Reading Aloud to Babies and Toddlers

Reading to our babies is one of the best things we can do to encourage their language development…and in the future, to help them love to read.  The best time to start reading to babies is before their birth.  Reading the same book to them everyday helps them become familiar with your voice and experience the rhythms of language.  Once your baby is born, continue reading to him everyday, even if it seems he isn’t paying attention.

If you have missed this opportunity, don’t be discouraged.  It’s never too late to start reading to your child!  If you have a squirmy, resistant toddler, read on for suggestions.

Read to your child everyday, even if he doesn’t seem interested.  Try to make reading fun—for toddlers, you can experiment with books to touch (like Pat the Bunny) and sturdy board books that don’t have many words.  Most toddlers are interested in animals, so look for books about animal sounds.  A perfect choice is Eric Carle’s The Very Busy Spider, which has textured pages to touch, and a simple text including animal sounds.

If your child continues to refuse to sit on your lap and listen to a book, try the following:

-Read to your child while he plays near you.  Hold the book towards your child, so that if he looks at you, he can see the pictures.  Don’t force your child to sit on your lap to listen to a book-we want books to be associated with positive experiences.

-Keep sturdy board books or cloth books in your toddler’s toy box, and stand books up near your baby when your lay him down for “tummy time”.  They might get chewed on a little, but that’s ok.  The idea is to help you child associate books with enjoyment.  (Supervise chewers carefully!)

-Try reading to your child when he is tired and wants to cuddle-like right when he wakes up or right before bed.

-Try reading to your  baby when she is  in their “quiet-alert” stage.  For older babies, this might mean right after a meal.  For nursing babies who fall asleep after nursing, try reading to them after bath time, or right after a diaper change.  Experiment—try reading several times during the day to find what works for you and your baby.  Once you find a time that works, try to make it a habit.

-Choose the right book!  Books for babies and toddlers should have bright, realistic illustrations (or photographs), simple, short sentences, and include rhyme and/or repetition.  Books you can “sing” to baby are especially good choices.

-Some toddlers seem to need a sense of “control” in order to sit still for a book.  In this instance, I usually let them have it (in moderation.)  I let them turn pages, for example, ask them to point to things in the pictures, and so on. But I never let little ones grab, tear, or throw books. Toddlers must be taught to treat books carefully.

-Very squirmy toddlers might need a specially  modified read aloud time for awhile: Don’t linger too long on the pages; shorten or skip text if you have to, or even  just “talk” to them about the pictures in short sentences.

Other Tips:

-Don’t read in “baby talk”.  Use real words and complete sentences. It is OK to use a sing-song, higher pitched voice, if it seems natural to you to do so.

-Encourage toddlers to chime in with repeated phrases or sounds when they can.

-Don’t worry about variety: It’s OK to read  a few favorite books over and over for now. Babies and toddlers love repetition, and learn through it.

Here are some of our favorite books to read to babies and toddlers (in no particular order):

Brown Bear Brown Bear What Do You See, Bill Martin

Goodnight Moon; The Big Red Barn, Margaret Wise Brown

The Three Little Kittens, Paul Galdone

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (board book), by Eileen Christelow

Ten In the Bed, by Penny Dale (out of print–from Discovery Toys–a ‘singable” book.)

Very Busy Spider, The, Eric Carle

Read-Aloud Bible Stories, by Ella Lindvall (Great first Bible stories with short sentences.)

Farm Animals, Baby’s Animal Friends, (chunky board books) by Phoebe Dunn (there are others in this series, by different author. These where my baby’s favorites.)

The Foot Book, Dr. Seuss (short sentences, lots of repetition.)

Wheels on the Bus, (a pudgy board book), by Jerry Smath (another singable book)

The Pudgy book of Mother Goose, by Richard Walz

Little Golden books, such as:

–The Animals of Famer Brown, Richard Scarry

–Old MacDonald Had a Farm, (there are several  versons of this-they are all good, and fun to sing.)

–My First Book of Sounds, by Melanie Bellah and  Kathy Wilburn

–The Jolly Barnyard, by Annie North Bedford and Tibor Gergely

© 2010, 2012  Susan Lemons all rights reserved. 

Teaching Our Children About the Symbols of Christmas

(This is a repost that I thought should be brought to your attention.)

Christmas is my favorite time of year AND my favorite holiday.  Some families worry that Christmas has become too commercialized, and that its real meaning has been forgotten.  Even many of the traditional Christmas symbols seem faded or jaded to us.  But have you ever considered teaching your children the real meanings of our Christmas symbols?  This can help our children focus their attention where it belongs. Many of our traditional symbols offer perfect Christmas object lessons!

Many of our symbols (nativity scenes, sheep, wise men, stars, angels, etc) have obvious meanings.  Others are not so obvious, but they are just as special:

The Christmas tree is an evergreen tree—a tree that never turns brown and never loses its leaves.  This reminds us of God’s unchanging love for us.  Evergreen trees point towards heaven, reminding us to think about God.  Additionally, many pine trees’ new growth (around Easter time) is in the shape of a cross!  (School-age children will enjoy the book, The Legend of the Christmas Tree.)

Lights and candles remind us that Jesus is the light of the world, and that He wants us to be lights in the darkness, too.

Wreath:  The circle shape of the wreath reminds us that God is eternal-from everlasting to everlasting.  He has no beginning, and no end.  It also reminds us of His everlasting love.

Bells are rung in times of celebration.  Many churches around the world ring bells on Christmas to celebrate Christ’s birth.  Also, sheep wear bells so that their shepherd knows where they are at all times.  Jesus always knows where we are, what we are doing, and even what we are thinking.  We can depend on Jesus to help us when life gets hard—just as the shepherd takes care of His sheep.

Candy Canes:  Turn a candy cane upside down and you have a “J” for Jesus.  Turn the candy cane over and you have a shepherd’s hook, to remind us that Jesus is the Good Shepherd.  The red of the candy cane reminds us that Jesus shed His blood for us, and the white reminds us of Christ’s sinless life. (The book, The Legend of the Candy Cane shares this beautifully (for ages 5 +). It also states that the stripes remind us of Jesus’ suffering, and that “by his stripes we are healed.” There is also a new version of the candy cane story that is by an author I enjoy (although I haven’t seen the book): The Candymaker’s Gift: The Legend of the Candy Cane.

Doves—are traditional symbols of peace. Birds remind us to praise the Lord with song.  They also remind us that Jesus knows when even the smallest sparrow falls.  If God knows and cares for the sparrows, how much more will He care for us?!

Holly reminds us of Christ’s suffering.  The sharp leaves remind us of the crown of thorns that Jesus wore, and the red berries remind us of His shed blood.

Santa Claus:  Santa was a real man—“Saint Nicholas”, who was famous for His giving, so “Santa” is often a symbol of giving and “the spirit” of Christmas.

A personal note about Santa:  I hope you’ll think about telling your children the truth about Santa.  We choose to tell our children the truth; Santa is something fun we pretend about at Christmas time (we also tell them not to spoil the secret for any one else—learned that through experience!)  We don’t want our children to learn the truth about Santa and be crushed.  We don’t want them to wonder, “If Santa is pretend, is Jesus pretend, too?  What if my parents are lying to us about Jesus, just like they lied about Santa?”  We don’t want to place the seeds of doubt in our children’s minds.

We give gifts to remind us that the wise men gave gifts to Jesus on His birthday.

Here are some symbols we learned about in the book, The Jesus Tree: 

Christmas balls (ornaments) are round, like the world.  This reminds us that God made the world.

Snowflakes are unique; no two are alike.   No two people are alike, either.  God makes each of us are special, and He loves us all.

Christmas colors: 

Red-the blood of Jesus

Green-God’s everlasting love

Gold-was given to Jesus by the Wise Men.  It is also a symbol of Kingship or royalty.

Purple-the color of royalty.

© 2010/2011 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

The Stuff That Dreams are Made Of

~This was first published in our local support group’s newsletter back in 2007. I hope you enjoy it.

Have you ever had one of those vivid, crazy dreams that you’ll never forget?  I had the craziest dream ever last week.  It was so strange that the first time I told my husband about it, he thought I must have made it up!

I dreamt I was a contestant on a game show that was a cross between “Deal or no Deal” and “Jeopardy”.  I traded a new car for a 50/50 chance to win a house.  But not just any house– this was Charleston Heston’s own house!  It was a huge two-story mansion with hardwood floors, tons of marble and granite, a dream kitchen, a floor to ceiling fireplace in the living room, and a huge master bedroom with a fireplace and a balcony that overlooked the backyard.  This house sat on acreage, and came complete with a waterfall that emptied into a pristine pool, a cranberry bog, and a quarter size train circling the property.

