Picture Book Saturday: July 21th, 2018

Picture Book Saturday

Picture Book Saturday is where I share the picture books we have been reading as a family, focusing specifically on the books we are using for homeschooling, though sometimes I may add in some of the other fun books, especially if there is one that we really enjoyed. The chapter books we are enjoying are shared in my Fun Fiction Friday posts.

We started our summer session of our homeschool, finishing up our study of The Josefina Story Quilt and continuing our study of Ancient Greece which we had started back in June. We finished reading the books that helped enhanced our study of The Josefina Story Quilt, reading some stories on quilts, wagons, and pioneer days. And we started reading books about life in Ancient Greece.

Arion and the Dolphins by Lonzo Anderson is based on an Ancient Greek legend. It tells the story of Arion who can sing to the dolphins. These dolphins come to his rescue after he is threatened by the crew of the ship he is sailing home on after winning a prize of gold in a contest.

Count Your Way Through Greece by Jim Haskins and Kathleen Benson is one of a series of  "Count your way through" different countries. We have read some of the others before, when we were learning about other countries in our Exploring Countries and Cultures year with My Father's World. Each double-page spread is devoted to one number, which is shown as a numeral and then given in the language, in this case Greek. Then there is some fact about Greece that is associated with the number, such as their being one official religion, or six main gods and six main goddesses in ancient Greek mythology. I appreciated that the pronunciation for the Greek numbers was included. 

I Wonder Why Greek Built Temples by Fiona Macdonald is a 31-page book that answers one to two questions about Ancient Greece per page. There are answers to such questions as "Who were the ancient Greeks?," "Who was the goddess of wisdom?," "Why did farmers beat their trees?," " and Who had his best ideas in the bathtub?."

The Ancient Greeks by Pat Taylor is a 32 page book that starts with an introduction which includes a map and timeline of Greece. Then each double-page spread focuses on different aspects of ancient Greek life, from the gods and goddesses, to clothes, food, health & sickness, and country life and The Olympic Games. Each section is just a quick look at these different parts of Ancient Greek life, accompanied by photographs or illustrations.

Sightseers Ancient Greece is a guide to the Golden Age of Greece, giving the reader information about Ancient Greece, while giving tips as if you were actually going back in time to visit. It suggests how to travel around, what to wear, what you may find to eat, where you can go shopping, along with such things as where to stay and different attractions. Each double page spread also includes little bits of trivia along the top of the page, sightseers' tips, and various pictures with added information. The book concludes with a "Souvenir Quiz" and a fold-out map.

The Egyptian Cinderella by Shirley Climo was a technically taken out as a variation of the "Cinderella" story, but I figured it worked well as a review of Ancient Egypt. It fit in with Ancient Greece as well, seeing as the main character, the "Egyptian Cinderella" was a greek slave in Ancient Egypt. It is supposed to be based up on a true story.

This week we will continue reading the books on Ancient Greece, but we will also be adding a literature study of the picture book, Paddington by Michael Bond. The lit study is from Branch Out World, a company owned by homeschool mom Helen Royston. Yes, this is a review product and I will be sharing my review in mid-August. 

To enhance our study we will begin by learning a big about Peru and England, two countries we haven't learned about in our past studies. 

We will also be watching episodes of the "Adventures of Paddington Bear" stop-motion series. And will conclude our study with the recent Paddington movies.

I have also received quite a few books for review lately. Last week I posted my review of Can I Be Your Dog? by Troy Cummings. I hope to have reviews posted for a few more books within the next few weeks, hopefully with some giveaways.

Don't miss your chance to win a copy of this sweet book . The giveaway is open to US residents and ends July 29th, 2018.

Enter to win