Children’s Book Monday: Adopted by an Owl

Adopted by an Owl:
The True Story of Jackson the Owl

Written by: Robbyn Smith van Frankenhuyzen
Illustrated by: Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

The true story of Jackson the Owl became a favorite of our family from the library this past week.

The husband and wife team who authored and illustrated the story, lovingly tell about one of the many wild animals that the two of them have professionally rehabilitated over the past 20 years. The great horned owl in the story was one of their favorites and they share his true account in a wonderful narrative for young children.

Jackson came to the van Frankenhuyzen family after being rescued from a boy who took the owl from the wild as a baby to be a pet, later on deciding he no longer wanted it. Instead of the van Frankenhuyzens adopting Jackson however, it seemed more like Jackson adopted them. He lived with them on their Michigan farm as one of the family. The owl’s daily antics are realistically and beautifully protrayed by the illustrator who used the real Jackson as his model for his paintings. (You can view a few of the paintings from the book HERE.)

They all lived happily until one day an accident threatened their continued relationship. While Jackson was being treated in an owl care facility, he seemed to became more aware that he himself was an owl. If Jackson did recover, would things ever be the same again between all of them?

Our girls love to hear the ending of this story read again and again.

After you share this story with your children, be sure to read the back cover to learn more about the van Frankenhuyzens and their work. The two of them have collaborated on two other books that follow Adopted by an Owl, also about the animals that they have helped on their Hazel Ridge Farm. They are entitled Saving Samantha and Kelly of Hazel Ridge Farm.

Here are a few other follow-up activities that I found to compliment reading Adopted by an Owl:

Hazel Ridge website - Here you can read more about the author/illustrator team. You can view pictures of their “real” Hazel Ridge farm, including some of the animals living there.

Teacher’s Guide to the Hazel Ridge Farm Series - a 24-page printable teacher’s guide for elementary aged students that includes all sorts of activities relating to the three books in the series.

The Owl Pages – This website is recommended by Robbyn as a great resource for learning about owls. There you will find photographs of all of the different species of owls as well as information on their behavior, physical attributes and location.

Be sure to stop A Path Made Straight to read Elise’s review of one of our family’s favorite books during this week’s Children’s Book Monday.

Happy reading!

Children’s Book Monday: Pilgrim Cat

Pilgrim Cat
Written by: Carol Antoinette Peacock
Illustrated by: Doris Ettlinger

When young Faith Barrett finds a little cat travelling with her family on the Mayflower, she quickly befriends him. Together they experience the trials and triumphs of the journey as well as the subsequent colonization.

This beautifully illustrated picture book is taken from the two first-hand accounts of that first Thanksgiving in 1621. Ms. Peacock was inspired to write this book after a visit to the history museum of Plimoth Plantation in Massachusetts. Based upon her research there, this story accurately illustrates the Pilgrims’ journey, from the reasons they decided to leave England, to the sickness and struggles they endured, and right down to there being cats on board the Mayflower. Because the account is given from a young girl’s perspective and the storyline involves a cat, it became more real to my daughters. All of us thoroughly enjoyed this book and we highly recommend it for your Thanksgiving reading list!

Please visit Elise at A Path Made Straight for more children’s book reviews!

Happy reading!

Children’s Book Monday: Socks for Supper

Socks for Supper
By: Jack Kent

Socks for Supper is a simple and funny story that I loved as a child. It is the story of a man and his wife who lived a very humble life with only a “tumble-down house and a tiny turnip garden”. They came up with a plan for a surprising way to get some milk and cheese from a neighbor, who owned a cow. In the end, they received more than they expected!

I’m not sure why this book was so loved by me as a child, but my children love it, too. Perhaps it is because the text is short and simple enough for a beginning reader and Kent’s illustrations are very memorable.

Don’t miss this sweet little story if your library happens to have it!

Visit Elise for more book reviews this week!

Happy reading!

Children’s Book Monday: The Eleventh Hour

The Eleventh Hour: A Curious Mystery
Written and illustrated by: Graeme Base

I picked this book up at a garage sale never having heard of it before. However, I remembered someone mentioning how much she enjoyed Graeme Base’s books, so after skimming it through at the sale, I purchased it. I’m so glad that I did!! It’s one of the neatest books I’ve ever read! (Oh yes, I bought it for the children, not for me!)

