New, to me, Books!

I've been going through the book, How To Get Your Child To Love Reading, by Esme Raji Codell, and looking up all the books she recommends at our local library.  Some of them have just been average books, nice to read, but not real stand-outs.  However, quite a few of them have been excellent and quickly added to my favorites list.  I am really enjoying this little project of mine and by the time I finish going through her book, I should have been able to add many more to my favorites list.  Let me share four of my new discoveries with you!






"Officer Buckle and Gloria," is about a policeman who goes into schools and gives a safety talk. However, until Gloria joins the act the children are completely bored.  This funny tale of a lovable dog will have your kids laughing and enjoying Gloria's antics!

"Pantaloon," by Kathryn Jackson, is the story of a dog who desperately wants to work in a bakery for the sole purpose of being around all the treats.  The baker sees through his scheme and throws him out.  You and your child will enjoy reading how Pantaloon makes his wish come true! 

"The Pink Party," by Maryann MacDonald, is the sweet story of two little friends who love all things pink.  They  love it so much that they get in to a competition to see who can have the most pink! Your little girls will enjoy the beautiful sparkly illustrations and the story of true friendship.

"A House is A House For Me," by Mary Ann Hoberman, is a book written in rhyme about all the many different kinds of houses there are in the world.  It is an easy read because of it's rhyming cadence and it's bright, colorful, busy illustrations.  It's a must read for young kids!  

I hope you enjoy each of these books with your little ones.  They all make great read-alouds!! The book, "How To Get Your Child To Love Reading," is a must read for every parent. If you are not familiar with children's books, it will definitely familiarize you with many great choices!  Happy Reading!

The Value Tales

Well, it happened again!!! I found a great, super, awesome deal on some rare children's books at my favorite local thrift store!!  With internet access, books aren't really rare anymore, they just cost more once you find them!

When I was in 3rd & 4th grade choir, our choir teacher read to us, The Value Tales, the last few minutes of practice.  I, along with most of the other students, loved these books.  Each book takes a true historical character and tells his/her life story while teaching a value.  For example, Abraham Lincoln's story is The Value of Respect.  Captain Cook's story is The Value of Boldness.  Benjamin Franklin's story is The Value of Saving.  Sacagawea is the value of Adventure. Each historical character has his/her own fictional character that goes along through the story with them.  Kind of like a Jiminy Cricket type character! They are very well written and kids of all ages would love them.   From what I can tell, there are 43 different Value Tale stories.

If you go on Amazon, you can find them used.  Great investment for your children.  In my local area, I have found several of them at thrift stores.  I always buy them even if I already have it because I know someone does not have it and it's too good to just pass by!   Today, I found four brand new ones, that I do not own, and only paid $.75 for all four together!! Whooo!!! Hooo!!!

I'm including a link to the books on Amazon so you can either purchase them for yourself from this link or elsewhere, or you can see what the books look like and keep your eye out for them when you are in your local thrift stores or antique stores.

Happy Reading!


http://www.amazon.com/Value-Saving-Benjamin-Franklin-Valuetales/dp/0916392171/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1328730850&sr=8-11

Good Friends and Good Books!

A Good Book IS a Good Friend, but how much sweeter it is when a good friend shares with you a good book!  I was reunited with a classmate from K5- College years who, through facebook, introduced me to a new book and then kindly brought hers to my house so I could borrow it!  How sweet it was to be reunited with my good friend, face to face, and to be introduced to such a great book!  How to Get Your Child to Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell was the book she shared.

What an AMAZING book!!  It isn't one of those books that some would find mundane! You know, the kind where it gives you all the statistics of why your child is going to fail if he/she does not read causing you to go into panic mode! Although most of those statistics are true and do have validity to them, they can be overwhelming.  Rather, this book takes helping your child to love to read and makes it not only fun for the child, but also fun for the parent!  If the parent is excited about it, then the child will be as well.  I read the first chapter of this book and then went straight to my computer and bought my own copy off of Amazon.com for $10. (Including shipping!)

