Reading Incentives

First of all, I have an important announcement. After nearly 11 1/2 years of living in England, our family has moved back to the USA! We've been here two months now and are living with my mother until we have a place of our own. I've written very few blog posts in the past year simply because I haven't had the time. We've had a lot of changes, with my dad dying last year and everything we had to do to make this huge move back across the ocean. We are still homeschooling; our kids are in 3rd, 7th, and 10th. This is the first year I've neglected to write posts on their curriculum, but I will try to do that soon. Mostly, I've just kept track of the books they've read.

So, on the topic of books... I was wanting to join the Pizza Hut Book-It program, but I'm too late to enroll for this year. So, my husband decided that for each ten books that the kids read (on their own, not school-assigned books), he will buy them a Dairy Queen blizzard.

UPDATE:  The kids now have a choice between a blizzard or $5 for every 10 books read.  Of course, they're going to choose the money!

UPDATE 2:  I have continued this running log of books the kids have read for money from last school year.  They are currently half way through 4th, 8th, and 11th grades!

This is where I'll keep my running log of what books each child reads to get rewarded:

I
1. Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins)
2. Gregor and the Prophecy of Bane (Suzanne Collins)
3. Gregor and the Curse of the Warmbloods (Suzanne Collins)
4. Gregor and the Marks of Secret (Suzanne Collins)
5. Gregor and the Code of Claw (Suzanne Collins)
6. Snakehead (Anthony Horowitz)
7. Scorpia Rising (Anthony Horowitz)
8. Ark Angel (Anthony Horowitz)
9. Crocodile Tears (Anthony Horowitz)
10 Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story (Gregg Lewis and Deborah Shaw Lewis)

Blizzard won!

11. Gold of the Gods (Bear Grylls)
12. Flight of the Eagles (Gilbert L. Morris)
13. Way of the Wolf (Bear Grylls)
14. Sands of the Scorpion (Bear Grylls)
15. The Gates of Neptune (Gilbert L. Morris)
16. Tracks of the Tiger (Bear Grylls)
17. Claws of the Crocodile (Bear Grylls)
18. Strike of the Shark (Bear Grylls)
19. Rage of the Rhino (Bear Grylls)
20. Lair of the Leopard (Bear Grylls)---10th grade

$5 won!

21. The Tombs of Anak (Frank Peretti)
22. Escape from the Island of Aquarius (Frank Peretti)
23. The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey (Frank Peretti)
24. The Door in the Dragon's Throat (Frank Peretti)
25. The Secret of the Desert Stone (Frank Peretti)
26. Trapped at the Bottom of the Sea (Frank Peretti)
27. Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)
28. Point Blanc (Anthony Horowitz)
29. Skeleton Key (Anthony Horowitz)
30. The Legend of Annie Murphy (Frank Peretti)

$5 won!

31. Eagle Strike (Anthony Horowitz)---11th grade
32. The Sword of Camelot (Gilbert Morris)
33. Winged Raiders of the Desert (Gilbert Morris)
34. The Final Kingdom (Gilbert Morris)
35. Never Say Die (Anthony Horowitz)
36. The Phantom Tollbooth (Norton Juster)
37. Code of Silence (Tim Shoemaker)
38. Back Before Dark (Tim Shoemaker)
39. Below the Surface (Tim Shoemaker)
40. Voyage of the Dolphin (Gilbert Morris)

$5 won!

41. Infidel (Ted Dekker)
42. The Terrible Beast of Zor (Gilbert Morris)
43. By Divine Right (Patrick W. Carr)
44. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)
45. Catching Fire (Suzanne Collins)
46. Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
47. A Cast of Stones (Patrick W. Carr)
48. Chaos (Ted Dekker)
49. Empress of the Underworld (Gilbert Morris)
50. Divergent (Veronica Roth)

$5 won!

51. Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)
52. Scorpia (Anthony Horowitz)
53. Russian Roulette (Anthony Horowitz)
54. The Mystery of Mar Saba (James H. Hunter)
55. The Diamond Brothers in Two of Diamonds (Anthony Horowitz)
56. Toro! Toro! (Michael Morpurgo)
57. Public Enemy Number Two (Anthony Horowitz)
58. War Horse (Michael Morporgo)
59. Saving Zasha (Randi Barrow)
60. South by Southeast (Anthony Horowitz)

$5 won!

61. Waiting for Anya (Michael Morpurgo)
62. Kensuke's Kingdom (Michael Morpurgo)
63. Chosen (Ted Dekker)
64. Friend or Foe (Michael Morpurgo)
65. Crossover (John C. Dalglish)
66. The Shock of Night (Patrick Carr)
67. The Door (Lorilyn Roberts)
68. The Caves that Time Forgot (Gilbert Morris)
69. Kaspar: Prince of Cats (Michael Morpurgo)
70. The Wreck of the Zanzibar (Michael Morpurgo)

$5 won!

71. Arklight Operation Nightfall (J.M. Myrick)--12th
72. Renegade (Ted Dekker)
73. Lunatic (Ted Dekker)
74. Crescent (Homer Hickam)
75. Elyon (Ted Dekker)


M
1. The Sign of the Twisted Candle (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)
2. The Haunted Bridge (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)
3. The Secret Boat (Patricia St. John)
4. In Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
5. The Haunted Carousel (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)
6. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr)
7. Still More Stories from Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
8. The Healer's Apprentice (Melanie Dickerson)
9. Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
10. The Haunted Carousel (Nancy Drewe Mystery by Carolyn Keene)--7th grade

$5 won!

1. Treasures from Grandma's Attic (Arleta Richardson)
2. Happy Birthday, Molly! A Springtime Story (Valerie Tripp) AND
    Addie Learns a Lesson: A School Story (Connie Porter)*
3. Meet Kit: An American Girl (Valerie Tripp) AND
    Meet Kaya: An American Girl (Janet Shaw)*
4. Meet Addy: An American Girl (Connie Porter) AND
    Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story (Valerie Tripp)*
5. Meet Molly: An American Girl (Valerie Tripp) AND
    Meet Felicity: An American Girl (Valerie Tripp)*
6. Felicity Learns a Lesson: A School Story (Valerie Tripp) AND
    Meet Josefina: An American Girl (Valerie Tripp)*
7. Meet Samantha: An American Girl (Susan Adler) AND
    Samantha Learns a Lesson: A School Story (Susan Adler)*
8. Happy Birthday, Kit! (Valerie Tripp) AND
    Meet Kirsten: An American Girl (Janet Shaw)*
9. The Invisible Intruder (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)
10. The Mystery of the Tolling Bell (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)

$5 won!

*Two short books count as one for her

1. Mary Todd Lincoln (Katharine E. Wilkie)--8th grade
2. Felicity's Surprise: A Christmas Story (Valerie Tripp)
    Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story (Janet Shaw)*
3. Outside (Andre Norton)
4. The Hidden Window Mystery (Nancy Drew Mystery by Carolyn Keene)
5. The Merchant's Daughter (Melanie Dickerson)
6. The Silent Songbird (Melanie Dickerson)
7. The Princess Spy (Melanie Dickerson)
8. The Fairest Beauty (Melanie Dickerson)
9. The Captive Maiden (Melanie Dickerson)
10. The Golden Braid (Melanie Dickerson)

$5 won!

