Engaging Children's Books

Recently we borrowed two books from the library that Eddy just loved. He couldn't wait to get to bed the first night to read

An Undone Fairy Tale



An Undone Fairy Tale by Ian Lendler illustrated by Whitney Martin

  The story is a fairy tale whose pictures have not been yet finished.  Ned, the artist is frantically trying to keep up with the pace of you, as the reader, and is failing miserably.  The story is changed and the pictures are hilarious.  This is one of Eddy's favorite pictures:  the sea creature guarding the moat around the castle!

The second book we found was


Do Not Open This Book by Michaela Muntean illustrated by Pascal Lemaitre

  This book is about a pig who is trying to write a story but hasn't actually written anything yet and that is why you are not supposed to open this book!    After fumbling around and trying to get things sorted out, he throws together this little fill in the blank story (put your name in the blanks):

There once was a giant pest named ____________.  __________ had huge eyes, humongous ears, and too many teeth.  Also a big nose.  It did not matter how many times __________ was asked to GO AWAY, __________ would not go.

You'll have to check out the book to read the rest of this little story for yourself.  Eddy couldn't wait to read this with me and put my name in the blanks!

This next book is for much younger kids--even says so in the title;-)

I love this Bible Story book.  Eddy and I had so much fun reading it together and now Heidi loves it too.  After reading a very simple Bible story, there's something for you to do with your little one.  For instance, here's the story of the animals getting on to the Ark:

The Boat Ride

Noah is helping the animals get into the boat he made.

They get to ride in the boat so they will stay dry when it rains.

The cows are going in.

The sheep are going in.

The lions and elephants are going in.

Noah and his family get in the boat too.

God keeps them safe in the big boat.

I'll rock you like you're riding in the boat.

Back and forth.  Back and forth.

God keeps you safe too.

Genesis 7

Do you have a favorite Bible story book you read with your little ones?

The Grey King

It is my goal to read all of the Newberry Medal and Caldecott Medal winner books.  About a month ago when we walked into the Library there was The Grey King by Susan Cooper sitting on the display shelf and it had the gold circle which immediately caught my eye--it was a Newberry Medal winner!  I eagerly checked it out and then started reading in the car on the way home!!!!!!!

It is a classic GOOD vs EVIL book set in modern times but whose heroes can travel back and forth in time to where they are most needed and to get assistance in the present. 

I really liked the storyline--it was a hard book to put down but you have to read the sequel to finish the story.  And there are three books BEFORE The Grey King.  I read the sequel, Silver on the Tree,  in order to see who would win the battle between GOOD and EVIL.  The story is kind of Lord of the Rings-ish in that there are several storylines happening at once and you need to remember who is where and what they are doing and is very hard to put down to do simple things like eat, sleep, shower, etc.  You must remember that I have children and rarely have the opportunity to sit down and read a book through like I did in my high school, college, single days.  I remember sneaking out to read by the hall light when I was supposed to be sleeping soundly in bed.  Ah, those days are gone.  I'm just thankful to be able to read for a few minutes when. . .well, you don't want to know when;-)

Some of the evil guys are kind of scary so I'd say this is probably about 5th grade reading level--BUT there is some cussing in both books--and not all by the BAD guys.  Just a warning:  some people have very strong feelings about such things.

I do have the first book in the series sitting in the Library spot waiting to be read. . .maybe tonight after everyone else is soundly snoozing I'll break it open. . .

Beautiful Girlhood

I always have so much I want to write about--pages N pages of essays, stacks of books, and even some movies!  But it seems like I make it here last. . . .well, not totally last. . .our family blog gets even fewer visits from me--what's wrong with that?

Anyway. . .

I am helping out at my husband's school this year by teaching two Bible classes--the Little Kids and the Jr. and Sr. High girls.  The girls are reading the book Beautiful Girlhood and going through The Companion Guide to BEAUTIFUL GIRLHOOD.

                                        
I love the areas of girlhood that we are studying:  A Rose Bud Opens (the young girl growing up into a lady--these girls are not quite there yet, though they long to act and be treated as if they are), Keeping Up Acquaintance, The Strength of Obedience, Watch Your Tongue!, A Sunny Disposition, Friendships, An Accomplished Girl, The Oils of Life.

Not only are the girls learning but so I am.  As well as being challenged in areas that I already know but am lax or forgetful about.

The last two chapters we studied were A Conversation on Dress and When a Girl Goes Out.  The movie The Inheritance is such a good illustration of what we were/have been studying that we started watching the movie in class this week.


