December 23, 2022

Our Collection of Christmas Books

December 23, 2022/ Cassandra S

We don’t have a huge collection of Christmas books, but I think they are a fun mix of Christ-centered and just for fun. I think they capture the magic of the Christmas season, and I delight in reading each of them with my children. Here’s what we have…

Our collection of Christmas books

The Christmas Promise

The Christmas Promise Storybook: A True Story from the Bible about God’s Forever King by Alison Mitchell is a great addition to any Christmas library. It is a retelling of the Christmas story from a very pointed perspective that Jesus is the promised King of the Bible. He is the new King, the rescuing King, the forever King. I like the illustrations, and I like that it is a simple but clear story about the importance of Jesus’ birth. It is aimed at children age 3–6.

Song of the Stars

I think the publisher’s description does a great job capturing the essence of this book—"Song of the Stars, written by bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones, takes children on the journey of Advent and the anticipation of Jesus’ arrival. All of creation comes together in this poetic and majestic telling of the Christmas story. Join every creature as they celebrate the arrival of Jesus!”

It is geared toward children age 4–7, and I think the poetic language does lend itself best to that age bracket. However, younger children can certainly engage with this book. I like that it takes a different perspective on the magic and anticipation we feel at Christmastime while still pointing to the reason we celebrate Christ’s birth.

The Nutcracker

The Nutcracker, based on the New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker is illustrated by Valeria Docampo. It is my very favorite version of The Nutcracker! I love, love, love the illustrations, and I think it does a great job of capturing and retelling the story. It is thorough but not too wordy. It pairs very well with The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker (next on the list), but if I could only have one, I would choose this one!

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker

The Story Orchestra: The Nutcracker by Katy Flint is a beautiful production of The Nutcracker, but what makes it unique is that as you read each page, you can press a button to hear an excerpt of an orchestra playing Tchaikovsky’s score from the ballet. The illustrations are also very well done! I really like this one paired with the longer version I listed above; this is more abridged. I do like that this one is more interactive and introduces children to the music. If you can get your kids to go through it slowly, you can have a great conversation about how the music evokes different moods and feelings and actions going on in the story. It’s a fun addition to any Christmas collection, for sure.

Little Blue Truck’s Christmas

My daughter, Penelope, has always loved the Little Blue Truck books. We have many of them. Little Blue Truck’s Christmas is really cute for fans of the Little Blue Truck. It has the same lilting story, while counting and delivering Christmas trees. It’s cute and fun and has twinkly lights at the end! For littles, this is a fun Christmas book.

The 12 Days of Christmas

I’ve always loved the song about the 12 Days of Christmas, and this version by Jill Howarth is really cute. It’s in a board book format, so it’s great for toddlers and preschoolers. The illustrations are fun and festive and adorable!

The Colors of Christmas

Also by Jill Howarth, The Colors of Christmas is really cute for toddlers and preschoolers! It is simple, but the illustrations really shine. It captures the colorful, merry spirit of Christmas in a simple board book.

‘Twas the Night Before Christmas

I got ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas (illustrated by Mr. Bodington’s Studio) last year to use as part of our Advent calendar on Christmas Eve. We actually don’t do Santa with our kids, but I think this book embodies the magic and excitement that kids feel on Christmas Eve. I really like that this one is done with a more modern style of colorful illustrations yet uses the traditional wording of the poem, “A Visit From St. Nicholas” by Clement Clarke Moore. It’s a fun book to read during the season.

Tell me, do you have any favorite Christmas books that you read with your kids?

October 20, 2022

Our Favorite Halloween Books for Kids

October 20, 2022/ Cassandra S

Over the years we have collected a number of Halloween books for our kid’s library. Finn has always loved Halloween, and he has passed that joy on to Penelope. Throughout the year, Penelope will randomly ask, “what do you think you will dress as for Halloween?” or “What costume do you want for Halloween this year?” It’s so adorable! Needless to say, she was so excited to pull out our Halloween books again this year. After a few readings through our favorite books for Fall, I added these to the book basket too.

No Such Thing

No Such Thing is hands down my favorite Halloween book. I love Ella Bailey’s illustrations, and the storyline is really sweet. There are so many details to the illustrations, and Penelope and I had a lovely time looking closely at every page to spot the little ghosts causing mischief. Sadly, it is out of print, but sometimes copies come available on eBay. I also highly recommend checking if your library has a copy! That’s where we first discovered it.

Ghosts in the House!

Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara is such an adorable book! I really like the simplicity of the color palette, which really enhances the illustrations. It’s a simple story for toddlers/preschoolers. Penelope originally planned to dress up as a witch for Halloween this year, so she liked that the little girl was wearing a witch’s hat. Finn loved this one when he was younger.

