My Favorite Childhood Books, Part 1

I’m sure most of you have books you remember reading (or having read to you) as a child.  I have more favorites than I can count, so I’ll restrict this post to 10 books to share with you.  I’m sure I’ll do another post later, when I think of other beloved books.  These are personal favorites I have had since I was little (and just brought back to England with me), and I look forward to sharing them with my own children.

1.  Miss Suzy (Miriam Young)—I never cared much for dolls when I was a child, but I loved dollhouses and the idea of turning ordinary objects into miniature household things.  I also liked stories about toys doing real, human things.  I think that’s why I loved this story.  Miss Suzy is a squirrel who gets chased out of her beloved, cozy house in the tree.  She takes refuge in a dollhouse in an attic and finds new friends who help her get her house back.

2.  Pretzel (Margret Rey)—I loved this book so much as a child, that my copy is extremely worn out and falling apart.  Written by the author of the Curious George series, this story is about a dachshund dog who grew much longer than any other dog.  He can do many interesting tricks, such as making a pretzel shape with his body.  He’s so different than the other dogs…will he ever be accepted by the cute dog he’s in love with?  It’s a very sweet story.

3.  Petunia (Roger Duvoisin)—This is a book with a good moral to it.  It’s also humorous.  Petunia is a silly goose who finds a book.  In her mind and in the minds of the other farm animals, possessing a book must make Petunia wise.  But when her advice leads to one problem after another, Petunia learns a very important lesson.

4.  “Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” (Patricia Thomas)—I loved my parents to read me this book because it was so hilarious.  An elephant feels a tickle in his nose and warns all his animal friends that he’s about to sneeze.  They’re all terrified as they remember what happened the last time he sneezed.  Will anyone be able to stop him?  This story is told in rhyme.

5. The Sheep of the Lal Bagh (David Mark)—This story takes place in a garden in India, and it involves a sheep who lives in the garden and keeps the grass neatly trimmed, even making special patterns for holidays.  When the city buys a new lawn mower to trim the grass, what will happen to the sheep?  I think I liked this story because I was fascinated by other countries from a very young age.  It’s a charming tale, with bright illustrations.  India actually does have a very famous botanical gardens called Lal Bagh, a fact I only just discovered.

6.  One Kitten for Kim (Adelaide Holl)--As a child, I constantly craved a pet, and I didn’t have one until I was ten, so I identified with the boy in this story.  At least he does have a pet, a cat who has too many kittens to keep.  He starts out on a mission to find homes for all but one of the kittens, but what will he come home with?  This story is both funny and cute.

7.  Down Down the Mountain (Ellis Credle)—This is a heart-warming story about two children who lived in the Blue Ridge Mountains.  They are happy, but the one thing they want more than anything is a pair of shiny, squeaky shoes for each of them.  In an effort to raise money to buy the shoes, they plant some turnips.  Will all their hard work pay off?  I love this story because it shows that good things come to those who are kind, generous, and unselfish.

8.  A Bargain for Frances (Russell Hoban)—I have several of the Frances books, but this was my favorite when I was little.  Frances (a badger) is saving money for a china tea set with blue flowers, but her friend Thelma talks her into buying her plastic set with red flowers instead.  Did Frances get a bargain?  This is a cute story about fairness and how to be a good friend.

9.  Little Bear (Else Holmelund Minarik)—I have more than one Little Bear book, but this was the one I remember best when I was a child.  I think I liked it just because they were sweet stories about an adorable bear cub, his mother, his friends, and his wonderful imagination.  This book contains the stories “What Will Little Bear Wear?,” “Birthday Soup,” “Little Bear Goes to the Moon,” and “Little Bear’s Wish.”

10.  The Little House (Virginia Lee Burton)—This is the story of a little house in the country.  She watches as seasons change and years go by.  Eventually, the world around her begins to change, and she finds a city growing around her.  What will happen to the little house, now old and shabby?  Does anyone still care about her?  I was so fascinated by this story when I was little.  It was so interesting and yet so sad to watch the changes going on around the little house.  I always wanted to live in the country (and never have, to this day), so I was particularly drawn to the lovely illustrations of the countryside.  I also loved the idea of a house watching what is going on around it through its history.  If these walls could speak, what story would they tell?

I'm linking this post to "The Children's Bookshelf" at What Do We Do All Day? Note: The first link takes you to this week's linky, where I linked this post. The second link takes you to an explanation of "The Children's Bookshelf."

Preschool Corner Week 1

My baby girl is no longer in Tot School!  It sort of makes me sad, but she’s so excited to be in Preschool now.  So…I’m making the switch from 1+1+1=1’s “Tot School” to Homeschool Creations’ “Preschool & Kindergarten Corner.”

We have just finished our first week of school in our household.  The night before school began, I finally had everything ready and in place for the next morning.  The next morning, Gabriela woke up puking.  Yeah, not so great for the first day of school.  I did get a first-day photo, though she’s a bit pale in it.

Mostly she spent the day watching movies.  The second day she gradually got better.  The third day she was fine until lunch.  We got 2 1/2 good days of preschool!

To see what curriculum Gabriela is using, go HERE.  In a nutshell, I’m using both Before Five in a Row and the same program I used with my other two children:  Early Education at Home (M. Jean Soyle).  I’m using several other things to supplement, but most of her preschool is based on those 2 programs.

We had several themes this week, and some will continue into next week:  Letter A, family, apples, and color red.

Here’s some of what we did this week:

Back-to-School Sensory Tub (click HERE for details) 

Play-dough--I made cinnamon-scented play dough, and Gabriela pretended to put cherries in a pie (actually we pretended they were apples, even though apples aren’t round and red in a pie).  I found the cherry pie play dough mat at PreKinders.  She also used the play dough for the Letter A page (Making Learning Fun).

