Circle C Stepping Stones ~ Book Review

My daughter and I have been digging in to the world of Andi and her pals, with these Circle C Stepping Stones books written by Susan K. Marlow and published by Kregel Publications. We received the first two books, Andi Saddles Up and Andi Under The Big Top, in return for our honest review.

The first in the series, Andi Saddles Up, takes the reader back in time to the Circle C Ranch during the year of 1877. The book introduces nine year old Andrea Carter, on her birthday. Andi is extremely excited, given that it is not only her birthday but that she is also now old enough to ride Taffy, her beloved horse.

Andi dreams of learning to trick ride, just like her friend Riley always used to do, but her big brother Chad simply won't hear of it. Chad has been the man around the farm since their father passed away.

Andi goes on to meet a new friend, Sadie, but Sadie's Pa is in a land boundary dispute with Chad and things are very tricky. Can Andi and Sadie continue to be friends?

Whilst they aren't in abundance the illustrations that are contained in the novel are beautiful hand drawn sketches and just add that little extra to the story.

This story contains some wonderful life lessons and Andi certainly learns some hard and painful ones throughout the story.

It's a great one to read together, that's for sure, as both adults and children alike can take something away from this. My daughter read this aloud to me a little each day and after each reading we moved to the free printable study guide that is available on the Kregel Publications website.

The study guide includes chapter comprehension questions, vocabulary word practice, crosswords, poetry writing activities, character activities and more. It was a good way to extend on the reading.

If you have a daughter that loves horses and farm life then she is sure to enjoy getting in to this adventure with Andi.

We also received the second book in the Circle C Stepping Stones series, Andi Under The Big Top.

It's summer on the Circle C Ranch and the circus is coming to town. One needs to remember that it is the year 1877 and having something like a circus arrive in town with all of those exotic animals really is a big deal!.

As you can imagine Andi is brimming with excitement to get along to the circus and to watch the show. She is somewhat wary of the clowns but goes on to thoroughly enjoy the circus.

Whilst there she meets a young boy, name Henry Jackson, who has run away and joined the circus. It seems like it is everyone's dream, to run away and join the circus doesn't it? But is Henry really loving his life? There is much more to his story than first appears.

Andi decides that she needs to help her new friend but at what cost?

Again this installment brings many life lessons. Can Andi really help Henry to find his way back home?

Once again there are a few beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book and a free study guide is also available to download.

My daughter is slightly above the recommended age range for these books and we did notice at times that they were probably on the young side for her. We did notice on the website though that there are other series following Andi as she grows up so we will take a closer look at those.

Overall we both enjoyed these, although felt Andi Saddles Up grabbed our attention more.

If you would like to read further reviews of these books by other Homeschool Review Crew members simply click on the graphic below.

You can also find more details about this series via Susan K. Marlow's facebook page.



I trust this review has helped you to learn a little more about the Circle C Stepping Stones range.

Happy Homeschooling,
Kylie

Cultural Geography Through Literature

Travel and Literature, quite simply these are two of my favourite things!

If I could be off traveling the world with my children right now I would be, wouldn't we all?!

Today we just opened one very exciting package that may just be the next best thing.

A special delivery from our new friend Crameye! He is going to be sharing his adventurous worldwide travels with us through his writing.

*I received he complete set of Series One from The Adventurous Mailbox, all opinion expressed from here on are purely my own and those my children.*

I have to say that I am most impressed with the attention to detail that The Adventurous Mailbox brings.

Even the shipping box, is sturdy, fully printed both inside and out and was addressed to include each of my three children personally.

Inside were three letters, one each for the kids and again personally addressed. Truly we haven't even looked at anything yet and I'm impressed already.

A little Crameye sticker is used to hold the letter closed. Inside, again addressed to the child, the letter goes on to explain just a little about the package they have received.

It also includes a card with their secret code to access Crameye's World, an online kids area where they can play games, win prizes and learn even more about the world around them.

The books come in yet another hard cover slip binder. This is such a huge plus for me, it means we can always keep the set together and can find them on our shelves quickly and easily.

Series One contains a set of 8 books, covering the countries of Finland, Taiwan, Brazil, Thailand, Greece, Tanzania, Peru and Peru Too. Currently there are plans in place to expand this range to 40 books.

Whilst we've looked through the package and so far genuinely like what we see we have decided to hold off making a start on reading about Crameye's adventures until next week.

I am going to use these as a read aloud so that all three of my children can experience this adventure at the same time.

But, sshhh, don't tell the kids! I couldn't help myself, I had to take a glimpse inside book one to see for myself what it was like.

Let's just say that I'm pretty confident that the kids are going to enjoy these immensely, they are absolutely written to the primary ages, but I also feel that lower high school kids will probably enjoy them also.

The writing style is really quite funny, frank, down to earth and clearly written by your average 12 year old boy (or there abouts because I don't actually know his age). Even though I only got a few pages in, I had already had a good giggle or two.

On top of the Adventurer Package of books and access to Crameye's World, you can also choose to add as an optional extra, access to The Teachers Lounge, where you can access lesson plans, printable resources and worksheets to use alongside the books.

I am really looking forward to getting started with these and the additional lessons from the teachers lounge.

I'll be back soon to share my kids reactions to the stories and lessons, so be sure to keep an eye out for those.

So, what are the costs involved I hear you ask?

Set One of Eight Books currently sells for $79 (USD)
Teachers Lounge Access is $20 (USD)

However The Adventurous Mailbox has offered a pretty neat deal for you to grab your own copy for your family.

