mamachanse Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand reading Magic School Bus books to my kids, yet I love the videos. I find many Usborne books way too busy. They make me feel a bit crazy at times. :blush5: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Okay, this is a stupid question, but I have been wondering lately what exactly makes a book "living"? Thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Wait, I know you! Now you know that I am stupid. :-) Sara Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Well.. I can't stand Peter Pan. The storyline doesn't bug me, but I just can't stand the book much. I know it's one of the CM books on many lists, but really.. not me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GypsieFamily Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand Mark Twain's books on the Mississippi. We tried to listen to them while we were on a houseboat. No one could get in to them at all. We were so bored. Most of them we love, but that one... Oh, and am I able to confess that I love Dan Brown? I know it's cheap, popular crap, but I love it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Natalieclare Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have never been able to get into Holling C Holling books. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannah Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I have been wondering lately what exactly makes a book "living"? The term living books was coined by followers of Charlotte Mason. The definitions are quite fluid, but Simplycharlottemason.com defines it as: Living books are usually written by one person who has a passion for the subject and writes in conversational or narrative style. The books pull you into the subject and involve your emotions, so it’s easy to remember the events and facts. Living books make the subject “come alive.†They can be contrasted to dry writing, like what is found in most encyclopedias or textbooks, which basically lists informational facts in summary form. There's another defintion and links to articles at Ambleside Online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I totally agree with the OP on those two! The stand-out bad book of the year was Mary Poppins. I cringe when I think of it. Ugh. I think the lowest moment was when she took the children to a zoo where the humans were in cages and the animals were wandering around the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EKS Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand the Genevieve Foster books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tammyw Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand reading Magic School Bus books to my kids, yet I love the videos. I find many Usborne books way too busy. They make me feel a bit crazy at times. :blush5: I agree on both of these. Some Usborne books are great (Lift the Flap Body Book, for one, but others are just way too busy). There was a suggestion for Penrose the Mathematical Cat on another thread, and we just happened to have it out from the library. I started reading it, and unfortunately even I had a hard time understanding it (granted I only read the first story, which was about 0's and 1's). I did not like that one at all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Catherine Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Wind in the Willows. My dc couldn't get into it either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
~Tara~ Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Ditto Holling C Holling and Magic School Bus. I simply can.not. read those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lisamarie Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand reading Magic School Bus books to my kids, yet I love the videos. :iagree: It's too busy and I hate the side bars. Just give me a story, thanks. My kids liked it, but I hated it--Little House in the Big Woods. It was so boring and descriptive and by the end I was just glad to be done with the book. They want me to read them the rest of the series and I'm not sure if I can stand it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stacia Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand the Genevieve Foster books. :iagree: I wanted to like them, but :tongue_smilie:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ladydusk Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 We hated by The Burgess Bird Book. We finished it, but it was touch and go for a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michelle My Bell Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 :iagree: I can't stand the Genevieve Foster books. And one of these is scheduled in my daughters curriculum next year. I haven't told her my distaste, but she reads it to herself anyhow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 The term living books was coined by followers of Charlotte Mason. The definitions are quite fluid, but Simplycharlottemason.com defines it as: There's another defintion and links to articles at Ambleside Online. Thanks! So, a living book can be non-fiction or fiction. I guess I had an idea in my head that they were engaging books about historical events/science principles, etc. Pippi Longstocking sure drew my kids in, but I can't stand that girl! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HollyDay Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I can't stand the Genevieve Foster books. :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 We hated by The Burgess Bird Book. We finished it, but it was touch and go for a while. I have yet to meet a Burgess book I like, though at least they don't cause me to physically recoil as do the Raggedy Anne books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thescrappyhomeschooler Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 :iagree: It's too busy and I hate the side bars. Just give me a story, thanks. My kids liked it, but I hated it--Little House in the Big Woods. It was so boring and descriptive and by the end I was just glad to be done with the book. They want me to read them the rest of the series and I'm not sure if I can stand it. Get them on CD. We've listened to LH in the Big Woods, LH on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, the Long Winter, and Farmer Boy. My boys love listening to them. And that way, you can veg out when the long descriptions happen. (We listen in the car, so that's how I know :tongue_smilie:). We have These Happy Golden Years on hold at the Library as we speak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Get them on CD. We've listened to LH in the Big Woods, LH on the Prairie, On the Banks of Plum Creek, the Long Winter, and Farmer Boy. My boys love listening to them. And that way, you can veg out when the long descriptions happen. (We listen in the car, so that's how I know :tongue_smilie:). We have These Happy Golden Years on hold at the Library as we speak. :iagree: (however I do love the Little house series, I just dislike read aloud time. It turns into "pester your siblings into a wrestling match" time) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gooblink Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 Pilgrim's Progress. