Finishing Their Reading Lists

It's official!  Yesterday, we have completed 180 days of school!  With the end of their school year, comes the finishing of our children's required reading lists.  Of course, our children will read over the summer, and we will encourage them to read a variety of books.  However, we do not require specific books be read over the summer months.  In other words, there is no summer reading list in our homeschool.

Sometime mid-year, I shared a few books my children were reading at the time.  Today, I wanted to share what books they finished this school year reading.  Only the three older children are able to read fluently.  So, I have only included the titles they recently finished.

Our oldest son wrapped up Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens.  He thought it was 'alright.'  He like A Christmas Carol better which he read a couple years ago.

Anne of Green Gables, by L.M. Montgomery was our oldest daughter's final book to read.  She also completed an accompanying literature guide published by Veritas Press.  She was already familiar with Anne through a beginner reading book she had read a few years ago.  All in all, my daughter loved Anne.  Who wouldn't?  {OK, I am biased on this matter.}

Our younger daughter finished The Bears on Hemlock Mountain, by Alice Dalgliesh yesterday.  She liked the main character's adventure of traveling over the mountain twice.  I liked when he hid under the big iron pot!

Light House Books

When our youngest finished his A to Z preschool year, I decided to review his letters and sounds, numbers and counting until summer break.  With that in mind, I started looking through the library shelves for some interesting books with a summer theme or summer topic.  We had already spent a great deal of time in science co-op learning about the ocean and coral reefs, but we hadn't really touched upon light houses.

Last year, for Mother's Day we had hiked to a nearby light house, and I knew our youngest remembered the experience.  He knew what a light house was for and the importance of it.  Without having to explain this to him, he could simply enjoy two new to us books we found at our local library.

The Bravest Woman in America, by Marissa Moss, describes the true adventures of Ida Lewis in picture book form.  Ida grew up with a father who maintained a light house in the mid 1800's on the coast of Rhode Island.  Ida helped her father and eventually became the light house keeper.  The book we read told about Ida's first time saving lives at sea.  Apparently, Ida went on to save many lives and was even awarded the Congressional Life Saving Medal.  Following the story, an Author's Note offers a brief biographical sketch of Ida's life and work.
 
The Sea Chest, by Toni Buzzeo, offered a poetical version of a light keeper legend.  Set on the coast of Maine, this book tells the tale of one light house keeper's family who finds a chest wrapped in bedding.  Upon opening the chest, the family of three finds a baby with a note attached to her wrist.  The family adopts the child and raises her on the light house island.  Though the story is based on a legend and its truth is unknown, the story offers readers a sweet reminder of grace and love with the beautiful message of a child being a blessing.

In the past, our older children have enjoyed other light house books.
From our personal book shelves -
Manning the Light, by Terry Webb
Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie, by Peter Roop and Connie Roop


Linked to Read Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

Picture Book Biographies and a Capybara

Don't you just love those picture book biographies by Diane Stanley?  We have read aloud five this year, including Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Good Queen Bess, Bard of Avon (Shakespeare), and most recently, Peter the Great. 

 

After reading through a chapter about Peter the Great in Story of the World (volume 3), we read Stanley's picture book biography.  Since the children had already completed a written narration and a map, we simply enjoyed the book.  Afterward, we discussed some of his decisions and how he was portrayed within the biography. 

A family favorite read aloud of ours is Capyboppy, by Bill Peet.  This time around, I read it to our youngest son late one afternoon.  The story is about a typical family.  One son, named Bill, happens to be an animal lover.  He has a zoo/museum in his bedroom.  As a college student, he wants a boa, but the family rejects a snake.  He gets a capybara instead.  The young capybara comes to live with the family.  Capyboppy, as Margaret the mom calls him, becomes a beloved pet to the family.  However, as with most wild animals, Capyboppy outgrows the home, and needs to live somewhere, anywhere other than the residential home of the family.  We laugh aloud with the antics of Capyboppy each time we read this book.



Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

A Light-Hearted Read Aloud

Since Christmas break, we have taken a few weeks to only read shorter books.  We started by learning about animal migrations.  Then, we pored over a bunch of cold weather books, read about sidewalk chalk art, and explored a few titles connecting our colonial history to Martin Luther King, Jr. 

Now, we've added chapter books back into the mix.  However, after such serious, though very interesting, subjects we have opted to read through a humorous book that a friend let us borrow.  {Thank you, Annette!}.  Have you heard of it?  It is The Strictest School in the World: Being the Tale of a Clever Girl, a Rubber Boy and a Collection of Flying Machines, Mostly Broken, by Howard Whitehouse. 

The title and subtitle serve as a perfect synopsis of the book.  Emmaline is the 'clever girl,' who is sent from her home in India to England to attend boarding school.  She aspires to create a flying machine, and actively pursues her dream.  Rab, her friend, is the 'rubber boy,' who seemingly never gets injured despite many accidents.  He helps Emmaline by piloting her flying machines.

