What My Kids Are Reading: September 15, 2017
The 39-Story Treehouse
Well, the school year has started, and while our school is awesome about not assigning too much homework (none yet, really), our days have still been busy with school, sports, Scouts, and being exhausted. We’ve still managed to fit in reading almost every day, but sometimes it really is only 10 minutes. The result of that is that the kids are reading a lot of different books right now-they each have their own series that they read on their own or that I read to them, and we have a couple of books that I’ve been reading to both of them. (Even though they each listen to the other one’s book as well.) I’m passing on the habit of reading multiple books at once, and I think I’m ok with it! Let me know what you’ve been reading with your kids this week!
The 6-Year-Old
The 39-Story Treehouse
The Cat on the Mat Is Flat
My 6-year-old still loves the Treehouse books, and we are on the third in the series. There are now 39 stories, and Terry and Andy have to deal with an out of control once-upon-a-time machine, an un-inventor, and re-creating their treehouse (and the entire world) from scratch. These books are ridiculous in the best way possible, and this one is no exception. My 6-year-old can’t wait to read about what happens to Andy and Terry next every night (my 8-year-old loves them too), and this is definitely “his” series. Not surprisingly, The Cat on the Mat is Flat is also a big hit with him. It just so happens to be written and illustrated by the same author and illustrator of the Treehouse books. Andy Griffiths and Terry Denton make a great pair, and if I didn’t know that they met as adults, I would assume they’ve been friends since childhood. Their books are dreams come true for kids who love being silly and wild, and they are wonderful examples of how it’s ok to be creative to the point of absurdity. The Cat on the Mat is Flat is excellent for beginning and emerging readers-the text is simple enough to read, but there are some challenging words and it is, of course, a wacky good time.
The 8-Year-Old
Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire
Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
Y’all, we are up to our eyeballs in Harry Potter over here, and I’m ok with that! My 8-year-old is reading the fourth book at home (usually with me), but he checked out the second book at school (even though we own 2 copies) so that he can re-read it in his free time. We are also listening to the second book in the car (Jim Dale is an incredible narrator), and you can guess what I’ll be ordering for his Halloween costume. The one caveat I have here is that we might take a break after the fourth book, depending on my son handles it. This one is really where the books take a darker turn, and I’m not sure how well he would comprehend the last 3 in the series. However, it’s taking us quite awhile to get through The Goblet of Fire, so it might not be an issue at all.
What We’re Reading Together
Benji and the 24 Pound Banana Squash
The Wizard of Oz
I won a copy of the Benji book from a PR company through Shelf Awareness, and it is such a cute book! It’s about a little boy named Benji who plants a squash seed and waits . . . and waits . . . and waits for it to grow. The illustrations are beautiful, and the story is very sweet, and shows how good it feels to grow something yourself. I would recommend this for younger kids.
This version of The Wizard of Oz is not my ideal. I grabbed it off of one of our bookcases one night because it was too late to read all of their regular books, but they were begging for something, anything, before they went to sleep. I can’t say no to books! The illustrations are nice, but this is a condensed version of the book. I think it’s actually going to work out well for us, because we’ll be able to finish it fairly quickly, but if they like this version (and so far they do) you can bet I’ll be reading the REAL version to them soon after. If you want a sort of entry-level version of Oz, or you have a younger reader who is interested in the story but not ready for a long book, this would be a perfect start.
How to Fit Reading In During the School Year!
Well, it’s the start of another school year, and with that comes homework, sports, extracurricular clubs, early bedtimes (some nights), and tired kids and parents. It can be difficult to fit in all of the fun, leisurely activities we usually do during the summer. We are definitely having a hard time letting go of playing outside until dark, then coming in and reading way past all of our bedtimes. But reading is so important to my kids and me that we have a few ways we like to make sure we fit reading in during the school year.
How do you make sure to read to or with your kids during the school year? How do they get in alone reading time? Let me know in the comments!
Schedule It!
This seems obvious, but sometimes even I forget to leave enough time in the day for reading. If reading before bed is part of your routine, just make sure you leave enough time in the daily schedule for it. Sometimes that means moving dinner and playing outside up 30 minutes. (And sometimes the kids just need to play outside and skip reading for a night. That’s ok too!!) Even if it’s just ten minutes per kid, we make an effort to leave a little reading time each night.
