books – Page 3 – Nurture Mama

Books for Spring and Easter

April 25, 2013May 9, 2013 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

I know that this post is really overdue. I meant to post it back in March, but sometimes this is just how things roll. In any case, maybe it will help some of you for next year.

By now you have probably figured out that I like to read books to my children that tie in with a theme. Whenever we go to the library we always find some of the greats (Mo Willems, Amy Krause Rosenthal, Jan Thomas, Lauren Thompson, etc), and sometimes a few odd picks that my kids grab off the shelves. But if there is a holiday or special event on the calendar, you can bet that I am putting those books on hold to reserve for us.

Here are some of the books we enjoyed during the Easter and spring season. For me, spring is also a time for bunnies and ducklings, so a few of those titles are included.

Fancy Nancy’s Elegant Easter

Ollie’s Easter Eggs

Pooh’s Easter Egg Hunt

Duck & Goose: Here Comes the Easter Bunny

Bunny’s Easter Egg

My Garden

Chicken’s Aren’t the Only Ones: This is a really fun book about all of the different kinds of animals that come from eggs (dinosaurs and butterflies and spiders included). We had a really fun preschool day with this book, inspired by Preschool Alphabet.

Have You Seen My Duckling?

Peep and Ducky

Make Way for Ducklings: a favorite in our permanent collection!

Lucky Ducklings: a true story about baby ducklings who fall in a drain and their heroic rescue

Duck & Goose

Mouse’s First Spring: I love this Mouse’s First…series of books by Lauren Thompson

A Book of Seasons

Spring is Here

And then it’s Spring

Runaway Bunny

Rabbityness

Home for a Bunny

My Friend Rabbit

Bunny’s Noisy Book by Margaret Wise Brown

The ABC Bunny by Wanda Gag

It’s Spring by Samantha Berger

Frog and Toad all Year by Arnold Lobel: Frog and Toad stories are sweet tales of friendship and everyday adventure that we read often at our house!

Books about Rainbows and Color

March 21, 2013March 21, 2013 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

This week we are having fun with rainbows and color. Here are the picture books we are reading:

Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Duckie’s Rainbow by Frances Barry

Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd

A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman

My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Thanks to No Time for Flashcards for her great color book suggestions!

Reading Log of an Eight-year-old Girl

March 15, 2013March 15, 2013 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

My eight-year-old daughter Anwyn loves to read. She usually reads in her bed before falling asleep at night, and then wakes up early to read more before getting ready for school. Listed below are the series and authors that she has enjoyed:

Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne: this was the first series of books that really captured her. She has read the entire series (some multiple times), as well as all of the Fact Tracker books that our library has in stock.

Rainbow Fairies by Daisy Meadows

Charlotte’s Web and Stuart Little by E.B. White

The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis: fantastic classic book. Anwyn has also read Prince Caspian, but I think she got bogged down in The Horse and His Boy and has yet to finish the series.

Ivy and Bean by Annie Barrows: two very opposite girls become great friends and get in all kinds of tricky situations.

A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy, as well as the Calendar Mysteries and Capitol Mysteries

Beverly Cleary: one of my favorite authors as a young girl. Anwyn’s current favorite is Ramona Quimby, Age 8, but she has enjoyed all the books.

Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner: I read the first book in the series aloud to Anwyn, and then she took off and read the rest.

Roald Dahl: Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is delightful, along with many others.

Betsy-Tacy by Maud Hart Lovelace: set at the turn of the century in Minnesota, sweet stories of friendship and family.

Spiderwick Chronicles by DiTerlizzi and Black

Sisters Eight: Eight sisters (octoplets!), eight cats, and the mystery of missing parents.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret and Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick: great graphic novels.

Lately Anwyn is branching out from series reading and discovering good stand alone novels. In the last month she has read: Black Beauty by Anna Sewell, Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer (this was one of my absolute favorite books!), and Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild. She has also enjoyed Pippi Longstocking, a few Kate DiCamillo books, and the Winnie the Pooh classics.

What books are your young readers enjoying? I would love to hear your suggestions in the comments!

Book Review: Bringing Up Bebe

March 4, 2013March 4, 2013 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman

This book is not your typical parenting handbook. Instead, it is a comparison of typical French methods of parenting vs. American methods. I found this was an interesting read. While living in Paris the author discovered that French babies tend to sleep through the night two or three months, the children eat well rounded meals (including exotic vegetables, cheeses, and fish), and the children are better behaved and more in control of themselves (they are polite and say “bonjour” and “au revoir” when conversing with adults).

One chapter I found interesting was the author’s discovery of the French method of “the pause”. Basically, instead of rushing to your infants every small cry or sound, take a few minutes to pause and observe what the need really is. Left to themselves for a few moments, the infants will often soothe themselves, leading them to the ability of sleeping through the night at an early age. Maybe if I had known about “the pause”, my first daughter would have been a much better sleeper.

I don’t believe that the American way of parenting is right or wrong, and the same goes for the French way, but this book gave me a few new ideas. I would recommend it as intriguing reading for anyone who has an interest in parenting.

