Summer reading

This has been a summer of reading aloud. My younger two children love to have books read to them but the Wisdom House reading scheme really seemed to galvanise Younger Daughter to try to beat her brother's list of books. So Youngest Son had his usual large dose of picture books, over 140 so far, this summer not including repeats and longer, partially read books.

Younger Daughter decided that the best way to achieve a high number was to go for mainly picture books, with a few longer books for variety and a few that she read aloud. She hasn't quite managed her brother's score but is over 100.

It sounds impressive but I'm sure that books and the park have been a lazy mother's way of keeping them happy!

In between, I've managed a bit of reading; not as much as I would like but some. A couple of books to see whether they were suitable to read aloud to the children:

Pat's new life by Dorothy Marsh is a book about a young girl in her new job and the challenges she faces. This will be fine to read to the children but is probably slightly over the head of a six year old.

Homecoming by Michael Morpurgo passes the read aloud test. Younger Daughter enjoys Michael Morpurgo's books but some are, in my opinion, too dark for a six year old. Homecoming is about an unsuccessful battle against a power station. It is sad but would be fine. I'm less sure about the book that I've glanced over recently, again by Michael Morpurgo, Running Wild , in which the hero's father dies in Iraq and he and his mother get caught up in a tsunami which claims his mother's life. Younger Daughter will probably enjoy this in a year or so.

There have been a couple of review books:

Compassionate Jesus

Homegrown preschooler: teaching your kids in the places where they live

A home education book: The well trained mind by Susan Wise Bauer and Jessie Wise.
This was long, over 600 pages but definitely worth reading for a rigorous treatment of a classical approach to education with curriculum suggestions.

The Irish Puritans: James Ussher and the reformation of the church by Crawford Gribben was a gift from some friends. This book is a fascinating history of the Reformation in Ireland and beyond. It filled in so many gaps in my knowledge about the religious, and secular history of Ireland. Definitely recommended!

I'm currently reading another book about Ireland, from the same friends: The Ulster Awakening: an account of the  1859 revival in Ireland by John Weir and a book that I have had on the go for ages, The Pilgrim Church by E.H. Broadbent.

Not much, I would have liked to have read more but struggle to find time to read. Still, I'm open to suggestions for more books to read and very tempted to go for a quick dose of Miss Read or O Douglas before term starts!