As a girl, my favorite part of visiting Grandma's house was the three volume The Family Treasury of Children's Stories. Volume Two was my favorite, because it was a collection of fairy tales from all over the world. These were the real deal, not the Disney-fied, Americanized versions. And I read them every time we... Continue Reading →
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson is my favorite Christmas book ever. I've read it, loved it, and laughed a loud every December with it since my childhood. It's a refreshing, hilarious look at the traditional church Christmas pageant, told from the eyes of one of the participants. Due to circumstances beyond her... Continue Reading →
Betsy-Tacy
I am surprised I did not find the Betsy-Tacy books as a child. My children and I have discovered them recently, and have enjoyed them. Maud Hart Lovelace wrote Betsy-Tacy based upon her childhood growing up in Mankato, Minnesota. Betsy hopes a family with children will move in across the street from her, especially a... Continue Reading →
Fancy Nancy
On a recent library trip, my nine-year-old stocked up on Fancy Nancy books, written by Jane O'Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. Fancy Nancy delights the girly-girl in my daughter - and I enjoy her so much more than the popular princesses. Nancy is not perfectly coiffed; she is not a developing young woman. ... Continue Reading →
Nancy Drew
This week, my 10-year-old daughter and I are reading The Secret of Shadow Ranch by Carolyn Keene for a mother-daughter book club at the library. It got me thinking about how much I loved Nancy Drew as a child. By no means would I categorize Nancy Drew as stellar children's literature. However, Nancy Drew books... Continue Reading →
Stories from Grandma’s Attic
As a girl, I think I read Stories from Grandma's Attic by Arleta Richardson at least a dozen times. I loved the stories of the author's precocious grandmother, who was constantly in trouble. I am amazed at the memories in this book - not only the memory of the author, whose grandmother told her the... Continue Reading →
Ballet Shoes
Several years ago, I was looking for a book that the children and I could listen to in the car as we drove around town. I picked up Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfeild a couple of times, and put it down a couple of times. My girls were taking ballet lessons then, and loved them,... Continue Reading →
Mara: Daughter of the Nile
This historical adventure, set in (can you guess?) ancient Egypt, has enough action to satisfy the boys, and enough romance to keep the girls' attention. Mara: Daughter of the Nile by Eloise Jarvis McGraw tells the story of Mara, a slave girl who ends up acting as a double spy in the court of the... Continue Reading →
The Mysterious Howling
When I picked up this book at the library, a part of me wondered what I was doing. In fact, the first time I picked it up, I put it back down again and didn't check it out. Several weeks later, I spotted it again and couldn't help picking it up again. That time I... 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 