Book Den Kids: Children's Book Reviews

September 28 | Currently Reading

2015-09-28T06:33:00.000-05:00

Last week I posted by reviews for the following books:

The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kyle Cyrus {My Review}
Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald {My Review}

Last week we read Katherine Applegate's Crenshaw, Stink and the Great Guinea Pig Express, and The Show-And-Tell War by Janice Lee Smith.

What about you? What books are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link.

This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text and Unleashing Reader's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

Book Review | Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid by Megan McDonald

2015-09-25T06:37:00.000-05:00

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid is the first book in the Stink series by Megan McDonald.

Shrink, shrank, shrunk!

Every morning, Judy Moody measures Stink and it's always the same: three feet, eight inches tall. Stink feels like even the class newt is growing faster than he is. Then, one day, the ruler reads — can it be? — three feet, seven and three quarters inches! Is Stink shrinking? He tries everything to look like he’s growing, but wearing up-and-down stripes and spiking his hair aren't fooling anyone into thinking he's taller. If only he could ask James Madison — Stink's hero, and the shortest person ever to serve as President of the United States.

In Stink's first solo adventure, his special style comes through loud and strong — enhanced by a series of comic strips, drawn by Stink himself, which are sprinkled throughout the book. From "The Adventures of Stink in SHRINK MONSTER" to "The Adventures of Stink in NEWT IN SHINING ARMOR," these very funny, homespun sagas reflect the familiar voice of a kid who pictures himself with super powers to deal with the travails of everyday life — including the occasional teasing of a bossy big sister!

Stink is Judy Moody's little brother. I've never read any of the Judy Moody books. Is she always that rude and hateful?

And why is James Moody called Stink? It might have been mentioned in the Judy Moody books, but I'm clueless. Does he stink?

Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid is book one of a series, but I feel like I'm missing some pieces.

This book is loaded with facts. On one hand, that's great because who doesn't love learning something new? On the other hand, info dump. The kids probably love it so I'm not knocking it.

What I am knocking is that bratty sister Judy Moody. If you don't want spoilers, here is where you get off the train.

Spoilers ahead.

Stink tells Judy Moody that newts are poisonous to frogs (more facts!), and yet she still puts his class pet newt in with their pet frog. Of course the frog licks the newt. If you are wondering if the frog dies, we don't know. We are too busy at that point reading about Judy Moody grinding the newt up in the garbage disposal.

The class pet newt.

What kind of book did I just read?

Stink is sad so he does homework because homework always makes him feel better.

What?

Lots and lots of facts about James Madison.

The end.

Overall, Stink was actually a decent read, but I'd be OK if the rest of the series stayed put at the library.

5/10: Decent Read

Have you read any of the Stink series? What about Judy Moody? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Book Review | The Voyage of Turtle Rex by Kyle Cyrus

2015-09-22T06:35:00.000-05:00

The Voyage of Turtle Rex is a picture book written and illustrated by Kyle Cyrus.

Book Description

Sploosh! Fizz! Swish! The prehistoric ocean is a dangerous place for a baby sea turtle. But after she emerges from her egg, the treacherous waters are her goal. Swimming through the swirling waves and dodging larger sea creatures, she finds a resting place deep below. There she waits, until she grows into the majestic sea turtle that returns to the sand to lay her eggs and begin the cycle again.

This journey of a small creature in the oceanic world of the dinosaurs is a perfect mix of scientific integrity and dramatic storytelling.

Book Review

"Deep in the dunes of a long-ago shore, the leathery shell of a turtle egg tore."

I always love full color, full spread picture books. The Voyage of Turtle Rex has really great artwork. It's pretty dark and even menacing for a picture book, but that's more my cup of tea (and my 6 year old's really) so we loved it.

The Voyage of Turtle Rex is about the life of an Archelon sea turtle and the different dinosaurs she would have encountered along her journey.

This is a great book for kids who love dinosaurs. From the first pages, the sea turtle is on the beach with land dinosaurs like Tyrannosaurus Rex. Once she makes it into the ocean she encounters dinosaurs like Mosasaur and Plesiosaur. It's a pretty epic tale that finds her back on the beach laying eggs and showcasing the circle of life.

"A primeval beach was a spine-tingling sight. She hid in the sand. She waited for night . . ."

As moving of a tale as it is, The Voyage of Turtle Rex is also kind of a downer. All of the featured animals are now extinct, and the sea turtles themselves are headed that way thanks to man. It's a realistic view and awareness is important, but it sure can bring down story time.

