Loving Your Library
I’ll bet most of us have warm memories of the local library. I grew up in Dallas, where one of the many benefits of the big city was the library system. The local branch was great, but we also took advantage, on many Saturday mornings, of the main library downtown, easily reachable by bus. I…
Read More
Library Week, News and Freebies
Library Week It’s finally here: Library Week! Because my family homeschools, we depend on our local library quite a lot, so I’m looking forward to giving libraries and many librarians across America credit where credit is due. While the welfare office feeds hungry bellies, cure libraries feed hungry minds and souls. They open doors to…
Read More
Church Literacy, Part Two: Welcoming Kids and Adults with Reading Difficulties
Last week in Church Literacy, Part One, we heard from a Christian mom who dealt with dyslexia in her son. I hope that gave you a little insight into what a family faces when they deal with something like dyslexia. Of course, dyslexia is only one of the many reasons roughly 20% of any given…
Read More
Poetry Anthologies
A good poetry anthology is like going to a friend’s house with a basket, and being told, “Oh, you must read this one, and this one, and THIS one is my favorite!” as the bounty overflows. Going to another friend’s house with another basket will introduce you to some of the same treasures, but different ones too,…
Read More
Waxing Poetic: a pop quiz and some homework from the teacher
It’s National Poetry Month! Who cares, right? Well, YOU should care. Not because it’s “National Poetry Month,” per se, but because poetry is worth enjoying and learning more about. Why? Well, for one, Scripture is full of poetry–and not merely in the Psalms, either. Poetry is often an expression of deep, intimate emotion or experience…
Read More
Poetry Contest and Challenge for National Poetry Month!
April is National Poetry Month, and we here at Redeemed Reader love to be in on any literary action. Therefore, Megan and I are sponsoring a children’s poetry contest! (Note: there will be prizes!) [Incidentally, I won the last Redeemed Reader Poetry Contest and have enjoyed my Notes From a Tilt-a-Whirl prize.] We are also…
Read More
Church Literacy, Part One: Interview with Mom of a Dyslexic Child
How Is Your Church Affected by Literacy Challenges? How many words do you read in your church worship service? 500 or more? Don’t forget to count the words of hymns, Bible readings, and bulletins. If a visitor came to your church, how many words would he read to get to the right parking lot, Sunday…
Read More
Sorting Out the Children’s Bible Market
Yesterday’s post addressed the general subject of children’s Bibles and how to evaluate them for the particular needs of each child and family. But all that is rather abstract unless we have actual Bibles to evaluate. Today’s list is by no means exhaustive, but I’ve tried to find worthy examples of the good, the popular,…
Read More
Choosing Your Child’s First REAL Bible: Some Considerations
Last Tuesday we looked at a range of new Bible storybooks and early reader “Bibles.” On Friday, we picked our way through the field of Bible translations and compared the most popular for accuracy and readability. Today we’re ready to get down to the meat and bones: just how to you choose a Bible for…
Read More
Proverbs, Tricksters and Fools
The book of Proverbs is full of instructions for the simple to obtain wisdom and avoid disaster. Stories about tricksters demonstrate common-grace examples of using cleverness to get out of danger, and the consequences of ignoring counsel and finding adversity. Cleverness is not the same as godly wisdom, but the warnings against laziness and ignoring instruction…
Read More