31 Days – Page 3 – Mia The Reader

Monday Quote

Posted on October 21, 2013

“It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations–something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.”

-Katherine Paterson, author of Jacob Have I Loved, Bridge to Teribithia, and more

A recent study covered in this USA Today Article discovered that people who read literary fiction as opposed to pop fiction become more perceptive, especially in regards to relating with other people.

I think the study’s findings make sense. My experiences in my own reading life certainly confirm them. These findings are important for everyone, but especially to parents, because our challenge is two-fold. We need to read good literary fiction so that we can relate to people (including children!) well, and we need to give our children literature for whatever their age level is that will teach them empathy, help them form perceptive thoughts, and broaden their ideas. There’s nothing wrong with picking up some purely fun books for yourself or your children, but I challenge you to balance those choices with books that pull the imagination and senses and emotions in all at the same time. I hope you’ve found some books in this 31 Days of Picture Books that fit that bill.

More picture books to come tomorrow!

31 Days, Children's Books

Tootle, Choo Choo, and Other Literary Trains

Posted on October 20, 2013

There are some little boys who love trucks and some who love trains and some who love both. My little boy tends toward the truck side, but he is definitely a train fan, too. A few of our favorite train books are:

Tootle Tootle is a book published in 1945 that many adults hate. Yes, that’s right, some adults spend their emotions on hating a cute Little Golden Book. Okay, so I am not beyond strongly disliking certain children’s books. But I like this one. It’s about a little engine named Tootle, who shows a lot of promise to be the fast Flyer from New York to Chicago when he grows up. He has to get through engine school first, where Engineer Bill teaches him all the important things, especially staying on the rails no matter what. Tootle has a hard time learning this lesson, but learn it he does. Many reviewers on Goodreads say this book is about McCarthy-ism, or it’s about conforming to standards, or maybe it’s just bad because Tootle doesn’t get severely punished. Apparently, it can’t please anyone. I think it’s just a good story about a little engine who gets distracted from his goals and learns a lesson. If every children’s book has to be my life’s beliefs in a nutshell, I wouldn’t read children’s books. My kids love this one, my husband loves it, and I think it’s fun and adorable. So if your children like trains, read Tootle to them and don’t worry overmuch that they’ll hate nature and become a cold hearted industrialist.

We also love The Wonder Book of Trains, which follows an engine collecting different kinds of cars to make up its trains.

My daughter really loves Choo Choo by Virginia Lee Burton. I think the love that Choo Choo’s crew has for her is touching. It reminds me how children want to test the limits and taste adventure, but they want their parents to love them afterwards and forgive mistakes, too. Especially at age four.

I’m Taking A Trip On My Train is a fun book that replaces key words with symbols as the book goes along so that children can feel like they’re taking part in the reading. It has a nice rhythm to it, as well. My daughter started enjoying this with her Grammy at age 2 and now my son is working on following along.

Honorable mentions to:

Trains by Byron Barton

Freight Train by Donald Crewes

I Love Trains by Philemon Sturges

This is Day 20 of the 31 Days of Picture Books series. To see the rest, go here.

31 Days, Children's Books

Must Love Dog Books

Posted on October 19, 2013

Confession: I do not love dogs.

I know, I know, we can’t be friends anymore.

But don’t leave yet! It’s true, I’m not drawn to dogs in general–strange dogs pretty much scare me–but there are a few dogs in my past I’ve really liked. When I was 4, we had a black spaniel whom I named Liesel (shout out to The Sound of Music) and she had some incredibly cute puppies, Jason and Lucy. Then when I was about eight, my great grandparents got a dachshund puppy named Heidi. I wanted Heidi so much, I begged to take her home with me after staying one weekend with them. I shouldn’t have asked and they shouldn’t have said yes, but they did. So I got to keep Heidi for one week before my parents had me give her back. It was a good decision on their part, but I didn’t understand at the time. There weren’t any other dogs I until I was a teenager and one of my younger sisters begged for a puppy. She got little Trumpkin, a black lab-ish puppy, who was cute as can be. He met a tragic end very soon after joining our family. Then we got the most troublesome dog ever, and at that same time I started running in our rural area and found out that I really dislike country dogs who chase runners. Especially that Doberman down the street.

