The Skippack School by Marguerite de Angeli takes awhile to get into, but it is worth it. As my nine-year-old put it, "It starts out boring, but then it gets interesting." The main character is Eli, recently arrived in Pennsylvania from Germany with his parents and two younger sisters. His story starts on Pennsylvania soil,... Continue Reading →
Amelia Bedelia
If you have never read any of Peggy Parish's Amelia Bedelia books, you are missing out. Amelia Bedelia is a young woman with a heart of gold, but she cannot seem to do anything right. In the first book, Amelia follows Mrs. Rogers' instructions exactly, even though they don't make sense to her - things... Continue Reading →
Usborne Farmyard Tales
If you are looking for good books for toddlers and preschoolers, my favorite publisher is Usborne Publishing Company. So many of our favorite books when my children were that age came from Usborne - and the Farmyard Tales stories top the list. I bought my youngest The Complete Book of Farmyard Tales by Heather Amery,... Continue Reading →
Hill of Fire
In Hill of Fire by Thomas P. Lewis, we read about a volcano that suddenly formed out of a farmer's field. That's the story in one sentence - Lewis builds up beautifully to the moment, describing the farmer's mundane life of living in a small Mexican village, eating breakfast, and working in the fields, complaining... Continue Reading →
Daniel’s Duck
My children have read Daniel's Duck by Clyde Robert Bulla over and over again. They enjoy the story, and I enjoy the lesson it teaches. Daniel admires a famous carver's wood carvings, and decides to work on his own wood carving for the county fair. He works hard on it all winter, and proudly enters... Continue Reading →
Greg’s Microscope
Greg's Microscope by Milicent E. Selsam should carry a warning: "Causes intense desire for microscopes in children." This easy-to-read book explores the world found under a microscope slide from the perspective of a young boy. He looks at salt, sugar and a myriad of other things in his house through his new microscope. His interest... Continue Reading →
Wagon Wheels
I almost cried when my seven-year-old read Wagon Wheels by Barbara Brenner out loud to me. I had to sit down and reread the story myself, to make sure he had read it correctly. Wagon Wheels is the story of the Muldie family moving West from Kentucky to Kansas after the Civil War. The mother... Continue Reading →
Magic Tree House
We discovered the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne when my oldest was in kindergarten. I have to admit, I was unsure how I would like them when we first checked them out of the library. But after reading the first book, Dinosaurs Before Dark, aloud to my children, I decided I had... Continue Reading →
Dolphin Adventure
If you have a child in your life who loves animals, especially dolphins, she will love this book! I read Dolphin Adventure aloud to my children several times, and they have read it on their own many more times. Wayne Grover, a deep-sea diver based in Florida, tells the story of how he met a... Continue Reading →
Twenty and Ten
The subject of Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop has scared many a parent from reading this book aloud to their children. Quite honestly, some children may be too sensitive to listen to or read this book until they are older. You know your child best, do what's best for him or her. Twenty... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 