Of course the principal of our school insisted that this also be a learning time so we had a discussion afterward and the girls had a test over everything.  I'm going to include a couple here because the girls did such a good job on their essays.

Using examples from The Inheritance, write an essay explaining 3 traits of a young lady that we have studied in Bible class. 

In the movie, The Inheritance, a young lady named Edyth shows good examples of traits we have been learning about in Bible Class.  One example is her sunny disposition.  At one point in the movie, Edyth is insulted by a mean girl named Ida.  When Ida insults her, Edyth does not snap back, she brushes it off, and continues to have a good attitude.

Another good example is that Edyth is an accomplished girl.  She has many things which she is good at.  She can ride a horse just as well (if not better) than any man in the area.  She knows how to sew, and do patchwork.  She plays the piano beautifully.  The accomplishments Edyth has are useful.

Finally, Edyth knows the proper way to act around men, and when she goes out she keeps to herself most of the time.  When she does speak to men, or when she is around men, she does not flirt or act silly.  Ida, on the other hand, behaves in a very improper way when she is around men.  She is very bold, and flirtatious, causing herself embarrassment.

Edyth is a good example of how a girl should act.  She knows how to keep a good attitude, use her skills wisely, and behave properly around others.
~~by Sarah Crowder (our daughter)

In The Inheritance 3 traits of a young lady were discussed.  First, a girl should always carry the oil of kindness.  She should always have kind things to say and love everyone.  A young lady should not want to take revenge.  Teasing and rude comments should not bother her.  Finally, she should love and care for her family and friends with all her heart.

Second a young girl should always have a sunny disposition.  Making others feel comfortable and happy should be her goal.  Her happy and cheery attitude should have a positive effect on others.  She should have an urge to serve others and make their burdens light. Having this trait makes everyone's lives more enjoyable.

Finally a proper young lady should dress modestly.  Showing cleavage or too much skin can be a danger.  Boys/men can get the wrong idea.  You should want people to know you by your heart and not your outward appearance.   By dressing modestly and according to God's Word you will please and glorify Him.
~~by Satria

The first trait exhibited from Edith is a sunny disposition.  She is always cheery and happy.  Even when she was tested with Ida's mocking, Edith still proved to be patient and kind.


Another trait Edith showed was politeness in public.  When she accidentally bumped into James, she did not flirt or linger to talk with him.  She acted as a modest lady, offered her handkerchief to clean his face, and was on her way.  Little did she know, her politeness would be rewarded with a visit from James.  (Saw that one coming! hah)


Lastly, Edith's ambitions were pure.  She knew her place in the Hamilton's house and did not want to take advantage of their kindness.  One of her friends told her that she needed her own piano, but she politely disagreed because she knew there are more important things.


Needless to say, there are great things in store for Edith.  Her good and noble character has brought these great circumstances in her life.
~~by Alia

I thought it was interesting that all three girls mentioned A Sunny Disposition but they talked about different aspects of that trait.  I hope they are learning these lessons themselves and seeing a difference in their worlds because of who they are becoming!  I know there are changed things in my life as a result of studying Beautiful Girlhood.

reading with a little one

This is Heidi's favorite way to read:

We are reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle.  This was one of Eddy's favorite books around Heidi's age.  He loved the part where the caterpillar is no longer a little caterpillar but a Great Big Fat Caterpillar!

Prince Caspian

With the arrival of a new Chronicles of Narnia movie, I wanted to watch the previous two movies so that I would be caught up with the characters;-)  That led to watching the special features and in the features for Prince Caspian there is the option to watch the movie with pop up blurbs of trivia about C. S. Lewis.  Did you know that he wrote the Chronicles of Narnia books when he was in his 50s?  And that one of the reasons he wrote the books was because he was concerned about the manners of children of his day?  My, oh, my what would he say about the manners of today's children?

Well, after watching the movies and seeing the blurbs, I wanted to read the books again.  I'd read them a long, long, long, time ago in my high school days so remembered to general story line but not all of the details.  As almost always, the books are so much better!  I'm almost finished with Prince Caspian and have The Magician's Nephew waiting nearby.  Some of the unanswered questions that I had from the movies are answered clearly in the books.  For instance, why is Queen Susan called The Gentle?  She didn't seem very gentle in the movie!  Well, the book gives very clear explanation!  And did Lucy really see Aslan when they were standing by the gorge?  You have to read it to really understand!