But what crazy dream is complete without a dream come true?  I won the house!  My whole family got to meet Mr. Heston as he was busy packing up his house so we could move in.  He liked us so well that he gave us some memorabilia from the “Ten Commandments”.  The only bummer:  We had to move toNew Jersey.  I remember I was terrified of what their homeschool laws might be!  (I later found out that they are better than ours).

All of us have dreams.  Sometimes we remember our dreams, and sometimes we only have a vague idea of what our dreams really were.  Many times we try to apply some kind of meaning or message to our dreams, especially when they are as detailed and realistic as mine was. Many times a message does seem clear.

I’ve thought about dreams a lot lately- not just my own crazy dream, but also the whole idea of dreams in general. And as I was thinking about my dream, the Lord seemed to lay on my heart some thoughts about dreams that could apply to all of our lives today.

When our children are young and we begin our homeschool journey, we have so many dreams.  Dreams about what homeschooling will be like; dreams about what kind of mothers we will be.  Dreams about the memories we want to give our children, and dreams about what our children will be like when they grow up. Many times our dreams are unrealistic—pie in the sky daydreams that could never be.

At first, everyone tells us to relax about our dreams, and rightly so; after all, we have twelve whole years to bring our dreams to fruition—and twelve years seem like an eternity at first. But as the years slip by, we quickly fall into a routine– each year bringing its own share of joys, sorrows and challenges. Many dreams are forgotten or set aside, as we struggle daily to “get it all done”. But this year is different for me. This year I have a senior.

Having a senior has changed my perspective on everything. The senior year is a time of endings and beginnings-looking back and looking ahead. And looking back has given me some insights about what I want for our youngest two, now ages 6 and 3.

First of all, I’ve decided that I’m going to write down my dreams for my children-the realistic ones, anyway. I’m going to write down short and long range goals, and re-read them frequently to make sure I’m sticking with the plan.

After I write down those goals, I’m going to make sure to “make the main thing the main thing”.  If our main goal is really homeschooling with eternity in mind, then we will be sure to put character training and spiritual matters first.  I won’t let my own insecurities about grade levels or “getting it done” keep me from seeking the Lord first! I’m going to trust that He will add “all those other things” that I tend to stress about–and in His own time.  I’m going to trust Him to give me the wisdom, patience and confidence to back off when I need to, as well as to know when to dig in my heels. I’m praying for that ever-elusive “balance” in all things.

Lastly, I’ve decided that I’m going to worry less and enjoy more.  I want to make sure to do all the fun stuff I plan to do, and yet so often don’t accomplish. This holiday season especially, we are going to take the time to be relaxed, read daily Advent devotions, bake multiple batches of cookies, get messy with glitter, cut and paste those Christmas trees and stars, read those books (over and over, probably), play those games and generally just enjoy each other and the season.

I’ve discovered just how quickly the years fly by. Looking back, I can’t say I have any regrets about which math curriculum we chose, or how many phonics pages we finished daily.  I do have regrets though, about pushing too hard on the academics during the early years—often at the expense of those fun things that act not only as learning experiences, but also as relationship builders. It’s the music, art, reading and singing together that make our holidays special-and not just our holidays, but our “every-days” as well.  And yet these are the things we often consider to be “extra” or “unnecessary”, especially when compared to getting our academics done.  That’s sad.

Let’s take the time to do those “extras”.  Let’s make them happen for our children this year. Those “extras” make the memories we will most cherish in the future.  Those “extras” are the stuff that dreams are made of.  And only we can make those dreams come true for our children-not only at Christmas time, but every day.

  Special Books to Share With Your Children This Christmas (in no particular order):

“Arch” Christmas books (available at Bible bookstores)

The Legend of the Candy Cane (Walburg)

An Orange for Frankie (Polacco)

The Polar Express (Allsburg)

Apple Tree Christmas (Noble)

The Twelve Days of Christmas (Haidle)

Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect (Schneider)

Mr. Willowby’s Christmas Tree (Barry)

A Letter to Santa Claus (Weninger/Moller)

The Light of Christmas (Evans)

Deck the Stable (Eastwick)

An Early American Christmas (dePaola)

The Tale of the Three Trees (Hunt)

Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (Church)

© 2007, 2011 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

Making Storytime Special

 (Classic repost, updated.)     

       Many years ago I had an experience I’ll never forget.  While visiting a friend’s house–a mother of preschoolers–I observed the following: Her little one brought her a book, and trundled onto her lap so that she could be read to. My friend pulled her up onto her lap, and started reading to her…but this was no ordinary story. It was the fastest story I’ve ever heard! There was no expression, nor any discussion of the book or its pictures. She read it as quickly as she could, just to get it over with. 

       I hope this wasn’t the usual way stories went at her house. I understand that she did have company, and she wanted to placate her child so that we could continue our visit. But the whole thing made me sad. It’s something I’ve never forgotten.

       Reading aloud should be a special time of bonding between parent and child. It should never be viewed only as an obligation—something to be rushed through at break-neck speed. Story time should be enjoyed…relished. 

       There are so many ways to make story time special. They are all simple, and so much fun!  Here are a few ideas:

 -Take your time and enjoy the story. Read a little more slowly than you think you need to. Enunciate your words clearly; your children copy your speech.

-Read with expression, and get into character: whisper, shout, growl, squeal, and make animal sounds as appropriate. Make male voices sound low, and female voices higher. Make each character as unique as you can–my boys love it when I add a southern accent for Hank the Cowdog.

-Encourage your children to chime in when there is a familiar or repetitive phrases.

-Pause at the end of phrases, to see if your child can fill in any missing words.   

-Try reading in new places:  How about a picnic read aloud time?  You can have a picnic indoors or out.  Maybe your little girls would enjoy a “tea time” reading. Read in different rooms, in your bed, in front of the fireplace, during bathtime, and so on. We love to read while snuggling on the couch, under a fluffy blanket.

-Try including pets or “loveys” (favorite blankets or stuffed animals) in your reading time.

-Extend your read-aloud time by acting out nursery rhymes and favorite stories, and watch your children’s play for signs that your read-aloud time is sinking-in: You’ll know you’ve found a gem of a book when your children include the book in their pretend-play spontaneously.

-Talk about the story:  Speculate: What might happen next? What could the character have done differently? Notice the details in the pictures, as they relate to the story. Ask your child to describe the characters:  What kind of dog is Harry? (A black dog with white spots.)  What is the one thing he doesn’t like?  (He doesn’t like taking a bath. These details are from one of our favorite books,  Harry the Dirty Dog, by Gene Zion.)

-Notice details in each book’s art: How are the pictures made? Are they drawn, painted, colored, or collaged (what is the medium used?) Notice the artist’s use of color and light as well.

-Have your child tell the story, or part of it, back to you (narration.) 

-Give your child a “print-rich” environment.  Keep books at your child’s eye-level, to encourage them to investigate books themselves—or pick out books that they would like to hear. We used plastic rain gutters to make bookshelves right by our boy’s beds and provided them with reading lamps to encourage them to read in bed.

-Choose books that are about topics that are of special interest to your children. Consider turning books/storytime into a daily or weekly unit study or “theme” by reading about one main topic at a time, and by adding fun activities/art projects/dramatic play, etc that enhances the reading experience.

-Communicate to your children that books are important to you.  Let your children see you reading books. Share books that you loved as a child with your children.

-Buy books as presents; give books as rewards (books are only rewards if they are GOOD books. Check out my archives for “book lists” and my post on  “Choosing and Finding Classic Picture Books”.)

-(For older children): Read a book, and then watch a movie based on the book.  How are they different? Which is better? Why?   

-Something we do: Quote special sentences/passages from favorite books (and movies) when appropriate. Ask your children if they remember which books the sayings are from, which character said it, how he said it, and so on.

      Don’t just read to your children—make reading special!

© 2010/2011 Susan Lemons all rights reserved. 

Curriculum Review: Peak With Books

      Peak With Books: An Early Childhood Resource for Balanced Literacy, in one sentence: Before Five in a Row on steroids!  According to Dr. Ruth Beechick, author of some of the best homeschooling books on the market:

     “I think this book is topnotch. Any parent who used these lesson plans for awhile would be getting a good education in using books with children and building upon them to expand vocabulary, experiences and thoughts. For people who want to do the “living books” thing that Susan Macaulay has popularized, here is the Kindergarten program all worked out for them.”

      From the back of the book: “Peak With Books shows how to use popular children’s literature to build reading, writing, and cognitive skills in an inquiry-based environment. Instead of using a “skill and drill” approach, the authors employ conversations, questions, and meaning-based activities to stimulate children’s curiosity, confidence and thirst for knowledge.”

