Library Time 21

It's Saturday again already so that means another look at what we've been reading. I read this great book - Some Hats, Some Girls and Hitler by Trudi Kanter. I bought this with my birthday gift card and only paid $6.00 - bonus. It's about a lady who was a milliner in Vienne and how she got her husband and parents out of Austria.

On to the rest of the family...

 

15-year-old daughter - Jane Austen: Her Life, Her Times,  Her Novels by Janet Todd. This is one of those books that are fairly popular now that have reproductions of letters, a page from a manuscript, etc.

13-year-old son - World War II by Sean Callery. This book is so fascinating. If you have a child interested in World War II this would make an excellent gift. They also give you websites you can go to to learn more.

11-year-old son - Witness to World War II by Karen Farrington. Our boys were given these two World War II books this week so we've been hearing a lot about the War.

 

10-year-old daughter - Isabella, Girls from Many Lands

 

8-year-old daughter - Emma on Thin Icing by Coco Simon. This a Cupcake Diaries book.

 

6-year-old son - The Biggest Bear by Lynn Ward. This has always been a favourite in our home. Who wouldn't want to have a pet bear who is a gentle giant but the neighbours don't like because he eats everything?

3-year-old son - Carl at the Dog Show by Alexandra Day. We love the Carl books about the dog who looks after a little girl. There are generally only printed words at the beginning and end of the story. In between you can make up your own story based on the gorgeous illustrations. Lots of adventures so the story can be very exciting.

What does your reading list look like this week?

Library Time 20

 

This week I downloaded a book that a friend of mine wrote - The Adventures of Little Angel. It's a sweet children's book about a little angel and what she does in Heaven and her favourite story about Jesus dying on the cross for our sins. There's another one as well that I plan on getting. There are plans for more to be written. I like getting books on my Kindle for my children. This one will no doubt become a favourite.

 

I read a sweet story this week called - A Good and Perfect Gift - about Penny, a little girl born with Down Syndrome. Her mom has written an interesting story about grief and love, hope and despair. Penny's parents expected her to be perfect. In the end, they discovered she was. They wouldn't change a single thing about her.

 

So what else have we been reading?

 

15-year-old daughter - Johnny Tremaine by Esther Forbes - Historical Fiction at its finest telling about the events leading up to the Revolutionary War in the United States.

13-year-old son - King Ottokars Sceptre (Tintin) by Herge

11-year-old son - Fugitive From Corinth by Caroline Lewis - A mystery from Roman times

10-year-old daughter - Roman Mysteries by Caroline Lewish - What can I say? They're a big item in our house this week.

8-year-old daughter - The Cupcake Club by Sheryl Berk. This is a book about a club for girls who also make cupcakes.

6-year-old son - Horton Hatches an Egg by Dr. Seuss

3-year-old son - He's been asking for and looking at Richard Scarry books.

Someone had a birthday this week. Which child was it? ☺

A Book List for Little Ones

Because I have been asked more than once what books I would recommend for young children I thought I would do a post devoted to a few of my recommendations. Some of these are not readily available anymore so you'll have to keep your eyes open at garage sales, thrift stores, etc. I'm listing these in alphabetical order by the authors' last names not necessarily in order of favourites. Not all of the lists are a complete list of every book written by the author, but they are the ones we have read and enjoyed.

Jim Arnosky

• ALL NIGHT NEAR THE WATER
• COME OUT, MUSKRATS
• DEER AT THE BROOK
• EVERY AUTUMN COMES THE BEAR
• GRANDFATHER BUFFALO
• OTTERS UNDER WATER
• RABBITS AND RAINDROPS
• RACCOONS AND RIPE CORN
• WATCHING FOXES

Beautiful, realistic artwork. Simple stories – only one phrase or sentence per page. Some of his later books have more writing on each page. 

