Category: Book Recommendations

Learning, and particularly learning to read, can be a challenging process. Sometimes, it just isn’t an easily acquired skill. Thank You, Mr Falker by Patricia Polacco is the poignant story of one student who struggled to read and the teacher who helped her to overcome her struggle. Trisha has grown up in family of readers.… Continue reading Thank You, Mr Falker by Patricia Polacco

“I am so glad that I live in a world where there are Octobers.” Thus says Anne Shirley, a beloved and memorable literary character that you will want to meet. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery will find its way into your heart, becoming a story that you will return to again and… Continue reading Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Fall is not only synonymous with apple picking but also with the scent of a freshly baked apple pie. After reading Apple Picking Time by Michele Benoit Slawson, the next logical book to pick up is How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World by Marjorie Priceman. The first step in making a… Continue reading How to Make an Apple Pie by Marjorie Priceman

For those who live in a region where there are four distinct seasons, the feelings of change are once again in the air. Each season has its own highlights. In the midwest, one of the highlights of fall is apple picking. It’s time to head to the orchards. The air is crisp, the skies are… Continue reading Apple Picking Time by Michele Benoit Slawson

Do you have memories of summertime days spent at a relative’s house? The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant is for any family that has ever crowded into a relative’s house for an extended period of time. It is for all those who have slept under the dining room table at grandma’s house because it was… Continue reading The Relatives Came by Cynthia Rylant

Did you ever long to have an exotic pet? Maybe a monkey? Or perhaps a cuddly panda bear? How about a penguin? Mr Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater is the imaginative tale of one small-town man who unexpectedly has a penguin delivered to his front door. Mr Popper, an ordinary house painter, absentmindedly… Continue reading Mr Popper’s Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

In the post entitled How Do You Choose What to Read, we talked about learning to be discerning in your book choices. As a family, you will develop your own ideas of what constitutes a good book worthy to be read aloud. Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit provides, I think, an opportunity to… Continue reading Five Children and It by Edith Nesbit

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann, has to be one of my all-time favorite stories for little ones. I cannot say enough how much delight and pleasure this story brings to young and old alike. The author takes the simple storyline of a zookeeper bidding goodnight to his animals, and portrays it so cleverly that… Continue reading Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

As we look back on our own childhoods, forays into the created world are probably found amongst each of our treasured memories. I remember taking walks with my grandmother in northern Michigan. She taught me to identify soldier moss and Indian paintbrush as it grew in the woods and how to find Petoskey stones on… Continue reading Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Do you have a little one who sits nestled on your lap? It is never too early to start the practice of reading out loud. A great place to begin is with the following three board books by Margaret Wise Brown. These are classic bedtime stories showing the comfort of a bedtime ritual, the steadfast… Continue reading Three Board Books by Margaret Wise Brown