Summer Reading -- A Passport to Anywhere

Summer Reading -- A Passport to Anywhere

by Rebecca Grace
June 13, 2006

(AgapePress) - - From tee-ball games to church camp to family vacation, the summer months can easily become just as busy as the rest of the year. Therefore, Dr. Cathy Stewart, an adjunct professor for the University of Mississippi School of Education and a former elementary teacher of 20 years, urges parents and children to make time for summer reading.

"Reading is a skill just like riding a bicycle, skiing or playing a sport," Stewart said. "The more you read, the better reader you become."

Reading, especially during the summer, can be great entertainment as well as a spiritual and emotional support system.

"Reading opens the doors to many new experiences and journeys," Stewart explained. "[For example], we bring our own experiences to the books that we read. Through reading other people's stories and experiences, we can gain insight into our own lives," she added.

Stewart also encourages children and adults to read books on topics that interest them. "We need to choose books that we want to read, not books from a list of books that someone else enjoys," she said. "Children and adults need to feel ownership of their reading material."

Books reviewed below are suggested summer reading by our panel of experts. The titles vary in age-appropriateness and topic, so it's likely that a person will find one that suits his interest. If not, take a trip to the local library and begin flipping through the pages of what could become a passport to anywhere.

Jesus is Coming Back! by Debby Anderson
(age range: preschool through early elementary)

Jesus is Coming Back! is a great book for children to learn Bible truths about the return of Jesus. Author Debby Anderson definitely searched the Scriptures to see what God says about Jesus' return, how to be ready for His return, and what we should be doing as we wait for that glorious day. In addition to Scripture references, it has great illustrations with smiling faces, excitement and bright colors.

As my children and I read this book, we become very excited about serving the Lord Jesus and sharing His love with all people as we wait with excitement for His second coming. My boys and I love the first page that reads, "When I look up at the clouds, I remember Jesus' promise to come back. I wonder ... will it be today?"

Other suggestions from our panel:

* Good Night, Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
* If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff
* The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Reviewed by Kari Robertson,
home-school mother

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois
(age range: late elementary)

Somewhere around fourth or fifth grade I got my hands on a copy of The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois. What an adventure! In 1883, Professor William Waterman Sherman plans to journey from San Francisco across the Pacific Ocean in a balloon. Circumstances lead him to the island of Krakatoa where he meets an amazing civilization on the edge of doom. To equip himself for this expedition, Professor Sherman has prepared a floating balloon home filled with clever balloon inventions that delighted me as a child. I will never forget the strange inhabitants of Krakatoa or their fabulous secret.

A broad range of young readers (ages 9 and up) will find this easy-to-read, light-hearted story worth their time. It's a perfect summer read to spark the imagination. This classic tale was first published by Viking in 1947 and won the Newbery Medal in 1948. It's still available at bookstores and your local public library.

Other suggestions from our panel:

* Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder
* Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown
* Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater

Reviewed by David Rainey,
reference librarian at the State Library of Louisiana
and home-school father

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George
(age range: junior high)

In home schooling our six children over the past 18 years, we have come across many books. As we have grown older and wiser we have been able to separate books into two categories that those in the home-school arena know as "twaddle" and "living books."

Simply defined, "twaddle" books may be entertaining for the short time they are being read, but they do not lead the reader to a higher degree of thought or spur him to activity. "Living books," on the other hand, can give insight into historical time periods, encourage us to study God's creation or instill in us a desire to walk closer to God.

My children all love to read. Everyone usually has a book going, and we read together as well. Currently, my 13- and 9-year-old sons, 6-year-old daughter and I are reading the "living book" My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, published by E.P. Dutton in 1959.

In My Side of the Mountain, a young boy, Sam Gribley, decides to leave his New York City home and large family in search of his grandfather's old farm claim in the Catskill Mountains. With the help of a small-town librarian, Sam is able to find the old farmstead, and by observing the wild animals, he learns how to make it his home.

Eventually Sam is reunited with his family and is able to teach his many siblings the joys of living self-sufficiently in the beautiful Catskill Mountains.

This book sparks the imagination for a summer of great outdoor activity. My children are all ready to run away and try their hands at living in the wild. While I don't want them to actually run away, there are many activities gleaned from the book that they would enjoy. Plant identification, searching for animal tracks and making shelters, animal traps, moccasins and buckskin clothing are just a few of the projects that could keep them learning all summer.

So, read this book with your children, then go out to the nature areas around you and explore with your children the great outdoors that God has created.

Other suggestions from our panel:

* A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
* Swiss Family Robinson by Johann D. Wyss
* Joni by Joni Eareckson Tada

Reviewed by Anita Chamblee,
home-school mother

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