Today's post is brought to you by motherhood.
This is the stack of books that have been sitting on my bedside table for, oh, about 9 months. Give or take.
Notice how smoooooth and unbroken the spines are.
In a state that can only be described as denial, I periodically add to the stack. For example, The Omnivore's Dilemma
I'm wondering if perhaps some of you with older children would like to read these books and submit a written report to The Toby Show?
500 words or less, please.
We are very book oriented people. No surprise there--we are writers by trade. And while I don't believe in actively teaching preschoolers to read, I do believe in exposing the youngest children to the written word as often as possible and in as many different forms as possible--not just simple books made specifically for their age group.
I read somewhere that a child's listening age is about 3 years younger than their reading age--so a 3 year old can often listen
to and comprehend a book that's written for a 6 year old early reader.
Makes sense doesn't it? Well by that calculation, I Can Read Books
Now don't misunderstand, I am not advocating putting away the picture books. We still read mostly picture books to Huck and he even still likes some of his baby board books. In fact, some of my other favorite types of books for his age are those with elaborate illustrations that tell the story with no written words at all. But starting to read early reader books is a nice way to break things up a bit and help develop vocabulary and listening skills. It's about learning to understand and imagine. It's about learning that when there isn't a picture for every sentence or every action in the story, you can imagine the pictures in your mind. And when there are new words or topics your child isn't familiar with, there's your built in reminder to stop and explain them.
Our favorite books in this category are the original Little Bear series (5 books) and the Frog and Toad series (4 books).
Each book has 4 or 5 stand-alone stories. They aren't traditional chapter books in the sense that each chapter builds upon the last but they are stepping stones to chapter books. They are lovely stories with large type, quality illustrations and easy to understand lessons. Huck adores them and often acts out the stories when he plays.
I remember the Little Bear books from my own childhood, but Frog and Toad were a new discovery for me. I was so charmed by them, I went looking for more Arnold Lobel books
Huck and I love his books so much, I'm offering a set of the 2 Mouse books as a giveaway.
The stories in both books are told within a clever framework. In Mouse Soup the mouse tells 4 stories to stall becoming a weasel's dinner, and in Mouse Tales a mouse father tells a bedtime story for each of his 7 children. They are both Level 2 I Can Read paperbacks and are appropriate for reading to a 2-5 year old or for a 5-7 year old reader.
Comment on this post between now and Friday at midnight (mountain time) and I'll enter your name in a random drawing. I'll post the winner Saturday morning and get the loot out on Monday.
We had the most awesome weekend! We took Huck to watch a real live dog sled race up in Ashton, Idaho on Saturday.
After reading this book
He says things like, "The children are getting sicker!" and "Oh No! The train can't get through!" It's waaaay cute.
I highly recommend the book. It's an early reader book but not so involved that a preschooler can't follow the story. I do NOT recommend the movie. It's a sillified version of the story with lots of inaccuracies and ridiculous gender stereotypes. If you're tempted to buy it, please don't. I'll send you my copy.
Anyway, when I saw that The American Dog Sled Derby was running 30 miles from us this weekend, I knew we had to go. So we loaded up our little pack and headed north.
They've been running this race since 1917 (I think it's the oldest dog sled race in the lower 48) and now that we've found it we'll be attending for years to come. It was a blast. Small town entertainment at it's finest. Kids in parkas, brats on a stick, dogs in sweaters. What could be better? We milled around with the locals and watched the teams come in. Good ole' John Bunderson pulled out a win in the 60 mile event.
We even met a few mushers and a couple of the dogs. Huck and Stanley hit it off after a wary introduction.
There were also "Mutt Races" with kids and non-pro dogs, though we are pretty sure there were a few ringers. We're thinking of training our dog Taxi to pull a sled for next winter just so we can see him and Huck in action like this.
There was one kid in this event who was about 2 and was sucking on a pacifier. I'm not kidding. After the excitement died down, there were cupcakes.
And as if all that wasn't enough, we saw this on our walk back to the car.
If that doesn't just say God Bless America, I don't know what does. It was mostly clothing and old plastic kids toys but we did spy this in window and nabbed it for 50 cents.
Huck's on skis for the first time this year. We figure folks named Asbjorn & Olav must have a few good pointers, right?
It was an all-around great day for everyone.
We're driving to New York in April for a family event (expect posts from "The Huge Insane Family Road Trip Adventure" this Spring). The Balto statue in Central Park will surely be a highlight.
We have a winner!
#34 :: Jen Pettus!
Send me your 411, Jen, and Dallas will sign a copy to Jaden and get it sent right out for you guys to start enjoying.
And remember to keep dreaming big...
And I mean that literally as well as descriptively! The giveaway is for an awesome book called An Awesome Book. You're all gonna want it.
Dallas Clayton is a daddy and a dreamer--what a great combo--and he got his first children's book so right I'm just hoping he writes some more. It's like a Dr. Suess meets The Beetles (the post-Rubber Soul years) and it's the kind of message we all hope and pray our children will hear and carry inside them for life.
