Best Books

Best Books

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 28.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

That's Not My Lion by Fiona Watt

We rarely pick up board books from the library, but I grabbed this one on a whim.  Xander absolutely loved it.  We had to read it 5 times in a row, and then he took it to his Granpa.  Basically it is a super short story about why different lions are not the right ones.  It has different textures to feel also.  We are big fans of this series.

Mommy's Favorites:

Bread and Honey by Frank Asch

This book has a bit more history as to why it is my favorite.  When I was really young there was this story that my grandmother read me from a Highlights magazine.  I had loved it so much that she put it in plastic and had to read it to me constantly when I went to visit (only Grandchild and first girl in a family of all boys, I was spoiled rotten adored).  After she died, I never saw the story again (must have gotten lost when my Grandpa moved).  Anyway, I looked for it for the story for YEARS.  I didn't know the title, author, or even if it was a real book rather than just a short story in a magazine.  All I knew was that it was about a bear named Ben who was painting a picture for his mother.  A couple of years ago while I was getting books for my step daughter at the library, I ran across a story with a bear that looked just like Ben. I started looking into the author and eventually found Bread and Honey.  Apparently there is a whole series of books by Franch Asch with a bear called Moon Bear, who is usually pretty dumb.  This book, however, features Ben, and the story I fell in love with when I was little.  I am so happy to have found it to read to my little guy, and will someday share the memory of his amazing great grandmother.
 
  Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books

Best Books

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 27.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

If You're Happy and You Know It: Jungle Edition by James Warhola

This adorable book was a new twist on the classic song.  All of the actions had to do with things that animals would do (scratch your fur, flap your wings).  It also had cute illustrations to go with.  Xander had fun stomping his feet and dancing around with me.

Mommy's Favorites:

Look Once Look Again: At the Farm by David M. Schwartz

This book was another great library find.  First it shows a picture of some animal part zoomed in really close with a clue as to what it is.  Then it shows the whole animal and gives a description.  For example, it shows a duckling's bill and eye tooth, and then the next page shows the whole duckling.  Xander was a little young to guess, but he liked pointing to the animals.  It is definitely a book I will keep in mind for when he gets older.  It adds an interesting perspective to animals.

  Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books - Week 26

Best Books

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 26.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

Zoo Ah-Choooo by Peter Mandel

Xander, being a one and a half year old boy, is in the stage where he thinks sneezes are hilarious.  He often pretends to sneeze, getting his whole body into it.  This book was perfect for him!  It is about a zoo that has a sneezing fit pass through it, affecting all the animals.  He enjoyed the sneezing on each page.  It also had things going on on various pages for him to point to, such as balloons, brooms, animals, etc.

Mommy's Favorites:

Sorting By Color by Jennifer L. Marks

I am really starting to love these A+ books!  They all have fantastic pictures, and clear explanations of the concepts.  Sorting By Color is no exception.  The book talks about different types of objects that can be sorted by color.  It also introduces the idea of a Venn diagram and sorting by color that happens out in the "real world."

  Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books - Week 24

Best Books

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 24.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

 Two Feet Up and Two Feet Down by Lynne Chapman

Xander has been trying really hard to jump lately.  It is actually really cute because he usually only succeeds in getting one foot off the ground.  Anyway, he loved this book because it was about jumping and hopping.  He "jumped" through the whole book and wanted to read it again.  I liked that it had simple words and would be easy for him to read on his own in a couple of years.

Mommy's Favorites:

Oh, the Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss


Ok, so this isn't exactly a "new" find.  However, it was the first time we read this book to count towards our reading challenge.  This is one of my all time favorite books.  It is Dr. Seuss so of course there are cute rhymes and funny pictures.  Whats more, this book has a great message about getting through the tough stuff to get to accomplishments.  Honestly, as I was reading it, I found myself thinking I really should have read it daily a couple of years ago as I was pregnant, divorcing, and going through one of those "lurches."  The message applies to adults as well. :)

Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books - Week 23

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 23.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:
 Sea Horses by Melvin and Gilda Berger

Sorry, there was no picture for this book.  However, it has become one of Xander's daily readers.  It is a great non fiction book with high quality photographs and large text on a white background.  The book goes through different parts of the sea horse and how it is similar to other animals.  For example, the head is similar to that of a horse and the tail is similar to that of a monkey.  There were also fact bubbles throughout the book with more advanced/specific information.  The first time I got this book out, we read it about six times in a row.  Xander likes to neigh on the page with the horse, and point to his eyes on the page about eyes.  I will have to keep a lookout for more books like this at the library.

Mommy's Favorites:

My Best Friend is as Sharp as a Pencil by Hanoch Piven


This book was about a little girl telling her grandmother about her school.  It was cute because she used a lot of similes to describe her classmates and teachers.  The book is illustrated, but the objects from the similes are depicted with real photographs.  Xander wasn't all that impressed, but I enjoyed it.

Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books - Week 22

Best Books

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 22.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

Big and Small by Aaron Carr

This was a new book they got in at the library and boy was it a good choice.  Xander absolutely loved it.  We read it seven times in a row before I finally put it up (and made him cry).  We read it repeatedly throughout the week.  I love that it has great photographs and builds.  It starts with just a single word like "big" and it keeps building until the end which has full sentences.  We will definitely be keeping an eye out for more Science Kids books!

 Counting Rhymes by Kate Saunders

Another great Usborne toddler book, this book had five cute little rhymes that had to do with counting.  Xander particularly liked the first one called Two Little Eyes.  I liked that the rhymes are simple, so I could easily learn them and tell them to him in the car or somewhere else without the book.

Mommy's Favorites:

Bees Buzz! By Pam Scheunemann

Since we had a Bee Theme this week for Tot School, we ended up reading a lot of bee books.  This one was one of my favorites.  It had great photographs and large, clear font.  It also rhymed, which is perfect for little ones.  Additionally, each page had a little fact bubble, making it even more informational for older kids. For example, the main text of the page was "Bees have wings to fly," and then the fact bubble talked about how fast they could fly.  Xander liked pointing to the pictures of the bees and saying "beeeee beeee" on every page!

Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.

Best Books - Week 21

Best Books is my series of posts that highlights books we find during our book challenge!
These are our finds from week 21.

(Note:  We try to read a minimum of 28 books a week.  The books we list here are our favorites that we found in each week, not necessarily our favorites overall.  Some weeks we find some fantastic books, other weeks we read a lot of fluff.)

Xander's Favorite:

The Eye Book by Dr. Seuss writing as Theo. LeSieg

We have both always loved Dr. Seuss books, although some more than others.  Somehow, though, I had completely missed this one until I ran across it at the library.  Simple and cute, it was perfect because Xander has a habit of walking up to people and poking them in the eye saying "eyyyyyyyyyyyyye."

Mommy's Favorites:

Let Me Help by Louise Vitellaro Tidd

This is a Real Kids Reader about a little girl helping out her father, but needing to slow down and be careful. It had real photographs and easy to read words.  Since the photos were simple, we were able to talk about objects like the ladder and the bananas.  I will need to keep my eye out for more readers like this at the library.

Book Store:

I added an Amazon Store to the blog.  In it I included a shop for our favorite books and will be adding the books from the Best Books posts to it.  I hope having them in one place will make it easier when looking for book suggestions.