Monthly Archives: April 2022
After reading several short stories, freshman students should be ready to tackle a novel. I tell them the word means “new” since the novel is a relatively new genre that emerged as recently as the eighteenth century as opposed to poetry, an ancient literary genre that predates Homer. Literary scholars consider Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe to be the first novel. The novel is obviously longer than the short story and involves more people and events. The first novels that were…..
I recently published a poetry anthology titled Timeless Devotional Poetry. Here is an excerpt from the preface of this book that is longer and more informative than the book’s description on my website: “Poetry is the most ancient literary genre and the most abundant. It has endured because it appeals to readers of all ages. Small children can be taught to enjoy the beauty of poetry. Teenagers and young adults appreciate poems about love and human relationships. We all benefit…..
My daughter, Jane Scott, and I spent many years compiling this recommended reading list for young people of all ages, from preschool through high school and beyond. The Book Tree includes a selective array of excellent books for each age group. We believe with Walter de la Mare that “only the rarest kind of best of anything can be good enough for the young,” so we researched and read every young people’s book we could get our hands on and…..
