"We seldom get into trouble when we speak softly. It is only when we raise our voices that the sparks fly and tiny molehills become great mountains of contention."
Summertime means new
opportunities to keep the kids reading and learning. Here are a few
new selections.
A memorable story told
by President Thomas S. Monson is available in a wonderfully
illustrated book. One Little Match tells of one
summer in Provo Canyon when President Monson was a child staying at
the family cabin.
He and his friend Danny
fished, hiked, whittled sticks, and “enjoyed each minute of
each hour of each day.” The day they found a quick way to clear
a field of June grass became a tale to tell — and a lesson to
remember.
Artist Dan Burr’s
deft hand with scenery and lifelike facial expressions and figures in
motion adds much to the story about avoiding dangers that come
through disobedience (Deseret Book 2014, 32 pages in hardcover,
$17.99).
Norman the
Nephite and the A-Maze-ing Conference Center, republished in
2013 by ZION Book Works, offers more of cartoonist Pat Bagley’s
colorful, creative work. This time it’s a fold-out book/ sturdy
16x21 poster that challenges kids to find a long list of items,
including Norman himself and Larry the Lamanite, in a bird’s-eye
view of the Conference Center, surrounding sidewalks and streets, and
the rooftop gardens. This should keep kids (and adults) occupied
quite a while ($6.95 in paperback).
In time for patriotic
celebrations comes a brightly illustrated book by Julie Olson.
Discover America from Sea to Shining Sea features the
words to the first verse of Katharine Lee Bates’ “America,
the Beautiful” as a boy’s red balloon floats over
well-known geographic features and iconic landmarks, from a beach in
California’s to the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor.
A map of the states
charts the route. A website, www.DiscoverAmericaBook.com,
provides free lesson plans that meet core requirements, along with
individual states’ shape, flag, bird, and flower (Shadow
Mountain 2014, 32 pages in hard cover, $17.99).
Marlene Bateman
Sullivan relates stories of religious heroes, past and present, in
Heroes of Faith: True Stories of Courage and Strength (Cedar Fort 2013, 149 pages in soft cover, $12.99).
Among the heroes are
Cong Nu Tuog-Vyn, a Vietnamese woman who was baptized after
translating the Joseph Smith pamphlet, later translated the Book of
Mormon into Vietnamese, and lived in a cave, disguised as a Buddhist
monk, for safety.
Another is Elder James
Brown, an English missionary to the Society Islands in 1849, whose
tale of being spared from death in a tribal fire is truly memorable.
The author has
condensed and retold stories found in other publications and books,
the most recent nearly 20 years ago and others 50-150 years ago.
While the writing is not electrifying and the facts could use some
updating (such as with the late Curt Brinkman’s), the true
stories are reminders of God’s hand in the lives of His
children.
Laurie
Williams Sowby has been writing since second grade and getting paid
for it since high school. Her byline ("all three names, please")
has appeared on more than 6,000 freelance articles published in
newspapers, magazines, and online.
A
graduate of BYU and a writing instructor at Utah Valley University
for many years, she proudly claims all five children and their
spouses as college grads.
She
and husband, Steve, have served three full-time missions together,
beginning in 2005 in Chile, followed by Washington D.C. South, then
Washington D.C. North, both times as young adult Institute teachers.
They are currently serving in the New York Office of Public and
International Affairs
During
her years of missionary service, Laurie has continued to write about
significant Church events, including the rededication of the Santiago
Temple by President Hinckley and the groundbreaking for the
Philadelphia Temple by President Eyring. She also was a Church
Service Missionary, working as a news editor at Church Magazines,
between full-time missions.
Laurie
has traveled to all 50 states and at least 45 countries (so far).
While home is American Fork, Utah, Lincoln Center and the
Metropolitan Museum of Art have provided a comfortable second home.
Laurie
is currently serving a fourth full-time mission with her husband in
the New York Office of Public and International Affairs. The two
previously served with a branch presidency at the Provo Missionary
Training Center. The oldest of 18 grandchildren have been called to
serve missions in New Hampshire and Brisbane, Australia.