  

Mary Calhoun

• AUDUBON CAT
• BLUE-RIBBON CAT
• CROSS COUNTRY CAT
• HENRY THE SAILOR CAT
• HIGH WIRE HENRY
• HOT-AIR HENRY

Most of these books are about a cat named Henry and his adventures. The story is told from Henry's point of view, and being a cat his view of himself is pretty high.

 

 

Nancy White Carlstrom

• BETTER NOT GET WET, JESSE BEAR
• GUESS WHO'S COMING, JESSE BEAR
• LET’S COUNT IT OUT, JESSE BEAR
• JESSE BEAR, WHAT WILL YOU WEAR?

Jesse Bear is a cute little bear that two to four-year-olds will especially relate to. The books are written in rhyme that easily trips along. He experiences what many little ones do and makes it all seem like fun.
 

 

Barbara Cooney

• ISLAND BOY 

This story follows the life of one boy Matthias from babyhood to grandfather and his life on an island on the eastern seacoast. Life was hard but simple and full of character.

 

Lee Davis

• P. B. BEAR 

A series of books about a little teddy bear and his adventures. Pictures are realistically set up photos of real stuffed animals and their toys and etc. Little ones especially love these appealing stories and real and make-believe adventures.

 

Amy Hest

• IN THE RAIN WITH BABY DUCK
• MAKE THE TEAM, BABY DUCK
• OFF TO SCHOOL, BABY DUCK

Baby Duck is a "preschooler" who is afraid of rain, swimming and the first day of school. Her parents don't understand her, but her grandpa does and always seems to say and do the right thing.

James Herriot

• BLOSSOM COMES HOME
• BONNIE'S BIG DAY
• MOSES THE KITTEN
• ONLY ONE WOOF
• OSCAR, CAT-ABOUT-TOWN
• SMUDGE, THE LITTLE LOST LAMB
• THE CHRISTMAS DAY KITTEN
• THE MARKET SQUARE DOG

These are stories taken from James Herriot's books for adults and rewritten for children. The illustrations are gorgeous. Any child who loves animals will love these stories. These books can be bought individually or in one "Treasury" volume.

 

 

Shirley Hughes

• ALFIE GETS IN FIRST
• ALFIE GIVES A HAND
• ALFIE WEATHER
• OUT AND ABOUT
• TWO SHOES, NEW SHOES

My children love the "Alfie" books. He's just like any average little boy and has adventures easily related to. His little sister Annie Rose is absolutely adorable and tags along on Alfie's adventures.

 

 

Jane Pilgrim - BLACKBERRY FARM SERIES

• A BUNNY IN TROUBLE
• EMILY THE GOAT
• ERNEST OWL STARTS A SCHOOL
• HIDE AND SEEK AT BLACKBERRY FARM
• WALTER DUCK AND WINIFRED

These books are written in a similar way to the Peter Rabbit books. They have sweet stories and beautiful illustrations to match. The stories are the tales/adventures of the animals who live at Blackberry Farm with a small, moral undertone. We love them. They are hard to find though. We've found most of our at thrift stores and used book stores.

 

Brinton Turkle

• THE ADVENTURES OF OBADIAH
• OBADIAH THE BOLD
• THY FRIEND OBADIAH

These books record the troubles and triumphs of a little Quaker boy living on Nantucket Island around the time of the founding of America. My children (2 and 4) love these stories. In the first book Obadiah tells “stories” of adventures no one believes. Then he has a real adventure and cannot understand why no one believes him. In Obadiah the Bold a gift of a spyglass makes Obadiah want to grow up and become a pirate. A talk with Father finally helps him see what a truly “bold” man is. Finally, a seagull, much to Obadiah’s dismay, adopts him as a friend. In the end Obadiah comes to love the seagull.

Of course, we also have all the classic favourites: Winnie-the-Pooh, Peter Rabbit and friends, Madeline, Babar, Curious George, Richard Scary, Dr. Seuss. In case you haven't figured it out yet our home is full of books. We read all. the. time. What do you recommend that we add to our shelves?

