Read aloud Thursday: Caldecott edition

As part of our weekly (which have been more like bi-weekly) themes this Summer, I decided to get a stack of Caldecott winner and honor books from the years that everyone in our family was born.  This was way fun.  The kids always like when we happen to check out a book that "has a medal", so the concentrated effort to focus just on "medal" books was exciting.  We compared and contrasted styles and picked our favorites from each stack.  We found books we otherwise may have never checked out.  This was one of the more worthwhile stacks fo books we've had of late.  Without further ado:

The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses (1979) - This book was odd.  At the end Gemma was like, "so wait, people can turn into horses?"  Um, no.  But, the illustrations were really cool in a Native American-y sort of way, and it gave us an opportunity to talk about the cultural traditions and belief systems of other peoples.  We even talked a bit about St. Kateri and missionaries who spread Christianity to the Native Americans.  So albeit a strange story, I'd say it was a win.

Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity (2008) - It was sheer providence that this book was from the year Gemma was born.  We have read it dozens of times over the years, and Knuffle Bunny is probably Gemma's favorite Mo Willems character.  I love love the illustrations.  The morphing of real-life photographs and Willem's cartoony caricatures is just oh so great.
 

All The World (2010) - This one was beautiful, but I think its beauty was mainly lost on the kids. But that's OK, I enjoyed it.  I love it when an author can make something rhyme yet still have such charm and depth in meaning.

Ox-Cart Man (1980) - This is another perennial favorite around here, and was probably my fan-fave from our first stack of five.  I like the simplicity, the attention to detail, Barbara Cooney's illustrations.  A good book.

A Ball For Daisy (2012) - Cute cute cute.  For the longest time (OK, up until we read this book) I have found picture books with no words to be intimidating.  But we really had fun with this one, I think we "read" it four times, with me doing the first reading, then Kolbe and Gemma each took a turn respectively, and then I did one more reading because Gemma insisted I didn't "read" the whole thing the first time. Haha.  The pictures in this one were so adorable, and did a great job at evoking a wide variety of emotions.

We had to get a few from this year (2015) so we got:

The Adventures of Beekle - The illustrations were cute, the storyline was cute enough.  It was completely last on my kids though.  I liked this one but didn't think it really fell into that "timeless" category.

Sam and Dave Dig a Hole - This was adorable.  Anyone with little boys should read this book, very clever.

Our next stack of five books proved to be interesting as well.  I tell you though, if our two 1979 titles were any indication of picture books in the 1970s I think I'll stay away from that decade.  I mean, I realize it was the seventies and everything, but wow...  I am going to have to dig a bit further in that decade now just because I'm curious............  OK, I suppose a decade that gave us Sylvester and the Magic Pebble, Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears, It Could Always Be Worse and Peter Spier's Noah's Ark can't be all bad.  But even so, I am going to declare that 1979 was not a stellar year.

The Way to Start A Day (1979) - This was nice, and very "global", but still just not great (IMHO).  Maybe my kids are too literal or haven't been exposed to enough (maybe that's why they didn't get Beekle...)  The illustrations were very reminiscent of Wild Horses I thought, and the text was just a little odd for my liking.

Ben's Trumpet (1980) - What a difference a year makes.  Maybe I'm just partial, but this was great!  From the story to the illustations.  I loved it.  It also provided a good excuse to to listen to some jazz.

First the Egg (2008) - Gemma, aptly, really liked this one, and read it to us.  In fact, Kolbe even had fun helping to "read" this one, due to its simple predictability.  The cut-outs in the pages were so creatively done.  But it still left you scratching your head thinking, "which does come first???..."

The Lion and the Mouse (2010) - Another worldess book (for the most part), but the kids knew this story from our book of Aesop's fables.  Kolbe really took a liking to both wordless books in our pile (so much so that I've requested several more).  The illustrations in this one were stunning.

Blackout (2012) - This was good, not great.  Nice message, but I didn't think there was anything particularly memorable about it.

What are your favorite Caldecott Award books?

Journal: Summer, it's all good

TODAY

Out my window: Cloudy and a rainy morning.  Maybe more rain?  It has cooled off (relatively speaking) too.  We may? be done with 100 degree days for the Summer.  I'm not holding my breath, but anything is possible.  Overall it has been such a nice Summer weather-wise.  Grateful.  It's all good (as Pete the Cat would say).

Around the house: Getting uniforms all geared up for the kids' school year.  I need to move Gemma's buttons over in her new big jumpers that I am **hoping hoping hoping** will fit her for the next three years (until she switches to skirts).  I got five pair of pants for Kolbe, between the online and in store prices and coupons (Children's Place), everything averaged out to about $8 a pair.  And his undershirts were essentially free since I had Kohls cash from when I bought Gemma's white polos.  I have five plaid shirts for Kolbe that were given to us (oh my, so grateful), everyone has socks and I think their shoes fit.  We are just about ready to go!  I always wonder if we save more or spend more on clothes with uniforms. It's hard to say.  Even if we spend a little more, I am a HUGE fan of the convenience factor (among other reasons).  They definitely simplify mornings.  We got all of Kolbe's supplies and I need to take Gemma out on a "date" to get the rest of hers, then we should be set for Open House.  She is on the third year of the backpack that we got when she was four and I figured we'd use it through kindergarten and then let her get something else.  She has never asked, and it works, so why not?! #minimalism  Summer has been good, real good, but I am looking forward to settling into our new routine this Fall while I savor these last few weeks (EEK, three from today!!).

