Library Find Friday: Rhyming Books and a Great Audiobook

Library Find Friday has returned!  (At least for this week)

Two rhyming books we've enjoyed immensely:

1.  Come Over To My House
      by Theo.LeSieg
 

This book, in true Dr. Seuss form, rhymes throughout, while describing all sorts of houses people live in all over the world:

Some houses are wide.
Some houses are thin
Some are so thin
you can hardly get in.

But wherever you go,
you will hear someone say,
"Come over to my house.
Come over and play!"

The pictures are colorful and fun, children are depicted doing different activities in different cultures.  A truly fun and eye-opening story!

2.  The Seven Silly Eaters
      by Mary Ann Hoberman


The illustrations, by Marla Frazee make this book worth purchasing, though I haven't done so myself.

The rhymes are great, going through the life of Mrs. Peters, starting with one child and ending up with seven.

Now time went by as time will do;
And as it passed, the children grew.
The problem was that as they grew,
Their appetites kept growing, too!
But not their choice of what to eat:
Each child continued to repeat
They wanted what they'd had before--
The trouble was
They wanted more!

Each of them has a particular food they will only eat, and by the end, Mrs. Peters has lost all joy and energy. But just when she is about to fall apart, her children surprise her with the best birthday present ever!



The witty rhymes and pictures depicting a chaotic but loving atmosphere make this a book to enjoy over and over!

3. Snow Treasure
    by Marie McSwigan
    narrated by John McDonough


Snow Treasure is truly a treasure.  We listened to it in the van on audiobook.  The reading of John McDonough makes it even better.  Look for other stories read by him as well....you're in for a real treat.

The story itself is set in Norway during WWII.  The children of a little village are entrusted with the covert job of bringing bricks of gold down to the river by sled to get them away from the Nazi soldiers' grasp.

The children rise to the task and work very hard for their country, sliding gold down the hill day after day, right in front of the soldiers who don't suspect children....or do they?

Full of suspense and thrill and joy, this is based on a true story during that tumultuous time.

And if you live around here, they have the CD's at our public library.

Happy reading!

Library Find Friday: Simple and Fun

We are mostly active these summer days.  Even so, we manage to get a few books read along the way.



The Bee Tree by Patricia Polacco

As we loaded up yesterday morning for a friend's house I heard two boys arguing over who got the book.  Somehow they've gained a mindset that each must have a book for sitting in the van, even if it is just for ten minutes.

This book is fun, funny, and infinitely endearing.  About a grandfather and his granddaughter, he teaches her about work, enjoyment, community, tradition, and the importance of reading.

Highly recommended by me and the children!


As for me, I've been obsessing over simplicity.



Almost Amish 
One Woman's Quest for a Slower, Simpler, More Sustainable Life
by Nancy Sleeth

This balanced book covers technology, houses, food, mindset, and more.  I was thinking it would be more radical in its assertions.  Not at all.

It is thought-provoking, easy-reading, purposeful, and realisticly doable.

In each chapter she shares a bit of Amish mindset and lifestyle and then gives ideas on how to incorporate the Amish strengths into our own lives.

May your reading be enjoyable and your activities even more so this weekend!  I'd love to hear of simple and fun books you're enjoyed!

Library Find Friday: Summer Time Reads

When the weather's nice, we can mostly be found outside.  But a good, intentional read on a hot afternoon enhances our outdoor experiences. 

Bear and Bunny Grow Tomatoes

by Bruce Koscielniak

We pull this one out every year, though I know you can find it at the library!  It's a cute story with quirky illustrations proving the point that to successfully have tomatoes in the fall means planning, preparing a garden bed, weeding, watering, and working.  

When my kids aren't keen on garden work come July, a gentle "are you bunny or bear?" is all it takes!

Miss Rumphius 

by Barbara Cooney

I made sure to pull this off the library shelf this week, as the lupine is in full bloom along the highways and hiking paths right now.

It is a lovely story about Miss Rumphius, who, as a little girl, sets three life goals: to travel to far away places, to end her life living by the sea, and at her grandfather's request, to make the world more beautiful.  

The words and pictures are a treasure.

We watch her go through life meeting the goals...and lupines are included!

Night of the Moonjellies

by Mark Sasha

Another great book with beautiful illustrations.  This book has the feel of summer to me, as the seven year old boy tells the story of working for his Gram (Grandma) during the summer at their drive-in restaurant at the ocean.  

We see him work together with family to run the business, feel the warmth of the summer ocean breezes as they sit to take a quick lunch during the quiet hour of mid-afternoon, hear the loud blaring of stereos as the evening crowd gets their dinners, and then sense the quiet peace of the ocean as he and Gram release a moonjelly to its' home far out in the ocean.

The ending is rich with sentiment and intentionality.  This story captures a dominant essence of summer.

Roots, Shoots, Buckets and Boots

by Sharon Lovejoy

If you've not planted a garden in yet, this is a fun book to look through.  This year the kids have chosen to take a large section of our garden plot to try one of the garden plans featured here: The Garden of Giants...we've planted birdhouse gourds running up a tepee, yard-long pole beans growing to form a tunnel into the tepee, walking stick cabbages to stand guard, and giant pumpkins to fill it in.  

It will be an adventure to see what happens and journal its' progress.  

There are many different garden plans featured, some being herbs, a pizza garden, a flower garden, and more.  It also has many natural gardening tips featured throughout, whimsical illustrations, and includes top 20 plants to grow with children.  So fun!

So, take a break from the computer and TV and open up a book this weekend.  

