Read aloud Thursday: Stewardship edition

As Catholics, stewardship is a big part of our day-to-day lives, or rather, it is a way of life.  A few years ago I started reading The Clown of God (dePaola) during November when our parish and diocese does its annual stewardship renewal.  This year I decided to expand a bit, and here's what I came up with.  I would LOVE your suggestions as well.

Stone Soup - The classic folktale of sharing what you have for the good of your neighbor.  The repetition of "do you care, will you share?" throughout the story is very effective in this edition.  There are multiple versions of this book, we have always gotten the Heather Forest edition.  Anyone else have a favorite edition of this tale?

If Jesus Came to my House - I have loved this book for years.  It is super sweet, if just a bit shy of being cheesy-over-the-top.  The message it drives home for little ones is just beautiful though...treat everyone as you would treat Jesus.  The page where the little boy brings flowers to a woman in a care home makes me tear up every time.  The simple, lilting rhyme helps this book flow very nicely.

The Friendly Beasts - I saw this recommended somewhere as I was poking around for recommendations, and it never dawned on me to use this as an example of stewardship, but it works!  I linked a list of the various versions on Amazon, we own the dePaola and the McGinley-Nally.

A Castle on Viola Street - This book was new-to-us a month or so ago and it is a wonderful story of a family working together with others and in the end (spoiler alert) getting their very own habitat-for-humanity type home.  Wonderful message, great story-telling for a modern-type book.

Beatrice's Goat - We read this last summer as part of our Africa theme.  This story really speaks to the mystical body of Christ (without even being specifically religious) and the effect that our stewardship can have on our brothers and sisters in Christ, even -- or rather, especially -- the ones who live halfway around the world.

Joseph Had A Little Overcoat - The perennial tale of being a good steward of what you have.  The illustrations and cut-outs from page to page are fun to follow in this vibrant book.

The Trees of the Dancing Goats - Polacco is hit-and-miss for me, but this one was definitely a hit.  A Jewish family preparing for their Hanukkah celebrations reaches out to Christian families plagued with illness, and in turn the Christian families reach back to them and everyone lives happily ever after.  Only it's not that cheesy.  And the illustrations are very Polacco-esque which I always appreciate.

What are your favorite stewardship-related books?

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?

Read aloud Thursday: butterflies and other stories

CHAPTER BOOKS

Meet Caroline - I am pretty "meh" about the American Girl books but Gemma likes them, and doesn't want to read them on her own.  So whatever.  I drew the line on Magic Tree House though and told her she had to read them independently when she was ready, I'm not doing them as read-alouds.  And I'm really on the fence, if she ever asks, about Junie B. Jones...  I won't read those aloud, but I am not even sure how worthwhile they are as independent readers.  Others' thoughts?

My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories - We recently finished the New Testament (we had started with Acts after Easter) and have started at the very beginning with the Old Testament.  If you are looking for a good Children's Bible, I highly recommend this one. It has a brief synopsis/focusing point in a blue box at the beginning of each story, but then the text is from the RSV (Catholic edition), there is a short prayer at the end of each story, plus quotes from the Saints and the Catechism throughout and the illustrations are very, very nice. It is not the Bible in its entirety, but it covers just about every "big" story you could think of. I've seen a lot of Children's Bibles and this one is head and shoulders above the rest (IMHO).

The Middle Moffat - the more we read of these Moffat books the more I like them.  This one does not disappoint, in fact I think I may like it more than the first.

Mercy Watson - (pictured left) We have read these before, but Kolbe really likes them and has requested we get them again. They are fun, so fun, and definitely on the short end of chapter books.  They can be read in one sitting and are a great read aloud OR book for kids transitioning into reading chapter books.

Five Little Peppers and How They Grew - Haven't started this one but it is on the hold shelf at the library.  The title was familiar and I have seen it recommended here and there on the Read Aloud Revival Facebook Page (which has been one of my favorite resources of late for read aloud picture and chapter book recommendations/information etc. Let me know if you'd like an add.)

PICTURE BOOKS

James Herriot's Treasury for Children came through inter-library loan.  When I went to link it I realized how many used copies there are available for a good price.  I may pick one up.  It was beautiful.

Gotta Go! Gotta Go! was a fun story monarch migration.  This video went very nicely with its reading.

Farfallina and Marcel and Glasswings were sweet butterfly stories.

