When Jesus centred a child in the middle of the disciples, it was more than an object lesson in humility. Jesus repeatedly treated young people with dignity and respect, as persons created and called by God to be full partners in God’s work. He did so in a context where they had little social status….
Beautifully designed and illustrated, this journal is a lovely means to encourage and teach children to talk to God and grow in their relationship with him. Author Molly Hodgin explains, “The journal you hold in your hands isn’t just a notebook or diary. It’s not a school assignment you have to do for a grade….
Full of the zeal of a Grade-9er, I rushed into my science classroom. “Hey, Mr. Pollet, do you. . . ‘’ Mr. interrupted brusquely: “Curt, watch your mouth. No ‘hay’ around here. Straw is cheaper. Grass is free. Now try it again.” “Excuse me, Sir, could I tell you something about our fishing trip.” I…
Buzzing, a graphic novel written by Samuel Sattin, is twelve-year-old Isaac Itkin’s story of navigating the specific challenges of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) alongside the concerns of middle school, such as keeping up his grades, finding solid friendships and responding to the expectations of his family members. Illustrated by Rye Hickman, Buzzing uses the image of…
In the spring, my daughter Georgia gave birth to a beautiful eight-pound baby girl named Enid. While still in hospital, tests were run following up on abnormalities seen on in-utero ultrasounds. We, Enid’s family, were bewildered when she was diagnosed with congenital Cytomegalovirus (CMV). We had never heard of it. “Don’t google it,” the pediatrician…
When I start getting Rachel and Janneke ready for their day, one of the first things I do is ask, “What do you want to wear today?” Often, I am simply answered with a smile. Sometimes they can give me an indication with eye gaze if I present two options. Their eyes might rest longer…
Recently the Canadian media have been puzzling over the notion of parental rights, a concept they appear to regard as strange and unusual. Generally, the commentators take a condescending tone, assuming that all right-thinking Canadians would naturally defer to their betters in the provincial public education bureaucracy. The flurry of articles surrounding parental rights has…
My daughter’s favorite television show is not a television show. It’s a YouTube series, “animated” in Minecraft, and created by an online star named Aphmau. I have mixed feelings about her watching it, not because it’s inappropriate, but because, well, it’s YouTube. Look: I’m an English-majoring, creative-writing, British-television-loving snob. Why anyone would watch amateurs making…
I watched a TV show recently about hunting in Miami. Not near Miami, but in Miami. Florida, U.S.A. Most of us have heard about introduced, invasive Burmese pythons wreaking havoc in the Everglades. But this was not the Everglades. The hunters on the TV show were actually boating down canals in the city of Miami…
Dear Son, Even as we drive across the midriff of Canada, prairie skin stubbled with dry grass and grain elevators, you and your brother are seated in the back playing Super Smash Bros. I see the smiles on your faces, hear the gentle ribbing and the laughter, and for this moment, I’m grateful for video…
On a farm near Union City, Michigan young Patricia Polacco’s Grandpa helps her learn how to appreciate birds and care for their habitats. Then the farm is sold, and Patricia and her brother must move to nearby Battle Creek with their mother, while Grandpa must move to Indiana. Patricia worries there will be no birds…
This past summer, Vacation Bible School (VBS) was back in full swing at our church for the first time since the pandemic. Registration was full. T-shirts were made, or dug out of the back storage room. And, as I noticed while checking out VBS programs run in 2023 across Canada, summer programming looks a little…
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