Even though you might get bummed a bit, The Voyage of Turtle Rex is a great picture book with lots of facts about sea turtles and lots of different dinosaurs to meet along the way. Kyle Cyrus has written and illustrated several other picture books that are definitely going on our to be read list (including Tadpole Rex which looks quite similar to this one).

7/10: Recommended Read

September 21 | Currently Reading

2015-09-21T06:03:00.000-05:00

My poor kiddos have been sick with strep. We didn't get to spend as much time reading as we normally would have, but we did manage to read a few things.

Last week we read The Voyage of Turtle Rex. I will have a review up tomorrow for that one. We also read Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid. I wasn't a big fan of Stink, but I'll put up a review for that one, as well.

My oldest has discovered the A to Z Mysteries books. I'm glad this will give him plenty of reading material. He read The Empty Envelope and is now reading The X'ed-out X-ray.

We are still making our way through Charlotte's Web. Hopefully we will have more time this week to finish reading it.

What about you? What books are you reading this week? Let me know in the comments or leave me a link.

This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text and Unleashing Reader's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

New School Year | Currently Reading

2015-09-14T08:37:00.001-05:00

The new school year (for my kids) is underway which means I'm once again swamped with copious amounts of children's books. I did a terrible job tracking what we read last year, but that just means I'll have to try harder this year.

We've been into the Captain Underpants series lately. And by we, I mean my kids. I thought the first one was pretty great, but I'm humoring them with the rest of the series since they seem to really dig it.

The Adventures of Captain Underpants (Captain Underpants #1) by Dav Pilkey
Captain Underpants and the Attack of the Talking Toilets (Captain Underpants #2) by Dav Pilkey
Captain Underpants and the Invasion of the Incredibly Naughty Cafeteria Ladies from Outer Space and the Subsequent Assault of the Equally Evil Lunchroom Zombie Nerds (Captain Underpants #3)
by Dav Pilkey
Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers (Captain Underpants #10) by Dav Pilkey

We also started reading the Eerie Elementary series. We read the first one (The School Is Alive!), and we will definitely read more of the series.

This week we are reading Charlotte's Web, Stink: The Incredible Shrinking Kid, and The Voyage of Turtle Rex.

This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

Book Review | Froggy's Best Christmas

2014-12-23T09:00:00.000-06:00

Froggy's Best Christmas is a picture book written by Jonathan London and illustrated by Frank Remkiewicz.

Book Description

Froggy has never celebrated Christmas; usually he's taking his long winter's nap. But not this year!

Froggy's best friend, Max the beaver, wakes him up to join the fun.

Soon, Froggy's gotten into the swing of things: finding a tree, wrapping presents, singing carols, and enjoying a holiday feast.

Join Froggy as he celebrates his very first, and very best, Christmas!

Book Review

Every year Froggy sleeps through Christmas, but this year Max decides to wake him up and give him a present!

"Wow!" said Froggy. "This is my first Christmas present!"
"This is your first Christmas!" said Max. "You always sleep through it!"

And since

"Christmas," Max said, "is about friends."

they decide to wake up Matthew the turtle and Travis the bear as well. The four friends pick out the perfect Christmas tree together and bring it home.

"Christmas," said Max when they got there, "is about friends... and family, too."

There was no hibernating in the woods that Christmas! The animals jam-packed all of the best Christmas traditions into one Christmas day.

The story ends with Santa Owl which was odd and out of the blue to me, but my kids thought it made perfect sense: THEY ARE ALL ANIMALS IN THIS BOOK. I guess it really is that simple.

Overall it was a cute Christmas read highlighting the fun traditions of the holiday and the joys of being with friends and family.

8/10: Great Read

Book Review | Santa Duck by David Milgrim

2014-12-02T06:24:00.000-06:00

Santa Duck is a picture book written and illustrated by David Milgrim.

Book Description

Nicholas Duck loves Christmas, and he is happy to try on the new Santa hat that's mysteriously delivered to his house. But when his friends see him and immediately launch into their Christmas lists, he doesn't know what to do . . . until he runs into Santa himself.

I read a lot of Christmas books. My 7 year old brings home at least one Christmas book a week the entire year with the exception of one or two Halloween books that pull him away from all things Christmas. I can say without hesitation: there are a lot of strange Christmas books out there. The Christmas books that usually fall short for me are the ones that suffer from being too original.

