago in Families
Three Little Horses
Let me tell you a story of The Three Little Horses. The strangest children’s book I have ever read. It goes back to when I was a child. My grandmother Irma gave me this book to read because she noticed it had horses in it and I liked horses. Appreciating her rationale, I took the book. I never saw her purchase this book for me so I think she must have had it prior to me being born in 1982. The book “Three Little Horses” was published in 1958; my grandmother immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1957. This book was written by Piet Worm and was probably the most bizarrely illustrated and strangely written children’s book I had ever encountered in my young years. It told me a lot about how secretly odd grandma was.
By Nicole Celencevicius5 years ago in Families
