Sunday, February 15, 2015

Week 12: Heavy books, Miss Nelson, and story time with my love bug

Our Weekly Progress
Here's Emma with our favorite book from the week:  

We have almost finished our first shelf at the library!!! WOO HOO!!! 

By "first shelf" I don't mean an entire row across a bookshelf. I mean one section of one row of one bookshelf.  But, hey! We have to celebrate every milestone. :) 

Emma continues to love her story time, and we read a couple books every day. Honestly, I would check out more than 10 every week, except that it's hard to juggle 10 books (which are heavier than you might think!) and a baby while walking from the library out to my car. Maybe one day I will have one of those crates on wheels... hahaha!!! 

Our Weekly Favorite:
Title: Miss Nelson is Missing! 
Author: Harry Allard
Illustrator: James Marshall
Rating: 5 stars

























Summary: 
"The kids in Room 207 were misbehaving again. Spitballs stuck to the ceiling. Paper planes whizzing through the air. They were the worst-behaved class in the whole school.

So begins this quirky classic, first published in 1977 and still relevant today as a lighthearted reminder to show our appreciation to those we value. The students don't proffer a shred of respect for their good-natured teacher Miss Nelson, but when the witchy substitute Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene, they start to regret their own wicked ways. James Marshall's scritchy, cartoonish full-color ink and wash illustrations are hilarious. A back-to-school perennial! 

Why I Loved it: 
  • The illustrations are very funny!
  • The ending lends itself to some great questions for your little reader- Do you think Miss Nelson and Viola Swamp are the same person? How do you know? Interestingly, most of the clues lie in the illustrations.  
  • It's  classic! I think we've all read this book and loved it.  It's so special to share a book with your child that you read yourself as a child. 
Other Books We Read This Week:
Title: Painted Words
Author/Illustrator: Aliki 
Rating: 4 stars

This book was actually two stories (flip the book over and turn it upside down to read the other story.)  It was very thought-provoking, taking the point of view of a girl who is starting at a school where no one speaks her language. I would love to read this again with Emma when she's old enough to understand the perspective of someone in this position.  

Title: Welcome, Little Baby
Author/Illustrator: Aliki
Rating: 4 stars

Call me crazy, but I loved this simple little book about bringing home a new baby. I thought it was really sweet.

Title: Miss Nelson is Back
Author: Harry Allard
Illustrator: James Marshall
Rating: 3 stars

The sequel is never as good as the original. Unfortunately, this is true of the "Miss Nelson" series as well.  It's worth a read, but its value comes from having the first beloved characters as Miss Nelson is Missing, not from a stunning plot. 

Title: Every-Day Dress-Up
Author/Illustrator: Selina Alko
Rating: 3 stars

I love the idea of this book. The message is positive: Little girls have so many notable women to look up to and dress up like. However, I wish that message had been presented in a more intriguing way.  I did like the pictures, though. 


Title: We Are Best Friends
Author/Illustrator: Aliki 
Rating: 3 stars

I thought this book was average. I liked the topic, and found it very relatable to something that a child might actually go through. I wasn't, however, blown away.


Title: Starlight Goes to Town
Author: Harry Allard
Illustrator: George Booth
Rating: 2 stars

This book was a little bit amusing, but I found it to be more ridiculous than anything, and not in a good way.  
Title: The Acrobat
Author/Illustrator: Alborozo
Rating: 1 star

This book wasn't interesting, funny, or meaningful in any way.


Title: One More Time, Mama
Author: Sue Alexander
Illustrator: David Soman 
Rating: 1 star

The pictures in this book were beautiful, but the storyline was a little bit too simple for me to find interesting. 



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