What We're Reading This Week: November 19

Still going through the stack of library books from almost 2 weeks ago.

The Elf is particularly enjoying Mythology: The Gods, Heroes and Monsters of Ancient Greece (having a heck of a time finding a good link for this one) written by Dugald Steer under the pen name of “Lady Hestia Evans”.

It is from the so- called "Ologies Series" put out by Candlewick Press and is a unique and cool book with fun flaps and pockets, maps and genealogical tables and Greek mythology galore.

It even contains a pop up Pandora’s box.

A pop-up Pandora's box which I automatically reached for and opened up before I even realized what it was!

Book excerpt, “ Now you’ve done it! You couldn’t resist opening the box, could you? Now you know how Pandora must have felt.”

This book was sought out as a follow up and out of interest stirred by the Percy Jackson and the Olympian Series we were reading a few weeks ago.

Picture books we enjoyed this week included:

• Class Two at the Zoo by Julia Jarman, illustrated by Lynne Chapman,
• Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen illustrated by Kevin Hawkes and
• Things I Learned In Second Grade by Amy Swartz.

Me, well for myself I read the Secret Life of Bees by Sue Kidd Monk and I just loved it.

What We are Reading This Week , November 12

This past weekend I took my little elf and her friend to the library. It has been a while since we’ve been and so we really went nuts!! We took out about 30 books between the two of us!
Usually we only take out about 5 each, but I guess we were trying to make up for library withdrawal. And of course, I took a few books out for the children at the daycare, too.

So, here is the list of what we have been reading this week since our backbreaking trip home from said library.

The Elf has read:

• Ramona the Brave
• Ramona the Pest
• Ramona and Her Father (all by Beverly Cleary)
• Magic School Bus. In the Time of The Dinosaurs
• MSB, Explores the Senses by Joanna Cole.

My daycare children (as well as the Elf) enjoyed:

• Saturday Night at the Dinosaur Stomp by Carol Diggory Shields and wildly illustrated by Scott Nash
• On the Night You Were Born by Nancy Tillman
• Berenstain Bears on the Moon by Jan and Stan Berenstain

We also borrowed The Glow in the Dark Night Sky Book by Clint Hatchett, illustrated by Stephen Marchesi. Besides the fact that “Night” is our theme at the daycare this week (hence the Night theme in the above picture books), I thought that here at home we could use the “late autumn” constellation map when we are out next Tuesday night (November 17-18 , 11:00 pm until 4:00 am) to witness the Leonid Meteor Shower.

I’m still not sure whether to have the Elf up so late to witness the shower or not. It is a school night and it is getting much colder. But she is eight now and interested in all things celestial, so it might be worth letting her sleep in and go to school late….
I will likely get her to bed early and wait to see if the night is clear enough and we get a good show before deciding whether or not it is worth waking her.

Another book that I took out was Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine. It was winner of the Canadian Library Association Book of the Year for Children, the Silver Birch Award and the National Jewish Book Awards. I read it alone and cried.

The Elf knows certain things about war. She knows that war is not a nice thing. She knows that countless people die in war. She knows a little about the Holocaust. But I don’t think I’m ready for her to read this book yet. Because once you know such horrible truths about the world, it changes you… and I’m not ready for that yet. When she’s a little older, it will be a good book to read.

I am thankful that we are fortunate enough to live in a place where she gets to hold onto her childhood longer than many children in the world who are living through war now. And my heart goes out to those Mamas and Papas who must endure the cold and brutal reality of having more than just the loss of childhood innocence to face.

What We Are Reading This Month

Whoa! Where did the month of October go?

Anybody?

How is it possible that it is November 5th and it was SNOWING this morning?

Ah well, as I begin to slouch into hibernation mode, perhaps I will actually spend more time blogging!!

And of course hibernation mode is also the perfect excuse to read even more books.
What have we been reading?
Well, at daycare it has been a continuation of the fall theme with Theo LeSeig’s Ten Apples Up on Top, Tomie DePaolo’s My First Halloween and The Runaway Pumpkin by Kevin Lewis which, with it’s refrain of “ 'round and 'round across the ground, makin’ a thumpin’ , bumpin’ sound”, has become my new favourite rhyming, fall picture book.

Here at home in the past month we have devoured the first three of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series written by Rick Riordan. They are, The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters and The Titan’s Curse. These New York Times #1 best-selling books are packed with adventure and Greek mythology which is what we will be investigating more of on our next trip to the library. Needless to say, the next books in this series are now on the Christmas Wish List!!

My 8 year old is an avid reader and she reads well. Of course this is wonderful news, but as a busy,working, multi-projects on the go mom, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with her voracious appetite!! We enjoy reading together, but more and more often she is going on ahead to finish reading the books on her own. In her own spare time. Of which (I keep explaining to her) she has considerably more than I do!

