Spring reading thing (it's a challenge!)

The Spring Reading thing 2007 is up at
Callapidder days!

My list for my spring reading challenge:

Read aloud with Josie

Read aloud with Josie and Meg

  • Laddie by Gene Stratton Porter -one of my all time favorites! so excited to finally share it with my kids!!

Read aloud with all 4 children

this is not counting lots of library picture book reading we do together, or the sonlight selections we do. These are just special projects I would like to commit to getting through.

I can't wait to see everyone else's lists, go on over to Katrina's to find more reading inspiration.

Our reading basket for spring





Thought I would share a few books in our reading basket, we've been inspired by spring!
First is Linnea's Almanac- really sweet and lots of activities for each month.
Learn and play in the Garden by Meg Herd- wonderful hands-on activities, beautiful large photographs, a list of items for each activity and facts about nature. This book is a must have for gardening with children.
Dk's The Gardening Book by Jane Bull- fun activities such as Bonsai trees, pots and people with grass hair, insect stones. Interesting activities and fun facts.
Abe Lincoln the boy who loved books- well, because it was his birthday...I'm a little late, I know! Good story, the little ones enjoyed it. Go to enchanted learning to find a nice book to make.
Last on the list is a new book for mom's reading basket. Real Learning is about the gentle art of lifestyle learning, Charlotte Mason style. I have noticed this book listed on several blogs I visit, so I thought I would give it a try. So far I am enjoying it very much. Book review coming soon!
Enjoy!

A visit with Author Gail Carson Levine

Qualtiy time with my two elder daughters
Or, me scouting out the other moms in the "O.C."

I took the girls on Friday afternoon to a book signing by Gail Carson Levine. She is the author of Ella Enchanted, Dave at night, and several other great books. We traveled to near-by Newport Beach to see her and while there I thought I would notice what the cool moms in Newport Beach were wearing this season. Um, it wasn't what I was wearing...I am reporting that most of the moms sported expensive looking jeans with various styles of shirts and flip-flops. And tans, they were all tanned...

Gail Carson Levine was wonderful to all of the kids, all girls-actually. She was warm, encouraging, real and very open. She shared with us a rejection letter from a publisher she had kept (for 9 years, if I recall correctly) and read it out loud to us. She spent the majority of her time fielding questions from the girls, and moms alike. She discussed her feelings on the Ella Enchanted movie, (she liked it-so did I, ) what project she is working on next and read to us a portion of her newest book-"Fairest". She also read a few excerpts from her book on writing called "Writing Magic: Creating stories that fly". She was so encouraging to the girls about writing.

If you haven't read "Ella Enchanted", it is a great book, very much different than the movie-which was good if you don't try to confuse the two, they were almost different stories. I am reading "Fairest" right now, and it is a page turner...I am enjoying it thoroughly. Brought it home last night, and I am already half-way through it!

All in all, we had a wonderful mother/daughter time and I was so pleased at how wonderful Gail Levine was and how warm and encouraging she was with her admirers. I think it was a really good experience for my girls, I am so glad we took the time to go.

Ida B- book recommend

Ida B ...and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World
By Katherine Hannigan

Ida B is a homeschooled 9 year old. This book first caught my eye because of the cute title. After I skimmed through it and realized she is homeschooled, I had to read it and share it with my girls. Books about homeschoolers are not real common, so finding this was a big treat. Ida B is a spunky, imaginative girl who has a unique way at looking at life and a memorable knack at stating her case. Her world was "finer than fine" until her mother became ill. Ida is eventually put back in school and her parents have to sell part of the farm to pay medical bills. Ida is angry and hurt and she lets her heart become "a sharp, black stone...it was so hard nobody could break it and so sharp it would hurt anybody who touched it." The book is about Ida B's emotional healing, slowly finding herself, reconstructing her world and learning to say she is sorry.

This book is written for the 9-12 age range, but does cover some deep issues like cancer, the possiblilty of losing a parent, and emotional separation. Ida does not cope well through most of the book, and I was a bit dismayed at first, thinking a homeschool family in (my biased) theory shouldn't have that degree of pulling away and lack of communication. At second thought I could see that the story would be a good conversation starter with my girls about all of these deep issues. Ida is very imaginative and she talks to trees, there is a subtle earth love (I don't know what else to call it, tree-hugger-ness?..) feel to the book. At one point Ida's dad comments to her that we have to take care of the earth and she replies that the earth sometimes takes care of us. I find this a barely- there issue though, not in your face and the above comment would be a good discussion starter. As far as talking to the trees and brook, we've always had fairies about so that didn't really concern me. Thought I would mention it for anyone who would want to steer clear. It is a new favorite for me, and I am pleased to be sharing it as a read- aloud with my older girls right now. I really hope we see more stories about Ida B, and I hope she gets to go back to homeschool-we really need more homeschool characters.