The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss

from goodreads

4 stars

Lately the kids haven't been looking for new books. They seem to be wanting to read their old favourites. For Miss P that means a lot of Where is the Green Sheep.

Sometimes it is nice to go back and revisit old friends. I have many books that I like to go back to from time to time. I love spending time in their world. With my books-to-read list getting longer and longer I don't spend as much time with these old friends as I am forging new reading relationships. Perhaps I will need to change that.

Synopsis

Sally and her brother are stuck at home, with their mother out, feeling bored. Then comes the Cat in the Hat to change all that.

My Thoughts

I have a love hate relationship with this book. Currently I am loving it, but that can change. I think the main reason why I am loving it now is that over the Christmas Break we watch a lot of The Cat in the Hat Knows a lot about That. It is a cute show and shows the Cat as a more thoughtful character than what is portrayed in the the book. The show helps flesh him out and he becomes more loveable. (It helps that he his voiced by Martin Short... I adore Martin Short.)

I do like that the book is simplistic. It is a story that not only helps kids learn to read but is interesting too! That combo does not always exist. I also think that this story is very relatable. Who hasn't been bored wondering what to do, or been worried about getting found out by their parents or someone in authority. I also like how the Cat picks up everything. I wish my kids would catch that hint.

I don't like the Cat's total disregard for the discomfort of those around him. I know it is fun to have fun and try new things, but when it is causing massive anxiety for someone else, then perhaps it is time to stop. This lack of caring is something that I do not like.

This book is a classic kids book and will be around for a long time. It has that timeless quality and that sense of fun and adventure that is going to have kids keep coming back to it again and again. The copy we read from I had when I was a little girl, and I'm sure it will be around when my kids have kids. (The binding is exceptionally good.)

Shh! We Have a Plan by Chris Haughton

from goodreads

3 stars

November is such a strange month. In one week you can go from a balmy 16 to snow. On Saturday we went to my husband's company's Christmas party. When we arrived it was chilly, but not snowing. By the time we left 5 hours later it was a winter's wonderland outside with about 2-3 cm of snow over everything. Good thing I finally got around to buying Miss P her winter boots!

Synopsis

Friends out for a walk want to catch a beautiful bird. It's okay... they have a plan. What could possibly go wrong?

My Thoughts

To be honest, I wasn't as impressed with this book as I thought I would be. The premise seemed really cool and I was ready to be thoroughly entertained, but, it just didn't happen for me. My kids and husband on the other hand were giggling away. Perhaps this is a case of it's me not you.

It is a good book for kids who are learning to read or for young readers who enjoy repetition as it is a story of repetition.

I did enjoy the illustrations. I thought they were kind of cool.

I think this is a book that might grow on me over time and I didn't mind reading it over and over. I just would choose a different book over it if I had a choice. But, your 2-6 year old will probably love it.

Olivia by Ian Falconer

from goodreads

4 stars

Being a busy mom has some perks. Honestly, if you are into comedy be around a 6 year old. Sometimes Miss G's wit is astounding. Miss P is more into physical comedy. She loves looking at you through her legs. What a goof ball.

As a busy mom who likes to read I love reading books that show how parents really see their kids. I love it when authors get the nuances of what kids do. I love when they share the same frustrations you do. It makes you feel you are not alone. My husband recently picked out a book for me at the library and said, "I think you should read this." It was Go the F$#@ to Sleep by Adam Mansbach. The book spoke truer words to me then ever. If you can handle a bit of profanity and you have kids that are constantly coming out of their room at night or are now toddlers and still have trouble sleeping, this is truly a book you will appreciate. (Just don't say what is in the book to your kids, you definitely won't win parenting points then.)

Synopsis

This is a book about Olivia, who is good at lots of things. See a day in the life of one awesome girl.

My Thoughts

We got this book when Miss V was little. She is now 8. Where did the time go? I loved in then as much as I love it now. This is definitely a modern children's classic.

I love the illustrations. They are simple, using only black white and red, yet they express so much. I love the use of other famous works of art in the story. It starts to pique the children's interest into what art can be and how it can be used to make us feel different things.

