Brook Farm Books

Usborne Internet-Linked Introduction to Genes & DNA, by Anna Claybourne. I like some Usborne books, but this one is outstanding. Without talking down to readers or sounding like a textbook, this book gives an excellent introduction to this subject. The illustrations will fascinate you and your kids. I like the combined use of the book and the computer. After introducing the basic information, the book goes on to consider the implications of what we know and where all this science may take us in the future. Some people have found this book too explicit about sex, so if you haven’t had a good discussion about sex with your children, you may not want to start with this book.

The Internet links are good and updated regularly by Usborne. The glossary, timeline, and one-page sheet of basic facts offer easy reference. Ages 9 to 14. $11.95.

My Brothers’ Keeper, by Nancy Johnson, is a Civil War story based partly on letters written by her great-great uncle, partly on historical fact, and partly on her own fiction to marry the strands of the story together. The plot revolves around three children — a girl and two boys who join the Union Army — and the war’s effects on their daily lives.

I am a pacifist, and the beginning of the book didn’t seem to present a reasonable portrayal of the war. The only reason I’m offering this book is that in the last few chapters the portrayal becomes more realistic, although not gory; this is, after all, a children’s book. I especially liked the way Johnson gives the reader a chance to participate in thinking about the effects of the war by having one of the boys ask questions of himself and others in the book. Ages 9 to 12. $9.95.

Teacher Created Resources is a catalog mostly of useful workbooks. Think twice before you order as some items are junk but there are some really useful items that are worth ordering. Get a catalog by calling: 800-662-4321; look at their web site: www.teachercreated.com.

Nature’s Workshop Plus!, PO Box 435, Danville, IN 46122-0425; 8880-393-5663/ mail@workshopplus.com; workshopplus.com. You will find an a abundance of useful books, kits, and good reading material. This is a Christian-based catalog but you should look through it because there are many items that have nothing to do with religion. If you are Christian-based in your homeschooling you’ll love this catalog.

AFTER YOU LOSE SOMEONE YOU LOVE, told by Amy, Allie, and David Dennison with a foreword by Harold S. Kushner. Twins Amy and Allie were eight and their brother David was four when their dad died unexpectedly. Their mother helped them keep a journal of their thoughts and feelings for the following two years.

They wrote about their immediate reactions and how they found their own way through the grief into growth. They wrote about their emotions and what helped each of them cope with their loss and the difficult changes in their lives. They discussed the changed roles everyone played in the house and their fears. It’s a forthright and sensitive expression of how these children found their way forward that other children will easily relate to. Your children will relate to this book because it was written by children and from their perspective.

Originally titled Our Dad Died, this revised edition has added thoughts and reflections. Ages 10 to 13.$9.95.

MY LIFE CHANGED: A Journal for Coping with Loss & Grief. Most, but not all, pages have questions, statements, or quotes to think about, with space for writing thoughts and feelings or for drawing. Using this book is a good way to explore difficult and painful inner thoughts that begin the long process of healing. A companion to After You Lose Someone You Love, but useful all by itself. $8.95.

New York Public Library’s “Books for the Teen Age” Selection
Amy, Allie, and David Dennison, won the Daily Point of Light Award, Points of Light Foundation