A Spirited Mind » Kids Books

Read Aloud Chapter Books

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 09:00:36 +0000

We like to have a few chapter books going for our read-aloud time so that we can read a little of this and a little of that rather than just having one book for a long stretch of time (although we do that sometimes too). At 6 years old, Hannah listens very carefully and follows along with every detail, Jack is 4 1/2 and mostly listens especially when he really gets into the story, and Sarah is 3 so she listens sometimes and wanders off to play dolls sometimes. I think it’s good to expose kids to well-written language and classics, and I fully expect that they will read many of the read-alouds again later on to themselves. We do read a lot of picture books as well, as you know if you have followed A Spirited Mind for long, but in case you are looking for some good chapter books too, here are a couple of books we’ve enjoyed recently.

It may not be a classic (yet) but Lois Lowry’s Gooney Bird Greene is a super fun and subtly educational read. Gooney Bird is the new girl in school, she dresses crazy, she says she came from China on a flying carpet, and she gets all the second graders really interested in how to write a story. Although the book is about Gooney Bird’s crazy adventures, it is also about how to tell a story and how to write one. In the book the stories Gooney Bird tells are in larger print, so Hannah and I took turns and she read the big print while I read the small print. I noticed on Amazon that there is a whole series of Gooney Bird books, so I got some for Hannah’s reading practice. It’s a fun book, and not girly even though Gooney Bird is depicted in a tutu on the front cover. Jack enjoyed it too.

Kipling’s classic Just So Stories was on the reading list for Ambleside Year 1 and since we have a copy we read it in the sequence listed on AO. The stories are fables about all sorts of things like how the elephant got his trunk and things like that. They aren’t meant to be true and are told in a sing song way that I think makes that clear to children. After reading this book I noticed that Hannah started inserting “Oh Best Beloved” references in her own stories (Kipling used that for reader notes sprinkled in the Just So Stories), which makes me laugh. One cautionary note: watch out for which version you have of this book. The one we own contains the original language, some of which is offensive by modern standards so I went through and edited with a sharpie in a few spots. I know, I know, book burning and censorship and how can I live with myself, but really, I’m the mom and I don’t want my kids to say certain words and since they repeat everything they hear or read I thought it best to be proactive. You might have a different philosophy on that but I just wanted to make you aware.

Detectives in Togas is one of the best books we’ve read together this year so far. The book is a mystery set in ancient Rome, involving and solved by a group of school boys. In addition to a riveting story and surprising ending, the book contains a wealth of detail and information about ancient Rome. We learned a lot about how children were educated, how the city was laid out, what people ate and wore, how their homes worked, and much more.

Although the book is about a group of boys, the girls enjoyed the story too. I always mention things like that because so many books seem geared toward EITHER girls OR boys, and I think that’s really unfortunate. A good story and well-written characters should engage both.

Tree in the Trail, by the same author who wrote Paddle To the Sea, was on the Ambleside Online Year 2 list, and we liked it although not as much as we liked Paddle. As with Paddle, Tree in the Trail is a story that teaches geography, this time of the Santa Fe Trail. The story follows the history of the trail for 200 years from before the Native Americans had horses through wagon trains. It’s an engaging story and a good way to add to history and geography knowledge without being too textbooky. I’d recommend it if you’re studying US geography this year, or if you think your kids might be interested in the American Southwest.

The King of the Golden River is an interesting picture book/chapter book hybrid fairy tale about three brothers and what befalls them when a mysterious visitor arrives. As with all good fairy tales there are plenty of life lessons to be learned, such as the importance of hard work versus laziness, the importance of being merciful and generous rather than hard-hearted and selfish, and so forth.

I thought the vocabulary in this book was really excellent – it’s full of long and interesting words that children may not otherwise come across, and the text is so well written that the meanings are apparent or easily explained.

The version we read from the library had great illustrations by Krystyna Turska, but I couldn’t find that version on Amazon to show you. However, I noticed that the Kindle version is free right now, so if you want to use this as a read-aloud and don’t mind missing the illustrations, you might want to jump on that before they change the price!

What good chapter books have your kids been reading lately?

