When you think of The Wizard of Oz, do you think of the classic movie or the book? I always used to think of the movie. When we first embarked on this wonderful reading journey, thanks to Alice Ozma (The Reading Promise) and her father, I had no idea there was more than just The Wizard of Oz. After reading The Reading Promise, we learned that there are 14 books in the Land of Oz Series. I read The Wizard of Oz to my daughter and a couple of years later to my son. My son and I decided to continue with the series. We have just finished all 14! …
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💖Books We Love 💖
In honor of Valentine’s Day, we are going to share with you books we love. There are A LOT, so we have narrowed it down. We have each chosen a book that we loved reading aloud. First on the list is a book that should always be on a Valentine’s list. Love Among the Walnuts by Jean Ferris. I was given this book by a librarian in Cambridge, MA. Yeah for librarians! I would bring my 1st grade class to the library every week, and the two librarians quickly became very good friends. Love Among the Walnuts is a silly story about love, family, and the family you find while…
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We are back!
Hello again, sorry for the long delay. We’ll be back even better than ever with our newly updated website and new posts(soon).
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The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore
I subscribe to The New York Times and usually on Fridays they publish an article about new books they are recommending. I glance through it and think “this one looks good, but I have so many on my TBR lists that I just can’t put another one it.” Before Christmas, The Stars Beneath our Feet by David Barclay Moore was in one of the Friday lists. In the brief description in the NYT it mentioned LEGOs, I was hooked. I made a point of writing it down immediately so I could get it out of the library. I am always looking for books for my 12 year old son. This…
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Reading is Always in Fashion
My parents bring me Architectural Digest magazines whenever they get them. I love to look through the beautiful houses and gardens. I often rip pages out and save them for our “someday house”. This month’s issue was no exception. An article about a family with seven children in Oxfordshire, England had a picture of their dining room. On one wall was a huge painting of a page from Dr. Suess’ Oh the Places You’ll Go. Simply perfect! And, this idea doesn’t have to wait for our “someday house”! Happy Reading!
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The Importance of Children’s Books
I read this blog post from Parnassus Books https://parnassusmusing.net/2018/01/17/14-picture-books-kind-citizens/#more-28438 If you aren’t currently signed up to receive the “musings” from Parnassus Books, I highly suggest you do. This particlular post was about books to read with children showing them to be kind to one another. I got to the book Love by Matt de la Pena. I haven’t read the book yet, but I did link to the article in Time Magazine http://time.com/5093669/why-we-shouldnt-shield-children-from-darkness/. This article is so beautiful, and so important. Books can transport readers. If one book, one illustration, can help a child to “feel” than it was worth it. Often times, children do not have words to express how they…
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What Made Maddy Run by Kate Fagan
http://www.elmstreetbooks.com/book/9780316356541 A friend recommended this book to me. She did warn me that it was intense. It is very well written. Kate Fagan tries to understand what was happening to Maddy through texts, social media posts and talking with her friends and family. Nobody will ever know what was happening inside Maddy’s mind, and that is heartbreaking. This is an important read for parents and teenagers, and for teachers and coaches. In this fast paced, pressured world for our children, please know that NOTHING is more important that your life. I don’t imagine that there is any parent, coach, teacher, professor, brother, sister, or friend that would disagree. Please know…
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Of Mice and Men
My daughter and I are just about to finish reading Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. I read it when I was in 7th or 8th grade. I knew it was a classic because we had to read it. As I got older and tended to read more books of my choosing, I did go back and read other John Steinbeck books and loved them. The way he writes is beautiful. There are so many books to read (just take a look at everyone’s TBR lists), how do we define a classic? I remember everything about Of Mice and Men (and it was a VERY long time ago that…
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So, Harry Potter has been around for a long time (20 years to be exact – why didn’t LEGO resissue the Harry Potter LEGOs to time with the 20th Anniversary?). I remember a teacher friend reading it way back when I was single. I read the entire series when the kids were very little. My daughter was capable of reading it by 3rd grade but admitted that she was afraid. Many of her friends were reading it, and she was feeling left out. We decided to read it together. I read Books 1-5 aloud to her. By the time we got through #5, she told me she was done and…
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Bird by Bird
My daughter and I just finished reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. As my daughter has entered HS and is writing a lot for several classes, this seemed to be a good fit for right now. It was a little slow for a read aloud, as there is no dialogue. But, we both enjoyed it. And, it is always good to hear an author’s writing process. Anne Lamott is one of my favorite authors, both fiction and non fiction. This non fiction book, as it states on the cover, is basically “Some instructions on writing and life” This is very true of Bird by Bird. There is some advice…