Elementary

Lydia Longley, The First American Nun

Author(s): 
Helen A. McCarthy
Illustrator(s): 
John Lawn
Dramatic changes are in store for Lydia Longley when her father brings home a new mother for his children. At the time she is twelve-years-old. This change, however, proves to be small in comparison to the traumatic event that changes her life forever when she is twenty. While everyone is busy preparing breakfast, a party of Abenaki Indians raids their peaceful farm, killing her parents, brothers and sisters. Miraculously, they spare her life along with her younger brother and sister.

A Reading Program for Overcoming Dyslexia

Book cover
Author(s): 
Cheryl Orlassino
I recently came across a program entitled A Reading Program for Overcoming Dyslexia by Cheryl Orlassino. My eight year old falls under the generic term of dyslexia. We've been struggling the last two and half years with reading. We have not completed the book yet as I only ordered it a month ago. So far so good---he does not clam up and cry every time we start our reading/phonics lesson and is beginning to decode on his own without just memorizing the words. In fact, he's writing words from his lessons all over his art work.

Who Carved the Mountain?

Author(s): 
Jean L. S Patrick
Illustrator(s): 
Renee Graef

Our family was delighted to visit Mount Rushmore recently, along with several other Love2Learn families. Since we live in South Dakota, Mount Rushmore books have prominent and permanent displays in our library system's many branches. Who Carved the Mountain saw the inside of our weekly library bag many times and became our favorite Mount Rushmore picture book.

Catholic Cardlinks: Bible

Author(s): 
Thomas Craughwell
Thomas Craughwell has a knack for informative yet captivating writing! This is a very nice first Bible for a beginning reader, and of course it could be read aloud as well. Each page has an illustration and a Bible verse in bold, ranging from Genesis to Revelation. I wish the illustrations were a bit more professional, and that the text agreed with the way the "card" pages turn: it is a bit awkward to flip the clunky volume from front to verse on each page. Mr. Craughwell's retelling of the biblical stories, however, makes up for these minor obstacles!

Akimbo and the Lions

Book cover: Akimbo and the Lions
Author(s): 
Alexander McCall Smith
Illustrator(s): 
LeUyen Pham

Akimbo is a young African boy whose father is a head ranger of a game park. When his father announces that he is going to one of the farms in the south because of reports of a lion attacking cattle, Akimbo convinces his father to let him tag along with the promise that he will be good and help.

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