For some butterfly non-fiction we enjoyed looking at a variety of butterflies in:

What's the Difference Between a Butterfly and a Moth

The Butterfly Alphabet Book

A Butterfly is Patient

From Caterpillar to Butterfly

Gemma got a whole stack of Ladybug Girl books from the library this week.  These are cute enough. Nothing I'd ever buy necessarily, but I am always happy when she gets enthused about something enough to seek out specific books. 

Clement has been enjoying the Patterson Puppies books he has found at the library the past few weeks. 

A Second is a Hiccup was a fun book for my Kolbe who has been incredibly curious about time of late.  I actually went ahead and ordered this clock as well as a back to school activity for all the kids to add to our stash of educational manipulatives. 

I have always liked Patricia Polacco but the past few weeks I have picked up a few titles by her that have made me think twice.  I will still read her books to my kids (some are so wonderful and have even made me cry every time I read them and inspired Gemma to write and make up recipes), but she is not an author I would trust without first pre-reading.  It is odd to me that someone who can write such beautiful, faith-filled stories can also write things that are decidedly very controversial if not outright inappropriate. 

For myself (digressing a bit), I have been immensly edified recently by Theology for Beginners, which is almost like the abridged version of Theology and Sanity (which was the text for my Theology class last year).  It has been an excellent review, and I cannot believe how much I use this stuff for the questions the kids ask.  Gemma and I had an entire discussion about the Trinity and person and nature the other night that was really great.  It also gives my prayer life and my understanding of the prayers of the Church such deeper meaning.  Good stuffs

I have also recently started Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer, and have two books from Amazon coming about which I am really excited: Saints of the Roman Calendar (which I plan to use daily with morning prayer...we have such a wealth of real-life examples in the Saints, and I want to take more advantage of this hidden treasure in the Church) and Getting the Marriage Conversation Right (which I am hoping will further my ability to dialogue about this issue in a sensitive and informed way).  Happy reading friends!

Read Aloud Thursday: this and that

CHAPTER BOOKS
The Squirrel's Birthday and Other Parties - I grabbed this one to go along with our "birthday" theme.  It was a little odd but fun.  The kids liked the short stories.

The Prairie Thief - Gemma found this one at the library all on her own and we've been reading it aloud together at bedtime.  It has been fun! and fits in nicely with our recent read alouds.  It is a little scary, but I have offered to stop and she always wants me to keep going.  ;-)  

She has also started reading her first chapter book BY HERSELF!!!  She picked up a copy of A Little House Christmas Treasury at the library as well, and has been busy (enough) sticking her nose in it.  She told me, "I'm just reading the words in my head mom, and it's pretty cool that way!"  YAY!  She had never shown any interest in reading chapter books on her own (or anything to herself for that matter), and I didn't want to force it (although I would drop hints here and there), so I am glad to see her picking this up on her own.  She has definitely done a ton of reading aloud to the boys this Summer, and her reading skills are good, so I figure she will reach these milestones when she is good and ready.

The Moffats - almost done with this one, and we'd better hurry!  It's due next week!!

FROM THE BOOKSHELF

Our Nursery Rhyme Books have been popular with Clement recently.

For Clem's recent birthday he got:
Tawny Scrawny Lion
The Monster at the End of this Book
Katy No-Pocket

FROM THE LIBRARY
Pumpkins - This was a cool story about living simply with what you need (always a great message). And the importance of a nice view.  ;-)

Danny, the Angry Lion - Cute.

Beatrice's Goat - Oh my, this book was positively wonderful.  We recently met a priest from Africa and were able to send some clothes and shoes back with him to his village, and between that and our involvement with Unbound, this book just tied in so very nicely.  It is a beautiful story, beautiful message.

Tops and Bottoms - Another one on my wishlist to own someday.  SO fun!  This time Clem grabbed the sound recording.   

Happy reading, friends!

Read aloud Thursday: ogres, Africa and birthdays

CHAPTER BOOKS

We are still reading The Moffats, namely during snacks and some mealtimes.  Most days, but not every day.  Gemma and I will start the Latsch Valley Farm series (at bedtime) as soon as it comes in the mail (I got a super good deal).

FROM THE BOOKSHELF

The kids had our Nursery Rhyme books out the other day.  I just love these books so much, and the fact that they are board books makes them so very durable.  The illustrations are precious.

Hey Diddle Diddle (and other favorite Nursery Rhymes)

Hickory Dickory Dock (and other favorite Nursery Rhymes)

I have been encouraging Gemma to read to Clement from our copy of A Big Treasury of Little Animals.  This has long been a family favorite.  When Gemma was Clem's age I think she and her daddy read one before bed every night.  For months.

Excited to have our very own copy of Adele and Simon in America this year.