 

The kiddos:  They have been wonderful.  Really.  I mean, some days I want to tear my hair out and run from the house and maybe never come back because #parentingissohardsometimesitmakesmewanttodie, but overall this Summer has just been amazing.  They are getting older and it is easier to do things with them because we aren't working around naps and diapers and strollers and toddler tantrum volatility (oh we still have those, but as the kids get older it's just different).  There have been more instances than I can count that they have gone off and played, together, nicely, for hours.  Hours!  Playing things like "Pickel and Marshmellow (Gemma's spellings) the dogs" or "restaurant" or some craft they make up with lots of cut up paper, and maybe it makes a huge mess THEY ARE GETTING ALONG!!!!  There were years I thought this day would never come, but I guess after dancing with the chaos for so long I have either learned to embrace it or the kids are just growing up.  Or maybe a little bit of both.  And while we would love to welcome another little baby into our family if that is meant to be, I feel like we're in a very good place right now.  And it's all good.  And I'm grateful.

We started swim lessons this week.  We were going to do them in mid-June with just the older two but then there was the whole HFM debacle and we ended up rescheduling.  As peeved as I was about that whole situation and everything we had to cancel and miss out on, everything has fallen into place so nicely.  Better than I could have planned (**sheepish** #itsallgood).  And now that Clem is three (technically, he still insists he is two because it is "not my brifbay amymore") I went out on a limb and signed him up too, knowing full well he may revolt, and he LOVES it.  Watching him is the most adorable thing.  And they're really pushing Gemma too, which is great.  My kids are kind of wimps when it comes to water (which I suppose is less stressful than them running headlong into 15 ft of water without thinking about what could happen), but nevertheless it is good to see them becoming more comfortable in the pool.  I think a Y membership may be in our not so distant future.

In the kitchen: This week:

• tacos
• spaghetti and jarred marinara sauce (which garnered a, "You're the best, mom!" from Gemma. Thanks?  It took me three minutes...) and chicken salads for Aaron and me.
• loaded baked potato and chicken casserole with roasted broccoli
  
• hamburgers
• baked salmon with sides TBD

I was lamenting my lack of exciting sides last week to a friend and she told me about a tasty salad she made.  Since I can't leave anything alone I kind of morphed her recipe and another (thanks Vicki and Sarah K.) into a big 'ole bowl of awesome.  A cup each of quinoa, corn and black beans.  Green onion, diced tomato and cilantro to your taste.  Mix that all together and toss in a dressing of olive oil, lime, jalapeno, cumin and garlic all blended together.  Try it.

Learning:  Blah.  We have read a whole. ton. but other than that we are still on our streak of pretty much not doing any educational activities.  At all.  Yup.  True story.  But oh, have we read some good books.

Reading: I need to do another Read Aloud Thursday post, but in the meantime we're working on butterfly books this week (Fafallina and Marcel was super cute and we checked out What's the Difference between a Butterfly and a Moth again...it's so informative) and I have a stack of Caldecott medal and honor books from the years that we all were born which will be fun to tackle soon.  We also checked out James Herriot's Treasury for Children and it was superb.  The vocabulary and writing style is just exquisite.  Quality literature.  The type of stuff I love when my kids love!!  I was really sad when -- after several evening readings -- we finished it, but the kids asked to keep it longer so maybe we'll read a few of the stories again.

Watching: MLB. And Aaron has discovered this new reality show about people who blacksmith swords and knives in some sort of contest format where they have to kill dummies filled with ballistics gel and slice cow bones in half.  I do not kid.  Where do they get their ideas for this stuff?

Bringing me joy: Spending time on a real date with my hubby this weekend.  My parents kept the kids overnight.  As nice as it was, we both decided the house was too quiet and we missed those little crazies a ton and we were glad it was only one night.  HA!  Spending time with the kids.  They bring me so much joy...holding Clem's hands when we walk.  Watching them play.  Talking with Gemma about more "grown-up" things.  Snuggling with Kolbe at bedtime.  Watching them interact.  Watching them grow.  I cannot imagine my life without them.  Life is good.

Thinking about: The coming school year.  Gemma is already struggling with some anxiety about the year to come.  She has done this every year.  I truly can identify with her, I struggle with anxiety myself, probably more than I am willing to admit most of the time.  So it is very easy to get inside her head.  But it is so hard to help her.  I am finding, however, in helping her I am helping myself deal with my own...stuff.  And it's just...interesting.  And exhausting.  But it's what helps us grow.  I have been thinking a lot about the ways that God refines us...if we will simply step back, and step outside ourselves and let.Him.work.  Let Him prepare us for the perfection, the completion, He calls us to.  For eternal life with Him.  He is constantly reaching His hand out to us.  How often do I snub Him?  Think I know better?  Refuse to reach back?   Big thoughts tumbling around in my head.

Pictures to share:  

I have not taken many lately.  Sometimes -- I find -- it is good to just experience life.

CHEERS!