diligence and work ethic
*I Worked Hard on That! by Robyn Wall
By Megan Saben |
Kiara the spider keeps trying to make a web that is beautiful, not just practical, and her efforts are repeatedly foiled. Playful language, lovely illustrations, ...
Read More Finding My Vocation by William Boekestein
By Janie Cheaney |
Finding My Vocation offers a concise yet comprehensive guide for Christian teens considering their first steps into adulthood. Finding My Vocation: A Guide for Young ...
Read More Papá’s Magical Water-Jug Clock
By Megan Saben |
Jesús is excited to work with his Papá on a busy Saturday full of yards to mow, and as soon as the water jug is ...
Read More *William’s House by Ginger Howard
By Megan Saben |
Wouldn't it make sense that a house built in the style of a home in England would work just as well in America? *William's House ...
Read More Labor Day: Books about Work
By Betsy Farquhar |
Readers: this is an adaptation of one of the first posts on Redeemed Reader, way back in 2011 (written by Emily Whitten, the "I" in ...
Read More Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille
By Megan Saben |
What if God took the very instrument that caused your suffering and turned it into a tool of blessing for many? Six Dots: A Story ...
Read More The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson
By Janie Cheaney |
How a sensitive boy handles death and guilt is the subject of The Dollar Kids: one of our “discussion starter” titles. Ages 10-15 The Dollar ...
Read More *New Shoes by Sara Varon
By Janie Cheaney |
A delightful journey into the jungle awaits Francis the Donkey on his quest to make new shoes for his favorite Calypso singer. *New Shoes by ...
Read More *Sled Dog School by Terry Lynn Johnson
By Janie Cheaney |
An academically-challenged boy gains confidence and learns responsibility when he opens a sled dog school. *Sled Dog School by Terry Lynn Johnson. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, ...
Read More Labor Day Repost: Heart of a Shepherd
By Janie Cheaney |
(Originally published on Labor Day 2012) Labor Day, according to Wikipedia, was born of the Management/Labor battles of the late 19th century--particularly the Pullman strike ...
Read More Let’s Talk It over: Honesty and Diligence in Literature
By Janie Cheaney |
Janie: This week we’re taking up two major themes in Proverbs: honest work and honest words. At first glance they may not seem to be that closely ...
Read More *Sam the Man and the Chicken Plan
By Janie Cheaney |
Likeable characters and a gently-humorous style introduces early-elementary readers to the rewards of hard work and free enterprise. *Sam the Man and the Chicken Plan ...
Read More *The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill by Andrea Warren
By Janie Cheaney |
This accessible biography reveals the extraordinary, historically significant, and surprisingly admirable life of an American legend. *The Boy Who Became Buffalo Bill: Growing Up Billy ...
Read More The Magic Mirror by Susan Hill Long
By Janie Cheaney |
A few language cautions aside, this medieval fantasy tale illustrates some profound truths about finding oneself in the journey. The Magic Mirror: Concerning a ...
Read More Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg
By Janie Cheaney |
Sweet Home Alaska by Carole Estby Dagg. Penguin, February 2016, 296 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 10-12 Recommended for: ages 10-14 Bottom Line: An ...
Read More *Gingerbread for Liberty! by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch
By Betsy Farquhar |
*Gingerbread for Liberty! How a German Baker Helped Win the American Revolution by Mara Rockliff and illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch. HMH Books, 2015. 32 ...
Read More *The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney
By Betsy Farquhar |
*The Grasshopper and the Ants by Jerry Pinkney. Little, Brown, 2015. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended For: Ages 4-8 Vibrant, colorful ...
Read More One Plastic Bag by Miranda Paul and Elizabeth Zunon
By Megan Saben |
One Plastic Bag: Isatou Ceesay and the Recycling Women of the Gambia by Miranda Paul, illustrated by Elizabeth Zunon. Millbrook, 2015. 32 pages. Reading Level: ...
Read More You Have a Brain by Ben Carson, M.D.
By Janie Cheaney |
You have a Brain: a Teen’s Guide to THINK BIG by Ben Carson,M. D. (with Gregg and Deborah Lewis). Zondervan, 2015. 281 pages Reading Level: ...
