Sign of the Beaver has Many Lessons

We recently listened to Sign of the Beaver during our trip from Atlanta to Cloudland Canyon State Park in the northwestern corner of Georgia. My son said that this was a story about people from different cultures fitting in. He said also that it is not a good idea to give up because good stuff does happen.

The story is about two boys spending time together each teaching the other their skills. Matt is a new settler in Maine, who is left in the wilderness while his father travels the country to bring his mother, sister and baby to their new home. The other boy is an Indian, Attean, forced to learn to read with Matt as his teacher.

It was very appropriate that we camped out for two nights in between chapters. The Cloudland wilderness fits right in to the Maine setting. This book is rated IL: MG - BL: 4.9 - AR Pts: 5.0

Heartbeat by Sharon Creech Quick Read

This book fits on two listening CDs. We all listened on our summer road trip, but my oldest fell asleep. Perfect story for any track fans or runners and budding artists. In the beginning, Annie and her friend Max run just for the fun of it. A good lesson for all of us. I think as a society we are unlearning fun. It would be great for everyone to have a list of just for the fun of it hobbies.

But during the story, Max decides to start racing on the track team. The children make different choices, but remain friends. During this book, Annie also explores her drawing ability and her real passion. She has to have stick-to-it-tiveness! I like the messages and subject matter of this book. Sharon Creech has written many children's books.

From the AR system:  IL: MG - BL: 5.0 - AR Pts: 2.0

Behind the Scene at the Circus

The illustrations in Peter Spier's Circus are superb. This book is wonderful in that it really teaches children about traveling with the circus. The children attend "circus school. Six grades, and Mrs. Knapp teaches them all in the trailer." The performers are from countries around the world, so it could be explored with a globe or map to add to the learning.

But the best part is the detail of the drawings that took hours to create. The storybook captures a piece of history and brings it to life for children. The story takes us through the living quarters and then a performance and ends, "Time to move on. The elephants are on their way back to the train..." This book is not in the AR reader system.

Martin Waddell Great Books about Mom

Martin Waddell's books are perfect for preschoolers who need to be reassured that mom is around and indeed very special. Two of our favorites by Waddell are The Big Big Sea and Owl Babies. What I love are the gorgeous illustrations and simple words.

We read Owl Babies over and over and over when the children were young. The baby owls have awakened to find their mother missing. Waddell writes, "She'll be back," said Sarah. "Back soon," said Percy. "I want my mommy!" said Bill. The owls repeat this throughout the book and soon children are joining in. IL: LG - BL: 2.4 - AR Pts: 0.5

The Big Big Sea is about a special late night walk to the sea with mom. The little girl finds the moon and will always remember this unusual late night adventure. Sometimes it is the crazy things we do with our children that make them remember us. IL: LG - BL: 2.1 - AR Pts: 0.5

Add Non-Fiction to Children's Story Hour

Our youngest child was much more interested in learning about the world than reading stories, so we bought and read a lot of non-fiction when he was little. One of my favorite series was "Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists" by Mike Venezia.

The series incorporates artists' works and cartoons into the story. If the artist is influenced by another artist, or friends with a contemporary, their work is often displayed as well. One of the first books I picked up was Edgar Degas. This book, which lists at $6.95 includes 20 works of Degas' and 9 paintings by other artists. Degas was friends with Mary Cassatt and so Venezia also includes 2 paintings by Cassatt.

These images and the text really provide a strong introduction to Degas. The books are engaging for young readers and a quick read for older children. Degas is my favorite painter, so I have included his book first. I will feature other books in this series. These books are probably at your local library. Check it out. (This book was not in the AR system I checked. Other titles in the series had a BL ~5 and awarded .5 points)

Everything on a Waffle is Delicious

What a great story! Everything on a Waffle by Polly Horvath is certainly about relationships, cooking and missing parents. We just listened to the unabridged production read by Kathleen McInerney driving around Atlanta. Kathleen sounded just like Primrose. This is a book set in Coal Harbour, Canada about a young girl whose parents are lost at sea.

Primrose ends up forging a relationship with her Uncle and several other adults. She prevails throughout the book. During her many adventures she frequently introduces the readers to new recipes. Horvath has a sincere style and ability to help the reader really get to know her characters. The recipes totally appeal to me as a mother and owner of CulturedKid.com.

From AR:  IL: MG - BL: 5.8 - AR Pts: 5.0