You won't find this book at Amazon, at least not yet, because for the most part, Dallas is self-marketing. And as far as I can tell he's doing a bang up job. He's putting the book into the hands of the people who can immediately share it with it's intended market--Mommy Bloggers. Smart Dad.
Another smart move is that you can actually read the whole book on his website for FREE. Reading the book and seeing all the illustrations will only make you want to buy it more.
All but one of you that is...
Dallas has graciously offered a SIGNED COPY for a lucky Toby Show reader!
Go check out the book, then comment on this post through Thursday at midnight (mountain time). I'll post the random winner on Friday. Nice way to start the week, and the weekend if you win, huh?
We've done this the last few seasons. I swiped the idea from SouleMama last winter. I think it's a Waldorf thing that kinda goes along with the nature table idea. Anyway, me likey.
Each season you get together season specific books and put them in a small basket in the family room. Include books about the national, religious or personal holidays and events that will be celebrated by your family that season, too. It's a great way to keep the family focused on what's going on outside and socially during that time period and to keep kids grounded in the natural world.
We've got quite an eclectic mix of really gorgeous and classic
autumn books balanced out with some silly Halloween ones as well. There's a full list of all our current autumn books in my Amazon Shop under Children's Books: Autumn.
And here are a few other we DON'T have, but I'd still love to add to our autumn collection at some point:
Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf
The Autumn Equinox, Celebrating the Harvest
How Do You Know it's Fall?
The Apple Pie Tree
Pumpkin Soup
Wild Child
A Plump and Perky Turkey
SouleMama's bookshop also has a nice list that includes many we don't have and Amazon has a few ListMania lists with autumn children's book for even more ideas. I also see that Mary Beth posted on her autumn book basket just last week, so check out Salt & Chocolate for books from their collection.
I also love and plan to acquire these 2 great multi-season books:
Around the Year
A Time To Keep: A Tasha Tudor Books of Holidays
If you don't want to do a bunch of seasonal books, one of these would be great for discussing the seasons.
When the weather turned last weekend, I put out the autumn books, showed Huck the seasonal felt set I posted about, and made Ginger Molasses Cookies (recipe to come). It felt like a nice way to welcome my favorite season in the mountains.
Got any favorite autumn books?
We only have one movie theater within an hour of town. This is it.
Sure there are times when it would be nice to have more than one option each week (though there are double features in the summer), or surround sound or cushie reclining seats, but for ambiance you just can't beat The Spud. It's so fun you don't even care if you see something silly. Case in point: I saw The Dukes of Hazard there, and actually had a nice time.
My niece, my sister and her boyfriend and I went last week to see Wall-E. I loved it. Nobody does it better than Pixar.
Ticket prices are about 2 decades behind the times at $6 per person. Plus Thursday is date night for locals so it's $6 for two! They have a dedicated radio station so you actually listen to the movie through your car stereo now, not a box beside the car.
The other big draw to The Spud is The Snack Shack with it's 50's music jukebox and decor. They serve a wondermous creation called the Gladys Burger and these super yummy Spicy Fries. Of course, you can also get malts, shakes, popcorn, sodas, and candy. My niece and I ordered 2 double meat, double cheese Gladys Burgers, 2 spicy fries, and 2 chocolate shakes and the total was 21 smackers!
You can't beat that in George Bush's America!
That's right, dinner and a movie for for two for $33 buckaroos. Make that $27 on a Thursday! Plus, if you have it in you to stay up late you can catch 2 movies for those prices on the weekends. The down side with that plan is that the first show doesn't even start until "sunset thirty." That's about 9:30pm here so a double feature is out of the question for me these days.
In the summer parents bring their kids already dressed in jammies. All the kids play together in the open field under the screen before the show then roll out their sleeping bags and watch the movie under the stars. More than a few get carried back to their cars sound asleep at the end of the night.
Oh, and The Spud also boasts the world's largest seed potato. I mean, could you ask for a better time?
Huck's been really into birds and bugs lately so I went searching for some good children's guides for him and came across an awesome series.
The About Series: Guides for Children
They're soft back books with one sentence per page about the species and a lovely picture. The author, Cathryn Sill is an elementary school teacher and her husband and illustrator is a renowned wildlife artist It's a great combo.
The books aren't overloaded with too much info for small children but have just enough for them to start learning the basics about various animal traits and behaviors. And there's plenty going on in the gorgeous pictures to facilitate tons of discussion beyond the words on the page.
We have the first 4 so far and I'd place them at the 2-4 year old age range (though Amazon thinks differently--dopes). Older than that and I think kids would be ready for more information. Huck loves them and has had a lot of fun identifying species outside from the books.
For older kids I'd recommend another great series I looked at during my search. These books are more of a true field nature guide that you'd pack in your backpack on a hike. Each page has a ton of information--a bit too much for a 2 year old, but by 4 I think Huck will be able to absorb it and we'll invest in a set of these. I'd put these books in the 4-10ish range.
Fun with Nature
When the time comes to upgrade, I think I'll prefer the narrow focus and portability of one book at a time.
