What Are We Reading? - 9.19.13

This week, we found a real steal at a local baby shop we didn't know existed. Three great board books for only $6 total! To properly honor our bargain hunting skills, we've been reading them to Norah all week. The verdict is still out on whether she is as in love with our thrifty find as we are.

It is actually three story collections, including Bedtime Hugs, Read Me a Story and Mother Goose. Norah is still rough with her books, so this is a happy middle between a book with only pictures and an actual story book.


      
As for me, I've been gettin' my learn on with some books about The Tudor Dynasty. The books I've finished recently have all been historical fiction, but I thought it was a good place to start. Especially since I knew nothing about this time period. With historical fiction, it's hard to tell which statements are true, so I supplemented with a podcast to find out. And boy, oh boy, does Ms. Gregory take a lot of liberties to make her story juicy! All in all, they're definitely entertaining. When I'm finished all the books in the series, I plan to check out a documentary or a non-fiction book where I can put it all together.

Dad has been finishing up the Song of Ice and Fire series, so "Shh!", don't spoil it! I can't wait until he finishes so I can get rid of the constant fear of accidentally revealing a plot point he hasn't read about yet!

Happy Reading!

Items Mentioned in Today's Post
The Constant Princess - Philippa Gregory
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregory
The Boleyn Inheritance - Philippa Gregory
A Dance with Dragons: A Song of Ice and Fire: Book Five by George R.R. Martin
The History Chicks - podcast: Teeny Tiny Tudor Tutorial | Tudor Grandmothers | Katherine of Aragon | Anne Boleyn | Last Four Wives of Henry VIII

Baby Book of the Week: Newbery Edition

Yesterday's post was getting a bit too long for my tastes, so I decided to bring the reading fun to you over two days. Today I'll talk about the Newbery Medal winner and honorees. Note that these books are for older readers (the books below range from ages 8 and up), so use your own judgement when reading to your little ones!

"The Newbery Medal was named for eighteenth-century British bookseller John Newbery. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children." [Source]


The 2013 award went to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate, about a gorilla named Ivan who befriends a baby elephant named Ruby. Newbery Medal Committee Chair Steven Engelfried says this about the book: “Katherine Applegate gives readers a unique and unforgettable gorilla’s-eye-view of the world that challenges the way we look at animals and at ourselves.”

Three other children's books were awarded a Newbery Honor, as well - Splendors and Gloom, Bomb: The Race to Build - and Steal - the World's Most Dangerous Weapon, and Three Times Lucky.

Missed yesterday's post? Click here to read about the Caldecott winners.

Books Mentioned Above 

Title: The One and Only Ivan
Author and Illustrator: Katherine Applegate and Patricia Castelao
Pages: 300
Format: Hardcover

Title: Splendors and Glooms
Author: Laura Amy Schlitz
Pages: 384
Format: Hardcover

Title: Bomb: The Race to Build--and Steal--the World's Most Dangerous Weapon
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages: 272
Format: Hardcover

Title: Three Times Lucky
Author: Sheila Turnage
Pages: 312
Format: Hardcover

Baby Book of the Week: Caldecott Edition

This week Norah and I are reading classic Dr. Seuss: Yertle the Turtle. Like most Dr. Seuss books, this story has a lesson - even the little people wayyyyy at the bottom of the pile have rights. It's a great thing to learn, and one I'm sure we're explain using this story when she begins to understand a little better. Right now, it's just fun to read the rhymes!

In other book news, the Caldecott and Newbery Awards came out.



The Caldecott Medal "was named in honor of nineteenth-century English illustrator Randolph Caldecott. It is awarded annually by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association, to the artist of the most distinguished American picture book for children." [Source]



This year, the award went to This is Not my Hat, written and illustrated by Jon Klassen. Caldecott Chair Sandra Imdieke had this to say about it: “With minute changes in eyes and the slightest displacement of seagrass, Klassen’s masterful illustrations tell the story the narrator doesn’t know.”

Caldecott Honors also went to Creepy Carrots, Extra Yarn, Green, One Cool Friend and Sleep Like a Tiger.


Even though work is crazy right now, I still managed to get in some reading of my own. I finished a book called Unravel Me about a 17 year old girl with the power to kill people with just her touch. . It is a sequel and it ended on a cliffhanger that has me frothing at the mouth for the next book in the series.

After that, I started Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I am only about 6% in, but so far it has me guessing. It is written in first person and switches between the current story narrated by Nick (the husband) and the past - also written in first person, but told through the diary entries of Amy (the wife).  This style makes me want to keep reading to find out what, if anything, Nick is hiding about the disappearance of his wife.

Please stay tuned for tomorrow's post where I'll talk about the other big winners this week: The Newbery!