Calendar Time—I made Gabriela a Calendar Time notebook, using pages from Homeschool Creations, 1+1+1=1, and Confessions of a Homeschooler.  I also adding a few things of my own—a blank USA map, a letter hunt page, and a trace the numbers page (all laminated).  I’m going to get her a new notebook, though, as this one does not work at all!  She quite enjoys her calendar time.  We also have window clings (from Dollar Tree) that we use for the weather, numbers, and letters.  We sing 2 songs, both to the tune of “Oh My Darling Clementine” for learning the days of the week and the weather.

Family Theme—Activities we did this week included looking through family photo albums, matching families from a card game, and coloring a picture of a family.  We also discussed animal mommies and babies and played with Match and Make Farm Animals.  I love that the matching cards are puzzles and have mom/baby farm animals, AND when you put the cards together you can make one large picture.  The family card game we played is called Happy Families.  Each family has a mom, a dad, a son and a daughter, and each family represents a particular occupation (farmer, plumber, baker, teacher, etc.)  Both of these games came from ELC (Early Learning Centre), but I picked them up at charity shops.

Finally, we read the following family-related books:

1. Father Bear Comes Home (Else Holmelund Minarik)
2. My Daddy and Me (Amy E. Sklansky)
3. The Most Precious Thing (Gill Lewis)
4. Ox-Cart Man (Donald Hall)
5. Have You Seen My Duckling? (Nancy Tafuri)
6. Mama, Do You Love Me? (Barbara M. Joosse)

I have more family books I’ll read her next week.

ABCs--Gabriela already knows most of her alphabet (she can name all but 2), but we’re having fun studying a letter each week anyway.  I’ll probably do beginning reading halfway through the year if I feel she’s ready.  This week was letter A.  We practiced writing A’s in a workbook (from Target) and on my Galaxy tablet (an app called “123s & ABCs Handwriting Fun”).  She also made an Alligator A craft (I first saw it on Homeschool Creations, but she found it on No Time for Flash Cards).

We also read the book Berenstains’ A Book (Stan & Jan Berenstain).

Colors—It’s fun having a color of the week to focus on, even though Gabriela knows all her colors.  Here are some “red” books we used this week:

1. Clifford the Big Red Dog books (I have loads of these, but we picked 2-3 to read aloud)

2. Ten Rosy Roses (Eve Merriam)
3. Little Red Hen (Beth Wilson, illus.)
4. The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Philemon Sturges)

Apples—I didn’t do as much as I would have liked with this theme, but we did do a big apple unit (and here) last year in Tot School, so I think we’ll move on.  Along with eating homemade applesauce all week, we read the following “apple” books:

1. Who's Got the Apple? (Jan Lööf)
2. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Apples (Matt Ringler)
3. Apples (Gail Gibbons)
4. Apples (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
5. I Can Read About Johnny Appleseed (J.I. Anderson)

I will be linking this post to “Preschool & Kindergarten Corner” at Homeschool Creations.

Isaac's 6th Grade Reading Log

This will be a running list of books Isaac reads during 6th grade. I will be adding to it throughout the year. This is mostly for my own records. This list includes books I require for school as well as books he is reading on his own. If you'd like to view his 5th grade reading list, click HERE.

1. Children in History: Victorians (Kate Jackson-Bedford)
2. The Adventurous Four (Enid Blyton)
3. Carry On, Mr. Bowditch (Jean Lee Latham)
4. The Adventurous Four Again! (Enid Byton)
5. Rifles for Watie (Harold Keith)
6. The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)
7. Pigeon Post (Arthur Ransome)
8. Shades of Gray (Carolyn Reeder) [NOT to be confused with another book of similar title!]
9. Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea (Frank E. Peretti)
10. History Spies: The Great Exhibition Mission (Jo Foster)
11. ...If You Lived at the Time of the Civil War (Kay Moore)
12. The Door in the Dragon's Throat (Frank E. Peretti)
13. The Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
14. Adam of the Road (Elizabeth Janet Gray)
15. The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey (Frank E. Peretti)
16. The Tombs of Anak (Frank E. Peretti)
17. Tom's Midnight Garden (Philippa Pearce)
18. Peter Duck (Arthur Ransome)
19. Meet Samantha (Susan S. Adler)
20. ...If Your Name was Changed at Ellis Island (Ellen Levine)
21. ...If You Lived at the Time of the Great San Francisco Earthquake (Ellen Levine)
22. Road Race Round the World (Robert B. Jackson)
23. Titanic (Victoria Sherrow)
24. The Mysterious Message (Steve and Susie Castleberry)
25. A Letter to Mrs. Roosevelt (C. Coco de Young)
26. Esperanza Rising (Pam Muñoz Ryan)
27. Toro! Toro! (Michael Morpurgo)
28. Tales of the Greek Heroes (Roger Lancelyn Green)
29. Run for Your Life! (Betty Swinford)
30. Winter Holiday (Arthur Ransome)
31. Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (Leigh Brackett & Lawrence Kasdan)
32. The Victory Garden (Lee Kochenderfer)
33. Miracles on Maple Hill (Virginia Sorensen)
34. The Great Fire (Jim Murphy)
35. The Enchanted Wood (Enid Blyton)
36. The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)
37. The Folk of the Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)
38. Apollo 13: The Junior Novelization (Dina Anastasio)
39. The Amazing Story of Adolphus Tips (Michael Morpurgo)
40. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry (Mildred D. Taylor)
41. Cows in Action: The Moo-My's Curse (Steve Cole)
42. Cows in Action: The Ter-Moo-Nators (Steve Cole)
43. Ginger Pye (Eleanor Estes)
44. Kensuke's Kingdom (Michael Morpurgo)
45. Treasures of the Snow (Patricia M. St. John)