During Dinner
I know a lot of people will disagree on this one, but sometimes I allow reading during dinner. If the kids have to eat at a different time from my husband and me (like the nights they have soccer practice and they need to eat early), oftentimes I’ll read to them while they eat. I actually really enjoy it, and it’s a nice way to have some calm reading time in between activities. My older son read at the table during lunch quite a bit during the summer, and I generally don’t like that at dinner, but if he’s really into a book . . . haven’t we all been there?
My kids will also sometimes read to themselves at breakfast. None of us are particularly thrilled to be up super early, and aren’t always great conversationalists before 7AM, so this is a good way to ease into the day and get some reading in. (And if everyone is cranky, it curbs any arguments that might pop up!)
In the Car
We almost always have an audiobook playing in the car, and we listen on the way to school (We’re listening to Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets again right now.) and on the way home, on the way to sports, or while we run errands. If we’ve had a late night and weren’t able to read, they like knowing that they’ll at least get to listen to a story on the way to school in the morning.
Spare Time at School
This is one I didn’t think of until my kids insisted on taking books in their already heavy backpacks last year. Turns out, they do have a little time to read to themselves at school! (Schoolwork seems to be more difficult and given in greater quantities than when I was in elementary school, so I really didn’t know if they would be able to read anything other than school-assigned books.) The kids aren’t allowed to talk much in the hallway in the morning, so they can read while they wait to be let into their classrooms. They are also allowed to read in class if they finish their assigned work early, and sometimes during snack time. If it’s a particularly good book, my kids will also read on the bus ride home. So as long as their backpacks aren’t full to bursting, send along a (paperback) book to school! They’ll probably be able to get in a chapter or two.
For Yourself
The school year can be a difficult time to fit reading in for adults as well! Days are busy, afternoons and evenings are often packed with after-school activities, and by the time the sun goes down I’m often too tired to read more than a few pages before I zonk out. (Because I can’t go to sleep without reading at least a few pages of something.) If you plan ahead a little bit (basically, bring a book with you everywhere you go), it’s possible to fit in a good chunk of reading during those busy days. I’m always listening to an audiobook or podcast when I drive without my kids. The pickup line at school is a great place to fit in a little reading, as is during sports practices. (We all enjoy watching our kids play sports, but I think it’s ok to take some of that practice time to read!) And sometimes my boys just want to read to themselves at night, or to each other, and I try to take that opportunity to read my own book at the same time. We’re all getting in reading time and spending some nice quiet time together at the end of the day.
The school year is busy, but if you make reading a priority, there are lots of pockets of time to get it done!
Tell me some of your tricks to getting in more reading time during the school year!
[Top]What My Kids Are Reading: August 18, 2017
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Smithsonian Little Explorer
The 8-Year-Old
Stick Dog
My 8-year-old has been asking for this book for awhile, and I’m glad we finally picked it up! The narrator, Tom, claims he is terrible at drawing and can only draw stick figures. Hence, Stick Dog. It is is similar to the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books in that it’s part graphic novel, part beginner novel, with lots of silly adventures. It’s funny, the writing is clever, and in a bookish world that can prove difficult to find book series that boys might like that don’t involve gross or violent storylines, the Stick Dog series sticks out (pun not completely intended), and I’m glad for it. This book is also fantastic for reluctant readers! The print is large, the story is funny, and there are a bunch in the series, so your reader doesn’t have to worry that their reading enjoyment will end after this book.
The 6-Year-Old
Tyrannosaurus Rex (Smithsonian Little Explorer
If your kid loves dinosaurs and you’re looking for a fun, informative book that doesn’t include blood everywhere (Seriously, we have so many dinosaur books that would fit right in with the Walking Dead cast.), this is the one! It’s perfect for young readers, and they will learn a lot about the T-rex. My 6-year-old loves it, and he loves to tell me what he’s learning about the dinosaurs, and show me the (realistic but not completely terrifying) pictures. The entire Smithsonian Little Explorer series is great!
What We’re Reading Together
This Book Will Not Be Fun
A very studious mouse is determined not to have fun in this new picture book, until a flying whale goes by and he is forced into an adventure. I took a chance on this one-my boys are in a weird reading stage. They still like big picture books, but they are too old for a lot of them. Unfortunately, this one was deemed “boring” by both my boys, and I kind of have to agree. I think it is perfect for the 5 and under crowd, and a wonderful read-aloud book for them. The drawings are cute, and the mouse ends up being silly and fun. But if you have kids who are really reading and are ready for more substance, I would suggest staying with picture books such as Those Darn Squirrels!
