What We're Reading

Adrianna is finally getting old enough to enjoy chapter books!  Yay!  Variety for me!

1. Little Bear
by Else Holmelund Minarik

Nathaniel in particular, LOVES these quiet little stories.  I think he relates to the imaginative little bear and wants to join him on his adventures. 



2. Three Tales of My Father's Dragon
by Ruth Stiles Gannett

Adrianna is fully into these stories.  An adventurous little boy, Elmer Elevator, goes on an excursion to rescue a baby dragon from the mean creatures of Wild Island.  The first story ("My Father's Dragon) is by far the best, however she is still enjoying the other two stories ("Elmer and the Dragon" and " The Dragons of Blueland").  A gentle introduction to chapter books.

What We're Reading

1. The Enormous Crocodile
by Roald Dahl

Both kids really enjoyed this story.  The illustrations by Quentin Blake are delightful.  The story is creative (of course!) and kept the kids guessing.  There was just the right bit of suspense to be exciting but not scary.  However, Adrianna was truly puzzled at the ending because "the crocodile was only hungry" - she wanted to see him eat up a "juicy little child".  I guess that is what crocodiles do.

2. Old Mother West Wind
by Thornton Burgess

It took the kids a few chapters to begin to enjoy this book but now they each have favorite characters (Peter Rabbit and Jimmy Skunk for Adrianna and Old Grandfather Toad for Nate).  The stories are short and clever and we are painlessly learning a lot about the basic character of skunks, woodchucks and foxes in the process.  I have ordered the rest of the Old Mother West Wind books in the series.  What a brilliant author.

What We're Reading

Some of our favorites this week.

1.  Millions of Cats
by Wanda Gag

An old man searches for a cat to bring home to his wife to end their loneliness.  However, he can't decide on just one cat and comes home with "hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats".  Problem solved when each cat fights to be the prettiest and only the humblest little kitten remains.

2.  I Want to be Somebody New!
by Robert Lopshire

As soon as I was finished reading this book, Nate immediately demanded I read it again.  And again.  And again.  I have read it at least a dozen times this past week alone.  Wonderful message to just be you.

3.  Sam and the Firefly
by P.D. Eastman

Another book that thoroughly grabbed Nate's attention.  He LOVED the idea of a naughty firefly playing tricks on people. 

4.  Paddington
by Michael Bond

Another Paddington favorite.   This is the story of how the Brown's found Paddington sitting in Paddington Station with a note "Please take care of this bear" - so they do.  Cute.  For some reason, Nate loves Judy and looks for her on every page.

5.  Rama and the Tigers
from "My Book House" Vol. 2

Rama and the Tigers is a retelling of Little Black Sambo by Helen Bannerman.  I'm not familiar with Little Black Sambo and the supposed raciest overtones....  but I enjoyed this version of little Krishna who outsmarts the tigers who in turn attack each other and turn themselves into butter which is then used to make pancakes. 

What are YOU reading this week?  Happy story time!

Reading This Week

I'm *trying* to let the kids choose more often what they would like to read rather than me choosing for them.  Previously, I would choose most of their books.  Now, we each get a turn - so three books, one Nate chose, one Anna chose, and one Mommy chose.  Funny, they enjoy reading much more now.

This week's picks.

1.  Harold and the Purple Crayon
by Crockett Johnson

We have been reading this book at least once every day this week. 

2.  Paddington Bear at the Circus
by Michael Bond

Both kids were fascinated with the whole circus theme of clowns and stilts and acrobats and trapeze and the ringmaster's top hat.  Nate's favorite part is Paddington imagining the Ring Master's hat full of marmalade.  Anna's favorite part was the ice-cream cone falling on the Ring Master's top hat. 

3.  The Important Book
by Margaret Wise Brown

I love the simplicity and beauty of this book.  The pictures by Leonard Weisgard are stunning.  The text is great for discussion - "what do YOU think is the important thing about rain, wind, sun, you?" etc. 