Codell not only teaches you how to interest your child, at any age level, how to love reading, but she suggests books along the way.  The book is categorized in many different ways: age, reading level, subject, interests, etc.  If you want a book on pizza, she has one! If you want a book about dogs, she has many!  If you want a book that teaches A,B,C's, she has lots!  Along the way, as you read her lists of different types of books, she teaches you how to use these books to encourage your child to learn to read.

It TRULY is an AMAZING book! Takes all the guess work out of what books are good for which age, reading level, etc.  She has it all in this incredible encyclopedia of children's books!  If you want to invest in your child's future, spend the $10 and get your own copy.  I'm including a link to her book on Amazon.  Check it out for yourself! If you buy it new from a dealer (not Amazon) or used, you can get a good price.  You won't be sorry you did!

How grateful I am for good friends, good books, and the times the two go hand in hand!  Happy Reading!


http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1565123085/planetesme/002-6627230-1835253

Authors for Boys

Last week I posted a list of authors for girls with the promise to post one for boys.  Some times, it is harder to cultivate a love for reading in boys.  It CAN be done!  Boys are more prone to want to get up and go instead of sitting still long enough to enjoy a good book.  Reading aloud to your son can really help cultivate that love for reading he so desperately needs.  Find out what he is interested in and then find a book on that subject or with that story line.  If a mystery interests him then read a Sugar-Creek Gang by Paul Hutchens to him.  If he likes dogs then read one of Jim Kjelgaard's animal adventure books with him.  If it's horses he likes, definitely read The Black Stallion by Walter Farley.  I recently read this entire series and couldn't put them down! If he likes to laugh and joke around then read him Ribsy or Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary.  If your little guy is interested in collecting all sorts of odds and ends then read the Eddie series by Carolyn Haywood!  There is a book for any interest.  These are just a few of the authors for boys.  Listed below are a few more.  Enticing your son to want to read will be successful if you can match him up with the right type of book.
Happy Reading!

Wilson Rawls  Where the Red Fern Grows
Elizabeth George Speare  The Sign of the Beaver and many more titles that are excellent
Franklin Dixon  The Hardy Boys mystery series
Donald J. Sobol  Encyclopedia Brown
Roald Dahl  Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and James and The Giant Peach
Jean Craighead George  My Side of the Mountain
Childhood of Famous Americans series (Biographies)
Fred Gipson  Old Yeller
John Reynold Gardiner   Stone Fox
Marguerite Henry  Justin Morgan Had a Horse
Robert Lawson  Ben and Me; Mr. Revere and I  (excellent books!)

Book Lists

Several people have asked me for some type of book list for all different ages.  It has taken me a bit of time to get to it, but I finally have started the process of making up my own book lists.  I have begun with Preschool-1st grade.  Of course, within that age category, there will be some variance to the level of readers.  Some 1st graders may find some of the books to be "babyish" for reading themselves while some may find them to be right on their level.  All of the books are excellent for parents to read aloud to preschoolers - 1st grade, which is very important in cultivating a love for reading in your child.

In no way am I implying that this is a complete book list. It is what I have come up with so far and from time to time I will add to it. I hope you enjoy these books and that this list helps you know what to look for when going to the library or local book stores or thrift stores.  Many of these authors have several books and I have only listed a few of them.  For instance, I did not list every Dr. Seuss book! Jan Brett has many good books and I listed maybe two or three of hers.  Learn the authors names as well as the titles and you can recognize their books while you are looking.

Soon, I will come out with an Intermediate list and will keep going until I get all the way through High School level reading.  Happy Reading!

 Book List

Preschool-1^st grade

Billy and Blaze by C.W. Anderson

Frog and Toad by Arnold Lobel

Little Bear by Else Minarik

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Linda Numeroff

Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Clifford by Norman Bridwell

Curious George by H.A. Rey

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Is your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino

