by Carolyn | For fun, Imagination, Older Elementary, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds, Recommendations, Toddler
This fun picture book totally surprised me! I had expected Home by Carson Ellis to be about different types of homes people from around the world from highrises and ranches to igloos and wigwams. And Home does start out that way. Then, just when you think you know...
by Carolyn | Audiobooks, Classics, Girls, Imagination, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
We listened to Emily’s Runaway Imagination by Beverly Cleary as an audiobook, and let’s just say I was enchanted along with my kids by this story. Emily Bartlett lives on a farm in a small Oregon town in the 1920’s. She longs for a library, like the...
by Carolyn | Board Books, Book Lists, Picture Books, Preschool, Read Alouds
Bedtimes can be hectic! And if you have multiple kids, the act of getting everyone clean, pajamafied, and in (but not jumping on) their beds gets trickier. But days that end with a snuggle and a story are always sweeter. There are a couple of tricky things about...
by Carolyn | Biography, Imagination, Juvenile Fiction, Movies, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
Several years ago, when my older kids were four and six, I decided to read The Invention of Hugo Cabret to them. My husband and I had just seen the movie, so I was pretty excited about the book. I put it on hold at the library and waited patiently. I was expecting a...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Boys, Girls, Imagination, Older Elementary, Poetry, Read Alouds
It’s easy to neglect reading our kids poetry. But poetry can give our children an appreciation for words, rhythms, sounds and meaning like nothing else. Poems show you the world with a new view. They can be endearing, funny, or breathtaking; the best poems...
by Carolyn | Board Books, Character Training, Imagination, Picture Books, Read Alouds
When I first discovered the Little Books by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, I thought they were a hoot (pun intended). Little Hoot, Little Oink, and Little Pea offer a hilariously different perspective on the “problems” of childhood such as having to go to bed,...
by Carolyn | Adventure, Dystopian Future, Juvenile Fiction, Middle School, Older Elementary, Read Alouds, Sci-fi
Dystopian future novels have been very popular the last several years with the Hunger Games and Divergent among the front runners (read my review of Divergent). These types of novels hold an immense appeal. They feel more realistic than straight out fantasy. They also...
by Carolyn | Book Lists, Picture Books, Read Alouds, Recommendations
I’ve been thinking a lot about Dr. Seuss recently since the announcement that a new manuscript, What Pet Should I Get?, has been found and will be published posthumously. I’ve found that parents either love or hate Dr. Seuss’s books for their kids....
by Carolyn | Adventure, Book Lists, Character Training, Imagination, Older Elementary, Read Alouds
I believe reading aloud is so important! It is special family bonding time. Sharing a story together gives us shared experience, shared characters, shared adventure, shared emotion. We are able to walk through a story and wonder together at the same things, empathize...
by Carolyn | Audiobooks, Education, Picture Books, Read Alouds
My kids and I recently checked out The King Of The Birds by Helen Ward from the library and loved it! The storyline feels like one of Aesop’s Fables. The words are carefully chosen and the tale is beautifully told. How will the birds choose a king? This book so...