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisy Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I don't really think of Magic School Bus and Usborne as living books. Maybe just me but they are too busy and don't really convey a passion about the subject. We are Little House on the Prairie haters here. Sorry, but those books bore us to death. The rest you've all mentioned, we LOVE. LOL. My son was reading Raggedy Ann this morning just for fun and he has read many Burgess books. I did notice with quite a few of the books mentioned that they just don't make great read-alouds. They are better once the child can just read them independently. We noticed that with Swallows and Amazons. Horrid read-aloud but my daughter loved reading the series on her own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jean in Newcastle Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 The whole definition of a living book is one that captures the imagination, spurring more ideas. So one book can be living to one person while "dead" to another. The idea of calling a book "living" but then saying that you hate it or don't find it engaging doesn't quite fit, in my opinion. The book lists of "living books" are simply ones that engaged other people's imagination and came alive to them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Julie Smith Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 For you Magic School bus haters, do you mean you hate the picture books, the chapter books, or both? We loved the picture books, then moved onto the chapter books. My kids were never big fans of the tv show. They aren't big TV watchers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*~Tina~* Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 The Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald We tried. Read it almost 3/4 of the way. It was boring and became too painful to continue :tongue_smilie: We are currently reading Summer of the Monkeys - love it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Belacqua Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I did notice with quite a few of the books mentioned that they just don't make great read-alouds. They are better once the child can just read them independently. We noticed that with Swallows and Amazons. Horrid read-aloud but my daughter loved reading the series on her own. Interesting. Maybe I'll give S&A a second chance and just chuck it at the kid and see if he reads it. We tried it as a read-aloud and I was about ready to gnaw off my own arm at the ten minute mark. It also drove my poor husband from the room, as he was compelled to sit through readings of the entire series when he was a kid (the headmaster of his boarding school evidently loved the books). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Allearia Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I hate books with talking animals. I don't know why and didn't realize it until I tried to read Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and such out loud. I'm pretty sure I liked these as kids and have no other objections so :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcconnellboys Posted April 22, 2011 Share Posted April 22, 2011 I think that each family has to define what is a "living book" for themselves because what resonates with one person or group will not resonate with another. In general, living books are written by single authors or groups of authors who maintain control of their work, rather than by committees (as with textbooks). Information is generally written in a more narrative style rather than highly compressed text. One reason we order loads of books from the library each week is so that we can pick and choose. When we find books we simply cannot wade through - we don't. We move on to what is more enjoyable reading for us. While we did read some of the Magic School Bus books when my children were younger, I never liked the busyness of them, either. I also just didn't use Usborne or DK books that were too busy when they were younger, unless we were just reading a spread or two at a time. Kingfisher came out with a line of books that were simpler and DK came out with the Eye Wonder books that were simpler and I liked those better. Usborne did come out with some bios for younger kids that were good (although some contained content that was too mature for the intended audience, I thought). There are many books we've had to adapt over the years. While I like the idea of the One Small Square books, for instance, they were waaaaaayyy too content dense for my son during the elementary years, so I had to use them sparingly. Books that have just too much good content can be adapted, too, by reading just a chapter or two; or reading just excerpts, etc. You don't have to read every single word, front to back, of every book you use! The point for us is often to foster discussion, any way, so reading enough to accomplish that doesn't necessarily mean reading the entire book. There have been tons of books over the years that we've adapted to our use in various ways. Living books are books that work well for your family to foster learning; imparting lessons that will be remembered much longer than reading from a textbook.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Momling Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I hate books with talking animals. I don't know why and didn't realize it until I tried to read Charlotte's Web, Trumpet of the Swan, The Mouse and the Motorcycle, and such out loud. I'm pretty sure I liked these as kids and have no other objections so :confused: :iagree: I have an out-of-proportion dislike of talking animal books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sara in AZ Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I think that each family has to define what is a "living book" for themselves because what resonates with one person or group will not resonate with another. In general, living books are written by single authors or groups of authors who maintain control of their work, rather than by committees (as with textbooks). Information is generally written in a more narrative style rather than highly compressed text. One reason we order loads of books from the library each week is so that we can pick and choose. When we find books we simply cannot wade through - we don't. We move on to what is more enjoyable reading for us. While we did read some of the Magic School Bus books when my children were younger, I never liked the busyness of them, either. I also just didn't use Usborne or DK books that were too busy when they were younger, unless we were just reading a spread or two at a time. Kingfisher came out with a line of books that were simpler and DK came out with the Eye Wonder books that were simpler and I liked those better. Usborne did come out with some bios for younger kids that were good (although some contained content that was too mature for the intended audience, I thought). There are many books we've had to adapt over the years. While I like the idea of the One Small Square books, for instance, they were waaaaaayyy too content dense for my son during the elementary years, so I had to use them sparingly. Books that have just too much good content can be adapted, too, by reading just a chapter or two; or reading just excerpts, etc. You don't have to read every single word, front to back, of every book you use! The point for us is often