Natalie at Mouse Grows Mouse Learns hosts this wonderful carnival, it is a great place to share what we are reading in our homes and get ideas for books others are reading.
We loved this cute story, When You Grow Up by Lennie Goodings and Jenny Jones about a Mama bear and her cub. The cub insists he will stay with his mom forever. Through out the book Mama introduces him to different jobs that he might grow up to do. He dreams of those jobs but always insists on living with his Mama in the end. Selena enjoyed the pictures, and the story. I thought it was a very warm and adorable book about the love a child has for his/her family.
We enjoyed Sally Gets A Job by Stephen Hunech. Selena laughed several times through this book, as this dog decides when her family leaves for the entire day that maybe she should get a job. I loved how smooth the story line was, and how it introduced some larger words while truly reinforcing what they meant, such as paleontologist was reinforced by a picture of Sally examining dinosaur bones. I felt the book with its heart touching ending really focused on family and how we all have important jobs, even when we stay at home.
We did go pick up some books that I had requested, that were recommended by some other bloggers. I must admit they were not successes in our home. While others really enjoyed them. While I thought they were good books, Selena was not interested in them at all.
I thought Selena would enjoy Cuckoo can’t find You by Lorianne Siomades, since it is a hidden picture book. She found it too easy and unappealing. She wouldn’t even let me finish the book. In my opinion it is a great book for those just beginning to introduce hidden pictures to the young eye.
There’s a Map on My Lap by Tish Rabe and Me on the Map by Joan Sweeney were books I had seen others reading. I thought they would compliment the map work we have been doing here at home. Instead, Selena would point out that we had already made maps and then close the books. She is such a hands on learner. I thought these were great reads myself, but I must remember when introducing new concepts to Selena she does much better with hands on in most areas.
Gifts by Jo Ellen Bogart and Barbara Reid, was another not so welcomed book by Selena. I thought it was a very cute story, but because it was Grandma leaving to travel, Selena clung to me, and kept saying your not leaving are you Mama? Again we did not get through this book at all.
I shared the last few books as I know other families have enjoyed them and while my experience with Selena was not as favorable, they are good books. I thumbed through them before checking them out and really thought Selena would enjoy them so the moral here is that our children have the ultimate say in what they like and dislike.
To see what others are reading head on over to Natalie’s at Mouse Grows Mouse Learns.
Great reviews - I think we'll check out your first two, but you're right, children don't always enjoy the same things.
ReplyDeleteWe do have a travelling Grandma though, so one of these days I've got to get to that last one, too.
Great Post! Selena is a lucky little girl reading all of those books with you. I agree that kids do ultimately decide what they want to read, or be read. I could never get my two kids to read Where The Wild Things Are with me.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great week. I was going to check out Cuckoo can't find You but our lib didn't have it. Glad to know it is a pretty easy eye spy. Check to see if your lib has Look Alikes Jr. Drew loves it. It isn't a typical eye spy. The scenes are put together with ordinary objects used in different ways. I love the blender made from a night light. So cute.
ReplyDeleteIt's too funny that Selena didn't like any of the books that Anna enjoyed. In our case sometimes it takes a bit of time before she fully digests the story in her head and then she likes it. I think Anna liked the text in Cuckoo book more than pictures, because she could read it herself. And she was completely fascinated with The Gifts for the opposite reason - she knows that her German grandparents travel a lot, so she can connect to the story.
ReplyDeleteGreat honesty! We did not like Me on the Map either, and also have weeks where many of our books go unliked as well.
ReplyDeleteGood luck with mostly "likes" on your next library trip!
I always find it interesting when books that are wonderful in other families don't go over well here. We've loved Me on the Map here, and love the other books she's written, but I can see if she's a hands on person how she wouldn't like it as much after she's already made maps.
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