Plumfield Moms

Books and Links: Our friends at Biblioguides have created a fantastic FREE Landmark Books Collector's Guide: A Collector's Guide and Checklist to the Landmark Books Episode 1 City Under the Back Steps Combat Nurses: Purple House Press - Plumfield Kids Review - Book Discussion (Coming in Feb 2023) The Mysterious Voyage of Captain Kidd: Purple House Press - Diane's Review - Book Discussion (Coming in Jan 2023) Landmark Books Complete List on Biblioguides Giant Landmarks The Real Book Series Childcraft At Random: The Reminiscences of Bennett Cerf at Random Medical Heroes Clara Barton Florence Nightingale Pocahontas and Captain John Smith Armstrong Sperry James Daugherty, The Landing of the Pilgrims Dorothy Canfield Fisher Ocean Born Mary & Phoebe Fairchild Mr. Pine's Purple House We have a list of Landmark books that we have found on Audio Episode 2 Importance of Lending Libraries Landmark Books On Audible Chris Whipple Americans Into Orbit Young Mark Twain and the Mississippi Custer's Last Stand Geronimo: Wolf of the Warpath The Coming of the Mormons Jesus of Nazareth First Men in the World Prehistoric America Sortable List of Living Books Life in the Renaissance Reviews of Landmark Books: The Mysterious Voyage of Captain Kidd Plumfield Kids: Combat Nurses Plumfield Kids: The Flying Tigers Join the conversation: Library Ladies at the Plumfield Reads corner of the Biblioguides Mighty Networks Purple House Press Webpage, Facebook Page, Instagram Biblioguides Webpage, Facebook Page, Instagram Plumfield Facebook Page, Instagram, Podcast Page

This boyishly fun book is accented by great illustration. Head over to our website to see some samples: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/twenty-one-balloons/

On Teaching Spelling II My apologies to anyone who actually knows how to pronounce Old English! Read more here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/spelling-ii/

Welcome back to the Plumfield Reads book club! In this episode, we are joined again by Tanya Arnold, Sarah Kim, and Lara Lleverino from Biblioguides.com to talk about Margi McAllister's beautiful Mistmantle Chronicles. The first part of this discussion is spoiler free. At 24:40, we announce that the balance of the episode will have spoilers in it. If you are curious but wish to avoid spoilers, join us for the first twenty-four minutes. Learn more about Mistmantle here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-mistmantle-chronicle-books/ Join in the discussion at Mighty Networks: https://community.biblioguides.com/groups/8299949/topics/8356515 Listen to our interview with the author: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/meet-margi-mcallister-1-2/

In this episode of Monday Morning Book Review, Sara talks about M.I. McAllister's first Mistmantle book, Urchin of the Riding Stars. You can find the web version of this review at our website here.

Episode 2 Show Summary & Links: Buzztail Van Gogh Bird Watchers Bird Feeders Australian Flowers Mushroom Book Charlotte Mason Audio Books Borrowed House Cover David Weitzman's Pharaoh’s Boat Magic Australia Nan Chauncy The Randy He Went With Colors of the Wind Here Come the Bears Captain Kidd Combat Nurses Learn More About Our Guests: Anthony Coafield, Living Book Press Website Facebook Page Instagram Jill Morgan, Purple House Press Website Facebook Page Instagram Tanya Arnold, Biblioguides Website Facebook Page Instagram Mighty Networks

Episode 1 Show Summary & Links: War Time Paper The Talking Wire Illustrated Junior Library Last Bookshop in London Ocean Born Mary Leaper Yellow Ball Joan of Arc - PHP and LBP Charlotte Mason Pharaoh’s Boat Mistmantle Landmark Books bookshop.org Learn More About Our Guests: Anthony Coafield, Living Book Press Website Facebook Page Instagram Jill Morgan, Purple House Press Website Facebook Page Instagram Tanya Arnold, Biblioguides Website Facebook Page Instagram Mighty Networks

A review of Meindert DeJong's The House of Sixty Fathers. This link will take you to the quote about the autobiographical elements of this story. https://bookroo.com/books/the-house-of-sixty-fathers You may find further description and an inside view of the book at biblioguides.com.

