Book Review: Not A Box

It always amazes me how my boys can turn anything into a gun from a stick to a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. For the first 6 years of Thing One’s life we didn’t even have guns around the house.  I don’t even know when he first saw a gun but it apparently left an impression because one day guns entered his world of imagination.  This past Sunday we had a nice change up though.  The boys turned their marshmallow shooters into musical instruments during church.  I was so stoked!  (What were they doing with marshmallow shooters during church? Please don’t expect me to answer that.  When you have three Things to deal with sometimes you find yourself saying yes to some crazy stuff.)

My point in all of this is that a child’s imagination is very impressive.  Some how we loose all of that power as adults.  Thankfully having kids brings it back just a bit.

  

The book Not A Box by Antoinette Portis is a brilliant demonstration of the simplicity of imagination.  It’s a beautiful book.  Or at least I think so. It’s simple drawings and colors invite and allow readers of all ages to imagine.  It’s not a box, it’s a rocket ship, a house, a stage.  It’s anything but a box!  I love it because I see my children in this book and I see the child I use to be. 

Check out Antoinette Portis’s  website www.antoinetteportis.com.

Enjoy!

Kristen

Book Review: Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviour

In preparation for an upcoming post I wanted to share a bit of my story journey with you.

In my pursuit to teach my first born son, Thing One, through his insatiable desire for stories I stumbled across a book called "Healing Stories for Challenging Behaviors" by Susan Perrow published by Hawthorn Press, Gloucestershire.  This book was so affirming to me.  It encouraged me to make up stories to tell my boys that would address specific problems I was having with them.  Or even to make up stories to address problems we were having in our relationships with each other.  After a while this developed into making up stories to hopefully preempt problems, like the story I'm going to share with you in my next post.

A Healing Story is just that, a story to heal.  In some cases Healing Stories can work where medicine can't.  They aren't for healing broken arms or burns of course.  They are for wounds of the heart, soul and mind.  At the very least Healing Stories have no negative side effects.  In her book, Susan quotes Ben Okri from his own book "Birds of Heaven":

 It is easy to forget how mysterious and mighty stories are.  They do their work in silence, invisibly.  They work with all the internal materials of the mind and self.  They become part of you while changing you.

 This is the power a Healing Story is trying to tap into.  There is so much more to say on the topic of Healing Stories, but for now I'll leave you with the above thoughts.  I know for most people this is a new concept and might be a little unnerving.  If you want to learn more on this topic I highly recommend Susan's book.  Below is a review on it from www.waldorfbooks.com.

Susan Perrow has developed the art of pedagogical stories to a luminescent degree. In her beautiful book she offers dozens of stories, some her own, some traditional and retold by her. Each story carries with it the seed of healing for just about any childhood problem, from unruly behavior to deep grieving. Her voice is one of warmth and caring, her stories are richly engaging to young and old alike. Having her book at hand is like having a medicine chest filled with homeopathic remedies for all conditions - and, like homeopathy, Susan's stories are guaranteed to produce no unwanted side effects. Healing Stories includes chapters on creating stories and on the art of storytelling, as well as stories selected for their ability to heal. This is a resource that is so vast in its usefulness that we predict it will become one of the most sought after parent/teacher resources ever printed.

Enjoy!
Kristen

Book Review: To Dance With God

So it begins!  The most anticipated time of the year, the Advent season.  I love this time of year!  But I just hate that last stressful crunch between Thanksgiving and Christmas.  It leaves me distracted, tired and completely unprepared for the Promise of Christ.  It leaves me no room for the contemplation that should happen during that time, during Advent.

Four years ago my good friend, Kim, introduced me to a book that revolutionized my families Advent season.  It’s called “To Dance with God” by Gertrud Mueller Nelson and published by the Paulist Press.   If you want to truly have more meaning in your Advent and Christmas season this book is a must read. 

Admittedly, you should start on Advent preparation way before the first day of Advent, which happens to be November 27^th this year.  However, don’t be daunted.  Use reading this book as your own personal Advent this year.  Don’t be tempted to add anything to your Advent or Christmas season this year.  Okay, maybe one or two things but that’s it!  You will be overwhelmed and throw the whole thing out if you try anything more.  Also, realize that Ms. Nelson has had years and years of practice.  She’s like the Martha Steward of family ritual and community celebration.  She’s incredible!

Also, don’t be daunted by your family’s protestations to new traditions.  No matter how old they are you can make your Advent and Christmas seasons richer and deeper.  I promise they will warm up to it! 

Warmly,

Kristen