Beginning readers will enjoy getting to know Frog & Toad, characters created by Arnold Lobel. Frog and Toad are best friends. They enjoy spending time together, learning from each other, and helping to cheer each other up when one is down. The short stories trace their friendship and their usually-quite-funny predicaments - like the time... Continue Reading →
The Skippack School
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 →
The Thanksgiving Story
Most children who've been to preschool can probably tell you the first Thanksgiving involved Indians and Pilgrims, and perhaps even have a paper Pilgrim collar and hat or Indian headband to prove it. The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh will help children understand who the Pilgrims were and why they celebrated Thanksgiving with the Indians.... 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 →
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 →
Brown Bear, Brown Bear
From the time my children were about eight months old (or even younger), I read Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr & Eric Carle to them nearly every day. We loved Carle's depiction of the animals in Brown Bear, Brown Bear and we loved the lilting, rhyming rhythm of... Continue Reading →
The Courage of Sarah Noble
This year, my younger children and I are exploring American History, and enjoying some wonderful books on our journey. One of those is The Courage of Sarah Noble by Alice Dalgliesh. I remember my older two children enjoying this book when they read it two years ago, but this was the first time I had... 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 →
Cultivating Readers 