Summer Reading Fun!

Homer Price by Robert McCloskey is a hilarious book that takes place in the small town of Centerburg.  What child (or adult) wouldn't love a book that has a pet skunk and a donut making machine!  This book is a great family read aloud for all ages.

Summer Reading Fun!

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard Atwater is a must read for children of all ages!  This book is a wonderful story and is nothing like the movie with Jim Carrey.  In fact, the movie was released several weeks after we finished the book and we decided not to see the movie based on the Plugged In movie review.

Summer Reading Fun!

Brighty of the Grand Canyon by Marguerite Henry is definitely one of our all time favorite books!  The story is based on the actual incidents in the life of a Grand Canyon burro.  I first read this book as a child and last winter Connor & I read it together.  We usually read 2 chapters a night when we read a book together but Connor would beg for more so we would stay-up late each night to read more chapters. 

Other great books by Marguerite Henry:

White Stallion of Lipizza

Justin Morgan Had a Horse

Misty of Chincoteague

Summer Reading Fun!

In April, we went to Chicago to visit family.  Connor is a big fan of Frank Lloyd Wright and wanted to see some of the homes he designed in Chicago.  We visited the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio in Oak Park, Il and we also went to the Robie House in Hyde Park.  It was in one of the gift shops that I found the book The Wright 3 by Blue Balliet.  This book takes place in Hyde Park, Il and is a fictional mystery story about Frank Lloyd Wright's Robie House.  I think Connor really enjoyed the book because we had visited the Robie House but if you are not able to visit the house then researching online or at the library before reading the book would be fun and helpful.  I have also included some pictures from our visit below.

Just a note:  This book is definitely for older children.  It also has a very strange beginning but if you keep reading it will all make sense. 

(This is a picture of the front door.  Frank Lloyd Wright liked to hide the front doors to the homes that he designed.  We had to walk around the house several times before we found this door and it wasn't until we did some research on the Robie House that we discovered this was actually the front door.  There is a great map in the book Frank Lloyd Wright for Kids (page 84) that shows how to find the front door on the Robie House.)

Summer Reading Fun!

Summer is a great time to encourage kids to read so each day this week I will be sharing some of our favorite books that we have read.

Last summer, we read Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder & Connor absolutely loved it!  The Little House books have the reputation of being "girly" books but this is not the case escpecially with Farmer Boy which is the book we just finished.  These books are perfect for boys and girls of all ages.  I have also enjoyed reading & discussing them with Connor.  This week we will start reading Little House on the Prairie.

FREE Chapter of Breaking the Worry Habit...Forever

Go here to download a FREE chapter from Elizabeth George's new book "Breaking the Worry Habit.... Forever." I am not familiar with her books but I did a search at our library and came up with quite a few titles and they all sounded very interesting. I even checked out one of her books ("Life Management for Busy Women"). I am very excited to read it! I also placed a hold on her new book "Breaking the Worry Habit....Forever." The library has ordered this book but it has not arrived yet.