1. For Love & Honor (Jody Hedlund)
2. The Huntress of Thornbeck Forest (Melanie Dickerson)
3. The Beautiful Pretender (Melanie Dickerson)
4. The Orphan's Wish (Melanie Dickerson)
5. The Witch of Blackbird Pond (Elizabeth Speare)
6. The Healer's Apprentice (Melanie Dickerson)--2nd read
7. The Warrior Maiden (Melanie Dickerson)
8. A Daring Sacrifice (Jody Hedlund)
9. The Invisible Friend (Lois Walfrid Johnson)
*Begin 10th grade
10. Dauntless (Dina L. Slieman)

$5 won!

1. A Match Made in Texas (Karen Witemeyer, Regina Jennings, Mary Connealy, Carol Cox)

2. Raiders from the Sea (Lois Walfrid Johnson)
3. Mystery of the Silver Coins (Lois Walfrid Johnson)
4. Heart of Courage (Lois Walfrid Johnson)
5. The Raider's Promise (Lois Walfrid Johnson)

6. Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine)

----Begin 12th grade

7. Echoes Among the Stones (Jaime Jo Wright)

8. The Goose Girl (Shannon Hale)

9. On the Cliffs of Foxglove Manor (Jaime Jo Wright)

10. Dust (Kara Swanson)

$5 won!

1. Shadow (Kara Swanson)

2. The Giver (Lois Lowry)

3. Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)

4. Messenger (Lois Lowry)

5. Princess Paisley (Chautona Havig)

6. The Souls of Lost Lake (Jaime Jo Wright)

7. The Wonderland Trials (Sara Ella)
8. Wishtress (Nadine Brandes)

9. Vivid (Ashley Bustamante)


G
1. Adventures of the Wishing-Chair (Enid Blyton)
2. More Wishing-Chair Stories (Enid Blyton)
3. Samantha Learns a Lesson: A School Story (Susan S. Adler)
4. The Boxcar Children: The Black Widow Spider Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
5. Sarah, Plain and Tall (Patricia MacLachlan)
6. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes (Eleanor Coerr)
7. Haunted House (Peggy Parish)
8. The Boxcar Children: The Mystery of the Singing Ghost (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
9. Felicity Learns a Lesson: A School Story (Valerie Tripp)
10. Skylark (Patricia MacLachlan)

$5 won!

11. The Tower in Ho-Ho Wood and Other Stories (Enid Blyton)
12. The Enchanted Wood (Enid Blyton)
13. The Magic Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)
14. Caleb's Story (Patricia MacLachlan)
15. The Firebird (Mairi Mackinnon, retold)
16. The Folk of the Faraway Tree (Enid Blyton)
17. The Boxcar Children (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
18. The Boxcar Children: Mountain Top Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
19. The Caravan Family (Enid Blyton)
20. Hannah's Helping Hands (Jean Van Leeuwen)

$5 won!

21. The Boxcar Children: Surprise Island (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
22. Little House in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
23. Meet Molly: An American Girl (Valerie Tripp)
24. Meet Kirsten: An American Girl (Janet Shaw)

25. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
26. The Boxcar Children: The Mystery of the Purple Pool (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
27. The Boxcar Children: The Mystery of the Stolen Boxcar (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
28. The Boxcar Children: Mystery Behind the Wall (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
29. Bad Kitty vs Uncle Murray (Nick Bruel)
30. Happy Birthday Bad Kitty (Nick Bruel)

$5 won!

31. Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble (Nick Bruel)--3rd grade
32. The Boxcar Children: Mystery in the Sand (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
33. The Boxcar Children: The Camp-Out Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
34. The Boxcar Children: The Castle Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
35. The Boxcar Children: The Mystery of the Missing Cat (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
36. Little House on the Prairie (Laura Ingalls Wilder)--4th grade
37. The Boxcar Children: The Radio Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
38. The Boxcar Children: Caboose Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
39. The Boxcar Children: The Lighthouse Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
40. Molly's Surprise: A Christmas Story (Valerie Tripp)

$5 won!  ALSO Pizza Hut pizza won!  (We were able to start this October 2017)

41. Five Go Adventuring Again (Enid Blyton)
42. On the Banks of Plum Creek (Laura Ingalls Wilder)
43. The Boxcar Children: The Mystery of the Crooked House (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
44. Happy Birthday, Molly! A Springtime Story (Valerie Tripp)
45. The Boxcar Children: Mystery Ranch (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
46. I Survived (True Stories): Five Epic Disasters (Lauren Tarshis)
47. The Happy Hollisters on a River Trip (Jerry West)
48. Meet Marie-Grace (Sarah Masters Buckey)
49. Meet Cécile (Denise Lewis Patrick)
50. Kirsten's Surprise (Janet Shaw)

$5 won!

51. Five on a Secret Trail (Enid Blyton)
52. The Saucy Jane Family (Enid Blyton)
53. Up and Down the River (Rebecca Caudill)
54. Five Go to Demon's Rock (Enid Blyton)
[BEGIN GRADE 5]
55. I Survived Hurricane Katrina, 2005 (Lauren Tarshis)
56. I Survived the Attacks of September 11, 2001 (Lauren Tarshis)
57. I Survived the Destruction of Pompeii, AD 79 (Lauren Tarshis)
58. I Survived the Shark Attack of 1916 (Lauren Tarshish)
59. The Famous Five: Five Go Off to Camp (Enid Blyton)
60. The Famous Five: Five Get Into a Fix (Enid Blyton)

$5 won!

61. The Famous Five: Five Fall Into Adventure (Enid Blyton)
62. The Famous Five: Five Go Down to the Sea (Enid Blyton)
63. The Famous Five: Five on a Hike Together (Enid Blyton)
64. The Boxcar Children: The Yellow House Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
65. The Boxcar Children: Schoolhouse Mystery (Gertrude Chandler Warner)
66. The Marvelous Land of Oz (L. Frank Baum)
67. The Mystery of the Disappearing Cat (Enid Blyton)
68. Treasures of the Snow (Patricia M. St. John)
[BEGIN GRADE 6]
69. Molly Saves the Day AND Changes for Molly (Valerie Tripp)
70. The Famous Five: Five Go to Mystery Moor (Enid Blyton)

$5 won!

71. Five Go to Billycock Hill (Enid Blyton)
72. The Happy Hollisters (Jerry West)
73. The Happy Hollisters at Sea Gull Beach (Jerry West)
74. I Survived the Joplin Tornado, 2011 (Lauren Tarshis)
75. I Survived the Hindenburg Disaster, 1937 (Lauren Tarshis)
76. I Survived the Nazi Invasion, 1944 (Lauren Tarshis)
77. Nancy Drew: The Hidden Staircase (Carolyn Keene)
78. The Magician's Nephew (C.S. Lewis)
79. Key to the Treasure (Peggy Parish)

80. Nancy Drew: The Bungalow Mystery (Carolyn Keene)

$5 won!

BEGIN GRADE 7 (including summer break before)

81. The Tanglewood's Secret (Patricia St. John)

82.  Rainbow Garden (Patricia M St. John)

83.  The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

84.  Ella Enchanted (Gail Carson Levine)

85.  Nancy Drew: The Sign of the Twisted Candles (Carolyn Keene)

86. Five Have a Mystery to Solve (Enid Blyton)

87. Five Go Off in a Caravan (Enid Blyton)

88. Five on Finniston Farm (Enid Blyton)

89. Five Have a Wonderful Time (Enid Blyton)

Begin 8th grade:

90. The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)

$5 won!

