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 →
Anne of Green Gables
An orphan delighted to find a new home on Prince Edward Island - then crushed to discover that her new guardians had wanted a boy. Her bright spirit and delightful chatter wins Matthew over, and he decided they must keep her. Thus began Anne's life with Marilla and Matthew on their farm, Green Gables. Anne... 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 →
A Long Way from Chicago
My youngest picked up the audio version of A Long Way from Chicago and wanted to listen to it in the van. I had never heard of it before, never read anything by Richard Peck before, and I wasn't sure how appropriate it was for a seven-year-old. But I thought we would give it a... Continue Reading →
Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists
Mike Venezia has written over two dozen very engaging books about famous artists in his series Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists. Each book in the series focuses on one particular artist, from Botticelli to Andy Warhol, from Monet to Jackson Pollock and many in between. Venezia does a great job of telling readers... Continue Reading →
Madeline
Before Fancy Nancy, girls fell in love with Madeline. Girls still love Madeline - and for good reason. Ludwig Bemelmans created Madeline after he moved to the United States and became a US citizen. Bemelmans wrote and illustrated several Madeline books, most of which take place in Paris, France. Children love the lilting rhyme of... Continue Reading →
The Thieves of Ostia
My children are voracious readers. In search of something that would capture my oldest's attention, I discovered The Thieves of Ostia by Caroline Lawrence, the first in her The Roman Mysteries series at our local library. I made sure I read it before Nathaniel, because I was concerned about the character treatments, plot, and any... Continue Reading →
How Artists See:
Colleen Carroll has created treasures for parents who wish to teach their children about art - especially those who don't know much about art themselves. Her series of books titled How Artists See... give parents and children a common vocabulary with which to discuss paintings. Each two-page spread focuses on a different painting and guides... Continue Reading →
The Princess Tales
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 →
Cultivating Readers 