I love some of the dry humour used, especially when talking about the sandcastle. It's one of my favourite bits.

I love how I can see different bits of my kids in this book. Not all children are the same or identical. I can't say, "oh yes, Miss G is definitely the same as Olivia". Yet, each of my kids share some personality traits that I can see in the character, and that is kind of cool.

If you haven't read it I would put this on your kids to read list. If you have read it, it is worth another read, even if your kids are all grown up.

Where is the Green Sheep? by Mem Fox Illustrated by Judy Horacek

from goodreads

3 stars

Today is the last of the birthdays for our family. Miss G.'s was on Friday and Miss V.'s was today. I felt sort of bad for Miss V as she had to wait to open up her presents. They both got Our Generation dolls and Miss V. wanted hers sooooo badly, especially after seeing Miss G.'s, but we made her wait. What mean parents we are.

Lately I have been reading a lot of board books to help get Miss P. interested in reading. She loves watching Winnie the Pooh and Frozen on the Ipad. But, now I'm trying to broaden her entertainment medium horizons. It is definitely a work in progress. She is a creature of habit and sometimes those habits are very hard to break.

Synopsis

This synopsis was found on the publication information page. It was so succinct and to the point there was no way I could do better.

A story about many different sheep, and one that seems to be missing.

My Thoughts

This was a pretty good book. I'm not over the moon about it but it is definitely one that I could handle reading over and over. Although, always saying "But, where is the green sheep?" can be a bit tedious.

I liked how it showed opposites and had the sheep doing funny things. I would have used some different shades of the colours, for example, the blue sheep could be seen as more of a purple or grey. A more distinct shade would have been nice just for easier colour identification for the kids. The actual picture looks very nice. The red sheep wasn't the most red either, but it wasn't as bad as the blue.

Miss P. really liked the pictures and would point things out like the car, the stars, the moon. She even started baaing with the sheep but after awhile she was done with that.

This is a cute book to while a way your time. I think your kids will like it and you won't feel like knocking yourself unconscious by the end of it, and that's a good thing.

Tuck Me In! by Dean Hacohen and Sherry Scharschmidt

from goodreads

4 stars

I don't know about you, but here, bedtime can be quite adventurous. The kids are constantly keeping us on our toes. Some nights, when we say it is bedtime, the kids quickly and without complaint brush their teeth, get in their p.j's and bam! their in bed. No dragging their feet, no begging for an extra story, even Miss P. goes to sleep quite easily. Those nights are bliss. Then other nights... oh man... there is so much whining and insisting on a big bedtime snack. They refuse to brush their teeth and getting them into their p.j.'s is one of this centuries epic struggles. By the time they're in bed my husband and I are done and all I want to do is sit quietly, with no one touching me and escape into my latest book.

Why the difference? I have no idea. But at least it keeps things interesting. I really can't complain about being bored.

Synopsis

It is time for different animals to go to bed. Your little one gets to tuck them in.

My  Thoughts

This is a really cute book. I love the illustrations and the different prints used for the blankets. I love it when books use half pages to completely change the look and feel of a picture. All kids love to use these half pages. Miss P. likes turning them back and forth to see the changes. Her smiles make me smile.

I like the variety of animals. There are pigs and crocodiles and things in between.

The story is very repetitive. After the second page it was a bit tedious for me. But then, the book isn't intended for me. It is intended for kids 2ish-5ish so for that reading audience it is perfect.

This really is the perfect book to add to your going to bed routine. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing after the cover closes.

Ooh La La Polka-Dot Boots by Ellen Olson-Brown Illustrated by Christiane Engel

from goodreads

3 stars

March Break is here! Yay!!! While that means that all three children are home all day. I really don't mind. The older two play so nicely together I rarely see them except when they surface for some food. As for Miss P. well she does her own thing really. The only difference is there are more cries of horror from the older two when Miss P. touches some of their stuff.

I love March Break because it means no morning rush. People can get dressed when they want, brush their hair when they want and I can make lunch when I want. Which is at lunch time, not three hours before.

