Wow this list got long! I'm thinking that maybe next month we should just mention our favorites, unless you like seeing almost everything we have read and listened too (I'm sure I've missed something along the way).
Emma Read
Picture/Begginer Books
Biggest, Strongest, Fastest by Steve Jenkins. A non-fiction picture book about different animals. It compares the sizes of the animals to people for reference. Emma picked it up and started reading it while we were rearranging the living room.
What Do You Do With a Tail Like This by Steve Jenkins. More books about animals!
Once We Had a Horse by Glen Rounds. This is one of the books Emma found after learning to
navigating the library.
The Three Bully Goats by Leslie Kimmelman. A fun retelling of an old classic. We both misread the title at first, until Emma started reading this to me. Funny. Another book that was read in the car on the way home from the library.
Watch Me Throw the Ball! by Mo Willems.
What can we say, these books are just awesome. If you have a beginning reader, or a struggling reader, these books are worth a shot. Hilarious, simple, and quick to read. And they always seem to contain a hidden message. Oh, if you happen to be in the Massachusets area, you should check out his exhibits in two different museums:
The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art and
R. Mitchelson Galleries. I so wish we could go.
More
Mo Willems awesomness. If you are looking for books to do lessons with, he has a
"Party Kit" for teachers with suggested questions and ideas to go along with each Elephant and Piggie book. A little young for Emma, but I think it would be fun for kids age 4-6.
Apparently I'm on a Mo Willems kick right now. Check out this video interview with him and Al Rokar on the Today Show.
I just spent about 2 hours reading about Mo Willems. I want to meet him, he seems like a great guy. I now want all of his books.
Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. This is the book that made Mo Willems famous. Emma enjoyed it. She read it to me so that I got to enjoy it as well :0)
Robert the Rose Horse by Joan Heilbroner. This was a random grab off the shelf cause it said horse in the title. No clue what Emma thought about it. Now she just reads the books, them puts them on my desk so I can record them. I have three from yesterday to enter (the 26th).
Grandfather Buffalo by Jim Arnosky.
Lost & Found by Shaun Tan. I am not sure if this falls under picture book or graphic novel, but to me it looks more like a picture book, so that's why it's here. The illustrations look all mixed media and fun.
Chapter Books
Magic Ponies #2: A Special Wish by Sue Bentley. More magical tales of Comet the Pegasus in search of his twin sister Destiny.
Saige by Jessie Hass. Emma is still working her way through this American Girl book. It's tough to finish a chapter book when you are reading 3 at the same time! (Also tough to finish it if you loose it in your room somewhere!) We found this book and Emma has finished it, now she's onto
Saige Paints the Sky by Jessie Hass.
Traitor in the Shipyard: A Caroline Mystery by Kathleen Ernst. This is the book Emma picked out when she turned in her summer reading sheet at Barnes and Nobles. She had to start reading it in the car. And while we walked through Sam's Club. Then more while we did actual groceries. She even read some of it out loud to me. Oh, it's also an American Girl book.
Molly the Pony: A True Story by Pam Kaster. This is a true story about a pony with a prosthetic leg (that makes a smiley face 'hoof' print). A great early reader, that may spark some interest in learning more about real horses. She read this to me in the car on the way home from the library.
Lulu Walks the Dogs by Judith Viorst. We loved the Lulu and the Brontosaurus (it's under Read To Emma), that I went to the website and requested that they hold this one for us. Emma read it to herself, but I may have to give it a read before it goes back to the library.
At the base library
Graphic Novels
Amulet books 2-5 by Kazu Kibushi
. Emma really enjoyed this series and she is hoping that the author writes more.
The Princess and the Pea, Repunzel, and The Emperor's New Clothes: Fairy Tale Graphic Novels retold by Stephanie Peters and illustrated by various artists. These were pretty quick reads for her, but she loved them. I could tell by the giggles and the constant, "Mama, listen to this..."
Horse Angel Comic Book: Ride Into Fear by Pony Club. This is comic about horses. I wish we could find more of them, but it's from the Pony Club mailing program that is no longer open for business.
Guinea Pig Pet Shop Private Eye: Hamster and Cheese by Colleen AF Venable. The latest find at the library. Emma liked it, read it in one sitting.