Begin 9th grade:

91. The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins)

92. The Giver (Lois Lowry)

93. Gathering Blue (Lois Lowry)

94. Messenger (Lois Lowry)

95. Son (Lois Lowry)

96. Dust (Kara Swanson)

97. Shadow (Kara Swanson)

Begin summer before 10th grade:

98. The Wonderland Trials (Sara Ella)

99. Vivid (Ashley Bustamante)

100. Radiant (Ashley Bustamante)

$5 won!

101. Romanov (Nadine Brandes)

Read in 11th grade until the summer before 12th grade:

102. Wishtress (Nadine Brandes)

103. Fawks (Nadine Brandes)

104. The Looking Glass Illusion (Sara Ella)

105. Gregor the Overlander (Suzanne Collins)

106. Chromatic (Ashley Bustamante)

107. Animal Farm (George Orwell)

My husband decided that the kids could opt for $5 for every ten books they read, so that's what we're doing now.  If he did that for me, he'd go broke! However, he has made me the same offer for reading Christian nonfiction books.  I'm not really a lover of nonfiction, though I do love Christian fiction, so reading ten Christian NONFICTION books is a challenge for me. Will I do it for $5?  I like spending money (to buy more books of course), so yes, I will!  My list is below:

D
1.  The Fully Funded Missionary (Rob Parker)
2.  The Case for Christ (Lee Strobel)
3.  Breaking the Stronghold of Food (Michael L. Brown)
4.  The Fire of Delayed Answers (Bob Sorge)
5.  The Secret of Happiness (Billy Graham)
6,  Boundaries (Dr. Henry Cloud & Dr. John Townsend)
7.  Captivating (John & Stasi Eldredge)
8.  Jesus Revolution (Greg Laurie & Ellen Vaughn)
9.  The Blessed Life (Robert Morris)

10. A Woman's High Calling (Elizabeth George)

$5 won!

1.  The Hiding Place (Corrie ten Boom)

2.  Revival Fire (Wesley Duewel)

3.  A Life That Matters (Ron Hutchcraft)
4.  Are We There Yet? (Drew Berryessa)

5.  Defeating Darwinism by Opening Minds (Phillip E. Johnson)

Children’s Books: Middle Ages

My 4th grader is studying the Middle Ages this year, so I am currently working out her schedule and all the books we’ll use.  I decided it would be helpful to have a list of all the Middle Ages books I have at home…which naturally led to a blog post!  I hope this helps anyone else who is planning a Middle Ages unit, and feel free to comment with any of your favorites that I left out or to ask any questions about specific books I’ve listed.  Note:  These books reflect the time period between the fall of Rome and the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

Informational books

Beginning History: Medieval Markets (Barry Steel)

Days of the Knights: A Tale of Castles and Battles (Christopher Maynard)—a DK Eyewitness Reader, level 4

History in Evidence: Norman Britain (Tony D. Triggs)

Joan of Arc (Angela Bull)—A DK reader, level 4

Knights in Shining Armor (Gail Gibbons)—Gibbons is one of my favorite authors of children’s nonfiction picture books.

Making History: Vikings and Their Travels (David Salariya)

Medieval Knights (David Nicolle)

Medieval Life (Andrew Langley)—This is a Dorling Kindersely Eyewitness Guides book with lots of colorful photographs.

See Inside: A Castle (R.J. Unstead, ed.)—This book about castles allows us to see inside the different parts.

Stephen Biesty’s Cross-Sections: Castle (Stephen Beisty)

The Pastons in Medieval Britain (Martyn Whittock, ed.)—This book is a collection of real letters, written during the Middle Ages.

Usborne Beginners: Castles (Stephanie Turnbull)

Usborne Beginners: Elizabeth I (Stephanie Turnbull)

What Were Castles For? (Phil Roxbee Cox)—An Usborne Starting Point History book with internet links

William Shakespeare & the Globe (Aliki)—great illustrations and information about Shakespeare

Picture books

A Medieval Feast (Aliki)—I love Aliki’s illustrations!  This is a very colorful book.

A Where’s Waldo? Fun Fact Book: Fighting Knights (R. Wright)—This one does contain a wizard, but he’s very low-key.  Along with a fun poster, Fighting Knights has lots of fun information.

Castle (David Macaulay)—This Caldecott Honor book is very much like a nonfiction book about a castle being built step-by-step in 13th-century Wales.  It is based on a true king (Edward I) and his real castles, but this particular castle and its town are actually fictional.  The sketches are very detailed.  I would love to get Cathedral by the same author.

In the Time of Knights (Shelley Tanaka)—A real-life story of a medieval knight, beautifully illustrated

Leif the Lucky (Ingri & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire)—This Viking-era story tells the story of Erik the Red’s son who grew up in Greenland and eventually sailed to America.

Leonardo da Vinci (Ibi Lepscky)—This book focuses on da Vinci’s childhood.

Medieval Castle (Andrew Langley)—A Reader’s Digest Time Tours book with see-through windows.

Robin Hood: The Tale of the Great Outlaw Hero (Angela Bull)—a DK Classic Reader, level 4.

The Medieval Messenger (Fergus Fleming)—Medieval history and life is shown in newspaper style!

Chapter books

Adam of the Road (Elizabeth Janet Gray)—This Newbery Award-winning story is about the adventures of a minstrel’s son in late 13th-century England.

In Freedom’s Cause (G.A. Henty)—The story of William Wallace and Robert Bruce

In the Days of Alfred the Great (Eva March Tappan)—I bought this book on Kindle.  Although I thoroughly enjoyed it, I would recommend it only to older children due to some violent details contained in the story (related to Vikings mostly).

Robin Hood of Sherwood Forest (Ann McGovern)--Legend comes to life in medieval England

The Apple and the Arrow: The Legend of William Tell (Mary and Conrad Buff)—This book won a Newbery honor award.  The story of this legend takes place in late 13th-century Switzerland.

The Door in the Wall (Marguerite de Angeli)—One of my top 10 favorite children’s chapter books, The Door in the Wall is another Newbery Award winner.  This inspiring story is about a young boy who loses the use of his legs through illness but rises above his handicap to find his destiny in 14th-century England.

The Hawk That Dare Not Hunt by Day (Scott O’Dell)—This story is based on Protestant reformer William Tyndale and his work in translating the Bible into English.

The Invisible Friend (Lois Walfrid Johnson)—This is book 3 of the Viking Quest series.  I would love to have the entire set!  This Christian story involves an Irish girl who has been kidnapped by Vikings and taken to Norway to be a slave.

The Sword in the Tree (Clyde Robert Bulla)—This story takes place during the days of King Arthur!  It is definitely a medieval story, even if the king is a legendary figure, who may or may not have been a real person.

The Trumpeter of Krakow—This Newbery Award book takes place in 15th-century Poland.  The young son of Krakow’s trumpeter must show his courage against evil.

The Whipping Boy (Sid Fleishman)—This Newbery Award book is a humorous tale, set somewhere and sometime in the middle ages.  Read this one for fun!

The Wool-Pack (Cynthia Harnett)—I just discovered this historical novel, and it is now one of my favorites!  It won a Carnegie Medal here in Britain.  The story, involving both adventure and mystery, takes place in 15th-century England and is related to the wool trade.  Note:  US editions of this book have 2 different titles (Nicholas and the Wool-Pack and The Merchant’s Mark).