Peak With Books, like Before Five in a Row, is:

*literature-based

*encourages multiple readings of each book

*includes discussion ideas and activities related to each book.

*Peak With Books does not include daily lesson plans. Like Before Five in a Row, you will have to decide how and when to use the activities.

*You should choose the activities that you think would be the most helpful for your child; don’t think you have to do them all.

Unlike Before Five in a Row:

–Peak With Books is written primarily for classroom use. Even so, the activities are easily adapted for home use.

–Peak With Books is adaptable to ages 4-7…it is for advanced preschoolers, Kindergarteners, and First graders, depending on their readiness/development (some activities will may not be appropriate for preschoolers.)

–Peak With Books is a curriculum. It is not a distinctly Christian curriculum, however, and therefore it does not include Bible/character study ideas (I prefer more of a Biblical emphasis; however, from what I have read of the curriculum, you would be hard-pressed to find anything remotely offensive or inappropriate.)

*It is not a complete curriculum. Its purpose is to build literacy skills, thinking skills and vocabulary. You will need other resources to cover Bible/character traits, as well as phonics, handwriting, math, science, social studies (history), etc for Kindergarten and First grade.)

      Peak With Books (PWB) uses 42 picture books; many of which are classics.  Additionally, related books are listed  (“story time extensions.”) The front of the book includes a list intended to be used to turn PWB into a sort of unit study or thematic approach.  Personally, I don’t think it goes nearly far enough for that…no non-fiction books are suggested!  Additionally, the books listed under each “unit” aren’t well enough related to me, and many of the topics are weak, at best. (Some of the weak topics include:  Bear Hugs, Caps and Hats, Circle Stories, and Walking. It does include some good themes, such as “animal habitats”, but without non-fiction books, so much learning is left out.) Compare these themes to my suggested units HERE or my unit study archives (see categories on the left sidebar.)  

     Peak With Books includes story questions (good conversation starters), music (mostly singing; CD’s are suggested), drama ideas, 84 finger plays (Peak With Books calls them “finger rhymes”), and 82 poems.  It focuses on early writing skills, “reproductions and retellings”, as well as learning games and activities that are intended to help children learn those “preschool/Kindergarten facts” such as letter recognition, beginning writing, colors, etc. Thinking games and memory games and included as well.

Conclusion

     PWB is a good resource for those who want to learn how to pull elements out of literature (parts of the story, illustrations, questions, etc) and use them to teach their children literacy, vocabulary and thinking skills. It would also be a good starting point for families who want to use a literature approach, and need some “starter ideas.”  But to me, it seemed incomplete.  It felt like the authors had a good start on a wonderful unit study, but left it unfinished. They only needed to add only a few elements to turn each book into a full-fledged unit study. Since no non-fiction books were used at all, I don’t feel it could really be called a complete “thematic approach” or “unit study; it is not fully integrated. It does fulfill its purpose: Building literacy.  However, for as much time as you would spend doing the various activities, you could easily enjoy a full-fledged unit study and achieve a better and more complete result.  In my opinion, Five in a Row is a  better option. It is much more complete, especially when you add the Bible supplement. 

~Susan

© 2011 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

Method Review: Before Five in a Row

        Before Five in a Row: A treasury of creative ideas to inspire learning readiness is a great resource for families who would like a little more “specific” help homepreschooling their very young children (those not ready for themes or unit studies).

        Before Five in a Row  is not a curriculum or an intensive “readiness” (i.e. formal academic) program; it does not concentrate on teaching A, B, C’s or 1, 2, 3’s (and rightly so; after all, Before Five in a Row is intended for children ages 2-4–I think it’s best for age 2-3.) Instead, Before Five in a Row uses the best in children’s literature to get preschoolers talking, thinking, playing and learning via relating to their favorite picture books. And once preschoolers get talking, thinking and playing, their learning really does take off. To quote from the introduction of Before Five in a Row, “This series of little ‘lessons’ was created especially to bring enjoyment to children ages two through four. The point is not so much to instruct or teach as it is have a happy introduction to books, provide an interesting, light introduction to many different topics, and to build intimacy between the  reader and the child. The topical subject headings are only to suggest in what areas these activities might lay a foundation for academic subject to be encountered by your child on later grades.”

        Before Five in a Row  offers ideas and activities that lay foundations in the areas of Bible, art, language arts, cognitive skills (noticing/talking about colors, patterns, shapes, sequencing, problem solving, etc); drama, literature, poetry and art; noticing order and detail;  science, games, math, etc all in a developmentally appropriate/fun way. Before Five in a Row uses classic picture books such as Caps for Sale, Blueberries for Sal, Angus Lost, and Corduroy as the basis for its “lessons” (24 books in all.) Many of the “lessons” are simply observing things about the book or its characters through conversation. This can be done during the time of the reading, or later—whenever “life” relates to the lessons of the book, or whenever the book is re-read (these books are so good that your preschoolers will want to hear them over and over!)

How Before Five in a Row Differs from Five in a Row

    First of all, Five in a Row is a “curriculum” (unit study/literature approach) for ages 4-8.  Five in a Row gets its name from the fact that you read each picture book every day for five days; thus the title, “Five in a Row.” After the daily reading, you proceed to do one or more of the activities suggested in the curriculum—you pick and choose the activities depending on the age, attention span, and abilities of your children. But Before Five in a Row doesn’t work that way. It does not encourage you to read the same book each day for five days in a row. The suggested activities are not intended to be used all in one week, either. Instead, they are meant to be used as a natural part of life during the reading and subsequent readings of the books.

Even More About Before Five in a Row  

        The first half of the book includes the books and activities, while the second half of the book includes a “treasury of creative ideas for learning readiness.” It includes activities in the areas of reading readiness, music, coordination, activities for the bathroom and kitchen, the arts, and more.

 My Thoughts

        Before Five in a Row is a good introduction to the literature approach for parents of very young children. The second half of the book is a good reference of basic activities. This book would be especially helpful for parents of 2-3 year olds who need a little help figuring out how to pull learning activities/conversations out of picture books.

        If you would like more activity/play/unit study ideas for preschoolers, check out my tabs, archives, and especially Homepreschool and Beyond.   

© 2011 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

Valentine’s Day Unit Ideas (for Preschool and Kindergarten)

  Valentines Day will be here before we know it!  It’s time to get ready now.  Here are some ideas to make your Valentine’s Day tons of fun–I’ve added more art ideas and pictures for this year’s post!  Here we go:

Homemade Valentines: (Important tip:  If you are going to have your children craft your own cards this year, be sure to allow plenty of time–especially if you are going to mail them.  Don’t try to make them all the night before you need them!)  Making your own Valentines is fun and easy.  Best of all, it gives children a way to express their love for others.   Materials you will need:  Heavy cardstock (cut to 3×5) or folded paper of varous sizes (for the card base), stickers, pre-cut hearts, small lace doily hearts, etc.  Look HERE for specific/more elaborate ideas.

Other Fun:

How Sweethearts are made (virtual fieldtrip)

 Games and other fun for older kids

 Books to read: A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, by Joan Walsh Auglund

A Kiss for Little Bear, by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak

 Otto Shares a Hug and a Kiss (Kathleen Morey)

(We also love Otto Shares a Tear, by the same author.)

Let’s Celebrate Valentine’s Day:  A Book of Drawing Fun, by Carolyn Loh

Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch (this is so sweet…a real tear jerker for us moms!)

Valentine’s Day Is, by Gail Gibbons (history of the holiday)

That’s What a Friend Is, by P.K. Halinan

  Valentine’s Day Is… by Gail Gibbons 

   

The Valentine Bears, by Eve Bunting

 A post office theme is a traditional part of Valentine’s Day.  It’s fun to make a prop box for this—including envelopes, stickers (for pretend stamps), a grocery bag with handles (mail bag), and a box with slits in the front to put mail IN, and an opening in the back to take mail OUT.  Some families make their own “family mailboxes” so that they can send “love notes” to each other year round!  A good book to read for this is The Post Office Book:  Mail and How it Moves, by Gail Gibbons.

 More Art Ideas:

-Paint with red and white, and make pink.  Talk about color mixing and name each color.

-Make heart people and animals:  Cut hearts of various shapes and sizes.  Also have google eyes, pom-poms, and felt tipped pens available.  Use these to make your heart people/animals (it’s a good idea to have your children lay out their ideas before gluing.)  These creations are only limited by your imagination; here are some pictures of some we have made in the past (below).

the legs are paper that is cross-folded.

Mr. Lion only needs 5 hearts

Alternate idea: Make Valentine people out of playing cards.  Find the Queen of Hearts and other  cards in the heart suit.  Use a Sharpie Pen to draw a nose and mouth; add google eyes.  We added pipe cleaner arms and legs, too.  So cute!

