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Monday, May 30, 2011

Books we're enjoying (and summer focus)

My friend KB recommended a book for me to read with N titled, The Journey of the One and Only Declaration of Independence.  She and I have both been enjoying it, especially since it ties in perfectly with a Flat Stanley project that N's class did in April.  For the project, N mailed a picture of Flat Stanley to my friend G and her son A, who live near Philadelphia PA.  They took Stanley to visit where George Washington crossed the Delaware and sent N postcards of the liberty bell and Independence Hall.  And lots of this stuff is discussed in the Declaration picture book, so that has been tremendously cool.

KB also recently told me about a Scholastic warehouse sale where I purchased a book for N titled, Lives of the Presidents:  Fame, Shame (and What the Neighbors Thought).  I will be interested to see how we can tie what we have read about the Declaration of Independence to what we read about Thomas Jefferson and other early presidents.

We've been reading tall tales lately after G took a liking to Paul Bunyan vs. Hals Halson:  The Giant Lumberjack Challenge by Theresa BatemanThe kids really liked Stagecoach Sal by Deborah Hopkinson, and I have been meaning to check some websites to learn one of the folk songs from the book with which I am not familiar---"Sweet Betsy from Pike."  Both N and G liked me warbling "Polly Wolly Doodle" so I thought it might be fun for us to learn another one.

G is into anything dinosaur right now so I pick those books up when I can.  I think we must have read Dino-Soccer by Lisa Wheeler at least 30 times.  G also really liked the book Moonpowder by John Rocco which didn't seem like something he would go bananas over, but he did anyway.

Since N is in school, I try to pick books that I think she will like.  Even though she reads short novels on her own....bits and pieces since she never finishes any of them (which drives me nuts)....I want her to continue reading picture books.  I don't think one is ever too old to not get something from a picture book.  We read one I had selected called The Seeing Stick by Jane Yolen, which I thought was neat, and I think she enjoyed too.  N is pretty easy to please and rarely says she dislikes a book.

I really enjoyed Guyku:  A Year of Haiku for Boys by Bob Rackza.  Earlier today N was trying to write a haiku in her Junie B. Jones journal, so I had D read this to the kids before bed tonight.  Even though it is written "for" boys, the book is cute for any person who is around boys and understands how they are.

Here is N's haiku from earlier:
The pool is so fun.
I am going to the pool.
Pools are fun to do.  


I am always game to hear about books other people with similarly aged children are reading and enjoying so send me your suggestions if you have any.  

1 comment:

Keri said...

I was considering writing a weekly Note on Facebook this summer listing our favorite library selections of the week, to help out other moms. Now you've motivated me to follow through with my idea (but not tonight - too tired).

Thanks for the book suggestions here, too!