David Milgrim's Santa Duck manages to blend cute Christmas traditions with an original story.

In Santa Duck, Nicholas Duck sets out to find Santa before it's too late to submit his Christmas wishlist. As he's heading out he finds a present on his doorstep. "Whoa, baby!" Thus begins the hilarious dialogue in Milgrim's illustrations.

The present contains a Santa coat and hat. At first, Nicholas is very happy to have been given such a wonderful gift.

As Nicholas goes in search of Santa, every animal he sees believes him to be Santa Duck. He becomes increasingly frustrated as each animal recites their long Christmas wishlists.

The genius of this book is the dialogue bubbles between the animals. I wasn't a huge fan of the storyline between Nicholas and Santa. I wanted there to be more of a point as to why Nicholas was chosen to help Santa gather Christmas lists, but the humor amongst the animals more than made up for it. My kids and I had a lot of laughs. Santa Duck also embraces the idea that getting great gifts is awesome.

Even though I categorize Santa Duck with some of the other strange Christmas books we've read, I recommend it for the laughs alone. It's a fun read.

7/10: Recommended Read

October 13 | Currently Reading

2014-10-13T06:34:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone is having a lovely October so far. We are supposed to get cooler weather this week so hopefully it will start feeling like fall here soon!

This past week we read Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer. It was a cute book for October, and I loved the illustrations by Kevan Atteberry. You can read my review of Frankie Stein here.

I also posted the books that made it onto our wishlist.

We are continuing our journey with Magic Tree House this week with Buffalo Before Breakfast. I'm enjoying the details in this one.

Book Review | Frankie Stein by Lola M. Schaefer

2014-10-09T06:41:00.000-05:00

Frankie Stein is a picture book written by Lola M. Schaefer and illustrated by Kevan Atteberry.

Book Description

Frankie Stein comes into the world on a bright, sunny day. He’s not at all like his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Frank N. Stein. They’re scary looking. He’s cute. They try to make him look like them. They can’t. But he does end up being scary—just in his own way! Kevan Atteberry’s digital illustrations lend a hand to this family-friendly story perfect for a Halloween read aloud.

Frankie Stein was my son's library pick this past week. It turned out to be a really cute Halloween read.

Frankie Stein was born into a family with a long history of being scary. Cute little Frankie Stein didn't look scary at all so Mr. and Mrs. Stein set out to help Frankie fit in.

In the end, Frankie turned out to be the scariest Stein of all just by being himself. (As it turns out, hugs and kisses and cuteness will stop a monster right in his tracks!)

The illustrations in Frankie Stein were awesome. I think I'm going to be obsessed with hunting down more Kevan Atteberry books. We are going to have to add this book and Frankie Stein Starts School to our personal Halloween library.

If you are looking for a wonderfully illustrated Halloween book full of monsters, ghosts, and all things spooky without the book actually being spooky (so cute!), Frankie Stein is a perfect fit.

8/10: Great Read

On Our Wishlist {3}

2014-10-08T06:33:00.000-05:00

These are the books that made it on to our wishlist this week. I'm surprised I haven't loaded the wishlist with all the spooky books yet!

Found by Salina Yoon

One day, Bear found something in the forest.

When Bear finds a lost stuffed toy bunny in the forest, he begins to worry. After all, the stuffed bunny must feel lonely and want to return safely to its owner and home! But as Bear diligently searches for the bunny’s owner, posting notices high and low, he begins to grow attached to his newfound friend. What will happen when the bunny’s owner finally comes forward? Was Bear meant to find Bunny all along? Prolific author/illustrator Salina Yoon's spare text and bright, energetic illustrations bring to life this endearing story celebrating love and friendship in many forms, reminding us that nothing is lost that is not meant to be found.

Little Green Peas: A Big Book of Colors by Keith Baker

The New York Times bestselling stars of LMNO Peas and 1-2-3 Peas are back for a romp through a rainbow of colors!

A passel of playful peas keeps it green as they experience the colorful world around them, from red kites to yellow buses to purple mountains and more! Bright and bold illustrations fill the pages of this delightful exploration of color.

Flight of the Honey Bee by Raymond Huber
Illustrated by Brian Lovelock

Follow the flight of a honey bee as she searches for nectar to sustain her hive and, along the way, pollinates flowers to produce seeds and fruits.

