My boys love books with which they can sing along. Over the years we’ve collected a large number of such books. These are books where someone has taken a song – generally a well-known song, illustrated it, and published it as a book. The result is the fun of singing, all of the words right there on the page (in case you don’t know them all), and beautiful illustrations to go along with them.… Continue reading
children’s books
10 Ways to Encourage Imaginative Play in Children
Do you want to encourage your children to engage in imaginative play? In that case, I’m generally of the theory that less is more.
Kids do not need fancy costumes or toys in order to pretend. While this picture shows my son thoroughly decked out in a costume, kids can have just as much fun without such things. Dirt, sticks, rocks, and anything else they find outside are generally enough. … Continue reading
Our Favorite Snow Books
As we prepared to leave for my grandma’s house (see HERE), we got our first significant snow fall of the season. Some years we celebrate our first substantial snow by making Snow Ice Cream (recipe HERE) or make Maple Candy (recipe HERE). This year we celebrated by reading our favorite snow books.
I told my boys to pick out their favorite snow books, and they each came back with a huge stack. … Continue reading
Things to Entertain my Boys at Great-Grandma’s House
We’re headed to California next week to take care of my grandmother as she recovers from back surgery. Recovery and two young children don’t always go hand-in-hand. That said, my two boys are so excited about going and helping and spending time with their Great-Grandmother, that I’m hoping it’ll be a wonderful experience for all of us.
In order to keep my boys entertained during times when my grandma needs quiet over the next couple weeks, I picked up a few activity books from our favorite local bookstore. … Continue reading
1000 Books Before Kindergarten
Our local library recently started a program entitled 1000 Books Before Kindergarten as a way of encouraging parents to read to their young children.
In our house, we read all the time. I homeschool my kids, and our homeschooling largely consists of sitting down with stacks of books and reading them together.
When one of the children’s librarians told us about the program, my older son immediately announced, “Mama, we should sign up [my 3-year-old].” … Continue reading
Chapter Books with Strong Female Characters
A couple of weeks ago I posted a list of my family’s favorite picture books with strong female characters (see HERE). Today, I am posting a list of our favorite chapter books containing strong girls or women.
The list contains everything from books accessible to early readers to chapter books that are appropriate for young adults. I’ve read most of the books geared at younger readers with my 8-year-old, though none of the young adult books (those are waiting on our bookshelves for future reading).… Continue reading
Picture Books with Strong Female Characters
A few days ago, a friend’s post on Facebook lead to a discussion about books with strong female characters. I started to put together a list to send to her, and realized that other people might be interested in this list. So now I’m posting it here. The following are picture books that my boys and I have enjoyed over the years. … Continue reading
Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney
Miss Rumphius is a sweet, gentle, heartwarming tale of a life well lived. The inspiring message at this story’s core is a wise perspective on what it means to live a meaningful life.
Narrated by Miss Rumphius’ young niece, this book begins by introducing us to the “little and old” Lupine Lady who lives by the sea, but reminds us that she was not always little and old. … Continue reading
Bear Snores On, by Karma Wilson
Bear Snores On was Karma Wilson’s first picture book, and this playful tale of friendship is our favorite of the bunch. Her lyrical rhymes tell a cute story of how an assortment of woodland creatures end up having a party as they one-by-one gather in a sleeping bear’s den while a raging winter storm “howl[s]” outside.
The inviting tale is told in a wonderful, flowing cadence that makes it easy to read.… Continue reading
Barnyard Dance, by Sandra Boynton
Sandra Boynton has written and illustrated a lot of fun books for kids, but while we enjoy many of them, Barnyard Dance! is hands-down our favorite. In this book, Boynton combines her whimsical animal illustrations with words written to a rollicking, square-dance style beat. Every time we read it, my boys get up and dance.
This wonderfully silly book is a hit with everyone in our family, even after reading it frequently for over six years.… Continue reading