And now, the dishes are done, laundry is folded and put away, the dinner plan is in action, the blog entry has been written... I’m off to curl up with a hot cup of tea and some well earned spare time to read the last few chapters of The Titan’s Curse.

What We Are Reading This Week

Autumn is in full swing and I love this time of year, not only for the crisp fresh apples, brisk mornings and colourful countryside but for the chance to present my “Autumn Books” bin to my circle-time friends. My Autumn collection is one of my favourites.

The book I read on Monday (my circle day at the daycare) was:
Night Is Coming by W. Nikola-Lisa.

The illustrations by Jamichael Henterly evoke a sense of autumnal familiarity that makes me feel warm inside. The text is simply beautiful and poetic.

The rest of my autumn collection includes the following books:

• Apple Picking by Janet Craig
• Fresh Fall Leaves by Betsy Franco
• How do Apple Grow by Betsy Maestro
• I like Pumpkins, by Jerry Smath
• My First Halloween by Tomie DePaola
• Picking Apples and Pumpkins by Amy and Richard Hutchings
• The Pumpkin Book by Gail Gibbons
• Sam the Scarecrow by Sharon Gordon
• Squirrels and Chipmunks by Allan Fowler
• Ten Apples up on Top by Theo LeSeig
• The Witch Next Door by Norman Bridwell
• Scaredy Squirrel by Melanie Watts
  

At home, when asked to choose a book for us to read together, my little elf chose Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox. I’ve had this book in my library since it was published in 2001, the year my daughter was born. She loves the fact that we are reading aloud together a book about reading aloud together!!

So do I.

A Book Give Away!!

I love books and reading. I especially love children's books.
Sharing books with children just may be the one thing I enjoy most about my job as an Early Childhood Educator. In fact, one of the intended purposes of my lil' blog here is to write about some of my favourite children's authors and books. (Watch for that, I WILL be doing it SOON!)

One thing that is almost as much fun as reading books is getting new books. And the one thing that is even better than getting new books is getting FREE new books.

That's why I am entering this contest offered by Jill over at The Well-Read Child and suggesting that anyone else who also likes FREE children's books should consider entering as well. It's easy. Even though... I'm going to win, I'm just saying... anyone else is also free to enter!!

The book Jill is offering is called Winter's Tail : How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again. It looks so adorable.

Oh, by the way Jill hosts a weekly event on Thursdays called What My Children Are Reading
and on Thursday December 17, I will be guest hosting!! So excited!! Should be fun!!

My Kite is Back in the Sky!

Wait.
Listen.
Can you hear that?

Ahh, there it is. The sound of peace and quiet and calm that is now settling in and wrapping me up like a nice warm blanket. September is essentially over and the routines are back in place. And this morning I am feeling very calm.

Clearly, the beginning of summer holidays was not a great time for me to begin this blog.

I started out with the finest ambition and then the crazy, lazy days of summer came along and yanked that ambition right out of my grasp! It then became entangled in a tree, much like Charlie Brown’s kite!

Then, September arrived and I thought, okay, now I can get back to that blog.

I forgot, of course, what a chaotic month September can be whilst attempting to squeeze back into those early mornings and making lunches and working out meal times around the Brownie meetings, skating lessons, yoga classes and Board meetings!

But now?
Well now one load of laundry is hanging out on the line, another is in the machine, muffins are in the oven, floors are swept and breakfast dishes done, my little elf has just caught the bus (didn’t even have to rush for it THIS morning), I KNOW what’s for dinner tonight AND it’s only 9 a.m!!!

This feels good.

Think I’ll get my second cup of tea and pour over my songs to study for choir practice next week, do a little singing and maybe even practice some guitar before looking at the rest of my To Do list for the day!

That list includes yoga class plans, bill paying, receipt organizing, dinner prepping, hanging more laundry, menu planning, Brownie uniform ordering, some e-mails and phone calls.....but for now, tea and put my feet up for a bit!! And enjoy the peace and quiet and calm.

Ahhhh!!

The Serious Business of Fun

Day 10: Swimming at a beautiful bit of paradise called

Scott's Dam with her cousin.

Day 22: This raspberry-picking is serious business

Day 14: Ahh, Library Leisure!

Here are just a few shots of the summer my little elf has been enjoying... I miss her.

I've called her once and she has called me once, from Grandma and Grandpa's house in St. Catharines. I think I will call her again, tonight.

She assures me that plenty of her daily activities are being captured in photographs to show me and to use in our 67 Days of Summer Project. At least I'm thinking we are calling it "The 67 Days of Summer". The other option, which dawned upon me just recently, is to call it "The Summer of 67 Days" .

I get hung up on small decisions like this sometimes!