Cute Kids’ Book Giveaway

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:00:33 +0000

In her first children’s picture book, Dream Big, Little Pig!, figure skater Kristi Yamaguchi introduced a persistent pig named Poppy who tried to figure out what she was good at. Eventually she stumbles on figure skating and works hard until she’s a star. Yamaguchi’s follow up book, It’s a Big World, Little Pig!, follows Poppy as she heads to the World Games ice skating championship in Paris.

The second book also hits on the themes of having big dreams and working hard in pursuit of your goals, but also includes ideas like being friendly, being a good sport, and reaching out to other people even when they are different.

One thing I appreciate from the two books is the way Yamaguchi conveys that in order to be really good at something you have to practice and work hard, but that it’s OK to try a few things before you find a good fit. This is something I think is hard to balance for little kids, because it seems like nowadays sports and classes are set up for kids who are really serious about whatever it is, and it’s hard to find more relaxed leagues or classes for kids who just want to try something out, even for younger age groups.

Giveaway

The publisher sent me a copy of It’s a Big World, Little Pig!, so if you’d like to win a copy of this cute book for your little girl, please leave a comment and let us know how you balance letting your kids try things out with teaching them about the value of practice.

The giveaway will close on Thursday, March 15 and the winner will be announced on Friday, March 16.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The publisher sent me a copy of the book to offer in a giveaway, but the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Holiday Books, Exotic Turkeys, and Yes, Pie.

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 10:00:22 +0000

All of the organized moms got ahead of me on the library hold lists for Thanksgiving books, so we just picked up our favorites this weekend. That’s OK, we’ll enjoy them for a week. It’s nice to see our old favorites again! In case you want to get a jump on Christmas, here is our list of favorite Christmas books for kids.

We are having Thanksgiving at our house this year, and our gigantic turkey, who Jack named “Noodle Dance,” is thawing in the fridge as I write. I’m planning on brining Noodle Dance in an orange and clove bath and then roasting him with similar accoutrements. I hope it turns out well, considering that Noodle Dance weighs in at over 20 pounds.

Last year after Christmas I reorganized the seasonal decorating materials into bins and now I can’t find where I brilliantly stored the autumn/Thanksgiving decorations. It’s a bit late for the wreath, but it would be nice to have a festive centerpiece. I’m also going to get out the Jesse Tree materials so we can be ready to start our family advent devotions on December 1.

I’ve already made one Cranberry Pie this season, and have four more on the calendar so far. This is a fabulous go-to dessert to take places this time of year. It’s easy, looks nice, and tastes great. The Cooks Next Door posted a similar dessert recipe last week that does not involve pie crust and adds orange zest and almond extract. I may try those additions and see how it turns out.

If you’re really into cranberries (and who isn’t?) you should try my friend Alicia’s cranberry pot roast (scroll down in the post for the recipe) and you should serve your sweet potatoes with cranberries (again, scroll down in the post for the recipe). Believe me, you will never eat that sweet potato marshmallow slop again once you try the crispy, delicious, cranberry version!

I hope you all have a marvelous Thanksgiving (and for the couple of dedicated readers overseas, have a happy Thursday!). I’m thankful for the fact that you read this blog and for the encouraging comments and emails you send.

A book for kids – and a giveaway

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 09:00:42 +0000

I was interested to read The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes because I have dealt with perfectionism throughout my life and I am starting to see some of those tendencies in my children.

This book tells the story of a girl who, as you can tell from the title, never makes mistakes. She has fans! Everyone knows she never makes mistakes! But the pressure starts to get to her and finally she realizes that it’s OK to make mistakes.

That may seem like a simple lesson, but I think it’s an important one for kids to learn if they seem to have perfectionist tendencies. There are really two types of perfectionism: the sort that inspires you to do your best and the sort that paralyzes you because it makes you so afraid to fail that you never try. As with many personality traits, I think a perfectionist bent can be reined in and made useful or it can be a major flaw. It’s better to start learning to harness it sooner rather than later.

The pictures in the book are fun and imaginative and the text is helpful. Sometimes I get annoyed by “here’s an issue!” type children’s books, but in this case I think the concept was pulled off well.

Giveaway

The publisher of The Girl Who Never Made Mistakes is offering a giveaway copy of the book to one reader of A Spirited Mind. If you’re interested in winning a copy, leave a comment on the post! I’ll close the giveaway on Tuesday October 11 at 8 pm EST and post the winner on Wednesday October 12.