Wulf the Saxon (G.A. Henty)—This story (which I haven’t actually read yet) takes place during the Norman invasion of Anglo-Saxon England.  This book is free online at www.gutenberg.org, as are most G.A. Henty books.

I have read Catherine, Called Birdy and The Midwife’s Apprentice (both by Karen Cushman), which won the Newbery Honor and Newbery Medal, respectively.  They are well-written stories about life in the Middle Ages.  I’d recommend checking them out of the library and see what you think.  I am rather picky about what books my children read, and these didn’t set well with me for various reasons.  Everyone has different opinions about books…

Here are links to a few lists of children’s historical novels that are set in medieval Europe:

Historical Fiction for Children and Young Adults—Follow links to Europe-Middle Ages and others in this time period.  This is a great resource, though you may want to pre-read books before giving them to your children.

Amazon book list—This list includes both historical novels and picture books that are related to the Middle Ages.

Do you have favorite children’s books on the Middle Ages or good historical novels that I didn’t list?  Please share them in comment section!

Children’s Books: Old Favorites Retold

I enjoy collecting different versions of popular children’s stories.  Granted, there are probably hundreds of these books out there, and I have collected only a handful.  In today’s post, I’ll share some of the books I’ve collected that retell an old story, sometimes with a fun twist. 

Note:  I’m including “Check It Out” sections with titles linked to Amazon--these are books I don’t have but would love to check out (and possibly buy)!

1.  Goldilocks and the Three Bears—I’m hoping to acquire more of these.  So far, I have only two versions.  The first one, a Little Golden Book, is the traditional story.  The second is an African-American retelling.

The Three Bears (Mabel Watts)—This Little Golden Book tells the traditional version of the story.  It belonged to my grandma, and I remember her reading it to me when I was little.  I acquired the book after she died, so it is very special to me.

Leola and the Honeybears: An African-American Retelling of Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Melodye Benson Rosales)—I like this version because it addresses the fact that Goldilocks (or Leola, in this case) needs to learn some manners!  Leola does learn her lesson, and she also learns to listen to her grandmother.

Check It Out

Dusty Locks and the Three Bears (Susan Lowell)—A Western retelling

The Three Snow Bears (Jan Brett)—This one is set in the Arctic and is inspired by the Inuit culture.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Jim Aylesworth)—I really like the illustrations in this one.

Goldie and the Three Bears (Diane Stanley)—This is a modern retelling about a little girl looking for a friend to love.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears (Jan Brett)—I would like to buy this version just because Jan Brett retold and illustrated it!

2.  The Three Little Pigs—This is my largest collection of retellings of the same story.

The Three Little Pigs (Eileen Grace, illus.)—This is the plain, traditional story.  In this version, the first 2 pigs get eaten by the wolf, who later gets eaten by the third pig. 

Three Little Pigs (retold by Heather Amery)—This is Usborne’s retelling of the traditional story.  The little yellow ducky, as in many Usborne books, is hiding on every page, making this version especially fun for little ones.  In this story, all 3 pigs survive, but the wolf still gets made into stew.

Walt Disney’s Story of the Three Little Pigs—This retelling is based on the Disney movie of the traditional story.  It also includes the pigs singing, “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.”  No one gets eaten in this version.

Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Eugene Trivizas)—This is a long-time favorite of ours.  My daughter included it in her top 10 favorite picture books.  I bought this book years ago when I was teaching 2nd grade, and my students loved it, too!  You can tell the twist by the title.  This one ends more happily than most.

The True Story of the Three Little Pigs, by A. Wolf (Jon Scieszka)—In this twist, the story is told from the wolf’s point of view.  The first 2 pigs are eaten, and the wolf ends up in jail.

The Three Javelinas—Javelinas, also called peccaries, are related to the pig family (same suborder) and are commonly found in southwestern USA, Central and South America.  This retelling takes place in the Sonoran Desert.  Instead of a wolf, we have a coyote.  The 3 houses are made of tumbleweeds, saguaro ribs, and adobe bricks.  No one gets eaten in this tale.  The author did a fabulous job mixing the traditional tale with some of southwestern culture and fables.

The Three Little Pigs, A Faith Tale: Building Your House Upon the Rock (retold by Beverly Capps Burgess)—This is a Christian retelling.  It’s very evangelistic and teaches children about faith.  The wolf is symbolic of the devil, out to steal, kill and destroy.  Each page has a scripture verse.  No one gets eaten, and by the end, they’re all happily serving the Lord.

Check It Out

The 3 Little Dassies (Jan Brett)—This is an African retelling by my favorite author!

The Three Pigs (David Wiesner)—This version won the Caldecott Medal.

Three Little Cajun Pigs (Mike Artell)—In this retelling, there’s a gator instead of a wolf!

Alaska’s Three Pigs (Arlene Laverde)—Alaskan style!

3.  Cinderella—I particularly enjoy this tale told in different cultural settings.

Cinderella or The Little Glass Slipper (Charles Perrault, translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown)—This is a translation of the original French version of Cinderella.  Brown won the Caldecott Medal for this book.

Cindy Ellen: A Wild Western Cinderella (Susan Lowell)—This western retelling is quite humorous.  You have to love lines like this: “Cindy’s stepsisters puffed up like two turkey gobblers” and “Magic is plumb worthless without gumption.  What you need first, gal, is some gravel in your gizzard.”

The Egyptian Cinderella (Shirley Climo)—In this version, our Cinderella is called Rhodopis, a Greek slave girl.  According to the author’s note, this version is one of the world’s oldest Cinderella stories, based on both fact and fable!

Adelita: A Mexican Cinderella Story (Tomie dePaola)—In this lovely Mexican version of Cinderella, there is no fairy godmother or glass slippers.  With the help of an old, beloved friend, Adelita attends a fiesta in her mother’s beautiful clothes, and she wins the heart of the rancher’s son.

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters (John Steptoe)—This version, set in Zimbabwe, has two beautiful sisters, one kind and one bad-tempered.  This book won a Caldecott Honor and the Coretta Scott King Award.

Check It Out

Cinderella (K.Y. Craft)—This one apparently has beautifully detailed illustrations and is based on older retellings of the fairy tale.

Yeh-Shen: A Cinderella Story from China (Ai-Ling Louie)—This version is reportedly based on the oldest known version of Cinderella.

The Korean Cinderella (Shirley Climo)

Smokey Mountain Rose: An Appalachian Cinderella (Alan Schroeder)

The Golden Sandal: A Middle Eastern Cinderella Story (Rebecca Hickox)

Cendrillon: A Caribbean Cinderella (Robert D. San Souci)

The Persian Cinderella (Shirley Climo)

There are SO many more versions of this tale (probably hundreds or thousands), I can’t possibly list even all the ones that look really good.  I found several different versions of Korean and Mexican Cinderellas, not to mention just about every other culture there is—Native American, African, Asian, Alaskan, Irish, old-fashioned, modern…you name it.

4.  Little Red Riding Hood—I have at least 5 versions of this story.  Two are traditional, and I don’t have them with me in England.  The other three are retellings.  