SUMMER READING:
1. The Island of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
2. The Castle of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
3. The Valley of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
4. The Sea of Adventure (Enid Blyton)
5. Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Roald Dahl)
6. The Ring O' Bells (Enid Blyton)
7. The Rubadub Mystery (Enid Blyton)
8. Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)
9. The Tombs of Anak (Frank E. Peretti)
10. The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey (Frank E. Peretti)
11. Homer Price (Robert McCloskey)
12. Emil and the Detectives (Erich Kästner)

My Passion for Children’s Books

I have my mother to thank for instilling the love of reading into me.  She was constantly buying books for my sister and me—mostly from school book orders and garage sales.  We never got rid of any, and I still have most of them.  I began collecting more books when I decided to become a teacher, and it continued from there.  Out of all of the many collections I’ve had in my life, my collection of children’s books has been the largest and longest-lasting.  I don’t think I’ll ever stop!  I’m one of those adults who read way more children’s books than grown-up books, and I’m proud of it.  When I go to a used book store, I head straight for the children’s section.  I also search charity shops (thrift stores), antique malls, and yard sales.  In fact, my favorite store is not Kohl’s or Old Navy.  It’s not even Target or Wal-Mart.  It’s a particular used bookstore in Springfield, Missouri (always my highlight of any trip to Springfield).  I am a children’s book junkie.  Thanks, Mom!

Now that I’ve confessed one of my biggest passions (after God, family, and homeschooling), I’ll get to the purpose of this post.  I recently decided to write more posts about my favorite children’s books.  Some will be (unofficial) reviews, and some will be lists of books I’ve found for certain topics.  I plan to write about both picture books and chapter books, fiction and nonfiction.  If you ever need any book suggestions for anything, let me know, and I’ll do my best to help.

Soon after I came up with this idea for my own blog, I found out that several blogs have joined up to host The Children’s Bookshelf, a weekly link-up for posts about children’s books.  How exciting!  The host blogs include What Do We Do All Day?, No Twiddle Twaddle, Smiling Like Sunshine, Mommy and Me Book Club, My Little Bookcase, and Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.

I don’t have my first post ready yet, but watch for it.  I’ll begin by sharing some of my favorite books from my own childhood.  Meanwhile, read more about The Children’s Bookshelf and check out all the posts linked up so far!

Moriah's 3rd Grade Reading Log

This will be a running list of books Moriah reads herself during 3rd grade. I will be adding to it throughout the year. This is mostly for my own records. I am trying to encourage her to read chapter books, but I will be listing picture books as well, as long as they're not too easy! If you'd like to view her 2nd grade reading list (which wasn't too long), click HERE.

1. Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps (Cynthia Rylant)
2. There's No Place Like Space! All About Our Solar System (Tish Rabe)
3. Who Will Be My Friends? (Syd Hoff)
4. What Makes Day and Night? (Chris Arvetis and Carole Palmer)
5. The Little House (Virginia Lee Burton)
6. Molly's Pilgrim (Barbara Cohen)
7. 102 Cat and Dog Jokes (Michael Pellowski)
8. Tornado (Betsy Byars)
9. Abe Lincoln's Hat (Martha Brenner)
10. Dolphins! (Sharon Bokoske and Margaret Davidson)
11. Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit (Norman Bridwell)
12. The Night Before Thanksgiving (Natasha Wing)
13. George Washington and the General's Dog (Frank Murphy)
14. A Teddy Bear for President Roosevelt (Connie and Peter Roop)
15. Helen Keller (Margaret Davidson)
16. The Adventures of Laura & Jack (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
17. Lad, a Dog: Lad to the Rescue (Margo Lundell)
18. The Magic School Bus, A Science Chapter Book: Twister Trouble (Ann Schreiber)
19. The Josefina Story Quilt (Eleanor Coerr)
20. The Big Balloon Race (Eleanor Coerr)
21. Dolphin Adventure (Wayne Grover)


Summer Reading
1. The Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
2. Wagon Wheels (Barbara Brenner)
3. Henry and Mudge and the Bedtime Thumps (Cynthia Rylant)
4. Henry and Mudge Take the Big Test (Cynthia Rylant)

Field Trip Chronicles: Summer 2012 UK

This edition of our summer field trip chronicles comes from the lovely United Kingdom.  Here’s what we did during the month of August (and last bit of July):

Revive!, East Sussex—This was a camping trip/Christian retreat at a beautiful estate.  In addition to camping and going to children’s meetings, the kids also got to see a real Olympic torch that was run through part of England, and they got to participate in a family fun fete.

Scotney Castle, Kent

Snugbury’s, Cheshire—Our annual trip to see the newest hay sculpture (and have their yummy ice cream).  This year was an Olympic theme and tribute to Britain’s cyclists:

Carding Mill Valley, Shropshire

Erddig, Wrexham (Wales)—They were having an Alice in Wonderland day:

Astbury Mere Country Park (Cheshire)—We went on a walk with several families from church:

Gabriela's Preschool Book Log

I am going to keep a running list of books we read aloud to Gabriela this school year (2012-2013). I will be adding to it regularly. This is mostly for my own records.

