Books to Inspire, Thrill and Engage Children
Children just beginning to read will greatly enjoy reading any Elephant and Piggie book by Mo Willems - and better yet, their parents will enjoy listening to them! Mo Willems has a great sense of humor, which comes out in all his books. I reviews his Pigeon books earlier, but felt that the Elephant and... Continue Reading →
Jonah has always knows he's adopted. It's never been that big of a deal, until now. Jonah discovers that he and his new friend Chip have both been getting strange messages, the first of which says "You are one of the missing." The quest to decipher the meaning of these messages involve Jonah, Chip and... Continue Reading →
My family first discovered The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop as an audio book. We listened to it in the van, as we drove to church, on errands or trips. We all loved it. William does not want Mrs. Phillips to leave. His British housekeeper is going home to England after living with... Continue Reading →
The Peterkins were a large family who lived long ago. They had a good friend, whom they called "The Lady from Philadelphia," whose kindness and wisdom often saved the family from disaster when their silliness got out of hand. Often, but not always. And the Peterkins' silliness makes for some delightful stories. (You can read... Continue Reading →
Generally, I am not a fan of repackaging beloved stories for marketing purposes, but I make an exception for the Little House story books. (See my review of other Little House story books here.) For the holidays, HarperCollins Publishers pulled out all the Christmas's Laura Ingalls Wilder described in some of her Little House on... Continue Reading →
In the midst of all the holiday preparations, I encourage you to sit down and enjoy The Peterkins' Thanksgiving, adapted by Elizabeth Spurr from Lucretia P. Hale's original story from 1880. The large Peterkin family is ready to sit down to eat their delicious Thanksgiving feast. They are looking forward to the food their cook... Continue Reading →
George and Martha are hippos, huge hippos who are good friends. Not just good friends - great friends. George and Martha by James Marshall introduces young readers to the two hippos in two different stories: Split Pea Soup and The Flying Machine. In both stories, George and Martha face a dilemma. How will George tell... Continue Reading →
Boys who love horses and cowboys will enjoy reading Cowboy Ned & Andy, a picture book by David Ezra Stein. Cowboy Ned is celebrating his birthday out on the range, so his horse, Andy, tries to find a cake for him. As he wanders the range, Andy encounters plenty of creatures, none of whom are... Continue Reading →
When I first came across the My First Little House Books series, I was disgusted. Is there no end to repackaging, marketing and otherwise destroying my favorite books? But curiosity overcame my disgust and I picked up a variety of them and brought them home to read and evaluate. I was pleasantly surprised at... Continue Reading →
The world's most famous detective, Sherlock Holmes, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity - multiple TV shows, movies, and books. Now author Andrew Lane has delved into Holmes' teen years with his book Death Cloud, the first in a new series Sherlock Holmes: The Legend Begins. The 14-year-old Sherlock Holmes is forced to spend the... Continue Reading →
Cultivating Readers 