Tag: kids

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Wash After Reading: A Book Review for Do not lick this book

Recently we had a bedtime read first. After reading our book, my daughter said, “Everyone who touched this book needs to go wash their hands!”…and we did. The book we had just finished was Do Not Lick This Book by Idan Ben-Barak and illustrated by Julian Frost.

When I received this book, I was expecting it to be a cute, Elephant & Piggie type book. Don’t get me wrong, it was still cute, but this is actually an Informational book. The book follows Min, who is a microbe from one item to the next, with some cool, super up-close pictures of those items. The interesting thing is that the reader is the one who “carries” Min from object to object, picking Min up with your finger.

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So, as the reader, I started Min on her journey. The whole idea freaked my daughter out (in a good way, she was giggling the whole time) so she moved away, while my son stayed put. He even participated in carrying Min later on, which of course meant that he ended up chasing his sister, trying to place Min on her. I found this amusing, her, not so much.  Even though he never did touch her with Min, my daughter was still the one who proclaimed that we all needed to wash our hands. And so, for the first time ever, off to the bathrooms to clean our hands we went.

From the title to the “about the author” at the end, this book grabbed and held our attention, and we learned some things in process. Although you may feel a little gross after reading, I would recommend this book for young budding scientists.

*I was able to read an ARC of this book thanks to the publisher and #bookexcursion, the release date for the US is June 2018.

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Book Review Parenting Raising kids Raising Readers Uncategorized

Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure–A Book Review

Here’s what’s cool: this is my first time doing a book review for a book whose author lives in the same town as I do!

Here’s what’s cooler: Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure by Danual Berkley. This book brings you into a young boy’s imagination of his family’s journey on a pirate ship. As with most pirate adventures, there are some hiccups that you run into, but luckily Davy has some creative ways of dealing with those issues.

One of the first things that struck me about this book is that the whole family is on this imaginative pirate ship journey.  Usually in stories like this you see the kid by themselves, or maybe the kid and one parent, but in Davy’s adventure, mom, dad, and little brother are there. The fact that they are an African-American family is definitely an added bonus. While reading, my daughter pointed out that the mom’s hair looked like hers (curly)–I’m telling you #representationmatters.

When I read Davy’s Pirate Ship Adventure with my kids as our bedtime read, they enjoyed twists and turns in the book, and we all thought the illustrations were pretty cool too! We especially liked the last two pages of the book, because they give the reader background information on all the characters in the book.

This book has a great rhythm to it when you read it aloud and would be cute for your next bedtime read for any young child, especially those with active imaginations.

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My son loved the fact that even the little brother has skull & crossbones on his diaper!

Here’s what’s coolest: Since Danual Berkley lives in the same town I do, he has agreed to participate in my first #RaisingReaders author interview!! Check back soon to learn more about this author, including any adventures he may have #RaisingReaders!

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Book Review Parenting Raising kids Raising Readers Uncategorized

Trying to Keep it Fair…Even with Bedtime Reading

I try hard, probably too hard, to give my children equal experiences. I know and understand that they have different needs and interests, but generally speaking, I try to make things as similar as possible, right or wrong. So, I recently I got to thinking about our bedtime reading practices.

Now, I’ve written at length about my children and I and our bedtime reads, including my daughter and I’s time with the Whatever After series.  After some reflection, I decided that the time my daughter and I have spent together reading various chapter books has influenced her desires to read, as well as her actual reading skills. So, in my quest for some equality, I would like to start reading a series with my son. Don’t get me wrong, when I’m reading with my daughter, my husband enjoys reading with my son, and they have started reading some chapter books, but…its just not quite the same.  I mean, (and he will admit) my expression/enthusiasm game is definitely stronger than his.

Plus, it has also been a wonderful bonding experience with my daughter to get to know these characters and stories together. I cherish that time, and I would like to have the same with my son. And what book have I decided would be the right pick?

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Let me just tell you a few of the reasons why I think this was the one to go with:

*It’s a chapter book, but with lots of pictures. I wouldn’t classify it as a graphic novel, but its close. And either way, he loves analyzing illustrations, so it’ll work out.

*It’s funny and silly. I mean, these two kids actually live in a treehouse. And each floor has ridiculous things like lemonade fountains and a bowling alley, right up any kids’ alley, especially mine.

*It’s a series, that only gets sillier. Each book adds 13 more stories to it, so next up will be 26 stories. At the time of this post, I think they’re up to The 78 Story Treehouse!

*His sister has read most of the books in the series, and loves them. She’s even read parts of it out loud, so he’s somewhat familiar with it.

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See? Illustrations and silliness all in one.

So far we’ve read 2 chapters, he’s into it, and so am I. I think we may have a hit on our hands!

My fingers are crossed that in my #RaisingReaders quest, this time with my son will result in creating an enjoyment for reading, especially the silly books!

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Parenting Raising kids Raising Readers Uncategorized

And the HP Obsession Continues…

Here’s an update…

My daughter and I recently finished reading Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, and you can read about our experience here. Now since fantasy isn’t really my genre of choice, I was super excited to be able to say, “We’ve read Harry Potter!” However, my child’s response was, “No mom, we’ve only read the first book!” Ugh!

So this past Saturday at Target…

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She read it in the store, in the car on the way home, some more when we got home…and so it continues…

I’m not suggesting that you read Harry Potter with your child, but I’m letting you know, that if you start…you may not be allowed to stop. It could be a way to get your child into reading. Just a thought.

#RaisingReaders

 

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Book Review Parenting Raising kids Raising Readers Uncategorized

Some President’s Day Book Alternatives

One of the best ways to teach your kids about different events and holidays is through books. However, instead of your typical, sometimes boring, informational book, I like to try and find books that bring a different perspective. Here are a couple of my favorite finds for President’s Day:

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Although this may be the only story you’ve heard about him, I’m sure you’ve heard the story about our 27th president getting stuck in the bathtub. This picture book by Mac Barnett tells the already amusing story in a way that is sure to teach your kids something new.

 

 

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This book, White House Winners: What You Don’t Know About the Presidents, is different because it goes through each president and gives you what could be considered an obscure fact about each of them. For example, Abraham Lincoln is declared, “Most Likely to Win a Wrestling Match”. The explanations for each guy are pretty short, so they can easily keep your child’s attention. Also, this book is very new, so it even has our most recent president in it.

The nice thing about both of these books is that they are great reads any time of the year, not just for the holiday. My kids and I read both of these at times other than President’s Day. But still, try and make learning about some of these uneventful holidays and events eventful through the eyes of these very creative authors!

#RaisingReaders