Okay, so as far as the 100 Books before Kindergarten goes, we did make it and read all 100 books before Kindergarten started. I just became a giant mess by the time the end of summer came and neglected everything in my life that wan't breathing. I even stopped my own personal reading! I KNOW! It shocked me, too, when I realized. As of this moment, I'm re-reading The Hunger Games series. I find it isn't as confusing the second time around. But I digress.
If you remember my original post, which you probably don't because that was way back in May and I can hardly remember last week, I mentioned that we only owned 12 of the 100 listed. We have since acquired a couple additional books from the list and we only had to buy one brand new! That's right, ONE. Between the library, thrift stores and friends/family, we were able to get our hands on all the other books.
I decided to write out the final 20 in one blog. I know it's long, but it may be months before I get my life back on track again. Actually, I happen to know that my life is going to be an inconsistent mess until next summer and maybe even then since I am anticipating a move. Hm. Maybe I'd better get used to the craziness I call life right now. It may not ever go away.
Anyway, without further ado, the final 20.
21. Eddie’s Garden: And How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland (★★★★) This book was similar to the other book we read by Sarah Garland, Doing the Garden, which I reviewed here. Another sweet story by Sarah Garland, the kids and I enjoyed the simplicity and realism of this story. The simple joys of life never get old.
68. One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn (★★★★) This was an interesting take on a counting book. The title seemed strange to me before we read it but it was all about words we use to count. One. Some. Many. The pictures were in the style of color block cut outs, bold and clear. Though the book didn't elicit any strong reactions from my kids, I know they were just soaking it up. Of course, I'm always pro-vocabulary. This may be one to buy.
71. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle (★★★★) I love Eric Carle. His books are engaging, quite educational and memorable. This story was tender and a lot of fun. A daughter asks her father to get the moon for her and he goes to great lengths, literally, to get it for her. Several of the pages opened up quite large, which had quite an impact on my kids. It was a little longer than the usual Carle book, but it was just as entertaining.
73. The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend (★★★1/2) This story is about a cat who wants to make the perfect omelette He reasons with himself that if he built the perfect nest, the perfect chicken will lay an egg on it and his omelette is as good as his. His nest turns out to be a bit too perfect and trouble ensues. The kids loved this silly book and were able to follow the story easily. The pictures were really funny, too.
74. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin (★) Pete the cat is walking along with his white shoes on singing a song. He steps into a pile of strawberries which changes the color of his shoes. Then he steps in blueberries, changing them again (but, oddly, not blending the colors). All along he sings while he continues to step in stuff, changing the color of his shoes again. While this was a cute book, I found it unfortunate the educational opportunities were not taken. Why not blend the colors? Why didn't Pete learn to look where he was going? Is there a moral to this story? If so, it's: Life happens, you can't or don't need to take control. Good thing they're too young to read into it too much. Maybe that's the point?
83. Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey (★★★) Stanley the dog's people go out a lot and he is left home alone. Normally, he is a good dog, but eventually he realizes that he can sit on the coveted couch and they'll never know. One thing leads to another and the dog takes over the whole house. I can still picture my 5-year-old shaking her head at the dog's naughtiness. In the end, Stanley had to mend his ways and his people learned a thing or two as well. Cute story. Beautiful, detailed illustrations. Worth the read!
84. Stella, Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay (★★★1/2) Stella and her brother go to the beach. Stella's little brother, who has never been, is brimming with questions to which Stella always has the answer, right or wrong. But the real question is whether Sam will ever get into the water. This is a sweet story about a girl's relationship with her little brother. I'm a sucker for big sister/little brother stories for obvious reason. What a cute tale!
85. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf (★★★★★) I think everyone must know about Ferdinand. I remember watching the cartoon when I was younger. Ferdinand is the gentlest bull you could ever meet. While all the other bulls run and butt heads, he just wants to sit in his favorite spot and smell flowers. The pictures are simple ink drawings but beautifully detailed. This classic story has lasted through the years as a favorite for a reason. May it last through many more generations.
86. Strega Nona: Her Story by Tomie dePaola (★★★3/4) For those of you unfamiliar with the Strega Nona books, she is called a "witch" but is more like the town healer. For those of you familiar with Strega Nona, this is the story of her birth and learning to be a healer. Fun retelling of an old folk-tale with enough humor to keep the kids interested an entertained. Great story.
87. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig (★★★★) Sylvester finds a magic pebble that makes all his wishes come true. Unfortunately he makes a hasty wish in a moment of danger that separates him from his family. Miss A was very invested in this story. She was very concerned for Sylvester and was practically yelling at the book when his family was nearby and just didn't recognize him. Any story that engages my children gets a thumbs up from me!
88. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester (★★★★) Tacky is an odd bird. The other penguins know it an are often perplexed by his oddness. In the end, however, it is Tacky who saves them all because he is different. What a delightful romp this book was. While there are a lot of books out there celebrating individuality, I especially liked that this little bird used his strengths to help others. A message worth reading.
90. The Three Pigs by David Wiesner (★★★★★) This traditional tale literally gets blown away. While the story follows the typical pattern to begin with, the story soon comes to life when the wolf huffs and puffs a little too hard and blows the pigs straight out of the book! This story won a Caldecott award for it's beautiful illustrations and it is well deserved. The twist on the story was refreshing as well. Win, win!
91. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka (★★★★★) I remember my mother reading us this story when I was younger. I've read a lot of story books and it says something for any book that I remember fondly after so many years. This version of the Three Little Pigs tale is told from the perspective of the wolf who paints the pigs in a very bad light indeed. According to him, the real story is about a sneeze and a cup of sugar. I'm glad my children were old enough when we read this to be familiar with the original story so that they understood the humor in this new one. While I don't think my daughter enjoyed the ugly-interesting style of illustrating, I'd say she got into the spirit of the story and had fun, which is exactly the point!
92. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams (★★★★1/2) While this books follows the classic poem/song almost exactly, the pictures are what make the book (as well as the amusing moral in the end). In eye-popping color, the old lady continues to eat what isn't good for her, looking progressively more unhinged with every page turn. Instead of merely drawing each page with the newly added critter in her stomach, this book gradually increases the size of the die-cut hole in the page to include the newest creature. No matter how this story is told, it always amuses children, but this book adds a new dimension with gorgeous illustrations and well-placed windows.
93. Tuesday by David Wiesner (★★★★★+) The unassuming title of this book belies the stunning nature of this Caldecott winner. Every turn of the page brings new wonder to the odd happenings on what should be a normal Tuesday evening. But who wouldn't love the magic of ordinary bullfrogs flying through the air on their lily pads? The expressions on both the frogs and the other creatures they pass just as priceless as the wonder and magic this book brought into my children's lives.
95. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker (★★★1/2) Bear simply doesn't want company, but that won't stop Mouse from trying in a sweet, polite and gentle way. While Bear becomes frustrated, my children were amazed at all the unusual places Mouse would show up and wonder aloud how in the world he could have gotten there. I will never get tired of a book my children interact with!
96. Wheels on the Bus: A Book with Parts That Move by Paul O. Zelinsky (★★★) The classic song is brought to life by moving parts in this fun book. We enjoyed this book very much, but I would hesitate at buying it myself as my children are not as gentle as I would like. Though, I would recommend this beautiful book to parents with children less inclined toward book destruction!
97. Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox (★★★1/2) This book keeps you turning pages as you try to find the green sheep. There are red sheep, blue sheep, thin sheep, fat sheep. If nothing else, this is a great book for teaching colors, opposites and vocabulary to young children. My five-year-old might have been a bit older than the targeted audience but she enjoyed it anyway.
99. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill (★★★★) This is the one book I had to buy new because I couldn't find it at either library in my area. As it turns out, it's a good thing because this is one of those lift-the-flap books that certainly would have been in poor condition if I had acquired it any other way. Spots mother is looking for her puppy so that he can have dinner. She searches all through the house, looking in every possible place. My children loved discovering each new place and lifting the flaps to try to find Spot. As it turns out, this book has not left their room since we bought it. They love it!
100. Yoko by Rosemary Wells (★★★★) Yoko's mother sends her off to her first day of school with her favorite food: Sushi! Her classmates, however, are appalled by the unusual meal, branding it "Yuck-o-rama" Yoko's teacher has an idea up her sleeve, however, to help broaden the horizons of all her students! The author of the famous Max and Ruby books sends her adorable little animal characters on a food tasting adventure in the sweet book. If nothing else, it enforced what I always tell my own kids: Don't say you don't like it until you try it!
So that finishes the 100 book challenge. I do have another list somewhere of more books to read, but I'll be darned if I can't find it. Once I get the hang of the school year, I think I'll buckle down and find the list, strike off the ones we own or read this summer and start visiting the library again.