While we didn't have anything major planned for this week it is sure filling up. On the last day of school the girls spouted off lists of friends they wanted play dates with. And I mostly fulfilled their requests which means I'm super mom.

What do you like to do when the kids have a break from school?

Synopsis

This books shows how there are lots of different styles of dress and they are all good and how all styles get an extra humph from wearing polka-dot boots.

My Thoughts

Well, this book was rather mediocre. The illustrations are what really make it at all memorable. They are colourful and cute. Miss P. liked flipping the half page that showed the polka-dot boots.

As for the actual "story" well, it was fine. I just found the rhythm changed a lot so it was hard to get into a nice groove. It started off with a nice beat, but by the time you go to the part that was about the polka-dot boots it changed, and it changed differently every time. There was no continuity. While that is not a horrible thing, it bothered me as a reader.

I still recommend this book for younger readers as the illustrations are just so great.

Except If by Jim Averbeck

from goodreads

4 stars

We are in winter's home stretch. I can feel it. I am so sick of the revolving doors of sickness and the cold wind and feeling cooped up. I am so ready to get back into my morning walks, playing at the playground and going for bike rides.

Don't get me wrong. I love winter. I love all the winter activities you can do. The thing is, it kind of sucks when it is too cold do do those winter activities. I am also sick of trying to get Miss P. into her snow pants and then get me into my snow pants. I just want to put on my shoes and go. Oh well... it won't be too much longer.

Synopsis

There is an egg. It is a baby bird except if it is a dinosaur! This is a fun story about how our imaginations can change things up and how things are not always as it might seem.

My Thoughts

I really liked this book. The pictures were vibrant yet simple and the idea was really fun. Just when you think you know where the story is headed the words "except if" change it up. So fun!

I liked how the author came full circle so the book felt like it had some sort of completion to it. My kids liked all the possibilities that the egg had. They looked forward to seeing what was going to change next.

This is a great book to cuddle up and read together.

Little Owl Lost by Chris Haughton

from goodreads

5 stars

Man, yesterday seemed like such a busy day. I hardly had time to check my email let alone put up the post.

We had a pretty slow January, but our February seems to be picking up. That is a good thing activity wise but, reading wise, not so much. It is a good thing I got so much reading done in January that I can allow myself a bit of a slow down if needed.

I definitely am feeling a touch of the February Blahs. I think it is because we are having round after round of sickness lately. It will be nice when Miss P. goes to sleep and stays asleep in her own bed! I don't mind sharing, but, between my darling husband's snoring and Miss P.'s need to touch me, it does not make for a very nice sleep.

Are you in the February Blahs? Do you have any tricks for getting out of them?

Synopsis

Little Owl falls out of his nest and a squirrel helps him find his mommy.

My Thoughts

This was a fabulous book. I loved the illustrations. I loved that half page flip book that showed the little owl falling and then bouncing from his nest.

I loved that it was a nutty squirrel who tried to help Little Owl. Seriously. Squirrels in book are so nutty. They seriously make the best characters some time. I loved how the squirrel took Little Owl from animal to animal thinking that they would be Little Owl's mother, because of one physical feature. Awesome!

I like how it ends... though, that mother owl should really invest in some taller walls.

The kids liked this book too. Miss V. would read it to the younger two. It warmed my heart seeing them cuddled together on the couch reading. (And it takes a lot to warm my heart as my husband can attest. ;)

While there is no real depth or super moral of the story, this was still a fun one. I think your family will love it just as much as mine.

Tap the Magic Tree by Christie Matheson

from goodreads

5 stars

We are all better in the household. The sickness is gone. And that was perfect timing. Yesterday was a SNOW DAY!!!! When Miss G. woke up and learned that she didn't have to go to school, because there was so much snow, she ran down to the mud room to start putting on her snow pants. My husband told her she had to wait until Mommy was up (7:00 does not exist in my world right now, come talk to me at 7:45 earliest).

She patiently did, and while I was snuggling with Miss P. I heard Miss G. creep into Miss V.'s room and excitedly tell her (while channeling her inner William Shatner) there was no school because there was Too. Much. Snow. 