We are still reading the book, and haven't yet reached the ending, but I can safely say our children {and I} are thoroughly enjoying this book.  Each day, we look forward to hearing more of the adventure and laughing aloud at the antics. 



Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

Books for Boys

Strolling through the children's section of our library, this cover caught my eye.  Though it is about baseball, I was drawn to the illustrations by C.F. Payne.  The pictures are realistic, but with a bit of whimsy and slight exaggerations of features.  Instantly, I knew my sons would like this book.   

The picture book, like the poem it is based upon, is arranged alphabetically naming twenty-four iconic baseball players.  Two letters, I and Z, do not represent baseball players.  Instead, I stands for the Incurable fan (poet Frederick Ogden Nash) and "Z is for Zenith..." 

Lineup for Yesterday, by Ogden Nash features not only the poem, but biographical inserts for each of the players mentioned.  The informative biographical notes were written by Nash's daughter, Linell Nash Smith.  The book can be read in a couple of ways.  For younger listeners the main alphabetical poem is sufficient, but for older audiences, the poem and biographical information can be poured over together.

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Another book we read offered more comedy than history.  Entitled Levi Strauss Gets a Bright Idea, the book's subtitle, A Fairly Fabricated Story of a Pair of Pants, hints at the tone to come.  Written in the style of a tall tale, Tony Johnston tells the story of Levi Strauss and the invention of denim jeans. 

The book had us laughing with delight as Strauss joins the California Gold Rush, only to discover he is late, there is no gold left, and the men's pants have disintegrated.  Strauss laments his loss of gold and devises a way to fix the miners' pants problem.  Like any good tall tale, these story elements stretch the historical facts and create a humorous adventure. 

The book does conclude with a page telling the real story of Levi Strauss and denim jeans.

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The final book I'll share today was read more for my youngest son.  Solomon Crocodile, written by Catherine Rayner, is a fantastic read aloud book for preschoolers.  The vocabulary used is perfect for my active boy!  Verbs such as stalk, splats, slops, charges, and croaks are his kind of words.  The repetition of several lines makes for a delightful read aloud.

Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word where you will find a lot more great books!

Christmas Joy - Read Alouds

A few weeks ago, I shared that our local library has many Christmas books, and I wrote about the historical selections we were reading.  Yesterday, I shared the wide selection of beautifully illustrated Christmas carols we found.  Today, I'd like to share a few heart tugging Christmas books we found at that very same library.  I told you, Love that library!

Heart Tuggers


Coal Country Christmas, written by Elizabeth Ferguson Brown, tells about Liz visiting her grandmother for Christmas in the Appalachian Mountains of Pennsylvania.  Her experiences and thoughts throughout the story are simply expressed, just as a child would retell it.  Though the emotion is vital to the story line, in a way, it is quite understated and children may not even pick up on it.  However, grown ups will certainly not miss the sense of loss intertwined with the family joy and traditions.





Another book entitled Just in Time For Christmas, by Louise Borden tells of Will, a boy living with his family and Great-Gram in Kentucky.  The main story line our children remembered were Will's dog missing just days before Christmas as the extended family gathers at Will's house for a Christmas celebration that includes making pulled candy.  Although present, our children vaguely picked up on Will's great-grandma's fading memory, and how she continually calls him by the wrong name.  Again, the sorrow intermixes with the joy of celebrating the holiday together.


Every year, the Christmas Train arrives bringing presents to all eagerly awaiting boys and girls.  And, each year, Frankie hopes for one particular gift: a doctor kit.  Year after year, Frankie receives various gifts, including mittens, warm socks, and toys, but never a doctor kit.  Years later, as Frankie has grown into a man and is living far away, he thinks back to all his blessings.  He decides to move back to the Appalachian Mountains to help those who live there.  I won't give away the ending, but definitely if you can only read one of these books this Christmas season, might I encourage it to be this one?  For Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story, by Cynthia Rylant is that good.



We also read Great Joy, by Kate DiCamillo.  Frances, a little girl, lives in the city.  One day, she notices a man and his pet monkey.  He is an organ grinder, who plays his music while the monkey holds a cup for offerings.  Frances begins to wonder about the man and where he goes at night, when she sees him late one night on the street.  It is a poignant story of a little girl's compassion.  Though it serves as a contrast, I was disappointed by the mother's indifference.

Finally, two books by Patricia Polacco must be included in this list of heart tugger Christmas read alouds. 

The first, Christmas Tapestry, was definitely one to read with the tissue box handy.  {Thanks Mary for the heads-up!}  This sweet book begins with a family's move to Detroit, and ends with seemingly insignificant and significant events tied together in the beautiful tapestry of life. 

The second Polacco book we read was An Orange for Frankie.  A wonderful family tale unfolds of Christmas time in the Stowell household.  Frankie, along with his family, share what they have with those in need as they anxiously await Pa's return.  When he returns, he will bring a crate of oranges with him.  The oranges are a traditional part of Christmas for the family and are greatly anticipated.  However, poor weather delays Pa, and the family must go about the Christmas preparations without him.  The train stops behind their home, and with it comes a group of hobos who are fed and cared for by the family.  Frankie notices one man has only a thin overcoat.  He runs to his room and retrieves his best sweater, the only one that will fit the man.  Quickly, he gives it to the man.  I don't want to spoil how Frankie's generosity is rewarded, but it is in a sweet way... 