So, I'm off to finish up some things about the house and hopefully to sneak in a little more reading!



 

The Swiss Family Robinson

The Swiss Family Robinson
by Johann David Wyss
Great Illustrated Classics series

    

Once 6 people crashed on an island.  They stayed there and made a living.  They saw every animal on the island.  They even ate some of the animals, shot a shark, shot a snake, did fun things, and had a lot of bad times!

     Once they met a girl.  Fritz wanted to marry her!  One day a ship came and stayed there 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, or 7 days!  Emily wanted to go back with them so Fritz and Francis left with Emily.  The mom, dad, Jack, and Ernest stayed at the island.

     The End!  Oh man!

**just noticed how much Eddy uses !!!!!  Must run in our blood!!!!! ;-)

J.R.R. Tolkien Day

January 3, 2011


It's J.R.R. Tolkien Day!!!!!!! We are going to learn a little about Tolkien today and then load up on books, poetry, and movies on Library day. The Hobbit is a fantabulous story. Wish we had time to read it all tomorrow! Probably could if that's all we did all day. . .hmmmm. . .we'd only miss school. . .I'm tempted;-) don't worry. . .I always do the right thing. . .yes, I'm kinda boring. . .

Be on your toes!

Well, this post is not about an actual book but it does involve a lot of reading and thinking.  It's a new game that Gramma gave Eddy for Christmas.  We love it!  It's a challenge for the 7 year old all the way up to the adults--not telling how old we are;-)-- AND anyone can win.  Truly win.  We don't have to go easy on the little guy.  In fact, I think he should go easy on me next time!

Come play with us if you want to try it out!  We'll make popcorn and hot chocolate!

oops. . .almost forgot the name of the game--it's way too late for me to be up. . .Fluxx.  Check it out!

Around the World in 80 Days

Around the World in 80 Days
by Jules Verne
Great Illustrated Classics series

     Once there was a guy who made a bet with a guy.  The bet was if Phileas Fogg got around the world in 80 days or less he would get 20,000 pounds!

     Phileas Fogg had troubles because ships left before he was there!  Fogg met a guy named Fix! Fix tried to stop Fogg but Fogg always got away.  Fogg got to where his home was.  It was a happy ending.

Books for Christmas!

We all got books for Christmas:


A certain Mr. Crowder heard my wish and got The Pioneer Woman Cooks for me!!!!!!!

 Gramma got Swindle by Gordon Korman for Eddy

And Heidi got Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett.  I love Jan Brett's illustrations.  There's so much going on that you have to read the story over and over to soak in all the pictures and really see all of what's happening.  I'm not sure who's more excited about this book--Heidi or me!



Baby Einstein

Trying to see. . .

. . .Baby Einstein!

We love Baby Einstein!!!!!  I especially like the DVDs that have the repeat play option.  Heidi has a super hard time getting to sleep and staying asleep sometimes.  I put her in the swing watching Baby Einstein and she will fall asleep and sleep a long time--yea!!!!!  In the pictures above Heidi is all ready for church and watching a video while I get ready--very handy!

Some of our favorites are:

     What are your favorites?

Some movies and books for big people!

**special note** I just turned off comment moderation because for whatever reason I didn't know that people were leaving messages. I just found some messages from 2009! I even won something on someone's blog--rats! It was artwork from Sara Mincy even--double rats!!!!

So, anyway, books and movies for big people. . . Have you heard of The Pioneer Woman yet? If not, you simply MUST check out her blog at www.thepioneerwoman.com. She has written a cookbook!!!!! I borrowed a copy from the library. . .but anyone who's reading and looking for a Christmas present for me, I would love my own personal copy!!!!

The Pioneer Woman is so talented in many ways--cooking, photography, and such a gift for writing! She also has written a book about her romance with The Marlboro Man--the rancher who won her heart. If you haven't heard of The Pioneer Woman, you should check out her website!

We do not have TV so we are always looking for good movies from the library to borrow. I had seen the title of Cranford a few times but the little blurb on the library site never really interested me:

"Cranford, in 1842, is a market town in northwest England. It is a place governed by etiquette, custom and above all, an intricate network of ladies. It seems that life has always been conducted according to their social rules. For spinsters Deborah Jenkyns, the arbiter of correctness, and Matty, her dumurring sister, the town is a hub of intrigue. Handsome new doctor Frank Harrison has arrived from London; a retired Captain and his daughters move in across the street and preparations for Lady Ludlows garden party are underway. The town has some secrets which are about to be revealed. But news comes that shakes the town, a railway line from Manchester is coming to Cranford."

