Books Worth Reading? Review of Crispin, The Cross of Lead

02/22/21 • 13 min

Bright Wings: Children’s Books to Make the Heart Soar

Charity Hill begins a new initiative within Bright Wings to help mothers and fathers identify whether specific books are worth reading. She begins with Avi's Newberry winner (2003) Crispin: The Cross of Lead. In the book review series, Charity Hill offers praise, summary, and analysis of the text.
Check out essays and other episodes at our website!
Join the conversation on Instagram.

Find quick book recommendations by following Charity on Instagram.
Enjoy essays on the Bright Wings' blog OR find great book lists personally crafted with you in mind!

Find quick book recommendations by following Charity on Instagram.
Enjoy essays on the Bright Wings' blog OR find great book lists personally crafted with you in mind!

Previous Episode

Episode 9: Why Fairy Tales?

Charity Hill reflects on why fairy tales are worth reading and confronts some of the unworthy reasons they are frowned upon. She suggests that fairy tales affirm that good triumphs over evil, how cleverness counts to overcoming adversity, that companionship matters to adventure, that self-awareness can begin with types, and that these factors give children the power of resilience.
Read a reflection on this theme by Amanda Knapp.

Find quick book recommendations by following Charity on Instagram.
Enjoy essays on the Bright Wings' blog OR find great book lists personally crafted with you in mind!

Next Episode

Episode 10: Resilience!

Charity Hill interviews Trisha Galvan LPC and LCPC on the beautifully human word "resilience," a word worth exploring. Trisha defines what resilience looks like and discusses the importance of community to framing a resilient response to difficulty. Trisha also suggests a return to attachment for older children, to ground them for resilient behaviors as teens and young adults.
To promote resilience in your family, Charity shares several fictional works, both picture books and middle grade fiction: It Could Always Be Worse by Margot Zemach, The Cow in the House by Harriet Ziefert, A Chair For My Mother by Vera Williams, The Rag Coat by Lauren Mills, The Fire Cat by Esther Averill, Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Dr. DeSoto by William Steig, Esperanza Rising by Pam Muñoz Ryan, Call It Courage by Armstrong Sperry, and Little Britches by Ralph Moody. Charity also encourages you to set aside time to tell your own stories of resilience to your children.
Please enjoy essays at our blog.
Enjoy book reviews and reflections at Instagram.