Mr. Popper's Penguins is a delightful and whimsical story that blends humour, family, and unexpected adventure in a way that’s perfect for readers of all ages. The story follows Mr. Popper, a poor house painter from a small town in Stillwater in the 1930s. He lives with his wife, Mrs. Popper, and their two children. Mr. Popper’s work is seasonal, so the family must budget for the times when he isn't working. Mr. Popper has a peculiar fascination with the South Pole and penguins, their lives take an unexpected turn when a penguin is delivered to their home, setting off a series of events that will change their lives forever.

Personally, what stands out most to me in this book is how the Popper family comes together and how they cooperate with each other. Their teamwork, creativity, and determination make the book not only heart-warming but also a great example of the strength of family. Each family member helps in their own way, demonstrating the power of supporting one another through difficult times.

As a homeschool family, we're always looking for ways to expand our learning, and Mr. Popper's Penguins offers a wonderful opportunity to do just that. Beyond its engaging story, the book introduces famous historical figures like Captain Cook and Admiral Drake, making it a great gateway for older children to explore the lives of these explorers in greater depth. After we finished the book, my oldest daughter even gave a family presentation about Captain Cook’s life, turning the reading into a meaningful history lesson.

Moreover, the book also opens the door to subjects like Geography and Biology. Through the penguins' adventures, readers can learn about the South and North Poles, their climates, and how penguins thrive in these extreme environments. It's a great way for young readers to explore the geography of the polar regions while learning fascinating facts about penguin life, including the different species of penguins and their behaviours. As a family, we loved visiting our local library to find books about penguins and the South Pole, and we ended up learning a lot about this fascinating region.

Additionally, Mr. Popper's Penguins offers a fun opportunity for exploring literary techniques such as alliteration. The humorous segment where more penguins join the family and form Mr. Popper’s Performing Penguins provides a great example of playful language that’s easy to relate to grammar lessons. We read this book a few years ago, but the older children and I can still remember what alliteration is because we associate it with the book. It’s a wonderful, holistic way of learning that connects concepts to real-life experiences.

Overall, Mr. Popper’s Penguins is much more than a simple children’s story. It’s a captivating and educational book that engages readers on many levels, from history and geography to biology and language. Richard and Florence Atwaters have crafted a timeless classic that not only entertains but also enriches young minds with important lessons and a sense of wonder about the world.

It has become a tradition in our family to watch the movie related to the book once we finish reading it. However, when it comes to Mr. Popper’s Penguins, I must say, what a disappointment! I’m so glad I watched it before showing it to my squad. In my humble opinion, the movie completely misses the most important message of the book—the unity of family. In the book, you see a close-knit family with helpful and respectful children, but in the movie, the parents are separated, the daughter is rebellious, and the family unit is essentially nonexistent. It’s such a shame to waste such a great storyline. I have nothing against separated parents—my own parents were separated—but my biggest problem with the movie is how they completely changed the storyline.

In conclusion, the book is a heartwarming tale of family togetherness and great adventures, but the movie fails to capture its true spirit.

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Mr Popper's Penquins

by Richard and Florence Atwater

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Chitti Chitty Bang Bang

If you’ve heard of Ian Fleming, you probably know him as the mastermind behind the 007 James Bond series. However, he also gifted us a charming book when he decided to write for his son, Caspar: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang! This delightful tale features the Pott family, a loving, united, and humble family.

The story begins with the father, an inventor, who creates a sweet that makes a whistling song as you eat it. He sells this tasty treat to a candy shop, and with the money he earns, he buys an old, rundown car that he fixes up himself. But this isn’t just any car—it turns out to be extraordinary, with all sorts of hidden features that come alive during the family’s adventures.

Things get really interesting when the Pott family ends up in France (I won’t spoil the details, so you’ll have to read it to find out how!). They stumble upon a cave filled with all kinds of doughy things, like guns and explosives, that belong to a gang. The main villain, Joe the Monster, captures the kids, but don’t worry—Jeremy and Jemima are clever little ones! Even when they’re in a tight spot, they come up with smart plans to escape and reunite with their parents.

One of the best parts of reading this book was how engaged my girls were during our read-aloud sessions. They were completely invested in Jeremy and Jemima’s clever thinking. In the end, the kids, along with their magical car, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, save the day!

There’s so much to say about Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but I want to highlight how we used a holistic approach to enhance our children’s learning experience during our read-aloud. This book provided a great opportunity to explore the cultures, food ,languages, capitals, flags, and even the English Channel of England and France. All this information can be tailored to suit the children’s ages and interests. I absolutely loved how the book ending, opened the floodgates of imagination for new adventures, making it perfect for writing time ideas.

Onomatopoeia is a fun linguistic term to associate with the book since the car’s name reflects the sound it makes. We also looked into the history of cars and how they have changed over the years, covering the basics of how cars work. I remember one time while reading, my husband passed by the kitchen table (aka: school) and shared a story he read about World War II, mentioning how Ian Fleming and Churchill were friends. Fleming once suggested putting a fake note in a soldier's pocket with misleading information, leading the enemy in the wrong direction and saving lives! That’s homeschooling for you—totally unpredictable and perfectly imperfect.