Amelia Bedelia by Peggy Parish

The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper

The Berenstain Bears by Stan and Jan Berenstain

A Bargain for Frances by Russell Hoban

Johnny Lion by Edith Hurd

Danny and the Dinosaur by Syd Hoff

Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

Guess How Much I Love You by Sam McBratney

Corduroy by Don Freeman

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins  by  Dr. Seuss

The Mitten by Jan Brett

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

The Very Hungry Caterpillar  by Eric Carle

Sheep in a Jeep by  Nancy E. Shaw

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson

Richard Scarry’s Please and Thank you book by Richard Scarry

Big Dog Little Dog by P.D. Eastman

The Little Red Caboose by Marian Potter

Owl at Home by Arnold Lobel

Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey

Gossie and Friends by Olivier Dunrea

The Happy Lion by Louise Fatio

The Biggest Bear by Lynn Ward

Snow Bear by Piers Harper

The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett

The Hat by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Baby Duck goes to School by Amy Hest

Little Quack by Lauren Thompson

Who Will Tuck Me in Tonight? by Carol Roth

Mama, Do You Love Me? By Barbara Joosse

Love You Forever by Robert Munsch

Put Me In The Zoo  by Robert Lopshire

The Cat in the Hat  by Dr. Seuss

Go, Dog. Go! By P.D. Eastman

Flora’s Very Windy Day by Jeanne Birdsall

You Are My I Love You by Maryann Cusimao

The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn

The Biggest Snowman Ever by Steven Kroll

What Snowmen Do At Night by  Carolyn Buehner

Bear Stays up for Christmas by Karma Wilson

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree by Robert Barry

A Wish to be a Christmas Tree by Colleen Monroe

Llama llama red pajama by Anna Dewdney

Duck and Goose by Tad Hills

Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney

On The Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman

You’re All My Favorites by Sam McBratney

Pinkalicious by Victoria Kann

Authors for Girls

Recently, as in yesterday, I was at one of my favorite local resale shops and ran into a friend of mine.  This resale shop has a great children's book section that is neatly organized and full of great finds.  I was looking through the books and my friend asked me how I know what I am looking for at a place like this resale shop.  I told her I just know what authors I like or have heard of before and I usually stick with that.  Sometimes, I'll venture out and buy a book that just looks good.  I know you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover, but by doing so, I have found some good ones.  On the other hand, I have found some not so good ones!! :)

Her question caused me to think about posting a list of authors I look for while I am out at a resale shop, antique store, or used book store.  I rarely pay full price for my books. It has to be one I REALLY want!  So, here is a list of authors you may want to keep in mind while out at your local resale shops, etc.

Louisa May Alcott
L.M. Montgomery
Kate Seredy  (if you find her books, DO NOT pass them up! They are collectors!)
Carolyn Haywood
E. Nesbit
Frances Hodgson Burnett
Beverly Cleary
Laura Ingalls Wilder
Lois Leppard
Elizabeth George Speare
Scott O'Dell
Jan Brett (Picture books)
Eleanor Estes (especially The Hundred Dresses, which I see often in the resale shops and have a hard time passing it up even though I already have two copies!)
Betty MacDonald (wrote the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle series, which I also often see in resale shops)
Jean Fritz  (The Cabin Faced West)

These are just a few, but I thought it might be helpful to those of you who may not know many children's authors by name.  So many of us shop at the resale shops and I have found books I collect at these stores for $.50 - $1.00.  I get so excited!!  In my next post, I will list authors for boys.  Some of these authors have books that would be suitable for boys as well.  Happy Reading!!

Pride and Prejudice

It has been a VERY long time since I wrote on my blog.  Life has been busy, like every one else, and it just got away from me!  Recently, I joined PaperBackSwap.com and I absolutely love it!! You get to list books you will not read again and for every book someone requests from you, you get to go on the site and request a book you want from someone else.  All you pay is the nominal fee to ship your books to those who want them.  It is a great way to get books you don't want to go out and pay full price for and to get rid of books you won't read again.

One of the books I requested was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.  Believe it or not, I had never read this classic.  I've watched the movie with Keira Knightley, but never read the unabridged version of the book.  It was AMAZING!! I love the English way of talking and it's fun to read.  I found myself wanting to talk like them in my every day conversations!! I just love the main character, Elizabeth Bennett, and her mother is hilarious.  Mr. Darcy, of course, is mysteriously captivating and you can't help but fall in love with Elizabeth's sweet sister, Jane.

This is a must read for every adult and older teenage girl. Happy Reading!