Heart books we like to read in February

February 22, 2013February 22, 2013 Nurture Mama 1 Comment

My theme for February is all about hearts, love, and of course–Valentine’s Day. Posted below are the books that we have been snuggling up and reading this month.

The Day it Rained Hearts by Felicia Bond: I kept hearing reviews of this book all over the blogosphere this year, but unfortunately my local library doesn’t own a copy. I took a risk and bought it for the Sweet Bee for her Valentine’s surprise (I rarely buy kids books without previewing them myself first) and I am so glad I did. It is a really sweet story.

The Biggest Valentine Ever by Steven Kroll

Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal

Lilly’s Chocolate Heart by Kevin Henkes

A Kiss Like This by Mary Murphy: The Sweet Bee found this on the shelf at the library. It is a really cute story about all kinds of kisses (giving plenty of opportunities while we read for mom to bestow kisses on her cute little kiddos!)

Mouse’s First Valentine by Lauren Thomposn

Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

Goose Needs a Hug by Tad Hills

Won’t You Be My Kissaroo? by Joanne Ryder

My Heart is Like a Zoo by Michael Hall: This book was a favorite of my little Z boy. We spent a morning creating heart shaped animals inspired by this book.

The I LOVE YOU Book by Todd Parr

Snowy books to read in January

January 26, 2013February 6, 2013 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

The theme of my preschool activities with my children during the month of January is always SNOW! There are a number of great snow picture books available, and here are a few of my favorites (note–I get all of these from my local library each January).

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn and Mark Buehner

The Snowmen books are great fun. This month we have been reading Snowmen at Night, Snowmen all Year, and Snowmen at Work. The text of the books is good, but the fun thing is that each page contains hidden pictures (a cat, two ducks, a santa face, a t-rex, etc). The hidden pictures keep the children engaged in the book for a longer period of time.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats

This will always be a favorite with me!

Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

A great book for learning more about and enjoying the beauty of snowflakes. We also enjoyed looking at the pictures in the non-fiction book, The Snowflake: Winter’s Secret Beauty.

Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London

Froggy’s misadventures are always hilarious to children.

Stella Queen of the Snow by Marie-Louise Gay

A funny story about a wise older sister who has all the answers to her younger brother’s questions about snow.

Thomas’ Snowsuit by Robert Munsch

This book makes me glad that we don’t live in a cold climate where we have to wear snowsuits!

New titles discovered and enjoyed this year include:

Millions of Snowflakes by Mary McKenna Siddels

The Snowman by Raymond Briggs

Snowbaby Could Not Sleep by Kara LaReau

Our Halloween Reading List

October 18, 2012October 16, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

There is still plenty of time to get in some fun Halloween themed reading with your little ones. Here are the books on our shelf this year:

Peek-a-Boooo! by Marie Cimarusti: A cute lift the flap book. My two and a half year old loves this book

AlphaOops! H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis. This is a fabulous alphabet book, and our favorite find of the year.

Ghosts in the House! by Kazuna Kohara: I love this story about a problem solving little witch

Mouse’s First Halloween by Lauren Thompson

Dem Bones by Bob Barner

Halloween Day by Anne Rockwell

Plumply Dumply Pumpkin by Mary Serfozo

Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler: we read this book whenever someone in our home has the hiccups!

10 Trick-or-Treaters by Janet Schulman

Moonlight the Halloween Cat by Cynthia Rylant

Too Many Pumpkins by Linda White

Pumpkin Eye by Denise Fleming

Check out last year’s reading and activity list here.

Plastic Egg Creative Creatures

April 10, 2012April 10, 2012 Nurture Mama Leave a comment

“Can we do an Easter craft?” asked the Ant Bug.

“Uhhh…sure. Let’s see…” And I hopped onto makeandtakes.com, hoping for some quick inspiration.

I was thrilled when I found Marie’s Plastic Easter Egg Bunny Craft post. We had plenty of plastic eggs lying around (literally, they were all over the living room floor after the weekend egg hunts!), and so here are the creatures my children came up with. The activity took zero preparation, and kept my children entertained for about 25 minutes. That’s my kind of activity!I love how the first egg they decorated resembled a more typical Easter bunny, but each creature got more creative with multiple googly eyes and colorful pom pom noses and wacky antlers/antennae.

What are you doing with your leftover plastic eggs?

Here are a few books on our Easter reading list (so I can remember them next year!)

Minerva Louise and the Colorful Eggs by Janet Morgan Stoeke

We discovered this chicken at Christmas time (think Amelia Bedelia, but a chicken) and we have been delighted with her adventures.

Happy Easter, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff

We will always be fans of the “If you give a …” series, and this cute little board book was perfect for my toddler.

Our favorite children’s picture books

May 26, 2011May 26, 2011 Nurture Mama 1 Comment

At our house, we love to read books. I love to read great picture books with my children, and I am always on the lookout for new titles to add to our list of favorites. Today I am sharing our list of favorites with you!

