(upbeat music) - Welcome friends to this episode of the "Everyday Educator" podcast. I'm your host, Lisa Bailey, and I'm excited to spend some time with you today as we encourage one another, learn together, and ponder the delights and challenges that make homeschooling the adventure of a lifetime. Whether you're just considering this homeschooling possibility or deep into the daily delight of family learning, I believe you'll enjoy thinking along with us.

But don't forget, although this online community is awesome, you'll find even closer support in a local CC community. So go to classicalconversations.com and find a community near you today. Well guys, I'm super excited to be with you again for another episode of our Summer Book Club series. Today, we are going to be reading a couple of selections from "Ancient World Echoes", one of our Copper Lodge Library editions that is so perfect for family read-alouds.

Whether you do those first thing in the morning, snuggled up at the breakfast table, or before nap time, or last thing at night, cuddled up on the couch, they are excellent stories for enjoying as a family and also for digging into some deeper conversations. I always have people say, "Yeah, but it's just so hard to make time for reading.

What's the big idea?" This is what I think. Reading aloud can be relaxing. It can be informative, but it can also be sort of magical. Myths and poems and fables and fairy tales, all of those kinds of stories allow us to think about long, long ago and far, far away and once upon a time in ways that are somehow thrilling to our imaginations, our kids' imaginations and our own.

These stories of beginnings are really intriguing to us. We all like to be in on things from the beginning. It helps us feel connected and in the know. It helps us feel powerful and part of the magic. Listen, you and your children can thrill together over stories from long ago and far away this summer by enjoying "Ancient World Echoes." The stories collected in this Copper Lodge Library volume are tales from when the world was new.

They're origin stories. A lot of the stories explain the world and its creatures and its peoples. These are important tales for several reasons. In this volume, we are gonna read stories that helped make sense of the world that early people experienced. And a lot of these stories explain natural phenomenon and animal habits.

These kinds of stories appeal to your little kids. You have tons of questions about why things are the way they are and how they got to be that way. They appeal to everybody's desire to know why when we look at the world. And the stories will draw your attention to the natural world and call us to explore.

It's a great activity for families to enjoy together, reading about the world and then letting it pique your interest to go out and explore together. The stories in "Ancient World Echoes" help us confront our own frailties and our own failings too. Reading these stories, we learn lessons in humility and lessons in honor, lessons in kindness, as the characters in the stories experience hard lessons.

Sometimes we're just encouraged and soothed by stories of rescue and redemption. You know, if it could happen in a story, it could happen to me. So the intro to "Ancient World Echoes" says it best. And so I want to read a couple of pages, well, an excerpt for you from page 12, near the bottom over to the very top of page 13.

By sharing these stories as a family, we can grow young again and share in the truth, goodness, and beauty of childhood. We can be filled with wonder and worship again. We can see the right path to pursue, the path that leads to mercy and justice. The echoes of fairy tales are perhaps more needed in our day than ever before.

Our children are being raised in a culture that tells them every individual should decide what is best for themselves. Fairy tales argue that virtue lies in the common good and often makes us subdue our whims and passions in order to love our neighbors well. Because there was a break in the tradition, sometimes our culture echoes the past without knowing what it means.

Let us reject this world in which everything is echo with no substance. Rather, let us embrace the old tradition of fairy tales, which argued that the world is a mysterious place. The ability to accept the mystery nurtures faith, hope, and love. Like little children, we must believe that miracles happen and that the unseen is palpably real.

As my friend Jen argues, postmodernism says we only ever see in a glass darkly. Scripture tells us that we only see in a glass darkly temporarily. Remember, too, that the echo is not an end, it's a beginning. We can keep it running through the ages, but it will fade unless we take up the chant again.

It is my prayer that this book will start the echo for a new generation, for although the times and people change, the echoes of truth, goodness, and beauty will continue to reverberate through the ages. That's an encouragement for you guys to dig into the fairy tales and the fables that "Ancient World Echoes" offers as family read aloud time.

Now, I'm gonna read a couple of the stories in "Ancient World Echoes." So call your children if you want to. And then after the stories, we'll go back and we will suggest some questions, some ways that you could savor this book with your kids. All right, I want to share with you today a story from "Ancient World Echoes," a Copper Lodge Library edition.