A tiny honey bee emerges from the hive for the first time. Using sunlight, landmarks, and scents to remember the path, she goes in search of pollen and nectar to share with the thousands of other bees in her hive. She uses her powerful sense of smell to locate the flowers that sustain her, avoids birds that might eat her, and returns home to share her finds with her many sisters. Nature lovers and scientists-to-be are invited to explore the fascinating life of a honey bee.

My Pet Book by Bob Staake

Award-winning author-illustrator Bob Staake has created a rollicking picture book about a boy and his most unusual pet!

Most pets are cats and dogs, but what happens when a boy wants a different kind of pet, one that doesn’t meow or bark? Bob Staake’s exuberant tale of a little boy and the pet of his dreams will appeal to anyone whose best friends are . . . books! Books make the perfect pets, the boy decides, and chooses a bright red one. When it goes missing, a lively adventure is in store for readers who love a happy ending. Soon kids everywhere will wish for a pet book of their very own.

This Is a Moose by Richard T. Morris
Illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld

Lights! Camera! Moose!

MOOSE? Yes, Moose! When a movie director tries to capture the life of a moose on film, he's in for a big surprise. It turns out the moose has a dream bigger then just being a moose--he wants to be an astronaut and go to the moon.

His forest friends step in to help him, and action ensues. Lots of action. Like a lacrosse-playing grandma, a gigantic slingshot into space, and a flying, superhero chipmunk.

In this hilarious romp, Richard T. Morris and bestselling illustrator Tom Lichtenheld remind us to dream big and, when we do, to aim for the moon.

Bad Kitty Drawn to Trouble by Nick Bruel

In this seventh installment of the New York Times–bestselling series, Kitty encounters what may be her most formidable foe yet: her creator! Kitty soon learns that feline manipulation works both ways—especially when you're at the wrong end of your author's pencil. Along the way, Nick shows kids how a book is created, despite the frequent interruptions from you-know-who.

Locomotive by Brian Floca

The Caldecott Medal Winner, Sibert Honor Book, and New York Times bestseller Locomotive is a rich and detailed sensory exploration of America's early railroads, from the creator of the "stunning" (Booklist) Moonshot.

It is the summer of 1869, and trains, crews, and family are traveling together, riding America's brand-new transcontinental railroad. These pages come alive with the details of the trip and the sounds, speed, and strength of the mighty locomotives; the work that keeps them moving; and the thrill of travel from plains to mountain to ocean.

Come hear the hiss of the steam, feel the heat of the engine, watch the landscape race by. Come ride the rails, come cross the young country!

Are any of the books on your wishlist? Have you read any of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations!

October 6 | Currently Reading

2014-10-06T06:14:00.000-05:00

It's October! It's time to break out all the spooky books.

Last week I posted some notable new releases as well as the books that made it on to our wishlist. I also posted a review of Mister Dog - a book I missed out on when I was younger!

We are still making our way through Pippi Longstocking. Our progress was slowed once we hit October because I've been introducing my kids to Grimm's Fairy Tales. The stories have been great for October. My kids are obsessed with holiday books. My oldest brought home When Santa Lost His Ho! Ho! Ho! from the library. We also finished reading Tonight on the Titanic.

This week we will probably finish up Pippi Longstocking and start on the next Magic Tree House book. We also have lots of Halloween books to get through this month!

I'd love to hear what you are reading this week. Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.

Book Review | Mister Dog by Margaret Wise Brown

2014-10-02T06:34:00.000-05:00

Margaret Wise Brown wrote my favorite childhood book Home For a Bunny. She also wrote Goodnight Moon which is one of my favorite books to read to my kids. Surely I would love a book about Mister Dog the pipe smoking dog who belongs to himself!

It turns out Mister Dog is not his name. His name is actually Crispin's Crispian.

His name was Crispin's Crispian because he belonged to himself.

Sure. That makes perfect sense.

This is one odd little book.

He was a funny old dog. He liked Strawberries.

It seems there are people who are against this book due to the pipe smoking and the fact that a little boy goes home with the dog, etc., etc. It's a 1950's Golden Book with a pipe smoking dog. I'm not sure what folks really expect, but I do know that I expected a nice story at the heart of Mister Dog. Unfortunately, this book was a weird mess with one odd event after another.

This evening he made a bone soup with lots of meat in it. He gave some to the boy, and the boy liked it. The boy didn't give Caspian his chop bone, but he put some of his bright green vegetable in the soup.