1. The Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown)
2. Father Bear Comes Home (Else Holmelund Minarik)
3. My Daddy and Me (Amy E. Sklansky)
4. The Most Precious Thing (Gill Lewis)
5. Ox-Cart Man (Donald Hall)
6. Have You Seen My Duckling? (Nancy Tafuri)
7. Ten Rosy Roses (Eve Merriam)
8. Mama, Do You Love Me? (Barbara M. Joosse)
9. Little Red Hen (Beth Wilson, illus.)
10. The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Philemon Sturges)
11. Who's Got the Apple? (Jan Lööf)
12. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Apples (Matt Ringler)
13. Apples (Gail Gibbons)
14. Apples (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
15. I Can Read About Johnny Appleseed (J.I. Anderson)
16. Clifford's Puppy Days (Norman Bridwell)
17. Clifford and the Big Storm (Norman Bridwell)
18. Sesame Street: Grover's Little Red Riding Hood (Norman Stiles)
19. Little Red Riding Hood (retold by Mandy Ross)
20. The Berenstains' A Book (Stan and Jan Berenstain)
21. The Berenstains' B Book (Stan and Jan Berenstain)
22. 1 is One (Tasha Tudor)
23. Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale (Lisa Campbell Ernst)
24. Paddington at the Tower (Michael Bond & Fred Banbery)
25. Biscuit's Big Friend (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)
26. Biscuit Wants to Play (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)
27. Biscuit (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)
28. Hello, Biscuit (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)
29. Biscuit Takes a Walk (Alyssa Satin Capucilli)
30. The Berenstain Bears and the Missing Honey (Stan & Jan Berenstain)
31. Follow the Polar Bears (Sonia W. Black)
32. Teddy Bear Teddy Bear (Michael Hague, illus.)
33. The Three Bears (Mabel Watts)
34. Leola and the Honeybears (Melodye Benson Rosales)
35. Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf (Lois Ehlert)
36. Leaves (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
37. Fall Colors (Rita Walsh)
38. Autumn (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
39. Let's Look at the Seasons: Autumn Days (Ann Schweninger)
40. The Year at Maple Hill Farm (Alice and Martin Provensen)
41. Signs of Autumn (Paul Humphrey)
42. Yellow Ball (Molly Bang)
43. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle)
44. Pumpkin Soup (Helen Cooper)
45. Autumn Days (Ann Schweninger)
46. The Year at Maple Hill Farm (Alice and Martin Provensen)
47. The Nutty Nut Chase (Kathryn White)
48. Chatty Chipmunk's Nutty Day (Suzanne Gruber)
49. Hibernation (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
50. Migration (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
51. Chipmunk at Hollow Tree Lane (Victoria Sherrow)
52. Leaves (David Ezra Stein)
53. The Big Green Pocketbook (Candice Ransom)
54. Pumpkins (Melvin and Gilda Berger)
55. Little Blue and Little Yellow (Leo Lionni)
56. The Three Little Pigs (Eileen Grace, illus.)
57. Three Little Pigs (Stephen Cartwright, illus.)
58. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Eugene Trivizas)
59. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs! (Jon Scieszka)
60. The Happy Day (Ruth Krauss)
61. If Only I Had a Green Nose (Max Lucado)
62. The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers (Stan & Jan Berenstain)
63. Dandelion (Don Freeman)
64. The Little Duck (Judy Dunn)
65. Make Way for Ducklings (Robert McCloskey)
66. The Three Little Javelinas (Susan Lowell)
67. Stellaluna (Janell Cannon)
68. Play With Me (Marie Hall Ets)
69. Owly (Mike Thaler)
70. The Scarecrow's Hat (Ken Brown)
71. Owl Babies (Martin Waddell)
72. Baby Bat's Lullaby (Jacquelyn Mitchard)
73. The Three Little Pigs: A Faith Tale (Beverly Capps Burgess)
74. Elmer (David McKee)
75. Elmer and the Lost Teddy (David McKee)
76. Elmer Again (David McKee)
77. Elmer in the Snow (David McKee)
78. Elmer on Stilts (David McKee)
79. A Bargain for Frances (Russell Hoban)
80. A Birthday for Frances (Russell Hoban)
81. Bread and Jam for Frances (Russell Hoban)
82. Bedtime for Frances (Russell Hoban)
83. Flora’s Surprise! (Debi Gliori)
84. Flora’s Blanket (Debi Gliori)
85. Frederick (Leo Lionni)
86. Four Little Kittens (Kathleen N. Daly)
87. Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? (Dr. Seuss)
88. The Three Little Kittens (Jane Chambless-Rigie, illus.)
89. Little Bobo and His Blue Jacket (Alf Evers)
90. Four Puppies (Anne Heathers)
91. Prayer for a Child (Rachel Field)
92. Then and Now (Heather Amery)
93. The Town Mouse and the Country Mouse (Ellen Schecter)
94. Town Mouse Country Mouse (Jan Brett)
95. Fox in Socks (Dr. Seuss)
96. Chanticleer and the Fox (Barbara Cooney, adpt)
97. Fox on a Box (Phil Roxbee Cox)
98. Rosie's Walk (Pat Hutchins)
99. Frog Went A-Courtin' (Feodor Rojankovsky)
100. Frog and Toad Together (Arnold Lobel)
101. Frog and Toad All Year (Arnold Lobel)
102. Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice (Steve Metzger)
103. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Eileen Christelow)
104. One Fine Day (Nonny Hogrogrian)
105. Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)
106. Gorillas: Gentle Giants of the Forest (Joyce Milton)
107. Grizzwold (Syd Hoff)