Happy reading!

Library Find Friday: A Good Read Aloud

Want a collection of fairy tales (no pictures in this one) that will expand a child's vocabulary? Actually anyone's vocabulary.  My kids all love this except the three year old...it's a bit much for him.

A Child's Book of Stories, published by Children's Classics, has 85 stories, some short, some long, full of adventure, fear, excitement, and wonder.  The stories, some familiar, some not, are so exciting the kids don't even mind the challenging vocabulary or high literary structure.  Each one of them picks it up to read on his own, or asks for a story when we sit down to read.

In Jim Trelease's The Read-Aloud Handbook, he addresses the uniqueness of fairy tales.  "What distinguishes the fairy tale is that it speaks to the very heart and soul of the child....the fairy tale offers this promise:  If you have courage and if you persist, you can overcome any obstacle, conquer any foe."  

(I'll add in here it's got nothing on the true and amazing stories in the Bible, though).

I'll also add in here a picture of my latest purposeful decor to our living room.  It's used daily as we spend time together reading aloud and silently.

The globe and the dictionary: two items worth having on hand...so that places and words have meaning within the context of stories and life.

Any read-aloud books you've enjoyed lately?

Library Find Friday for Children: Sibling Kindness

It's rainy but there are so many good books to read that it's okay!  Right?

 

Dogger
by Shirley Hughes

This book captured our hearts the first time we read it.  It's now wayyy overdue and I must part with it.  One of the themes that made me love this book is sibling kindness.

There are so many books that seem to encourage or at least give example of sibling rivalry or selfishness.  For me, it seems like these things come naturally and I don't need a book to give the children more examples of this kind of thinking.

But in Dogger the brothers and sister give inspiration.  Sharing an ice cream cone with his baby brother, understanding when someone was sad.

In the story the middle child, Dave has a special stuffed dog named Dogger.  The beautiful illustrations and words show Dave's special affection for his Dogger.

"At supper Dave was rather quiet.
In the bath he was even quieter.
At bedtime he said,
'I want Dogger.'
But Dogger was nowhere to be found."

The story turns to revolve around a school carnival and the lost Dogger.  Through some interesting circumstances Dogger is found, but in order to be rescued Dave's big sister chooses to sacrifice something of her own to get him back.



The Saturdays,  The Four-Story Mistake,  Then There Were Five,  Spider Web For Two
by Elizabeth Enright

This series of four books about four siblings is full of fun and joy.  I won't do a full review except to say we listened to these in audio book (from the library) and always looked forward to our next drive in the van.

Besides the fun story and creative household we entered, we also got to witness how the four children worked together, got along, thought of each other, and built great memories because of their kindness and love for each other.


 

Lastly, though not at the library or about sibling kindness, we've pulled out Patrick: A Heart Afire radio theater by Focus on the Family.  The two episodes dramatize the life of St. Patrick, missionary to Ireland.
You can download the two episodes for under $2.00 each.

Now, off to read to my little ones!

Any good sibling kindness books you'd recommend?

Library Find Friday For Children: Nature Books

For this issue of Library Find Friday I'm looking at a few nature books.  I'm not sure if books on nature help us enjoy nature more or being out in nature helps us enjoy books on it, but either way, they really enhance the natural experience.




This beautifully illustrated book, I Call It Sky, by Will C. Howell is a worthy read.  In a poetic tone, each page explores an aspect of the air.  Breezes, snow, rain, fog, wind, storms are all covered twice as in the first pages they are explained, and in the last pages, they are experienced by the children in the photos.

The vibrant illustrations and beautiful words inspire joy in the world around us.

I know about the quiet summer air because I can see the still flowers resting on green picket stems.

I know about a summer breeze because I can hear it stirring the leaves nesting in the branches.  I like to listen to the secrets it whispers to me.




I Celebrate Nature
by Diane Iverson 

We all loved this little book.  There are just a few words per page, but they are sweet words...

I love to chatter with the birds

and watch them fly up in the air.

I help the puffballs scatter seeds

through meadows broad and far.

The illustrations are by the author who is a specialist in drawing birds and animals in North America.  For this reason, all of the kids here loved the book.  The illustrations are amazingly detailed and absolutely worth losing yourself in for a while.  This book will be on the drawing table when we sit down to sketch nature!



Crinkleroot's Nature Almanac by Jim Arnosky

What a fun find!  This book appeals to all ages and is packed full of nature information in seasonal order.

As I've looked through this book I've seen where the kids have gotten various ideas like planting popcorn.  I have popcorn plants on the kitchen windowsill and Rals just realized they're ready to transplant but the outside weather isn't ready for them....what a great learning experience!

There's inspiration for leaf booklets, information on animal tracks, games to play, pictures to find, puzzles to solve...all with guidance and direction from Crinkleroot who was "born in a tree and raised by bees."  That's right!

Apparently there are at least 12 more Crinkleroot books but I haven't read any of the others yet.




The Bumper Book of Nature by Stephen Moss

I saw this book at a museum bookstore and wrote down the title...checked it out at the library and then Conner requested it for Christmas from his grandparents.  It is beautifully and simply illustrated.  Included are pages of identification, activities, crafts, caring for nature, lore, and much more.  Some activities include having a snail race, cooking fiddlehead ferns, making an old fashioned quill pen, and making elderflower cordial or fritters.

It is organized by season and also by location.  If you're looking for nature ideas, this is a great book to check out at the library!


Have a nature book you'd recommend?  Please leave the title in the comments.