King of the Wind

[uscgwife]

I am new to Heart of Dakota and to this board. My DS is 6 and we are using (and loving) BLHFHG. We had planned to read King of the Wind and already bought it. However, I saw in the Guide that it is not recommended for sensitive readers and I am wondering what is meant by that. In some ways I would call my son very sensitive, but he had said that he wanted to read this one so I want to be sure before I return it. For example, we are reading Squanto now and when Capt Hunt captured Squanto, my son got really upset and wanted to stop reading. He had a really hard time with Apple and the Arrow last year. He would worry every day it would be "scary" after William Tell was captured. He continued to worry for weeks about the other books we read. We usually finish the book, in part to show him that scary and bad things can happen, but it still works out, but it is really hard for him so I guess I would rather change books now, then start it and have him worried about what is going to happen next for every page.

Thank you so much for your advice.
Joanna

[twoxcell]

I just finished reading King of the wind with my ds(7) I would not consider him sensitive, and we both loved the book. At the beginning of the book there is some references to Islam(the horse and boy are from Morocco). I would say it could bother some kids, because the boy and his horse go through a series of misfortunes before finally coming to a good end. Also at the end of the book it talks about the horse dying. There are quite a few cruel people in the book, but nothing too extreme. I read Black Beauty to my ds last year, and I felt that this book was a bit milder than that.

[gotpeace91]

hmm I haven't read King of the Wind but from what you say I think that your son probably is a "sensitive reader". Nothing to worry about, just shows he has the gift of compassion for others.

[my3sons]

...At the beginning of the book there is some references to Islam(the horse and boy are from Morocco). I would say it could bother some kids, because the boy and his horse go through a series of misfortunes before finally coming to a good end. Also at the end of the book it talks about the horse dying. There are quite a few cruel people in the book, but nothing too extreme. I read Black Beauty to my ds last year, and I felt that this book was a bit milder than that.

This is an excellent synopsis of points to consider for your sensitive ds. "King of the Wind" is an excellent book, and my ds and I enjoyed it immensely. However, I would weigh if you want this to be an area you talk through together as you read through books now, or if you want to just choose a book you know he won't be sensitive to for now. The "Sword in the Tree" and "A Lion to Guard Us" are excellent too, so you could choose one of those otherwise. "The Sword in the Tree" has a brief dungeon part, nothing terrible, just the father kept hidden there for awhile (sorry for spoilers), and in "A Lion to Guard Us" the dc's mother passes away and they work for a somewhat difficult, ill-tempered woman. The Adventure genre will have some parts like these in its books, but you will know what is best for your ds - if this is the timing for discussing sensitive topics with him or not. I do think that the Bible - as well as genres such as Adventure and Historical Fiction - can really offer ways to help our young sons learn to deal with adversity in life, but I also think the Lord will equip each of us as parents to know how best to go about that with our individual dc.

In Christ,
Julie

[Tree House Academy]

My general theory is that, if the book is going to make him cry, don't read it. My son did Squanto last year and he didn't cry or get upset. However, my older son and I read "Come on Seabiscuit" and *I* bawled like a baby (I was so darn happy for the horse and so sad to be ending the book). I like a book that makes me emotional at the end, but I surely wouldn't want to spend the book being "scared."

There are lots of books that work for that genre (we are actually starting the Adventure genre in Beyond tomorrow) - we are going to be reading The Sword in the Tree...but that one can be a little tough too (the boy's dad is kidnapped and they all think he is dead and the uncle is quite mean to the kid).

Do you have the $5 list that Carrie made of all the genres and age groups they fit under? I bought that when we first started HOD and I pick 99% of my books from there. You can find it here : http://www.heartofdakota.com/drawn-into-packages.php It is the "Sample Book Ideas List."

[gotpeace91]

ooh yes I second the motion to get the book list!! I LOVE mine! Thanks Carrie!

[pjdobro]

I love my book list too! It's great for picking out books for free reading time as well. I know that all of the books on that list are "safe" because Carrie has read them and approved them. I picked up a book recently at a sale that I thought my daughter would like and it looked innocent enough. I skimmed it, but didn't pre-read it. Well as she was reading it, she found a swear word in it and brought it to me to show me. I felt terrible that I hadn't read through it and found it ahead of time. I might have still let her read the book, but I would have either crossed out the word or warned her ahead of time. That just goes to show that it is best to stick to the list!

[psalm1819]

We're just starting this book, and looking forward to it.

I was very surprised not to see any warnings on the board or anywhere else about the Gladys Aylward biography. We made it through, and even enjoyed it (our adopted daughter was born in the region of China that Gladys Aylward ministered, which made it all very exciting! We talked about how her birth grandparents may be some of those that Gladys 'adopted'!). I do wish I had seen one particularly tough section coming before it hit us though... that being an instance where a man has his head chopped off in front of Gladys, and it rolls over at her feet. That was tough even for me to read!!!

Karen in SC

[my3sons]

Welcome to the HOD Board, Karen! We loved "King of the Wind", and "Gladys Aylward" is an inspiration - I bet especially since your adopted dd is from China!

In Christ,
Julie