If the children in your life love horses, they will love Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry. (By the way, it's pronounced chink-o-teeg) The story follows Paul and Maureen, two children on Chincoteague Island in Virginia who desperately want to buy a wild horse from Assateaugue (ass-a-teeg) Island. They work very hard, finding odd jobs... Continue Reading →
Doctor De Soto
The hero of Doctor De Soto by William Steig, is a dentist. He's not an ordinary dentist - he's a mouse dentist, and a good one at that. All the animals come to see him, and he has various solutions for working on the mouths of animals bigger than he. However, Doctor De Soto does... Continue Reading →
The Story of Doctor Dolittle
If you have never read the original The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting, you are in for a treat. I think the title tells it all: The Story of Doctor Dolittle: Being the History of His Peculiar Life at Home and Astonishing Adventures in Foreign Parts. Never Before Printed. John Dolittle, M.D. -... Continue Reading →
The Story About Ping
Ping is a duck who lives with his family on the Yangtze River in China. The Story About Ping by Marjorie Flack tells of his adventures - or rather misadventures. One night, in order to avoid a spanking for being the last duck home, he stays on shore rather than board the wise-eyed boat which... Continue Reading →
Most Wanted
You may think Most Wanted by Kate Thompson is about the world's top criminals, but you'd be wrong. The horse on the cover provides a clue - Thompson writes about the beautiful horse which Roman Emperor Gaius made consul, Incitatus. A baker's son unexpectedly finds himself holding Incitatus's reigns after a servant boy hands them... Continue Reading →
The Bears on Hemlock Mountain
Johnathan lives on Hemlock Mountain, which is really more of a hill than a mountain, with his parents and surrounded by a large extended family. One of Johnathan's cousins is about to be christened, and his mother is hosting the entire family after church. After casting about for ideas of what to make for so... Continue Reading →
The Cat in the Hat
No American childhood would be complete without reading Dr. Seuss's famous book The Cat in the Hat. Hollywood has taken to turning Dr. Seuss's simple children's books into movies - but as with most movies, the books are better. The Cat in the Hat tells the story of a boy and his sister, left alone... Continue Reading →
Frog & Toad
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 →
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 →
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 →
Cultivating Readers 