Mr. Pumpkin’s Tea Party

I discovered Mr. Pumpkin's Tea Party by Erin Barker at the library last year, and it is so cute! Penelope is big into setting up tea parties, so this was perfect for her for Halloween. It is a simple counting book with beautiful illustrations. It’s fun and festive but not overly spooky.

The Scariest Book Ever

When Finn got home from school and saw The Scariest Book Ever by Bob Shea one in the book basket, he declared, “Oh yes! I love this book!” and promptly sat down and read it. He giggled all the way through. :) I read it to Penelope as well, and she liked all the illustrations. It’s been a favorite for a few years now.

Little Blue Truck’s Halloween

Penelope loved the Little Blue Truck books so much when she was younger. I added Little Blue Truck's Halloween to our collection two falls ago. She was excited to pull it out and read it this year, but I think it is geared much more toward toddlers and preschoolers. It is really cute, and I am excited for Azelie to enjoy it as she gets a little older.

Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show

These—Grimelda and the Spooktacular Pet Show and Grimelda the Very Messy Witch—have been a very fun addition to our library. They each have a fun, festive, rhyming story featuring Grimelda, a little witch with big hair and a messy house. My personal favorite is the Spooktacular Pet Show, but both are good. (I bought my copies on eBay, but you can also check if Amazon has them.)

I have one honorable mention, not pictured above, that I would be remiss to leave out. Finn went through a big Curious George phase, and one of his favorites (year-round) was Curious George Goes to a Costume Party by Margret Rey. It is included in A Treasury of Curious George. It is a cute story for toddlers and preschoolers and definitely captures the magic of dressing up in costume!

Do your kid’s have any favorite Halloween books we should add to our collection?

October 04, 2022

Our Favorite Fall Books for Kids

October 04, 2022/ Cassandra S

Autumn: Leaves Fall From the Trees

I first discovered Autumn: Leaves Fall From the Trees by Lisa Bell book at the library, and it is so fun! Not only are the illustrations wonderful and totally evoke feelings of fall, but the best part about it is that it comes with a cd to listen to the book sung as a song. My son loved this book as a preschooler, and I just got a copy for our home that I’m so excited to share with my daughter, who is 4. It seems to be out of print (sadly), but I have seen some copies floating around used on Amazon and eBay. You could also check out the publisher’s website, Cantata Learning, to see if they are still selling copies.

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn

Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn by Kenard Pan is a really simple book with pretty illustrations. It definitely brings fall to life across its pages, and of the author’s “Goodbye, Hello” series, this one is by far my favorite! It’s worth an addition to any toddler or preschooler’s bookshelf.

The Artists

So many books that I love have come from the library, and The Artists: Tales from the Hidden Valley by Carles Porta is no exception. One day while I was browsing the children’s section, I came across it, and I love, love, love the whimsical story of this book! Plus, the illustrations are so beautiful! It is really colorful and definitely evokes feelings of fall. I love the other books in this series as well: Hello Mister Cold, The Band, and Under the Water.

These next 3 are anthology books. They have stories/sections for each season.

Nature’s Day

Nature’s Day: Discover the World of Wonder On your Doorstep by Kay Maguire and Danielle Kroll is a nonfiction book with sections for each season. I really like the illustrations, and then it has little snippets about the different topics in that season. Fall focuses on the changing leaves, birds and butterflies that go south for the winter, and harvest items. Penelope’s class was talking about butterflies going south for the winter, and we saw a big flock of geese earlier this week, so I’d like to pull this one out again to look at and talk about. The nice thing is that each page is pretty self-contained, which I like because sometimes I only want to read one page at a time, rather than feeling like I have to read the whole book at once.

Little Witch Hazel

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl was a gift for Penelope last Christmas. I recently added it to our pile of fall books, and I really enjoyed the Autumn story. The illustrations definitely evoked fall, and I thought it was a very sweet version of a spooky story for kids. I think Finn and Penelope enjoyed it. :)

A Year in Brambly Hedge: Autumn Story

I don’t have any photos of this one because I got this from the library a few years ago and then forgot about it. Then, earlier this summer I got a copy of Wilfred’s Rescue from the library, and I could not shake the feeling that I had seen this book before. Well, it turns out I had not seen this particular book before, but I had read a different Brambly Hedge story, the Autumn Story. All of Jill Barkley’s Brambly Hedge books are adorable! There is a beautiful 40th Anniversary edition, The Complete Brambly Hedge, that I put on our Christmas wishlist, but you can also get a set with just the four seasons books—A Year in Brambly Hedge.

Do you have any favorite kid’s books for the fall season?