And first of all, I want to share with you the story how the birds saved the emperor's life, a tale from China. There was once an emperor of China whose palace was the most wonderful in the world, being built entirely of priceless porcelain. In the garden were the most beautiful flowers, on some of which were little golden bells which tinkled in the wind so that you could not help looking at them.

It was a really wonderful garden and so large that even the head gardener himself did not know where it ended. If you should reach the end of the garden, you would come to a magnificent forest in which were great trees and deep lakes. The banks sloped down to the water, which was as clear as crystal.

Overhanging the lake were the boughs of some trees which were so large that ships could sail beneath them. In one of these trees there lived a nightingale which sang so beautifully that a poor fisherman who had a great deal to do even stopped his work to listen to the birds singing.

"How beautiful it is," he said, but he had to attend to his duties and then forgot about the bird. But each night it was the same. The fisherman could not resist the temptation and he left his work to listen to the bird. The emperor's palace and garden were so magnificent that many travelers from foreign countries wrote books describing their beauty.

But every scholar who wrote said that the finest thing of all was the singing of this nightingale. These books were read by many people all over the world and at last some of them reached the emperor who sat in his chair of solid jade and read and read and read.

He was very much pleased that so many people who were scholars should write so much about his palace and garden. But he was surprised to find that in each book the nightingale was spoken of as the finest and perhaps most wonderful thing of all. "It is very strange," said the emperor.

"I've never heard this nightingale "and it does seem unusual that I should know about it "for the first time from reading books written by travelers." He called his first lord to him and said, "In all of these books there's mention "of a very remarkable bird "which is called the nightingale.

"The writers all say that it's the most glorious thing "in my kingdom. "How is it that no one has ever told me about it?" "Why, I don't know anything about it myself," said the first lord. "But I will go and find out." The first lord didn't know where it was, so he ran all over the palace and asked everybody there, but none of them had ever heard of the nightingale.

Then he returned to the emperor and said, "It must be an invention of those who had written the books. "Your royal highness must know "that not all that is written is true "and that much of it is invented," said he. "But the last book I read," said the emperor, "was sent to me by the great ruler of Japan "so that it must be true.

"And I insist upon your bringing the nightingale "here this evening. "If you do not, everyone in this palace "shall be trampled under foot." "All right, your majesty," said the first lord, and he ran up and down the stairs, through the halls and corridors, and as he told the people what would happen to them if the nightingale were not brought there that evening, they all followed him because they had no wish to be trampled under foot and all were most anxious to know about this wonderful nightingale, which it seemed that everybody in the world knew about, except those who lived in the palace.

At last, they met a poor little girl in the kitchen who said, "Why, I know the nightingale, "and I've often heard her sing. "Every night when I go home to my mother, "I'm so tired that I sit and rest "for a little while in the wood, "and then I hear the nightingale sing, "and it is so wonderful "that it always brings tears to my eyes." "Then," said the first lord, little kitchen maid, "if you can lead us to this nightingale, "you shall have leave to see the emperor "at dinner this evening, "for she is invited by his majesty "to come and sing to him." Then they all went into the garden where the nightingale lived, and on the way, they heard the mooing of a cow.

"Oh, this must be the nightingale. "How wonderful that such a little bird "has such a tremendous voice," said they. "That is not a bird singing. "That's a cow mooing," said the little kitchen maid. "We have a long way to go yet." A little farther on, they heard some frogs croaking in the marsh.

The Chinese chaplain was with them, and he said, "How sublime. "That is just like the ringing of a church bell." "Why," said the little kitchen maid, "those are frogs croaking." "But very soon, we shall hear her." Just then, the nightingale began to sing. "Hark!" cried the little girl. "Listen!" And pointing to a little bird sitting up in the branches, said, "There she is." "It doesn't seem possible "that so very common-looking a bird like that can sing," said the first lord.

"It must be that she has lost her brilliant plumage "because there's so many distinguished people here." Then the little kitchen maid called out, "Little nightingale, our gracious emperor invites you "to sing before him this evening." "It will give me great pleasure to do so," said the nightingale. And then she began to sing so gloriously that they were all entranced.