One of Sara's favorite biographies! Joseph Pearce is an excellent biographer and Tolkien deserved a biography of this caliber. You can read the web version here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/tolkien-man-and-myth/ Wisdom and Innocence (Chesterton): http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/wisdom-and-innocence/ The Quest for Shakespeare: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-quest-for-shakespeare/ Bilbo's Journey: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/bilbos-journey/ Hobbit Club: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/12587-2/

This is the second half of our beautiful conversation with Margi McAllister. The first half posted earlier today.

This beautiful interview is broken into two segments. This is the first half of the conversation. The second half is also posting today.

Review: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-letter-for-the-king/ Anne-With-An-E: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pillaging-anne/ You can purchase the Space Trilogy books at BookShop.org - a nonprofit online book vendor which supports bricks-and-mortar bookstores and libraries. Letter for the King: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9781782690818 The Secrets of the Wild Wood: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9781782691952 The Song of Seven: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9781782691426 The Goldsmith and the Master Thief: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9781782692485

A review of Old Ironsides by David Weitzman.

You can find the web review complete with gorgeous illustration here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pharaohs-boat/

David Weitzman writes and illustrates books for children about the "edges" in human history. The moments in which one feats of engineering and craft catapulted man forward into a new way of thinking about the world. We enjoyed talking with him so much that the interview turned into two episodes. And, when we were done with that conversation, we decided to have another which turned into 2 more episodes. All this week we will be airing those episodes and then on Friday, we will air Diane's review of Old Ironsides. We will be building a David Weitzman page for our website. Sara has reviewed Pharaoh's Boat, Diane has reviewed Old Ironsides, and we will be reviewing others. You can find Old Ironsides here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/old-ironsides/ You can find Pharaoh's Boat here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pharaohs-boat/

David Weitzman writes and illustrates books for children about the "edges" in human history. The moments in which one feats of engineering and craft catapulted man forward into a new way of thinking about the world. We enjoyed talking with him so much that the interview turned into two episodes. And, when we were done with that conversation, we decided to have another which turned into 2 more episodes. All this week we will be airing those episodes and then on Friday, we will air Diane's review of Old Ironsides. We will be building a David Weitzman page for our website. Sara has reviewed Pharaoh's Boat, Diane has reviewed Old Ironsides, and we will be reviewing others. You can find Old Ironsides here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/old-ironsides/ You can find Pharaoh's Boat here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pharaohs-boat/

David Weitzman writes and illustrates books for children about the "edges" in human history. The moments in which one feats of engineering and craft catapulted man forward into a new way of thinking about the world. We enjoyed talking with him so much that the interview turned into two episodes. And, when we were done with that conversation, we decided to have another which turned into 2 more episodes. All this week we will be airing those episodes and then on Friday, we will air Diane's review of Old Ironsides. We will be building a David Weitzman page for our website. Sara has reviewed Pharaoh's Boat, Diane has reviewed Old Ironsides, and we will be reviewing others. You can find Old Ironsides here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/old-ironsides/ You can find Pharaoh's Boat here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pharaohs-boat/

David Weitzman writes and illustrates books for children about the "edges" in human history. The moments in which one feats of engineering and craft catapulted man forward into a new way of thinking about the world. We enjoyed talking with him so much that the interview turned into two episodes. And, when we were done with that conversation, we decided to have another which turned into 2 more episodes. All this week we will be airing those episodes and then on Friday, we will air Diane's review of Old Ironsides. We will be building a David Weitzman page for our website. Sara has reviewed Pharaoh's Boat, Diane has reviewed Old Ironsides, and we will be reviewing others. You can find Old Ironsides here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/old-ironsides/ You can find Pharaoh's Boat here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/pharaohs-boat/

This magical book is a favorite of Sara's and it is one of our more popular book reviews! You can purchase the "red" version that Sara talked about here: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9780618512652 You can purchase the "new" version that Sara talked about here: https://bookshop.org/a/86509/9780358389880 You can peek inside in Sara's web review here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/letters-from-father-christmas/

In this episode of Monday Morning Book Review, Sara talks about S. D. Smith's first Green Ember book, The Green Ember. You can find our more about Sam in the Beloved Authors section of our website, here. You can read the web version of this review at our website here.