 

Library Time 17

I finally got around to counting up my book total for 2013. I was astounded that I read a whopping 90 books last year. I have to say that a lot of that is due to my Kindle. I can easily bring a book along in the car. I can read in the dark which increases my reading time. Reading while nursing my baby is easy because the Kindle is small, light and the "pages" are easy to turn. I really, really enjoy my Kindle.

My daughter recently bought The Book Thief and asked me to proofread it first. I just have to say there is a lot of swearing (which I'm whiting out). Other than that it's a good book so far even if it is narrated by Death. Different and a little eerie.

So what else has our family been reading?

My husband - The 4-Hour Chef: The Simple Path to Cooking Like a Pro, Learning Any Skill & Living the Good Life by Timothy Ferriss. He didn't read this word for word - it's huge. He skimmed through it and will definitely go back for various things that are explained. My husband also owns The 4-Hour Body and The 4-Hour Workweek by the same author.

 

15-year-old daughter - Harvest of Gold by Tessa Afshar. This is a really good Christian novel set in Bible times. It is the second in a two-volume set. The first is Harvest of Rubies.

13-year-old son - The Assault by Brian Falkner. This is sci-fi. He won this book through our library's reading club. It's pretty interesting. Earth has been taken over by aliens. Several teenagers in the free world train to be able to take down the headquarters of Earth's enemies. Not something I would want to read on a regular basis but as a once-a-year deal I enjoyed it.

 

11-year-old son - Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder

9-year-old daughter - Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

8-year-old daughter - Peanuts - Who doesn't love the Peanuts gang? My favourite is Snoopy.

6-year-old son - Curious George

2-year-old son - anything Peter Rabbit. He has recently "discovered" the Beatrix Potter books and loves them. I think he enjoys their size. They fit him so nicely and it's easy to carry several at once. The Tale of Two Bad Mice was good for a few good giggles with a mouse named Hunca Munca.

 

What have you been reading?

Library Time 16

Early in December one of the bloggers I follow - The Humbled Homemaker - did a post on planning her reading for 2014. That inspired me to do the same. Last year I bought quite a few ebooks. I wrote out a list of what I wanted to read this year and came up with 53 titles! Some are quite short and could be read in an hour, a few are several hundred pages, some are devotional and are meant to be read one chapter at a time and not all in one sitting. The topics range from beauty to budgeting to health to special occasions to homemaking to marriage to parenting. I'll probably review some from time to time and keep you updated on my progress through them.

So what have I been reading in between finishing up gifts. I went back to my old standby Philip Oppenheim. This time I read The Double Four. Each chapter was actually it's own stand-alone adventure like the way Sherlock Holmes is written. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I also read Emily Foxe-Sexton Being "The Making of a Marchioness" and "The Methods of Lady Walderhurst". This was a great book. Emily Foxe-Sexton is a poor but genteel lady in her mid-30s and has given up hope of marriage. Then a marquis asks her to marry him and her life is turned upside dow n. After her marriage danger enters her life and threatens to kill (literally) all of her dreams. This is a wonderful feel-good book and even better you can get it free for your Kindle.

15-year-old daughter - The Captive of Raven Castle by Jessica Greyson

13-year-old son - Secret Weapons: Technology, Science and the Race to Win World War II by Brian Ford

11-year-old son - Eyewitness World War I by DK Publishers. If you have never read any of the "Eyewitness" books you are missing out on a treat. These are excellent books loaded with information and beautiful illustrations.

9-year-old daughter - Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink. Caddie is a young girl growing up in the wilds of 1860s Wisconsin, and to the despair of her very ladylike mother is a tomboy. The adventures are based on the life of the author's grandmother.

8-year-old daughter - Starlight and Candles by Fran Manushkin

5-year-old son - Curious George ☺ Always a favourite here.

2-year-old son - He recently received a small Richard Scarry pop-up book. We really like Richard Scarry. There is always a lot going on in the pictures making for fun discussions with your little one.

