Spring... or not quite yet?

31 August 2009

Here in our neck of the woods the days are definitely getting longer but the nights are still quite cold. It does make one appreciate the extra sunlight though.

In the last newsletter we mentioned the addition of music and audio books to Leatherwood Books' catalogue. So we hope you understand that this particular issue of the newsletter is a bit light on book reviews. We'll make up for it in the next one!

Are we there yet?

Alison Lester has a knack for producing brilliant children's books and Are we there yet? is yet another winner.

A family sets out to tour around Australia towing an old caravan. The trip will take a whole school term and is one that many a homeschooling family has undertaken. The story is told using words, maps, pictures and diagrams, by Grace, the second youngest. The family sees all the sights, and goes all the way around Australia, in a rather squashed, noisy, cheerful atmosphere familiar to all those who remember travelling a long way on holiday with their families.

Are We There Yet deserves its Picture Book of the Year award from the Children’s Book Council of Australia, and teaches children about Australia in the best way... by having fun.

A pleasant and informative read for adults and children alike, this very satisfactory title is the result of a good idea that has been carried out very well.

Those using this book in their homeschooling could have a look at the useful teacher's notes from the publishers (aimed at mid- to upper-primary level).

Music

Even if you have not heard of the CD label Putumayo, chances are that you've heard the CDs French Café and Italian Café played in restaurants or coffee shops. French Cafe was our first introduction to this exciting label and had us hooked from the start. When we found out that the Putumayo team gathered top world musicians to create the dynamic first Putumayo Kids album, World Playground, we started looking for the Australian distributor and were delighted to find that Putumayo has produced several albums suitable for children.

Their collections of world music are unlike any other children's music you'll hear today. Adults will not only be able to tolerate the tracks, but will enjoy them. Sound clips and song lyrics for World Playground and other albums are provided on the Putumayo website.

So far we have added Dreamland World Lullabies and Soothing Songs, Celtic Dreamland and African Playground to the Leatherwood Books site. These are perfect gifts for all ages.

We have only a small selection of the albums at the moment, but can get hold of most of them. So just send an email if you want to order others.

Audio Books

For those wanting to keep children engaged while on one of those long trips (Are we there yet?) or homeschooling different age groups, audio books can be a lifesaver. A grand bonus, when we found the distributor of Putumayo in Australia, was to discover that the same people distribute Naxos products. This means we now have access to almost a thousand classical and audio CDs as well. Although that might sound like a good thing, try picking from such a treasure chest!

After the initial excitement, we came back to earth and decided to stick to titles that would fit well with the rest of Leatherwood Books' catalogue.

So far we've picked a few non-fiction titles: Great Scientists and their Discoveries, Great Explorers, Great Inventors and Inventions, Famous People in History and Famous Composers.

Some others will be ideal for those following a classical education: Aesop's Fables, Tales from the Greek Legends and The Junior Homer.

We'll be adding more audio books (mainly children's classics) to our catalogue during the next couple of weeks, so please check back. We do not keep all titles in stock, so delivery might take a little bit longer than usual.

Websites of the Month

Looking for something to do outside now that the weather is picking up? Why not make a sundial? Just pick from one of six projects at Sundials on the Internet.

The second issue of Free Range, the new free eMag for homeschoolers (ages 9-17) is available to read online: www.freerangemag.com/emags.htm. Thanks to those who subscribed. The young editors have been pleasantly surprised by the enthusiastic response to their first issue.

Contact us

Please let us know if you have any ideas for books or other resources to add to the site. Remember we can also supply books that are not on the site and enjoy chasing down books for customers.

Happy reading!

Elsa, Peter, Seb & Lila