FROM THE LIBRARY
The Odious Ogre was one Gemma picked up because she thought she remembered it from kindergarten.  But then when we read it she said she'd never heard it before. Oh well, that's neither here nor there.  This was a neat story with great use of vocab and a very good (but not overly preachy) lesson reminding us that our actions (negative and positive) can often make a more lasting impact on ourselves than they can on others.  I would definitely check this one out again.

At bedime we've been reading books about Africa.  We really liked these.
Jamela's Dress
My Rows and Piles of Coins
Why Mosquitos Buzz in People's Ears
I Lost my Tooth in Africa
The Butter Man
Beatrice's Goat
Galimoto

Since Clement has an upcoming birthday, we will be doing a week with our favorite birthday books.  Some of our favorites are:

Otis and Sydney and the Best Birthday Ever

A Birthday for Bear 

C is for Cake

Happy Birthday Moon

For something new we thought we'd try at least a few chapters from The Squirrel's Birthday and other Parties.

I keep wanting to get back to our Virtue Study, but have never really taken the leap to jump back in.  For whatever reason, courage has kept coming up, and when Gemma came out and asked me the other day what it meant to be courageous, I finally said, "OK, we're getting back into this".  For now, I decided to just use a virtue (courage here in a couple weeks) as our weekly (maybe two weeks) theme.  We'll see how this evolves once the school year starts.  But that's a whole other conversation...   For courage, I got much of my inspiration here, but I'll have to report back once we dive in.

That's all for now!  What are you reading this week?

Read aloud Thursday: summer

It's Thursday somewhere, right?  Oh wait, that only works with 5:00.  Oh well.  Here's what we've been reading...

CHAPTER BOOKS

Still working through The Moffats.  My only complaint about this one (and complaint really is a lame word) is that the chapters are really long.  Like, longer than what one sitting usually is for us, especially as this is a book that I pegged for mealtime/snack-time reading.  But don't let that deter you.  It really is a great book.  Has anyone read the rest of the books in this series?

Gemma and I read The Prairie Skies trilogy recently, which included: 

Pioneer Summer
Cabin in the Snow 
Our Kansas Home

I would highly recommend these books.  They introduced slavery in a very understandable way for their target audience and provided some great opportunities for discussion.  We also read The Sod House, which I thought was okay but nothing special, and to go with it I also checked out Sod Houses on the Great Plains which was a really good explanation of the "why?" and "how?" of sod houses.  These books on the westward expansion have been fun and informative, so in keeping with the theme I think we may read the Latsch Valley Farm series next.  I requested the first two through ILL and you never know with that how long it might take them to come, but I'm hoping it will be soon.  Any other recommendations along that vein?

For Kolbe, we've been reading Leroy Ninker Saddles Up.

FROM THE BOOKSHELF
I was at Kohls the other day to get Gemma's uniform shirts and we stumbled upon their Kohls Cares for Kids display and oh my word did that ever make my day.  For $5 each we got our very own brand new hard copies of A Sick Day for Amos McGee and And Then It's Spring, both of which have been on my wishlist for quite some time.  I'm still wondering if I should have gone ahead and picked up Bear Has a Story to Tell and If You Want to See a Whale...

FROM THE LIBRARY

We've had several Leo Lionni books recently, and Kolbe has taken a particular liking to them.  I pointed them out on the shelf to him last time we were at the library, and the next time I turned around he had chosen one of each, HA!  I enjoy all these books, but my very favorite by Lionni is An Extraordinary Egg.

WEEKLY THEME BOOKS
Currently we have "summer" books in the basket, and next week I intend to toss some Independence Day ones in as well.  Some faves:
When Lightning Comes in a Jar - I can not read this book with out turning into a horrible sappy mess at the end, no matter how hard I try. 
Summer Wonders and Summer Days and Nights seem to make their into our basket every year (probably because I request them every year....)
The Gardener was neat, and would go well with a study of The Depression Era.
Come On, Rain! is so great, I think it falls into the "magical" category.  Maybe not as meaningful when we're not experiencing a drought, but magical nevertheless.
The Watermelon Seed always causes copious giggles and to go along with it we have Watermelon Wishes and Icy Watermelon.
Aunt Minnie McGrannahan was a very sweet story, and while not necessarily summer, it went nicely with Aunt Minnie and the Twister, which is a little more summer specific in these parts.
Adele and Simon in America is one we enjoy every year, and this year we have our very own (former library) copy.  No, I didn't steal it from the library, in case you were wondering.
How to Bake an American Pie is always good
The Star Spangled Banner seemed necessary, and I can honestly say I don't know that we've ever gotten this version.

