When we go to the Library I tell Stella that she may pick 5 books, and I pick 5 books. So every week we have a total of 10 books at home. Most weeks I only write about 5 or maybe 6 on a good week. That is because the books Stella picks, well, to be frank, they aren't worth writing about! They're Dora or Diego or Arthur. Or some other tv show character. They are not particularly well written or very engaging for anyone over the age of 6!
This week, however, my girl did me proud. She picked good books! Real books! So, while this post may be belated, it will be long enough to have been worth the wait! And without further ado... The books:
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
We loved this book! It was so funny. Sid and I both stared in incredulity and then laughed at the building materials the wolves chose and the way the Big Bad Pig got into the houses! I love to read these books that take a well known story and turn it on its head. This was well written and brilliantly illustrated. And the ending... oh, that ending. Even Stella saw the humor in it! I don't want to give it away, You'll have to go read it yourself!
Grandfather's Journey
I read about this one on a list somewhere of good books to read. It was a fine book. You feel like you're speaking with the author as you listen to the very personal story he tells. It's beautiful. The pictures are beautiful and anyone who has made a home in place different from where they grew up will relate at least a little. It was a little lost on Stella though. She was just not ready for the kind of book it is. We'll probably revisit this if we do a study on Japan in school later.
Come Back, Amelia Bedelia
. This was one of Stella's choices this week. I was so glad she chose it, too. I love Amelia Bedelia
! She is so literal. I guess all kids can relate to that. Stella liked this and we read it over and over. We had tried Amelia Bedelia books before, but Stella wasn't quite ready for them. The humor was totally lost on her. Not this time though. We both giggled through it each time we read it!
Meet Molly
This was a good one. Obviously we are still on our American Girls kkick. Stella told me yesterday she wants to read all the 1st books then all the 2nds and so on. We'll have to see about that. At this rate she'll be able to read them herself by the time we get to the 4th books! They just keep churning these suckers out! We did like Molly, and this book has a unique distintion of teaching Stella the "I see London, I see France" rhyme. A childhood staple!
Mangaboom
We loved this book! What a great story. This was our favorite this week. Excellent book. I really wasn't sure what we were getting into with this one, but it was a great story about friendship, being who you are, not changing just to get a man. There is a hint of feminism in here, but it's just a hint. And the message of friendship is much, much louder. I did have to tell Stella what skinny dipping was...
Four Friends in Autumn
My least favorite Tomie DePaola book to date. And I've read most of them! This wasn't bad. It was shorter than many of his books, and was just a fun little story. Nothing wrong with it, it was a cute book. I guess I just expect a lot from authors I know!
Degas and the Little Dancer
This was a fun story. A ficticious account of how Degas' Little Dancer came to be. It was a neat way to introduce art to Stella. I want to expose them to great art, I just don't want it to be this huge lesson at this point in their lives. Books are a great way to do that, and this was a great book for a 5 year-old girl!Clifford's Adventures
This was actually two in one! We like Clifford at our house. He's such a well mannered pooch. And what's not to love about the Big Red Dog?
And finally D.W.'s Guide to Perfect Manners
. This was one of the better books that fall into the Stella's choice category! D.W.,Arthur's sister walks through a day of perfect manners for the pre-school set! Nothing to argue with, and if we read it 12 times whose gonna complain about good manners?!So all in all we had a good week on the book front! What have you been reading?
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. Thie was such a fun book about a pirate crew of bunnies who did not appreciate the captain's son's love of reading. Until they're ship-wrecked of course. Then it's Henry to the rescue. Quite a fun story about the value of reading a variety of books. Without being preachy and while telling a fun story to boot. I would definitely put this one on our bookshelf permanently! And I'll probably look up more books by this author.
. I really enjoyed this one. It was a new one for me. They just keep turning these out! We did like this one. I liked that I got to throw not just a few quick hisstory lessons, but a few new Spanish words in with the story telling!
. What a precious story of a girl and her little brother. It was so... true. The little girl essentially dared the wind to take her brother, and when it did she chased him down and refused to give him away. I love the truth in the girl's response to the wind when it asks her if she wanted to get rid of him. No, yes, no, I don't think my mother would like it. So cute, and sweet, and anyone with a pesky little brother can relate.
which had great artwork but whose story was quite forgettable. Some fun pictures though!
. This is part of a series of books that follow a girl who loves pink. THis was a neat story about knowing who you are, and accepting yourself. And about the importance of friendship, and kindness. I thought it was cute. Just like the rest of the stories in the 
, about a boy, his neighbor, and the "magic" of acorns which was actually more about learning to look and pay attention to your surroundings. I liked it, it was a good story, but it was not the most loved story this week.
. Neither Stella nor I cared much about this book. It was a simple book, cute. But it was boring. A little girl showing pictures of her mother. It just felt... anti-climactic. It wasn't bad, just not for us. And usually I love stories like that!