What We’ve Been Reading – Weeks 4 and 5 – Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother

Preschool – Second Grade Read Alouds

Aesop’s Fables for Children illustrated by Milo Winter

Bible Stories for Little Children under the approbation of Cardinal McCloskey (excerpt here)

A Book of Seasons by Alice and Martin Provensen

Catholic Children’s Treasure Box Books by Maryknoll Sfisters

A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

The Elephant’s Child by Rudyard Kipling, illustrated by Leonard Weisgard

The children had a lot of questions about this story. They also thought that it was funny. I was surprised that they asked for me to read it twice on the same day. It lead to a discussion about spanking and comments from Finnian about how the elephant’s child shouldn’t have spanked his family. Patrick told his older brother all about the story and enjoyed telling him about the words that the bi-colored-python-rock snake used. Like Patrick, I was amused by Rudyard Kipling’s interesting use of words and phrases.

Every Autumn Comes The Bear by Jim Arnosky

James Herriot’s Treasury for Children by James Herriot

Little Patron of Gardeners: The Good Saint Fiacre by Catherine Beebe

Master Maid: A Tale of Norway by Aaron Shepard

I am still trying to decide what I thought of this book. In it, the troll says to the Master Maid, “Curse your soul.” She replies, “Bless my soul.” While I like the Master Maid’s response, I felt uneasy reading the troll’s words to my children.

Miniature Stories of the Saints by Rev. Daniel A. Lord, SJ

Saint Francis and the Animals by Leo Politi

St. Jerome and the Lion by Margaret Hodges

Second Grade

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman

Fifth Grade

The Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli

The Covered Bridge by Cornelia Meigs

Happy Times in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren

Sixth Grade

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, illustrated by Arthur Rackham

John Treegate’s Musket by Leonard Wibberley

Peter Treegate’s War by Leonard Wibberley

Sea Captain from Salem by Leonard Wibberley

Eighth Grade

The Black Fox of Lorne by Marguerite de Angeli

The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving, illustrated by Arthur Rackham

National Velvet by Enid Bagnold

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Tenth Grade

Butter at the Old Price: The Autobiography of Marguerite de Angeli
Catherine enjoyed getting a peak at this author’s life. She told me in amazement, “Marguerite de Angeli and her sister used to stay up until midnight working on homework.” I always thought that Marguerite de Angeli was a Catholic, but Catherine told me that she was a Baptist.

The Catholic Girl’s Guide by Fr. F.X. Lasance

Catherine received this book as a gift from her Confirmation sponsor a few years ago. This book was the perfect present for my daughter. She is constantly reading it. I will try to remember to mention the book when Catherine discusses some aspect of it with me, as she did recently.

The Lark and the Laurel by Barbara Willard

Life With Father by Clarence Day

St. Francis of Assisi by G.K. Chesterton