The first lord said, "I've never heard anything so beautiful before. "His majesty will be delighted." The nightingale, thinking the first lord was the emperor, said, "Shall I sing again for you, your majesty?" "My dear little bird," said the first lord. "His most gracious highness has sent me to invite you "to his palace this evening "so that he may listen to your charming song." "Oh, it's much better out here in the forest," replied the nightingale.

But when she heard that the emperor wished her to go to the palace, she gladly offered to go with them. At the palace, everything was splendidly prepared. The many lights made the porcelain walls and floors glitter and the gorgeous tinkling flowers helped to make the place look very beautiful.

The people moving back and forth caused the little golden bells to tinkle all the time. In the center of the great hall, in which was the emperor's throne, was a golden perch put there for the nightingale. The whole court was present and the little kitchen maid, who had shown the first lord where the bird could be found, was allowed to stand behind the door where she could see and hear everything.

All were dressed in their best clothes and everyone looked toward the little bird whom the emperor requested to commence singing. And how the nightingale did sing! Very soon, the tears came into the emperor's eyes and ran down his cheeks. At this, the nightingale sang even more beautifully and the heart of everyone was touched.

The emperor was so delighted that he said she should wear the golden necklace around her neck. But the nightingale said that she had already received a sufficient reward, for she had brought tears to the eyes of the emperor. Even the servants, who were always the most difficult to please, said that they were greatly touched.

This in itself proved how successful was the nightingale's concert. The emperor requested her to stay at the court and he gave her a large golden cage and allowed her to go out twice every day. He provided her with 12 servants, each of whom held a silken string, which was fastened to her leg, and you may be sure that she found but little pleasure flying about, hampered in this way.

Very soon, everyone in the city was talking about the wonderful bird and even the tradesman's children were all named after her, although none of them could sing a note. Sometime after this, the emperor received a large parcel on which was written, "The Nightingale." "This must be another book about our famous bird," said the emperor, but he was mistaken, for it was a mechanical toy, an artificial nightingale, which looked something like a real bird, but was covered with jewels.

When it was wound up, it could sing the piece the real bird sang and moved its tail up and down. Around its neck was a collar on which was written, "The Nightingale of the Emperor of Japan cannot be compared with that of the Emperor of China." "How wonderful," said everyone, and the man who had brought the clockwork bird was given the title of bringer of the imperial first nightingale.

They sang together, but it did not sound well, for the real nightingale sang her own song and the clockwork bird sang Waltz's. "It isn't its fault," said the bandmaster. "It keeps very good time and is quite after my style." Then the artificial bird had to sing alone. It was very pleasant to listen to, and it was also pretty to look at, as the jewels with which it was covered sparkled so.

It sang the same piece many times without becoming tired, and then the emperor thought that the real nightingale should sing again, but she was not to be found. The window was open, and without anybody seeing her go, she had flown away to her beloved forest. The emperor was very angry when it was discovered that the real bird had gone away, and everyone agreed that it was a very ungracious thing for her to have done, but they all said that the bird sent by the Japanese ruler was the better of the two, and especially did the bandmaster praise it.

He said that one knew just what to expect from the artificial bird, but the real one would sing the most unusual tunes. The bird they had now could be opened, and the inside shown and explained, but if this were done to the other, it would die. Everyone agreed that what the bandmaster said was correct, and the emperor commanded that all the people of the city should be allowed to listen to the bird's beautiful music on a certain day of the following week.

So on the day appointed, the bandmaster showed the jeweled bird to the people, and after they had heard it sing, everyone said that its music was wonderful. That is, all but the poor fisherman who had heard the real one, and he said, "This one looks very pretty, "and is quite pleasant to listen to, "but its singing does not compare with that of the other." The emperor banished the real bird from the kingdom, and the artificial one was put on a golden perch by the side of his bed and given the title of Imperial Night Singer.

Several months passed away when one evening, as the emperor lay in bed listening to it, something inside snapped, and the music stopped. The royal physician was summoned but could do nothing. Then the royal clockmaker was called, and after examining it very carefully, he took out the works, which he found to be almost worn out.