to foster discussion, any way, so reading enough to accomplish that doesn't necessarily mean reading the entire book. There have been tons of books over the years that we've adapted to our use in various ways. Living books are books that work well for your family to foster learning; imparting lessons that will be remembered much longer than reading from a textbook.... This was very helpful! Thank you. (I liked your explanation, too, Jean, but I can't figure out how to double quote. :001_huh:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EthiopianFood Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 they don't cause me to physically recoil as do the Raggedy Anne books. Oh no, I just bought one for a dollar to try it out! :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crimson Wife Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 DD is not a fan of narrative history- SOTW, CHOW, Gombrich's A Little History of the World, etc. She prefers the straightforward style of KHE. Go figure :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kolamum Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I totally agree with the OP on those two! The stand-out bad book of the year was Mary Poppins. I cringe when I think of it. Ugh. I think the lowest moment was when she took the children to a zoo where the humans were in cages and the animals were wandering around the park. Oh my goodness Mary Poppins wasn't the sweet loving Nanny from the movie AT ALL was she?! It made me sad. I think, and this is just my personal opinion, that most of the British Nanny style books are that way. I didn't find Nurse Matilda nice either. I mean, she as a person was actually very nice, but the parents in the book were irresponsible. Wind in the Willows. My dc couldn't get into it either. I'm glad I'm not the only one!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leann_in_tx Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 This makes me feel better about boxing up the magic school bus books and hiding them - again. My son loves the pictures, but I just can't stand reading them over again. And it seems like so many elementary science plans depend on books like these. Puzzles me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I can't stand reading Magic School Bus books to my kids, yet I love the videos. I find many Usborne books way too busy. They make me feel a bit crazy at times. :blush5: AGREED! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pfamilygal Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 :iagree: It's too busy and I hate the side bars. Just give me a story, thanks. My kids liked it, but I hated it--Little House in the Big Woods. It was so boring and descriptive and by the end I was just glad to be done with the book. They want me to read them the rest of the series and I'm not sure if I can stand it. That's when you bust out the audio books! I am so thankful for books on CD! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trish Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I totally agree with the OP on those two! The stand-out bad book of the year was Mary Poppins. I cringe when I think of it. Ugh. I think the lowest moment was when she took the children to a zoo where the humans were in cages and the animals were wandering around the park. I guess the author (PL Travers) was quite the crotchety woman IRL. The movie sweetened up the story quite a bit, and she didn't like that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hsmom Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I am glad I am not the only one who can't stand Magic School Bus books! We love the videos, but the books drive me batty! Some Usborne books drive me crazy, but I do love so many others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janie Grace Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I don't really think of Magic School Bus and Usborne as living books. Maybe just me but they are too busy and don't really convey a passion about the subject. I agree. I know it's hard to pin down a definition, but I was really surprised to see those described as "Living Books." Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Florida. Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 The whole definition of a living book is one that captures the imagination, spurring more ideas. So one book can be living to one person while "dead" to another. The idea of calling a book "living" but then saying that you hate it or don't find it engaging doesn't quite fit, in my opinion. The book lists of "living books" are simply ones that engaged other people's imagination and came alive to them. I was going to say something like this, but decided to read through the responses first. So I'll just say :iagree:. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mommyfaithe Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 The Red Badge of Courage. :tongue_smilie: blah! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haiku Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (edited) Andrew Lang's Fairy books Tara Edited April 23, 2011 by TaraTheLiberator Apparently I forgot how to spell Fairy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Charles Dickens. Please don't throw tomatoes at me. Anyone else doesn't like to read aloud his books? I just can't get past the first chapter of his books. We tried A Christmas Carol and then A Tale of Two Cities because we were going to see the dramas played at theatres. I had to get the Great Classical Illustrated version of Tale of Two Cities to read aloud before we saw the show. I was glad we did read the simplified one in three days before the show; otherwise I would not have understood the show at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JadeOrchidSong Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Andrew Lang's Faory books Tara :iagree: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Okay, this is a stupid question, but I have been wondering lately what exactly makes a book "living"? Thoughts? (In my best Black Adder voice -- Baldrick's): Not a textbook Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nmoira Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 (In my best Black Adder voice -- Baldrick's): Not a textbook Irony - like goldy and bronzy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kalanamak Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 Andrew Lang's Faory books Tara Say it ain't so! All I have to do is threaten kid with NO ANDREW LANG tonight unless he's in his PJs 2 minutes ago, and he's off to his room like a shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penelope Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I can't stand reading Magic School Bus books to my kids, yet I love the videos. I find many Usborne books way too busy. They make me feel a bit crazy at times. :blush5: I wouldn't classify either of these as "living books". YMMV. :) Maybe that's why they bug? I don't really like the Thornton Burgess books. Or the Parables of Nature. Or the ones by Henri Fabre. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nestof3 Posted April 23, 2011 Share Posted April 23, 2011 I can't stand the Genevieve Foster books. ACK! I love those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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