Audio Books
Emily Windsnap and the Siren's Secret by Liz Kessler. Emma listened to this one on her own, well, except for the last 30 minutes or so. At least I know how the book ended...
Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone by J. K. Rowling. Yes, we have listened to this entire series, but Emma has been wanting to re-listen to it. So, there you go.
100 Cupboards #3 by N. D. Wilson. As far as we know, this is the last in the series, but we will keep an eye out for more.
Alanna: The First Adventure (Song of the Lioness #1) and
In the Hand of the Goddess (Song of the Lioness #2) and
The Women Who Rides Like a Man (Song of the Lioness #3) and
Lioness Rampant (Song of the Liioness #4) by Tamara Pierce. This series is about a young girl (she's about 10 when the story starts) that wants to be a learn to be a knight, not about the art of magic. Her twin brother wants nothing to do with being a knight, but wants to learn the art of magic. So when the two are sent off to their respective schools, they forge some paperwork so that they are now both boys, and Alanna goes off to become a knight while her twin goes off to learn the art of magic. A great series (I did listen to some of the first one), one that Emma is really enjoying.
Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan. This was about a father and his two children in need of a wife/mother. He put an add the paper looking for a wife, and Sarah traveled to them to see if it would work out. Set during the time of horse and wagons. Emma enjoyed it.
Stormchaser (The Edge Chronicles: The Twig Trilogy, Book 2) by Paul Stewart. More adventures of Twig. In this book he goes on an adventure with his Sky Pirate father to the Twilight woods.
Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. (Per Emma) About Harriet, who is a spy. Harriet sneaks out and spies on people and writes down in her journal what they do.
Harriet Spies Again by Helen Erickson. I had no idea this was by a different author till I looked it up for this post. I got to listen to a bit of it, but Emma seemed to like it.
Bunnicula meets Edgar Allan Crow by James Howe. We listened to the set a while back (I think on our last trip to AZ) and when Emma saw this in the on-line library, she really wanted to listen to it. It was a quick 2 hours, but she really enjoyed it.
Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers. A oldie but goody. Emma says that it's "WAY different than the first one!" she means the movie. She realizes that the book came first, but still likes the movie better because Mary Poppins is nice in the movie, and they go on a magic carousel. She was sad that the magic carousel was not in the book. *apparently the books are a series. Might have to look into this.
Library books. Public on the left, base on the right.
Books Read to Emma
Stormy: Misty's Foal by Margurite Henry. This was a sad one! I actually cried a few times while reading it out-loud to Emma. All of the books in this story are based on real events, and this one is based on the hurricane that nearly destroyed the wild pony herd in 1962. So, I cried a few times and Emma kinda laughed at me, but I could tell it made her sad as well. The books ends on a happy note though, so that's good. And I think this may have been my favorite one so far.
Misty's Twilight by Margurite Henry. It's that last in the series. We are enjoying it, but I am about ready for something else.
Farm Boy: The Sequel to War Horse by Michael Morpurgo. Emma loved, loved, loved
War Horse. She would listen to it over and over again on audio. I picked this sequel up from the library the other day, and we read it over the last 2 days. At bedtime. It was a very short book, and a bit disappointing. I feel like it really wasn't much of a sequel at all. Joey, the horse from the first book, appeared in it, but he wasn't the main character. Emma actually asked if we had to read it.
Lulu and the Brontosaurus by Judith Viorst. A super fun book. Emma and I read this one together (taking turns reading to each other). She and I both loved that the author added little notes throughout the book justifying why she was writing the things she was. A really fun, quick read. Can't wait to see what other ones are out there!
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We've signed back up at
paperbackswap.com. In Iowa, the libraries were fantastic, so we really didn't need to acquire books any other way. Now we need to start hunting through the thrift stores, and we've decided to start swapping books again. It typically costs less then $3 to ship a book, and for each book we send, we get a credit for any book we want. Not a bad deal. Not as cheap as the library or the thrift store, but we can actually get books we are looking for. For the most part. And it helps us find new homes for books we no longer read. Although it's tough parting with the books sometimes.
***So what do you think, just post about our favorites or keep listing all the books I can remember?***