It took him quite a long time to put these back again, but at last he got it into something like order, although he said it must not be used more than once a year, and then only for a very short time. Sometime after this, the emperor became ill, very ill, and as the physician said that he could not live for more than a few days, his successor was chosen.

The poor emperor lay all alone in his great bed, and as everyone believed him to be dead, the courtiers left him to pay their respects to the new ruler. But he was only in a trance, and when he came out of this, he felt very lonely indeed, for there was no one to speak to him.

He turned his head and saw the artificial bird by his bedside. A great longing for music came over him, and he cried, "Sing, golden bird, please sing!" But there was no one to wind it up, and he was too weak to do this himself. It was so quiet, and he felt so terribly lonely and sad that he was sure he was going to die.

Suddenly, there came through the open window the sound of such beautiful music that new life came to the sick man. He raised his head and saw, sitting upon the bough of a large tree, the real bird whom he had banished from his kingdom. "What divine singing," said the emperor.

"You have given me new life in return for my unkindness in banishing you from my kingdom. What can I do to reward you?" "I need no more reward than the sight of the tears which came to your eyes when I first sang to you," said the nightingale. "That is something which I can never forget.

But now you must sleep, and tomorrow, when you will feel much stronger, I can promise you such music as you would not possibly believe." The emperor smiled happily and fell at once into a deep, calm sleep. He was awakened in the morning by the sun, which was shining brightly.

So much better did he feel that he was able to get out of bed and walk to the open window, and there his eyes beheld a wonderful sight. Upon every bough of the tree in front of him were perched many birds, and in the center of them sat the poor fisherman who held to his lips a reed instrument.

On seeing the emperor at the window, he gave a sign, and there came forth from the throats of the assembled birds such a glorious burst of melody that tears of thankfulness flowed from the emperor's eyes. He could scarcely believe that such wonderful music was possible. No longer was he a sick man.

The bird chorus had brought back to him the health and strength which all the doctors, with their medicines, had not been able to do. In his gratitude to the birds, he gave them the tree for their very own, and the poor fisherman he appointed bandmaster in chief. Wasn't that a great story?

I loved to hear about the birds, the nightingale, the real one, and the artificial one. We'll talk in a minute about how you and your family can enjoy that story together, but I want to share one more story from "Ancient World Echoes." This is an Aesop's fable, and it is called "The Bees and Wasps and the Hornet." A store of honey had been found in a hollow tree, and the wasps declared positively that it belonged to them.

The bees were just as sure that the treasure was theirs. The argument grew very pointed, and it looked as if the affair could not be settled without a battle, when at last, with much good sense, they agreed to let a judge decide the matter. So they brought the case before the hornet, justice of the peace in that part of the woods.

When the judge called the case, the witnesses declared that they had seen certain winged creatures in the neighborhood of the hollow tree who hummed loudly, and whose bodies were striped yellow and black like bees. Counsel for the wasps immediately insisted that this description fitted his clients exactly. Such evidence did not help Judge Hornet to any decision, so he adjourned the court for six weeks to give him time to think it over.

When the case came up again, both sides had a large number of witnesses. An aunt was the first to take the stand, and was about to be cross-examined when a wise old bee addressed the court. Your honor, he said, the case has now been pending for six weeks. If it is not decided soon, the honey will not be fit for anything.

I move that the bees and the wasps be both instructed to build a honeycomb. Then we shall soon see to whom the honey really belongs. The wasps protested loudly. A wise Judge Hornet quickly understood why they did so. They knew they could not build a honeycomb and fill it with honey.

It is clear, said the judge, who made the comb and who could not have made it. The honey belongs to the bees. The lesson, ability proves itself by deeds. A short story, all of the fables are very short, but they teach us really good lessons. They give us lots to think about.

And that's why we want to take time, parents, to savor the stories that you share with your children. It is fun just to read a quick story and enjoy it. And laugh about it together. And wait to see how it turns out. And pick the characters that we want to succeed.