I must have been desperate for a movie because over Thanksgiving I borrowed Cranford. For those of you who like Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility this movie is set in the same time period and truly gives an picture of what life was like in the 1840s in England.

I liked the movie so much that I borrowed the sequel Return to Cranford AND borrowed the book written by Elizabeth Gaskell. I can't wait to read it--and she has written several more too!

Right now I am reading Tea Time For The Traditionally Built by Alexander McCall Smith. With this book I also watched the movie first. There are three DVDs titled The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency. They are about the only lady detective in Botswana, Africa. The lady detective solves "mysteries"--no blood, gore, or scary stuff except once when a boy was missing and they thought that he might have been kidnapped by witchdoctors who cut off fingers of young children for charms and such. That one we didn't let Eddy watch, but he enjoyed the others with us.

There are 10 books in The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency series. I borrowed the last one first--almost didn't read it because I like to do things in order but my curiosity won out. Mma Makutsi is so outlandish and Mms Ramotswe is so calm and thoughtful, I had to find out if they were as good in print as in the DVDs. They are better!

Last is Wives and Daughters also by Elizabeth Gaskell and, yes, I watched the movie first. There is a book and I would like to read that too. But books take a little while longer for me to get to. We read plenty of board books these days, but not too many BIG people books. I'd seen this movie before but forgot all about it. Again, this is set in England in the mid to late 1800s and is about a young motherless girl whose father remarries. This mother is very much like Mrs. Bennet and determined to see her daughters married well. This movie is funny, sad, romantic, and a wonderful example of how to behave when in a trying circumstance with trying people!

Well, my little one just woke up and loves to "help" me type so I must run. Also need to finish up dinner. We're having Layers of Love Chocolate Brownies--I read the back of the Nestle bag and found this wonderful recipe.

Happy Reading Big People!

Heidi

Heidi
by Johanna Spyri
Great Illustrated Classics series

{Eddy's baby sister is named Heidi so he couldn't wait to read this book.}

Once there was a girl named Heidi. She had an uncle. Heidi's mom took her to Uncle Alp. Heidi had a great time there. One day Heidi had to leave. When Heidi got to her new home she made a friend. Her name was Clara. Heidi had a good time. One time everyone thought the house was haunted because Sebastian found a door open and saw a white figure on the stairs. The next day they found out Heidi was sleepwalking! Heidi had to go back after that but Clara came to Heidi's house! Clara learned to walk at their house. Everyone was so happy!

The End?

Essay by Eddy

7 yrs old

During Thanksgiving break we borrowed two versions of Heidi from the library. Sounds crazy but I love the Shirley Temple version and wanted to see the version with Jane Seymour as the housekeeper for Clara's family. It was fun to watch the movies and look for differences between them and the book.

Winnie-the-Pooh

Winnie-the-Pooh
by A.A. Milne
Illustrations by Ernest H. Shepard
Colored by Hilda Scott
161 pages

1. One time Pooh went to visit rabbit. Pooh ate one jar of honey and then decided to leave. When Pooh tried to leave he could not go through the hole because he was too wide. Pooh had to stay there for a week and then finally got out.

2. One time Pooh was going around a circle. Pooh was trying to catch a woozle. Finally Pooh realized he was following his own tracks.


3. One time Eeyore lost his tail and Pool knew that. Pooh went to Owl's house and saw a tail. Pooh took the tail back to Eeyore and put it back on.

4. One time Piglet wanted to catch a heffulump. Piglet made a big hole to capture one. Piglet caught Pooh instead.

5. One time Eeyore had a birthday. Pooh and Piglet brought him each a present. That was Eeyore's best time in his life.

6. One time Rabbit stole Roo. Kanga pretended that Piglet was Roo. Kanga tricked Pooh, Rabbit, and Piglet.

7. One time Pooh was going on an expedition to find the North Pole. Pooh went a very long way and finally got to a pond. Pooh thought the pole was the North Pole so Pooh went home.

