Letter R books:

1. Rainbow Fish and the Sea Monsters’ Cave by Marcus Pfister – Cricket and I both enjoyed this Rainbow Fish book. I think it would be a great read for any child that is being fearful. We are working on being afraid of the dark so it worked right in for us. 
2. Rainbow Fish: Tattle Tale by Sonia Sander – I didn’t notice until we left the library that this was by a different author than the actually Rainbow Fish book. It didn’t flow in quite the same way, and it wasn’t actually about being a tattle tale. It was really more about gossiping. 
3. Rainbow Fish: The Good Luck Charm by Sonia Sander – Once again not actually by Marcus Pfister, but this one flowed better and was a more enjoyable read. It reminded me of the feather in Dumbo, that was used to build confidence and provide comfort. 
4. Rumpelstiltskin – This was a very simplified version of the story, if I remember correctly. Cricket didn’t really connect to this book in anyway, so it was a flop for us. 
5. Down Comes the Rain by Franklyn Branley – This was a great informative science reader, but it was just a little too advanced for Cricket. It did contain, what I think would be, a good simple science project to go along with it on condensation. 
6. A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman –  Cricket really liked this book and the movement of the rainbow. When it was over she said she also wants a rainbow of her own. I’m going to be adding this to my book wish list.

My Pick of the Week:

The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown
Cricket and I both loved this book. I loved the relationship between the mother and her bunny, and the way that the mother handled the runaway threats. We also really enjoyed the illustration pages that followed each scenario. It was a great opportunity to discuss the story, and work on comprehension skills.
These were our bed time/pleasure books:

1. Care Bears Good Luck Bear’s Special Day by Sonia Sander
2. Clifford The Firehouse Dog by Norman Bridwell
3. If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff
4. Lots of Spots by Lois Ehlert

That makes 103 books total so far for 2011. I’m over half way to my goal, but I intend to keep going after that.

 

This week was a little different for us. Cricket’s birthday was this week, and so we were having fun. I picked some “birthday books” and let her just randomly pick the rest and this is what we got:

1. A Dazzling Day (Disney’s Tangled) – Cricket got this book from a friend for her birthday, and we have already read it multiple times. She likes it because it’s about Rapunzel. I like that like many of the disney books it focuses on the bright, happy part of the story and skips some of the mean, scary parts. 
2. Go Dog, Go! by P. D. Eastman – We recently received this book from a friend, and I am so thankful. It was one of those books that just clicked with Cricket. She was engaged, interested, and grasping words and concepts. She also liked it enough to ask for repeat reads!
3. Thank You God For Mommy! by Amy Parker – See review here.  
4. Tinker Bell’s True Talent (Tag Reader Book by LeapFrog) – I am making an effort to read Cricket’s Tag books to her. She loves interacting with the books, playing the games, and listening to the stories. I want to maintain the actual book element of these books though, so that maybe her immense love for them will transfer to other books. This book was pieces of the Tinker Bell movie, and Cricket really enjoyed it. 
5. Peter Pan and Wendy – Cricket was thrilled to see pirates in the book. Once I got her past that and focused on that book, she seemed to really enjoy it. She especially like the girl, Wendy, and seemed to like Tinkerbell. 

This week’s focus easy reader:
Tangled Kingdom of Color – Like most easy readers story is sacrificed for word content. Cricket LOVES it though, and is therefore quickly picking up the words.


These were our bed time books:

That makes 92 books total so far for 2011.

 

This week was a little different for us. Cricket’s birthday was this week, and so we were having fun. I picked some “birthday books” and let her just randomly pick the rest and this is what we got:

1. Mr Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss – Cricket loved all the different sound effects in the book and even had fun joining in. This was by far one of our favorite Dr. Seuss books. 
2. Ariel and the Secret Grotto – This book was a little longer than we are used to, but it held Cricket’s attention the whole time. She does love the Little Mermaid, and that probably helped. It was a cute story though with Disney quality animations.  
3. Precious Moments Beautiful Blessings – This was a cute little board book that Cricket picked out for herself at the library. She asked to read it over and OVER again, and toted it around singing about the story.  
4. The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need by Stan and Jan Berenstain –  I didn’t realize that this was going to talk about Christmas at the end, but no biggie. Cricket enjoyed the book, and I liked that they not only gave away items but also their time. 
5. The Birthday Pet by Ellen Javernick – This book was about a little boy that wanted a turtle for his birthday, but received a variety of other pets instead. He did eventually get the turtle, but I wasn’t crazy about the fact that no one listened to what he wanted. On the plus side, Cricket liked the illustrations and I liked the unexpected rhymes. 
6. Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein – I had seen lots of reviews for this Caldecott Honor Book, so I was thrilled to see it at our library. The illustrations were beautiful, and I thought the book was very clever. However, I don’t care for bad behavior in books especially when it isn’t corrected. Yes, the chicken was told not to interrupt, but he kept doing it and was ultimately rewarded in my opinion. 
7. Party Animals by Kathie Lee Gifford –  After reading and being disappointed by the previous book, this one also started out a little rocky for me. I was thrilled that the book turned around though, a wise owl gave good advice and bad behavior was corrected. I think this was a great read, and I definitely recommend it if you have a birthday coming up.
8. Happy Birthday Monster by Scott Beck – This book didn’t really draw Cricket in, there were too many puns and jokes that she just didn’t get. I would think it would be better in a year or two and would probably be more popular with a boy. 
9. Happy Birthday to You by Dr. Seuss –  This was a good book. It probably fell in the middle of the pack for us as far as birthday and Dr. Seuss books. We both liked it, we just didn’t love it.

My Pick of the Week:

A Sick Day for Amos McGee by Philip Christian Stead
The best new book we have read in a long time! This super sweet story was about a zoo worker who made friends with the animals, and what happened when Amos didn’t go to work one day. The story was clever and kind. I loved the illustrations, and Cricket was enthralled.
I have to say, personally I was sold with the first image of Amos. His little old man appearance and mannerisms absolutely reminded me of my grandfather which was a nice bonus. 

These were our bed time books:

That makes 82 books total so far for 2011.