Things to Read - Favorite Kids' Books X

Cold rainy days = lots of reading on the couch. Here are some of our recent favorites (and click here to read our former reviews):

PICTURE BOOKS



Warning: Do Not Open This Book

me - Okay, so I pretty much love this book, it's super clever and short.

P (age 6) - Wait, now I get it - the monkeys are actually in the book (as she keeps opening and shutting the cover over and over).

T (age 4) - Read it again? Please!! It's so funny. I love the monkeys. And I love the trap. I like bananas too.



Chloe and the Lion

F (age 8) - I thought it was really funny because it was different than a regular story.

P (age 6) - I thought it was funny how the illustrator and author were part of the story and got in a fight with each other.

T (age 4) - I liked it because the man that draws the pictures was part of the story.



The Dark

T (age 4) - When it's midnight, I get really scared, so I snuggle with pink sheet. (me - T, are you going to review the book?)

P (age 6) - I'm not scared of the dark, I'm scared of the bad stuff that can happen when I'm in the dark. (me - Is anyone going to review the book?)

P - I thought the book was okay.

T - I thought it was funny that the dark talked. I wish the dark would talk in real life. Could you please read it again now?



Tap The Magic Tree

me - This is an interactive book, very similar to Press Here. (though I still like Press Here better)

T (age 4) - This is so fun [as he claps, points, etc.].

P (age 6) - Now please read it again mom, without doing what the tree tells us to do [so I read it again].

P - It's fake! It's fake! I knew it. The pages stay the same whether or not we follow the tree's directions.

T - Can we still read it again? It's still fun, I don't care if it's fake.



Digger, Dozer, Dumper

me - This book is a collection of poems about construction vehicles, the poems are actually pretty good.

T (age 4) - I want to drive an ambulance.

P (age 6) - I'd be a cherry picker so I could save cats. Even though I'm allergic to cats.

T - Trucks can't really think, can they? (me - Is anyone going to review the book?)

P - It was okay for a truck book.

T - I like it! I like trucks!



Chloe

P (age 6) - I want to read it one more time.

T (age 4) - It's so cool! I liked when they got the TV and played in the box instead.

P - Do you know what's good about that? They learned that playing and having fun is more important than watching TV (me - seriously? I can't make this stuff up).

T - I liked how they hang out with Chloe instead of watching TV.



Night Shift

me - Lately this is T's favorite book, probably because it documents several different careers that he's never heard of before. Also, he likes to yell out all the jobs before I turn the pages.

T (age 4) - I like the newspaper printers because I love getting the newspaper in the morning. I also like the boats a lot. I learned a lot.

EARLY READERS



Flat Stanley Goes Camping

me - We have a hard time finding good early readers, but P seems to really like the Flat Stanley series.

P (age 6) - I liked it. It's about a flat boy. They get lost in the forest and he becomes a parachute and a boat. Eventually he saves the day.

CHAPTER BOOKS (note - these are purely F's reviews as I've never read these books (though I want to one day)).



Fake Mustache

F (age 8) - This was a really cool book. A boy named Casper buys a fake mustache that makes him become evil. Because it's so real looking his friend has to stop him from becoming president and taking over the world. Only two people aren't brainwashed by the mustache because they're the only ones who know it's fake. I really like that it shows kids saving the world and not adults. It was very exciting.



Phantom Tollbooth

F (age 8) - I liked this book, though there were some tragic parts like a lot of people had to run a lot, there were dangerous times. Even the end is a little sad but then Milo realizes, because of his adventures, that he has all the time in the world in his room. I liked the humbug and the watchdog and the Kings of numbers and letters. Milo makes the kings find peace. There were funny parts and it deals with how words work so it's a book that is better to read to yourself than to read out loud.

Things to Read - Favorite Kids' Books IX

We haven't reviewed children's books in awhile, both because (1) we keep reading the Lemony Snicket series and (2) the kids told me that they're sick of talking about the books we read. Still every once in awhile they give me feedback . . .

For more Favorite Kids' Books, click here to see past posts.

T and P's REVIEWS



Dinosaur vs. Bedtime

C (T's friend, age 3) (while laughing) - Can you read that again? I liked the roar roar roar.

T (age 4) - I love it, even though it's not a firefighter book.



The Family Tree

T (age 4) - I like when the workers came and the boy saved the tree. And when the animals said "not this tree."



Press Here [note - T is currently obsessed with this interactive book (you keep pressing dots to "change" the picture), he thinks it's "magic", then he looks at the pictures and decides "it isn't magic, they cheated", then we read it again and we're back to "magic."]

T (age 4) - I like this book. It's so funny. I like to make everything happen. Can we get it lots of times from the library?



Little Owl Lost [note - I thought this book was sort of blah, then I read it to T and he couldn't stop laughing. Over and over. F, on the other hand, didn't seem to think much of the book, so I the magic must end around age 4 or 5.]

