Books
The book Owl Moon inspires art, creative writing, science exploration, and of course, the best of all, owling adventures.
Here are some of our favorite Read Alouds from 2023. We’ve got elephants, porcelain rabbits, and bridges. We’ve got historical fiction, comedy, and non-fiction. My guess is that there is something here for you.
When everyone has a role to play, the hardest part about Book Club is deciding which book to read!
As we used our eye for botanical discernment to tackle a massive weeding project, the words of Hannah Anderson in her book “All That’s Good” trained my heart in the broader art of discernment.
When Landon pulled out a stack of favorite picture books and labeled them “Mama Books,” I couldn’t help but smile. He had created a perfect collection to snuggle up and read with mom.
Here are some of our favorite Read Alouds from 2022. Some made us laugh, some made us cry, some made us think. All brought us closer together because we shared them together. Which will you read?
There is undoubtedly something magical that happens when stories are shared together. One night, as our family finished reading The Green Ember series, the magic spread beyond our backyard and far out into our neighborhood…
The Tale of Despereaux, a delightful book about a misfit, love-sick mouse, is a story that is full of light. Inspiring themes of love, redemption, forgiveness, and hope shine bright throughout the tale as the likable characters and the intriguing plot move us towards a resolution that is deeply satisfying.
Just like soup.
2021 was an amazing year for read alouds in our house. Read on to discover the books that made us laugh loud, think deep, and feel brave. Which one will you read next?
Winter is Coming offers a gentle invitation to enjoy the beauty and wonder of fall in all its stages—the bright, golden days as well as the days of quiet and waiting.
On stage, once again at the LeVake Family Theater, One Dog Canoe! This story is a great read aloud book and a great “act it out” book. Read on for tips on how to bring this story to life in your own living room theater.
The story is delightful, the illustrations are darling, but the true magic of “Roxaboxen” is the invitation to come out and play.
The Luck of the Buttons introduces us to a host of delightful characters living in small town Iowa in 1929. You might call them gullible or naïve, but I call them innocent, trusting, and blessed to live in Iowa. Because regardless of what Soren thinks, Iowa is one of the “cool” places.
An inspiring role model, lots of laughter, and fourteen pie recipes to try...who would have thought that all of that could come from a title so short and sweet?
“When you draw something, you get closer to it and know it better.” - Jim LaMarche
Even before I put my colored pencils to paper, this statement, tucked in the foreword of The Raft by Jim LaMarche, resonated with me. It just made sense. It made so much sense in fact that I found myself buying notebooks and colored pencils and telling the kids we were going to “go outside and draw stuff.” As we thus stumbled into the world of nature journaling, I quickly realized that we had come upon a powerful study method that would indeed draw us closer to the wonders of God’s creation…
A skunk named Hotbutteredpopcorn, a opossum named Flashlight, a girl named Samar…these are just a few of the characters that surround Red, the strong old oak at the center of this story that had us laughing and “rooting” for friendship and kindness to win the day. After another season of derecho cleanup, we were more than ready for an encouraging story about a tree…
"Cold Snap” by Eileen Spinelli is a delightful story that is clearly set somewhere south of Iowa…
We did some good reading in 2024! We journeyed to Rome, to Narnia, and to Hiberia. We listened in on war strategy meetings, solved mysteries, and laughed out loud. Maybe your next good read is on this list…