Newsletter - Happy Veteran's Day - November 10, 2023

Hello Book Bums families!

We wish a happy Veterans Day to all our military families. This week we share a pairing of books, non-fiction and fiction, that center on World War II. We also consider the Old English roots of our language and focus on the joys of ordinary days.

We love to hear from you! You can reply to this email to share your own book recommendations with us or tell us what you'd like to see in future newsletters.

Word of the Week

precocious (pri-ko-shus) adjective/describing word - showing mature qualities or development at an early age

The precocious little girl learned to read when she was three years old.

Literary Calendar

November 14 is the birthday of author Astrid Lindgren.
This Swedish author, who lived to be 94, is the creator of Pippi Longstocking.
Lindgren's daughter named the character after Lindgren came up with the story to entertain her daughter while she was home sick from school.
Pippi is a mischievous, independent, and super-strong little girl whose adventures have entertained countless kiddos.

Find Pippi Longstockings on Amazon click here

From our Bookshelves

Find All the Light We Cannot See on Amazon free with Amazon Unlimited!

Have you ever seen a book and swore you’d never read it—not because you were ashamed to have read it, but because you had absolutely no memory of it?

I saw a limited series advertised on Netflix that is based upon the 2014 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, All the Light We Cannot See, written by Anthony Doerr. I exclaimed, “I’ve been wanting to read that book!” It wasn’t until I watched the ad that I realized I had read it and adored it. It’s a story about Marie-Laure LeBlanc, a French girl who is blind and Werner Pfennig, a German boy who is skilled in radio technology and how their paths cross in Saint-Malo after France is invaded by Nazi Germany.

I did forget the title, but I did not forget the story. Though the reviews of the Netflix series aren’t great, I’m giving it a try—just in case.

Find No Ordinary Time on Amazon

I’m also reading (aka listening to on Audible) No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II, by Doris Kearns Goodwin. I find it captivating to experience a story from two very different perspectives, at the same time.

Tips for Families

Do not ask your children
to strive for extraordinary lives.
Such striving may seem admirable,
but it is the way of foolishness.
Help them instead to find the wonder
and the marvel of an ordinary life.
Show them the joy of tasting
tomatoes, apples and pears.
Show them how to cry
when pets and people die.
Show them the infinite pleasure
in the touch of a hand.
And make the ordinary come alive for them.
The extraordinary will take care of itself.

From the book The Parent's Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents by Williams Martin

Tips for Readers and Writers

At Book Bums, we teach kids that w-r says /r/, and we also share an important tidbit regarding why that darned w is there in the first place. It’s morphology at play—the study of the forms of words. You see, w-r is from Old English, and it means twist. Can you see how that meaning applies in the following words?

wrist wring wrench wreath wreck
wrinkle wrestle wrangle wriggly wrath
wrong writhe write wrapper wrap

One year, at Book Bums, we made wreaths for loved ones using individually wrapped candies. We wrapped the candy pieces around a bent clothes hanger frame using thin wire thread. Our wrists ached by the time we finished, but we were so proud of our work! To get the candies from the wreath, simply cut the wrappers with scissors.

If you’re looking for a gift your older kids could make for a loved one, this is a sweet idea!

Wordology Workshop

We usually share Latin and Greek word roots, but not all English words can trace their meaning back to Latin and Greek.
The word book traces its origins back to an Old English word, boc, which meant a document or charter.
The trunk of our English language family tree goes back to Old English, which was Germanic and would look and sound unrecognizable to us now.
To get a taste of it, listen to this English professor reading the opening lines of Beowulf, an Old English epic poem.
The poem tells the tale of a hero from across the sea who conquered many monsters.

Practical Grammar

Illusion vs allusion

A few days ago, I was sharing with a student about allusion. While we were talking, it was clear the student was confusing allusion with illusion. I can see why.

Allusion is a crafting technique authors use. When alluding to something, they’re assuming the reader will recognize and understand the significance of a reference they make.

When an author states, “It was his kryptonite,” s/he is assuming the reader knows the story of Superman and that kryptonite is the substance that makes him weak. S/he is alluding to a familiar story, drawing a comparison.

The allusion will elude the reader, however, if the reader is not familiar with the reference.

Illusion is when what we think we see is not what is actually before us. Magicians use illusion to make us believe we’re seeing something we’re not.