Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent {Books 4 Christmas}

It was almost 21 years ago when I first heard about Jotham's Journey.  There were mixed reviews of forums.  It was during the time before the internet had mega bookstores or blogs with reviews. Timothy and Jane were little and I had just attended a GEMS (Godly Encouragement for MotherS) where I'd learned about taking Christmas back and creating memories, purposefully building Christmas traditions and I had also just discovered the Jesse Tree which started with a quest to know more and I ended up learning about Advent - The season of Anticipation and Hope.

Upon a little more research I took the plunge and purchased Jotham's Journey and I can see without a shadow of a doubt that it was the best decision ever.  If you are looking for a new family tradition and a book that will keep you on the edge of your seat with adventure and encouragement I highly recommend you add Jotham's Journey to your family Christmas book collection.

Jotham's Journey: A Storybook for Advent

Book 1 of 4

• Format Paperback | 
• 167 pages Dimensions 214 x 234 x 8mm | 395g 
• Publication date 26 Aug 2008 
• Publisher Kregel Publications,U.S. 
• Language English 
• Illustrations note Illustrations, black and white 
• ISBN10 0825441749 
• ISBN13 9780825441745 
• Author - Arnold Ytreeide

Personal Favourite Homeschool Products for 2018

As 2018 begins to draw to an end I've been reflecting on my third year as a Crew leader with the Homeschool Review Crew.  This year the Crew have had the priviledge of reviewing 66 products and have provided over 4,500 reviews for the greater homeschooling community.

At the end of each year the Crew vote to select their favourites in a number of catagories and I was pleased to see a few of my personal favourites selected as Blue Ribbon Award Winners. We reviewed a few things too this year and today I would like to share my top five products for 2018.

Audio Drama's by Heirloom Audio are by far my favourite homeschool discovery and St. Bartholowmew's Eve Audio Drama is my all time favourite from their Extraordinary Adventures of G.A. Henty Collection.

Our newest favourite history resource/curriculum is Drive Thru History® Adventures with host Dave Stotts.

CursiveLogic has made learning to write and improver cursive writing a pleasure.

I loved the practical advice I discovered in Taming the Lecture Bug.  (I think I may need a refresher).

GrammarPlanet has been a life saver.  

Be sure to pop on over to the Homeschool Review Crew blog to read what a few of my homeschool Crew mates Personal Favorite Products Reviewed for 2018 are.

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Beowulf - 3 Recommendations For Your Homeschool

This year has been an enlightening one.  I have joined a group of mothers and read The Original Homeschooling Series by Charlotte Mason.  I was most intrigued with Miss Mason's words and recommendations on reading Beowulf in volume two.

Children should be in Touch with Beowulf––We have to thank Tennyson for our Arthur, and Shakespeare for our Henry the Fifth, but we imagine that parents will find their children's souls more in touch with Beowulf than with either of these, no doubt because the legends of a nation's youth are the pages of history which most easily reach a child; and Beowulf belongs to a younger stage of civilisation than even Arthur.(Volume 2 page 143)

This sent me on a quest to see what my local library had on Beowulf. Here are three that I would like to recommend.

Beowulf {Rob Lloyd Jones}

• Format Hardback | 
• 64 pages 
• Dimensions 136 x 198 x 12mm | 222.26g 
• Publication date 26 Sep 2009 
• Publisher Usborne Publishing Ltd Publication 
• Language English 
• Illustrations note full colour illustrations throughout 
• ISBN10 0746096860 
• ISBN13 9780746096864 
• Author - Rob Lloyd Jones
• Illustrated - Victor Tavares

This book is beautifully illustrated and well written for younger readers.

Beowulf {Michael Morpugo}

• Format Paperback | 160 pages 
• Dimensions 129 x 198 x 11mm | 159g 
• Publication date 03 Oct 2013 
• Publisher Walker Books Ltd Publication 
• Language English 
• ISBN10 1406348872 
• ISBN13 9781406348873 
• Author - Michael Morpugo
• Illustrated - Michael Foreman

This one is for older students and is a well written condensed translation which still brings across the beauty of the story and the depth of the character of Beowulf.

 Beowulf {Translated by Professor Burton Raffel}

• Format Paperback | 152 pages 
• Dimensions 105 x 172 x 15.24mm | 89g 
• Publication date 04 Feb 2016 
• Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc 
• Language English 
• ISBN10 0451530969 
• ISBN13 9780451530967 
• Translated by Professor Burton Raffel

This is the translation that Nathaniel and I will be reading together in the new year.  From my research and the recommendations of other Charlotte Mason home educators this edition captures the beauty of the English language and the heroic character of Beowulf drawing the reader into the story of the hero.

But it is not only the idea of a hero which we have in Beowulf, it is also the idea of a king, the just governor, the wise politician, the builder of peace, the defender of his own folk at the price of his life, "the good king, the folk king, the beloved king, the war ward of his land, the winner of treasure for the need of his people, the hero who thinks in death of those who sail the sea, the gentle and terrible warrior, who is buried amid the tears of his people. (vol 2 pg 144 & 145)

Have you read Beowulf? IF so which translations did you use and why?