Little Red Riding Hood: A Newfangled Prairie Tale (Lisa Campbell Ernst)—In this version. Little Red Riding Hood rides a bicycle, and her grandma is a farmer.  The wolf is out to get Grandma’s secret muffin recipe.  The twists in this story are really funny.

Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China (Ed Young)—In this version, three sisters outwit the wolf who has come to their house pretending to be their Po Po (grandmother).  This book won a Caldecott Medal.

 Pretty Salma: A Little Red Riding Hood Story from Africa (Niki Daly)—I just found this book at a library sale.  I was so excited!  This retelling is set in Ghana.

Check It Out

Little Red Riding Hood (Jerry Pinkney)—Tradition tale with lovely illustrations.

Little Red Riding Hood (Gennady Spirin)—The illustrations in this book are inspired by 17th Century Dutch art.

Little Red Riding Hood (Andrea Wisnewski)—This retelling is set in early 19th-century rural New England.

5.  The Little Red Hen—I have two versions of this classic story, one old and one new.

Little Red Hen (Beth Wilson, illustrator)—I’ve had this Whitman Tell-a-Tale book since I was a child, and it’s actually falling apart!  This version is the traditional story.

The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza) (Philemon Sturges)—As you can see from the title, the twist is that the hen makes a pizza.  In the end, she kindly offers to share it with the animals who had refused to help.  As a result, the animals change their lazy attitudes and cheerfully agree to do the dishes.

Check It Out

The Little Red Hen (Jerry Pinkney)—Another classic tales with Pinkney’s wonderful illustrations.

The Little Red Hen and the Passover Matzah (Leslie Kimmelman)—This Yiddish retelling also has the animals repenting and doing the dishes in the end.

The Little Red Hen: An Old Fable (Heather Forest)—This one looks interesting, as the animals are different.

MORE?

I do have different versions of The Gingerbread Man and I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (and possibly some others).  Maybe I’ll save those for a future post. 

What are your favorite tales retold?

I'm linking this post to "Kid Lit Blog Hop" at Mother Daughter Book Reviews.

Gabriela’s Book Picks (age 5)

If you’d like to read my intro to these posts of my children’s favorite books or if you’d like to see Isaac’s book picks, click HERE. Moriah's book picks can be viewed HERE.

Nearly every book is Gabriela’s favorite, so narrowing it down was quite a task.  We went through books I’ve read aloud to her and came up with nearly 40, I think!  I spread them out on the floor and had her choose her favorites, one at a time.  I couldn’t get her to pick just 10, so I allowed her 25.  These are listed in the order she chose them.

1.  Prayer for a Child (Rachel Field)—This is an older Caldecott Medal winner and also one of the Before Five in a Row books.  We just read this book last week.

2.  Yellow Ball (Molly Bang)—Another BFIAR book.  This has been a steady favorite of Gabriela’s all year.

3.  The Big Green Pocketbook (Candice Ransom)—Another BFIAR book, this one has the same illustrator as the If You Give a Mouse… books.

4.  We’re Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen)—It’s no surprise to me that Gabriela chose most of her BFIAR books as favorites; after all, we read each one for five days straight!

5.  Kitten’s Adventure (Michele Coxon)—This is one of our British acquisitions.  We love Coxon’s beautifully illustrated cat books!

6.  Flora’s Blanket (Debi Gliori)—I believe Gabriela really identifies with this book, because she has a special blanket of her own that she’s very attached to.

7.  The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)—This is another book that BFIAR uses.  We read it a few weeks ago.

8.  Blueberries for Sal (Robert McCloskey)—This beloved Caldecott Honor book is also on the BFIAR list.  I remember my own mother reading it to me, so it’s also one of my favorites.

9.  Play with Me (Marie Hall Ets)—Another Caldecott Honor and another BFIAR book!

10.  Ten Rosy Roses (Eve Merriam)—There are two reasons why Gabriela loves this book.  1) The last time we visited my favorite used book store in America, I allowed Gabriela to choose any book she wanted, and I bought it just for her.  This book was her choice.  2) Her middle name is Rose, and this story is about rosy roses.

11.  Jesse Bear, What Will You Wear?—Yes, this is a BFIAR book, and although we own several Jesse Bear books, this one is her favorite.

12.  Pretzel (Margret Rey)—Written by the same author as Curious George, this is a sweet story about a very long dachshund. 

13.  Katy and the Big Snow (Virginia Lee Burton)—This book is a classic!  Gabriela loves tracing Katy’s path through the town.

14.  If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (Laura Numeroff)—Numeroff is a favorite author in our family, but the cat one is Gabriela’s favorite…because it’s a cat.

15.  The Little Rabbit (Judy Dunn)—This is a recently-read BFIAR book.  Gabriela still hasn’t forgotten the rabbit’s name (as I had), and she especially loves the fact that Buttercup’s babies are named after the days of the week.

16.  The Runaway Bunny (Margaret Wise Brown)—Gabriela can practically read this BFIAR book on her own, just from memory.

17.  There was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (Simms Taback)—This book won a Caldecott Honor award.  Gabriela likes it because it’s funny.

18.  That Pesky Rat (Lauren Child)—One of our British books, this book won the Smarties Book Prize.  It’s quite funny.

19.  If You Give a Pig a Party (Laura Numeroff)—We have several of Numeroff’s books.  This one is Gabriela’s second favorite.

20.  The Three Little Kittens (Jane Chambless-Rigie, illustrator)—This is just the well-known nursery rhyme, but the pictures are very sweet in this version.

21.  Lucille (Arnold Lobel)—This is the funny story of a horse and the farmer’s wife who tries to make a “lady” out of her.

22.  Angus Lost (Marjorie Flack)—Another BFIAR book.  Gabriela loves any book with cute animals.

23.  Goodnight Moon (Margaret Wise Brown)—This has been a favorite of all 3 of my kids, and yes, it’s used in BFIAR.

24.  I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Pie (Alison Jackson)—Similar to the other I Know an Old Lady book, this ones has a Thanksgiving theme.  It’s her favorite Thanksgiving story.

25.  Fox on a Box—This is an Usborne phonics reader.  Gabriela loves the cute Usborne books, particularly the ones with the yellow ducky on every page.  This book is her favorite Usborne.

I'm linking this post to "The Children's Bookshelf" at What Do We Do all Day?

Moriah’s Book Picks (age 8)

If you’d like to read my intro to these posts of my children’s favorite books or if you’d like to see Isaac’s book picks, click HERE.

Because Moriah is just now starting to read chapter books, this will include her top 10 favorite chapter books I’ve read aloud to her AND then her top 5 favorite books  she’s read herself.  Finally, I’ll list her top 10 favorite picture books.

