What My Kids Are Reading: June 2, 2017
The 6-Year-Old
Mr. Ball Makes a To-Do List
From the publisher: “Mr. Ball loves to make to-do lists! But he NEVER finishes them. Will the easiest to-do list ever help him
break his unfortunate history of didn’t-do failures? Angry bees, a funky skunk, and a bathtub full of tomato sauce provide challenging obstacles as Mr. Ball tries to finally check EVERYTHING off his list!”
I had never heard of the Mr. Ball books, but in doing some research for a future post, I found this one. My 6-year-old absolutely LOVED reading it to us before bed, every night until he finished the entire book by himself. It is written in a simplified comic book form, but with much larger pictures and simple sentences. It was funny, the illustrations grabbed our attention, and it is a great introduction to chapter books for the younger crowd. We will definitely be looking for other Mr. Ball books!
The 8-Year-Old
The Bad Beginning: Or, Orphans! (A Series of Unfortunate Events, Book 1)
From the publisher: Are you made fainthearted by death? Does fire unnerve you? Is a villain something that might crop up in future nightmares of yours? Are you thrilled by nefarious plots? Is cold porridge upsetting to you? Vicious threats? Hooks? Uncomfortable clothing? It is likely that your answers will reveal A Series of Unfortunate Events to be ill-suited for your personal use. A librarian, bookseller, or acquaintance should be able to suggest books more appropriate for your fragile temperament. But to the rarest of readers we say, “Proceed, but cautiously.””
The Lemony Snicket books are not new to me, but I haven’t read them, so I recommended the first one to my 8-year-old based solely on the series’ popularity. So far, he hasn’t made it past chapter 1. I know these books are fantastic, but they might be a little too dark for him right now. (He didn’t like reading about the house fire at the beginning.) For now, this one is probably going to be one that he doesn’t finish, but that he’ll re-visit in the next couple of years.
What We’re Reading Together
The Legend of Rock Paper Scissors
You guys. YOU GUYS. This book is hilarious, and you must read it to your child, someone else’s child, or just yourself. (There’s a Gladiator reference in here. That alone means it’s perfectly acceptable for an adult to buy this book for themselves.) This is, as you can guess, about how rock, paper, and scissors became a legendary game. It is by Drew Daywalt, the author of The Day the Crayons Quit, and it is just as good. My kids laughed, I laughed, and my husband laughed. It is so good for reading out loud, and I wish I’d bought it sooner!
Mercy Watson to the Rescue
From the publisher: “To Mr. and Mrs. Watson, Mercy is not just a pig — she’s a porcine wonder. And to the good-natured Mercy, the Watsons are an excellent source of buttered toast, not to mention that buttery-toasty feeling she gets when she snuggles into bed with them. This is not, however, so good for the Watsons’ bed. BOOM! CRACK!”
Kate DiCamillo, author of wonderful books such as The Tale of Despereaux and Because of Winn-Dixie, starts off one of her beginner chapter book series with a buttered-toast loving pig named Mercy Watson. The illustrations (done by Chris Van Dusen) are beautiful, and those alone might be worth it. This was not as big a hit with my kids as I’d hoped. I love DiCamillo’s regular chapter books, and I was hoping for a similar feel to those. This one didn’t quite hit that mark. Even though it is a book for younger readers, there could have been more humor and action. We haven’t read the other Mercy Watson books in the series, so we’ll take a peek at those, but for now, we’ll probably stick to the regular chapter books!