108. One Gorilla: A Magical Kind of Counting Book (Atsuko Morozumi)
109. Just Lost! (Gina and Mercer Mayer)
110. Never Talk to Strangers: A Book About Personal Safety (Irma Joyce)
111. Soda Pop (Dorothy Haas)
112. The Three Billy Goats Gruff (Svend Otto S.)
113. The Happy Goat (John Kershaw)
114. Officer Buckle and Gloria (Peggy Rathmann)
115. County Fair (adpt from Laura Ingalls Wilder)
116. Joe and the Farm Goose (Geraldine Taylor and Jill Harker)
117. Safe at Home with Pooh (Kathleen W. Zoehfeld)
118. Take Care There (author/publisher unknown)
119. Six Snowy Sheep (Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler)
120. Petunia (Roger Duvoisin)
121. Petunia, Beware! (Roger Duvoisin)
122. Thanksgiving Day (Gail Gibbons)
123. Six-Dinner Sid (Inga Moore)
124. Robert the Rose Horse (Joan Heilbroner)
125. Chester (Syd Hoff)
126. Barney's Horse (Syd Hoff)
127. Thunderhoof (Syd Hoff)
128. Lucille (Arnold Lobel)
129. Seven Sillies (Joyce Dunbar)
130. Harry the Dirty Dog (Gene Zion)
131. Harry and the Lady Next Door (Gene Zion)
132. No Roses for Harry (Gene Zion)
133. Walt Disney's Happy, Healthy Pooh Book (Disney, pub)
134. The Very Noisy Night (Diana Hendry)
135. Ten, Nine, Eight (Molly Bang)
136. Maisy's Bedtime (Lucy Cousins)
137. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims (B.G. Hennessy)
138. Sleep Well, Little Bear (Quint Buchholz)
139. Hello, House! (Linda Hayward)
140. The Little House (Virginia Lee Burton)
141. The Hat (Jan Brett)
142. Amelia Bedelia Under Construction (Herman Parish)
143. Hedgie's Surprise (Jan Brett)
144. Horton Hatches the Egg (Dr. Seuss)
145. Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss)
146. We're Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen)
147. I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie (Alison Jackson)
148. Cranberry Thanksgiving (Wende and Harry Devlín)
149. Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit (Norman Bridwell)
150. The Night Before Thanksgiving (Natasha Wing)
151. Bring in the Pumpkins (Dahlov Ipcar)
152. Over the River and Through the Woods (John Steven Gurney, illus.)
153. The Little Island (Golden MacDonald)
154. Thanksgiving Day (Gail Gibbons)
155. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims (B.G. Hennessy)
156. Over the River: A Turkey's Tale (Derek Anderson)
157. A Turkey for Thanksgiving (Eve Bunting)
158. 10 Fat Turkeys (Tony Johnston)
159. A Plump and Perky Turkey (Teresa Bateman)
160. Inch by Inch (Leo Lionni)
161. Nine Ducks Nine (Sarah Hayes)
162. Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear? (Nancy White Carlstrom)
163. Happy Birthday, Jesse Bear! (Nancy White Carlstrom)
164. Let's Count it Out, Jesse Bear (Nancy White Carlstrom)
165. Better Not Get Wet, Jesse Bear (Nancy White Carlstrom)
166. Julius (Syd Hoff)
167. Christmas Tapestry (Patricia Polacco)
168. Madeline's Christmas (Ludwig Bemelmans)
169. Baboushka: A Traditional Russian Folk Tale (Arthur Scholey)
170. The Polar Express (Chris van Allsburg)
171. Katy and the Big Snow (Virginia Lee Burton)
172. One Kitten for Kim (Adelaide Holl)
173. Bad Kitty (Nick Bruel)
174. Kitten's Adventure (Michele Coxon)
175. The Lonely Kitten (Truda Mordue)
176. Kitten's Day Out (Heather Amery)
177. Give Him My Heart (Debi Gliori)
178. God Gave Us Christmas (Lisa Tawn Bergren)
179. Guess Who's Coming, Jesse Bear (Nancy White Carlstrom)
180. Katy No-Pocket (Emmy Payne)
181. The Little Fir Tree (Margaret Wise Brown)
182. Mooseltoe (Margie Palatini)
183. Comet's Nine Lives (Jan Brett)
184. Dilly-Dally and the Nine Secrets (Elizabeth MacDonald)
185. 1,2,3 to the Zoo: A Counting Book (Eric Carle)
186. The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners (Stan & Jan Berenstain)
187. Bear, Your Manners are Showing (Kathleen Allan Meyer)
188. Manners (Aliki)
189. The Little Lamb (Judy Dunn)
190. We're Going on a Lion Hunt (David Axtell)
191. The Lion Who Wanted to Love (Giles Andreae)
192. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Bernard Waber)
193. Lovable Lyle (Bernard Waber)
194. Leo the Lop (Stephen Cosgrove)
195. The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners (Stan & Jan Berenstain)
196. Ask Mr. Bear (Marjorie Flack)
197. Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas (Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Tangvald)
198. Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo (Larry Dane Brimner)
199. The Legend of the Poinsettia (Tomie dePaola)
200. The Twelve Days of Christmas (Gaby Goldsack)
201. Merry Christmas, Amelia Bedelia (Peggy Parish)
202. If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (Laura Numeroff)
203. The First Christmas (Allia Nolan)
204. The Donkey's Christmas Song (Nancy Tafuri)
205. Gingerbread Baby (Jan Brett)
206. Clifford's First Christmas (Norman Bridwell)
207. Barney's Christmas Surprise (Mark Bernthal)
208. Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree (Robert Barry)
209. Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmans)
210. Madeline's Rescue (Ludwig Bemelmans)
211. Madeline in London (Ludwig Bemelmans)
212. If You Give a Moose a Muffin (Laura Numeroff)
213. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Laura Numeroff)