The writing style changed several times throughout the book which added to the overall strangeness. Here's another odd page for you:

The only way I would recommend Mister Dog is in the "Hey, you want to see a really strange book?" kind of way. I haven't read this to my kids, and I don't plan to. I remember their reaction to But No Elephants. I'm not bringing them down that road again.

2/10: Not Recommended

All I can say is I'm a glutton for punishment. After writing this review I decided I'd try reading Mister Dog to my kids after all. My oldest declared: "That doesn't make any sense." I knew better. I really did.

On Our Wishlist {2}

2014-10-01T06:27:00.000-05:00

On Our Wishlist features all of the books we added to our wishlist in the past week.

Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan by Rob Scotton

Join Splat the Cat in New York Times bestselling author-artist Rob Scotton's Splat the Cat and the Pumpkin-Picking Plan. Splat goes to a pumpkin patch with Seymour, and he is determined to find the biggest pumpkin ever. But when he finally does, Splat finds out the real challenge isn't the pumpkin picking—it's how to get the pumpkin home!

Complete with stickers, this storybook is perfect for fans of the Splat the Cat picture book series. Young readers will love laughing along with their favorite furry cat as he thinks up the perfect plan in this hilarious new Splat the Cat adventure!

My kids love Splat the Cat. Scaredy-Cat, Splat was one of my son's favorite library picks last year so another Splat Halloween book would go over well with him.

The Night Parade by Lily Roscoe, David Walker

A bedtime book in the vein of Everywhere Babies, Harold and Purple Crayon, and In the Night Kitchen, THE NIGHT PARADE is a dreamworthy story.

Have you ever wondered what happens at night
while mothers and fathers lie sleeping?

Children wake up. They climb out of their beds
some crawling, some running, some leaping.

As the moon shines down they escape into town
To the Night Parade they go sneaking...

THE NIGHT PARADE is a goodnight book filled with the whimsical wilderness of children's imaginations just before they fall asleep. Written by first time author, Lily Roscoe, and illustrated by bestselling illustrator, David Walker, THE NIGHT PARADE is a truly dreamworthy read-aloud.

I have a thing for bedtime books. I think it has something to do with how much I long for sleep now that I'm a parent.

Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

Having mastered ballet in Flora and the Flamingo, Flora takes to the ice and forms an unexpected friendship with a penguin. Twirling, leaping, spinning, and gliding, on skates and flippers, the duo mirror each other's graceful dance above and below the ice. But when Flora gives the penguin the cold shoulder, the pair must figure out a way to work together for uplifting results. Artist Molly Idle creates an innovative, wordless picture book with clever flaps that reveal Flora and the penguin coming together, spiraling apart, and coming back together as only true friends do.

I'm new to Flora which basically means Flora and the Flamingo is on our wishlist, too!

Are any of the books on your wishlist? Have you read any of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations!

Notable New Children's Book Releases {September 28 - October 4}

2014-09-30T06:29:00.000-05:00

Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana by James Dean
This book just ate my dog! by Richard Byrne
Flora and the Penguin by Molly Idle

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Robert L. May, Illustrated by Antonio Javier Caparo
Frank! by Connah Brecon
Dora the Explorer: Guess Who Loves Christmas!

Max and the Won't Go to Bed Show by Mark Sperring, Illustrated by Sarah Warburton
Monkey Me #4: Monkey Me and the School Ghost by Timothy Roland
Bird & Squirrel on Ice by James Burks

Minecraft: Construction Handbook: An Official Mojang BookSpirit Animals Book 5: Against the Tide by Tui T. Sutherland
Survivors Box Set: Volumes 1 to 3 by Erin Hunter

Unstoppable Octobia May by Sharon Flake
Goosebumps Most Wanted Special Edition #2: The 12 Screams of Christmas by R.L. Stine
The Voyage of Lucy P. Simmons: The Emerald Shore by Barbara Mariconda
Party Games: A Fear Street Novel by R.L. Stine

September 29 | Currently Reading

2014-09-29T06:43:00.000-05:00

Thank you for the warm welcome last week! I'm super excited to be joining the kid lit blogging world.

Last week I posted a review of Ducks in Muck. I also posted the books that made it onto our wishlist.

We spent most of our reading time this past week with Pippi Longstocking. That girl! You just never know what's going to happen next with her.

We are continuing our journey with Magic Tree House this week with Tonight on the Titanic. I'm a little worried about this one, but Mary Pope Osborne's letter at the beginning helped ease my mind.

