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Patron Reviews
Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder by Mariah Bruehl
Review by Monique Marchilli-Barker
Mariah Bruehl is a parent with over a decade of experience in the field of education. After making the decision to leave her job and stay home, she set out to supplement her daughter’s education by providing meaningful experiences that nurtured their sense of wonder. Mariah gathered these experiences that she developed with and for her children and began the award-winning Playful Learning website as a resource for parents. Now these activities are beautifully presented in her book Playful Learning: Develop Your Child’s Sense of Joy and Wonder.
This book is well organized and offers simple, inspiring, and engaging activities for children ages 4-8. The activities are organized by subject matter and each section begins with an overview of children’s developmental stages for that particular discipline. You will find suggestions for staying “one step ahead”, resources for supporting and expanding the activities, and free printables. There are also tips on organizing materials and creating inviting playful spaces.
If you are looking for ways to connect with your child, nurture your child’s natural curiosity, or to provide meaningful learning experiences, you will find this book to be a valuable resource!
Exposed: The Secret Life of Jodi Arias by Jane Velez-Mitchell
Review by Beverly Fox Martin
Jane Velez-Mitchell’s non-fictional book details the relationship of Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander gone horrifically awry. It puts every piece of this tragic puzzle in place, chronologically, and adds all the missing pieces as well. It succinctly explains to the reader the childhood backgrounds, the needs, the deeds and misdeeds, the yearnings, and motivations of two young adults and, most importantly, why they clicked, fell apart, yet continued to interact well past their “spoil date.” Travis met a gruesome and undeserved death at the hands of Jodi. Yet, he had signed his own death certificate – in multiples….How did that happen? How could he fail to see his demise pending? Why and how could Jodi justify taking his life? Ms. Velez-Mitchell explains it all in her detailed recounting. The reader need not buy any other book about this crime. Hopefully, tragedies such as this one can be averted by knowing oneself and also by discerning others’ inclinations and capabilities….
The Banned Book I Bought at the Book Sale by Emma
Today I went to the Friends of Topsham Public Library’s book sale and bought a banned book! I purchased Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak for my niece and nephew. It was banned in many places but went on to win many awards including the Caldecott Medal. There have been many criticisms leveled at the book: that it is too dark and frightening, that it promotes witchcraft and elements of the supernatural, that it glorifies Max’s anger and ‘inappropriate’ behavior, that depriving a child food as punishment could scare a child, one psychologist even went as far to say that it would psychologically damage children. Sendak portrayed children as they are: mischievous and sulky and angry and scared and sometimes alone, and for this his books have been embraced by generations. I am also a big fan of the novel adaptation by Dave Eggers and the movie (directed by Spike Jonze) that inspired it, which I think are more aimed at adults who loved the book as children.
The most frequently challenged book of the decade by Lynne
It’s amazing to me that the most frequently challenged book(s) of the last decade was the Harry Potter series. The complaints ranged from it being anti-family and violent to accusations of occultism and Satanism. I’m not usually a series person, but this is one of the few that I read to the end. What was great about this series is that I started by reading this to my kids and by the end of the series, they were reading it to me! Many educators have noted that this page-turning series increased literacy among children and adults, and some studies showed that it had a positive effect on kids’ moral values–that Harry Potter taught them about valuing their friendships and doing the right thing.
My Favorite Banned Book by Dale
My favorite banned book is Cujo by Stephen King. Not only do I like dogs, but I also love a good horror book. Cujo manages to be realistic and terrifying. Stephen King’s books are often banned or challenged for explicit language and violence, but I firmly believe that I should have the freedom to choose my own reading material.
A Banned Book I Read Recently by Helen
A recently re-read To Kill at Mockingbird as I really like the film adaptation and it had been years since I read the book. This book is often challenged with reasons cited as “offensive language” and “racism”. However, I think it is a true reflection of life at the time and its themes and events still have a lot to teach us in this day and age.
Banned Books in the News by Bernardo
I was surprised to “hear” that Invisible Man was banned because it had “…no literary value.” The article in the Christian Science monitor attributes that view to only one member of the Randolph County school board in North Carolina, who actually says that he himself did not find literary value in that book. It brings home to me that it’s not North Carolina, Randolph County, or their people that are banning books, but specific people who use their positions of power to impose their tastes on a community.
My Favorite Book is a Banned Book by Julie
To Kill a Mockingbird is my favorite book and it has been banned many times in many places. Atticus Finch has the kind of integrity and character that I strive to imitate. Had I not read this book when I was younger, I would not try to be a better human being than I am.
The value of banned and challenged books by Cyndi
When reading the top ten most challenged books of 2012, I was surprised to see Dav Pilkey’s Captain Underpants series in the top slot. My next thought was “Why I am surprised, the series is called Captain Underpants, of course it is going to offend?!” It is obvious to me that Dav Pilkey remembers not only what it is like to be young, but the humor that appeals to young boys especially. I remember desperately searching for any book that would grab and hold my young son’s attention. I found my answer in the silly, potty-humor adventures of underdogs George and Harold as they battled the evil force of adult authority. The very things that make this book a target for challenges are the same qualities that engaged my young son. Suddenly he recognized the entertainment value books could offer. He looked forward to the next book in the series as we branched out to Pilkey’s Dragon and Dumb Bunny series. Although many years have passed since we sat on the couch and laughed our way through these outrageously silly adventures, I will always remember that this series was the key that opened the door to the world of books for my son. As parents we may be tempted to steer our children into what we deem to be a more proper reading direction, but the cost of our insistence may be alienation. Allowing our children the freedom to read and be read to purely for entertainment, to laugh at the silly, introduces them to the world of reading in a most welcoming manner. I will always prefer the sound of a child’s belly laugh when reading something silly over the silence of a book that sits on the shelf unread.