214. If You Take a Mouse to School (Laura Numeroff)
215. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel (Virginia Lee Burton)
216. Corduroy (Don Freeman)
217. Baboushka and the Three Kings (Ruth Robbins)
218. Maisy's Bus (Lucy Cousins)
219. Hickory, Dickory, Dock (Robin Muller)
220. Mrs. Brice's Mice (Syd Hoff)
221. My First Christmas Carols (Laura Rader, illus.)
222. The Crippled Lamb (Max Lucado)
223. Olive, the Other Reindeer (J.otto Seibold)
224. The Nutcracker (Pat Whitehead, retold)
225. Christmas is Coming: A Book of Poems and Songs (Ruth J. Morehead, illus.)
226. The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Jan Brett)
227. How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Dr. Seuss)
228. Winnie the Pooh's Christmas (Bruce Talkington)
229. Madeline Says Merci: The-Always-Be-Polite Book (John Bemelmans Marciano)
230. Angus Lost (Marjorie Flack)
231. Noah's Ark (Linda Hayward)
232. The Best Nest (P.D. Eastman)
233. Owl Moon (Jane Yolen)
234. The Mitten (Jan Brett)
235. Hello Kitty's Day at the Beach (Paul Coco)
236. Caps for Sale (Esphyr Slobodkina)
237. Oscar Otter (Nathaniel Benchley)
238. Oliver (Syd Hoff)
239. If You Give a Pig a Pancake (Laura Numeroff)
240. If You Give a Pig a Party (Laura Numeroff)
241. Pancakes, Pancakes! (Eric Carle)
242. Big Pig on a Dig (Phil Roxbee Cox)
243. Where's Curly? (Heather Amery)
244. Small Pig (Arnold Lobel)
245. Let's Look at the Seasons: Wintertime (Ann Schweninger)
246. The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)
247. White Snow Bright Snow (Alvin Tresselt)
248. When Winter Comes (Robert Maass)
249. Clifford's First Snow Day (Norman Bridwell)
250. The Snowman (Raymond Briggs)
251. Snow Family (Daniel Kirk)
252. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus (Mo Willems)
253. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog (Mo Willems)
254. Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! (Mo Willems)
255. Panda Baby at Home in the Bamboo Grove (Sarah Toast)
256. Baby Panda (Susan Hellard)
257. Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? (Bill Martin Jr)
258. Follow the Polar Bears (Sonia W. Black)
259. Little Polar Bear (Hans de Beer)
260. Ahoy There, Little Polar Bear (Hans de Beer)
261. Little Polar Bear and the Big Balloon (Hans de Beer)
262. Annie and the Wild Animals (Jan Brett)
263. Usborne Farmyard Tales: The Snow Storm (Heather Amery)
264. The Happy Day (Ruth Krauss)
265. A Tale From Percy's Park: One Snowy Night (Nick Butterworth)
266. On a Wintry Morning (Dori Chaconas)
267. My First Little House Books: Winter Days in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder
268. The Emperor's Egg (Martin Jenkins)
269. Antarctic Antics: A Book a Penguin Poems (Judy Sierra)
270. Five Little Penguins Slipping on the Ice (Steve Metzger)
271. Baby Penguin at Home on the Ice (Jennifer Boudart)
272. Paddington's Opposites (Michael Bond)
273. The Opposites (Monique Felix)
274. I'm Learning About Opposites (Rebecca Archer, illus.)
275. Paddington at the Tower (Michael Bond and Fred Banbery)
276. Paddington Bear (Michael Bond)
277. A Porcupine Named Fluffy (Helen Lester)
278. I Can Read with My Eyes Shut! (Dr. Seuss)
279. Pretzel (Margret Rey)
280. The Little Puppy (Judy Dunn)
281. The Edible Pyramid: Good Eating Every Day (Loreen Leedy)
282. Eye Spy Colours (Debbie MacKinnon)
283. I Spy a School Bus (Jean Marzollo)
284. The Noisy Book (Margaret Wise Brown)
285. Benjamin Budge and Barnaby Ball (Florence Parry Heide)
286. Faster, Slower, Higher, Lower (Michael Berenstain)
287. Down by the Station (Jess Stockham, illus.)
288. 1001 Things to Spot on the Farm (Gillian Doherty)
289. Listen Buddy (Helen Lester)
290. Too Much Noise (Ann McGovern)
291. Buzz, Said the Bee (Wendy Cheyette Lewison)
292. The Duckling Gets a Cookie!? (Mo Willems)
293. The Pigeon Wants a Puppy! (Mo Willems)
294. The Missing Tarts (B.G. Hennessy)
295. Gregory's Shadow (Don Freeman)
296. The Keeping Quilt (Patricia Polacco)
297. I Spy a Dinosaur Eye (Jean Marzollo)
298. I Spy Funny Teeth (Jean Marzollo)
299. The Hare and the Tortoise (Kit Schorsch)
300. The Carrot Seed (Ruth Krauss)
301. Bella's Secret Garden (Anne Carter)
302. The Little Rabbit (Judy Dunn)
303. The Nose Book (Al Perkins)
304. Creature Noses (Nicola Whittaker)
305. Sanji and the Baker (Robin Tzannes)
306. That Pesky Rat (Lauren Child)
307. Swimmy (Leo Lionni)
308. Miss Suzy (Miriam Young)
309. Strawberry Shortcake: Where are Custard and Pupcake? (Justine Fontes)
310. Song of the Swallows (Leo Politi)
311. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble (William Steig)
312. Stone Soup (Diane Paterson)
313. A Charlie Brown Valentine (Charles M. Schulz)
314. Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch (Eileen Spinelli)
315. The Best Thing About Valentines (Eleanor Hudson)
316. Pooh's Valentine (Isabel Gaines)
317. Valentine Mice (Bethany Roberts)
318. One Grain of Rice (Demi)
319. And the Good Brown Earth (Kathy Henderson)
320. Jamberry (Bruce Degan)
321. Toad Makes a Road (Phil Roxbee Cox)
322. If You Go Walking in Tiger Wood (Alan Durant)
323. The Tale of Timmy Tiptoes (Beatrix Potter)