Read More New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez
By Betsy Farquhar |
New Shoes by Susan Lynn Meyer, illustrated by Eric Velasquez. Holiday House, 2015. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8 Recommended for: Ages 4-8 ...
Read More *The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye (Retro Reads)
By Betsy Farquhar |
*The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye. Puffin, 2002 (originally published in 1980). 128 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Recommended for: Ages 8-10 ...
Read More *Faerie Gold edited by Kathryn Lindskoog and Ranelda Mack Hunsicker
By Megan Saben |
*Faerie Gold: Treasures from the Lands of Enchantment edited by Kathryn Lindskoog and Ranelda Mack Hunsicker. P&R, 2005. 304 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages ...
Read More *Pioneer Girl: the Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder
By Janie Cheaney |
*Pioneer Girl: the Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder (edited by Pamela Smith Hill). University of South Dakota Press, sale 2014. 400 pages. Reading Level: ...
Read More *Choo Choo by Virgina Lee Burton
By Megan Saben |
This book is a "Best of the Best" pick from ourWinter Book Fair. CLICK HERE to see more gift ideas! *Choo Choo: The Story of a Little ...
Read More Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton
By Betsy Farquhar |
Katy and the Big Snow by Virginia Lee Burton. HMH Books for Young Readers, 1943. 40 pages. Reading Level: Picture Books, ages 4-8Recommended for: Ages ...
Read More *The Girl and the Bicycle by Mark Pett
By Megan Saben |
This book is a "Best of the Best" pick from our Winter Book Fair. CLICK HERE to see more gift ideas! *The Girl and the Bicycle by ...
Read More The Great Trouble by Deborah Hopkinson
By Janie Cheaney |
The Great Trouble: a Mystery of London, the Blue Death, and a Boy Called Eel, by Deborah Hopkinson. Knopf, 2013, 247 pages with historical notes. ...
Read More *Little Britches by Ralph Moody
By Megan Saben |
*Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody. Bison Books, 1991. 260 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10, ages 10-12 and upRecommended ...
Read More Laboring and Resting: Books about Both!
By Betsy Farquhar |
In this digital world of ours, I can post this blog entry "on" Labor Day without having to do any work on Labor Day: I'm ...
Read More *Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens
By Megan Saben |
Tops and Bottoms is a clever folktale that illustrates the wisdom of diligence and warning against laziness in the book of Proverbs. *Tops and Bottoms ...
Read More Proverbs, Tricksters and Fools
By Megan Saben |
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 ...
Read More *The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small
By Betsy Farquhar |
Lydia shares her efforts to bring beauty to the world around her in this epistolary picture book. *The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small. ...
Read More A Nest for Celeste by Henry Cole
By Janie Cheaney |
A Nest for Celeste: A Story About Art, Inspiration, and the Meaning of Home by Henry Cole. HarperCollins, 2010, 336 pages. Reading Level: Middle grades, ...
Read More Close to Famous by Joan Bauer
By Janie Cheaney |
Close to Famous, by Joan Bauer. Viking, 2011, 250 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: ages 11-13 Bottom Line: In this feel-good middle ...
Read More Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer
By Janie Cheaney |
Rules of the Road by Joan Bauer. Speak, 2005. 208 pages Reading Level: Young Adult, ages 12-15 Recommended for: ages 12-16 Bottom Line: Good-hearted Jenna ...
Read More *The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins
By Janie Cheaney |
The Year Money Grew on Trees by Aaron Hawkins. HMH, 2010. 301 pages Reading Level: Middle Grades, 10-12 Recommended for: Ages 10-12 Bottom Line: Middle-grade ...
Read More *Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen
By Janie Cheaney |
Lawn Boy by Gary Paulsen. Random House (Wendy Lamb Books), 2007. 88 pages. Reading Level: Middle Grades, ages 8-10 Maturity Level: 4 (Ages 10-12) Bottom ...
Read More The King of Mulberry Street by Donna Jo Napoli
By Janie Cheaney |
In The King of Mulberry Street a 9-year-old Italian immigrant realizes the American dream in 1890s New York through a combination of luck, ingenuity, and ...
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