Things to Read - Favorite Kids' Books V

Spring break equals lots of reading. Here's what we've liked lately. Click on the picture to link to Amazon.(And click here for Favorite Kids' Books I-IV).

PICTURE BOOKS:



Blueberries for Sal - Dan's mom bought this book for the girls a few years ago, but they never really took to it. Lately I've been reading it with T and he LOVES it. This is the first book where T has memorized most of the plot while paying close attention to the details of the narrative. The plot is simple - a little girl, Sal, and her mom become "mixed up" with a bear and her cub while picking blueberries on blueberry hill. But something about the sound effects - the berries in the bucket going "kuplink! kuplank! kuplunk!", the mama bear's "Garumpf!"- has T mesmerized. Plus, he's at that age where he wants parents to play a pivotal role in books. If we read a book without adults in it he keeps asking me "but where her mommy? where her daddy? isn't she sad? is she alone?" and it becomes hard to finish. Anyways, T loves Sal.



Dinothesaurus - All kids like dinosaurs to some degree (or at least all my kids do) but I can never remember which one is which. Who has the scales? Which is the herbivore? Etc. So I love this book full of simple, quirky poems, such as Barosaurus "I'm higher than five elephants. /I'm longer than most whales. /My giant neck is balanced by/ My forty-three-foot tail./A tail that is my weapon./It swings from side to side./From nose to tail I'm ninety feet-/Hey kid, ya wanna ride?" Plus the collage-type illustrations give us something creative to look at.



Wynken, Blnyken, and Nod - This book is odd. And soothing, like a lullabye. With beautiful illustrations. The author, Eugene Field, first published the dreamy prose in 1889. Over a hundred years later we can't stop reading it. And talking about the sky/sea, and shoe boats, and fish that may be stars, and dreams. so many dreams.



Ms Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China - About a year ago, we read a lot of books on China, as the girls were curious about other countries and cultures (click here for the past post). Yet somehow I missed this one. In Ms. Frizzle's Adventures: Imperial China, the Ms Frizzle mentioned is the same one from the Magical School Bus series, just as quirky and unique. Here she takes some students back 1000 years, to imperial China - where we learn about emperors, taxes, rice farming, the Great Wall, silk making, and tea - all while Miss Frickle's zany antics continue (I sort of love her). My kids had a hard time grasping the concept of 1000 years ago (don't we all?) but still we learned a lot and stayed thoroughly entertained.



Ladybug Girl - One of my friends recommended this awhile ago, but we can never snag a library copy. Luckily, we now own our one thanks to the grade school book exchange (what a wonderful idea) and we really enjoy reading it. The plot centers on a young girl bored by the idea of an afternoon alone. Luckily she manages to create her own adventures, indoor and out. Unlike most of the girl-centric kids' books out lately, this one doesn't reference princesses or "girl stuff", rather ladybug girl's adventures involve lakes and logs, ants and turtles. Nice.



Japanese Children's Favorite Stories - Ogres. Goblins. Sparrow fairies. Kind trees. Grateful statues. Spider girls. And one inch tall warriors. A quirky collection of tales, most of which are only a few pages long (perfect for bedtime).



The Fairy Tales of the Brothers Grimm - Lately P's obsessed with the story of Hansel and Gretal despite the fact that I cry almost every time I read it to her. (abandoned children in a forest? and a witch who wants to eat them? even newspapers print don't print stuff this depressing). Whenever we go to the library P tries to find different versions of the story and bring them home (does anyone else find this odd?). This book is beautifully illustrated. And the stories don't stray from the original tales (why is the princess in the frog story so mean and spoiled? what's the moral?), so if you're looking for a great presentation of classic stories, look no further.


CHAPTER BOOKS:



Ramona Quimby, Age 8 - I used to love Ramona books as a kid and reading this book with the girls reminded me why. Ramona truly is timeless. The chapter where Ramona and Beezus have to make dinner had F enthralled - "how will it taste? It's going to be gross. I can't wait!" And every time Ramona mentioned Yard Ape, F would say, "I hate mean boys, what is he going to do now?"


CHILDREN'S BOOK LINKS:

* The Top 100 Children's Books of All Time (according to childrensbookguide.com)

* Daily Candy's List of 83 Favorite Kids' Books

* 67 Books Every Geek Should Read To Their Kids Before Age 10 (this is a really good list, really good).

* Chapter books for 3-8 year olds.