-Marble painted hearts:  Cut a heart shape our of white or pink paper.  Place the heart in a shallow box (we use masking tape to secure it to the bottom of the box.)  Mix up some tempera paint (not too thin-not too thick–preferred colors are red, pink, and purple.)  Using a spoon, dip one marble at a time into the paint mixture, then gently drop it onto the heart.   Move the box from side to side to make lines on the heart.  Repeat with the other colors, as desired.  After the heart has dried, glue it onto a larger piece of paper to make a card.

       Have fun!  ~Susan

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

For more ideas, check out these links:

http://familyfun.go.com/valentines-day/ 

 http://crafts.kaboose.com/valentines-day-crafts.htmlV

The Most Important Books, Listed by Age (Part 2: Of my Required Reading List)

     Here is the second half of my list of the most important books, listed by age.  The last age range was the hardest (high school level.)  I added and took out books more times than I can count.  As I said before, the difficulty is in choosing books that are classics, that have literary value, that teach us or make us think–without compromising our family’s values!

    It’s not that I don’t want my children to know the realities of the world; it’s just that there are certain realities that I don’t want them to dwell on. 

    Anyway, here’s my list.  I’m sure that many of you will disagree with some of my choices, or believe I’ve left some out.  I’d love to hear some comments and suggestions.

Longer Picture Books AND First Chapter Books

Listening Level: First through Fourth

Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-5: 

Note:  I added books by the same author on this list, too; longer chapter books are followed by a star*

 1.  A House Inside Out, by Penelope Lively and David Parkins*

2.  Album of Horses, Born to Trot, Misty of  Chincoteague, Stormy, Misty’s Foal, and many others by Marguerite Henry*

3.  Bears on Hemlock Mountain, The Courage of Sarah Noble, by Alice  Dalgliesh*

4.  Billy and Blaze (part of a series of Billy and Blaze Books) by C.W. Anderson

5.  Boxcar Children, The, (look for the original books by Gertrude Warner)*

6.  Catwings, (a series) by Ursula K. Le Guin*

7.  Charlotte’s Web, Stuart Little, by E.B. White*

8.  Hank the Cowdog (series), by John R. Erikson (a favorite of our family; very funny.  Contains mild “swearing” such as darn it, dang, etc)*

9.  Happy Hollisters Series, by Jerry West*

10.  Holling C. Hollings books:  Minn of the Mississippi, Paddle to the Sea, Pagoo, Seabird,Tree in the Trail

11.  Encyclopedia Brown, (part of a series of mystery books) by Donald J. Sobal*

12.  Keep the Light Burning, Abbie, by Peter and Connie Roop and Peter E. Hanson

13.  Kildee House, by Rutherford G. Montgomery and Barbara Cooney*

14.  Little House in the Big Woods and others by Laura Ingalls Wilder*

15.  Little Rascal, by Sterling North*

16.  Matchlock Gun, by Walter Edmonds*

17.  Mousekin Takes A Trip, and other “Mousekin” books by Edna Miller

18.  Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, by Betty MacDonald  (Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is a “Mary Poppins” type “witch”; she “cures” children of their bad manners and naughty behavior; an all time favorite.) *

19.   Poppy, Poppy and Rye, and Ereth’s Birthday, by Avi* (contains a porcupine that “swears” in alliteration–“slimy slug snot!”–that type of thing.  Not for everyone, I suppose, but my boys think it’s hilarious.  The books include themes of friendship, bravery etc).

20.  Runaway Ralph, Mouse on a Motorcycle, and many others by Beverly Cleary *

21.  Toliver’s Secret, by Esther Brady*

22.  They Were Strong and Good, by Robert Lawson

23.  Velveteen Rabbit, The, by Margery Williams and William Nicholson

24.  Winnie the Pooh (part of a series of Pooh books) by A. A. Milne*

25.  Yonnie Wondernose, Thee, Hannah, and others by Marguerite de Angeli 

 

Listening Level:  Grades 3-5

Independent Reading Level:  5^th-7^th

(Note: My reading levels are based on unabridged versions)

1.  A Little Princess by Frances Hodgson Burnett

2.  21 Balloons by William Pene Dubois

3.  Black Beauty, by Anna Sewell

4.  By the Great Horn Spoon, by Sid Flieshman

5.  Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Brink

6.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, by Roald Dahl

7.  Carry On, Mr. Bowditch , by Jean Lee Latham

8.  Chronicles of Narnia, by C.S. Lewis (contains a “witch”/ fantasy elements that some families might find offensive)

9.  Favorite Poems Old and New,  by Helen Ferris

10.  Gone Away Lake, by Elizabeth Enright

11.  Ginger Pye, Pinky Pye, the Moffats, by Eleanor Estes

12.  Heidi, by Joanna Spyri

13.  Hollings C. Holling’s Indian Book and Cowboy Book, by Hollings C. Hollings

14.  Homer Price and Centerburg Tales, by Robert McKloskey

15.  Island of the Blue Dolphins, by Scott O’Dell

16.  Johnny Tremaine, by Esther Forbes

17.  Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in 80 Days, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Vern (does include some evolution) 

18.  Justin Morgan Had a Horse, by Marguerite Henry

19.  Kildee House, by Rutherford George Montgomery

20.  Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson

21.  Pollyanna, by Eleanor Porter

22.  Summer of the Monkeys, by Wilson Rawls

23.  Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss

24.  The Black Stallion, by Walter Farley

Others I am considering for the list but which I have not read—

Ink on His Fingers and others by Vernon

 The Hatchet

Listening Level: Grades 6 and up

Independent Reading Level:  Grades 7-9

1.  Adam and His Kin, by Ruth Beechick

2.  Anne of Green Gables (series) by L.M. Montgomery

3.  Cheaper by the Dozen, by Frank Gilbreth

4.  Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank

5.  Genevieve Foster’s “World” books (George Washington’s World, The World of William Penn, The World of Caesar Augustus and others) 

6.  In His Steps, by Charles Sheldon

7.  Kidnapped, Treasure Island, by Robert Louis Stevenson

8.  Life with Father, by Clarence Day

9.  Little Women and others by Lousia May Alcott

10.  Mama’s Bank Account by Kathyrn Forbes

11.  Pilgrim’s Progress, by John Bunyan

12.  Pollyanna and others by Eleanor Porter

13.  Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, by Kate Douglas Wiggen

14. The Cay, by Theodore Taylor

15.  The Hobbit   by J.R.R. Tolkien

16.  The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, by Howard Pile

 17.  The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, by H.G. Wells

18.  The Prince and the Pauper, Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain

19.  The Yearling, by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

20.  Watership Down, by Richard Adams

21.  Where the Red Fern Grows, by (read this one aloud and discuss it.)  

22.  Witch of Blackbird Pond, by Elizabeth George

High school – Through Adult

1.  Animal Farm and 1984 by George Orwell

2.  Christy, by Catherine Marshall

3.  Daniel Boone and others by James Doughtery

4.  I Kissed Dating Good-bye, by Bret and Alex Harris

5.  Evidence that Demands a Verdict, by Josh McDowell

6.  Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury

7.  God’s Smuggler, by Brother Andrew

8.  Hinds Feet in High Places, by Hannah Hurnard

9.  Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

10.  Joni, by Joni Erekson

11.  Keeper of the Bees and others by Jean Stratton Porter

12.  Moby Dick, by Herman Melville

13.  Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and others by Jane Austen

14.  Much Ado About Nothing and others by William Shakesphere 

15.  The Christian’s Secret to a Happy Life, by Hannah Whitehall Smith

16.  The Hiding Place, (and others) by Corie ten Boom

17.  The Practice of the Presence of God, by Brother Lawerence

18.  The New Answers Books, volume 1, 2, and 3, by Ken Ham

19.  The Trap Family Singers, and Family on Wheels by Maria Augusta Trap

20.  Robinson Crusoe, by Daniel Defoe

21.  Sergeant York and the Great War, by Alvin C. York and Richard Wheeler

22.  Tale of Two Cities, Great Expectations and others by Charles Dickens

23.  The Hawk and the Dove Trilogy, by Penelope Wilcock

24.  The Screwtape Letters, Mere Christianity and others by C.S. Lewis (read aloud and discuss)

25.  To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee (read aloud and discuss)

     We also use many (but not all–for instance, NOT The Scarlett Letter) of the books included in the Notgrass curriculum (World History/Lit, and American History/Lit.)

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

The Most Important Books, Listed by Age (Part One of My Required Reading List)

Introduction to the list

Why another list?

     I realize that there are tons of book lists out there—and in general, I love them. I love them so much that I included a chapter-long recommended book list in my book—one that lists books just for children ages preschool through age 8.  So why do we need another list?  Because this is different kind of list.  As much as I love the lists, and as much as I love the idea of owning a million books, I’ve recently had to accept that a million books just won’t fit into my house—no matter how hard I try (and believe me, I’ve tried!)