It is nice when you get to see the excitement of the snow day personified. I love watching the snow fall, but, the aftermath of shoveling and dripping snow clothes don't fill me with the excitement it used to. But, when you have a 5 year old so excited it is hard not to have a smile on your face. I love the magic of childhood.

Synopsis

The plain brown tree has magic to be unleashed. Follow the directions and see the tree be transformed.

My Thoughts

This was an absolutely lovely book. It is interactive and you learn things. The best part is that the kids are having so much fun they don't even know they are learning things. It is kind of like Don't Push the Button. Instead of simply pushing the button though, you get to tap the tree, rub the tree, brush the tree, give the tree a kiss, blow like the wind and more.

The tree starts just bare and with the first tap a green leaf appears, then more. Eventually the tree goes through the stages of an apple tree, with blossoms then fruit, then fall colours back to winter. It is a fun interactive way for kids to learn about the cycle trees go through with the seasons.

When Miss P. had to blow on the tree she did and then said "ooh hot". So precious. When Miss G. made the blossoms appear she was so excited and you could see her eyes just light up.

This is a great book for little kids. It is beautifully illustrated. It is just as much fun to read as an adult as it is for the kids. This will definitely be a family favourite.

Monster, Be Good! by Natalie Marshall (Blue Apple Books)

from goodreads

4 stars

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas. I met with my book club last night and a few were quite excited about gift cards to bookstores they received. I was happy with the time I got to read.

My list of books I want to read this coming year seems long but I am so excited about it. I am ready to get reading. I usually don't try to map out what I want to read over the year. I have my book club books obviously, but other than that I just let the wind take me. So this is new. But as I looked at my to-read shelf get bigger and bigger and bigger on goodreads I knew that I needed to attempt to make a slight dent in it. I chose 25 books from it to be my to-read 2015 books. We will have to see how well I do and if I like this mapping out process. Of course, if a new book catches my eye on the shelf, I will probably through caution to the wind and read it. We'll see.

Synopsis

This book is full of helpful tips for taking care of your very own monster.

My Thoughts

This was a really cute book. The monsters were definitely monsteriffic. You are in charge of monsters and need to manage their behaviour. It is basically a parenting book, but instead of picturing children it is monsters and sometimes that is an apt substitution.

There is a rainbow of colour in each page's illustrations. The pictures help make the monsters look less menacing and more whimsical.

When reading this with the kids they don't see their own bad behaviour in what the monsters are doing. Yet they know exactly how the monster should act. So hopefully some of this learning will sink it. Yet, from the screaming fit that occurred last night, I don't think it has. Though we did provide some birth control to the passing group of older teens passing our van who heard it.

See you in 2015! I hope the beginning of your new year is a great one. Do you have any reading goals, or books on your list to read for 2015?

Little Monster Knows Excuse Me by Connie Colwell Miller Illustrated by Maira Chiodi

from goodreads

5 stars

I am exhausted today. I didn't have the best of sleeps last night. My energy is way low. My husband was snoring like a bear, and then the little one started to fuss so I slept in her room on the recliner. Well at some point she ended up on my chest asleep. And while she may have been sleeping, I was not. She loves to twirl hair and since my long luscious locks were available she decided to twirl her hand up in mine! No matter what I did or how I rearranged her and my hair her hand kept on getting into my hair. Perhaps I should get it cut.

Oh well, if my husband snores tonight it will be his turn to embark on the great exodus. I can only be so kind for a little while.

Synopsis

Monster goes grocery shopping with his mom. There he is able to show off his manners.

My Thoughts

This was such a cute book. What a fun way to teach kids about using their manners instead of just plowing through people and things. I like how it showed all the different contexts in which "excuse me" can be used.  I also like how it shows that it is okay if a mistake was made or an accident occurred. You just need to make sure that you fess up to it and try your hardest to make it right. So good.

This is one in a series of monster knows books. I am excited to read the other ones, which are all manners based. I hope that the concept sinks into my kids. If a monster can be polite then so can I.

Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields Illustrated by Dophie Blackall

from goodreads

4 stars

Last week my family and I went camping with a few other families. Of all the weeks of this summer it was the coldest and wettest yet. Not the best week to have gone camping but we still had fun. I didn't get as much reading done as I had hoped, but I did get to go zip lining, swimming and hiking. I also got to chat with a my friends which was nice.

But I am glad to be back to the blog and writing about what I have read! Here it is much warmer and drier, which I do appreciate.

Synopsis

A family of wombats go out for a walk. But they do not know that a wily dingo is about. Will they all make it home for tea?

My Thoughts

This was a cute book. It is nice that at the beginning they give definitions of some of the words that are used in Australia that are not as common in other parts. The depiction of the Australian flora and fauna enhanced this book, which without it risked being just another run of the mill counting book.

I liked the rhymes and the rhythm of the book. I love how the wombats are able to able to outwit the dingo. The wombats look so cute, though in real life I don't know if I would want to run into one.

My kids liked this book too. They were excited and felt a bit of dread when one by one four of the wombats did not come back.

This is a great book to snuggle up and read together. I think this is one that we will get out again and again.

Duck, Duck, Moose! by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen Illustrated by Noah Z. Jones

from goodreads

4 stars

Today is a beautiful day. It is not too hot or too cold. The humidity is low and now the sun is out and the sky is a beautiful blue. Life is pretty good.

The schedule I wanted for the summer isn't in full swing but, that is okay. T.V. and YouTube watching has been at a minimum, I am actually reading to my kids consistently and we are having fun going to the library. Yesterday they went to a cool program that the University of Waterloo is putting on (at the library) and learned all about animals and the different senses they use to help them in life. They were so excited on the way home. Instead of arguing or asking for things, they were telling me all about what they learned. That is a win for the day!

Yep, this summer is going awesome. I think the only thing that could make it even more great would be a hammock. (wink wink, nod nod)

Synopsis

Using just the words duck and moose we learn of the tense relationship the ducks and moose have. But in the end friendship is key.

My Thoughts

This is a great picture book that is geared to probably 5 and under, though there are elements that older children would enjoy. The use of simple words help the early readers.

I totally identify with this book. In it the ducks are neat and orderly and some how the moose always messes things up, like missing the door and running through the walls, walking and reading and running into a giant cake and other mayhem. That is my life. I have all these excellent plans, like having the living room tidy for longer than a minute, but then my three little moose, especially the youngest one, always manage to do the one thing that inflicts the most damage. It's like, "really, you had to do that one thing." Sometimes you just have to shake your head and go with it. But, like the ducks, I love my moose and want to make them happy and special.

The illustrations are fun. They convey the fun and mayhem perfectly. And you can't help thinking "poor moose" when you look at them.

I think your kids will really like this and after a few times through they will be reading it themselves, so you can read your own book. That is a win!

Les Petits Fairytales by Trixie Belle and Melissa Caruso-Scott Illustrated by Oliver Lake

from goodreads

4 stars

Summer reading is in full swing. We have signed up the kids for the summer reading program. They are always excited to tell the library worker about the books they read and see what cool prize they get. We went to story time today and the kids were quite tickled when one of the books that was read was one we had read recently. To see which book it was click here.

I have been trying to get books that will encourage and help develop the reading skills in my five year old. At school they send home books, so it is easy to do. I have been hunting the shelves to find books that have good picture hints and are not too wordy. For my seven year old I have been looking for french books to help continue her french vocabulary from the school year. So far it has been a fun reading summer adventure.

Synopsis

This is a board book series. Each book is a famous fairytale. There is only one word on each page which describes the main item for the story.

My Thoughts

This is a really cute series. I picked them out for my five year old. They were great to help her read. The drawings were really cute and she loved describing what the picture was showing. So far we have read Cinderella, Snow White, Beauty and the Beast and Little Red Riding Hood and she wants to read more.

These are good for emerging readers and for toddlers. As it is simple and straightforward. My seven year old did like the pictures, but it wasn't as exciting for her.

If you are looking for cute books to introduce fairytales to your youngsters or want to encourage reading and vocabulary learning these are great books.