8. One time Piglet got trapped in a big rainstorm. Pooh rescued Piglet.

9. One time The Hundred Acre Wood had a big party because Pooh saved Piglet.

Essay by Eddy
7 yrs old

Mrs. Piggle -Wiggle

I was introduced to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle on a friend's blog. She and her children enjoyed the books so I thought Eddy would enjoy them as well. He has! We read them together and laugh and laugh--even got Daddy to listen in one night! In fact I'm not sure we ever finished that story. . .it was a very long one. . .way too long for a bedtime story. . .so we stopped and for whatever reason didn't get back to it the next night. . .oh, I know. . .daddy wasn't there and we were waiting for him to hear the end with us. . .

Anyway, Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is an adorable older lady who loves kids. She has an upside down house, loves for the girls to play dress-up in her clothes & heels, has tons of holes in her yard from children digging for buried treasure, has long hair so the girls can style it, bakes with and for the children, lets them paint and build things--basically, the kids have a grand old time at her house.

The mothers in town love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle too. When their children get naughty habits, they call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle and she sends a bottle of this or that with special instructions and pretty soon the naughtiness ends. It is very fun to read about the naughtiness (;-)~) and cures! Eddy wants to try some here at home but he knows that won't happen! Fun to read about, not so fun to live through;-)

Some of our favorite stories have been The Never Go To Bedders Cure, The Fraidy-Cat Cure, The Interrupters, The Never-Want-to-Go-to-Schooler, The Tattletale Cure and many, many others!

We like Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!

Reading with Gramma

One cold day Eddy & Gramma needed something to do besides battle each other and play Pokemon. I suggested they read Bamboozled by David Legge. Eddy didn't think this was such a great idea--so I told him to read this book with Gramma! They loved it and had so much fun reading it together. . .it's a reading together type of book. . .it was hard to put it down and find something else new to do. This little girl goes to visit her Grandpa and notices something is different. Through the whole story she is trying to find out what it is--it is not the little floor rug that is actually water with goldfish in it, it is not the coffee table with a skateboard for feet, it is not the flowerbed planted with lightbulbs, what is it? You'll have to read and look over these pictures yourself to find out! Have fun! Read it with a friend!

Pre-School Curriculum

Have you ever heard of the Rod and Staff curriculum? It was recommended to us by a homeschool family and we like some of the material A LOT! Eddy went through the preschool curriculum and it totally prepared him for Kindergarten. There are five books in the set--A thru F. We didn't follow their suggested schedule of working through the books because it didn't seem to be challenging enough--just working through one book at a time and just a page or two a day. So we worked through two books at a time and did two or three pages a day from each and we also used the Bible books at the same time--rather than just doing all Bible in one section. That's the beauty of this curriculum--you can tailor it to meet your needs and the needs of your child and at the end your child is ready for the next step!

You should check it out sometime;-)

His Own Library Card

We love going to library and finding books and movies!!!!!! Eddy has been looking forward to getting his own library card but needed to be able to write his name in order to get one. Well. . .he finally mastered his name and got his card--yea!!!!!

Favorite CDs

Eddy loves to listen to CDs at night. His current night favorite is Pop Pop's Teeny Tunes which has fun kids songs plus character songs. Last night Eddy came out to the living room and said, "I need you to come stay with me," thinking it was one of his bed time tricks I told him, "No you don't go back to bed." "Yes, I do! Just like the song says 'please stay with me until I go to sleep!'" the rest of the words continue on "if you're near then I won't make a peep. You don't need a rocking chair, I just want to know you're there. Won't you please stay with me 'til I go to sleep." How can you argue with logic like that?

During his "school time" we have been listening to Patch the Pirate Praises 2. On Friday he was coloring away and singing "Responsibility is the way to get things done"--not bad for a four year old;-) I am so thankful for these songs that are teaching him character and a love of music! Of course after we had listened to Coldheartica a green bazillion times, we weren't quite so thankful for that particular CD;-) but it sure is fun to listen to the stories and talk about them and sing the songs together!

Thanks for Thanksgiving

If you haven't heard, I LOVE FALL!!!!!! and along with Fall I love Thanksgiving and all the details--Pilgrims, Indians, feasts, turkey and all (I mean ALL) the trimmings, pumpkin & pecan pies, traditions, etc, etc. . . The other day we found a great book at the library: Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes and illustrated by Doris Barrette. This book is about Fall, thankfulness, and family and is perfect for little ones because the pictures are sharp and vibrant with not too many words on a page. Even older kids will enjoy it because the pictures are so FUN with lots of detail and crazy action happening. My favorite part of the book is the very last page which is "a place to write our thankful thoughts year after year. . ." I can't wait to add this book to our personal library and include it as part of our Thanksgiving traditions!