What’s wrong with the other lists?

     Over the years, I’ve discovered many wonderful book lists.  But many of the lists I’ve found are too long and too overwhelming.  Besides, who can afford all those books, anyway?  And who can possibly make the time to read them all?  Most families—ours included–are forced to pare down our bookshelves and our book lists to those that are most important—those that we really don’t want our children to miss (O.K., O.K., I have to admit, I still have tons of books…we’ll still read lots of books that aren’t on my list…but I do want to be sure that my children read/hear the most important ones.  I have a senior again this year, and I’m realizing that there are too many she’s missed—and I don’t want that to happen with my younger two!)

     I have also found some common problems with many of the book lists I have found:

1) Many of the lists are developmentally inappropriate—either in regards to reading level or content.

2) Many of the lists nowadays include books that I don’t want my children to read, for various personal reasons (especially the lists from the public schools and public libraries.)  I just don’t trust their suggestions.  I try to choose books that show the difference between good and evil clearly; books that show parents in a good light; books that include a good over-all moral or redemptive theme (the sinner learns a lesson/good prevails/the characters grow), and so on.  I admit that at the high school level I struggle to weigh the pro’s and con’s of many of the “classics,” and the value versus the potential harm of many books (such as Lord of the Rings.)  How do you draw the line between “fun” and “fantasy” and “occult”?  <SIGH>

3) Many of the modern lists leave out the traditional classics, replacing them with the types of books I listed above.

4) Most of the book lists I have found are limited to certain age-levels.

        So I decided that I needed to make my own list—a special kind of list.  A list of the most important books.  Not a million books—just 25 books or less per age-range.  This is my basic list—my ideal list of “required” reading for my kids.  (If I could only have 25 books per age range, these are the ones that I would pick.)  I know I’m leaving out lots of good ones–I hope you’ll share your favorites with me by adding a comment.

Why do you include a listening level AND a reading level on your lists?  And why do the reading lists overlap in age?

     Children’s abilities, maturity, and interests vary greatly within the normal range, and so it is natural that the reading levels would overlap. 

      Once your children are willing to listen to longer books, they will enjoy listening to you read aloud books that are one or two age levels above their actual age or reading level. That’s why I include a separate “listening” level.        

     Once your children are reading independently, remember that their confidence and fluency will grow leaps and bounds if you allow them to read lots of “easy books” at first—yes, even books below their actual age/reading level.

     Remember that children enjoy repetition; they will want you to read aloud many of their favorite books over and over, even when you think they have “outgrown” them. 

     Finally, remember that these “reading levels” are not an exact science.  These are just my opinions of approximate age level.  I judge the reading levels by the difficulty of the words included AND according to my judgement of the content (story-line/theme) the book.  For another opinion on the reading level of specific books, check out Scholastic’s Book Wizard Site. 

      So, here we go.  Here is my list of the “can’t be missed”, most important books for children, from infancy through high school, PART ONE (and remember, there is a much longer and more complete list of books in my book, including holiday/seasonal books, just for preschool through age 8-10 or so.)

Babies and Toddlers

     What kind of books do babies need?  Babies and toddlers need simple text and pictures, bright colors OR black and white.  They like pictures of real things—especially other babies or animals, and they need books that include repetition. 

     Even if it seems as if your baby isn’t listening at first, keep reading to him anyway.  Reading to your baby is vital to baby’s cognitive, speech, and language development.  Idea for wiggly babies: Try skipping the text for a time and just talking to your baby about the pictures—or self-“edit” the text to keep it extremely short.   Babies aged 18 month-olds and up (or so) can begin to learn to identify and point out items in the pictures.) 

Note: I put a star after the books I’ve seen as “board books”.

 1.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do You See?*

2.  Goodnight, Goodnight, by Eve Rice

3.  Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown* (I think I have this one memorized!)

5.  It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw

6.  Pat the Bunny, by Dorothy Kunhardt*

7.  Prayer for a Child, by Rachel Field*

8.  Read-Aloud Bible Stories, by Ella Lindvall

9.  Runaway Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown*

10.  The Foot Book, by Dr. Seuss (a first book of opposites, in rhyme, as only Dr. Seuss can do)*

11.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle*

12.  The Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown*

13.  The Discovery Toys Book of Nursery Rhymes, by Julie Lacome (out of print but worth the search; classic first rhymes and songs to sing, such as “Baa, Baa, Black Sheep”; not too long for little ones)

14.  Very Busy Spider, by Eric Carle*

Little Golden Books: 

15.  The Animals of Farmer Jones, by Richard Scarry

16.  Bow Wow, Meow!  A First Book of Sounds by Melanie Bellah and Trina Schart

17.  The Jolly Barnyard, by Annie North Bedford

18.  The Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone

Chunky Books:  These are tiny board books that stand up in a circle.  Babies love the real pictures or animals and babies, and they are just the right size for tiny hands!  All my babies loved these.

19.  Baby’s Animal Friends (a Chunky Board Book), by Phoebe Dunn*

20.  Baby’s Busy Year, (a Chunky Board Book), by Phoebe Dunn*

 21.  Farm Animals (a Chunky Board Book), by Phoebe Dunn*

 Books to Sing:

22.  Old MacDonald Had a Farm (a Little Golden Book), by Kathi Ember

23.  10 in the Bed, by Penny Dale (a must have!)

2-3 Year Olds (the books listed above, plus):

(Note: Many children will be ready to move up to some of the books in the next section at age 2.5)

1.  Angus Lost, by Marjorie Flack

2.  Angus and the Cat, by Marjorie Flack

3.  Angus and the Ducks by Marjorie Flack

4.  A Pocket for Corduroy, by Dan Freeman

5.  Caps for Sale, by Esphyr Slobodkina

6.  Corduroy, by Dan Freeman

7.  Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed, (best of a series of “Monkey” books), by Eileen Christelow

8.  Gingerbread Man, The, retold by Jim Aytesworth,  illustrated by Barbara McClintock

9.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, by Jane Yolen

10.  Is Your Mama a Llama? By Deborah Guarino

11.  Jesus Loves Me (a Cuddle and Sing Book), by Debby Anderson

12.  Millions of Cats, by Wanda Gag

13.   Mother Goose, by Gyo Fujikawa (or your favorite version)

14.  Mother, Mother, I want Another! By Maria Polushkin

15.  The Beginner’s Bible: Timeless Children’s Stories, by Karen Henley

16.  The Big Hungary Bear, by Audrey Wood

17.  The Little Engine that Could, by Watty Piper

18.  The Napping House, by Audrey Wood

18.  The Very Grouchy Ladybug, by Eric Carle 

Little Golden Books:

20.  Home For a Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown

21.  Little Red Caboose, by Marian Potter & Tibor Gergely

22.  The Golden Egg Book, by Margaret Wise Brown

23.  The Pokey Little Puppy, by Sebring Lowry

24.  Scuffy the Tugboat, by Gertrude Crampton

25.  The Three Bears, by F. Rojankovsky

Listening Level: Preschoolers (ages 3-5)

The Books Above, plus:

 (So, so very hard to choose!  I tried to choose classics and books that inspire the love of reading/fun. I cheated a little on this list and included multiple titles by one author in one entry. For a more complete list, see my book, Homepreschool and Beyond.) 

1.  A Child’s Garden of Verses, written by Robert Lewis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor (or your own favorite version)

2.  A House is a House for Me, by Mary Ann Hoberman

3.  Bedtime for Frances, Bread and Jam for Frances, (part of a series of Francis books), by Russell Hoban    

4.  Biggest Bear, by Lynd Ward

5.  Christian Mother Goose, volumes I and II, by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker

6.  Complete Tales of Beatrix Potter, by Beatrix Potter

7.  Complete Tales of Winnie-the-Pooh, The, by A.A. Milnes

8.  Complete Tales of Curious George, by Hans A Rey

9.  Donkey-donkey  and Petunia by Roger Duvoisin (out of print)

10.  Harry and the Lady Next Door, Harry by the Sea, Harry the Dirty Dog, No Roses For Harry, and others by Gene Zion

11.  James Herriot’s Treasury For Children, by James Herriot

12.  Katy and the Big Snow, Little House, The; Mike  Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and others by Virginia Lee Burton

13.  Katy No-Pocket, story by Emmy Payne, illustrated by H. A. Rey

14.  Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge,  by Hildegarde

15.  Make Way for Ducklings, Lentil, Blueberries for Sal, and others by Robert McCloskey

16.  Over and Over, by Charlotte Zontolow (a couple pages of Halloween content; a book about the progression of the seasons and the holidays)

17.  Selfish Giant, The, written by Oscar Wilde, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger

18.  Story of Ferdinand, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson

19.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, by William Stieg (contains “magic” in a fairytale way)

20.  The Story about Ping, by Kurt Wiese

21.  Tikki Tikki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel

22.  Wee Gillis, by Munro Leaf and Robert Lawson

23.  Wonderful Shrinking Shirt, The, Leone Castell Anderson (out of print, but oh, so worth the search!)

24.  Miss Rumphius, by Barbara Cooney

Another Book to Sing:

25.  Do Your Ears Hang Low? And Other Silly Songs, by Pamela Cote

26.  (O.K., so I cheated! Rather than take one out, I have to add:  Love You Forever, by Robert Munsch.