Top 10 Favorite Books Read Aloud

These ARE in order, with #1 being her favorite (and also being the most recent book I’ve read to her):

1.  Key to the Treasure (Peggy Parish)

2.  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)

3.  Stone Fox (John Reynolds Gardiner)

4.  The Door in the Wall (Marguerite de Angeli)

5.  Ghost Town Treasure (Clyde Robert Bulla)

6.  Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry)

7.  The Twenty-One Balloons (William Pene du Bois)

8.  The Railway Children (E. Nesbit)

9.  Abraham Lincoln (Anne Colver)

10.  Helen Keller (Margaret Davidson)

Top 5 Favorite Books (that she has read on her own)

1.  Dolphins! (Sharon Bokoske and Margaret Davidson)

2.  A Teddy Bear for President Roosevelt (Connie and Peter Roop)

3.  Abe Lincoln's Hat (Martha Brenner)

4.  Tornado (Betsy Byars)

5.  Molly's Pilgrim (Barbara Cohen)

Top 10 Favorite Picture Books (no particular order)

1.  Katie and the Spanish Princess (James Mayhew)

2.  Katie and the Mona Lisa (James Mayhew)

3.  The Egyptian Cinderella (Shirley Climo)

4.  Miss Suzy (Miriam Young)

5.  “Stand Back,” Said the Elephant, “I’m Going to Sneeze!” (Patricia Thomas)

6.  Bad Kitty (Nick Bruel)

7.  Four Puppies (Anne Heathers)

8.  Town Mouse Country Mouse (Jan Brett)

9.  Trouble with Trolls (Jan Brett)

10.  The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (Eugene Trivizas)

 

(Yes, I did make her pose for this photo right in the middle of a Wii game.)

I'm linking this post to "The Children's Bookshelf" at What Do We Do All Day?

Isaac’s Book Picks (age 11)

Ever since my kids were infants, I have read to them.  I have collected children’s books since I was a child.  This collecting was increased when I began studying to be a teacher.  It increased even more when I discovered I was pregnant with my first child, and it has never stopped!  Anyway, since I’ve surrounded my children with good books, I thought it would be fun to have them tell you their favorites.  First up is Isaac, my 11-year-old son.

I showed Isaac the lists of books he read in 4th and 5th grades and what he’s read so far in 6th grade (click links to see the lists).  I had him tell me which ones stood out as his favorites.  In the process, we came up with favorite authors (most of his favorite books were by the same authors).  Isaac’s top five favorite authors are (in order):

1.  Frank Peretti

2.  Enid Blyton

3.  J.R.R. Tolkien

4.  C.S. Lewis

5.  Arthur Ransome

It’s interesting that the first is a current American author, but the other 4 are famous British authors who are no longer living.  Anyway, he loves all the books he has read by those 5 authors.

For each author (except Enid Blyton), I asked Isaac to choose his favorite of all their books.  With Enid Blyton, I had to be content with allowing him to choose his favorite from each series that he has.

1.  Frank Peretti—His #1 favorite books right now are the Cooper Kids Adventures series (the only Peretti books he’s read).  Out of the 8 books in the series, he’s read 6.  His favorite is The Deadly Curse of Toco-Rey.

2.  Enid Blyton—I had never heard of Enid Blyton before moving to England, but her books are very well-known here.  Upon having someone recommend her mystery series to Isaac, I checked some of the library.  Isaac now has a full shelf of her books. 

Enid Blyton wrote over 800 books in her life, including several popular series.  Isaac has chosen his favorite from each series he has (though he finally did pick one overall favorite—see note below):

The Famous Five series:  Five Run Away Together

The Secret Seven series:  Shock for the Secret Seven

The Five Finder-Outers series:  The Mystery of the Vanished Prince

The Adventure series:  The Mountain of Adventure

NOTE:  Isaac did say The Mountain of Adventure was probably his top favorite of Enid Blyton’s books because he likes the funny parrot in the series.

The Adventurous Four:  The Adventurous Four, Again

He also likes one that’s not a part of a series:  The Boy Next Door

3.  J.R.R. Tolkien—Isaac has read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy.  His favorite is Return of the King.

4.  C.S. Lewis—He has read The Chronicles of Narnia and loves them all, but his favorite is The Last Battle.

5.  Arthur Ransome—This is another author I never heard of before moving to England, but his books are famous here.  Many of his stories took place in the Lake District, which happens to be our #1 favorite place in this country.  We have nine of Ransome’s books.  Isaac has read 3 and is working on his 4th.  He has enjoyed all of them, but his favorite is Peter Duck.

Here are some more books that made Isaac’s favorite book list (in no particular order):

The Adventures of King Midas (Lynne Reid Banks)

Stormbreaker (Anthony Horowitz)

Bad Kitty vs. Uncle Murray (Nick Bruel)

The Adventures of Tintin series (Hergé)—Isaac has read 2 volumes of stories that we checked out of the library; I’m not sure which ones.

Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator (Roald Dahl)

Generally speaking, I’d say mysteries, adventures, and humorous book are what Isaac likes best!

Read-Alouds

I have read a lot of chapter books to my kids (since kindergarten), and I asked Isaac to choose 5 favorite books that I’ve read aloud to him.  Here are the books he chose as favorites:

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

Little Lord Fauntleroy (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

The Twenty-One Balloons (William Pène du Bois)

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (Mark Twain)

Aesop’s Fables

If you have preteen boys, what books top their lists?

I’m linking this post to “The Children’s Bookshelf” at What Do We Do All Day?

Favorite Children’s Books with Movies

I really enjoy watching a good movie based on a favorite book, so I came up with a list of my favorite children’s book/movie combinations (meaning that I enjoyed both).  These are movies that I would show all 3 of my children (ages 5, 8, 11).  Since opinions will differ as to suitability, parents are advised to preview movies before showing them to children.  At the end, I’ll tell you which children’s books I most want to see made into a good movie!  The following movies are divided into picture books and chapter books but otherwise are listed in no particular order.

Picture Books

1.  The Polar Express (Chris Van Allsburg)

The Polar Express, 2004

2.  Horton Hears a Who! (Dr. Seuss)

Horton Hears a Who! 2008

3.  How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (Dr. Seuss)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  1966

Chapter Books

1.  The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (C.S. Lewis)

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, 2005

NOTE:  I also really enjoyed the newer film versions of Prince Caspian and Voyage of the Dawn Treader, but The Lion… was the most faithful to the book, so I just listed it.

2.  The Railway Children (E. Nesbit)

The Railway Children, 1970 *Difficult to find in the US*

3.  Anne of Green Gables (Lucy Maud Montgomery)

Anne of Green Gables, 1985

4.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (Roald Dahl)

Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, 1971

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, 2005

5.  The Black Stallion (Walter Farley)

The Black Stallion, 1979

6.  Black Beauty (Anna Sewell)

Black Beauty, 1994

7.  Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White)

Charlotte’s Web, 1973

Charlotte’s Web, 2006

8.  The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (L. Frank Baum)

The Wizard of Oz, 1939

9.  Swallows and Amazons (Arthur Ransome)

Swallows and Amazons, 1973 *Difficult to find in the US*

10.  Little Lord Fauntleroy (Frances Hodgson Burnett)

Little Lord Fauntleroy, 1980

11.  Misty of Chincoteague (Marguerite Henry)

Misty, 1961

12.  Heidi (Johanna Spyri)

Heidi, 1937

Heidi, 1993

13.  Little Women (Louisa May Alcott)

Little Women, 1994

14.  The Sheep-Pig (Dick King-Smith)

Babe, 1995

MY CHOICE:  This is a personal favorite of mine and my son’s.  I didn’t list it above for two reasons:  1)  I would not show the movie to my daughters (5 and 8) because of frightening scenes and 2) only the first of 3 films has been released, so this is only part 1.

The Hobbit (J.R.R. Tolkien)

The Hobbit: An Unexpected Adventure, 2012

Which children’s books would I LOVE to see made into good movies?

1.  The Witch of Blackbird Pond—Probably my all-time favorite Newbery-award book, this is the #1 book I wish to see a movie made of—and it had better be a quality, decent movie with no garbage in it!

