Bookworms

Mike wrote about this some recently, but one habit we've cultivated over the past year or so is making regular visits to the library.  Before that we would visit occasionally, but tended to rely on the nice books we already had at home.  But Mike and I always loved going to libraries when we were kids (card catalogs, yay!) and rediscovering them now has been a wonderful thing.  I have been keeping an eye out for recommendations on my mom blogs for some good books to try.  Sometimes the boys don't want to listen to a new one, but if I read it dramatically then it will become their favorite for the next three weeks.  It's been so much fun!  I love seeing how engaged the boys become in all the stories - it's a privilege to introduce it all to them :)  To remember a few of these down the line, here are some of the favorite books and authors from the past few months. I won't do whole Amazon reviews (although I probably will write Amazon reviews for some of them :), but just a bit about why we loved them.

• I'm Going to Grandma's, by Mary Ann Hoberman.  A sweet rhyming book about a little girl staying overnight for the first time at her grandparents' house.  I love when rhyming books scan well so they're fun to read out loud, and these verses are perfect.  Malcolm memorized a lot of them because of the rhythms.  "I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's today! / I'm going to Grandma and Grandpa's to stay. / I'm not only going to stay for the day / I'm going to stay for the night."
• The Seven Silly Eaters, by Hoberman. Very funny, very readable book about a big family with seven very picky eaters and the mom who tries to cater to all their whims.  The illustrations are amazingly detailed, with scenes from their crazy family life as the family grows and adds new members.  Michael and Malcolm liked to ask who each kid was on each page.  Michael really liked studying the words and the pictures.

•  The Berenstain Bears.  Every time we go to the library, Michael heads to the shelf that has all the Berenstain Bears books and picks out a few so he can read one while we're there and take another one home.  Recent favorites have included the ones about strangers, going to the doctor, going to school, and the Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmes.  Malcolm pronounced this one as "Geemees" every time, which was hilarious.  They both seem to really like hearing about Brother and Sister Bear.
• LMNO Peas, by Keith Baker. A cute alphabet book that features peas who are astronauts, bikers, campers, etc.  The illustrations are entertaining.

• Make Way for Ducklings, by Robert McCloskey.  We found an audio CD to go with this one and both boys liked it.  At first Michael didn't want to read it, but when he saw there was a policeman named Michael in the story he was interested.  Now every time we walk by our creek, they both like to tell us that they see "Mrs. Mallard and Mr. Mallard" :)

• Train Man, by Andrea Zimmerman.  (Also "Digger Man" and "Fire Engine Man.")  Simple text, with nice illustrations.  These are about a little boy who talks about what he wants to be when he grows up, but his brother is too little.  So, the boy says how he will show and teach his little brother how to be a train man or digger man.  It's too, too cute.  If I can post the video of Malcolm "reading" one of these I will.
• Oh No, Gotta Go!, by Susan Middleton Elya. (Also "Fire / Fuego!")  This author writes in English with lots of Spanish words that fit perfectly in with her rhymes.  She works with different illustrators so each book is different, but they are lots of fun to read - only caveat is that when I read some of the Spanish dialogue I'm tempted to go for a Spanish accent on the rest of the English :)  This story is about a girl who really, really needs to go potty, but it's Sunday so everything is closed.  Malcolm found it hilarious.  "We were out driving down the camino / Papa and Mama were dressed muy fino. / The backseat was mine, my favorite spot / Until I remembered the thing I forgot. / "Where is un bano?  Donde esta? / I really do need one," I told mi mama."  :)
• Polar Opposites, by Erik Brooks.  An opposites book about an Artic polar bear and Antarctic penguin who do everything differently, but love to meet up in the middle (in the Galapagos, naturally).  It's really simple text, but the illustrations showing all the ways these two are opposites are fun to explore.