Kid's Literature

As part of our school day, Sophia, Will and I spend 30 to 45 minutes doing "story time." I've been finding good, high-quality books at the library using several book lists, including The Paideia Program, Honey for a Child's Heart, & Landscape with Dragons. I am going to try to keep a list of what we are reading on a weekly basis here on my blog.

1st Quarter - Week 5

Here is what we are reading this week:

Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag

May We Sleep Here Tonight by Tan Koide

Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

One Morning in Maine by Robert McCloskey

The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams

Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein

Timothy Too by Charlotte Zolotow

Petey's Bedtime Story by Beverly Cleary

Little House on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I've discovered I really like stories by Robert McCloskey. They are just well written, nicely illustrated,easy to follow and easy to read-aloud books. The same for books written by Charlotte Zolotow - gentle and beautiful stories. Until this school year, I had never read Shel Silverstein's poetry. In fact, I'm not a big poetry fan. I find it difficult to understand most of the time. WOW - had I been missing out. Where the Sidewalk Ends is just a plain fun book of poetry. Perfect for little ears. Lastly, Daddy is mostly reading the Little House series to Sophia at bedtime, which both of them love!

And the Beverly Cleary story has been a real hoot! It is a story about a little boy and his bedtime story routine and his exhausted parents. I wonder why I like it so much, huh?;)

Here is what I borrowed this week, but am not reading after all:

Poetry for Young People: Carl Sandburg - not age appropriate right now.

Runny Babbit: A Billy Sook by Shel Silverstein - the title explains why I'm not reading this aloud.

Outside Over There by Maurice Sendak - sort of dark and hard to read aloud.

After a couple of his titles thus far, including In The Night Kitchen

and Where the Wild Things Are, I'm not a Sendak fan.

Correction: I like his illustrations, especially those

in the Little Bear series by Else Minarik.

Below is what we have read in the first 4 weeks of school - and some of my own thoughts:

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder - always makes me hungry!

Hard Scrabble Harvest by Dahlov Ipcar - cute farming story

The First Tulips in Holland by Phyllis Krasilovsky - beautiful illustrations.

The Hundred Dresses by Eleanor Estes - Michael remembered this from his childhood. They read it several times. Sophia even drew her own 100 Dresses picture.

assorted Aesop's Fables

Lentil by Robert McCloskey

Little Bear's visit by Else Minarik, illustrated by Maurice Sendak

Little Toot on the Mississippi by Hardie Gramatky

Hop on Pop, The Cat in the Hat, & And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street by Dr. Seuss

Who Wants a Cheap Rhinoceros?, Giraffe and a Half, & The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein -the rhino story was cute, but a couple of the pages I changed the wording for more age appropriateness.

The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf - I loved this story & the simple pencil illustrations.

Frederick & Frederick Fables by Leo Lionni

Curious George & Curious George Goes To The Hospital by H.A. Rey

I Know a Lady by Charlotte Zolotow

The Story about Ping by Marjorie Flack - loved the illustrations

A Fish Out of Water by Helen Palmer, illustrated by P.D. Eastman - the kids loved this one.

Assorted Beatrix Potter tales