In this episode, Diane and Sara talk with the Father-Son writing team, Sam and Josiah Smith about their brand new book, Jack Zulu and the Waylander's Key. Fans of The Green Ember series will love knowing that Josiah has been helping his father with that series for years. This time, however, the tables are turned and this book is Josiah's concept that he shared with his dad. Listen in as we talk about how this book is different from the Green Ember in style, how it reminds Sara of N. D. Wilson, and how it surprised Diane. Books and Links: Sara's Review of Jack Zulu Our S. D. & J. D. Smith Author Page Boxcar Children Father Brown N. D. Wilson 100 Cupboards The Door Before Karate Kid Star Wars The Bark of the Bog Owl G. K. Chesterton Learn More About Our Guests: S. D. & J. D. Smith Website Instagram Facebook Where You Can Find Us: Plumfield and Paideia Facebook Page Plumfield Reads Book Club Discussion Space at the FREE Biblioguides Online Community Plumfield Moms Podcast Page Plumfield Moms Instagram

This brand new book is available for pre-order on Tuesday, October 4th. You can find out more about the pre-orders here: https://jackzulu.com You can learn more about S.D. Smith here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/s-d-smith/

A review of Mark Twain's River Memoir.

Join us for our October Plumfield Reads Book Club: Mark Twain's Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc! Thanks to the incredible generosity of Biblioguides, you can listen to this podcast and then join us over at their Mighty Networks community space and join in the discussion! If you know the basics of the life and death of Joan of Arc, you won't find any real spoilers in this episode.

This book is such a departure from what we expect from Mark Twain that he had it published anonymously so readers would judge the book without prejudice. I like Joan of Arc best of all my books, and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none.

You can teach your children to read and spell! Read more here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/on-teaching-spelling/

In this week's episode of Plumfield In Person, Diane and Sara talk with Charlotte Mason homeschooler Kathy Seeger about her journey into becoming a living books librarian and building a lending library in her home. Books and Links: Living Books Library List Charlotte Mason Education Carole Joy Seid Michelle Miller Howard Liz Cottrel Library Tour by Simply Charlotte Mason Carnegie Libraries Tomie de Paola Patrica Polacco Rechenka's Eggs Charlotte Mason 6 Volume Set The Rise and Fall of Adolf Hitler Tale of Two Cities Learn More About Our Guests: Library Lady Kathy Seeger of Living Education Library Where You Can Find Us: Plumfield and Paideia Facebook Page Plumfield Moms Instagram Plumfield Moms Podcast Page

This episode is the third in the Mistmantle Chronicles series.

This marvelous and funny series opener is a delight! You can read our web review here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/all-creatures-jim-herriot/

We are glad to welcome Tim Feldhausen back to Plumfield in Person to discuss Tim & Sara's Tuesday Night Classics Club. This time, however, we also welcome Sara's dear friend, Fr. Brad VandenBranden, O. Praem, a priest of St. Nortbert Abbey in DePere, Wisconsin as we discuss their recent book club discussion of Dr. King's Letter From Birmingham Jail. A Letter from Birmingham Jail If you want to hear Dr. King read this letter himself, you can listen at Youtube here Olivia Hussey in Mother Teresa If you wish to read this powerful American text, you can find it at Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3IWMqsk If you want to hear Dr. King read this letter himself, you can listen at Youtube here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ATPSht6318o&t=1565s

A review of Michael Morpurgo's War Horse.

In this episode of Monday Morning Book Review, Sara talks about the first of Ralph Moody's autobiographical books in the Little Britches series. You can see the print version of this review at our website, here. You can find the reprint of the books mentioned in the review at Purple House Press, here. You can learn more about Ralph Moody at Biblioguides.com.

In this special episode, Diane and Sara sat down with the ladies from Biblioguides to have an in-depth conversation about Hilda van Stockum's The Borrowed House. This hour-long discussion is a great start to unpacking this book, but it is just that. A start. We merely scratched the surface. That is why we had the joy of making a wonderful announcement at the start of the episode: Biblioguides is launching a Mighty Networks network and they have generously given us a place in their network to host ongoing book club discussions! The Plumfield Reads group inside the Biblioguides Mighty Network is free and open to any of our listeners! Join, for free, here: https://community.biblioguides.com/ This book club discussion will have spoilers in it. If you would like to join the discussion but do not want any spoilers, join the Borrowed House book club on Mighty Networks and join in the discussion threads as you read. Also, check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

Bulla’s book is a retelling of Richard Wagner’s opera, The Ring of the Nibelung. Bulla’s retelling is accessible to anyone unfamiliar with the stories, and would be a good preparation for viewing the stage productions. Purple House Press publishes The Ring and the Fire as a companion to The Borrowed House. You can read Sara’s review of The Borrowed House here. You can learn more about The Ring and the Fire at biblioguides.com.