 Beginning Readers

Listening Level:  Preschool through Second Grade

Independent Reading Level: First through Fourth

 1.  A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock

2.  Are You My Mother? By P.D. Eastman

3.  Fox In Socks, by Dr. Seuss

4.  Green Eggs and Ham, Dr. Seuss

5.  Go, Dog, Go, by P.D. Eastman

6.  Hop on Pop, by Dr. Seuss

7.  I Can Read Series: Amelia Bedlia, Owl at Home, Frog and Toad (series), Clipper Ship, Little Bear (series), Mouse Tales and many others.  These are nice because they are graded for you. 

8.  “I Can’t” Said the Ant, by Polly Cameron

9.  In a People House, by Theo LeSieg

10.  I Want to Be Somebody New, by Robert Lopshire

11.  Nate the Great (series), by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

12.  One Fish, two fish, red fish blue fish, by Dr. Seuss

13.  Put Me in the Zoo, by Robert Lopshire

14.  Sam and the Firefly, by P.D. Eastman

15.  Step Into Reading Books:  I Like Bugs, Eat My Dust: Henry Ford’s First Race, George Washington and the General’s Dog, and many others, also graded for you…and like the “I Can Read” series, you can find books suited to your children’s interests. 

     Part two–coming soon!

 

 

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

Book Lists Just for Boy/Girl Interest (part two: girls)

Picture Books

Cordoroy, and A Pocket for Cordoroy, by Dan Freeman (a little girl and her teddy bear.)

Frances series, by Hoban (Bedtime for Frances, A Baby Sister for Frances, and more)

Katy and the Big Snow, by Virginia Lee Burton

Madeline series, by Ludwig Bemelmans

A New Coat for Anna, by Harriet Ziefert

A Pair of Red Clogs, by Masako Matsuno

Loud Emily, by Alexis O’Neill

Mailing May, Michael O. Tunnell and Ted Rand 

Miss Rumpious, by Barbara Cooney

Blueberries for Sal, by Robert McCloskey

Mirette on the High Wire, by Emily McCully

Fritz and the Beautiful Horses, by Jan Brett

The Finest Horse in Town, by Jacqueline Briggs Martin

A Chair for my Mother, by Vera Williams

Uncommon Traveler:  Mary Kingsley in Africa by Don Brown

Stellaluna, Jannel Cannon

Longer Picture Books–

Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, by Peter and Connie Roop

One Morning in Maine, by Robert McCloskey

Henner’s Lydia and others by Marguerite D’Angeli

First Readers–

Amelia Bedelia (part of a series of Amelia books), by Peggy Parrish

Little Bear books, by Else Holmelund Minarik and Maurice Sendak

The Josifina Story Quilt, by Eleanor Coerr

First Chapter Books/First Longer Read Alouds–

Catwings, by Ursula K. Le Guin and S. D. Schindler (my boys especially loved this one, too!)

The White Stallion, by Elizabeth Shub

Sarah Witcher’s Story, by Elizabeth Yates

Bears on Hemlock Mountain, The Courage of Sarah Noble, by Alice Dalgliesh

Album of Horses, Born to Trot, Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy, Misty’s Foal, and many others by Marguerite Henry

Pippi Longstocking (one of many about Pippi), by Astrid Lindgren

Phoebe the Spy, by Judith Griffin

The Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary (first few in the series)

Great Family Read Alouds/Books for Older Girls to Read Independently–

 Little House on the Prairie series, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Album of Horses, Born to Trot, Misty of Chincoteague, Stormy, Misty’s Foal, and many others by Marguerite Henry

In Grandma’s Attic  by Arleta Richardson 

Toliver’s Secret, by Esther Wood Brady (part of Sonlight year 3; a young girls must become a “spy” during the revolutionary war—dress as a boy, and carry a message to General Washington.)

Ginger Pye and Pinkie Pye, by Eleanor Estes

Janette Oke’s Animal Friends, (series) by Janette Oke

Violet Comes to Stay and others by Jan Karron

Helen Keller by Margaret Davidson OR the Story of Helen Keller by Lorena Hickcock

Amelia Earhart: Young Air Pioneer by Jane More How

Naya Nuki:  The Shoshoni  Girl Who Ran by Kenneth Thomasma

The Moffets  by Eleanor Estes

All of a Kind Family  (part of a series) by Sydney Taylor 

 Tweens and teens—shouldn’t miss:

Anne of Avonlea books by Montgomery (and movies, after you’ve read the books!) 

Little Women  and others by Louisa May Alcott

Anything by Jane Austen, especially Pride and Prejudice, Emma, and Sense and Sensibility

Jane Eyre   by Charlotte Bronte

Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

Pollyanna by Eleanor Porter

Heidi by Johanna Spyri

Mama’s Bank Account by Kathryn Forbes

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author. 

Book Lists Just for Boy/Girl Interest

     One of my readers asked me the following: “…Would you be able to direct me to some picture books, living books, classics, etc. that highlight male/boy characters to add to my son’s reading? I have found so many lovely books that feature girls as the main character but really want to find some that feature boys. My son loves Lentil (we kept it checked out of the library for 6 weeks and are going to ask for it again!) along with Mike Mulligan, Peter Rabbit, and other books about animals like The Story about Ping. But any suggestions you can share on books that have resonated well with your sons would be great. Thanks a bunch!”

        I have to admit that I’ve never sat down to make a book list just for boys (even though I have 3 of my own),  but I thought I’d see what I could think up.  Since I was going to make a list for boys, I figured I might as well  make a list for girls, too. 

        I tried to find books that might be especially appealing to boys or girls…books that included their special interests.  For boys that meant cars, planes, cowboys, animals (especially dogs and dinosaurs), and adventure stories–and for girls, I looked for books about relationships, animals (especially cats and horses), and family life.  I also looked for books that had strong male/female characters (especially those that give children heroes to look up to.) 

        This was harder than I thought!  After all, my children–both male and female–enjoy both kinds of  books if they are well written.  Almost all the books on the picture book list, for example, would be enjoyed by boys OR girls.  It was often hard to decide which list the books should go on.  I really had to go through my shelves to get even a basic list (and yes, this is only a basic list!)  I tried looking around online for other lists, but found little (only radical “feminist” lists for girls, LOL!) and Heart of Dakota’s list, which is partially divided by boy or girl interest (it looks really good.)        You should know that there are many, many more classic books listed in my book, Homepreschool and Beyond.   A note for those of you who already own it:  There are books on the boy/girl lists that are NOT in the book, so you might want to bookmark them or print them up. 

        Finally, be sure to remember that elementary aged children can listen to books (being read to them) that are 1-3 grade levels above their own reading levels (or more.)

        Anyway, here’s part one of the list—for boys.  I’ll post the list for girls in a day or two.  I’d love it if you would add your favorites as well by adding comments.  I love comments! 

        Enjoy!    ~Susan

Book List Just for Boys

Picture Books–

Beady Bear by Dan Freeman (a boy and his teddy bear)

Harry the Dirty Dog, Harry by the Sea, and others by Gene Zion

 Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, by Virgina Lee Burton

How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight, How do Dinosaurs Clean their Room, and others by Jane Yolen

Biggest Bear, by Lynd Ward

Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge, The, by Hildegarde Swift

Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig, by Helen Oxenbury

True Story of the Three Pigs, by A. Wolf, by Jon Scienszka

The Story About Ping, by Marjorie Flack and Curt Wiese

Lentil, by Robert McCloskey

Ticki Ticki Tembo, by Arlene Mosel 

Verdi,  by Jannell Cannon

Boy Who Held Back the Sea, The, by Lenny Hort, Thomas Locker, and Mary Mapes Dodge 4-5+

The Raft, by Jim LaMarche

The Little Engine That Could, by Watty Piper

Little Toot, by Hardie Gramatky

Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter

Boy Who Loved to Draw: Benjamin West, The, by Barbara Brenner and Olivier Dunrea J 4-5

Note:  The author, Gail Gibbons has written a series of non-fiction books that cover topics of interest to boys, including firefighters (Fire! Fire!), policemen, science, sports (Baseball, Football, Soccer),  and many other topics of interests to boys  including Sunken Treasure, The Boat Book, Trains, Knights in Shining Armor, How a House is Built, Lighthouses, New Road!, and many more. If there is a topic your son is interested in, be sure to see if there is a Gail Gibbons’ book to go with it!