4.  The Dirty Little Boy
by Margaret Wise Brown

I don't like this book.  At all.  I don't like the illustrations of the "bad mommy" (Nate) and her super fat bum.  I don't like the mother in the story who tells her little boy to go watch the animals and figure out how to get clean and then later berates him for watching animals to learn how to get clean!  But, my kids love it.  They love the "bad mommy" and her ridiculous fat bum.  They love that the little boy tries to get clean like the animals because everyone KNOWS wallowing in a mud puddle like a pig won't get you clean!  They love the little boy's clean bare bum at the end of the book.  I guess that's why it is a kid's book and not a mommy's book.

What We're Reading

Some of our favorites this week...

1.  Pierrot's ABC Garden
by Anita Lobel

Adrianna loves pictures of fruit and vegetables and she loves gardens so this is one of her current favorite books.  Typical ABC type book - except she runs out of vegetables by U, V, W, X, Y & Z and gets a bit creative.

2.  How Does Your Garden Grow
an Owl Magazine/Golden Press Book

Another gardening book for Adrianna.  A worm, ant and snail describe a garden from their point of view.

3.  The Runaway Bunny
by Margaret Wise Brown

SO cute!  I absolutely LOVE the illustrations by Clement Hurd.  The story line is adorable too.  A little bunny is trying to run away from his mother and she follows him wherever he goes.  I'm learning that Margaret Wise Brown is always a winner in this house.

4.  Paddington Bear in the Garden
by Michael Bond

Surprisingly, Nate enjoyed this story more than Anna.  He was mesmerized by the marmalade and kept asking "where's the marmalade".  Adrianna was mildly interested in the garden but since there were no obvious pictures of fruits or vegetables it lost her interest.  I look forward to trying more Paddington.

5.  The Kid's Guide to Monster Trucks
by Michael O'Hearn

Nate saw monster trucks at a local carnival in the summer.  Ever since he has LOVED them.  Monster Truck videos on YouTube, Monster Truck toys, and I finally found a Monster Truck book at the library and sure enough, he LOVES it.  He now knows all the names of the different trucks.  I'm not sure how I feel about my 2 yr old knowing words such as "Grave Digger" and "Dungeon of Doom"...

6.  Mr. Tickle
by Roger Hargreaves

Adrianna has discovered the Mr. and Little Miss books and she LOVES them.  She has just entered the silly age and the sillier the better!  It's fun to see her lighten up a bit. 

We found The Mr. Men Show - Mr. Tickle Presents: Tickle Time Around Town! DVD at the library.  The kids laughed themselves silly!  Of course, their favorite is Mr. Rude.

We discovered the website for The Mr. Men Show and they had a blast looking at each character and their unique traits.  This is silly childhood at it's best!

It's been a fun week.

What We've Been Reading Lately

Time to get back into the "schooly" side of things.  haha.  (LIFE is school!)

Here are some books the kids have been enjoying lately.

1.  The Little Engine that Could
by Watty Piper.

Classic story.  I love the retro pictures.  Anna loves the fruit (she has a thing for food pictures lately) and Nate, well Nate just loves trains or anything else with wheels on it.

2.  Baa-Choo!
by Sarah Weeks.

A little lamb has a sneeze that just won't sneeze.  Kids love the suspense of sneezing stories.  Something about sneezes, hiccups and toots are insanely funny to little people.

3.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?
by Bill Martin Jr. & Eric Carle

This book is PERFECT for us right now.  Adrianna can "read" the story based on the picture clues and Nate screams out the colors.  Quite the team.  Adrianna often "reads" this to Nate and he LOVES it.

4.  Whistle for Willie
 by Ezra Jack Keats

We spent a long time trying to whistle after reading this book.  It's pretty entertaining to watch toddlers/preschoolers try to whistle.  This book kept both kids full attention.

5.  Squirrel's World
by Lisa Moser
44 pgs.

I LOVED this book.  An ADHD squirrel is obliviously "helpful" to his woodsy friends.  It is just so darn cute!  (The squirrel reminds me of Nate)  :)

Reading This Week

Are my kids too young for Christmas?  We don't really do Santa and despite my attempts to get the kids interested, they just aren't showing that much interest.  Adrianna is more fascinated with food and Nate with trains or instruments....  I keep reading them Christmas stories and winter themed books and we are attending various seasonal activities, but they just don't seem all that enthused...  I'm sure that will all change on Christmas morning though!