324. T is for Tiger (Richard Powell)
325. Tikki Tikki Tembo (Arlene Mosel)
326. Down Down the Mountain (Ellis Credle)
327. Tillie and the Wall (Leo Lionni)
328. Tops & Bottoms (Janet Stevens)
329. Once a Mouse... (Marcia Brown)
330. Great Day for Up (Dr. Seuss)
331. When the Wind Blows (Amy and Richard Hutchings)
332. George Washington's Cows (David Small)
333. A Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln (David A. Adler)
334. What Makes Day and Night? (Chris Arvetis)
335. Sun Up, Sun Down (Gail Gibbons)
336. Sun and Moon (Marcus Pfister)
337. Dora the Explorer: Little Star (Sarah Willson)
338. Sunshine, Moonshine (Jennifer Armstrong)
339. Stargazers (Gail Gibbons)
340. My First Book About Space: A Question and Answer Book (Dinah L. Moché)
341. Verdi (Janell Cannon)
342. Walpole (Syd Hoff)
343. There's a Wocket in My Pocket! (Dr. Seuss)
344. There's No Place Like Space! All About our Solar System (Tish Rabe)
345. Comets (Kate Petty)
346. Curious George Gets a Medal (H.A. Rey)
347. Travel & Transport Then and Now (Alastair Smith)
348. Down by the Station (Jess Stockham, illus.)
349. Thomas Goes Fishing (Richard Courtney, illus.)
350. Little Engines Can Do Big Things (Britt Allcroft)
351. Catch Me, Catch Me: A Thomas the Tank Engine Story (Owain Bell)
352. Terrific Trains (Tony Mitton and Ant Parker)
353. Thomas & Friends: Down at the Docks (Richard Courtney, illus.)
354. The Train to Glasgow (Wilma Horsbrugh)
355. Old, New, Red, Blue (Melissa Lagonegro)
356. Cars: Al's Sky-High Adventure (Luke Paulson)
357. Curious George and the Hot Air Balloon (Houghton Mifflin, pub.)
358. Good Driving, Amelia Bedelia (Herman Parish)
359. Mr Gumpy's Motor Car (J. Burningham)
360. Saint Patrick and the Peddler (Margaret Hodges)
361. Peek-a-Boo! Boats (Keith Faulkner)
361. Little Toot (Hardie Gramatky)
362. Truck Talk: Rhymes on Wheels (Bobbi Katz)
363. The Boats on the River (Marjorie Flack)
364. Sail Away (Donald Crews)
365. Scuffy the Tugboat (And His Adventures Down the River) (Gertrude Crampton)
366. Tip Tip Dig Dig (Emma Garcia)
367. All Kinds of Planes (Seymour Reit)
368. The Glorious Flight: Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot (Alice and Martin Provensen)
369. The Golden Egg Book (Margaret Wise Brown)
370. Easter (Gail Gibbons)
371. Hopper's Easter Surprise (Kathrin Siegenthaler and Marcus Pfister)
372. Curious George Goes to an Air Show (Margret Rey and Alan J. Shalleck, eds)
373. There's a Mouse About the House (Richard Fowler)
374. Curious George Flies a Kite (Margret Rey)
375. Curious George Goes to the Hospital (Margret & H.A. Rey)
376. Tootle (Gertrude Crampton)
377. The Taxi that Hurried (Lucy Sprague Mitchell)
378. Five Little Firemen (Margaret Wise Brown)
379. Spring Changes (Ellen B. Senisi)
380. Puddle Wonderful: Poems to Welcome Spring (Bobbi Katz)
381. Let's Look at the Seasons: Springtime (Ann Schweninger)
382. Seasons: Spring (Anna Claybourne)
383. Curious George Takes a Job (H.A. Rey)
384. A Pocket for Corduroy (Don Freeman)
385. Dr. Seuss's ABC (Dr. Seuss)
386. Calling Doctor Amelia Bedelia (Herman Parish)
387. Bravo, Amelia Bedelia! (Herman Parish)
388. Amelia Bedelia, Bookworm (Herman Parish)
389. Teach Us, Amelia Bedelia (Peggy Parish)
390. Amelia Bedelia 4 Mayor (Herman Parish)
391. A Tree is a Plant (Clyde Robert Bulla)
392. A Tree is Nice (Janice May Udry)
393. Alphabatics (Suse MacDonald)
394. Alphabet Adventure (Audrey Wood)
395. Clifford the Small Red Puppy (Norman Bridwell)
396. Drummer Hoff (Barbara Emberley)
397. Gabriella's Song (Candace Fleming)
398. Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin (Lloyd Moss)
399. Alphabet City (Stephen T. Johnson)
400. Albert's Alphabet (Leslie Tryon)
401. Berlioz the Bear (Jan Brett)
402. The Tooth Book (Dr. Seuss)
403. Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (Al Perkins)
404. The Hair Book (Graham Tether)
405. The Foot Book (Dr. Seuss)
406. The Nose Book (Al Perkins)
407. Be Nice to Spiders (Margaret Bloy Graham)
408. Who Will Be My Friends? (Syd Hoff)
409. Itsy Bitsy Spider (Keith Chapman)
410. The Very Busy Spider (Eric Carle)
411. Amelia Bedelia Goes Camping (Peggy Parish)
412. Clifford the Firehouse Dog (Norman Bridwell)
413. When the Fly Frew In... (Lisa Westberg Peters)
414. Captain Cat (Syd Hoff)
415. Clifford Gets a Job (Normal Bridwell)
416. Say Goodnight (Barbara Gregorich)
417. Down by the Bay (Nadine Bernard Westcott,illus.)
418. Be Quiet, Bramble (Benedict Blathwayt)
419. Put Me in the Zoo (Robert Lopshire)
420. Baby Farm Animals (Garth Williams, illus)
421. Dear Zoo (Rod Campbell)
422. My Visit to the Zoo (Aliki)
423. The Silly Sheepdog (Heather Amery)
424. Cow in the Rain (Todd Aaron Smith)
425. Albert the Albatross (Syd Hoff)
426. Barkley (Syd Hoff)
427. Duncan the Dancing Duck (Syd Hoff)
428. Because a Little Bug Went Ka-Choo! (Rosetta Stone)
429. The Little Red Ant and the Great Big Crumb: A Mexican Fable (Shirley Climo)
430. Sammy the Seal (Syd Hoff)
431. Thunder Cakes (Patricia Polacco)
432. The Farmer in the Dell (Mary Maki Rae, illus)
433. When Lightning Comes in a Jar (Patricia Polacco)
434. Only One Woof (James Herriot)
435. Farm Animals (Hans Helweg)