We love Hilda! After listening to this recording of our review of The Borrowed House, check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

We love Hilda! After listening to this recording of our review of The Borrowed House, check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

In this episode of Friday Feast, Sara and Diane talk with Jill Morgan of Purple House Press about her nearly 2 decades worth of memories of beloved children's author Leonard Kessler who died earlier this year. Kessler is the author of the Mr. Pine books among many others and he served as a mentor to Jill as she got into publishing and throughout the end of his life. This wonderful man lives on in his beautiful books at Purple House Press. Listen into this episode to hear about his Army service, friendship with Andy Warhol, his purple door, and his delightful love of crayons. We agree with Jill when she says that like Mr. Rogers, Leonard Kessler was a national treasure. You can learn more about Kessler at Biblioguides here: https://www.biblioguides.com/pub/author/leonard-kessler (If you do not have a Biblioguides membership, you can sign up here. This is our affiliate link but we are not compensated in any way. We are simply sharing it to help.) Books mentioned in this podcast (linked to our reviews with a look inside): Mr. Pine's Purple House Mr. Pine's Mixed Up Signs Mrs. Pine Takes A Trip That's Not Santa Stan The Hotdog Man Miss Jaster's Garden The Blueberry Pie Elf Little Old Man Who Cannot Read Goose Duchess Bakes a Cake https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/24/books/leonard-kessler-dead.html

In this week's episode, Tim Feldhausen returns to Plumfield in Person to chat with Diane and Sara about what happened after the year of Tolkien was over. Books and Links: Tolkien: Man and Myth Peter Kreeft's The Philosophy of Tolkien Focus on the Family The Screwtape Letters The Screwtape Letters George MacDonald The Great Divorce Till We Have Faces The Chronicles of Narnia In Defense of Sanity The Space Trilogy The Brothers Karamazov The Benedict Option Building the Benedict Option David Copperfield Frankenstein Letter from Birmingham Jail To Kill A Mockingbird The Chosen

This favorite of ours is made richer with the Jessie Willcox Smith illustrations which can be found in the Illustrated Junior Library edition. Take a look here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/the-princess-and-the-goblin/

We love Hilda! Check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

One of the things that seems to scare parents most when they are thinking of homeschooling young children is the prospect of teaching their children to read. “Experts” have conditioned us to believe that teaching reading is a delicate process best not attempted by the uninitiated. Many of the homeschool curriculum publishers, while acknowledging that parents certainly can teach their children to read, would have them believe that it can only be done by adhering strictly to their method and buying all their detailed instruction books and readers. I beg to differ! Not knowing how unqualified I was, I taught my own children to read. I then went on to teach dozens of other people’s kids to read through one-on-one tutoring and teaching in a classical Christian school. Now, I work with Sara here at Plumfield and Paideia, and with homeschoolers in my town, to encourage parents to believe, “You can do it.” When it comes to choosing books for your young reader, sorting through titles can be overwhelming. Ah, for the days when the choices were the Bible, Pilgrim’s Progress, and Gulliver’s Travels! That may be simplifying it just a bit, but not much. Until about the 1700s, no one was writing books just for children. And yet, children were learning to read. This ought to give us pause when we’re agonizing over the hundreds and thousands of books available to us today for teaching children to read. At Plumfield and Paideia, it’s obvious we value books. But what is it that makes a book valuable? This question seems particularly pertinent in our modern world where millions of books are published each year, and many can be had for less than the price of your daily coffee. One way to answer the question is to consider what you want from a particular book. If you are looking for a book, the sole purpose of which is to teach your child the sounds of the letter a, you can find that. But you then need twenty-five other books to cover the rest of the alphabet. It’s unlikely you learned to read that way, but somehow you did learn. Here’s another question: Do you remember any of the stories from the graded readers inflicted on you in school? Sally, Dick, and Jane were supposed to teach me to read. What I remember is the illustrations. A story written strictly to supply the right number and difficulty of words may actually do the job of teaching a child to read, but will it teach love for reading? I know that, with all their activity and friendliness, Sally, Dick, and Jane would not have developed a love of reading for me. What did that was other books available to me that cultivated my imagination, modeled the virtues of obedience, valor, persistence, faith, and selflessness, and became true companions. My desires for such stories meant that I often attempted books that were technically above my reading level. This didn’t discourage me, it stretched and challenged me. “I Can Read” Books were introduced in 1957. When I was a kid our family had a couple dozen of them. The HarperCollins website now features nearly 900 selections! Are children reading better now, for all that? Because truth is true, goodness is good and badness is not. And there is less gray area between the two than is popular to acknowledge. The standard for beauty comes from truth and goodness. This is not to say there is no room for taste, but there is likely less gray area between beauty and ugliness than we want to admit. And it seems beauty has been out of fashion for a long time. All that being said, if we want our children’s tastes to be properly formed, that formation ought to begin in the cradle. By the time you are looking for books appropriate for early readers, I hope your children have been hearing good stories all their lives. I won’t say it’s never too late to start . . . but, since we can’t know when the point of no return has been reached, let’s start now. We don’t believe in wasting money or shelf space on books that don’t have value. Their value has nothing to do with their price. Some of the most valuable books are going cheap on Amazon. The most expensive book with the most beautiful illustrations may still be unworthy of your attention. This page will be the starting place for our recommendations and reviews for books for young readers. Here are some of the qualities we’ll be using for our choices: Timelessness Is the book a classic that has been delighting children for decades, or does it seem likely to us that it will be a classic decades from now? Age-appropriate Situations Just because it is popular to broach a particular topic doesn’t mean the topic is edifying or appropriate to every audience. Has the author placed the characters in situations comprehensible and relatable to readers the age of the target audience? The story should be authentic, something realistic and believable, not exploitative for the sake of popular marketing. High Moral Standards Does the story demonstrate high moral standards, or does it stoop to the level of childr

