A Little Summer Reading

A list of the books I purchased to get started on this summer with the girls.

The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
The Little House on the Prairie Series
McGuffey's Readers
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Princess and the Pea
The Song of Hiawatha
The Ugly Duckling
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Noah Websters Blue Back Speller
Rip Van Winkle

We are currently reading The Wind in the Willows. Real literature. I pay more when I can for the illustrated, hardback, or anniversary editions. Ours is illustrated by Robert Ingpen. The illustrations are enchanting. I am so grateful my children play "Mr. Toad, Ratty, and Mole" now instead of Dora and Diego. Grahame's use of imagery, metaphor, simile, alliteration, and language are superb.

Today we spent 45 minutes on the following passage:

The pageant of the river succeeded each other in stately procession. Purple loosestrife arrived early, shaking luxuriant tangled locks along the edge of the mirror whence its own face laughed back at i. Willow-herb, tender and wistful, like a pink-sunset cloud, was not slow to follow. Comfrey, the purple hand-in-hand with the white, crept forth to take its place in the line; and at last on morning the diffident and delaying dog-rose stepped delicately on the stage, and one knew, as if string-music had announced it in stately chords that strayed inot a gavotte, that June at last was here. One member of the company was still awaited; the shepherd-boy for the nymphs to woo, the knight for whom the ladies waited at the window, the prince that was to kiss the sleeping summer back to life and love. But when meadow-sweet, debonair and odorous in amber jerkin, moved graciously to his place in the group, then the play was ready to begin.

Between our dictionary, perennial resource book and the internet, we peiced together this priceless selection. It sounds tedious, but the children loved looking at the pictures of the flowers, and talking about seasons and colors, dancing, knights and rivers.

Somehow, I don't think Ellery got quite as much by watching The Magic School Bus at school today.