 Longer Picture Books

Billy and Blaze series, by C.W. Anderson (a boy and his horse)

Calico the Wonder Horse, OR the Saga of Stewy Stinker, by Virginia Lee Burton

Merle the High Flying Squirrel (and others) by Bill Peet (note: One or two of his books are inappropriate, but most are wonderful.)

Yonnie Wondernose, by Marguerite De Angeli

Glorious Flight:  Across the Channel with Louis Bleriot July 25, 1909, The, by Alice and Martin Provensen 4-5+

Island Boy, by Barbara Cooney

Lentil, by Robert McCloskey

Obadiah the Bold, by Brinton Turkle

Hollings C. Hollings books:  Of special interest of boys are Paddle to the Sea, Minn of the Mississippi, Tree In the Trail, The Book of Cowboys, The Book of Indians

McBroom’s Wonderful One Acre Farm (part of a series) by Sid Fleishman  (we avoid the titles with ghosts.)

Dangerous Journey: The Story of Pilgrim’s Progress,  by Oliver Hunkin

Questions and Answers about Mighty Machines, by Adam Hibbert, Chris Oxlade, and James Pickering

First Readers—

The Bravest Dog Ever: The True Story of Balto (Step Into Reading book), by Natalie Standiford and Donald Cook

Frog and Toad, part of a series by Arnold Lobel  

Nate The Great, (part of a series of mystery books) by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simont

First Flight:  The Story of Tom Tate and The Wright Brothers, (I Can Read series), by George Shea and Don Bolognese

George Washington and the General’s Dog (Step Into Reading) by Frank Murphy

First Chapter Books/First Longer Read Alouds-

Poppy and Ereth’s Birthday, by Avi (There is another book in this series called Poppy and Rye that I skip because one of the characters is rather rebellious and talks in slang.)  Although the main character in these books is a girl mouse, it is an exciting adventure story for boys.  It also includes strong male characters—and I mean characters—such as Ereth the porcupine, who often speaks his “curses” in alliteration, such as “Green grasshopper guts!” or “Bouncing bear burps!” Despite being old and grouchy—and complaining a lot—Ereth does what is right.)  Note: These books may not be for everyone.  I do have to self-edit some of Ereth’s exclamations, but my boys love this series, and Ereth’s colorful exclamations crack them up.

A House Inside Out  (all about the lives of those “others” who often live in our houses with us, such as spiders, mice, pill bugs, etc—fun fiction.)

 Stuart Little, Mouse on a Motorcycle, and others by E.B. White

Henry  Huggins, Ribsy, and Henry and Ribsy, by Beverly Cleary (a boy and his dog)

Encyclopedia Brown (series) by Donald Sobol

Homer Price and Centerburg Tales, by Robert McCloskey

Hollings C. Hollings books, especially Sign of the Beaver, Tree in the Trail, Minn of the Mississippi, The Book of Indians, and The Book of Cowboys

Carry on, Mr. Bowditch, by Jean Lee Latham

Matchlock Gun, by Walter D. Edmonds

Louis Braille, by Margaret Davidson

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl 

Great Family Read Alouds/Books for Older Boys to Read Independently–

Hank the Cowdog, (series) by  John R. Erickson and Gerald L. Holmes. This is our current family read aloud series.  All of us participate and take turns reading to the boys—me, my husband, and my 18 year old daughter.  We all love this series…it’s a hoot.)

Smokey the Cowhorse, and Will James’ Book of Cowboy Stories, by Will James

Treasure Island , by Robert Louis Stevenson

Swiss Family Robinson, by Johann David Wyss

21 Balloons, by William Pene Dubois

Black Stallion Series by Walter Farley

By the Great Horn Spoon, by Sid Fleishman

Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne

Wilderking Trilogy, by Jonathan Rogers

Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of Nimh, by  Robert C. O’Brien (contains magic.)

Summer of the Monkeys, by Rawls

Teens and tweens shouldn’t miss–

Little Britches series by Moody

Call of the Wild and White Fang, by Jack London

Treasure Island  by Robert Louis Stevenson

Swiss Family Robinson by Johann David Wyss (the unabridged version challenging and great to assign as independent reading.)

Wilderking Trilogy, by Jonathan Rogers

 © 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

Generations Radio Interview

      Ever wonder what I sound like?  I’m sure it won’t be what you imagine.  But if you’d like to know, you can listen to me on Generations Radio. 

    I was blessed to be interviewed this week by Kevin Swanson, a Pastor, author, leader in the homeschool community, and a homeschooling dad. 

    We talk about my book, the advantages of homepreschool versus institutional preschool, building relationships, the importance of conversation, music, and lots more.  You can listen HERE.

     Live the 4R’s!

                     ~Susan

Disturbing Article From the NY Times–“Picture Books No Longer a Staple For Children”?!

     Apparently, picture books are on the decline.  According to this article from the NY Times, picture books are no longer the “staples” of early childhood that they used to be. 

     Say it isn’t so! 

     The article cites several reasons.  One is the cost of picture books (I agree with this–new hardbacks are ridiculously expensive), the economy, and…guess what?  Another form of “curriculum push-down.”  Yep.  Here we go again.  Apparently, many parents feel so pressured to help their children  become early readers that they are pushing them OUT of picture books prematurely–many times as early as age 4. 

     Pushing them OUT of picture books, and choosing to read only chapter books to them, instead.  

     This is NOT the way to grow fluent, confident readers.

     Don’t get me wrong–I’m not bashing chapter books.  You know that I LOVE chapter books.  But preschoolers need picture books.  kindergarteners need picture books.  First graders need picture books, too.   Emergent readers REALLY need picture books.  The shorter sentences, the beautiful pictures and the familiar stories help young readers practice their reading in an enjoyable way.  Picture books build their confidence.  One of the best things you can provide for an emerging reader is lots of practice with their favorite picture books.  For goodness sake, my boys are 9 and 7, and while we read lots of chapter books, they still love picture books!  The best picture books are enjoyable for people of all ages.

    We tend to think of picture books as being immature or simplistic.  While this is true for some picture books (the twaddly ones), many picture books are actually amazingly complex.  The pictures are works of art.  The text often uses amazingly complex vocabularies.  The key is finding the right picture books.  (Be sure to see my posts on Choosing and Finding Classic Picture Books, and my abbreviated List of Classic Picture Books.  If you want the whole long 25+ page list, you’ll need to purchase my book!) 

     By all means, when your children are ready, read them longer picture books. Next, work your way up to real chapter books (usually around age 5-6.)   But don’t be too quick to give up on picture books!      

     Remember that pushing our children to “grow up” to soon–either emotionally or academically–usually backfires on us.  Our goals should be to help our children learn and mature without pushing them, but without holding them back, either. 

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.  Copyrighted materials may not be re-distributed or re-posted without express permission from the author.

List of Classic Preschool Picture Books

          Books! Books contain the throb of human life; the magic entrances, fascinates, sets alight imagination, opens doors of interest and curiosity, informs, and triggers questioning.  Restless bodies become still and concentrated-thinking is encouraged.  Reading out loud together fosters warm ties in human relationships.  The experience is shared, and then interesting and meaningful conversation ensues.  Developing the ability and desire to pursue reading is education.  

 -Susan Schaeffer Macaulay, in the introduction to Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children’s Literature, by Elizabeth Wilson

          

          Following are some excerpts from the chapter “Book Lists: Preschool Through Grade School”, in my book, Homepreschool and Beyond.  Bear in mind that this is only a small excerpt; pages 81-101 in my book are devoted my book list, which is categorized by topic. 

          These are all books I used with my own children.  I try to avoid titles that include witches, ghosts, references to Halloween, evolution, etc.  If a title I include in my list has any questionable content, I try to warn you so that you can decide if the title is redeemable with some editing, or if you should skip it altogether (only a very small percentage of the books I list would fall into that category.)

  Favorite Authors and Illustrators  

 A Hole is to Dig and others by Ruth Kruass

Angus Lost, Angus and the Cat, Angus and the Ducks, Ask Mr. Bear, The Story About Ping, and others by Marjorie Flack

Animals of Farmer Jones, The, Pig Will and Pig Won’t, and others written and/or illustrated by Richard Scarry

Bedtime for Frances, Bread and Jam for Frances, (part of a series of Francis books), by Russell Hoban  4+ (note:  Frances struggles to stay in bed at night, but finally learns self-control after threatened with a spanking–so real to life–hilarious.)

