These books are aligned with Waldorf Education curriculum and principles. For more information on what I mean by that, please visit this page: What is Waldorf-Aligned?
Published: 1996 Theme: Letting Love In Best for: ages 5 and 6 "So she began to name things. But she named only those things she knew she could never outlive. Her car, Betsy, had more get-up-and-go than anything around. Her chair, Fred, had never sagged a day in his life..." Finally, a book that made me reverse my somewhat arbitrary policy of not reviewing picture books! This little illustrated children's book totally stole my heart...
Published: 1959 Theme: Respecting Differences Best for: ages 10-12 "He used to live up on Hessian Hill, Onion John did, in a house he built out of piled up stone and four bathtubs and no running water. Once a month he'd get up in the middle of the night, according to the way the moon was, to cook up a stew...It was a stew to get gold out of the moon..." I read this children's book with some trepidation, turning each page expecting something bad to happen. Yet, in fact, it turned out to be a rather heartwarming turn of events that I enjoyed...
Published: 2001 Theme: Perserverance Best for: ages 9 and up "Your mind knows that you are going to Songdo. But you must not tell your body. It must think one hill, one valley, one day at a time. In that way, your spirit will not grow weary before you have even begun to way." In this lovely, art-inspired children's book about a potter and his apprentice, the feeling of the way of the ancients comes through loud and strong. The image of the apprentice who serves the master potter for the love of the art is...
Published: 1992 Theme: Following Your Dream Best for: Girls 9-12 "They had walked up a drive with a notice: QUEEN'S CHASE. HER MAJESTY'S BALLET JUNIOR SCHOOL, and stood gazing at the big cream-stuccoed and porticoed house with pavilions on either side..." The classic British author, Rumer Godden, probably had one very specific audience for this little children's book: young girls who love the ballet. However, times have changed...why wouldn't a boy who loves dance enjoy this equally well?
Published: 1996 Theme: Putting Others First Best for: ages 6 to 10 'Now she really did cry, with tears that seemed to burn. The crowds, the lights, the whole mela seemed to be laughing at her as had the nasty fat stall-keeper when he cheated her over the bangle." Rumer Godden skillfully weaves in Bengali words, as well as vivid descriptions of Diwali, the festival of lights, giving the reader a full picture of ....
Published: 1966 Theme: The Power of Kindness Best for: Boys age 9 and older "As with all good magic, there is a bit of skill involved, so proceed with caution, particularly right at first. And above all, use discretion. Remember, there must be absolutely no public notice." Who would imagine that doing good deeds, without really planning them, could have terrific results? This imaginative children's book has a subtle way of bring the interconnectedness of life to children, without ever saying so.
Published: 1935 Theme: Simple Living Best for: ages 6 to 10 "I have everything here. I am happy. Look, the sky gives me sunshine and rain. The ground gives me food. The spring gives me water. The sheep gives me shelter and clothes..." Here's a really unusual children's book, written about experiences in rural Budapest, quite a while ago. The setting is so far removed from our fast-paced contemporary life that the book almost becomes a meditation for the mind.
Published: 1965 Theme: Finding Real Values Best for: age 10 and up "From that first glimpse, from that first minute, it was more than a room--more than even the most beautiful room Robin had ever seen. Her hands shook on the door knob..." This is a most unusual and unique children's book. It is certainly a look at the experience of migrant workers in old California, but it doesn't feel like the purpose of the book...
Published: 2013 Theme: Kindness and Survival Best for: children over 10 "The heart is like an apartment," Madame Marie tells me. "Every day you must clean it and make it cheerful...If you make your apartment extra nice, God will come to visit you too." Here is a breathtakingly beautiful children's book about a breathtakingly horrendous episode in history: the Holocaust...
Published: 2000 Theme: Heroines Best for: ages 8 and up "Burd Janet threw the green mantle around him to shade him from fairy sight. Then she .. took out the earth from her garden. She spread it around the two of them in a great circle of protection against the Fair Folk." This book is a collection of folk tales where the hero is female. However, this book is for boys as well, since they too need to know that women can be heroes.
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