What We Are Reading (Summer Edition).

We just LOVE reading in this house--car rides, cuddle time, nap time, bedtimes, while potty training...  We likely read a good two hours out of the day here and there.  And now, since starting to learn the alphabet, reading has a whole new thrill for Gabriel.  'The' - "Tee! Hotdogs/Hey-ch! Eeeee!" He spells out the words in his own funny little toddler way. "H" will always be "Hotdogs/H" in his mind.  Thank you Auntie Angie for word associations!  Magdalene too, loves books but at this teething phase, every book goes straight to the mouth.  It's really adorable watching Gabriel try to read to his little sister.

I just thought I would take the time to share some of our favorite books this summer. I tried to pick a few Canadian authors in here to, because I love supporting our Canadian talent and they are just so good! We did this once before, and  in return were given a few return suggestions, which we loved!   So here you go, this is what we are reading:

1. Ish by Peter H. Reynolds
This is a sweet little book about a boy who loves to draw, but his pictures don't look exactly like what he is drawing.  Through the eyes of his younger sister, a secret admirer of his art, Ramon comes to realize that making art is not about perfection.  It's about capturing the essence of an object or a feeling and that sometimes that moment even better when just enjoyed.  It is the perfect book for any budding artist and the pictures are quite lovely.

2. The Boy and the Whale by Michael Moniz
The Boy and the Whale is a little story about a boy who rescues a whale as a young boy.  The favor is later returned, when, as a young man, he finds himself in trouble at sea.  The vocabulary is precise and enriching without being obviously so and the tale with its soft illustrations is quite gentle and soothing like the rocking of a ship. 

3. The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
The Very Cranky Bear is a rhyming tale of four friends who want to find shelter in the cave belonging to a sleepy and cranky bear.  They try to appease the bear and make him happy but it is the perceptive little sheep that determines what the bear really needs.  It is a silly, comical book and the rhyming is great for kids who want to guess the end of lines.

4. Down by Jim Long's Stage By Al Pittman *Canadian
Down by Jim Long's Stage has been a favorite in this house for awhile and perhaps it's due to some Newfoundland roots.  It's a colourful book full of rhyming Newfie poetry. Some of the familiar colloquial language, phrases ("I like me like I be") and references (ie. "fish and brewis") are quite comical and reminiscent of that heritage.

5. I want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen *Canadian
At first glance, this book seems a bit strange and quite repetitious.  But if read with the right voices, it pretty funny.  It is a story about a bear whose hat gets stolen.  He realizes after interviewing a number of other animals that he has seen his hat!  He conquers the thief and his hat resumes its rightful place.  Not a book to be used to teach sharing or kindness... No lessons in this book other than the hint that stealing may lead to your own demise. But comical none the less.

6. Surfer Chick by Kristy Dempsey
This is a colourful little book perfect for the summer season when we are all getting in and out of our swimsuits and heading to the beach.  It is about a chick that lives at the beach with her dad and wants to learn to surf just like him.  After multiple failed attempts, she spends some time on the beach just watching her dad until her courage thickens.  She then hops on and does a successful stunt to the admiration of all.  The surfer lingo is humorous and the rhyming makes it fun for kids too.

We hope you like these. I always say, you can never have too many good books. Please send along your book recommendations!  We'll get them and let you know what we think.

You might also like:

• The Books on Our Shelves.

The Books on Our Shelves.

Being home all week and weekend with our sick little guy, means that we've done a lot more reading.  Which is, well, a lot.  Everyone in this house has always been avid readers and ever since Gabriel was a little guy books have been toys--always present and always accessible.  Sadly, this means they are getting a little rough looking, but we figure it is all worth it to see him become a little book lover. 

And so, with a quiet weekend on our hands, we thought it was an appropriate time have to share a few of our all-time favorites, just in case you are in the market yourselves for new ones (which we often are!).  Our top ten FAVORITE books right now are:

1.  Lost and Found. Oliver Jeffers.  This child prodigy writes his own books and illustrates them too.  They are beautiful, and I find our little guy has always clicked with his style.  This is an adorable book about a boy who finds a penguin, thinks he is lost and attempts to take him back to the South Pole only to find out that the penguin is lonely and in need of a friend and not lost at all. 

2. Pirate Gran. Geraldine Durrant.  We love this book, because not only is it a bit atypical (not a traditional storyline), you can read it with a pirate voice and the illustrations are hilarious.

3. The Way Back Home. Oliver Jeffers.  Another Oliver Jeffers book about a boy who lands on the moon and gets stuck, but runs into a Martian with the same predicament.  The two brainstorm on how to help each other out.  This one you can make a whole variety of fun noises, which for Gabriel is the whole point.

4.  I'll Love You Forever.  Robert Munsch.  A classic.  It's a book about a little boy who's mother sings to him every night the same song until she grows too old.  As a new father, he carries on the tradition.  I think Gabriel loves the singing part.

5.  Hogwash. Karma Wilson.  This is a fun little book I picked up in Dallas, Texas.  It's about a farmer who wants to wash his pigs but they refuse to let him.  Finally, after a series of tactics, the farmer realizes it's much more fun to take a mud bath with them instead.  The rhythmic lines and rhyme scheme, on top of all the noises you can make while reading this book, make it pretty entertaining.  And if you are really good, like Gabriel's daddy, reading it with a Texan accent is all the more amusing.

6.  Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site. Sherri Dusky Rinker.  This adorable twist on the typical "goodnight" book is a huge hit in our house.  The story follows five trucks at the close of day as they finish up and pack it in for the night. The drawings are quite clever and the rhyme is catchy.  Gabriel now knows the difference between a dump truck, bulldozer, crane, cement mixer and excavator.  A MUST for all truck lovers!

7. How to Catch a Star. Oliver Jeffers.  Yes, another Oliver Jeffers.  Again, beautiful drawings and fun, imaginative journey of a boy trying to catch and befriend a star.

8. The Hungry Caterpillar.  Eric Carle.  A classic of course.  But who can resist that adorable little caterpillar.  Fun for counting, talking about colours and identifying foods.

9.  Up, Up, Down.  Robert Munsch.  This is a cheeky little book that NOT all parents might love, particularly because the main character, Anna, loves to climb things and say "No!"  She tells her parents "No, no, no, no, no, no" and when they fall and hurt themselves trying to get her down, she wraps them in a Band-aids and gives them the same advice to not climb.  It's sassy, but catchy.  Gabriel wakes up saying "Up, up, up... Boom!"  and "No, No, No."  So far it's the only book he has started memorizing and reciting to us.  And we may have to put it away soon.....

10.  Little Mouse. Alison Murray.  We have this book in French which we translate for Gabriel.  It's a favorite because of all the animal sounds.  Thanks to this book, Gabriel can now make sounds for the following animals: giraffe, bull, lion, horse, elephant, owl, wolf, bird, bear, whale and mouse.  Yes, he knows how to make the sound for a whale!  It cracks me up.  And the pictures are delightful.  The book originally comes in English, we just happen to have it in French.

I have to say that reading books to our boy, we have learned how to really immerse ourselves in them and have both gotten pretty good at making all sorts of animal sounds, making up sound effects and songs. I have always loved reading to children, you know, being a teacher.  And I think kids learn to love reading when they pick up on that love from their parents. 

Ps.  Despite all our recommendations, we are in desperate need of a refresh.  We are always on the lookout for new ones, so if you mamas or papas have any good suggestions out there, we'd love to hear them!