MommaReads

Rufus is a pig who loves to learn and the thing he wants to learn most of all is how to read. There’s one problem though. Rufus is a pig and pigs aren’t allowed in school. Rufus doesn’t give up though. He keeps going back to the principal again and again to prove that he’s ready for school. Once Rufus convinces the principal that he’s there to read (with his backpack, lunchbox, nap blanket and favorite book in hand) the principal decides that it’s worth a shot.

All of the animals in the zoo are having babies. Some are small, some are big, some are feathery, some are furry…they’re all cute. The pandas and the kangaroos are the only animals who don’t have any animal babies. The zookeeper has a special surprise for the pandas and the kangaroos though.

This is the perfect book if you have your own home garden or if you are a teacher and you have a garden at your school. The teacher in this story tell the students about how Thomas Jefferson and his friends had a contest each year to see who could fill a bowl full of peas first using the peas grown from their own gardens. Thomas Jefferson learned that there were a lot of different types of peas and some grew bigger and faster than others.

The students in this story end up having the same contest amongst themselves in their classroom. They learn about different pea varieties, the effect weather can have on growing and good sportsmanship. Eventually someone does win the crown for the first bowlful of peas.

You just cannot go wrong with a Karma Wilson/Jane Chapman “Bear” book. The story is sweet, the rhyme is endearing and the illustrations are lovely. In this installment, Bear’s friends all come by with food to share, but it seems that Bear doesn’t have anything to share because his cupboards are bare. Of course his friends don’t mind and there’s plenty to go around and the best thing to share is their friendship.

Told in the witty style of Mo Williems’ other children’s stories, poor goldilocks ignores all of the clues that would have kept her from going into the dinosaurs’ house in the first place. The dinosaurs are looking for a little girl to munch on and Goldilocks falls right into their trap. Unfortunately, the dinosaurs aren’t very patient nor are they quiet…lucky thing for Miss Goldilocks.

A wonderful story of brothers, hand-me-downs, forgiveness and a mom who knows how to make everything right again.

Don’t wait until December to read this; some books are just too cute to save for one holiday.
This is by the same author that brought us the funny and much-lovedTurkey Trouble. Turkey has managed to make it through Thanksgiving, but then overhears that a good turkey dinner is on the menu for Christmas too. He decides to enlist the help of Santa, but has to go through quite a lot of trouble (and new and funny disguises) to get to the big man in red.

Maybe you are tired of the cold and snow? Maybe you are already thinking about the garden you are going to plant this spring? Maybe you love a good cumulative tale? This book has it all. Isabella’s Garden is a cumulative tale (in the style of This is the House that Jack Built). Cumulative tales are great for pre-readers…there is so much repetition that it is easy for them to join in and “read” too.

If you have a child who loves sports then these books by Lisa Wheeler will be a HIT in your house! There is also Dino-Hockey, Dino-Basketball, Dino-Baseball and Dino-Soccer. They also rhyme and you know I love a book that rhymes. 🙂

Jasper LOVES carrots! He eats them as a snack on his way to school in the mornings. He eats them on the way to baseball practice. All he has to do is pick them from the field near his house…an endless supply of carrots! Everything is going to great until the carrots start to follow him…or is it just Jasper’s imagination? The ending is super cute…it turns out the carrots are super clever and just don’t want to be eaten and they have come up with a clever way to keep Jasper out of their field.