We have a Ugandan priest visiting our parish, and the kids (namely Gemma) are going to be sending some hand-me-down clothing and shoes with him back to Uganda to share with our brothers and sisters there, so I have a pile of books about Africa (I believe there is one that is Uganda specific) to share with them some day here soon.  I got my inspiration here.
Well, that's all, folks!  Happy reading!

Read aloud (almost) Thursday: history and farms and chickens

Chapter books

We continue with The Moffats.  It is fun.  Each chapter can really stand on its own, and the adventures these kids get themselves into are really very amusing.  The kids, especially Gemma, are liking this one.

Gemma and I read The Courage of Sarah Noble at bedtime.  It was a simple, beautiful read.  I love books that have a historical aspect to them.  We had a good chat about seeing people for the content of their character not by the color of their skin, and how just because some Indians were "bad guys" you can't judge them all to be so, just like you can't call all those with light skin "good guys".  This was a short yet very profound read.

Now we are back to American Girl and Kit.  Sigh.  Oh well.  It has actually been bringing up some interesting conversations about the Depression.  I need to request book two for her. 

We may start Pioneer Summer tonight in the meantime.  Lots of historical things.  Part of me feels a little badly that there is not a whole lot of order, rhyme or reason in what we read...but if I analyze things too much I just become paralyzed and then we don't do anything.  Sigh.

Kolbe had gotten several Berenstain Bears books from the library about a month ago, and asked me to request more, and one of the ones I requested was The Berenstain Bear Scouts and the Coughing Catfish.  I had no idea the Berenstain Bears had chapter books until it showed up on the hold shelf (because I pay attention when I request things, but not super close attention.  After accidentally ending up with a gigantic version of Bread and Jam for Frances, I have learned to be a bit more careful though).  Overall this one was a pleasant surprise.  Not fine literature by any means, but was great for my Kolbe as his attention span for books grows.

Speaking of, I sure wish DiCamillo would write more Mercy Watson books.

From the bookshelf

Mix It Up is a cool book.  (It and Mouse Paint are my faves when it comes to colors).  But I have read it toooooo mannnnny times recently. (Ahem, Clement.)

Apparently we've been reading a lot of library books of late, because I'm not coming up with much here.  Gemma was reading our copy of Corduroy to the boys the other night though.  That is one book that I just never tire of.

From the library

Violet Comes to Stay and Violet goes to the Country - We unknowingly read these out of order but they were still just beautiful.

Good Night, Good Knight - anyone who has ever put kids to bed would find this book amusing.

The kids made a list of books for me to get from the library yesterday (we are still quarantined a bit longer) and there were several Helen Lester titles on it.  Gemma spent probably half an hour reading these to the boys before bed last night (she even put Clem to sleep!! I told her she was hired), so apparently they were a hit.

Weekly theme books

The kids and I decided to have a theme each week (ish) this Summer to give us a bit more direction in our book checking out.  I just love this.  During the school years that we've done Letter of the Week, I always love the sense of purpose I have each week when I sit down to request books.  Because I am just that big of a nerd.  But anyways, our first weekly theme was "CHICKENS".  Some notable faves:

One Little Chicken - we've had this before.  It's a classic that every child should read.

The Red Hen - yet another retelling of the perennial tale.  Nothing special, but it had a recipe in the back and Gemma has had a thing for copying recipes lately, so that was a win. 

Hattie and the Fox - I really do not love this book.  I know it's a classic, and the repetition is good for kids and all, but still.  It annoys me.

Interrupting Chicken - this is a fun one to read aloud.  And we read it aloud no less than two dozen times.  Gemma really got into reading chicken's part though and oh how I love to see her read independently unprompted.

Cluck O'Clock - we have checked this out dozens of time.  Someday we will buy it if I can find a used, hardcover copy for a good price.  It is great.

Daisy Comes Home - there's just something about Jan Brett.  You simply can't go wrong.

Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken - The cover of this book was soooo familiar.  I swore we'd had it before but the stories did not ring a bell.  At all.  But it was a keeper.  We got the version with the sound recording, which is fun to do on occasion.

