GLADYS HUNT: "GOOD BOOKS ARE FULL OF HONEY"

I was saddened to find out that one of my inspirations for reading aloud good books to my children - Gladys Hunt, author of  Honey for a Child's Heart - left this world to be with the Lord on July 4, 2010.  She is the second great lady I have known to have passed away on the 4th of July.  (The first was Margaret Kouparadze, a dear Russian friend, who was paralyzed from the waist down and suffered terribly for most of her life from Multiple Sclerosis.  We learned that she was a "shut in", and would take our children to visit her and keep her company playing games or just talking.  She never complained about her situation and we left each visit knowing we had received the greater blessing.)  I am so thankful to have been influenced in a positive way by two such godly women!

This is a quote from Gladys' blog:
Many years ago Erich Fromm wrote in The Art of Loving that children need two things: milk and honey. Both are necessary to thrive as human beings. Milk symbolizes the necessities—like good food, brushing your teeth, drinking your milk and plenty of sleep. Honey is just as important. It means finding sweetness in life, like beauty and goodness that nourishes the inner person. Fromm goes on to say that most parents are good at providing milk, but only a minority provide the honey that children need. Life is more than meat and potatoes! This is an idea that should stimulate and challenge parents to think about the way they use each day. Consider your own family "honey ratio."


If you are going to give honey it means you need to love honey and have some in your life to give to your children. Where do you find honey? Good books are full of honey. That’s why children say, "Read it again!" when you’ve already read the story twice. It reminds me of the proverb that says "Pleasant words are like a honeycomb; sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."  Children know.
(September 12, 2008)

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

Who was Mother Goose??? Well, there is no one answer, because there is no direct evidence to support just one theory. We do know that English speaking countries are the only places where her rhymes are well known.


Mother Goose Rhymes are nonsense poems that were made up not only to entertain children, but to teach them about language and math, and also to help calm their fears and lull them to sleep.

Whether "Mother Goose" came from France ("Queen Goosefoot" - said queen had one foot bigger than the other), or England ("Martha Gooch), the first book of nursery rhymes was printed in 1765 in England. (NurseryRyhmesOnline.com).

How to choose the best edition for your little gosling? Gladys Hunt, author of HONEY FOR A CHILD'S HEART, suggests durability of the book and simpler verses for the youngest. She also suggests taking into account which illustrations your child would like the best. Eventually you'll want to get a more comprehensive collection. Some of her recommendations:

Iona Opie's MY VERY FIRST MOTHER GOOSE and companion, HERE COMES MOTHER GOOSE (both illustrated by Rosemary Wells).
Mary Engelbreit, author and illustrator- MARY ENGELBREIT'S MOTHER GOOSE.
Tommie dePaola, author and illustrator - TOMMIE DEPAOLA'S MOTHER GOOSE.
Arnold Lobel - THE ARNOLD LOBEL BOOK OF MOTHER GOOSE (over 300 rhymes!)