And, yes,...we did share a few slices of tasty oranges while reading this book.


Linked to Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope Is the Word

Location, Location - Read Alouds Set in Maine

We've read it before.  About four years ago, when we first studied this time period in history, we followed another's recommendation to read The Sign of the Beaver, by Elizabeth George Speare.  It did not disappoint.  Though our children were young, the exciting story line captured their attention.  This time, reading through the book, the children and I are appreciating the character development, interaction, and struggles. 

The Sign of the Beaver takes place in the Maine wilderness during the 1700's.  Matt, a twelve-year-old, is left alone at his family's cabin while his father travels to bring his mother and siblings to the new settlement.  The situations and people Matt meets while living alone are interesting and bring the time period to life.  It fabulous to read aloud, whether the first time or second time.  For those wondering what reading level this book is, I would consider it 4th to 6th grade level.

Other titles we have read aloud that are set in Maine are Calico Bush, Blueberries for Sal, and One Morning in Maine. 

Calico Bush, written by Rachel Field, takes place during the 1740's in a northern part of Maine.  The area where the Sargent family settles is quite isolated.  However, the location is not the only reason Marguerite feels lonely.  She has lost her family and now lives with the Sargent family as a servant.  Neither the family nor the area feels like home to Marguerite.  The story line is poignant, and thirteen-year-old Marguerite's courage and inner strength are admirable.   The book is great for independent readers in grades 5th to 8th.

Both Blueberries for Sal and One Morning in Maine are written by Robert McCloskey.  Each is a fabulous short story to read aloud to preschoolers or early elementary aged children.  Our favorite of the two is Blueberries for Sal.  After all, who doesn't love when Sal follows the momma bear and baby bear follows Sal's momma around on the blueberry hill?

 

To find more read aloud selections, visit Amy at Hope Is the Word
for this week's Read-Aloud Thursday link up.

Beautiful Illustrations

Sometimes we find a well known story illustrated in such a beautiful manner that we find ourselves returning to the book not so much for the favorite story, but for the favorite illustrations that depict the beloved story.  Such is the case with the three books topping our youngest's read aloud list this week.  The Little Red Hen, The Lion & the Mouse, and The Ugly Duckling are three books beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney.  Each one captivates us.

The Little Red Hen is retold by Pinkney.  The story line has small variations from the one we are most familiar with, but the alterations are only slight, and not overly noticeable.  Of course the same basic strong work ethic of the hen is unchanged and promoted consistently throughout the story.

Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling is adapted and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney as well.  The book showcases a 'duck' trying to find acceptance and love.  Difficulties ensue.  Until one day, the 'duck' discovers his true identity.  He is a beautiful swan.  How remarkable this children's story shares truth of acceptance, true identities, and beauty of for all ages! 

Unlike the first two, The Lion & the Mouse has no accompanying words.  In this work, the illustrations tell the entire story.  When we first started looking through this book, I told my son the story.  Now, it is fascinating to allow him to retell the story from looking at the pictures.

To find out about more read aloud selections, visit Amy at Hope Is the Word for this week's Read-Aloud Thursday link up.

From the Library Shelves

I am pretty sure this blog should come with a warning or some type of confession like,
"Hi, my name is Dorie, and I really love books.  Short ones, tall ones, thick ones, thin ones, they all have something beautiful to offer.  Opening a new or old book is a moment of joy.  Finding well chosen words and lovely illustrations within the pages only deepens this joy..."

With such a passion for written words, I hope to foster a love for reading in each of our children as well.  Our home reflects that desire with many books and places to curl up and read.  Helping to feed this passion are our frequent visits to the local library.  Each time, we come home with arm loads of books, and a few new favorites.  This last trip was no exception.

Straight from the shelves of our local public library to our home...



Each time we visit the library, the children peruse the shelves for interesting books.  When my four year old spotted a book about a knight and a few dragons, he immediately asked to bring it home.  From the first reading, the storyline has delighted him.  A Good Knight's Rest, by Shelley Moore Thomas tells of a knight who needs a vacation.  He attempts to take one with three little dragons in toe.  The antics of the dragons make my son laugh each and every time we read through this book.  {And we've read it almost everyday now.}  Definitely a good find!





For our science co-op, the PK-third grade class are learning about oceans.  I couldn't find the book recommended in our lesson plans and had to rely on a quick library search for a substitution.  Since explaining coral reefs can be hard when the students have never seen one, I definitely needed to find a book with lots of pictures.  What Lives in Coral Reefs? by Oona Gaarder-Juntti does a fabulous job of explaining and showing what coral reefs are and what animals live there.  The book includes vibrant, up close photographs of beautiful coral and ocean life.  Each page has minimal, but interesting information.  The book made for an excellent read aloud to a group of wiggly early elementary students.