Biggest House in the World, Fish is Fish, Swimmy, and many others by Leo Lionni

Beady Bear, Corduroy, A Pocket for Corduroy, Dandelion and others by Dan Freeman  2+

Curious George (part of a series of “Curious George” books), by Hans A Rey

Donkey-Donkey, and others by Roger Duvoisin  (I just found out this wonderful book is back in print!  Snap it up while you can!  Donkey Donkey doesn’t like his long ears, so the other animals in the barnyard encourage him to “wear” his ears the same way they do:  Dog says to wear them down; Sheep suggests wearing them the side; Pig says wear them over his eyes, etc.  As you can imagine, his ears get him into a lot of trouble until he realizes that he is a donkey, and should wear his ears as donkeys do.  A great lesson in accepting ourselves for what we are/self-esteem (but not preachy.)

Goodnight Moon, Home for A Bunny, Little Fur Family, The Big Red Barn, The Runaway Bunny and others by Margaret Wise Brown  2+

Harry and the Lady Next Door, Harry by the Sea, Harry the Dirty Dog, No Roses For Harry, and others by Gene Zion   I think these are probably my all time favorites.  Don’t miss them!

Katy and the Big Snow, Little House, The; Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and others by Virgina Lee Burton   ~Others that are too good to be missed!

Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, and others by Robert McCloskey

Tale of Peter Rabbit, The and others by Beatrix Potter

Very Hungary Caterpillar, The; Ten Little Rubber Ducks, Grouchy Ladybug, The; Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me, and MANY others by Eric Carle

 Harder to Find/Out of Print  (OOP) Books That Are Worth Looking For:

Christian Mother Goose, volumes I and II, by Marjorie Ainsborough Decker

Dog Who Had Kittens, The, by Polly M. Robertus

Part Time Dog, by Jane Thayer

Ten In the Bed, by Penny Dale  (OOP-a Discovery Toy’s book)

Who Wants Arthur? by Amanda Graham  (OOP-a Discovery Toy’s book)

Wonderful Shrinking Shirt, The, Leone Castell Anderson*  (OOP)

This post contains excerpts from the book, “Homepreschool and Beyond”; used with permission.

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.

Choosing and Finding Classic Picture Books

 

Choose your books and your friends carefully, because they both exercise tremendous influence over you.  When you and your child finish reading a book, has it added to your knowledge and virtue?  Are you somehow left a better person?  Have you been edified and grown in spirit?  If yes, then the book is worth reading.  If it is mere fluff and brain candy, read sparingly, if at all.  Reading should help develop character and empower knowledge.-Mark and Christine Field, Homeschooling 101:  The Essential Handbook

 

          Once you’ve made a plan for the units you’d like your preschoolers to learn you’re ready to choose the books you want to read to them.  But how?

          We’ve all heard the “experts” touting the importance of reading to our children during the early years, and of course, we agree with them.  The problem with this push is that parents are often told, “It doesn’t matter WHAT you read to preschoolers… as long as you READ to them.”  Parents of older children are told, “ANY book is acceptable reading material for your children, as long as it gets them to read independently.”  I couldn’t disagree more.

It DOES matter what we read to our preschool children!

Once our children learn to read, it DOES matter what they read.

It matters what we read to our children, no matter what their ages.

          During the preschool years, we are developing our children’s attitudes and appetites towards books.  We want them to hunger after the best–so only the best, most uplifting and educational books will do. Just as children need a steady diet of healthy food that is good for their bodies, ALL children need a steady “diet” of quality books to feed their minds.  The problem is, many of us grew up on “junk food” ourselves, and don’t know what makes quality literature—especially for preschoolers. Others of us have forgotten the classics we cut our teeth on.

What Is a “Living Book”?

          “Living book” is a term coined by the famous turn-of-the-century British educator Charlotte Mason.  A “living book” is a book that is written by a single author, versus text books which often have many “authors.”  Living books are written in a narrative (story-like) style by authors who know and loved their subject well.

          The “Classic” books we all are familiar with are living books.  These are the books that are rich in imagery and emotion…books that children can’t put down…books worthy of our time and attention.

What is a “classic” picture book?

• A book that has stood the test of time– beloved by generations (although there are occasional “instant classics”).

• A classic book is appealing to all ages; parents enjoy reading them, too

• Classic books are well written and descriptive.

• The characters and settings in these books are memorable and meaningful to us.

 

A book which is enjoyed only by children is a bad children’s story.  The good ones last.  A book which is not worth reading at age 50 is not worth reading at age 10. -C.S. Lewis, “On Three Ways of Writing for Children”

 

Additionally, a Classic Picture Book Should:

• Appeal to/be appropriate for young children– in subject matter, content and style.

• Include many interesting if not beautiful illustrations.  Illustrations help children visualize the story in greater detail, sparking imagination and conversation.

• Teach lessons about the world, about people, about emotions.

• Set an example of positive character traits; give our children heroes.

• Inspire the imagination–not only during the reading of the book, but after    as well. (You know you have found a good book when children incorporate it into their play.)

• Good books give young children “something to think about” (Charlotte Mason). They often inspire play, art, discussion or further research (“Can we read another book about ducks, Mommy?”)

• Many contain appealing elements such as humor, word play, repetition, or rhyme.

           (Note: To find out what a classic picture book is not, you’ll have to pick up a copy of my book! Charlotte Mason calls such worthless books “twaddle”.)

How to Find Quality Books

          Even having the standards listed above, many parents tell me that they still don’t know which books they should be reading to their preschoolers.  They don’t know how to choose quality books, OR how to find them.

          There are many literature lists and books about choosing literature, but unfortunately, most don’t include very many picture books; some skip them altogether. The best books about finding and using classic preschool books that I have found are Peak With Books, by Marjorie R. Nelsen and Jan Nelson-Parish, and Before Five In a Row / Five In A Row, volume 1, by Jane Claire Lambert.  Each of these books contains booklists with recommended picture books; you can find Five In a Row’s complete booklists HERE and HERE.  (Note:  My book includes a chapter long book list, divided up by topic.)

          Many of the Five in a Row titles that used to be hard to find are now being reprinted by Purple House Press along with other old, classic picture books.

          Another good way to discover great literature for children of all ages is through browsing curriculum catalogs.  Catalogs such as Beautiful Feet, Sonlight, Winter Promise, and Book Peddler contain excellent book lists.  (Note: Since each family’s standards are different, choose carefully.  For instance, I like Sonlight’s book choices for grades pre-K-3, but afterwards, the catalog includes some books I dislike or consider inappropriate.  It is a good idea, if you have any doubts, to read or at least skim books before giving them to your impressionable children.)

          Where to find them used:  We’ve had great luck at our local library sales and at Thrift stores (we’re lucky enough to have a Goodwill Store here that only carries books!)  Other places to look:  Homeschool curriculum sales, online curriculum/literature loops, yard sales…..and for harder to find books, check out Amazon and EBay.

          Remember to guide your child’s appetite towards the best. Junk food is all right to eat once in a while, but it should not become our usual diet.  Instead, guide your children towards the best in literature. Use books to teach moral lessons, and to teach about the world. Enjoy books with your children, taking time to look carefully at the pictures, answering questions and discussing each book.  If you do this, you will be well on your way to a happy and healthy homeschooling lifestyle.

This post is excerpted from the book, “Homepreschool and Beyond”; used with permission. 

© 2010 Susan Lemons all rights reserved.

Favorite Easter Books

 

Benjamin’s Box, by Melody Carlson–this book goes along with resurrection eggs.  Benjamin collects “keepsakes” to help him remember what happened to Jesus.

Legend of the Easter Egg, by Lori Walburg (a longer picture book, 4-5+)   I’ve noticed that there seems to be a new Easter book in the “Legend” series, but I haven’t seen it.

The Best Thing About Easter, Christine Harder Tangvald (the eggs, bunnies and etc are fun, but the best thing about Easter is Jesus!

The Story of Easter, by Pingry, Patricia A. Wells, and Lorraine

The Very First Easter, by Paul L., Maier (beautiful illustrations; a longer picture book, probably for mature 4-5 year olds and up.

 

 Bunny Books:

Home For a Bunny, by Margaret Wise Brown (a big Little Golden book)  a sweet classic.

  

Mousekin’s Easter Basket, by Edna Miller:  I haven’t seen this one, but I’m going to order it…all the Mousekin books I’ve seen are fabulous.

 

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyword and Marjorie Flack

  

The Golden Egg Book by Margaret Wise Brown.  A little bunny finds an egg; what could be inside?  Another all time classic. 

 

Arch books (various titles; see your local Bible book store.)