The Adventurous Mailbox Homeschool Promotional Deal

Using the coupon code HSadventure at checkout, you will get the Teacher's Lounge for free (originally $20/must be in shopping cart for coupon to work) as well as $10 off the Adventurer Package Series One Books.

So, basically your family would receive the Adventurer Package (like the one I have just shown you) plus full access to the 100s of lessons in the Teacher's Lounge for just $69.00 (USD). The coupon code is valid until June 30th 2015.

Visit The Adventurous Mailbox site.

I'll be back soon to share the details of our adventures with The Adventurous Mailbox.

Happy Homeschooling,

Kylie

ANZAC Picture Books

ANZAC day is fast approaching so I thought I would share a small selection of picture books with you.

ANZAC Biscuits, by Phil Cummings & Owen Swan

This is the touching story of a little girl named Rachel. Whom along with her mother, bakes biscuits to send to her father whilst he is away at war.

Page by page the stark contrast is bitterly obvious between what the solider is experiencing in comparison to the warm quiet evening Rachel spends indoors.

The reader absolutely experiences the hardship and sacrifice made by the men, women and their families. However the harsher, more gruesome realities of war are left out here. Making this a perfect picture book for younger children.

The ANZAC Puppy, by Peter Millett & Trish Bowles

When a young soldier name Sam finds a puppy being given away he decides to take her to war with him.

This is the fictional story of Sam and Freda's time spent at war, the good, the bad and the ugly. Sam believed that Freda was his good luck charm and that she was most definitely protecting him, ensuring that he made it home safely.

Whilst a slightly longer book it is still most definitely suitable for a younger audience.

Jack's Bugle, by Krista Bell & Belinda Elliott

The story of 19 year old Aidan Jackson, an excellent bugle player, that went to war. It begins with Jack saying farewell to his loved ones, then shows a basic overview of their time spent training in Egypt.

From there the story solemnly moves to ANZAC Cove, Gallipoli.

Aidan, never returns home from the war but his bugle does and it ends up in the hands of a very unlikely character.

I would recommend this story for a slightly older age group than the earlier two books. It is somewhat longer and talks of the death and despair of Gallipoli.

The Beach They Called Gallipoli, by Jackie French & Bruce Whatley

This is the story of Gallipoli, as seen from the cove, the story of the beach.

French and Whatley worked superbly together to create the gruseome images of the months of bloodshed at Gallipoli.

Written in a journal format, with real photgraphs interspersed between haunting illustrations, this is definitely one for the slightly older child.

I reviewed, Why Are They Marching Daddy, couple of years back. You can see my thoughts and a few of the inside pages by clicking here.

Lest We Forget,
Kylie

My Other Posts About The ANZAC's

Free Printable Unit For Younger Learners

My Pearl Harbour Scrapbook

My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook is a wonderful collection of images, detailed information and a fabulous commemoration of such an important historical event in both the U.S and the World.

Description
A Nostalgic Collection of Memories unravels the momentous event of one of America s greatest tragedies, the attack on Pearl Harbor from its early Japanese inception, through the attack and its devastating aftermath.

With the "look and feel" of a WWII period scrapbook, each two-page spread illuminates a specific aspect of the Pearl Harbor story with the use of hundreds of original photographs, maps, telegrams, newspaper articles, hand-typed notes and letters.

The use of captivating design elements engage the reader in what life was like at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii before, during and after December 7, 1941. Told in "bite-sized" pieces this history book is easy and fun to read for all audiences. Treasured collections from the 1940's of ephemera, pins, buttons, watches and medals illustrate each page and stirs the imagination. My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook, 1941: A Nostalgic Collection of Memories is an "adventure in learning" about the many essential details of the Pearl Harbor account.

Author Bio
Bess Taubman, author of My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook 1941, combines her unique talents as writer, designer and publisher creating dynamic, educational products about historical subjects. She has been writing about the Pearl Harbor story for over twenty years. Presenting the reader a unique way to learn about complex subjects, Ms. Taubman is helping to reshape the way historical information is introduced with colorful vivid story lines. This is her first book. She lives in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband and daughter.

Ernest Arroyo is a former president of the Pearl Harbor History Associates. He is the author of Pearl Harbor, a photographic history of "a date which will live in infamy" as well as contributor to more than a dozen books on naval and maritime history, including East Wind Rain, an acclaimed account of the Pearl Harbor attack. He lives and writes in Stratford, Connecticut.

The pages truly appear as though you are flicking through someone's scrapbook album, it includes spreads from front page newspapers, details of Roosevelt's Infamy Speech, pages dedicated to both U.S and Japanese Leaders of War.

It also includes a detailed Timeline, many amazing images, including details of battleships and fighter planes. This is one war time book that will keep your children coming back. Each time they flick through the pages there is something new to find and read about. This is a wonderful addition to our bookshelves.

My Pearl Harbor Scrapbook 1941
A Nostalgic Collection of Memories
By Bess Taubman & Ernest Arroyo
Published by MapMania Publishing Co
Hardcover: 98 pages
January 14, 2014; $24.95 US/ $32.50 CAN; 9781883443078

For more information please visit http://mypearlharborscrapbook.com, and follow the author on Facebook

Disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to review. I have enjoyed sharing it with my children and I know it will help to round out our learning on WWII as we delve deeper into the topic in 2015.