If nothing else, I reinforced my desire for my children to love reading as much as or more than I do! There's a magical world of books out there!
Showing posts with label 100 Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label 100 Books. Show all posts
Friday, November 16, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
12 More, A Short Break and 20 Left!
So, it's been a loooong time since I last posted anything. It's been quite a summer and we've been busy. We haven't given up on reading, however. We try not to miss a single night (though sometimes we do... I'm not perfect... just almost perfect!) If I can get my tush in gear, I'll have some blogs about what we've been up to the past month or so.
At the time we read these books, I was starting to feel the pressure of our busyness and we took a short break from this list and let the kids pick whatever books they wanted. I figured we were so close to the end that it wouldn't make much of a difference in the end. At the time of this writing, we have 3 stories left to read/find. I have one in my hot little hands right now, figuratively speaking, and the final two have proven to be quite tricky to find. I might have to break down and buy them. *GASP!*
65. No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont (★★★★) The sheep in this story is tired and all he wants is to go to sleep, but all the barnyard animals, one after another, keep coming to his door.The pictures were cute and easy for the kids to interpret what was going on. They enjoyed this story quite a lot.
66. No, David! by David Shannon (★★★★) David just can't seem to stay out of trouble! We had a couple of the David! books already, so the kids were familiar with how the stories go. Audrey, especially, has reached that age where she knows that David is doing (or about to do) something naughty. The narrative and pictures were fun and easy to follow.
69. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (★★★1/2) Three owl babies wake up one night to find that their mother is gone. Where could she be? The pictures are beautiful and the story simple enough for my 3-year-old.
70. Pancakes for Supper! by Anne Isaacs (★★★) This story is about a young girl who gets lost in the woods and is forced to give the various woodland predators items of her clothing to save herself from getting eaten. Though my kids were new to this particular tale, it was reminiscent of the old folk tale of Little Black Sambo or The Story of Little Babaji. (Both Sambo and Babaji were written by the same author, only adapted in the newer version.) I felt that, aside from a few details and character changes, the story was almost identical. The kids were amused by seeing the large animals wearing clothing that was much, much too small for them.
72. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (★★★★★) The princess of this story is just like so many other princesses. She lives in a castle, wears beautiful clothes and is going to marry a handsome prince. When a dragon comes and destroys her castle, burns her fancy clothes and carries off her handsome prince, what is a princess to do? This feisty little princess doesn't just take it lying down. She simply puts on a paper bag in place of her ruined clothes and goes to rescue her prince. This story doesn't end predictably at all and the kids enjoyed it very much. I'm all for a story that features a strong female character who goes after what she wants (or what she thinks she wants...)
75. Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke (★★★★1/2) The youngest princess in this story is tired of being a princess. She doesn't want to be waited on. She doesn't like the pretty dresses or having to smile all the time. When her father finally gets fed up, he sends her to the pigsty. This punishment doesn't get the results the king expected! Another story about a spunky princess who knows her own mind. Though, I think the humor was a little beyond my kids, they enjoyed the story, anyway.
76. Rain by Manya Stojic (★★★★) This story has a rhythmic quality when read aloud. The statements are simple and the pictures vibrant. The animals on the Savannah are waiting for the rain. First the porcupine smells it, then the zebras see the lightning and the message gets passed along from animal to animal until all the senses are touched.
77. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins (★★★★★) Rosie, the hen, goes for a walk. Fox follows quietly behind. As Rosie goes on, blissfully unaware of the danger behind her, the fox gets caught up in obstacle after obstacle, each one worse than the last. This gently humorous book was good for both my 3-year-old and my 5-year-old.
78. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt (★★★★★) The kids enjoyed this book so much that I picked up several more in the series the next time we went to the library. Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of EVERYTHING. He even checks to make sure there are no sharks around his tree. My husband read this one to the kids and was chuckling just as much as they were laughing.
79. Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horácek (★★★★) Suzy Goose realizes one day that she is exactly like every other goose. So she goes out and meets other animals, wishfully thinking how nice it would be to be like them.. that is, until she meets a hungry lion! This was a cute story that both encouraged individuality and being happy with who we are, even if it SEEMS like we just like everyone else.
80. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (★★★★★) I was confident that this book would go over well with my kids. We already have two of the Skippyjon books and my kids love them. My son is especially obsessed. The first book in the series didn't disappoint. In this story, the little Siamese cat who wishes he was a Chihuahua, must save his friends from the huge bumble-beeto! Energetic and exciting storytelling is a crowd-pleaser at my house!
82. Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough (★★★★★) Sid the dog gets a happy feeling on the way to school and suddenly finds himself flying! When he tries to tell his friends, no one believes him. After all, who ever heard of a dog that flies? Sid becomes so sad that he can't fly anymore. In the end, he figures it all out with the help of his dad. This was a cute story and the kids really liked it.
At the time we read these books, I was starting to feel the pressure of our busyness and we took a short break from this list and let the kids pick whatever books they wanted. I figured we were so close to the end that it wouldn't make much of a difference in the end. At the time of this writing, we have 3 stories left to read/find. I have one in my hot little hands right now, figuratively speaking, and the final two have proven to be quite tricky to find. I might have to break down and buy them. *GASP!*
65. No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont (★★★★) The sheep in this story is tired and all he wants is to go to sleep, but all the barnyard animals, one after another, keep coming to his door.The pictures were cute and easy for the kids to interpret what was going on. They enjoyed this story quite a lot.
66. No, David! by David Shannon (★★★★) David just can't seem to stay out of trouble! We had a couple of the David! books already, so the kids were familiar with how the stories go. Audrey, especially, has reached that age where she knows that David is doing (or about to do) something naughty. The narrative and pictures were fun and easy to follow.
69. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell (★★★1/2) Three owl babies wake up one night to find that their mother is gone. Where could she be? The pictures are beautiful and the story simple enough for my 3-year-old.
70. Pancakes for Supper! by Anne Isaacs (★★★) This story is about a young girl who gets lost in the woods and is forced to give the various woodland predators items of her clothing to save herself from getting eaten. Though my kids were new to this particular tale, it was reminiscent of the old folk tale of Little Black Sambo or The Story of Little Babaji. (Both Sambo and Babaji were written by the same author, only adapted in the newer version.) I felt that, aside from a few details and character changes, the story was almost identical. The kids were amused by seeing the large animals wearing clothing that was much, much too small for them.
72. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch (★★★★★) The princess of this story is just like so many other princesses. She lives in a castle, wears beautiful clothes and is going to marry a handsome prince. When a dragon comes and destroys her castle, burns her fancy clothes and carries off her handsome prince, what is a princess to do? This feisty little princess doesn't just take it lying down. She simply puts on a paper bag in place of her ruined clothes and goes to rescue her prince. This story doesn't end predictably at all and the kids enjoyed it very much. I'm all for a story that features a strong female character who goes after what she wants (or what she thinks she wants...)
75. Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke (★★★★1/2) The youngest princess in this story is tired of being a princess. She doesn't want to be waited on. She doesn't like the pretty dresses or having to smile all the time. When her father finally gets fed up, he sends her to the pigsty. This punishment doesn't get the results the king expected! Another story about a spunky princess who knows her own mind. Though, I think the humor was a little beyond my kids, they enjoyed the story, anyway.
76. Rain by Manya Stojic (★★★★) This story has a rhythmic quality when read aloud. The statements are simple and the pictures vibrant. The animals on the Savannah are waiting for the rain. First the porcupine smells it, then the zebras see the lightning and the message gets passed along from animal to animal until all the senses are touched.
77. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins (★★★★★) Rosie, the hen, goes for a walk. Fox follows quietly behind. As Rosie goes on, blissfully unaware of the danger behind her, the fox gets caught up in obstacle after obstacle, each one worse than the last. This gently humorous book was good for both my 3-year-old and my 5-year-old.
78. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt (★★★★★) The kids enjoyed this book so much that I picked up several more in the series the next time we went to the library. Scaredy Squirrel is afraid of EVERYTHING. He even checks to make sure there are no sharks around his tree. My husband read this one to the kids and was chuckling just as much as they were laughing.
79. Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horácek (★★★★) Suzy Goose realizes one day that she is exactly like every other goose. So she goes out and meets other animals, wishfully thinking how nice it would be to be like them.. that is, until she meets a hungry lion! This was a cute story that both encouraged individuality and being happy with who we are, even if it SEEMS like we just like everyone else.
80. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner (★★★★★) I was confident that this book would go over well with my kids. We already have two of the Skippyjon books and my kids love them. My son is especially obsessed. The first book in the series didn't disappoint. In this story, the little Siamese cat who wishes he was a Chihuahua, must save his friends from the huge bumble-beeto! Energetic and exciting storytelling is a crowd-pleaser at my house!
82. Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough (★★★★★) Sid the dog gets a happy feeling on the way to school and suddenly finds himself flying! When he tries to tell his friends, no one believes him. After all, who ever heard of a dog that flies? Sid becomes so sad that he can't fly anymore. In the end, he figures it all out with the help of his dad. This was a cute story and the kids really liked it.
I have plenty to write about and just need to buckle down and do it. More books, summer fun, crafting and sewing projects, camping and other stuff I can't remember right now.. so, stay tuned! ;)
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
12 More, 32 left... Sprinting for Home!
Here is the other half of the list of 24. After finishing these books, we took a short break. We read a few books off the list and signed the kids up for the summer reading programs with both of the local libraries.
51. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems - (★★★★★) The kids liked this one a lot. It was easy to follow what was going on and the kids were very concerned for the little girl who lost her bunny. I love Mo Willems' books. They speak to young children in fun and simple ways.
52. Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis; David Soman - (★★★★★) A friend of mine recommended the Ladybug Girl books to me several years ago, but I procrastinated checking them out and then forgot all about them. Lulu dresses up as Ladybug Girl and, when she does, she can be a super hero in her own way. We got one other Ladybug Girl book when we checked out the first one because I had a hunch that the kids would like it. Boy, was my instinct right on! We might just have to read every one there is!
53. Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - (★★★★) This was another window book. On the first page was a plastic window shaped like a lemon, but the color showing through the window was red. It stated on the page that lemons are not red. When you turn the page, there is an apple there: But apples are! The lemon shaped window is now showing a color from the previous page, which is yellow. This continues through the book, explaining that fruits and vegetables are NOT this color, but this other fruit or vegetable is. This was a fun discovery-style book for my kids. I think I might check it out again some time to see if my kids (instead) can tell me what color is right and what fruit or vegetable the wrong color might belong to... ;)
55. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney - (★★★★★) We love the Llama, Llama books in our house. We were given Llama, Llama Misses Mama as a gift from my mother several months ago and my kids love it. So, it was a no-brainer to check out this one as well. The messages are fairly subtle in these books, helping to ease the worries of young children. In this case, the little llama was worried that his mama left after he went to bed. My kids have expressed this same worry to us. I think this is yet another series that we will have to collect for our own shelves.
57. Madlenka by Peter Sís - (★★★) My kids liked this book fairly well. I had difficulty reading it because quite a lot of the important bits were crammed into the perimeter of each page and were frequently sideways or upside down. It was a fun exploration of different cultures that can be found in a simple neighborhood. In the end, Madlenka tells her mother that she spent the afternoon traveling around the world. If it hadn't been difficult for me to read and explain the tiny details on the edges of the pages, I think this book would have been more meaningful to my kids.
58. The Mightiest by Keiko Kasza - (★★★★) This book reads like an old folk tale. Several large animals find a crown in the forest with a sign saying that it is for "The Mightiest". The animals compete for the crown by seeing who can scare a sweet old lady the most... if you have read many folk tales, you can probably guess how this tale turns out. If you haven't, you should check it out. This is a simple tale that makes for a great introduction to this style of story-telling.
59. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton - (★★★★) I found this story slightly dull, since I am a bad person. My kids liked it though. Mike and his steam shovel attempt to finish a big job in one day. The big question is: Will they finish in time? Like I said, my kids liked it. My son especially likes any book about construction machines. :)
60. Moose Tracks! by Karma Wilson - (★★★★1/2) The story's narrator tells a tale of how his house has many animal visitors but there are inexplicable moose tracks all over the place. The kids were just as perplexed as the narrator and I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what was going on until nearly the end. Cute story!
61. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham - (★★★★) The title of this story is rather misleading since Mr. Grumpy really isn't grumpy at all. In fact, he's an incredibly patient and kind man, inviting everyone he passes on his outing. It was a fun romp for my kids, completely immersed in this little book.
62. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming - (★★★★★) This was super fun to read aloud. The gardener plants a garden and looks forward to eating the lovely vegetables. When the night comes, however, some little bunnies hop in and "Tippy, tippy, tippy, Pat!" they hop into the garden and "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" on the gardener's vegetables. The gardener goes to great lengths to stop the bunnies from getting to his garden, with little success. I shall repeat, this book is completely worth reading out loud. The rhythm was half the fun!
63. My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann - (★★★★) Mouse and his friend, Rabbit are having fun playing with Mouse's airplane when it gets stuck in a tree. Rabbit enlists the help of many other animals to get the airplane out of the tree, much to the other animal's irritation. The pictures and story were simple and cute. It was easy for my kids to see how Rabbit's plan wasn't the best.
64. My Garden by Kevin Henkes - (★★★★★) We all liked this story quite a lot. The little girl featured in this story talks about the gardens that she can see, but then imagines what she would grow in her own garden. She would grow chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color and seashells! The pictures are beautiful and imaginative. While Audrey knew that you can't grow chocolate rabbits in a garden, she was charmed by the story, nontheless! Very cute!
I have a few more that we have read since these, but I've let the kids pick out most of the books the last few times we've gone. I'll be getting back to the list very soon! :)
51. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems - (★★★★★) The kids liked this one a lot. It was easy to follow what was going on and the kids were very concerned for the little girl who lost her bunny. I love Mo Willems' books. They speak to young children in fun and simple ways.
52. Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis; David Soman - (★★★★★) A friend of mine recommended the Ladybug Girl books to me several years ago, but I procrastinated checking them out and then forgot all about them. Lulu dresses up as Ladybug Girl and, when she does, she can be a super hero in her own way. We got one other Ladybug Girl book when we checked out the first one because I had a hunch that the kids would like it. Boy, was my instinct right on! We might just have to read every one there is!
53. Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger - (★★★★) This was another window book. On the first page was a plastic window shaped like a lemon, but the color showing through the window was red. It stated on the page that lemons are not red. When you turn the page, there is an apple there: But apples are! The lemon shaped window is now showing a color from the previous page, which is yellow. This continues through the book, explaining that fruits and vegetables are NOT this color, but this other fruit or vegetable is. This was a fun discovery-style book for my kids. I think I might check it out again some time to see if my kids (instead) can tell me what color is right and what fruit or vegetable the wrong color might belong to... ;)
55. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney - (★★★★★) We love the Llama, Llama books in our house. We were given Llama, Llama Misses Mama as a gift from my mother several months ago and my kids love it. So, it was a no-brainer to check out this one as well. The messages are fairly subtle in these books, helping to ease the worries of young children. In this case, the little llama was worried that his mama left after he went to bed. My kids have expressed this same worry to us. I think this is yet another series that we will have to collect for our own shelves.
57. Madlenka by Peter Sís - (★★★) My kids liked this book fairly well. I had difficulty reading it because quite a lot of the important bits were crammed into the perimeter of each page and were frequently sideways or upside down. It was a fun exploration of different cultures that can be found in a simple neighborhood. In the end, Madlenka tells her mother that she spent the afternoon traveling around the world. If it hadn't been difficult for me to read and explain the tiny details on the edges of the pages, I think this book would have been more meaningful to my kids.
58. The Mightiest by Keiko Kasza - (★★★★) This book reads like an old folk tale. Several large animals find a crown in the forest with a sign saying that it is for "The Mightiest". The animals compete for the crown by seeing who can scare a sweet old lady the most... if you have read many folk tales, you can probably guess how this tale turns out. If you haven't, you should check it out. This is a simple tale that makes for a great introduction to this style of story-telling.
59. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton - (★★★★) I found this story slightly dull, since I am a bad person. My kids liked it though. Mike and his steam shovel attempt to finish a big job in one day. The big question is: Will they finish in time? Like I said, my kids liked it. My son especially likes any book about construction machines. :)
60. Moose Tracks! by Karma Wilson - (★★★★1/2) The story's narrator tells a tale of how his house has many animal visitors but there are inexplicable moose tracks all over the place. The kids were just as perplexed as the narrator and I must admit that I wasn't quite sure what was going on until nearly the end. Cute story!
61. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham - (★★★★) The title of this story is rather misleading since Mr. Grumpy really isn't grumpy at all. In fact, he's an incredibly patient and kind man, inviting everyone he passes on his outing. It was a fun romp for my kids, completely immersed in this little book.
62. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming - (★★★★★) This was super fun to read aloud. The gardener plants a garden and looks forward to eating the lovely vegetables. When the night comes, however, some little bunnies hop in and "Tippy, tippy, tippy, Pat!" they hop into the garden and "Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!" on the gardener's vegetables. The gardener goes to great lengths to stop the bunnies from getting to his garden, with little success. I shall repeat, this book is completely worth reading out loud. The rhythm was half the fun!
63. My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann - (★★★★) Mouse and his friend, Rabbit are having fun playing with Mouse's airplane when it gets stuck in a tree. Rabbit enlists the help of many other animals to get the airplane out of the tree, much to the other animal's irritation. The pictures and story were simple and cute. It was easy for my kids to see how Rabbit's plan wasn't the best.
64. My Garden by Kevin Henkes - (★★★★★) We all liked this story quite a lot. The little girl featured in this story talks about the gardens that she can see, but then imagines what she would grow in her own garden. She would grow chocolate rabbits, tomatoes as big as beach balls, flowers that change color and seashells! The pictures are beautiful and imaginative. While Audrey knew that you can't grow chocolate rabbits in a garden, she was charmed by the story, nontheless! Very cute!
I have a few more that we have read since these, but I've let the kids pick out most of the books the last few times we've gone. I'll be getting back to the list very soon! :)
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
12 titles, 44 left.. More than half-way!
Okay, so, I've had to split what we've already finished reading into two lists, just to make the blogs easier to handle. I actually have twenty-four books that we've read since last time. When I looked at that list, I decided that no one wanted to read about twenty-four books all in one go!
You're welcome! ;)
38. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster - (★★★) I realized after we read this that the author of this book also wrote The Phantom Tollbooth, one of my favorite childhood books. It was a fun little story about a little girl who visits with her grandparents, and one of their traditions is the Hello, Goodbye Window. They can wave to each other, see the stars, see their reflection on a dark night and see the garden through this window.
I personally did not like the illustrations, in spite of the Caldecott award. The kids seemed to like it, though.
41. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child - (★★★1/2) A little girl is charged by her mother to feed her younger sister, who must be the pickiest child on the planet! The older sister must get inventive in order to compel her sister to eat anything at all. Audrey seemed to take in stride all the older sister's made-up foods. She knew they weren't really called those silly names. This is an issue we've dealt with in our own little family, but instead of making up silly names for food, we simply insist that they taste everything, even if they are just convinced they won't like it. ;)
42. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff - (★★★★★) My kids love all the "If you Give a..." books. We were lucky enough to inherit this book from my sister a couple of weeks ago. The illustrations are colorful and amusing and the cyclical story-telling style is so much fun. My kids have almost got to the point where they can anticipate the final line of each story.
43. If You’re Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre - (★★★1/2) This story takes the basic idea from the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It". The pictures were cute and the kids loved looking at the animals' antics. I only give it a lower score because after the first one or two "verses", the rhythm became harder to apply to that of the song. I struggled with that for the remainder of the story. I'm not completely sure that my kids realized the connection to the song for that very reason. They did enjoy the book, however!
44. I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen - (★★★★★) This story was completely adorable and reminded me of my own little boy who frequently insists that he is not cute (or handsome). A baby owl is consistently accosted with hugs by all the other forest animals because they say he is so cute! He insists over and over again that he is not cute, but a deadly night hunter! His mother, of course, knows just what to say to make him feel better! ;)
45. The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen - (★★★★) I enjoyed the encouragement of imagination in this book. A girl's grandfather moves to the city and can no longer have a garden. So, the two of them create their own garden on the roof of his building. As they add more and more details, the garden comes alive. The final details are added by the little girl, herself. The pictures were lovely and the story completely sweet.
46. In My Backyard by Margriet Ruurs - (★★★3/4) The first picture of the backyard is grayed out but, as each part of the backyard is described and the plants and animals described, the picture comes into full color. This was a very simple, informative book that kept the interest of my children. I, personally, would have liked a little more variety and description of what can be in our own backyards, encouraging discussion with my children, but it was a good book, nonetheless.
47. It’s a Secret! by John Burningham - (★★★) The little girl in this story wonders where her cat goes when he leaves at night. One night she says up to find out and he carefully explains to her that she can go but she must keep it a Secret! Honestly, I was a little nervous about this book to begin with. I know that secrets are an exciting part of the world of children, but with some of the "secrets" adults force upon children, I'm a little sensitive to anything that even hints in that direction. I'm not trying to imply anything about this story. It was a cute little story, if a little strange and had a vague, gently sinister quality to it. Perhaps it was the dark quality of the illustrations that put me off.
48. The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel - (★★★★) The narrator of this story is the dog who belongs to the King's Chef. The dog always tastes everything before the King to make sure that nothing tastes bad or is poisoned! But the old King dies and the new King doesn't like anything the Chef makes! The child-king finds crazy and inventive ways to express his displeasure about the food. The Chef and the dog travel the world to learn new recipes to serve the King, but in the end, something else is spoiling the King's appetite! Yet another great book about letting kids try a variety of food! The pictures were great and the story was fun. The kids really liked it a lot.
49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn - (★★★★★) I loved this story so much and, yes, it even made me a little teary-eyed. A little raccoon must go to his first night at school and doesn't want to leave his mother. His mother teaches him a way to remember her and feel that she is close by. This was a sweet, tender story that I really enjoyed reading to the kids. I think they really enjoyed it too. Audrey is old enough that stories about love make a deep impression on her. If I ever find this book in the store, I'm buying it!
You're welcome! ;)
38. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster - (★★★) I realized after we read this that the author of this book also wrote The Phantom Tollbooth, one of my favorite childhood books. It was a fun little story about a little girl who visits with her grandparents, and one of their traditions is the Hello, Goodbye Window. They can wave to each other, see the stars, see their reflection on a dark night and see the garden through this window.
I personally did not like the illustrations, in spite of the Caldecott award. The kids seemed to like it, though.
39. The Hoppameleon by Paul Geraghty - (★★★★★) The kids really liked this book, and the adults liked it too. It's about a "strange" creature who doesn't know what he is. (He's a tree frog!) In his journey to find out what he is and to find a friend like him, he notes the similarities between himself and other animals. I won't spoil the fun of revealing his ultimate guess on his name! The kids, especially Miss A, were engaged and frequently tried to tell the frog that he was a frog! Very cute!
40. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long - (★★★★) A little boy plays on the beach when he discovers a pirate ship just off shore. He tries to bring it to his family's attention, but they're all too busy to notice. So, the pirates take him on an adventure! It's almost too good to be true for a little boy! He doesn't have to brush his teeth or take a bath. He doesn't have to eat fruits or vegetables. He doesn't even have to go to bed until he wants to. But, when he's ready to go to bed, who will read him a story and tuck him in? Certainly not a pirate! This was a good story for my kids. It was interesting and amusing.
40. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long - (★★★★) A little boy plays on the beach when he discovers a pirate ship just off shore. He tries to bring it to his family's attention, but they're all too busy to notice. So, the pirates take him on an adventure! It's almost too good to be true for a little boy! He doesn't have to brush his teeth or take a bath. He doesn't have to eat fruits or vegetables. He doesn't even have to go to bed until he wants to. But, when he's ready to go to bed, who will read him a story and tuck him in? Certainly not a pirate! This was a good story for my kids. It was interesting and amusing.
41. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child - (★★★1/2) A little girl is charged by her mother to feed her younger sister, who must be the pickiest child on the planet! The older sister must get inventive in order to compel her sister to eat anything at all. Audrey seemed to take in stride all the older sister's made-up foods. She knew they weren't really called those silly names. This is an issue we've dealt with in our own little family, but instead of making up silly names for food, we simply insist that they taste everything, even if they are just convinced they won't like it. ;)
42. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff - (★★★★★) My kids love all the "If you Give a..." books. We were lucky enough to inherit this book from my sister a couple of weeks ago. The illustrations are colorful and amusing and the cyclical story-telling style is so much fun. My kids have almost got to the point where they can anticipate the final line of each story.
43. If You’re Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre - (★★★1/2) This story takes the basic idea from the song, "If You're Happy and You Know It". The pictures were cute and the kids loved looking at the animals' antics. I only give it a lower score because after the first one or two "verses", the rhythm became harder to apply to that of the song. I struggled with that for the remainder of the story. I'm not completely sure that my kids realized the connection to the song for that very reason. They did enjoy the book, however!
44. I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen - (★★★★★) This story was completely adorable and reminded me of my own little boy who frequently insists that he is not cute (or handsome). A baby owl is consistently accosted with hugs by all the other forest animals because they say he is so cute! He insists over and over again that he is not cute, but a deadly night hunter! His mother, of course, knows just what to say to make him feel better! ;)
45. The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen - (★★★★) I enjoyed the encouragement of imagination in this book. A girl's grandfather moves to the city and can no longer have a garden. So, the two of them create their own garden on the roof of his building. As they add more and more details, the garden comes alive. The final details are added by the little girl, herself. The pictures were lovely and the story completely sweet.