Back to school next week so less reading time, but knowing our family we'll still manage. What have read during the holidays?

Library Time 15

I'm still enjoying my Kindle. I truly did not think I would like reading books electronically, but I do. I still like my paper books, but I probably use my Kindle more. It is just so easy and convenient, and I can read in bed with the lights out...not that I often am awake long enough to do that. Anyway, I read a really great book this week that is only available on Kindle. The Last Heir by Shannon McDermott. It's a mix of sci-fi and political thriller. The author is young, but she manages to pull all of this together, and I really enjoyed the book. The start was a tad slow, but it didn't take long for me to be hooked.

The teaser from the Amazon page: " When loyalty meets ambition and power meets passion, and the prize is an empire ...

The emperor is dead and the last heir is a child, unable to exercise the power of his throne. Left without a ruler, the Empire's most powerful men struggle for control. Their long fight will spread from the halls of government to all the Empire, and its arena will be their own hearts and families. As the Empire divides against itself, everyone must choose who and what to be loyal to. Lines will grow hard and choices become clear, and the truth of who they are and what they fight for will be revealed." I'll just say it again - this book is worth the read.

 

15-year-old daughter - Ellen by Heidi Peterson. This is a book she's reviewing for someone.

13-year-old son -World Book Encyclopedia Volumes A and B. Still on the encyclopedia kick. ☺

11-year-old son - I Am Canada: Blood and Iron: Building the Railway, Lee Heen-gwong, British Columbia, 1882 by Paul Yee. My oldest son was given this book as a library prize a couple of summers ago. Since then the two oldest boys have almost memorized it they've read it so much. 

9-year-old daughter - Keeping Secrets by Maggie Dana. She's at the age for the horse craze. ☺

8-year-old daughter - The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain (Children's Illustrated Classics).

5-year-old son - Madeline by Ludwig Behelmans

2-year-old son - The King's Stilts by Dr. Seuss. This is one of my favourite Dr. Seuss books. The king works very hard and how does he like to relax? With stilts. Until someone steals them. The king can't work because he misses his beloved stilts. The kingdom will soon be destroyed. Where are the stilts?

 

So what books have you been enjoying this week?

Toddler Fun - Books

This just wouldn't be a blog about our family if we didn't bring books into the posts. We have books everywhere in our house and that is not an exaggeration. One thing about my toddler - I think I mentioned this already - he doesn't particularly like toys but he LOVES books. Most of the books he knows are well-known classics, but I thought I would go through a list of his favourites. Maybe you've forgotten some of these and this list will jog your memory to get these out with your little one. Some of them are out of print so you have to watch for them at yard sales and thrift stores.

Here they are in no particular order:

• Winnie-the-Pooh
• Peter Rabbit
• Ladybird books
• Dr. Seuss
• Jim Arnosky - author with gorgeous picture books that he illustrates 
• 

• Eric Carle
• Lois Lenski - Amazon carries these classics. If you've never read any of Lois Lenski's books, check them out. My toddler loves her "Small" series.
• Teddy Bear's Fun to Learn - This is my little guy's all-time favourite...the one he asks for without fail. My husband has read this to all of our toddlers. We are on our fourth copy.

 

• Richard Scary
• Virginia Lee Burton

 

• Curious George

I cannot leave this post without talking about photo books. I used to get mine printed through Creative Memories. I haven't had a book printed since they reorganized their company, but I have three almost ready to go. My children LOVE photo books. They are the story of their life. I know as moms we are all really busy, but I see this as part of my job as their mom to preserve their history. So I paper scrapbook and do digital scrapbooking.  It really doesn't take long to put a photo book together. I would encourage you to find a programme you are comfortable with and make it a goal to make at least one photo book over the next year.

Don't forget to check out our giveaway.

Toddler Fun Posts:

• Introduction
• Paper
• Beads and Pipe Cleaners
• Popsicle Sticks
• Snacks
• Miscellaneous