Recently Reviewed Books
The Big Balloon Race
The Big Balloon Race by Eleanor Coerr, Illustrated by Carolyn Croll It is 1882. Horses, buggies, and wagons are common forms of transportation. Large crowds turn out to watch balloon races. The huge balloons are filled with hydrogen gas. Carlotta the Great is the best female aeronaut (balloon pilot) in America. On the morning of…
Blueberry Shoe
Blueberry Shoe by Ann Dixon, illustrated by Evon Zerbetz A family – mother, father, sister, and baby/toddler brother – loved to pick blueberries. Each year at the end of the summer, they went berry picking on the side of the same mountain in Alaska. One summer, sometime during the family’s hike up the mountain, their…
Reading Treasure Hunts
Learn To Read Treasure Hunts On Bookworm Bear My young readers loved doing treasure hunts. It was a fun way to practice new reading skills. And, they enjoyed running from one clue to the next, deciphering the words and finding the next clue…and eventually the end. Bookworm Bear is offering you printable treasure hunts clues…
How Does Sleep Come?
How Does Sleep Come? by Jeanne C. Blackmore, pictures by Elizabeth Sayles My toddlers were rather reluctant sleepers – they needed several stories, and lots of hugs before they could fall asleep. I wish I had had this book to share with my children when they were younger. A mother tucks her son into bed…
The Old Woman Who Named Things
The Old Woman Who Named Things by Cynthia Rylant, illustrated by Kathryn Brown There was a time in my family’s reading history when we had books by Cynthia Rylant in every room, all of the time. Henry and Mudge books. Mr. Putter and Tabby Books. The Cobble Street Cousins. Gooseberry Park. The Blue Hill Meadows. …
Don’t You Feel Well, Sam?
Don’t You Feel Well, Sam? by Amy Hest, illustrated by Anita Jeram Everyone knows how it feels to be sick with a cold. And, parents know how they feel when their child is ill. Ideally, we’d like to drop everything and just hold the sick child, comforting them, and spending quiet time with them. Sometimes…
There Are Cats In This Book
There Are Cats In This Book by Viviane Schwarz This is a wonderfully engaging, fun, lift-different-parts-of-the-page kind of book. Yes, there are cats in the book. Three cats talk to the reader, saying hello, asking for help turning a page, and getting excited when they see balls of yarn. We meet the three cats when…
When No One Is Watching
When No One Is Watching by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by David A. Johnson Some children (and some grown-ups) want to be the center of attention. Some children (and some grown-ups) are happier away from the spotlight – are happier doing things on their own, or with one friend. The main character in When No One…
Everything But The Horse
Everything but the Horse, A childhood Memory by Holly Hobbie When Holly Hobbie was a young girl, her family lived in a city neighborhood packed with children, pets, and grown-ups. The houses were close together. Holly Hobbie’s family lived on the third floor of one of the buildings. She loved living there. Then one day,…
Bear’s Picture
Bear’s Picture by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by D.B. Johnson A bear wanted to paint a picture. He got paper and paints – and starting painting. He added colors as he felt he needed them. He happily added orange, blue, and a rainbow he saw. Two gentlemen out walking saw the bear. “Bears can’t paint pictures,”…
Understood Betsy
Understood Betsy by Dorothy Canfield Fisher, illlustrations by Kimberly Bulcken Root When readers first meet the main character, they see a timid, worried Elizabeth Ann, who lives with her Aunt Harriet and Aunt Frances in a city. Elizabeth Ann is in the third grade at the big, local school. Aunt Frances devotes herself to taking…
Thinking of Maurice Sendak
Thinking of Maurice Sendak This week marks what would have been Maurice Sendak’s 85th birthday. Google even did a little animation showing some of his well-known characters. Sendak was born June 10, 1928. He died on May 8, 2012. Sendak was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1964 (Where the Wild Things Are); the Hans Christian…