Unofficial Reviews: All About Spelling

By unofficial review, I mean that I was NOT asked to review the product and I have NOT received ANYTHING AT ALL for reviewing it.  I am simply reviewing a product because I LIKE IT and want to tell everyone about it!  : )  All reviews contain my honest opinions of products I have actually used.  For more details on my “unofficial reviews” click HERE.

I haven’t written one of my unofficial reviews in a long time!  Today I’m reviewing the program All About Spelling (AAS).  One reason I chose it is because we’re on our third year using AAS, and we still love it! 

I first read a review of AAS at Homeschool Creations.  I was looking for a new spelling program because my son hated the one we were using.  I was so impressed by what I read on that review and others, as well as on the All About Learning Press website, that I ordered the first two books.  I began both of my older children (grades 1 and 4 at the time) in Level 1 because each level builds on the one before, and Level 1 contains the basics you need to know for the other levels.  My son did progress fairly quickly through the first few books.  He’s most of the way through Level 4 at the moment. 

Level 4 materials:

There are several things I love about AAS.  One is that it is hands-on.  They supply you with magnetic phonogram tiles, syllable tiles, flashcards, and other helpful cards and booklets.  Also, it is very easy to teach.  Everything is laid out in an easy-to-follow way, and it doesn’t require any planning.

This is our spelling board:

(I’m not sure I have the tiles set up the right way, but it works for now.  I got this magnetic board at IKEA, and I like it better hanging horizontally, but space prevented that.)

Another thing I like about AAS is that the method makes sense.  The program is based on the Orton-Gillingham approach, which was designed for people with dyslexia; however, it is an approach that anyone can use (my children are not dyslexic).  In Level 1, you learn the basic sounds/phonograms you need to do the whole program, though you do add harder phonograms as you progress.  You also learn about syllables and syllable types in Level 1.  This is very helpful in understanding the various rules that are learned later.  I never have seen a spelling program that is so thorough and yet so simple to understand.  The hands-on aspect brings a bit of fun to spelling, and my kids honestly enjoy their spelling lessons.

Let me add another plus.  I’m convinced this spelling program helps with reading as well.  In fact, All About Learning Press also has a reading program (All About Reading) that is designed to be used along with the spelling program.  If I had to do it over again, I probably would have used their reading program; however, I have one I already have used with success, so I don’t see the point in spending money when I don’t really have to.  Even without using their reading program, the spelling rules my daughter has learned have helped a lot in her reading skills.

All About Learning Press is determined that every child learn to read and spell well.  For those who wish, the company sends out email newsletters with lots of helpful advice, and they have a blog, forum, and helpful articles on their website.  They offer lifetime support and a 100% money-back guarantee.  Those are all good things!

My only tiny concern is the levels.  While each level may not necessarily correspond to an actual grade level (we go at our own pace—as we finish one book, we go right to the next, no matter what grade they’re in).  As far as I can tell, the words in some of the higher levels (4-6) seem a lot easier than spelling words in public school grades 4-6.  However, I often wonder if that’s why so many people still have trouble with spelling today—maybe it’s too rushed.  I would much rather my children get the basic rules down at an easily-learned rate than to learn all the hard words for a test, only to forget them later and never understand the basic spelling rules.

The only other thing I can think of that might turn some people off is that it can’t really be done independently by the student.  The parent/teacher must be involved the whole way through—each day.  This is not a problem for me personally; in fact, I think it’s a good thing.

I recently read some comments on facebook comparing AAS to the spelling program we had used before.  In that family, the son hated AAS and loved the one my son hated (the mother loved both programs).  Hey, every child is different.  AAS may not be the program for your family.  We love it, though!

I am perfectly satisfied with this program and the way my children are retaining what they’ve learned.  They don’t complain about spelling, and I have seen much improvement in their daily writing.  I would highly recommend this program to anyone.

First Day of School and School Room

I promised a few months ago that I would do a post on our school room; however, it took me quite a long time to get it organized!  Here it it…(finally)…

This is our dining room table/school table:

Our workbox station—Each child has 8 tubs.  On top is my tabletop pocket chart, Isaac’s science tub (for his weekly experiments), and other supplies.  Also pictured is our book rack and an extra bookcase.

My Parts of Speech bulletin board set and our British Isles and Europe maps:

Our spelling board for All About Spelling, our math door, and a shelf unit for Gabriela’s quiet play activities:

Bulletin board, calendar, pocket chart, USA map, and Periodic Table of Elements.  It’s taken me awhile to get used to the idea of our dining room doubling as our school room, but I’m just going with it this year and putting up more educational things!

     

Despite weeks of planning and a week delay in starting our school year (due to shipped books not arriving on time), I was not prepared for what happened the morning of school day #1.  Gabriela, who is beginning preschool this year (and very excited about it), woke up puking.  Not fun!  Poor baby, she spent the day watching movies and taking a nap.  She didn’t even get to eat the waffles Dad made for their Back-to-School breakfast.  Here are the kids on School Day #1:

 

One thing I did this year is prepare Back-to-School surprises for my kids.  They had no idea, and they were so excited when they saw what I had for them.  It really helped get us off to a good start (despite the fact that my baby girl was poorly).  Isaac and Moriah got Thinking Putty, and Gabriela got homemade scented play dough.  Also, I got some Smencils (scented pencils) for all 3 of the kids to use.  They absolutely loved their surprises!

Gabriela was still a bit puny this morning (day 2), but she’s doing so much better now that I’m confident she can do school with us tomorrow!