Who is in the Garden?

Title: Who is in the Garden?
Author: Vera Rosenberry

We've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and really enjoyed this picture book for a change of pace. The illustrations are beautifully done and we had fun finding and counting all kinds of creatures living in the garden. The text is so well written and flows so pleasantly.

I've been reading a lot of easy readers lately so it was nice to read something with a bit more interesting vocabulary. I needed to explain what some of the words meant and sometimes I let my son guess the meaning by looking at the illustrations. I think this is great for learning new vocabulary.

*this post originally written 6/9/2006

Children's Cookbooks

Title:The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Children's Cookbook

I was inspired by this post on the PlayLibrary blog to look at some cookbooks for children since we enjoy having my son cook with us so much. I really like this cookbook I stumbled across. It has tons of pictures and the instructions for the simple recipes are very detailed and clear. And the best part is that the foods sound yummy to eat.

Many others I have looked at either have unappetizing recipes or are full of junk food.

Anyone have suggestions for other good cookbooks for kids?

*this post originally written 6/6/2006

Crafts and Activities Related to Childrens Books

Title:Great Books to Read and Fun Things to do with Them
Author: Mary Beth Lagerborg
Ages: Parents of children aged 2 and up

All the other books I have reviewed so far are for children to read but I ran across this book and thought it looked like fun. The editors picked a children's book for each month of the year and then collected a bunch of ideas for crafts, snacks and activities related to that book as well as ideas of things to teach your child about using the book. The ideas look like lots of fun and seem like a great help for those long summer days when your little one is on preschool break.

Books include classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Where the Wild Things Are as well as a bunch of books I have not heard of and am looking forward to trying out.

*this post originally written 5/30/2006

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Title:Why is soap so slippery?
Author:Catherine Ripley
Ages: 3 and up

I am sure I am not the only mother of a 3-year old hearing Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? ALL DAY LONG! Check this book out! It has answers to some common questions kids might ask - these are all about bathtime. But I noticed when I looked on Amazon, this author has several other books of a similar nature - answers to questions on other topics. My son will be thrilled!

*this post originally written 5/28/2006

Puerto Rican Folktale

Title:There's a Billy Goat in the Garden
Author:Laurel Dee Gugler

This story is a retelling of a Puerto Rican folk tale. The story flows smoothly and the illustrations are unusual and enjoyable to examine.

Here is a quote from the publishers website(Barefoot Books):
Another soon-to-be classic collage picture book from Clare Beaton! This heartwarming version of an old Puerto Rican folktale reminds us that the smallest creature can make a huge difference. Join a group of farmyard animals as they stomp, bark and whinny in their hilarious attempts to chase a misbehaving billy goat from the garden. The animals' confidence soon turns to dismay as the billy goat remains stubborn, and the solution to the problem lies not with the biggest, but with the littlest of them all.

*this post originally written 5/21/2006

Soap Nuts Giveaway!

Ok, these are the coolest sounding things ever. I really want to try this.

Soap Nuts!

Isn't that crazy sounding? An inexpensive and natural laundry soap.

Go check out the giveaway Lindsay is doing and read her really interesting article about homemade laundry detergent options.

I have been planning to try making my own for quite a while now but have not gotten to it. This seems even easier and more natural for sure!

Richard Scarry's Best First Book Ever

Title:Best First Book Ever
Author:Richard Scarry
Ages: 3-5 years

I have fond memories of Richard Scarry books from when I was growing up. A few years ago, I pulled out an old one to share with my son and was pretty disappointed with the busy pages and strange characters intermingled into the story. So I really think the choice of the title is a bit odd. This is not a great first book.

But now that my son is 3 and a half, we are really enjoying this book. He likes to look at it on his own and read it with me. It is chock full of all sorts of things to learn about like colors, numbers and months of the year. I'm sure we'll be enjoying this one for a long time to come. So even though it is not a great first book - it is a great book for the preschool set.

*this post originally written 5/17/2006

I Love You Because You're You

Title:I Love You Because You're You
Author:Liza Baker
Age: 1-4 years

I took the advice of PJ Librarian at The Magic of Books and got the book I Love You Because You're You. I was so excited that I wanted to read it right away to my 3-year old. I should have waited until he was in the mood for a cuddly-lovey book-reading-snuggle instead of eager to go outside to play. I, on the other hand, was almost crying as I enjoyed holding my quickly-growing-up little boy while reading such a sweet book. PJ Librarian hit the nail on the head for me when she said

Plus, as a parent it is a reassuring read to sooth a soul on a crazy and hectic day.