What My Kids Are Listening To: August 11, 2017
Images via Goodreads
I’m changing it up a little this week! Instead of what my kids are reading, I’m going to share a few audiobooks they’ve been enjoying listening to lately. My kids love listening to books whenever we drive: to the grocery store, school, and recently on a two-week road trip. We try out new books and books that they’ve read and want to listen to the audio version.
With school starting soon (and already started for some of you), we all need something to entertain our kids while we drive to and from school, errands, sports, etc. I think I drive more during the school year than the summer! Here’s what we’ve been loving lately!
Do you listen to audiobooks in the car? Tell me some of your favorites!
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone
Harry Potter might seem like an obvious choice, but I had never listened to the audio version before, and it is wonderful! Narrated by Jim Dale, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is made that much more special with fantastic accents for the different characters, music, and the very fact that I can listen to Harry Potter while I drive! It really is a nice way to revisit the story with my kids while we drive, so that we can all be read to together. (And Jim Dale does a much better Hagrid accent than me.)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
My 8-year-old loves this series, as I’ve written many times before here. So much so that even though he has read every book in the series at least four times, he also wants to listen to them while we drive. And I have to say that the narrator, Ramon De Ocampo, is perfect for this series. The second I heard him read, I thought, “Oh, he IS Greg Heffley.” He has the sarcastic tone down perfectly, and he reads the diary entries exactly as they should be. The books are pretty quick too, and we’ve gotten through an entire book in one afternoon before. If your kids like this series, they will love the audiobooks!
Mr. Popper’s Penguins
This is a classic book that I loved as a child, and had kind of forgotten about until recently. It popped up when I was searching Overdrive for children’s audiobooks to check out, and I decided to give it a try. It’s a very simple story, and an old book, so I wasn’t sure if my kids would be interested, but they really loved it! Nick Sullivan narrates, and he has such an enthusiastic, classic voice that I think it would be hard not to love it. This is great for all ages too, from baby to adult!
EXTRA!
I also want to include two podcasts that my kids love listening to as well, and so do I. We listen to podcasts with the app on my phone, but I know there are several other popular ways to listen to podcasts!
Sparkle Stories
Sparkle Stories is both a free podcast and a subscription app. Sparkle Stories is based in Austin, TX, and consists of original stories created and told by David Sewell McCann. The podcast has a small amount of stories, and the subscription app (which we subscribe to) has a ton. My kids and I absolutely love Sparkle Stories. There are stories for every age, every occasion, every interest, everything you could think of. They are always asking for suggestions on their Facebook page, and will often craft new stories based on those requests. Our favorite stories are their superhero series, of which there are several. Give the podcast a try first and see what you think!
(This is not sponsored! Spark Stories has no idea who I am. I just love their stories and am a paying subscriber!)
Brains On!
Brains On! is a science podcast for kids and before you think that sounds boring, let me assure you that it is anything but boring. My kids ask to listen to this often, and the topics covered are ones that are particular interest to kids. Just a few topics: deep sea vs. outer space, monster trucks, farts (yes, really), and everything you need to know about the solar eclipse. This podcast is fun and informative, and my kids actually retain the information! (And I learn a few things too!) I couldn’t ask for anything more in a podcast, and I can’t wait to see what else they come up with.
What My Kids Are Reading: August 4, 2017
The 26-Story Treehouse
Thank you to Kid Lit Exchange for the review copy of the The Emperor’s Ostrich!
We are deep in the land of sequels this week, with one book that is new to all of us!
The 6-Year-Old
The 26-Story Treehouse
Andy and Terry are back in the second book in the Treehouse series! My 6-year-old read The 13-Story Treehouse
The 8-Year-Old
The Force Oversleeps (Star Wars: Jedi Academy 5)
This is the 5th book in the Jedi Academy series, and my 8-year-old can’t get enough. He declared that this is “the best one ever,” stayed up (secretly) way past his bedtime to read it, and read it almost twice through in two days. If you have a Stars Wars fan in your house, this series is for them! In The Force Oversleeps, Victor Starspeeder (from the 4th book in the series, A New Class
What We’re Reading Together
The Emperor’s Ostrich
This is a book that is completely new to me. I found it as a reviewer for the Kid Lit Exchange (Check us out on Instagram!), and was so intrigued by the description that I immediately requested it for review. It is a fantasy for middle grade readers about a dairymaid named Begonia, an emperor, and an ostrich. Begonia is searching for her missing cow with a magical map, but she runs into more than just a little magic along the way. I love fantasy and books that have original plots, so I’m excited to share this with my kids. We’ve just started it, so I’ll wait until next week to post a full review!
What are you reading with your kids this week? Let me know if you’ve read any of these!
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