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The book’s publisher sent me a complimentary review copy of the book, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review or required to write a positive review.

Two Chapter Books to Read Aloud

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Thu, 11 Aug 2011 09:00:17 +0000

“Well,” said Hannah, age five, “I think you should put James and the Giant Peach on the blog because other kids might like to know about him too.”

We’ve enjoyed reading several chapter books this summer, especially since the sun stays out so late and it makes it hard for little eyes to feel sleepy without a lot of winding down time. I remembered reading this book as a child and the kids were intrigued by the title. It did not disappoint.

The story follows James Henry Trotter, a little boy who lives with his two horrible aunts due to tragic circumstances. One day a giant peach miraculously grows in his back garden and James rolls away in it, accompanied by several giant insects. They go on to have all sorts of adventures and come up with several ingenious ways out of tight spots, and all’s well in the end.

I did find I had to switch out a couple of words here and there, primarily ones that have different shades of meaning these days or which I don’t care to hear bandied about the playroom. But it was not that big of a deal.

When next we scanned our shelf of chapter books, Sarah demanded the book with her name on it. Jack sounded out Sarah, Plain and Tall slowly, and then promptly forgot what he’d just read and took to calling the book “Sarah, the Airplane book.” Fortunately it didn’t take many nights to read through this classic. I read it as a child and had forgotten that the book is about two children whose mother had died, so that was sort of sad, but the book as a whole is quite redemptive and shows good examples of life on the prairie, working together as a family, siblings who love each other and get along, and learning to accept new things. We all enjoyed the story, especially Sarah who doggedly refused to admit that the book was not about her. Maybe someday she’ll live in Maine and love the sea, who knows. If she does, I look forward to the lobster I will eat when I am visiting her there.

Next we have voted to take up Mr. Popper’s Penguins yet again. In a few weeks we’ll be beginning school, and I’ve mapped out the first eight weeks or so of our evening read aloud books to correspond to things we’ll be studying. I’m looking forward to that.

Did your kids read any good books this summer?

I’m linking this post up at Read Aloud Thursday – be sure to head over there to get more ideas for things to read to your little ones!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

A read-aloud for boys that girls will like too

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Wed, 20 Jul 2011 09:00:13 +0000

Last week I mentioned a read-aloud for girls that boys will like too, so this week I thought I should mention a read-aloud for boys that girls will like too. When I’m picking chapter books to read to the kids I try to make sure that everyone will like the story.

One such book is Robert McCloskey’s Homer Price. Each of the chapters in the book tells the story of a mystery happening in Homer’s small town. We thought these stories were really fun and interesting. Judging by the make-believe play that has happened since we read the book, I think the kids liked the chapter about the donut machine best.

We love McCloskey’s illustrations and count several of his other books among our favorites, like Blueberries for Sal, One Morning in Maine, Make Way for Ducklings, The Story about Ping, and Lentil. If you don’t know and love Robert McCloskey’s books yet, you should check them out!

I’m linking up at Read Aloud Thursday tomorrow, so be sure to check out the other recommendations there!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

A read-aloud for girls that boys will like too

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 09:00:12 +0000

If you’re looking for a great read-aloud book I recommend Dorothy Canfield Fisher’s excellent Understood Betsy. I can’t believe I didn’t read this book as a child. We read one chapter per night and I always had to restrain myself from reading more because I was enjoying the story as much as the kids did!

The book is set primarily in Maine around the turn of the 20th century. The little girl in the story moves from the city to the country, and comes to learn just how much she is capable of accomplishing.

Although the main character is a girl, she has great adventures and the book is funny and interesting enough that boys would like it too, I think. Jack enjoyed it, and liked hearing about the boys at the one room schoolhouse.

If you haven’t read Understood Betsy, I think you should hurry out and read it!

I’m planning to link this post up at Read Aloud Thursday tomorrow, so be sure to check that page out for more ideas of what to read to your kids!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Inside Picture Books

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Mon, 11 Jul 2011 14:48:20 +0000

I enjoy reading books about children’s literature, so I was happy to borrow my mother-in-law’s copy of Inside Picture Books recently. The author, a lecturer at Stanford, studies art, culture, and psychology, so her approach to books is interesting. She clearly loves children’s books and explores “the profound impact of the experience of reading to children.”