June 12, 2022

On Not Finishing A Book

June 12, 2022/ Cassandra S

Not finishing a book is a grave sin.

That's what I used to think. Now, though, I feel very differently.

Reading is a hobby for me, and I only have so much time that I can put toward reading in any given day/week/year. If I spend time slogging through a book that I’m not interested in or enjoying, I have not used my time well. I could have spent that time on numerous other books that I did enjoy, or provoked interesting thoughts, or that I decided I didn’t like but at least had me engaged during the reading process. For me, it just is not worth it to try to get through a book I’m not enjoying. I want to use that precious time for a book I am interested in.

Also, I’ve come to realize that sometimes I’m just not that into a book for whatever reason, but if I circle back to it another time, I may greatly enjoy it. And it’s ok to put a book aside that you just aren't in the mood for. For example, I tried to read, “Station Eleven” by Emily St. John Mandel two different times, was not into it, put it aside, and tried a third time when I was feeling interested in that genre. Guess what?! I loved it! But if I had tried to get through it the first time, when I was not into it, I don’t think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much. I’ve also started and given up on “Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell” by Susanna Clarke twice now. I just cannot get into it. I do hope to give it one more try at some point in the future, but for now, I’ve just put it off my list.

Now, don’t get me wrong, there are some books that I start that are slow going. Perhaps it is the writing style; perhaps the content is different than I thought. Any number of factors can contribute to it. Usually, though, I can tell if it is slow and I want to push through to get further into the book before I make a decision. But if I am consistently avoiding the book, I take that as a sign that I’m not interested in it. Sometimes, I start a book and just immediately know, “Nope. I’m not in the mood for this.” I put it aside right then and go for something else.

I used to feel so guilty about not finishing a book, and I talk with many people who feel the same way. I want to encourage you, though, that it is your time and your hobby, and it is perfectly fine to not finish a book. Just let it go and move on. Find something that does grab your interest! There’s nothing worse than languishing in a book you aren’t enjoying, and there is nothing more wonderful than getting lost in a good book!

So, tell me, do you feel that you must finish a book once you’ve started reading it?

August 12, 2021

3 Books I've Enjoyed So Far This Year

August 12, 2021/ Cassandra S

While I have still been reading regularly this year, it has been much more start-and-stop than last year. (You can see all of the books I read last year here.) However, there have been 3 stand-outs so far this year that I wanted to share with you.

The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart

I don’t recall where I came across The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart by Holly Ringland, but it kept showing up in my recommendations on ebay. One day when I was trying to think of a book to read, I decided to order it. It has been my favorite book of 2021! I will be surprised if something surpasses it. It is quite sad at points, but it is also brilliantly written and a beautiful story of a young woman seeking to find herself. It is set in Australia, which was a really different location than I am familiar with, so that was a fun little surprise. I will leave you with this brief synopsis from Amazon to whet your appetite—”Spanning two decades, set between sugar cane fields by the sea, a native Australian flower farm, and a celestial crater in the central desert, The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart follows Alice’s unforgettable journey, as she learns that the most powerful story she will ever possess is her own.”

To buy: In Paperback; on Kindle

The Glittering Hour

I finished The Glittering Hour by Iona Grey a few weeks ago. I found it on a display at the library and ended up really enjoying it. It was one of those books I stayed up late to finish. I am always up for a historical fiction, but this one was set in a time period I don’t have much experience with—1930s & 1940s England. The main character, Selina Lennox, is a Bright Young Thing, but that doesn’t mean she has a perfect or even an easy life. “Spanning two decades and a seismic shift in British history as World War II approaches, Iona Grey's The Glittering Hour is an epic novel of passion, heartache and loss.” I thought it was well written, and I liked how the story unfolded. It was sad at the end but also hopeful and endearing. It would make a great end-of-summer read!

To buy: In Hardcover; on Kindle

After Alice Fell

After Alice Fell by Kim Taylor Blakemore was such a strange but fascinating book. I read it earlier this year and have periodically thought about it since then. At first, I would have said I didn’t like it, but after finishing it and thinking through some of the discussion questions that were included at the end of the book, I decided that I did like it. At its heart, it is a mystery, but it has elements of a historical fiction based on its setting in New Hampshire after the Civil War. The writing style of it was very different than anything I have read—it was very truncated and although each character is motivated by emotions, they all feel very removed from emotion. It was almost like the main character, Marion, had blinders on. That’s how it felt a bit. Overall, it was an interesting storyline, and it made me think a lot about how we have become disconnected from our dead (and how that’s probably not a good thing, especially in light of the fear mongering surrounding the coronavirus). If you are in the mood for something different as well as a good mystery, you should look into it.