T (age 4)- It was so funny when the squirrel thought the bear was the owl's mommy. it's a funny book.

F (age 7.5) - I thought they could develop it more, but T thought it was funny. I guess it's a little funny.



And Then It's Spring [note - I'm a little in love with this book, so we read it a lot, despite the fact that it's almost summer.]

T (age 4) - I like when it became green and I liked the turtle and bunny.

C (T's friend, age 3) - I liked everything. I like the boy.

P (age 6.5) - I like the pictures, especially when the turtle wears a hat.

BOOKS FOR ALL THREE KIDS



Extra Yarn

P (age 6.5) - Good. The box was empty, but kind of magical. The box only wanted yarn for the girl because she's the only one who wanted everything pretty and not just black and white.

F (age 7.5) - It shows that a girl can change the world, but the magic doesn't work for greedy people.



Dragons Love Tacos

T (age 4) - Read it again. I like when they breathe fire and I like when they build. That book is funny.

P (age 6.5) - This book is so good. It's so funny. Because of all the tacos.

F (age 7.5) - It was really good. I liked when the dragons helped rebuild the house for the taco breaks.



Boy + Bot

T (age 4) - It was so good that the boy played with the robot and they had fun and they read books.

P (age 6.5) - It was really good. I like how they became friends.

F (age 7.5) - I liked that they do the opposite, that Bot malfunctioned then boy fell asleep.

M (F's friend, age 8) - I thought it was funny that Bot gave the boy oil and the Boy gave Bot applesauce.



Brave Girl/ Clara and the Shirtwaist Makers Strike of 1909

T (age 4) - I like when the police put her in jail because I like police. [note - obviously T didn't quite "get" this book]

P (age 6.5) - She was brave and she made lives better. Plus, I liked that it was all real.

F (age 7.5) - I liked that it was a true story and she stood up for herself.

M (F's friend, age 8) - I liked how all the women and girls came to help her - young and old, rich and poor.



Ladybug Girl and Bingo [note - This book is all about camping, so it could be a nice starter book if you plan on going this summer.]

B (T's friend, age 4) - I liked all the pictures of the dog. [note - B's English is very limited, so the pictures were key]

K (P's friend, age 5) - I liked firefly girl at the end.

F (age 7.5) - It is a really adventurous book, she has a lot of imagination.

Things to Read - Favorite Kids' Books VIII

Here are some of our favorite books this winter. Click here to see some of our past reads and click on the icons to enter Amazon. What have you been reading lately?

T's REVIEWS (AGE 3):



Demolition

T - I liked this book, I like big machines [and learning what they do].



B is For Bulldozer

T - I like it because they build a roller coaster. And I like builders.
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P's REVIEWS (AGE 6):



I Want My Hat Back

P - This guy loses his hat and asks a bunch of people and then figures out the bunny stole it. I thought it was funny.

T - I thought it was funny too and I'm not reviewing it anymore.



A Gold Star for Zog

P - I liked how the princess helped Zog every time.

T - I liked all of it. I like when the captured princess became a doctor.
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BOOKS ALL THREE KIDS REALLY ENJOY (AGES 3, 6, AND 7):



I'm Bored

P - I love this book. Please read it, it's really cool. The best book ever. It's about a little girl who says she's bored then she entertains a potato who is also bored. Then the potato meets a flamingo who is also bored.

F - I like that it's really funny. The girl is bored, then the potato is bored, then the flamingo - like a pattern.

T - I like that book too.



I Will Never Eat a Tomato

F - It's really funny. The little sister will never eat certain vegetables, so her brother plays a trick on her saying they're from other planets and special.

P - I like that they change all the names and potatoes are from clouds, so the girl is tricked into thinking the things she wouldn't eat are delicious. We should try this with T.

T - What?



I Feel Better With a Frog in My Throat: History's Strangest Cures

F - This book is really really interesting. The unicorn horn was the craziest cure, but my favorite was mother's kisses. I also liked that the book had quizzes and made you guess which cures really worked.

P - I can't believe people used to use frogs to cure things and they maybe worked.



Bear Has a Story To Tell [I love this one]

T - I like it, though it's a little sad, bear's friends are really nice friends. that's it. i don't want to talk anymore.

P - we read it at school. I love this book.

F - It's a circle story - it ends how it began. I like that bear is patient, friendly, and nice.



What Pete Ate

T - He ate lots of shoes, that's really funny. I can't remember the rest. He's like [our dog] Coco, he eats everything [note - Coco really does eat EVERYTHING]

F - I loved it because it's so funny.

P - It sounds like our dog. I liked it but I didn't love it.



Hello! Hello!

F - I thought it was crazy-ish, I liked that it was funny and told you to spend time in the real world. It inspires you go to outside and not spend time on your Kindle Fire.

P - I liked it because it was crazy.