One of the best things about homeschooling is the opportunity to read the classics of children's literature that I rushed through for school assignments back when I was a kid (or missed altogether). How many books did I once think of as chores that now are pure delight? And summer, with it's slower pace, is an ideal time for reading and re-reading just for fun. (Or in the case of many grade schoolers, for prizes at your local public library!)

Included in my summer stack is Mark Twain's The Prince and The Pauper, Gene Stratton Porter's The Girl of the Limberlost, and Edward Callan's Cry, the Beloved Country. In summers past I've revisited Beatrix Potter's quirky and cautionary The Tale of Mr. Tod, two early Nancy Drew mysteries, and Lois Lenski's Puritan Adventure. In addition to being transported back to my own girlhood by books that were my companions 30 years ago, I'm also borrowing from our kids' library stack and enjoying the challenge of engaging the plots with grown up eyes and viewing them through the lenses of history and the Gospel.

When it comes to books, what old companions or new friends are you relaxing with this summer?