2.  The Twenty-One Balloons—I think this fantastical adventure would make an ideal movie.

3.  The Door in the Wall—An inspiring story like this one deserves to be made into a good movie, and we need a decent Middle Ages movie that’s not related to fairy tales.

4.  The Horse and His Boy—It’s one of my biggest fears that no one will ever make a movie based on my favorite Narnia book!  I understand they’re planning the next one on The Magician’s Nephew, but I’m not sure they’ll see The Horse and His Boy as fitting into their movie schemes.  Maybe they’ll stop before they get to this one or forget it altogether!  Oh me!

I have seen films based on other children’s books, and I know there are many more out there.  What are your favorites?  What children’s books would YOU love to see on film?

I'm linking this post to "The Children's Bookshelf" at What Do We Do All Day?

Children’s Books: Hidden Objects

Back in the late 70s and early 80s, my mother subscribed to Highlights Magazine for my sister and me.  The first thing I did each time one arrived in the mail was flip over to the “Hidden Pictures” page.  I think I’ve always liked puzzles of that sort.  So, it’s no surprise that I have a number of “hidden picture” children’s books in my collection.  Allow me to share my favorites!

1.  Where’s Wally? (Martin Handford)—Yes, for those of you who live in North America, you read that right.  In the UK, he’s Wally.  (For those of you in the UK, he’s Waldo in the US and Canada).  This book is of British origin, so Wally was the original name.  Anyway, this is probably one of the more famous hidden object books.

Not only is it fun (and challenging) to try to find Wally, but some of the cartoonish pictures are quite funny. (Warning: There are some drawings of characters who may be dressed inappropriately in the opinion of some parents. It also contains a wizard and sometimes other mythical characters. Now as I’m looking through it, I may get out my black Sharpie).

2.  I Spy books (Jean Marzollo and Walter Wick)—These are my absolute favorites!  I first saw I Spy books when I substituted for a school librarian.  If you haven’t seen them, every page spread has a photograph of crowded objects, and you have to find the objects mentioned in the poems.  In some of the books, the objects are just grouped together randomly.  In others, the objects make a larger picture or scene.  I have 4 of the regular I Spy books: 

I Spy: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy Treasure Hunt: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy School Days: A Book of Picture Riddles

I Spy Fun House: A Book of Picture Riddles

I also have three I Spy books for younger children (Level 1 Scholastic readers). These puzzles may not be as challenging as the original books, but they are still fun for the little ones.

I Spy Funny Teeth

I Spy a Dinosaur’s Eye

I Spy a School Bus

3.  1001 Things to Spot books (Usborne)—These books are not as challenging as the first two series I mentioned, but they are fun for younger children.  They also double as counting books.  In each book, the child finds and counts a certain number of objects in the pictures.  I have four of these books, each with a different theme.  All four are illustrated by Teri Gower.

1001 Animals to Spot (Ruth Brocklehurst)

1001 Things to Spot in the Town (Anna Milbourne)

1001 Things to Spot on the Farm (Gillian Doherty)

1001 Things to Spot Long Ago (Gillian Doherty)

4.  Look-Alikes books (Joan Steiner)—The pictures in these books are made from ordinary objects but are disguised as something else.  For example, there is one picture of a zoo.  However, the things in the zoo are made of household objects such as crayons, a chess piece, pencils, a rolling pen, a cigar box, dominoes, a badminton birdie, a tambourine, and more.  You’ll have to buy one of the books to see what I mean!  The idea is to find those disguised objects.  I have only two of these books (and I really want more):

Super Look-Alikes

Amazing Look-Alikes

5.  Look-Puzzle-Learn books—These are Usborne books (but published in the US by Scholastic), and they are similar to the 1001 Things to Spot books, except these are probably geared more toward older children.  The pictures are more detailed, and there are higher number of things to find and count.  I have four of these.

The first one is illustrated by David Hancock.  The drawings are more cartoonish; the book is about different things in cities.

The Great City Search (Rosie Heywood)

The other 3 are illustrated by Ian Jackson—the drawings are more realistic, and the books are animal-related. (Warning: Some may object to the few prehistoric pages that mention “millions of years ago"--but you can either black it out or discuss it your kids).

The Great Animal Search (Caroline Young)

The Great Undersea Search (Kate Needham)

The Big Bug Search (Caroline Young)

6.  Spot the Differences in Teddyland: Usborne Picture Puzzles (Phil Roxbee Cox)—This is the cutest book!  Adorable teddy bears are placed in different scenes for each puzzle.  Each 2-page spread contains 2 of the same picture, but each picture has differences you have to spot.

7.  Can You See It?  An Eye-Opening Adventure (Pam Roller, Mike Young, and Tara Williams)—This book is very much like the I Spy series, only the pictures are a little bit more like collages and more one-dimensional.  While I prefer the pictures in the I Spy books, this book is also very fun and challenging.

8.  Can You See What I See?  Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve (Walter Wick)—This book was created by the photographer of the I Spy books, so it has the same quality.  The main difference is that he’s combined what he did in I Spy with other types of puzzles, such as mazes, matching, spot-the-difference, cryptic, and optical games.

I’m linking this post to “The Children’s Bookshelf” at What Do We Do All Day?

Favorite Wintery Books

I have all my winter books out on our book rack, so I thought I ought to write a post showcasing fifteen of my favorites (could NOT pick JUST ten).  Today is the perfect day to write such as post, as we got our first real snow this winter!  Except for the first book (my favorite), these books are listed in no particular order.

1.  Katy and the Big Snow (Virginia Lee Burton)—I’ve had this book since I was a little girl.  As a result, it’s probably my number one favorite wintry book!  It could be because I’ve always been intrigued by maps, and this book has a fine map of the city of Geopolis.  I used to love tracing the path Katy took through the city as she cleared the snow.  Now my youngest does the same thing!  I also really like pictures of snow-covered towns…I just do. 

2.  Snowflake Bentley (Jacqueline Briggs Martin)—This book won the Caldecott Medal in 1999.  Based on the true story of the man who first photographed snowflakes, the story and illustrations are very inspiring and beautiful.

3.  Snow Family (Daniel Kirk)—I don’t which I love best about this book, the story or the pictures!  Told in rhyme, it’s a very charming story about snow children.

4. My First Little House Books:  Winter Days in the Big Woods (Laura Ingalls Wilder)—I’m a huge fan of Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Little House in the Big Woods is my favorite.  I really like the My First Little House series, edited for younger readers.  The illustrations are really lovely.  This one focuses on winter days, thus my reason for choosing it.

5. The Snowman (Raymond Briggs)—I never heard of this book until I moved to England (is that bad?).  The first I heard of it was the movie music being played on Classic FM.  Then someone loaned me the movie.  Sometime later, I found the book.  I would say it’s definitely a popular and beloved book here.  The illustrations are very dreamy and full of wonder and imagination.  In fact, there is no text at all.  The story is told entirely through the pictures.  I highly recommend adding The Snowman to your wintery book collection!

6.  The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats)—Winner of the 1963 Caldecott Medal, this book is a classic.  It’s also one of the Before Five in a Row books, which I’m reading with Gabriela this year.  I have to admit that I don’t like snow as well as I did when I was a child.  I like the way it looks before it starts melting, and I like it for my kids’ sake, but I want to stay in where it’s warm and comfy!  This story makes me think of my own childhood snow fun and also the pure joy my own children get from playing in the snow, just like Peter in the story.