The Eleventh Hour is a “whodunit” mystery of the utmost fun. It is told in a rhyming verse that is clever and full of interesting vocabulary words. The story tells of Horace the Elephant who decides to throw an elaborate party for himself on the occasion of his 11th birthday. He plans a day full of marvelous food and fun games. When the 11 costumed guests arrive, they are given a peek at the glorious banquet that Horace himself has prepared. Then it is on to take part in games and recreation until the 11th hour, when the feast will be served.

When 11:00 arrives, however, the guests return to the banquet hall to find that the feast has vanished, having been totally consumed. But by whom?

After reading it through for the first time, the girls and I were surprised to find that the answer to the mystery is not revealed in the story itself. When I went back to read through a second (and third and fourth) time, trying to figure out who the thief was, I began to realize that each page held clues. The deeper I looked into the illustrations, the more clues and puzzles I began to see.

Even though the clues were way above the girls’ heads at their ages, they really enjoyed the engaging illustrations and witty verse. I, however, was captivated by trying to solve the mystery. I sat there working on it long after the girls had gone to bed for the night. (Dan was laughing at me, by the way, for getting so “into” a children’s book!)

Mr. Base used all different types of codes, including anagrams, hieroglyphics and Morse code to help us solve the mystery. On some of the pages I had a difficult time even spotting the code, not to mention cracking it. In addition to the codes, there were also many visual clues that could help the reader to deduce who the culprit was. After several hours of searching the intricate illustrations, I finally was able to solve the mystery ~ at least who had done it.

It was only then that I opened the sealed section at the back of the book entitled “The Eleventh Hour: The Inside Story.  TOP SECRET”  There, Mr. Base explains each and every clue that he has included in the book. I was amazed at how many things that I had missed! He also poses an unanswered question just for fun – one that I have yet to figure out!

I’m guessing that this book would be good for children in Grades 4 and up, although some codes prove difficult for even an adult to crack. Therefore, it would be nice gift for an entire family to work through together.

With wonderful illustrations, great vocabulary and lots of exercise for the brain, this is one book that you don’t want to miss!

Be sure to visit A Path Made Straight for more reviews each Children’s Book Monday!

Children’s Book Monday: Okee the Otter

The True Story of Okee the Otter
By Dorothy Wisbeski

There are very few books that stand out fondly in Dan’s mind from his childhood. When he asked me to find The True Story of Okee the Otter for the girls, I was quick to search it out. It was a bit difficult to find as there was only one printing and that one in 1969.

Okee quickly became one of our favorite books! It is one of the most interesting and entertaining true nature stories that we’ve come across. It is a true story told by a woman who decided to purchase a wild otter for a pet. After already nursing many wild animals to health in the past, including different kinds of birds, a bat, skunks, mice, an opposum and a groundhog, she felt prepared to take on an otter. She relates:

We were not afraid now to take on an animal we knew little about. Our many experiences had taught us that love, patience, and understanding can tame a wild animal. Surely an otter would be no different. I would soon find out, however, that an otter is not like any other animal in the whole world.

A great part of this book revolves around the many amazing antics of Okee as he adapts himself to live in a human environment. On the flip side, the humans in the story have a great deal of adapting to do themselves as they learn to lovingly care for the animal. This clash of lifestyles makes for very interesting reading! We were amazed at how clever otters can be as Okee figured out all sorts of ways to get into trouble while his owners were away for the day. (One caution: There are some serious parts when Okee becomes very ill and close to death that were a bit scary for Abigail when she was 3-4.)

This is a great read-aloud book for the entire family to enjoy together and it’s a great living science book for Charlotte Mason homeschoolers, too! Dorothy Wibeski writes in an engaging manner that captured the girls’ attention quickly. This 4″ x 8″ book is 148 pages of such fun that you won’t even realize that you’re learning so much about nature as you go along. Inserted in the center of the book are 12 pages of black and white photographs of Okee and his owner.

Be sure to visit Elise at A Path Made Straight for more wonderful children’s books every Children’s Book Monday!

Happy reading!