I still like the idea of a good family dog. I was raised on James Herriot, so how could I not like that image? But I can’t reconcile myself to the risk involved with getting a dog—what if I’m no good at training it? What if it ruins everything? What if we pick out one with a vicious soul? What if we won’t even want to play in our backyard? How much does dog food cost? Etc. I know some day one of my children will want a dog so earnestly, I will have to give in. I just can’t be a mom who says she’s allergic to dogs when she’s really not. If you are not sure about training your dog, find more about dog training programs in Ridgeside K9 Ohio. But I’m trying not to give them any ideas like “every boy should have a dog” or that sort of thing. The hard part is some of the best picture books are about dogs. Dogs in books = the best kind, in my opinion, but I doubt I can convince my two children of that.

The Puppy Who Wanted a Boy (Reading Rainbow Book) The cutest book dog is the one in The Puppy Who Wanted A Boy. His name is Petey and he all he wants for Christmas is a boy, but he struggles to find a boy who doesn’t already belong to a dog. I’m pretty sure I would have a hard time turning away a dog from my door who looked like Petey. Please, no one use this against me in the future.

The little dog, Zip, in We Help Daddy is another book dog I wouldn’t be able to turn away if he showed up in real life.

Carl Goes Shopping And what mother wouldn’t like Carl to show up and be her helper? I would probably freak out at first, but over time I’m sure I’d grow to appreciate him. One of my friend’s who has two daughters has made sure to tell them that if they ever see a dog who looks like Carl, they shouldn’t go up and pet him. Carl is a great book dog, though.

And then of course there are the big time book dogs, Clifford, Martha, and Biscuit. It’s probably only a matter of time before Biscuit has his own TV show.

Now that I’ve pondered all the dogs in books that I think of fondly, maybe I’m not so far away from reconciling myself with a family dog as I thought I was. I’m sure I’d be overly selective, but it could happen sometime in the future. Just don’t tell my kids yet.

This is Day 19 of the 31 Days of Picture Books Series. To read the rest of the series, go here.

31 Days, Children's Books

Longer Books for Little Brains

Posted on October 18, 2013

I love the ages of three and four. Children just blossom into these little people at age three and into four. I almost feel like I’m living with a small adult now that Ella is four-and-a-half, because there is so much change in such a short period of time. This is also the age when kids are ready for some longer books. Here are a few with tame enough themes for very young minds.

Little Bear books are the best for introducing children to chapter books. They are easy to understand and a perfect length because even two-year-olds can enjoy one story and then as they get older they can read more than one and feel like they’re reading a big book. Plus Little Bear is such a good sort of bear, the kind you’d want your kids to be friends with.

Speaking of bears that are friends, The Bear That Heard Crying is a riveting read for young children. It’s not a chapter book, but it’s a longer picture book. It tells about three-year-old Sarah who is lost in the woods and befriended by a big black bear. My kids want to read it over and over. I think they feel some kind of kinship with little, lost Sarah. And Helen Kinsey’s illustrations are perfection. I long for trees surrounding me and leaves and dirt under my feet when I look at this book.

The Fire Cat is a three part story book about a cat named Pickle. I had never heard of it but one day last fall we saw it in a the bookstore and my husband grabbed it up without thinking twice. That doesn’t happen too often. The illustrations are a little too far on the cartoonish side for me to really love, but there’s something about them that’s endearing. Our kids love it. They know that if they ask for “Just one Pickles story” they’ll get two or maybe the whole 64 page book if they’re lucky. Especially if it’s Mommy who is a sucker for (a) sitting still for more than three minutes at a time, and (b) reading.

There are all kinds of longer picture books that kids can get into when they’re young. I’ve found a lot of them have too much tragedy or drama for my children. Luckily, there’s no rush at this point. We just find some topics or characters our kids enjoy and ease them into listening to us read for a little bit longer than they did before. If they’re not ready for that, no sweat. We pull out the building blocks or tricycles and try again next week. =)

This is Day 18 of the 31 Days of Picture Book Series. To see the other posts in the series, go here.

