In November we like to read books about thankfulness and thanksgiving. Here is what is on our bookshelf this year:
The Thankful Book by Todd Parr
In November by Cynthia Rylant
The Very First Thanksgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene
It’s Thanksgiving by Jack Prelutsky
Thanksgiving at the Tappletons by Eileen Spinelli
‘Twas the Night Before Thanksgiving by Dav Pilkey
10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston
There are lots of nice things about the fall season, but the changing leaves are my favorite. Unfortunately, we don’t really see the leaves change color much in Florida (so instead I remember the year we lived in North Carolina and enjoyed the gorgeous colors of that beautiful fall). But even so, we can always read books about fall!
Leaves by David Ezra Stein: love this book by a favorite author
Fall Mixed Up by Bob Raczka
Leaves Fall Down by Lisa Bullard
Leaf Jumpers by Carole Gerber
The Little Yellow Leaf by Carin Berger
Leaf Man by Lois Ehler
The Best Fall of All by Laura Godwin (Ready-to-Read): This isn’t necessarily a book we need to read every year, but as a beginner reader book this is a pick for my emerging five-year-old reader.
Do you have a favorite book to read in the fall?
My seven year old daughter (starting second grade) has turned into a bookworm! It is so fun to see her curled up in a comfy chair devouring a book. She has discovered the joy of a good book series, and thankfully we have been able to keep her well-supplied in books from the local library. Here are the book series that she has enjoyed reading so far this year:
Mrs. Noodlekugel by Daniel Pinkwater
Magic Tree House by Mary Pope Osborne
Ivy+Bean by Annie Barrows
Rainbow Fairies by Daisy Meadows (over 100 books in the Rainbow Magic series)
A to Z Mysteries by Ron Roy
Calendar Mysteries by Ron Roy
Capital Mysteries by Ron Roy
Sisters Eight by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
One of our new favorite picture book author/illustrator is David Ezra Stein. The first book of his that we read was Interrupting Chicken, which was a 2011 Caldecott Honor Book. We loved it so much it has been added to our permanent family library.
We later read Pouch and Leaves, and found them to be equally charming.
Ol’ Mama Squirrel is great fun.
This week we read Dinosaur Kisses, and now dinosaur kisses have been added to our bedtime routine (goodnight kiss, butterfly kiss, dinosaur kiss).
David Ezra Stein is definitely an author we will keep our eye on, and we look forward to reading more of his books!
When the Ant Bug was younger, I set a goal to read all of the Caldecott Medal winning books. We read a few each month and we finished the list in February of 2010. You can see my list of favorites here. Now it is five years later, and this summer we are reading the recent winners and reviewing our favorites.
2015: The Adventures of Beekle: The Unimaginary Friend by Dan Santat (Little, Brown and Company, a division of Hachette Book Group, Inc.)
2014: Locomotive by Brian Floca (Atheneum Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing)
2013: This Is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen (Candlewick Press)
2012: A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka (Schwartz & Wade Books, an imprint of Random House Children’s Books, a division of Random House, Inc.)
2011: A Sick Day for Amos McGee, illustrated by Erin E. Stead, written by Philip C. Stead (Neal Porter Books/Roaring Brook Press, an imprint of Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group)
2010: The Lion & the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney (Little, Brown and Company)
All of the winners were enjoyable, with great illustrations, of course. We have read and enjoyed A Sick Day for Amos McGee a few times in the past, and I think The Adventures of Beekle will make it on our re-read favorites list.
What is your favorite Caldecott Medal winning book?
July is the perfect month to learn more about our country and instill a sense of patriotism in our family. Here are the patriotic books we are reading this month:
This Land is Your Land. Words and music by Woody Guthrie, paintings by Kathy Jakobsen.
America the Beautiful by Katherine Bates (author) and Wendell Minor (illustrator)
How to Bake an American Pie by Karma Wilson
How to Make a Cherry Pie and See the U.S.A. by Marjorie Priceman
We the Kids by David Catrow
The Flag We Love by Pam Munoz Ryan
Red, White, and Boom by Lee Wardlaw
My children love to read (and be read to), so getting them to read books in the summertime is not a difficult thing. But new books are always exciting, and I wanted to expand their reading selections a little bit. So the last day of school my children came home to find…their very own book nook! I rearranged some of our shelves a little bit, so each child has a cubby to store their books and reading logs in. I gave each child a few novels to try, as well as a non-fiction book and a poetry book.
Here is what you will currently find on their shelves.
Anwyn (10 years old)
It’s Raining Pigs & Noodles by Jack Prelutsky (poetry)
National Geographic 2016 Kids Almanac (non-fiction)
The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan (Book 1 in the Percy Jackson series)
The 39 Clues: The Sword Thief (she is currently on book 3 of this series)
Everest series: The Contest by Gordon Korman
The Misadventures of Maude March by Audrey Couloumbis
Lily (7 years old)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (poetry)
Horse Heroes: Magic Tree House Fact Tracker by Mary Pope Osborne (non-fiction)
The Absent Author by Ron Roy (A to Z mysteries)
Ruby the Red Fairy by Daisy Meadows (Rainbow Fairies series)
Amber Brown is not a Crayon by Paula Danziger
Annie and Snowball and the Dress-up Birthday by Cynthia Rylant
Clementine by Sara Pennypacker
Zach (5 years old): he is not yet reading independently, although we are making great progress in his reading lessons. Summertime is a great time to re-read our favorite picture books, so I checked out some classics that we love. Here are just a few currently on his shelf.
Actual Size by Steve Jenkins (non-fiction)
Little Pea by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson
Read Aloud
Ralph S. Mouse by Beverly Cleary: Lily, Zach, and I are reading this book together
Magic Elizabeth by Norma Kassirer: Anwyn and Lily and I are reading this together. This was my favorite book as a young girl, so it is fun to share it with my own girls now.
My Shelf
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley (the third Flavia de Luce mystery)
Who Really Cares: America’s Charity Divide: Who Gives, Who Doesn’t, and Why It Matters by Arthur C. Brooks
What books are on your reading shelves this summer?
We love to read books at our house. My husband and I are both avid readers, and thankfully our children have inherited/developed the same trait. I have posted a number of our book recommendations over the years, so I recently created a reference page that brings everything together in one page for you. At the top of this blog heading you will find a link called “Book Lists“. Go check it out! Some things you will find there include:
-seasonal book lists (books for Christmas, Valentine’s Day, fall, etc)
-family read alouds
-age appropriate recommendations
-favorite authors
– and lots of favorite picture books!
You can keep up with what I am reading by checking out my Goodreads widget on the sidebar.
Maybe this will help you get a jump start on your summer reading! Be sure to check back as I will be updating this page regularly! Happy reading!
We love to visit the Book Fair whenever it comes to our school. I think books are a great thing for my children to spend their allowance money on! Today I am sharing five great picture books that we have discovered at the book fair. All five are family favorites to read: clever and funny with great illustrations!
Good News Bad News by Jeff Mack
Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett and Kevin Cornell
The Three Billy Goats Fluff by Rachael Mortimer and Liz Pichon
Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
More Bears by Kenn Nesbitt and Troy Cummings
The first day of Spring has passed, and Easter is just a few days off, so it is time for a little spring reading! In the spring we also like to read our favorite bunny and duckling books.
A classic favorite is Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey, and a new favorite is Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore.
Our list has mostly stayed the same this year, so go back to my post in 2013 for our complete list of Books for Spring and Easter.