7.  When Winter Comes (Robert Maass)—I like this book because it’s an easy one to read to smaller children, and it uses photographs to illustrate everything related to winter—the fun, the chores, the winter clothing, animals, sports, holidays, food, cozy fires, and more!

8.  A Tale From Percy’s Park:  One Snowy Night (Nick Butterworth)—This is another popular book from Britain.  What happens when Percy the park keeper allows the park animals into his cozy house on a snowy night?  The illustrations and story are really cute. 

9.  Six Snowy Sheep (Judith Ross Enderle and Stephanie Gordon Tessler)—This is actually a Christmas book, but it’s mostly about snow.  Each sheep receives a Christmas gift that can be used in the snow, and when the sheep go outside to try out their new gear, things get a little crazy.  But never fear, one sheep is standing by ready to help them all out with his gift.  This is a perfect book for Christmas, for winter, AND for the letter S (this story contains quite a lot of s words).

10.  White Snow, Bright Snow (Alvin Tresselt)—Winner of the 1948 Caldecott medal, this book is about snow and about a small town (again, my love for pictures of snow-covered towns).  While the illustrations are not spectacular, they are bright and simple, and the text is poetically descriptive.

11.  Owl Moon (Jane Yolen)—Owl Moon won the 1988 Caldecott Award.  A little girl gets to go “owling” with her daddy for the first time.  She understands that she must be very, very quiet if she’s to see an owl.  The illustrations definitely match the magic of the story.

12.  The Mitten (Jan Brett)—Who could not love this book?  Jan Brett is one of my all-time favorite authors.  Her illustrations are sooooo…..I can’t even describe them.  Why she has never won a Caldecott medal is beyond me.  Her illustrations are some of the most amazing I’ve ever seen in a children’s book!  Anyway, the story itself is a classic.  If you don’t have this one, get it!

13.  Annie and the Wild Animals (Jan Brett)—Another Jan Brett book!  Annie and the Wild Animals is about a little girl whose cat is missing, so she tries to find another animal to tame as a pet.  With beautiful illustrations and a story that is both sweet and funny, this book is one of our favorites (especially of my cat-loving girls).  You’ll love the surprise ending!

14.  Clifford’s First Snow Day (Norman Bridwell)—We have a lot of Clifford books, and my kids really like them.  This one takes place in Clifford’s small puppy days.  My kids and I like the part where they’re building a snowman and Clifford goes missing.  Where IS he?  Cute.

15.  The Happy Day (Ruth Krauss)—This is a winter-to- spring book.  It won a Caldecott Honor award in 1950.  The illustrations are all black and white, but they are very nice.  This book is ideal for smaller children, as there are not very many words on each page, and the story is very simple.

BONUS BOOKS:  I had to go back and include this book because one of my children removed it from our book rack, and it got stuck under a pile of stuff.  So, when I was doing this post, it was out of sight and forgotten.

16.  On a Wintry Morning (Dori Chaconas)—I love this book because it shows the special relationship between a little girl and her daddy.  It’s refreshing to see a book where a family is so loving and caring.  Told in rhyme, this book is perfect for smaller children.  The pictures are precious.

P.S. (Sigh...) I keep finding wintry books I forgot about! Maybe I should include an "honorable mention" section here (no photos):

17. Usborne Farmyard Tales: The Snow Storm (Heather Amery)--I love Usborne Farmyard Tales! They're great for preschoolers, and every book has a yellow ducky to find on each page. In this book, the family work to get the farm ready for a snow storm, and Woolly the Sheep has a special surprise for them!

Do you have a favorite wintry children’s book that I didn’t mention?

I’m linking this post to “The Children’s Bookshelf” at What Do We Do All Day?

Top 10 Favorite Christmas Books

I have a lot of Christmas books, so it was hard to choose 10 favorites.  In fact, I went back and forth between a few of them.  Out of the Christmas books I currently have here in England, here is my top 10 list:

1. Give Him my Heart (Debi Gliori)—This book is based on the poem/hymn by Christina Rossetti (“In the Bleak Midwinter”).  It’s a favorite carol of mine anyway, but this book is unique in that it portrays side by side on each page a little girl from modern times and a little girl in the setting of the Nativity.  The illustrations are lovely.

2.  God Gave Us Christmas (Lisa Tawn Bergren)—This is a sweet story about a polar bear family getting ready for Christmas.  The little polar bear asks lots of questions, and the mother bear explains the true meaning of Christmas.  I like that the book emphasizes Jesus as the reason for Christmas, yet it is not anti-Santa either.  Santa is mentioned as a symbol of generosity (which was true of St. Nicholas).

3.  The Wild Christmas Reindeer (Jan Brett)—A young girl elf is training the new reindeer at the North Pole.  She must learn the proper way to treat the wild creatures—with kindness.  As always, Jan Brett tells a wonderful story with amazing illustrations.

4.  Christmas Tapestry (Patricia Polacco)—A pastor’s son learns that sometimes things do happen for a reason.  I love this story about how an antique tapestry brings two people together, told beautifully by Polacco.  You won’t want to miss this one!

5.  Baboushka: A Traditional Russian Folktale (Arthur Scholey)—I really like Christmas stories from around the world.  There are different versions of this story (see Babouska and the Three Kings by Nicolas Sidjakov, which won a Caldecott medal), which is about Baboushka , an old lady who starts out a bit too late to search for the newborn King, after the Magi invite her.  She ventures on a life-long search for the Christ child.

6.  Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Robert E. Barry)—I’ve had this book since I was a child.  Mr. Willowby’s Christmas tree is too tall for his huge room.  How many Christmas trees can you get from one huge one?  My son, who lately claimed he was too old for picture books, picked this one up today and commented that it was a really cool book.  It has been a long favorite of mine!

7.  Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas! (Susan Titus Osborn and Christine Langvald)—How do Christians kids around the world celebrate Christmas?  I love reading about different traditions.  This book covers traditions from China, Russia, Mexico, Congo, Saudi Arabia, France, Hawaii, Brazil, Sri Lanka, and Norway.  There is a page for the reader to fill in their traditions, and it also includes recipes and directions to some of the traditions mentioned. 

8.  The Legend of the Poinsettia (Tomie dePaola)—This retold Christmas legend comes from Mexico and is nicely illustrated by dePaola—one of my favorite dePaola books.

9.  The Polar Express (Chris van Allsburg)—The movie adaptation of this book is my youngest child’s favorite movie at the minute.  The book is a classic (and also a Caldecott medal-winner), with enchanting illustrations.  If you like the movie, get the book!

10.  If You Take a Mouse to the Movies (Laura Numeroff)—You wouldn’t know by the title itself, but at least the cover reveals that this is a Christmas story.  I love Numeroff’s other books, so having a Christmas story involving our adorable mouse is a must!

I’m linking this post, which I meant to finish at the beginning of December, to “The Children’s Bookshelf” at What Do We Do All Day?

After writing this post, I found 2 more Christmas books I forgot I had here! Both are excellent. The first is The Crippled Lamb by Max Lucado, and the second is a huge classic and a top favorite of ours (can't believe I forgot it)--Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas! What are your favorite Christmas books?