MommaReads

Several years ago our church had a flier available for parents if they were interested in purchasing books for their kids. It was just like a book order your child might bring home from school, but it was for religious books. I ordered a few about Easter since it was that time of year. This one starts with Jesus praying in the garden and ends with them placing him in the tomb. I have read this to my own children again and again and have used it in my first grade Sunday school class as well. They love that it rhymes and I love that it tells the story in a way that engages the children.

First of all, let me just say that I have loved every book I have ever read to my kids by P.K. Hallinan. This one is no exception. I like this book because it combines the family traditions of Easter that many families probably participate in like Easter baskets, Easter egg hunts and family dinners along with dressing up in special clothes, going to church and praying. If you have been reading MommaReads long enough, you also know I am a sucker for a book that has a good rhyme as well.

This book is not just about Easter, it’s about the whole journey…his whole life. The books starts with his birth and concludes with his ascension. I like the illustrations in this book, as well as the story, of course. There is also an element to this book that makes it a fun one for families to read together, too. It has a repeating phrase, “journey, journey on” that pops up again and again. Children love books like this because, even though they may not be able to read, once they have heard the story they know there’s a repeating part and they can participate. Just stop reading when you get to that part and your child will know to chime in with the missing words.

There are over 60 books in this series and kids EAT THEM UP!!! They are great for kids who are starting beginning chapter books because the chapters are short, there are pictures every once in a while (kids at this stage still need a few pictures to give them a break from all that reading) and the kids love to see if the next book in the series has a sillier title than the one they are currently reading….with titles like Vampires Don’t Wear Polka Dots and Goblins Don’t Play Video Games. Children also love series because there are usually some characters that carry through from book to book. This holds true with the Bailey School Kids books with Liza, Melody, Howie and Eddy. Series books are great because children at this stage of reading tend to devour books…they have learned to read and read pretty well and they just can’t seem to get enough of it. (No, this does not hold true for all kids, but in general, it’s a pretty fair statement.) These also make silly and fun read alouds for kids who aren’t quite ready to read these books by themselves or who maybe want to read a little out loud while Mom or Dad share in the reading…it takes some stamina to read chapter books as any early elementary child will tell you. 🙂

There is also another set of Bailey School Kids books if your reader is quite ready for these called Bailey School Kids Jr.

This series of books is a MUST for those kids who are starting to read beginning chapter books. You would be hard pressed to find a second grader who hasn’t read at least one of them I imagine. This series is the kind, however, that once a child has read one of them, they usually just keep on reading and before you know it they have read all of them. Why do I love them? Not only are these books full of adventure, but they are very well researched and kids learn about people and places from history and geography as well. They also make great read alouds if your child isn’t quite ready to read them alone. Another thing I really like about these books is that they come on tape/CD. They are great to listen to in the car and the content is appropriate for children of various ages.

One last thing I love about them is that the fiction books also have non-fiction companion books that go along with them. So, if your child really enjoyed The Magic Treehouse book where Jack and Annie end up being a part of the American Revolution, then there is a non-fiction book that goes along with it where they can learn more about that part of history.

This series is another one of my favorites. It involves three characters: Dink, Josh and Ruth Rose who solve mysteries together. I love these three characters because they are smart, they persevere, they follow clues and they use teamwork to solve the mysteries they encounter in each of the books in this series. These books have just the right amount of humor in them so that both adults and kids can enjoy the stories and they also have a few pictures sprinkled in here and there which kids at this reading level really look for. It’s kind of like Encyclopedia Brown for the next generation.

I have people ask me quite often about beginning chapter books for boys that are appropriate for the early elementary years. There are so many great ones out there and Jack Stalwart is one of my all-time favorites. Jack is a secret agent/spy who travels the globe looking for his older brother Max who is missing while also fighting crime along the way. Why do I love these books so much? There aren’t a lot of books out there for this age group that are in the spy/secret agent genre, it is a great way to get kids excited about and learning about geography since he visits a different location in every book, it’s a series-kids get sucked into series and don’t want to stop reading until they have read them all, it has pictures sprinkled in here and there which is great for kids this age and it has short chapters. They are also great read alouds as well, so you can read them to your child, your child can read them to you, you can take turns or, if they are ready, they can read them on their own.

This is my new favorite book! Edward loves to read…books, cereal boxes, seed catalogs…you name it, he likes to read it, but his favorite is adventure stories. Well, one night while he is asleep he wakes up to find pirates surrounding his bed. They have come to get the pirate book Edward has been reading because they think it might tell them where their treasure is buried. Edward would happily give it to them, but it’s a library book…they will just have to wait until he turns it in. After some begging and pleading from the pirates, Edward decides that they can read it right there in his room. He gives them the book, and they huddle over it for a while and then confess that none of them can read, so Edward reads it to them. Not only is this story adorable, but the illustrations…all of the pirates huddled around Edward’s bed as he reads to them…are priceless. LOVE it!

This is my last Passover book review for this year. Most of the books have touched on getting ready for Passover as well as the Seder dinner. This book focuses mostly on the Seder dinner, the food that is eaten and some of the history behind the Seder meal. This is a great book for introducing Passover to a young child. My youngest has enjoyed all of these books and he has learned a lot about what Passover is and some of the traditions that go along with it.

A lift-the-flap book for Passover…perfect for little ones! What will they find under the flaps? They’ll find a Seder meal, plagues, food for the hungry, afikomen and the answers to the four questions.