Andreae, Giles: Giraffes Can’t Dance; K is for Kissing a Cool Kangaroo

Becker, Bonny: A Visitor for Bear

Burton, Virginia Lee: The Little House

Boynton, Sandra (board books): Moo, Baa, La La La; Barnyard Dance; Pajama Time; and more

Bryan, Sean: A Girl and Her Gator

Canon, Janelle: Stellaluna

Carle, Eric: The Very Hungry Caterillar; Brown Bear… (and Polar Bear and more); Heat to Toe; and more

Cronin, Doreen: Click, Clack, Moo; and more

Davis, Jacky: Ladybug Girl

Dodd, Lynley: Hairy Maclary series, Wake up Bear.

Donaldson, Julia: The Gruffalo

Freeman, Don: Corduroy

Fox, Mem: Where is the Green Sheep?

Feiffer, Jules: Bark, George

Fuge, Charles: I Know a Rhino

Guarino, Deborah: Is your Mama a Llama?

Helakoski, Leslie: Big Chickens

Henkes, Kevin: Kitten’s First Full Moon; the mouse books (Lilly, Chrysanthemum, Julius…)

Heide, Florence Parry: Princess Hyacinth (The Surprising Tale of a Girl who Floated)

Hoban, Russell: Bread and Jam for Frances

Jenkins, Steve: What do you do with a tail like this?

Johnson, Crockett: Harold and the Purple Crayon

Lester, Helen: Tacky the Penguin

McCloskey, Robert: Make way for Ducklings; Blueberries for Sal

McMullan, Kate & Jim: I Stink

Numeroff, Laura: If You Give a Pig a Pancake; and all the other If You Give a…

O’Connor, Jane: Fancy Nancy

Rohmann, Eric: My Friend Rabbit

Rosenthal, Amy Krouse: Little Pea; Little Hoot

Shannon, David: No David series, Duck on a Bike.

Steig, William: Pete’s a Pizza; Dr. De Soto

Walsh, Ellen Stoll: Mouse Paint; Mouse Shapes; Mouse Count

Willems, Mo: Pigeon series; Knuffle Bunny series; and more

Wood, Don and Audrey: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear; King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub; The Napping House

Yolen, Jane: How do Dinosaurs….? series

Young, Ed: Seven Blind Mice

It’s quite the list, but I am sure I am forgetting some. You can see my favorite Caldecott Medal winning books here. To make this list a little more usable as a reference, I am adding it as a separate page to this blog. You can access it from the menu at the top bar of the blog.

When I’m looking for something new to read with my children, these are the first places I look for recommendations:

Best Books for Preschoolers by Simple Mom

100 Picture Books Everyone Should Read by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools, Early Childhood Development

10 Great Authors in Children’s Literature by Simple Mom

The “Unsung” Favorites of Children’s Literature by Simple Kids

Children’s Literature We Love by Simple Kids

ReadKiddoRead.com: dedicated to making kids readers for life

Caldecott Medal Winners: You can see my favorite Caldecott Medal winners here

Newberry Medal Winners

Read Aloud America: recommended reading lists for infants through12th grade

I am looking forward to a lot of summer reading time. What books would you add to the list???

FHE: Use your manners. Be polite.

April 6, 2011April 4, 2011 Nurture Mama 2 Comments

Teaching good manners is a topic that I have been thinking about for awhile. Reminders like “Use a napkin, not your shirt” and “How can you ask that in a nice, polite way?” and “Use your fork, please” are heard often in our home. So I was very excited to find a FHE lesson on Manners at A Year of FHE.

I mostly just followed the lesson as outlined by Emilie. We talked about the magic words of please and thank you and we sang this cute little song:

(Sung to I’m a Little Teapot)

I have super manners. Yes, I do.
I can say “Please,” and “Thank You,” too.
When I play with friends, I like to share.
That’s the way I show I care!

Then we read Time to Say “Please” by Mo Willems. We’ve had this book out from the library for over a month now. Anything by Mo Willems is always a hit at our house, so this book has been a good tool for reminders about saying please and thank you.

Then we moved on to the topic of Table Manners. For our family, we have decided to focus on two:

Always use your tools to eat your food.

Clean with a napkin.

I made a little poster with some visual aids to help us all remember!

To wrap things up, the girls colored the mini book of manners that Emilie shared.

As they colored, we read and discussed What do you say, dear? by Sesyle Joslin, with pictures by Maurice Sendak.

This book was written in the 1950s as “A handbook of etiquette for young ladies and gentlemen. To be used as a guide for everyday social behavior”. What we have really enjoyed about this book is that even though the hypothetical situations the children face are often bizzare and quite imaginative, there is still a place for manners. For example, “You are picking dandelions and columbines outside the castle. Suddenly a fierce dragon appears and blows red smoke at you, but just then a brave knoght gallops up and cuts off the dragon’s head. What do you say, dear?” And the answer of course, as you turn the page is, “Thank you very much”.

Adding to our Family Habits List

Use your manners. Be polite. is the sixth habit we have added to our Family Habits list. To read more about the habits we are working on in our family, read this post.