46. In My Backyard by Margriet Ruurs - (★★★3/4) The first picture of the backyard is grayed out but, as each part of the backyard is described and the plants and animals described, the picture comes into full color. This was a very simple, informative book that kept the interest of my children. I, personally, would have liked a little more variety and description of what can be in our own backyards, encouraging discussion with my children, but it was a good book, nonetheless.
47. It’s a Secret! by John Burningham - (★★★) The little girl in this story wonders where her cat goes when he leaves at night. One night she says up to find out and he carefully explains to her that she can go but she must keep it a Secret! Honestly, I was a little nervous about this book to begin with. I know that secrets are an exciting part of the world of children, but with some of the "secrets" adults force upon children, I'm a little sensitive to anything that even hints in that direction. I'm not trying to imply anything about this story. It was a cute little story, if a little strange and had a vague, gently sinister quality to it. Perhaps it was the dark quality of the illustrations that put me off.
48. The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel - (★★★★) The narrator of this story is the dog who belongs to the King's Chef. The dog always tastes everything before the King to make sure that nothing tastes bad or is poisoned! But the old King dies and the new King doesn't like anything the Chef makes! The child-king finds crazy and inventive ways to express his displeasure about the food. The Chef and the dog travel the world to learn new recipes to serve the King, but in the end, something else is spoiling the King's appetite! Yet another great book about letting kids try a variety of food! The pictures were great and the story was fun. The kids really liked it a lot.
49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn - (★★★★★) I loved this story so much and, yes, it even made me a little teary-eyed. A little raccoon must go to his first night at school and doesn't want to leave his mother. His mother teaches him a way to remember her and feel that she is close by. This was a sweet, tender story that I really enjoyed reading to the kids. I think they really enjoyed it too. Audrey is old enough that stories about love make a deep impression on her. If I ever find this book in the store, I'm buying it!
Sunday, May 27, 2012
16 More, 56 To Go.. Plus an Extra
It's been quite the adventure reading all these books. I don't think I've ever read so many new books in such a short time in my entire life.
5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle - (★★★★) A little boy wants a puppy and he asks his mother for one. She has many excuses to not get one. He finally bargains with her that if he can find a dragon, she will let him keep it. I'm sure she thought she was very clever, but soon found out otherwise! The kids were appropriately shocked by the dragon's behavior and were very interested in how it would turn out. There is a slight undertone of outsmarting one's parents, but they aren't old enough to catch that yet. I suppose this book will be stricken off the list when they get to that age! ;)
17. Corduroy by Don Freeman - (★★★★★) What a sweet story about a teddy bear who just wants to go home with a little child. His adventure in the store after closing time is cute and brought out touching concern on the part of my children. They really cared about this little bear!
20. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon - (★★★★★) When duck decides to ride a bike, nearly all the other barnyard animals scoff. But what happens when there are suddenly enough bikes for all? The kids laughed and giggled all the way through this book. Even Dad chuckled at a few bits.
23. The End by David LaRochelle - (★★★3/4) Audrey almost got the concept of this book. The whole story runs backward, starting with "And they lived happily ever after." Then it starts to explain why they lived happily ever after and so on. When you get to the end of the book, it goes, "Once upon a time..." It was cute and Audrey loved the pictures. She struggled a bit with why the story was running backward. I think she has difficulty with books that don't follow the "rules" of story-telling. When she gets older, I'll make sure to tell her that once she understands the rules, it's much easier to bend and play around with them. ;)
24. Epossumondas by Coleen Salley - (★★★★) This story reminded me of the style of old folk tales. Epossumondas' mother gives her furry son careful instructions on how to carry the gifts from his Auntie home. His careful obedience leads to trouble every time. Audrey was old enough to know that he was doing things all wrong. Especially when it came to getting the puppy home!
25. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor - (★★★★★★) I know I'm fudging this a bit by putting in six stars... but Audrey LOVED this book. As soon as we were done reading it, she asked if we could please, please, please, keep it. I told her that because it is the Library's book, we have to return it, but if I find it in a store, I will buy it for her. Fancy Nancy is fancy and she likes to do and say everything in fancy ways. Her family is not fancy at all and she sets out to teach them how. An adorable book!
26. Fire Truck by Peter Sís - (★★★★) Henry loved this book for obvious reasons. Fire Trucks!! He and his sister even took it in stride when the little boy TURNED INTO a Fire Truck. Simple, cute book.
27. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow - (★★★★★) Both of the kids really liked this one a lot. As luck turned out, the library had holds on this book for weeks. I ran into it during our last trip to DI. When I got home, I found that the package I bought at DI had three copies of this book in it! So, I kept one and donated the other two to the library since they don't seem to have enough. ;) Audrey immediately wanted the book in the room and she's been reading it to herself the last few days. It follows the old finger-play nursery rhyme pretty much perfectly, but there is a cute little side not at the end. Fun!
28. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London - (★★★★) Daddy read this book to the kids and I could tell he had a really good time with the sound effects. The kids were fascinated with Froggy's attempts to get ready to go outside. It reminded me of the dressing adventures in my own little family.
29. George and Martha by James Marshall - (★★★★★) I thought this book would turn out to be dull, just based on the cover. I guess I should have thought twice. There were five mini-stories contained in this book about two good friends who are hippos. The kids thought they were funny and cute. Did the message of good friendship and honesty sink in? I hope so! :)
30. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley - (★★★★★) Audrey liked this book fairly well, but it was Henry who was completely taken with it! After I finished reading it, he ignored the other stories that night and looked at this book over and over again. The pages slowly reveal the big, green monster and then the narrator orders the monster away bit by bit. Taking control of the existence of a monster was a relief to me. Not only could the kids feel like they could make the monster appear, but disappear at will. Smart, clever story!
33. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson - (★★★1/2) While I thought the story was funny and cute, my kids needed a little explanation. Especially Henry. The Gruffalo's Child (a little hairy monster) goes out at night to find the Big Bad Mouse! Why a monster should be afraid of a mouse, I'm sure I don't know!
34. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard - (★★★★★) Reading this story couldn't have come at a better time. Both of my kids were cranky and grumpy that night. As it turns out, so was Grumpy Bird. As Grumpy Bird stomped around, being grouchy, his little animal friends join him on his walk. By the time Grumpy Bird started cheering up, so were my children!
35. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen - (★★★★1/2) Guji Guji is a crocodile who was hatched by a duck. He loves his duck family, but what happens when some other crocodiles show up to tell him how he is really supposed to behave? What a cute story! The kids loved it and the pictures were great!
37. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion - (★★★1/2) Harry does not like taking baths, so he buries the scrub brush and runs away. He goes and plays in some very dirty places and, after he decides that he misses home, ends up being a black dog with white spots instead of a white dog with black spots. When he goes home, his family does not recognize him... but will this turn of events make him reconsider taking a bath? This was a cute story and Audrey was engaged, but she wasn't especially taken with it. Kind of a shrug of the shoulders response.
50. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes - (★★★★★) We got this book out of order because Audrey was begging and begging me to find her a cat book while we were at the library. The sweet librarian overheard her and brought me this book. I would have taken it no matter what, but I was especially pleased when I realized it was on my list! Kitten is convinced that the full moon is a dish of milk just waiting for her up in the sky. She tries and she tries with amusing and heart-breaking results to reach that dish of milk! Audrey frowned and worried and awww!-ed all through the story.
Multiple trips too and from the Provo and Orem libraries have made it so I've lost count. I suppose losing count of how often you go to the library isn't a bad thing at all!
In between some trips, I visited with one of my sisters who offered to give me a selection of her picture books as all of her children are pretty much too old for them, now. SCORE!! I have yet to unload the books from the bags they are in because I have no room in my bookshelves for them. You have to love books to understand how awesome it is to have more books than room. ;) A few of the books I got from her are on the list of 100 books. I'll have to fish them out when I get to those.
5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle - (★★★★) A little boy wants a puppy and he asks his mother for one. She has many excuses to not get one. He finally bargains with her that if he can find a dragon, she will let him keep it. I'm sure she thought she was very clever, but soon found out otherwise! The kids were appropriately shocked by the dragon's behavior and were very interested in how it would turn out. There is a slight undertone of outsmarting one's parents, but they aren't old enough to catch that yet. I suppose this book will be stricken off the list when they get to that age! ;)
17. Corduroy by Don Freeman - (★★★★★) What a sweet story about a teddy bear who just wants to go home with a little child. His adventure in the store after closing time is cute and brought out touching concern on the part of my children. They really cared about this little bear!
20. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon - (★★★★★) When duck decides to ride a bike, nearly all the other barnyard animals scoff. But what happens when there are suddenly enough bikes for all? The kids laughed and giggled all the way through this book. Even Dad chuckled at a few bits.
23. The End by David LaRochelle - (★★★3/4) Audrey almost got the concept of this book. The whole story runs backward, starting with "And they lived happily ever after." Then it starts to explain why they lived happily ever after and so on. When you get to the end of the book, it goes, "Once upon a time..." It was cute and Audrey loved the pictures. She struggled a bit with why the story was running backward. I think she has difficulty with books that don't follow the "rules" of story-telling. When she gets older, I'll make sure to tell her that once she understands the rules, it's much easier to bend and play around with them. ;)
24. Epossumondas by Coleen Salley - (★★★★) This story reminded me of the style of old folk tales. Epossumondas' mother gives her furry son careful instructions on how to carry the gifts from his Auntie home. His careful obedience leads to trouble every time. Audrey was old enough to know that he was doing things all wrong. Especially when it came to getting the puppy home!
25. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor - (★★★★★★) I know I'm fudging this a bit by putting in six stars... but Audrey LOVED this book. As soon as we were done reading it, she asked if we could please, please, please, keep it. I told her that because it is the Library's book, we have to return it, but if I find it in a store, I will buy it for her. Fancy Nancy is fancy and she likes to do and say everything in fancy ways. Her family is not fancy at all and she sets out to teach them how. An adorable book!
26. Fire Truck by Peter Sís - (★★★★) Henry loved this book for obvious reasons. Fire Trucks!! He and his sister even took it in stride when the little boy TURNED INTO a Fire Truck. Simple, cute book.
27. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow - (★★★★★) Both of the kids really liked this one a lot. As luck turned out, the library had holds on this book for weeks. I ran into it during our last trip to DI. When I got home, I found that the package I bought at DI had three copies of this book in it! So, I kept one and donated the other two to the library since they don't seem to have enough. ;) Audrey immediately wanted the book in the room and she's been reading it to herself the last few days. It follows the old finger-play nursery rhyme pretty much perfectly, but there is a cute little side not at the end. Fun!
28. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London - (★★★★) Daddy read this book to the kids and I could tell he had a really good time with the sound effects. The kids were fascinated with Froggy's attempts to get ready to go outside. It reminded me of the dressing adventures in my own little family.
29. George and Martha by James Marshall - (★★★★★) I thought this book would turn out to be dull, just based on the cover. I guess I should have thought twice. There were five mini-stories contained in this book about two good friends who are hippos. The kids thought they were funny and cute. Did the message of good friendship and honesty sink in? I hope so! :)
30. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley - (★★★★★) Audrey liked this book fairly well, but it was Henry who was completely taken with it! After I finished reading it, he ignored the other stories that night and looked at this book over and over again. The pages slowly reveal the big, green monster and then the narrator orders the monster away bit by bit. Taking control of the existence of a monster was a relief to me. Not only could the kids feel like they could make the monster appear, but disappear at will. Smart, clever story!
33. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson - (★★★1/2) While I thought the story was funny and cute, my kids needed a little explanation. Especially Henry. The Gruffalo's Child (a little hairy monster) goes out at night to find the Big Bad Mouse! Why a monster should be afraid of a mouse, I'm sure I don't know!
34. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard - (★★★★★) Reading this story couldn't have come at a better time. Both of my kids were cranky and grumpy that night. As it turns out, so was Grumpy Bird. As Grumpy Bird stomped around, being grouchy, his little animal friends join him on his walk. By the time Grumpy Bird started cheering up, so were my children!
35. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen - (★★★★1/2) Guji Guji is a crocodile who was hatched by a duck. He loves his duck family, but what happens when some other crocodiles show up to tell him how he is really supposed to behave? What a cute story! The kids loved it and the pictures were great!
37. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion - (★★★1/2) Harry does not like taking baths, so he buries the scrub brush and runs away. He goes and plays in some very dirty places and, after he decides that he misses home, ends up being a black dog with white spots instead of a white dog with black spots. When he goes home, his family does not recognize him... but will this turn of events make him reconsider taking a bath? This was a cute story and Audrey was engaged, but she wasn't especially taken with it. Kind of a shrug of the shoulders response.
50. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes - (★★★★★) We got this book out of order because Audrey was begging and begging me to find her a cat book while we were at the library. The sweet librarian overheard her and brought me this book. I would have taken it no matter what, but I was especially pleased when I realized it was on my list! Kitten is convinced that the full moon is a dish of milk just waiting for her up in the sky. She tries and she tries with amusing and heart-breaking results to reach that dish of milk! Audrey frowned and worried and awww!-ed all through the story.
It turns out that this is one of the books my sister gave us, too! BONUS! We get to read it as often as we want now!
Not on the list - Doing the Garden by Sarah Garland (Because no one has Eddie's Garden: And how to make things Grow. Though, I did request the purchase of this book) - (★★★★) Doing the Garden was a fun, simple story about a family going to the gardening store and getting seeds, plants, and even a tree. Audrey was completely amused by the dog's antics in the yard. We really enjoyed this one and hope that Eddie's Garden is just as fun... if we ever find it!
Not on the list - Doing the Garden by Sarah Garland (Because no one has Eddie's Garden: And how to make things Grow. Though, I did request the purchase of this book) - (★★★★) Doing the Garden was a fun, simple story about a family going to the gardening store and getting seeds, plants, and even a tree. Audrey was completely amused by the dog's antics in the yard. We really enjoyed this one and hope that Eddie's Garden is just as fun... if we ever find it!
Saturday, May 19, 2012
16 Down, 72 To Go, PLUS Miss A's Take
We have fearlessly barreled straight into our 100 book list. Recall, if you will, that we automatically checked 12 books off the list by virtue of ownership.
Since I posted the list last Saturday, we have been to the Orem library three times and the Provo library twice. I really underestimated my kids' appetite for books.
We went back on Friday to drop off everything we've read, pick up a few books I put on Hold and pick up more books.
The books we read up until Friday's trip:
1. Abuela by Arthur Dorros - (★★★★) Audrey and Henry really liked this one. The pictures were colorful, the story fanciful. A few Spanish phrases were included throughout, which Audrey really likes to listen to.
2. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins - (★★★★★) We all liked this book. As the title may suggest to you (it didn't immediately to me), this book shows pictures of animals, or significant parts of them, in actual size. The biggest reaction was when we unfolded the page with the crocodile jaws. The kids were amazed.
3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - (★★★★) A mother dog tries to get her puppy to bark. A variety of other animal noises come out of this sweet pooch and the best part is his mother's reactions to it all. The silliness was not lost on my kids!
4. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson - (★★★★) Bear hosts a party in cave, while he's asleep. Now that's talent! The pictures were engaging and the narration was fun. As the words got bigger, my voice got bigger. Honestly, Henry got a little worried near the end! ;)
7. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells - (★★★1/2) Both of my kids love Max and Ruby. Audrey because she used to watch it and Henry because Audrey does. Audrey wrinkled her nose and "yiiichhh-ed" Max's cake. She was completely engaged. I give it a 3 1/2 star rating only because I had to explain quite a few things to the kids or they wouldn't have understood what was going on.
8. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina - (★★★★) I remember this book from when I was a kid. I loved it, so I was fulfilled when it turned out my kids enjoyed it as well. The accidental cleverness of the Peddler may have been lost on my kids, but the naughtiness of the monkeys certainly wasn't. Cute!
9. Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay - (★★★3/4) Audrey struggled with this one just a little because the premise requires the child to accept that all cats can fly. It wasn't until the book showed pictures of cats flying that she started to get into the story. In the end, Caramba's desire to fit in was replaced with the satisfaction of finally discovering his true talent.
10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss - (★★★3/4) As simple as this story was, my husband reports that the kids were not especially entertained with it. A little boy plants a seed and, despite what everyone tells him, continues to care for it until he grows a beautiful carrot. Perhaps the message of patience and determination did sink in somewhere in my kids' heads but, like the book, is only starting out as a little seed.
11. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson - (★★★) I really enjoyed the cleverness of this book. It starts out with a little boy reading his favorite book about a pirate who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else, and on and on. The rhythmic rhyming was fun to read and the pictures were cute and engaging. In the end, the book reading returns to the little boy reading his favorite book. I think that, while Audrey was interested, she seemed to be confused by the titular character being read about by a character in his own book. The concept of infinity seemed to be a bit beyond her and meant for a child a little older.
