Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
If you are familiar with the original Peter Pan by JM Barrie, or watched the Disney movie, you probably have a myriad of unanswered questions, including: What is Neverland, and how did Peter get to there? Who is Captain Hook and how did he end up in Neverland? Why can Peter fly, but not the... Continue Reading →
I have tried to find a book by Andrew Clements I do not like, and I have had no success. Every book of his my children and I read we enjoy immensely. The first one we read was The School Story - a book about a girl, Natalie, who writes a book, and her and... Continue Reading →
I have read this book to my children over and over and over - and we enjoyed it every time. Now my children are enjoying reading it themselves, even though they are elementary school age, and a bit past the information in it. Things People Do is an oversize hardcover book from Usborne Publishing Company. ... Continue Reading →
There are some authors that no matter what book you pick up, you will be sure to enjoy it. Virginia Lee Burton is one of those authors. Virginia Lee Burton (1909 - 1968) wrote and illustrated several classic picture books - including The Little House, Katy and the Big Snow, Maybelle the Cable Car, Mike... Continue Reading →
A Child's Book of Art is an over-sized, hardback book for children. In it, Lucy Micklethwait has selected words and works of art which describe those words. For example, one two-page spread is titled "The Seasons." To illustrate spring, Micklethwait chose Spring by Claude Monet. For summer, she chose Wheatfield with Reaper by Vincent van... Continue Reading →
Pasteur's Fight Against Microbes is the story of Louis Pasteur and how he discovered microbes. I am not a scientist (by any stretch of the imagination), so I was surprised at how much I enjoyed this book - not to mention my children. It's a short little story, one that starts with the request of... Continue Reading →
The Monster at the end of this Book, starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover is one of my favorite books to read aloud. My sister gave it to my children when they were preschoolers, and we have enjoyed it for many years. In it, Grover sees the title of the book and is scared. He talks... Continue Reading →
Laura Numeroff created a delightful book with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. It all starts when the little boy in the book gives a mouse a cookie. A nice gesture - which leads to some interesting consequences which include mirrors, scissors, drawing a picture... and some how it all leads back to where... Continue Reading →
My Father's Dragon is a delightful story about a boy, Elmer Elevator, and his adventures on Wild Island. Elmer (the 'my father' in the story) befriends an alley cat, who tells him of a dragon caught on an island, used by the animals on that island. Elmer decides to go on an adventure and find... Continue Reading →
I have read several of Eleanor Estes' books to my children, and they have loved every single one. So, instead of reviewing each of her books, I'm recommending all her books! Estes (1906-1988) was a children's librarian for many years before starting to write children's books. She grew up in West Haven, Connecticut, which she... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 