MommaReads

Poor Ike has been sent to obedience school for a number of infractions that he vehemently denies. He has been accused of eating Mrs. LaRue’s chicken pie, torturing the neighbor’s cats and howling incessantly. His letters home describe a horrible and cruel place where, for example, he is forced to give up his typewriter and write his letters by hand. The illustrations in this book are adorable. One side of the page, in color, depicts what is really happening. The other side, in black and white, describes what Ike would like for us to think is happening. The ending of this story takes the cake, or pie, if you will. Happy reading!!!

Caps for Sale is definitely a classic. It has been around for decades and has made thousands of children giggle. I really like how there is repetition in this book so the children who are listening to the story can participate. I also like the ending. The ending is funny to children no matter how many times they have read the book….any book that has that many ornery monkeys in it is going to bring on some laughter. 🙂

Poor Stella LouElla can’t find her library book and it’s due! She ends up asking many, many people in town if they have seen her book and by the end they are all hot on the trail with her trying to help her find her book. One of the fun things about this book, besides the story, is that there are little clues hidden throughout the story to help the reader solve the mystery of the lost book. Enjoy!

This is a very cute story about a grandma who loses her glasses while dancing in the kitchen which leads to her befriending a lion and catching a burglar. Grandma Jo is a very lovable character and her antics with the lion are very funny. Again, cute story.

We stumbled upon this book at the library. It is a cumulative tale like The House that Jack Built, but this book talks about the soil and the seeds and the rain and the seedlings and the plants and on and on and on until Jack has a garden. I am a sucker for cumulative tales because the kids can begin to “read” the story with you fairly quickly, but the thing I love most about this book are the illustrations. There is so much to talk about and see on each page. For those kids who love to look at the pictures while mom and dad are reading, this one is a winner.

Our oldest child is drawn to all things Native American. At 8-years old I don’t get to read to him very often, but when he does ask to be read to, this is really the only story he ever requests. It is the story of a young Lakota boy and his horse, a story of trying to grow up too quickly and a story of bravery. Not only is the story captivating, but the illustrations in this book are also spectacular.

This book has been around for longer than most of us have been alive, so it must be a keeper. Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, get the job of digging the cellar for Popperville’s new town hall, but if they can’t get if done in a day then they won’t get paid. It’s a race against the clock and just about everyone thinks they can’t get it done. It’s a great story about underdogs and perseverance.

We stumbled upon this book at one of our favorite bookstores a few summers ago. It has become a favorite at our house mostly, I think, because our oldest can completely relate to Wendell. Wendell’s mom has told him a zillion times to clean his room, but he doesn’t and it turns into a pigsty-literally. You can imagine the antics that ensue when the pigs decide to move in, play Monopoly, have pillow fights, etc.

I love, love, love Karma Wilson and I also love Mortimer. Mortimer has several books, but in the spirit of spring, planting and gardens I thought you might enjoy Mortimer’s First Garden. Mortimer is a mouse who likes to eat seeds, but when he hears his people talking about putting their seeds in the dirt he isn’t totally convinced-at first. Who would put perfectly good food in the dirt? But when he hears his people talking about how their seeds will make everything green he starts to wonder if they might be on to something. Mortimer decides to plant his one seed. He grows impatient, but eventually learns that sometimes miracles do happen.

I miss the days of getting to read sweet, sweet stories like this one with a toddler on my lap. This story is great for many ages though because it includes animals, opportunities to learn colors, repetition and simple text. The illustrations are sweet as well and definitely help a beginning reader figure out unknown words as does the repetition. So, instead of reading it with a toddler on my lap, I guess I will just listen with a kindergartner on my lap.