Another thing I like a lot about this story -- It goes through a bunch of situations where the little fox's mother still loves him like when he is sad or angry or loud but fortunately it does not do what some other similar books I have seen do. It does not suggest bad behavior to my little one that he may not yet have thought of, like

I love you even when you paint the walls and your brother too!
I love you even when you disobey and run into the street.

Sure we still love them but lets not put any ideas in their heads.

*this post originally written 5/9/2006

All Aboard Overnight (A book about a train ride)

Title: All Aboard Overnight:A book of compound words
Author: Betsy and Giulio Maestro

We got this book right around the time we were taking a train trip ourselves. After reading this, our kids were quite disappointed that we did not go on a much longer ride including a sleeping berth.

I have liked most the books we have read by Betsy and Giulio Maestro. They have lots of educational books many of which are about various modes of transportation. This story follows a family as they go on an overnight train ride to visit grandparents and has a focus on compound words.

My kids both really enjoy this one

Truck and Loader by Helen R. Haddad

Title: Truck and Loader
Author: Helen R. Haddad
Age: 3 years – 5 years

This is a nice, short chapter book for little ones who can sit for a little longer book. This one is especially interesting because it tells 3 different stories of situations where the dump truck and loader can work together to get a job done. This is a great addition to your library of books about trucks. Especially if you are getting tired of the simple books where trucks and truck parts are just labeled. My son asks me to read this one over and over again.

*this post originally written 5/5/2006

Terrific Trains by Tony Mitton

Title: Terrific Trains
Author: Tony Mitton
Age: 2 years – 4 years
This book is one in another series of books about Things that Go. They feature a set of animal friends that work, ride, and drive around. There are lots of great illustrations that provoke my 3-year old to ask lots of questions. It is also easy to use this book to ask my son questions like “What is the rabbit doing?” and “Why is the bird there?” The text is simple and rhyming but does a nice job explaining about how things work.

*this post originally written 5/3/2006

There's a Wocket in My Pocket by Dr. Seuss

Title: There's a Wocket in My Pocket
Author: Dr. Seuss
Age: Birth – 3 years
I am all for educational books. In fact, we make a beeline for the non-fiction children’s books each visit to the library. Our whole family is learning an amazing amount from the books we read with my 3-year old including books like the Fire Truck Factory.

But some books are just fun! I love reading this Dr. Seuss book with my kids. It just rolls off your tongue and the pictures are funny to look at. Maybe I should not have said JUST fun either. They say that listening to rhymes helps kids develop their language skills and maybe even math ones too. And everyone knows that laughter is the best medicine. Keep rhyming!

*this post originally written 5/2/2006

Too Many Mittens by Florence and Louis Slobodkin

Title: Too Many Mittens
Author: Florence and Louis Slobodkin
Age: 3 years and up
I’m really starting to like some of the older children’s books I run across. This one was written in 1958 and my family really enjoys reading it. It is a simple story of some boys who lose their mittens and then end up collecting a bunch of lost mittens and returning them to their rightful owners. It’s a fun story. Perhaps we are easily amused but I enjoy seeing all those mittens showing up everywhere they go. And how sweet the way they help a bunch of mittens get back to their rightful owners. A nice lesson for all kids! I’m sure I sound old fashioned but a lot of the newer children’s books just seem plain weird.

*this post originally written 5/1/2006

Unplugged Project - Yellow

This weeks theme is yellow!

I had what I thought was a really good idea but it did not turn out that well. I recently purchased a whole set of tempera paint and thought it would be fun to do a painting project. My idea was to have beautiful paintings with a variety of shades of yellow only. We would mix yellow with each of the other colors and talk about what the new color was.

My kids did like painting but the paints I bought (from Oriental Trading) were pretty poor quality and they just frustrated me. But the kids made 2-3 paintings each and we did have some nice conversations about mixing colors so I guess I will lighten up.

Hopefully I will have something with photos next week.