Magazine Bonus: Parisian Fun for Kids

Earlier this month, I posted the latest issue of Sparrow Tree Square magazine, "Paris in Spring." In an odd coincidence, I recently came across a couple of Paris-themed finds that tie in perfectly with this season's magazine theme. Today, I thought I'd share those finds with you here on the blog.

First up is an article from The Wall Street Journal called "Exploring Paris Through Children's Books." The article features a family's Paris itinerary inspired by the books Madeline and The Invention of Hugo Cabret and the short film The Red Balloon. Interactive maps are included, in case you want to plan your own visit to Paris inspired by children's literature and film. The author also recommends several more Paris-themed children's books at the end of the article, some of which overlap with my own Paris picture book recommendations in the magazine this season.

Charlotte Mason Monday: Part 26

This post is part of a series discussing the educational methods of Charlotte Mason. Each post will consider Mason's philosophy as she describes it in her series of books discussing home education. The complete series is available for free at Ambleside Online if you'd like to read along!

I was a little too optimistic in my previous announcement that Charlotte Mason Monday would be updated on the usual schedule, since yesterday was a holiday here in the United States and I was busy helping get our home and garden ready for summer. Rather than delay until next week, though, I thought I'd bend the rules a little and post a special Tuesday edition of Charlotte Mason Monday.

Reprint: Memorial Day Reading from Sparrow Tree Square

Since Memorial Day weekend is upon us, I thought I'd reprint this post from last year. In the process, I noticed that two of the magazine links weren't working properly -- oops! Everything is now fixed, so I hope that those of you who couldn't find all of the issues last year enjoy them this time. Also, I will be posting the next installment of Charlotte Mason Monday on the 28th, so check back if you've been following the series.

I'm fortunate enough to live at the beach, where Memorial Day is the start of a season that reaches its peak at the Fourth of July and winds down to a halt around Labor Day. Barring the occasional bout of bad weather, Memorial Day weekend is the first time that my little town sees an influx of vacationers, and in recent memory has been a busy, bustling time filled with beach-going, barbeques, and late night ice-cream runs.

For me, though, no holiday would be complete without a selection of seasonally-appropriate reading material! My love for holiday-themed literature has led me to create many issues of Sparrow Tree Square magazine that revolve around seasonal pieces. To help get you in a summery, patriotic frame of mind, here are four of my favorite issues for the "unofficial start of summer":

Here Comes the Sun, Early Summer 2011

This issue of Sparrow Tree Square has lots of great literature to celebrate the sunny weather of summer. It also has some fun summer activities and suggestions for celebrating the summer solstice next month.

Author Spotlight: Eleanor Estes

The first book by Eleanor Estes that I ever read was The Hundred Dresses, a short Newbery Honor book that deals with issues of poverty and bullying. I was assigned to read the book in second or third grade, and found it quite sad and depressing at the time. In fact, The Hundred Dresses was one of the books that solidified my childhood suspicion that a book bearing the Newbery seal was a book to be avoided.

Book Review: The Alley

Note: Tomorrow I'll be posting an Author Spotlight on Eleanor Estes, so I thought I'd share this review of The Alley with you today. My sister Maureen originally wrote this review for Halfway Down the Stairs magazine. You can read the posts she's done for this blog by clicking her name in the "Labels" section, and you can read her reviews of three other Estes books at the Sparrow Tree Square book review collection.

“The Alley! To hear the name, you might think it an awful place to live – no sunshine, no light, with tin cans around, perhaps, and dreary blown-about newspapers.”

This is the opening sentence of Eleanor Estes’ The Alley, a story about two burglaries that take place in Connie Ives’ Brooklyn neighborhood. Connie lives in the Alley, which is actually a picturesque group of houses on the campus of Grandby College. Professors and their children live there, children like Connie’s friends Katy Starr and Billy Maloon. The children enjoy an orderly and idyllic life. They abide by Katy’s “laws” in the Alley, and follow the rules for swinging on Connie’s jungle gym.