Of course, these are just a few ideas we incorporated while reading Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, but many other topics can be explored or skipped altogether. Overall, Ian Fleming did a fantastic job with this book. While the villains are quite bad, age and maturity should be taken into consideration, making it a good read for young audiences.

Now, about the movie! I’m not sure where to start. The first thing my girls said when the movie ended was, “What about Joe the Monster?” Perhaps if we hadn’t read the book first, we wouldn’t have felt a bit deflated. We did love the part where the children sing “Truly Scrumptious”—what a treat! The catchy Chitty Chitty Bang Bang song was delightful, as were the songs in the castle with the adults.

However, I didn’t like that, once again, the mother was taken out of the picture. The children in the book were smart and inspiring, while the children in the movie were sweet and kind; they came across as quite innocent and helpless, which was one of my biggest disappointments. They could have been wonderful role models of courage, problem-solving, cleverness, and kindness. As for the villain in the movie, I found the portrayal perplexing. He seemed a bit narcissistic and psychopathic to me, always needing to be the center of attention to the point where the children were side-lined. I’m not sure what to make of the numerous times he appeared to be trying to “get rid” of his wife, the queen.

In conclusion, contrary to the book, the movie was a bit disappointing. Even my younger child noticed the discrepancies between the two. However, it provided a great opportunity to exercise critical thinking, so not all was lost. The children did enjoy the movie, but not as much as the book.

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by Ian Fleming

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The Secret Garden

by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Secret Garden" is a beloved classic that tells the story of Mary Lennox, a girl born in India to English parents. Emotionally neglected by her parents, she is raised by servants. At the age of 10, Mary's life takes a tragic turn when her parents die suddenly during a cholera epidemic. She is sent to England to live with her uncle, who has a son the same age as Mary. Unfortunately, her aunt, who was her mother’s twin sister, has also passed away.

"The Secret Garden" is a lovely book, beautifully written, and we took so much from it! One notable aspect was the influence of Martha Sowerby’s mother, who, despite being poor and busy with many children, indirectly impacts Mary’s life. Martha’s mother appears kind and nurturing, and by the end, the children are influenced by her example and pray for a miracle. This illustrates how small acts of kindness can change someone’s life.

Mary’s attitude at the beginning of the book is quite interesting; she arrives in England as a negative, bold, and spoiled child. Her transformation is beautifully depicted, and my daughters truly enjoyed witnessing her growth.

We gained so much from this book, as there are countless themes to explore. At one point, Mary finds it strange to see trees without leaves while exploring her uncle's vast gardens. This opened a wonderful opportunity for discussion about why she found this odd. We looked at the equator line on a globe and learned about India, discovering why those countries around the equator line are warmer most of the year and how that affects the trees. We learned that not only do evergreens stay green year-round, but deciduous trees do as well.

We also explored Indian culture, including its capital and customs, and watched videos showcasing the bustling traffic, which was fascinating. Our field trips to see what a kitchen garden looks like provided a hands-on learning experience. The book offers great opportunities for botany studies, as it mentions many different types of flowers, plants, and trees, encouraging children to observe nature and their surroundings. My daughters became keen bird watchers, often looking out the window to identify the various birds visiting our garden. Even years after reading "The Secret Garden," they still enjoy nature walks.

In addition to exploring Indian culture, we were introduced to the Yorkshire accent, which was a delightful treat. Frances Burnett did an excellent job capturing the unique sayings of the region. Coincidentally, when we were reading the Secret garden, we had a new neighbour from Yorkshire, and hearing her lovely accent was a wonderful surprise!

For our grammar studies, we used the Brave Writer program (https://bravewriter.com/) to explore participles as adjectives, dialogue punctuation, and dashes, along with spelling, copywriting, and dictation.

After finishing the book, we watched "The Secret Garden" movie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108071/) together, complete with popcorn, treats, and cozy drinks. The film follows the book's storyline well, although it does not emphasize Mary Lennox’s mother as much as the book does, missing a significant aspect of her influence on the children’s lives. Additionally, while the book features the children singing Christians hymns in hope, the movie replaces this with a different ritual by the fire, which resembles a ritual and was a downside compared to the book.

However, the film beautifully captures the gardens, flowers, and the development of secrets. The portrayal of the secret garden and the robin closely aligns with the book, allowing the children to recognize many scenes. The characters, including the villain, and the Yorkshire accents are well represented. Overall, it’s a child-friendly movie that you can enjoy with your children without much worry. The film also provides a great opportunity to discuss how directors' interpretations of a story can differ from the author's original message.

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Charlotte's Web

by E.B. White

The one and only Ivan

by Katherine Applegate

The Borrowers

by Mary Norton