Our theme is "FARMS" this week.  We've just gotten started on our stack, but the ones in the basket that look promising are:
Farm - This one reminded me a bit of The Year at Maple Hill Farm, which is another book I would like to own.
Duck on a Bike
Winter Wheat - We drive past a particular wheat field on a regular basis, and have been watching it since the wheat sprouted late last Fall.  I am looking forward to reading this one to the kids, especially Kolbe who has taken particular interest in watching the wheat.
It Could Always Be Worse - This reminds me so much of another book we've read, about a bear maybe? Or an owl who can't sleep?  I don't remember, but there is a very similar moral to the story.
Farms ABC - alphabet (and number, shape, etc. etc.) books typically annoy me, but I like this one a bunch.  The real life photographs are cool and surprisingly timeless.
Aunt Minnie and the Twister
Winter on the Farm - the Little House picture books are always a hit around here.  And to me, it's always fun to read about the opposite season of what we're in.
The Grumpy Morning - I am hoping Gemma will enjoy reading this one to the boys.
Just Plain Fancy - Polacco is so great.  Other notable faves at our house by her are Rechenka's Eggs and Thundercake.  For that matter When Lightning Comes in a Jar is pretty cool too.  Read it if you have a Family Reunion coming up.
Rooster's Off to See the World made the basket as well, because it is always nice to throw a little Eric Carle in.
Least of All is one we've had before, but it is so fun repeating books for different reasons...that's usually how we find the ones we end up loving.  I think we had this one as part of our virtue study one month last year, but can't remember for sure.

What is in your book basket this week?  
Happy reading, friends!!

Read aloud Thursday - inaugural post

As I was browsing the Read Aloud Revival FB page I came across a blogger doing Read Aloud Thursday posts, and then I saw this post about picture books and thought, "what a fun way to keep track of what we've been reading!"  So here goes!!  I may not be weekly about this, but will try to at least be regular.  ;-)  Without further ado...

Chapter books

Our current family chapter book is The Moffats.  We are only about two and a half chapters in, but this book has a fun feel to it.  Gemma and I read The Hundred Dresses (same author) a few months ago, but this book almost reminds me of The Children of Noisy Village (which I am dying to read again, maybe when Kolbe is just a little older).  There appear to be numerous other books about the Moffats, so I need to figure out the series order and decide if we'd like to read more.  Anyone else read these?

I am also finishing up the Samantha American Girl books with Gemma at bedtime.  I remember loooooving the American Girl books as a tween, but reading them aloud as an adult they seem to have lost a bit of their magic.  I don't dislike them, but I think I wish I would have waited and just let Gemma read them on her own.  She is still not reading chapter books independently and I don't want to force it, but I'm hoping once we finish Samantha I can draw her attention elsewhere (at least when it comes to read alouds).  I picked up a copy of The Courage of Sarah Noble from the library and am thinking about that.  Any other recommendations?

From the library:

Mushroom in the Rain was fun for the boys, especially since we've had so much rain here of late.

Yoko's Paper Cranes made its way back here for no less than the half-dozenth time over the past several years.  I like this book so much, we may have to add it to our "list".  I love books that give insight into other cultures, and this one did a beautiful job of portraying some of the intricacies of the Japanese family and traditions.

Bearymore. With some authors it's just hard to go wrong.

The Ink Garden of Brother Theophane is one I picked up after reading about it I don't even remember where, but it looks really cool so we will hopefully get to it soon.  We read a lot at random times during the day, but I try to be sure we read one picture book all together at the breakfast table. 
Molly and the Tornado was an interesting, true story with a semi-local flare.  A good one to read and discuss during severe-weather season.

I have a handful of books about the United States, and some specific ones about the midwest in hopes of doing a unit over the summer on the states and particularly Kansas.  I will update once we jump in on that.

From the bookshelf:

Clement has rediscovered our small but wonderful collection of Little Golden Books.  I may have to get him a few for his upcoming birthday.  For now his favorites have been Scuffy the Tugboat, The Little Red Caboose, The Poky Little Puppy and The Poky Little Puppy Follows His Nose Home.  The former two I love (although I never understand how the man with the polka-dot tie manages to show up just in time to rescue the tugboat from a life doomed to the endless ocean), the latter drive me a bit crazy but the nostalgia factor keeps me from hiding them.  What are your favorite Golden Books?

We also got daddy a copy of Hurty Feelings for his birthday, because his ability to read this one aloud rivals anyone's I dare say.  Fun times!

Little Pea has had its share of read aloud time lately, but I will say once I realized there were other books by the same author with different characters and essentially the same plot, I liked it a little less.  

A Fish Out of Water made its way out evening before last (I simply do not tire of reading this one), and I have found myself wishing more than once of late that we had more Sweet Pickles books than our two beloved copies (Very Worried Walrus and Me Too Iguana).

I suppose that wraps it up for this week.  Happy reading, friends!!