12. Chester by Mélanie Watt - (★★★) This book is about the author trying to write a story about a mouse while her strong-willed cat, Chester, insists that the story be about him. He uses a big red marker to change her story into what he wants. They end up in a battle of wits trying to control the story. In the end, the author out-smarts her cat... or does she? This was another one that I found clever, fresh and funny. When I got to the end and looked at Audrey, she had a confused little frown on her face. When I asked her if she thought the book was funny and cute, she shook her head. Like the previous book, I think she would enjoy this book if she were a little older.
14. Chicken Little by Ed Emberley - (★★★★1/2) The classic story with a slight spin, it's really the pictures that make it stand out. Bold, slightly manic colors explode from the page as the ridiculous, petrified poultry race around trying to escape the perceived end of the world. The ending is a little more friendly to the sensitive feelings of young children, i.e. the birds don't get eaten. However, as the birds march into the fox's mouth, my children were both fully aware of the danger and appropriately concerned. Overall, a great read.
15. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin - (★★★) The title says almost all there is to say about this book. The cows are typing because they are asking for the farmer to do something nice for them; and, in turn, the farmer doesn't want to give them what they want. The issue quickly escalates out of the control of the farmer who eventually gives in. Perhaps it was my tone while reading it, but my kids were not engaged in this story at all. They understood that it was silly for the cows to type, but they didn't seem to comprehend why it was happening at all. Perhaps my tone was off because I couldn't help but think of Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I find demanding, intelligent barnyard animals to be creepy.
16. The Complete Adventures of the Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz - (★★1/2) My kids really seemed to like this book of 10 short stories. The pictures were cute and the Mole Sisters were sweet. I found the books to be overly simplified as far as word usage goes. There were phrases that the Mole Sisters used regularly that didn't describe what was going on at all. Maybe these adventures were happening just for the sake of adventuring, but there really didn't seem to be any point to them other than a "because we can" sort of attitude. In my opinion, there should be some sort of point to it all. Honestly, the biggest reaction from my kids was their exclamations of concern that there was a spider in the Mole Sisters' house.
18. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French - (★★★★) I thought the diary-style story telling from the perspective of the Wombat was adorable. "I woke up, I slept, I woke up, I ate dinner - grass, I slept, I woke up," The wombat pesters a family that moves into a house nearby, cutely harassing them into giving him food. I think the humor of it was lost on my kids, however. The pictures were beautiful and engaging, the story gentle and the kids enjoyed that. If nothing else, my kids were able to learn from the book what a wombat is.
19. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems - (★★★★★) Audrey immediately understood the absurdity of a pigeon driving a bus, but she quickly fell victim to the pigeon's cajoling ways.She knew she should say no, but hesitated when he seemed mad at her. She was completely immersed in the book and frequently looked to me for help when she couldn't figure out what to do about that pesky bird. We liked this book so much, that we went ahead and read the other two Pigeon books I picked up from the library. We read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. The drawings were fun, the pigeon's expressions wildly varied. I have half a mind to buy the whole series of Pigeon books!
22. Elmer by David McKee - (★★★★★) Elmer is an elephant who isn't elephant-colored but has many colors all over his body like patchwork. He wants to be like the other elephants, so he goes out to find a way to change how he looks. When he comes back, no one recognizes him. This story was fun, colorful and entertaining. The kids really enjoyed it and I think, on a certain level, understood the point of the book. Everyone loved Elmer as he was and he finally realized that in the end.
Since I posted the list last Saturday, we have been to the Orem library three times and the Provo library twice. I really underestimated my kids' appetite for books.
We went back on Friday to drop off everything we've read, pick up a few books I put on Hold and pick up more books.
The books we read up until Friday's trip:
1. Abuela by Arthur Dorros - (★★★★) Audrey and Henry really liked this one. The pictures were colorful, the story fanciful. A few Spanish phrases were included throughout, which Audrey really likes to listen to.
2. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins - (★★★★★) We all liked this book. As the title may suggest to you (it didn't immediately to me), this book shows pictures of animals, or significant parts of them, in actual size. The biggest reaction was when we unfolded the page with the crocodile jaws. The kids were amazed.
3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer - (★★★★) A mother dog tries to get her puppy to bark. A variety of other animal noises come out of this sweet pooch and the best part is his mother's reactions to it all. The silliness was not lost on my kids!
4. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson - (★★★★) Bear hosts a party in cave, while he's asleep. Now that's talent! The pictures were engaging and the narration was fun. As the words got bigger, my voice got bigger. Honestly, Henry got a little worried near the end! ;)
7. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells - (★★★1/2) Both of my kids love Max and Ruby. Audrey because she used to watch it and Henry because Audrey does. Audrey wrinkled her nose and "yiiichhh-ed" Max's cake. She was completely engaged. I give it a 3 1/2 star rating only because I had to explain quite a few things to the kids or they wouldn't have understood what was going on.
8. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina - (★★★★) I remember this book from when I was a kid. I loved it, so I was fulfilled when it turned out my kids enjoyed it as well. The accidental cleverness of the Peddler may have been lost on my kids, but the naughtiness of the monkeys certainly wasn't. Cute!
9. Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay - (★★★3/4) Audrey struggled with this one just a little because the premise requires the child to accept that all cats can fly. It wasn't until the book showed pictures of cats flying that she started to get into the story. In the end, Caramba's desire to fit in was replaced with the satisfaction of finally discovering his true talent.
10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss - (★★★3/4) As simple as this story was, my husband reports that the kids were not especially entertained with it. A little boy plants a seed and, despite what everyone tells him, continues to care for it until he grows a beautiful carrot. Perhaps the message of patience and determination did sink in somewhere in my kids' heads but, like the book, is only starting out as a little seed.
11. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson - (★★★) I really enjoyed the cleverness of this book. It starts out with a little boy reading his favorite book about a pirate who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else who reads a book about someone else, and on and on. The rhythmic rhyming was fun to read and the pictures were cute and engaging. In the end, the book reading returns to the little boy reading his favorite book. I think that, while Audrey was interested, she seemed to be confused by the titular character being read about by a character in his own book. The concept of infinity seemed to be a bit beyond her and meant for a child a little older.
12. Chester by Mélanie Watt - (★★★) This book is about the author trying to write a story about a mouse while her strong-willed cat, Chester, insists that the story be about him. He uses a big red marker to change her story into what he wants. They end up in a battle of wits trying to control the story. In the end, the author out-smarts her cat... or does she? This was another one that I found clever, fresh and funny. When I got to the end and looked at Audrey, she had a confused little frown on her face. When I asked her if she thought the book was funny and cute, she shook her head. Like the previous book, I think she would enjoy this book if she were a little older.
14. Chicken Little by Ed Emberley - (★★★★1/2) The classic story with a slight spin, it's really the pictures that make it stand out. Bold, slightly manic colors explode from the page as the ridiculous, petrified poultry race around trying to escape the perceived end of the world. The ending is a little more friendly to the sensitive feelings of young children, i.e. the birds don't get eaten. However, as the birds march into the fox's mouth, my children were both fully aware of the danger and appropriately concerned. Overall, a great read.
15. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin - (★★★) The title says almost all there is to say about this book. The cows are typing because they are asking for the farmer to do something nice for them; and, in turn, the farmer doesn't want to give them what they want. The issue quickly escalates out of the control of the farmer who eventually gives in. Perhaps it was my tone while reading it, but my kids were not engaged in this story at all. They understood that it was silly for the cows to type, but they didn't seem to comprehend why it was happening at all. Perhaps my tone was off because I couldn't help but think of Animal Farm by George Orwell. I think I find demanding, intelligent barnyard animals to be creepy.
16. The Complete Adventures of the Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz - (★★1/2) My kids really seemed to like this book of 10 short stories. The pictures were cute and the Mole Sisters were sweet. I found the books to be overly simplified as far as word usage goes. There were phrases that the Mole Sisters used regularly that didn't describe what was going on at all. Maybe these adventures were happening just for the sake of adventuring, but there really didn't seem to be any point to them other than a "because we can" sort of attitude. In my opinion, there should be some sort of point to it all. Honestly, the biggest reaction from my kids was their exclamations of concern that there was a spider in the Mole Sisters' house.
18. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French - (★★★★) I thought the diary-style story telling from the perspective of the Wombat was adorable. "I woke up, I slept, I woke up, I ate dinner - grass, I slept, I woke up," The wombat pesters a family that moves into a house nearby, cutely harassing them into giving him food. I think the humor of it was lost on my kids, however. The pictures were beautiful and engaging, the story gentle and the kids enjoyed that. If nothing else, my kids were able to learn from the book what a wombat is.
19. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems - (★★★★★) Audrey immediately understood the absurdity of a pigeon driving a bus, but she quickly fell victim to the pigeon's cajoling ways.She knew she should say no, but hesitated when he seemed mad at her. She was completely immersed in the book and frequently looked to me for help when she couldn't figure out what to do about that pesky bird. We liked this book so much, that we went ahead and read the other two Pigeon books I picked up from the library. We read The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. The drawings were fun, the pigeon's expressions wildly varied. I have half a mind to buy the whole series of Pigeon books!
22. Elmer by David McKee - (★★★★★) Elmer is an elephant who isn't elephant-colored but has many colors all over his body like patchwork. He wants to be like the other elephants, so he goes out to find a way to change how he looks. When he comes back, no one recognizes him. This story was fun, colorful and entertaining. The kids really enjoyed it and I think, on a certain level, understood the point of the book. Everyone loved Elmer as he was and he finally realized that in the end.
Saturday, May 12, 2012
100 Books before Kindergarten
This summer, in anticipation of Audrey going to kindergarten in the fall, we are taking a 100 picture book challenge:
"Experts say that children need to hear at least 1,000 stories before they begin to learn to read.
GVPL’s Children and Family Literacy Librarians have selected a list of 100 exceptional picture books
which will entertain, educate and inspire young children again and again. Make time to snuggle up
and share these books with the children in your life."
http://gvpl.ca/assets/PDF/Interests/Parents--Educators/100-picture-books-booklist-for-web.pdf
We already own, and have read multiple times, several of the books listed. Just to make my summer more manageable, I will be checking those off automatically and will move on with the books we have not read.
UPDATE 7/19/2012: I put in links to the reviews I wrote on the books we read this summer. I'll add more as we finish the list! Just click on the number next to the book and it will take you to the appropriate blog! See, I'm so clever. ;)
1. Abuela by Arthur Dorros
2. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
4. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle
6. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
7. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
8. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
9. Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay
10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
11. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson
12. Chester by Mélanie Watt
13. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
14. Chicken Little by Ed Emberley
15. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
16. The Complete Adventures of the Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz
17. Corduroy by Don Freeman
18. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
19. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
20. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
21. Eddie’s Garden: And How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland
22. Elmer by David McKee
23. The End by David LaRochelle
24. Epossumondas by Coleen Salley
25. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
26. Fire Truck by Peter Sís
27. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
28. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
29. George and Martha by James Marshall
30. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
31. Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
32. Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
33. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
34. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
35. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen
36. Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
37. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
38. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
39. The Hoppameleon by Paul Geraghty
40. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
41. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
42. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
43. If You’re Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
44. I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen
45. The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen
46. In My Backyard by Margriet Ruurs
47. It’s a Secret! by John Burningham
48. The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel
49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
50. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
51. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
52. Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis; David Soman
53. Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
54. Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes
55. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
56. Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans
57. Madlenka by Peter Sís
58. The Mightiest by Keiko Kasza
59. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
60. Moose Tracks! by Karma Wilson
61. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham
62. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
63. My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
64. My Garden by Kevin Henkes
65. No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont
66. No, David! by David Shannon
67. Olivia by Ian Falconer
68. One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn
69. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
70. Pancakes for Supper! by Anne Isaacs
71. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
72. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
73. The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
74. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
75. Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke
76. Rain by Manya Stojic
77. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
78. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt
79. Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horácek
80. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
81. The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
82. Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough
83. Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey
84. Stella, Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay
85. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
86. Strega Nona: Her Story by Tomie dePaola
87. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
88. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
89. The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter
90. The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
91. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
92. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams
93. Tuesday by David Wiesner
94. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
95. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
96. Wheels on the Bus: A Book with Parts That Move by Paul O. Zelinsky
97. Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
98. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak
99. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
100. Yoko by Rosemary Wells
We only own 12 of these books, which I found slightly disappointing. We DO own other books not on this list that are by some of these same authors. I figure it probably counts toward the 100, but we will stick to the list anyway. The real trick will be whether or not our local library has all these books. We have about 14 weeks until school starts in the fall, which comes out to 6 or 7 books a week. We anticipate a move sometime in the next month or so, which may put us a little behind. Imagine accidentally packing up library books! What a frightening prospect!
Who would like to take this challenge with me? I think it will be a blast! ;)
"Experts say that children need to hear at least 1,000 stories before they begin to learn to read.
GVPL’s Children and Family Literacy Librarians have selected a list of 100 exceptional picture books
which will entertain, educate and inspire young children again and again. Make time to snuggle up
and share these books with the children in your life."
http://gvpl.ca/assets/PDF/Interests/Parents--Educators/100-picture-books-booklist-for-web.pdf
We already own, and have read multiple times, several of the books listed. Just to make my summer more manageable, I will be checking those off automatically and will move on with the books we have not read.
UPDATE 7/19/2012: I put in links to the reviews I wrote on the books we read this summer. I'll add more as we finish the list! Just click on the number next to the book and it will take you to the appropriate blog! See, I'm so clever. ;)
1. Abuela by Arthur Dorros
2. Actual Size by Steve Jenkins
3. Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
4. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson
5. The Best Pet of All by David Larochelle
7. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells
8. Caps for Sale: A Tale of a Peddler, Some Monkeys and Their Monkey Business by Esphyr Slobodkina
9. Caramba by Marie-Louise Gay
10. The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
11. Charlie Cook’s Favourite Book by Julia Donaldson
12. Chester by Mélanie Watt
14. Chicken Little by Ed Emberley
15. Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin
16. The Complete Adventures of the Mole Sisters by Roslyn Schwartz
17. Corduroy by Don Freeman
18. Diary of a Wombat by Jackie French
19. Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems
20. Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
21. Eddie’s Garden: And How to Make Things Grow by Sarah Garland
22. Elmer by David McKee
23. The End by David LaRochelle
24. Epossumondas by Coleen Salley
25. Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor
26. Fire Truck by Peter Sís
27. Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow
28. Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
29. George and Martha by James Marshall
30. Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley
33. The Gruffalo’s Child by Julia Donaldson
34. Grumpy Bird by Jeremy Tankard
35. Guji Guji by Chih-Yuan Chen
37. Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
38. The Hello, Goodbye Window by Norton Juster
39. The Hoppameleon by Paul Geraghty
40. How I Became a Pirate by Melinda Long
41. I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
42. If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Joffe Numeroff
43. If You’re Hoppy by April Pulley Sayre
44. I’m Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen
45. The Imaginary Garden by Andrew Larsen
46. In My Backyard by Margriet Ruurs
47. It’s a Secret! by John Burningham
48. The King’s Taster by Kenneth Oppel
49. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn
50. Kitten’s First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
51. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale by Mo Willems
52. Ladybug Girl by Jacky Davis; David Soman
53. Lemons Are Not Red by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
55. Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney
57. Madlenka by Peter Sís
58. The Mightiest by Keiko Kasza
59. Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton
60. Moose Tracks! by Karma Wilson
61. Mr. Gumpy’s Outing by John Burningham
62. Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candace Fleming
63. My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
64. My Garden by Kevin Henkes
65. No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont
66. No, David! by David Shannon
68. One Some Many by Marthe Jocelyn
69. Owl Babies by Martin Waddell
70. Pancakes for Supper! by Anne Isaacs
71. Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle
72. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert Munsch
73. The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend
74. Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin
75. Princess Pigsty by Cornelia Funke
76. Rain by Manya Stojic
77. Rosie’s Walk by Pat Hutchins
78. Scaredy Squirrel by Mélanie Watt
79. Silly Suzy Goose by Petr Horácek
80. Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner
82. Some Dogs Do by Jez Alborough
83. Stanley’s Party by Linda Bailey
84. Stella, Star of the Sea by Marie-Louise Gay
85. The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
86. Strega Nona: Her Story by Tomie dePaola
87. Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
88. Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester
90. The Three Pigs by David Wiesner
91. The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
92. There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Pam Adams
93. Tuesday by David Wiesner
95. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker
96. Wheels on the Bus: A Book with Parts That Move by Paul O. Zelinsky
97. Where Is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox
99. Where’s Spot? by Eric Hill
100. Yoko by Rosemary Wells
We only own 12 of these books, which I found slightly disappointing. We DO own other books not on this list that are by some of these same authors. I figure it probably counts toward the 100, but we will stick to the list anyway. The real trick will be whether or not our local library has all these books. We have about 14 weeks until school starts in the fall, which comes out to 6 or 7 books a week. We anticipate a move sometime in the next month or so, which may put us a little behind. Imagine accidentally packing up library books! What a frightening prospect!
Who would like to take this challenge with me? I think it will be a blast! ;)
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