And pick the characters that we know are the bad guys and root against them. But it's even more fun to savor the story a little bit. To draw it out, to talk about it some more. So you can always go back and ask your children who was in the story?

Tell me, let's name all the characters. And you could name them and count them out on your fingers. You could name them and draw a little picture on a bookmark so that you would have all the characters. You could even put the name of every character on a popsicle stick and hold up the correct stick when you read the story next time when it comes to that character.

So you can ask who was in the story and who are all the characters, the big characters and the small characters. Your children will be able to tell you perhaps what the characters look like. Sometimes we don't get a description of what the characters look like. In "How the Bird Saved the Emperor's Life" for instance, there's not really much of a description of the head gardener or the fisherman.

But I bet you that your children have an idea. So ask them, what do you think this character look like? How tall do you think this character was? Do you think he was young or old? What color hair did he have? And if you're reading a story from a different time or a different place, you can say, what do you think the character's clothes looked like?

Were they like yours or different? What colors do you think his clothes might have been? All these kinds of surface details are great for diving in to the story. And you can ask imagination questions. What do you think the weather was like in China? What do you think, was it spring or was it summer?

Is it cool or warm? And what kind of weather do they have? Do you think it was rainy? Do you think it was cold? You can ask all those kinds of questions. You can even ask, what do you think it would be like to be a fisherman who had to fish every day, not fish when he wanted to?

So what might the characters have felt like? What kind of jobs does a gardener have? What kind of job is emperor? You could ask them, what does an emperor wear? And what does a gardener wear? And what does a fisherman wear? And how did their clothes fit their jobs?

You could ask your children to retell the story. So this kind of is a way of narrating the plot of a story. What happened first, and what happened next, and what happened next, and what happened at the end? Tell me about the story. It's always nice, especially in some of these origin stories, these beginning stories, what is the conflict?

What's the main struggle that the character has? In the case of the story that we read about the birds, how the birds saved the emperor's life, what was the problem that the bird solved at the end? How did the bird save the emperor's life? The bird was not a doctor, and he didn't have any medicine.

What was wrong with the emperor that a bird could save his life? So you could talk about what's the main struggle of all the different characters. What was the main struggle of the bird once the bird came to live with the emperor? What lessons did the characters in the story learn?

And is there a lesson for us? These are all great questions to ask about the story. You could ask your children to draw a poster of the story. I used to love to make dioramas, take a shoe box and make everything, a scene from the story in miniature inside the shoe box, and it was my shadow box.

You could, as I said before, use Popsicle sticks. You could make paperback puppets and have a puppet show of one of the stories from today. You could have your student, have your child recite the story again. You could have them act it out or draw a picture. You could even have them make a replica of the nightingale.

What would they use to make a bird that would look like the real nightingale? And what would they use to make a bird that looks like the artificial nightingale? And how would we be able to tell them apart? You can even use one of the five common topics of comparison.

You could compare all of the ways in which the real nightingale and the artificial nightingale were alike, and then all the ways that they were different. What made the real nightingale special? And what made the artificial nightingale special? You could even vote in your family on which bird your family likes the best.

All children love to tell stories, and these origin stories a lot of times give them an idea of telling their beginning story. So many of your children, of course, don't remember when they were born, but they remember hearing stories about when they were born. You could have a grand time asking every child in your family, parents too, to write down stories about when they were very, very small.

And you may even ask them to write a story that would explain how they came to be as they are now. This could be a great rainy day activity, a great vacation activity, or just a really fun way to spend an evening, and think how grandparents would love to receive a book of those stories for a Christmas gift.

I hope that you and your family will spend some time this summer reading aloud together, and more than just reading the stories, I hope that you will savor them. Parents, if you want to learn more about how to be a classical educator, I wanna encourage you, because we at Classical Conversations really believe that parents can provide the quality education they want their children to have.

We know that parents sometimes feel unsure about how to accomplish this goal, so if you are eager to learn how to be a better classical educator, our Classical Learning Cohort Program can help. Think about it this summer, and go to classicalconversations.com/cohort and find out some ways that you can grow as the lead learner in your home.

Thank you for being with me today, and I will see you next week with some more stories. Bye-bye. (gentle music) you