1.  The Spirit of Christmas
by Nancy Tillman.

Nice pictures and simple story line in this book.  I thought it was good...

2.  Counting to Christmas
by Nancy Tafuri

Nate liked this book.  Counts the days to Christmas while a young girl prepares for Christmas with various decorations and crafts. 

3.  Stranger in the Woods
a photographic Fantasy
by Carl R. Samss II & Jean Stoick

I love the photos in this book. 

Nate's Favorites

Nate has three books that we MUST read each night.

1.  Freight Train
by Donald Crews

This is the simplest book ever and Nate just adores it (and has it memorized).  He has learned colors, counting and memorization all from this simplest of books.  Best of all, it takes NO time to read at bedtime!

2.  Two Little Trains
by Margaret Wise Brown

A poetic story of two little trains (one old and one new) going West.  Nate loves the rhythm and illustrations.

3.  I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track
by Joshua Prince

Nate just saw me typing this and SCREAMED with delight "it's ANT!".  This is his current FAVORITE book and we read it multiple times a day.  Cute rhyme story about an eastbound ant on a westbound track.  HUGE hit in our home!

Books We've Enjoyed This Week

1.  Uncle Elephant
by Arnold Lobel

Cute story of a little Elephant whose parents are lost at sea (it's never explained how or why Elephants are "at sea"...).  Anyway, the little Elephant goes to stay with his silly Uncle for a few days until his parents return.  Cute.  Kept both kids interest the entire way through.

2.  Small Pig
by Arnold Lobel

Nate LOVED this story.  It is the first story of any length that he has sat still and quiet for!  Cute simple story of a little pig who loves his mud.  When "the farmer's wife" vacuums up his soft mud, the little pig is so angry that he runs away and gets himself stuck in the city. 

3.  The Just So Woman
by Gary Blackwood

My just-so girl related to this story of a woman who needed to have things "just-so".  We read it multiple times.

What We've Been Reading This Week

1.  For the Children's Hour
by Carolyn S. Bailey
488 pgs. Yesterday's Classics
Originally published in 1906 by Milton Bradley Co.

We've been reading one story a day in the afternoon at tea/snack time.  Adrianna is surprising me with her understanding of the stories as well as with her increasing attention span to listen even with no pictures.  So far we've read the first three stories:

1.  The Little Grey Grandmother
This story was too advanced for both of them, however, I think I'll revisit it in a few years when I focus more on character.

2.  Grandmother's Curtains
Adrianna "got" this one and understood what the little girl was up to.

3.  Hans and the Wonderful Flower
This story sparked a great discussion on what we do if we were given a bag of precious jewels.  Adrianna would make jewelry.  Nate would put them in the money box at church.  Cute.

2.  My Book House - Volume 2 - Story Time

Edited by Olive Beaupre Miller

I had the very good fortune of stumbling across the ENTIRE 12 volume set of this beautiful series in Value Village.  I paid a grand total of $10 for the entire set!  I had never heard of this book series before but I could instantly tell that they were quality books.  Turns out I was right!  Owing to the value of the books, I keep them safe in my room and bring them out to read to the kids at bedtime.  Adrianna thoroughly enjoys the stories in Volume 2 and I thoroughly enjoy the beauty and quality of the book. 

3.  The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh
by A.A Milne.  illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard
344 pgs.  Dutton Children's Books

Another Value Village find.  I paid a grand total of $3.99!  Wow!
Adrianna (and occasionally Nate), really enjoys these stories.  I caught her "reading" them to Nate (narration!!).  Cute.  I enjoy remembering hearing these stories as a child.  Just classic wonderful.

We've read the first three stories.  It was delightful to watch Adrianna "get it" while reading "In Which Pooh and Piglet Go Hunting and Nearly Catch a Woozle".  All of a sudden she yelled - "it's them!  It's THEIR own footprints!"  awesome!