Although I felt at times that she read too much into the books she discussed, for the most part I found the author’s perspective interesting. She wrote about quite a few of our favorites, including less well-known titles like Wee Gillis. I also found a handful of books that we haven’t read but would like to try.

If you enjoy finding new books to read to your kids, or are interested in the psychology of reading and how reading impacts culture, see if you can find a copy of Inside Picture Books and let us know what you think!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

A Funny and Useful Read Aloud for Kids

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Thu, 12 May 2011 09:00:53 +0000

We usually have a read aloud chapter book going in addition to reading picture books. I think it’s good for the kids’ attention spans and they like a longer more involved story sometimes. Recently we read a fantastic book that not only made us laugh but also helped our character studies.

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle is a book of stories about a lady who loves children and knows all sorts of interesting ways to break them of their bad habits. Distraught mothers from all over town call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle for advice about their child who is an answer-backer, or a slow-eater-tiny-bite-taker, or a fighter-quarreler or whatnot, and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle dispenses a cure. The cures are mostly inventive ways of showing the child what he or she is doing, and then helping him or her make a different, positive habit to replace the bad habit.

As we read the stories, we found a lot of applications for our own little bad habits. One day when I was really at the end of my rope over some recurring bad behavior I said, “I just don’t know what to do with you guys!” and Jack said, “I think you should call Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle.”

Although some of Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle’s cures are unlikely, I like the idea of the kids hearing about a behavior that isn’t right, seeing the parent’s perspective, then understanding how the kids overcame the problem. I don’t think you can read TOO much into this book – it’s very lighthearted and funny – but it did give us some good conversation topics along the way and I’d recommend it as a good read aloud for little ones.

I’m linking up this post at Read Aloud Thursday on Hope is the Word. Be sure to check over there for more great ideas!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Learn About the Platypus

Catherine Gillespie@A Spirited Mind — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 09:00:12 +0000

Although I don’t generally use unit studies in our homeschool, I do like them for occasional study, and I like how unit studies integrate subjects. With summer coming up, if you’re looking for something fun to do with your kids that will be good enrichment but not overwhelmingly textbookish, I’d recommend a unit study book like The Curiosity Files: Platypus from The Old Schoolhouse Magazine.

This e-book is a great reference about platypuses and includes helpful suggestions for activities to reinforce what your child learns about the animal. If your kids are younger like mine, they will probably really enjoy the coloring activities and making the platypus burrow with dried beans for the platypus babies, and older kids might be interested to find out how scientists figured out the taxonomy of the platypus and how the platypus finds food via electroreception in its bill.

Other sections in the e-book include a set of studies about how to care for the earth God created and how the platypus reminds us of God’s creativity in creation, ideas for how to use the platypus theme to practice math and science concepts like classification, counting by tens, percentages, and the like, suggestions for writing activities, spelling and vocabulary, geography study of Australia, and a list of books about platypi.

Since my kids are 5, 3, and 2, we didn’t cover a lot of these topics in great depth, but they did enjoy doing some of the crafts and learning about classification and taxonomy. We looked up Australia in our atlas and tried to decide how we would get there from Indiana. I checked out most of the books on the reading list since we usually like to learn through literature, and we especially liked the illustrations in A Platypus, Probably. Hannah read Platypus! out loud to us.

If you have an interest in particular animals or topics, an e-book unit study guide like this one might be really helpful to you, whether you homeschool or are just looking for something interesting to do with your kids after school. In the past when we’ve done unit studies (like the unit study we did on The Netherlands) I’ve just done my own research, but if you’re pressed for time I can see how it would be nice to have everything outlined for you. The $6.95 you pay for the e-book might be worth the couple of hours you save scouring the library and Amazon and looking up ideas online, unless you just enjoy doing that sort of thing, which sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t.

In addition to Platypus, the Curiosity Files series also includes unit studies on other animals, insects, and natural phenomena. Some of them are only $1 right now!

If you’ve tried unit studies, how do you use them? What are some of the best ones you’ve tried?

Disclosure: Amazon links in this post are affiliate links, Old Schoolhouse links are not. The Old Schoolhouse magazine sent me a complimentary review copy of the Platypus unit study, but I was not compensated for the review nor required to post a positive response. Opinions contained in this review are my honest reaction to the book. Whew! That was a lot of disclosure.