Books Mentioned in This Post

Title: Yertle the Turtle and Other Stories
Author: Dr. Seuss
Format: Hardcover

Title: This Is Not My Hat
Author and Illustrator: Jon Klassen
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Creepy Carrots!
Author and Illustrator: Aaron Reynolds and Peter Brown
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Extra Yarn
Author and Illustrator: Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Green
Author and Illustrator:Laura Vaccaro Seger
Pages: 36
Format: Hardcover

Title: One Cool Friend
Author and Illustrator: Toni Buzzeo and David Small
Pages: 32
Format: Hardcover

Title: Sleep Like a Tiger
Author and Illustrator: Mary Logue and Pamela Zagarenski
Pages: 40
Format: Hardcover

Title: Unravel Me
Author: Tahereh Mafi
Pages: 461
Format: Hardcover

Title: Gone Girl: A Novel
Author: Gillian Flynn
Pages: 419
Format: Hardcover

Baby Book of the Week: Story Time for Lamb

I think this book might contain the cutest illustrations I've ever seen. It's about a lamb that is getting ready to go to bed, but before he does, the mother lamb reads him a story. The colors in the book are very vibrant and when Norah gets to an age where she can sit in our laps and read along, I think she'll appreciate this. 

Overall, it's a great short read to get in before bed. I hate putting her down without a story and this is perfect for those nights when she's getting grumpy or it's past bedtime.

Title: Story Time for Lamb
Author: Michael Dahl
Illustrator: Oriol Vidal
Pages: 20
Format: Board Book
Check out the whole Hello Genius series here.

Baby Book of the Week: Baby Listens

This week we're going old school with a Little Golden Book called Baby Listens. Switching gears like this is a little jarring. We went from one groovy cat to a baby who, by the looks of the illustrations, is living in the 1960s.

Overall, the book has a good concept. We follow baby through his day, where he encounters all kinds of objects that make sounds. My favorites are the teddy bear that falls down the stairs that goes bumpety bumpety and the whir of the blender.

When looking at the illustrations for these two in particular, it's easy to see this was drawn decades ago. The baby watches the bear fall from atop a full staircase without a gate. Then he wanders into the kitchen to get up close and personal with the blender. If anything like that happened today, mothers the world around would be aghast! But then again, maybe it wasn't so bad. I mean, our parents survived, right?

As for mom and dad, we're both still plugging away at Books 4 and 5 in the Song of Ice and Fire series.

Books Mentioned in This Post

Title: Baby Listens (Little Golden Book)
Author: Esther Wilkin
Illustrator: Eloise Wilkin
Pages: 24

Title: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Pages: 976

Title: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Pages: 1040
Get the whole Song of Ice and Fire series! Anyone reading anything fun to their little ones this week?

Baby Book of the Week - Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons

This week we're reading a book Norah received for Christmas, Pete the Cat and his Four Groovy Buttons.

I must confess, that this book really cracks me up. The idea of a beatnik cat singing a song about how he keeps losing his buttons but doesn't care is a little bit refreshing when bombarded with books about how much mommy and daddy love their baby.

The illustrations in this book are very well done, too. Bright colors, but nothing too offensive. I have a feeling Norah will enjoy this book for a long time. It even includes some elementary math problems. As Pete loses each button, there's a page to show that 4 -1 = 3, 3 - 1 = 2, and so on.

Overall, I really enjoy reading this book to Norah.

And while we're talking about reading - what are mom and dad reading these days?

Right now, we're both reading books in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. Melissa is on the latest release, A Dance With Dragons. Jim is one book behind (but quickly catching up) with A Feast for Crows.

A Dance with Dragons is more entertaining than A Feast for Crows, now that I am used to reading about new characters. That was the one thing I found annoying with A Feast for Crows. People who had never been the focus in previous books were in the forefront and seemingly had no connection to the plot. Now that I've been reading the next book, I am starting to see how they fit in. It's an interesting style of writing, but not one I particularly like. Good thing for George R.R. Martin that the story as a whole is so engrossing that I am willing to look the other way!

Happy Reading!

Books Mentioned in This Post

Title: Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons
Author: Eric Litwin
Illustrator: James Dean
Pages: 40
Read the whole Pete the Cat series!

Title: A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 4)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Pages: 976

Title: A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, Book 5)
Author: George R.R. Martin
Pages: 1040
Get the whole Song of Ice and Fire series!

Baby Book of the Week - Good Night New Jersey

This week we're reading something Jim picked out for Norah while we were in New Hampshire for a friend's wedding. Of all places to find a book about New Jersey!

If you've read Good Night Moon, you'll find the concept of this book familiar. Instead of saying good night to the room, the red balloon and the cow jumping over the moon, you find New Jersey-isms in their places. Some are familiar, like Lucy the Elephant, Monopoly, and even a reference to the Boss. There are also references to things I didn't know existed in New Jersey, like the Lakota Wolf Preserve. If this book stays in rotation, we just may end up taking a trip there so we can bring it to life!

Happy reading!

Book Info
Title: Good Night New Jersey
Author: Adam Gamble
Illustrator: Joe Veno
Pages: 20

If you're interested in purchasing this book, or one in the series, click on over to Amazon.

Baby Book of the Week - Guess How Much I Love You

Every night, Norah gets a story. This week we've been reading Guess How Much I Love You. It's about a baby bunny and his dad. All through the book, the baby keeps telling his dad how much he loves him, but the dad keeps saying he loves him more. It's a great story to tell before bed to remind your little one that "a lot" is simply not enough to describe how much you love them.

Book Info
Title: Guess How Much I Love You
Author: Sam McBratney
Illustrator: Anita Jeram
Pages: 32
Click to purchase: Amazon | IndieBound |B&N