Hope this helps as you start to get outdoors with your little ones this Spring. Huck really loves learning about Robins and Nests and Caterpillars and Butterflies and then seeing them when we're outside.
I don't know if other people do this, but I have certain books that
I go back to year after year. They're like a great pair of broken in
jeans or a long visit with a really good friend you haven't seen in
while.
I read them repeatedly, for sheer comfort. I wear out the spines.
Of course, there are literary classics that I love as well, but the
heavy stuff doesn't usually fit the bill for a comfort read.
Here are of my favs in that category:
by Richard Adams - My husband calls this
"The Bunny Book" and teases me mercilessly when I'm reading it.
Apparently, he can tell if the little band of bunnies is in trouble by
how tightly I'm holding book. I finally had to buy a new copy because
my original lost some pages. by Henri Charriere' - I am a total sucker for a
good escape story and this is one of the best. The movie, as usual, is
a pale comparison to Charriere's autobiographical novel. Basic plot:
French man spends 14 years wrongly jailed for murder in various
horrible prison colonies. He mounts multiple escape attempts but is
always caught and sent back into an even worse situation. by Marion Zimmer Bradley - The
Arthurian legend told from the perspectives of the female characters.
Set in an historical time when huge gender power shifts were
happening. Lots of good female power stuff and Goddess worship. I also like the prequel, The Forest House, and the sequel, The Lady of Avalon. by Frank Herbert - I am not a huge SciFi fan but I
have always loved this book. The mixed elements of feudal politics and
fanatical religion are right up my alley. I also enjoy the second book
in the series, Dune Messiah, but less so. And even less again with the third book, Children of Dune. By the fourth book, I find them almost unreadable. - The truth of this supposedly
autobiographical escape story has been debunked (though not offically)
but I don't even care. It's still just a great story. A band of WWII
POWS escape from the Russians on their way to the Gulags. They walk
across Siberia, the Gobi Desert and the Himalyas to reach safety in
India.Just writing this is making me want to cozy down under the covers and read The Bunny Book again. If you've got a favorite comfort read, I'd love to hear what it is. It's never too late to add something new to the repertoire.
We are crazy book people. I love so many children's books I could never name them all. We have books all over the house--on shelves in every room, stacked on tabletops and in little piles by all the beds. We have our basket of winter/holiday books out in the living room right now and always look at books with Huck as a way to learn about and digest whatever season, holiday or event is going on at the time.
But, there are a few books that just drive me or Stephen up the freakin' wall. Since many blogs tend to write about favorites, I thought I'd write about the ones we think are absolutely ridiculous.
1. We're Going on a Bear Hunt
Armed with a stick and with 3 small children in tow, they go looking for a bear in his cave. The parents drag their kids into a cold river and lead them into a raging snowstorm, most of them wearing canvas sneakers and the baby still in his jammies. Then they all venture into a dark cave by the sea with the tide coming in. When their dog finds the bear in the cave, what do they do? They turn their backs on it and run! Dragging the kids behind them. We live in bear country. And though Huck loves this book it strikes us as an almost dangerous example of wild animal awareness.
I actually like this book but Stephen thinks it perpetuates the clueless father stereotype. He likes to add an addendum when he's reading it to Huck.
"Now Huck, not all daddies are this stupid. Just this one. Your daddy would never, ever forget your Guy-Guy (French pronunciation). But let's do remember that the daddy in this book is off doing the laundry with the baby while the mommy stays home doing who knows what. Probably watching Dr. Phil."
So, let me get this straight, the mom goes to run errands and leaves the baby with a Rottweiler? Good plan. I think there should be a sequel to this book called Bad Mommy, Joyce where CPS shows up, takes the stick of butter out of the kid's hand and finds a good home for the little fella.
I know, another classic that I just don't get. When I see this book, I read the title in my head like it's a 70's stalker, horror film -- "I'll love you...FOREVER." It just creeps me out. The woman clearly has boundary issues. Please tell me he's not still nursing. I wonder what the dude's wife thinks of this set up?
Like it isn't hard enough to get them in their snow gear already? Now I have a cute book about a cartoon character who goes through the whole snowsuit shuffle then takes it all off just to be a pain in the ass? What a fun game. I can't wait.
6. Goodnight Moon
I've read Margaret Wise Brown's other books and I admit, she's pretty good. But let's face it, this page is just lazy writing. Sure, I've been tempted to just write in "Blah, blah, blah" for character dialog when I can't think of anything, but it just doesn't cut it with readers. I can imagine her sitting at her typewriter, a little board, totally tapped out for rhymes, but damnit, she knows she has to wrap up that bowl of mush! The woman was ready to be done with that little bunny and cash her check already and so we have "Goodnight Nobody." I roll my eyes every time I read it.
I'd probably have a bigger list if I had the energy to go upstairs and look under the chair in Huck's room--that's where Stephen stashes the undesirables during story time when Huck's not looking. Whatever it takes to get by, right? Tell me we're not the only ones.
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