P.S. The book was also published under the title: Okee, the Story of an Otter in the House

Children’s Book Monday: Dinosaurs by Design

Dinosaurs by Design
By Dr. Duane Gish
Illustrated by Earl and Bonnie Snellenberger

If you have boys or girls interested in dinosaurs but are tired of wading through tons of evolutionary dogma each time you pick up a dinosaur book, then this is a great book for you. Dinosaurs by Design is a fascinating book about the world of dinosaurs from the perspective that they were like any other creature on this earth: designed and created by God for His glory.

This scientific book divides the dinosaurs into different categories such as ‘plated dinosaurs’, ‘duck-billed dinosaurs’ and ‘the terrible claws’, among others. The facts about each kind of dinosaur are very interesting. One of our favorite parts of each section is a map that shows where in the world the bones have been found and also a “to scale” drawing of how large each dinosaur is compared to a human being.

In addition to all the great facts and illustrations of each dinosaur, there are sections on how fossils form, how fossils are restored for museums, evolutionary fairy tales, Noah’s Flood, the Ice Age and much more.

We have enjoyed reading this book together as a family. School-aged dinosaur lovers will surely find this 88-page book to provide much food for the imagination and many things for which to glorify God.

(Note: I highly doubt that you will find this at your local library, but you can purchase it at Answers in Genesis or on Amazon)

Join us over at A Path Made Straight for children’s book reviews each Monday!

Happy reading!

Children’s Book Monday: The Lord is My Shepherd

The Lord is My Shepherd (The Twenty-Third Psalm)
Illustrated by Tasha Tudor

We just discovered this book last week when it was given to the girls as a gift. This is a beautiful rendition of the 23rd Psalm illustrated by Tasha Tudor. I love all of her books and this one is no exception.  The scenes follow a little girl through the countryside and you can easily get lost in the intricate pictures that perfectly compliment the text. It’s a calming and lovely book. If you have never read it, go find a copy – I’m sure you’ll love it!

For more book reviews, please visit Elise each Children’s Book Monday!

Happy reading!

     
                                                           

Children’s Book Monday: Arnold Lobel

For Children’s Book Monday this week, I thought I’d talk about one of our favorite authors: Arnold Lobel.

I clearly remember the soft illustratons and witty tales of the Frog and Toad series from my childhood. The titles are as follows: Frog and Toad are Friends, Days with Frog and Toad, Frog and Toad  Together and Frog and Toad All Year. Each of the four beginning readers in the series have several stories in them. We found these books for our own children at a used bookshop. I quickly turned to my old favorites such as “Cookies”, “Tomorrow” and “Ice Cream” and relived the wonderful tales again. Our girls immediately took to the stories at young ages.

Best friends Frog and Toad learn many things in their many daily adventures together. With their distinct personality differences, they make the perfect pair of friends as they compliment each other so well. The simple stories of friendship are full of fun, hard work and even the “shivers”!

Another great book by Lobel is Owl at Home. Again, this book is divided up into several short stories. The story of winter coming in to visit Owl and turning his pea soup to cold green ice is always fun to read. And we rejoice along with Owl when he finds that his friend the moon decides to “follow” him home. Lobel’s signature warm illustrations fill the pages of this book that we love to cozy up with, especially in the winter.

Mouse Tales and Mouse Soup are two other Lobel favorites in our home. These 2 books are full of witty, ironic and sometimes just plain silly tales. Mouse Tales is a collection of 7 silly short stories that a grandfather tells his 7 grandchildren to get them to go to sleep. Mouse Soup is a collection of stories that a clever mouse uses to escape from a weasel’s soup pot!

When reading these books as a child, I knew why I was drawn to the illustrations, but I never really thought about why it was that I was so drawn to the stories. As an adult, I can now see how these stories help shape my sense of humor and wit when I was young. I think these books are a great way for children to learn the arts of humor, irony and witticism without the slapstick or rude humor that pervades some children’s books today.

The books that I’ve discussed above are listed as beginning readers, but they are equally fun for us to read as parents, too. Always clever and never dull, they make great read-alouds for the younger and older children together.

Arnold Lobel illustrated books by other authors as well. One of our favorites is Oscar Otter.

If your family is not familiar with Arnold Lobel, he is definitely a great vintage author and illustrator worth taking a look at.

Hop on over to A Path Made Straight to join in the Children’s Book Monday fun!

Happy reading!