Books and Links: Hillsdale College Keble College, Oxford St. John’s College The University of Chicago’s The Great Books Program Tolkien: Man and Myth Immaculee Corrie Ten Boom: The Hiding Place Anthony Esolen’s Dante Hillsdale College’s Dante

We love Hilda! Check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

We love Hilda! Check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

You can read the online version of this review at our website here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/brideshead-revisited/

Last August, Diane and Sara interviewed John Tepper Marlin - son of beloved author Hilda van Stockum. We are sharing this again one year later. A special thanks to Jill Morgan of Purple House Press for helping us connect with John Tepper Marlin, son of Hilda van Stockum. Fans of the Mitchell's books will know John better as Timmy. ("Good news, Mama!" Timmy in Friendly Gables) Diane and Sara spoke with John a couple of times leading up to this interview and enjoyed each encounter more than the one before. In particular, we felt like we were really getting to know Hilda through John and his stories. We hope that you enjoy this lovely interview as much as we did! This interview is part of our Hilda van Stockum week. Earlier this week we shared podcast reviews of some of her books. Today we talk with John about his mother and their life together. And on Friday we will be airing a special Borrowed House Book Club that we recorded with some of the ladies of Biblioguides and Jill Morgan of Purple House Press. We hope that you will join in the fun and maybe love Hilda as much as we do. Check out our Beloved Author: Hilda van Stockum page for links to all of our reviews, book clubs, and things related to Hilda van Stockum.

Books and Links: Chesterton Society Charlotte Mason Dr. Seuss Digging-Est Dog Maria Montessori & Understood Betsy The Burgess Seashore Book Nan Chancy Denver Nuggets Squanto Galileo and the Magic Numbers He Went With How the Heather Looks Charlotte Mason Audio Books Join the conversation: Plumfield and Paideia Facebook Page Plumfield Moms Podcast Page Learn More About Our Guest: Anthony Coafield, Living Book Press Website Facebook Page Instagram

In this episode of Monday Morning Book Review, Sara talks about The Growly Books by Phil and Erin Ulrich. You can find the web version of this review here at our website: www.plumfieldandpaideia.com. The Boy Book List mentioned in this episode can be found here: http://plumfieldandpaideia.com/books-boys-love/

In this week's episode of Plumfield In Person, we talk with Jill Morgan of Purple House Press about the art of resurrecting dead books. This fun conversation is just one of many we plan to have with Jill over the next few months as she is a treasure trove of fascinating stories behind the story! You can find her at: www.purplehousepress.com and https://www.facebook.com/purplehousepress. We have reviewed and continue to review a number of Purple House Press books. If you want to know more about any of the books we discussed on the show today, check out the PHP section of our website: https://plumfieldmoms.com/tags-database/tag-purple-house-press

In this episode of Monday Morning Book Review, Sara talks about Margot Benary Isbert's book, The Ark. You can find the web version of this review at our website here.