31 Days, Children's Books

Surrounding Children With Books On A Budget

Posted on October 17, 2013

I’ve spent sixteen days now telling you about what I consider to be marvelous picture books for children. Today, I was hit with remorse for not stating earlier in this 31 Days of Picture Book Series that I am by no means encouraging anyone to spend a fortune on creating a masterful library for your little ones. And if there is an area I am tempted to spend frivolously, it’s books for children. I would never, ever advocate spending frivolously on anything (except for maybe good charities). But that’s the great thing about books — you can incorporate wonderful books into your life and the lives of children without spending a fortune. Here’s how we spend next to nothing and still live surrounded by books in our home.

1. Ask your parents for the books they kept from your childhood. My husband and I are the oldest children in our book-lovin’ families. We didn’t even have to ask for the books that had our names in it–they started coming back to us way before we had children. However, I think a lot of parents keep their kids’ favorite books, but may not think of pulling them out of the attic to pass on. Even if you don’t already have children, ask your parents if they’ve kept any of the books you love when you were a kid.

2. Hit up used book sales. Your local library sales are the best place for this. We’ve found great hardback classics and board books like The Little Engine That Could and The Big Red Barn and never pay more than $3. Almost all our books are from library sales or free tables.

3. Speaking of the library…(brace yourself for a soapbox)… I shouldn’t even have to mention the library, but I’m always surprised at how many people I talk to who love reading yet never set foot in their local libraries. If you like books at all, you must get a library card and go to the library. Just do it. A library is not poor man’s Barnes and Noble — it is a goldmine. It offers wealth without requiring your wealth. It offers access to tons of books without requiring your shelf space. It does not tempt you with salted caramel mochas. I don’t know what else I can say to convince you, but if you’re afraid of the library or afraid of taking your kids to the library, read this post. If you’re still unsure, at least go in once and get a card and password so you can use the online resources for your e-reader. Please. I’m begging you, and I don’t even know why. Let’s just say I’m begging you for your own sake.

4. Let loved ones know books are your favorite gifts. I have an awesome great aunt who has always given me the best books. Let those people who give you books know you really appreciate them, and let others who ask what you like know, “hey, I love this kind of book!” Sure, sometimes you’ll get a book you don’t actually enjoy, but that’s gift giving. And from me to you, I don’t mind if anyone who ever gets a book from me takes it right to 2nd&Charles or e-bay to trade it in for something they want. Be my guest. And I may be yours, whether you invite me to do so or not. ; )

5. Amazon filler items. You know those times when you order something on Amazon but you don’t quite hit the $25 threshold for free shipping? Yes, you guessed it…add a book you’ve been wanting! It’s like a free book, or free shipping. You’re getting something for free, so why not? (Yes, this is a bit of book-lover rationalization, but I still think it’s one of the best ideas I’ve ever had). When my husband orders something and needs a few more dollars to get free shipping, he often asks me if I have a book on my to-buy list. Reason 4,287 I married that guy.

6. Be selective and buy the ones you really love. It’s easy to think you need to maintain a book collection that experts would approve of. I’ve grown to dislike common perceptions such as you’re pretty much under a rock if you have kids under 5 and don’t own Eric Carle books. That Very Hungry Caterpillar…is it just me, or is there something symbolic about him? Just kidding, he lives in our house and he’s cute. Or he was 600 readings ago. But you get what I mean. There are those books that are considered by Parenting Magazine or whatever “expert” to be the best of the best. Definitely check those out at the store or library, but check a bunch of other ones out, too, and then buy only the ones you simply can’t live without. Throw Eric Carle and Maurice Sendek to the wind if you want to.

7. When it comes to buying the books you really want, there’s nothing wrong with used. Unless, of course, there is something wrong with the used book. But as a concept and general rule, buying a used book is awesome. You save trees, you save money, you pass on a book that has been read by others. I think it’s great. I know people who want crisp new pages in all their books. I sometimes wonder how we’re still friends. No, I’m kidding, but I really do think used books are wonderful. 2nd & Charles has a great selection of classics and current best sellers, and shopping the little corner book dispensaries is always a quaint delight. E-bay is always an option, too.

I love having a small library in my own home. Yes, I am trying to keep it relatively small. It once was a lot larger. Even then, I didn’t shell out large amounts of cash for the books I bought. I know there are lots of other ways to build a library on a budget, such as book swap sites and hosting a book swap in your home. I haven’t tried those options, but I’d love to hear from you if you have.

This is Day 17 of 31 Days of Picture Books. Catch up on the other posts in the series here.