4.  Tickety Tock by Jason Robert Brown.  Illustrated by Mary GrandePre
32 pg.

I thought this story was beautiful!  Who doesn't want to go back in time and do things differently?  But, I think the concept was lost on my kids.  Nate liked the "tick tock clocks" and I think Adrianna liked the rhythm of the rhymes, but I was the one who liked the story.

5.  Frog and Toad Books
by Arnold Lobel

We are thoroughly enjoying these books also!  Both kids will sit and listen to the stories.  Such gentle and real friendships.  Such emotion.  So few words and yet so much conveyed.  Love it.

Books We've Enjoyed This Week

I am so excited to finally begin reading some chapter books with Anna.  I am working to train her attention.  Some of the pages have a simple picture on them and some pages have no pictures.  She's able to follow the story over a course of a few nights (a week or so) and enjoy it. 

1.  Mouse Tales
by Arnold Lobel.
61 pages.  1978 Harper & Row

"Seven bedtime stories told by Papa Mouse to his seven sons. Lively little drawings add to the humor. Seven mouse boys lie awake one night, and they ask their Papa to tell them a story. Papa does better than that-he tells them seven stories, one for each boy."

This was a cute book.  We read it in two sittings and Anna quite enjoyed it. 

2.  Frog and Toad are Friends
by Arnold Lobel
64 pages.  1979

"Five tales recounting the adventures of two best friends - Frog and Toad"

Cute stories.  The friendship reminded me a lot of the George and Martha books.

3.  The Name of the Tree
A Bantu Tale retold by Celia Barker Lottridge
36 pages.  1990.

"When the other animals fail at the task, the slow but wise turtle finds a way to obtain the bountiful fruits of a magic tree."

Anna is fascinated with trees.  Her "tree books" are her special things that she doesn't have to share.  She quite enjoyed this tale.  Beautiful book.

4.  A Pocketful of Posies

by Salley Mavor

72 pages.  2010

The stunning thing about this book is the remarkable illustrations!  The text is classic nursery rhymes (good in themselves).  The illustrations are these amazingly detailed fabric and cloth embroidered and sewn scenes.  It's a gorgeous book. 

These are the stories that were a hit in out house this week.

Friday Five

I babysit on Fridays.  A full day of 5 kids 6 and under.  I realize that this is the daily reality for some families - wow - but not for me!!  I am exhausted by the end of the day - and usually by the fighting and irritability of my own two kids rather than the additional three!  Overall though, I do feel that it is a good experience for both groups of kids - like a super extended play date.

1.  Before the extra kids arrived, we spent our Bible time reading about Noah in our Bible book. 

2.  After the kids arrived and were getting a bit bored, we spent some time doing a craft.  Gluing faces on a pumpkin to make our own "jack-o-lanterns".  We are not big into Halloween (actually, I am trying desperately to redeem the holiday rather than avoid it).  So, we did the gluing craft - Adrianna made two pumpkins and Nate even got involved and COVERED his paper with glue!  He's one messy kid!

Here's the template I used:  Halloween Pumpkin Craft

3.  Lunch time spurred a lengthy and involved discussion over healthy and unhealthy food.  Each kid gave examples of protein, fats (good and bad), junk food, healthy food (ie: vegetables, fruit - listing a HUGE list of each!).  It's these impromptu discussions that makes me really start to believe in "unschooling".  Randomly, without any planning on my part, they just GOT it and I had a on-the-spot lesson on health and nutrition with all ears open.  Wow.

4.  Fun book times.  Adrianna introduced the older two "guests" to her new favorite book - Richard Scarry's "Things that Go".  All three older kids had a GREAT time trying to find Goldbug as well as following the story of Officer Flossy and Dingo Dog.  What a wonderful book!

We also read If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss.  While I found it long and wordy, the kids loved the imaginative characters and at the end got involved in naming their own imaginary animals.  It would be a great follow up to get them to draw and name their own imaginary animal.

5.  Of course, the day also consisted of plenty of time outside - usually fighting over the wagon.  And, unfortunately, again - too much TV.  By far my biggest struggle is getting the kids away from that thing!