Book Review | Ducks in Muck

2014-09-26T06:35:00.000-05:00

Ducks in Muck is a picture book written by Lori Haskins and illustrated Valeria Petrone.

Book Description

Ducks in muck. Ducks stuck in trucks. Trucks stuck in muck. How will the trucks and ducks get unstuck?

Discover what happens to a group of friendly ducks when they play in the muck and then are taken away in a truck!

Ducks in Muck is a book we have read many times at our house. We have it in board book format so it's an easy to grab and read book for all of my kids.

The appeal of Ducks in Muck is the simplicity. You basically have ducks and trucks stuck in the muck. Once your kids have those words down, the book is all theirs!

The illustrations are wonderful, but sometimes the black text is hard to find and read over the dark background.

There's not much to Ducks in Muck other than getting unstuck from the trucks that are stuck in the muck, but it's a cute book none-the-less.

6/10: Good Read

On Our Wishlist {1}

2014-09-24T06:24:00.000-05:00

On Our Wishlist features all of the books we added to our wishlist in the past week.

Island: A Story of the Galápagos by Jason Chin

Charles Darwin first visited the Galápagos Islands almost 200 years ago, only to discover a land filled with plants and animals that could not be found anywhere else on earth. How did they come to inhabit the island? How long will they remain?

Thoroughly researched and filled with intricate and beautiful paintings, this extraordinary book by Award-winning author and artist Jason Chin is an epic saga of the life of an island—born of fire, rising to greatness, its decline, and finally the emergence of life on new islands.

I love the Galapagos Islands. I would really enjoy reading this book with my kids.

Julia's House for Lost Creatures by Ben Hatke

When Julia and her walking house come to town, she likes everything about her new neighborhood except how quiet it is! So Julia puts a sign up: "Julia's House for Lost Creatures." Soon she's hosting goblins, mermaids, fairies, and even a dragon. Quiet isn't a problem anymore for Julia...but getting her housemates to behave themselves is!

The simple, sweet text of this picture book by New York Times Best-Selling Zita the Spacegirl author/illustrator Ben Hatke is perfectly balanced by his lush, detailed, immersive watercolor illustrations.

This picture books sounds delightful! It is right up my alley.

Eerie Elementary #1: The School Is Alive! (Eerie Elementary #1) by Jack Chabert, Sam Ricks

Eerie Elementary is one scary school!

This series is part of Scholastic's early chapter book line called Branches, which is aimed at newly independent readers. With easy-to-read text, high-interest content, fast-paced plots, and illustrations on every page, these books will boost reading confidence and stamina. Branches books help readers grow!

In this first book in the series, Sam Graves discovers that his elementary school is ALIVE! Sam finds this out on his first day as the school hall monitor. Sam must defend himself and his fellow students against the evil school! Is Sam up to the challenge? He'll find out soon enough: the class play is just around the corner. Sam teams up with friends Lucy and Antonio to stop this scary school before it's too late!

My kids aren't ready for the Goosebumps books yet. (I am!) In the mean time, I'm hoping they will enjoy starting this new series. I'm going to slip it in with their Scholastic order this month.

The Water Horse by Dick King-Smith

When eight-year-old Kirstie and her family go beachcombing near their home in Scotland, she finds something that looks like a giant fish egg, which is just too interesting to leave on the beach. So she brings it home and sneaks it into the bathtub overnight. The next morning, she is surprised to find that the egg has hatched, but the newborn is unlike anything anyone has seen before. With its long neck, head like a horse, skin like a toad's, flippers like a turtle, and a tail like a crocodile, her brother Angus declares it a monster. Grandfather knows better and tells them it's a kelpie, or what he calls a water horse. The family keeps the baby and names it Crusoe. But as Crusoe grows, he becomes a bigger and bigger problem, literally. They are forced to find him a new home, away from people and boats. They settle on a beautiful Loch, now known as Loch Ness. From the author of beloved Babe comes the soon-to-be-classic story of how, thanks to the love and kindness of the human family that raises him, the Loch Ness Monster found his home.

This just sounds like a wonderful read. We've never seen the movie either, so I think it's a great pick.

Pete the Cat and the Bad Banana by James Dean

Pete the Cat bites into a bad banana and decides that he never, ever wants to eat bananas again. But Pete really likes bananas! Will a rotten bite ruin Pete's love for this tasty fruit?

Beginning readers will laugh along with Pete in this hilarious I Can Read tale.

My kids love Pete the Cat! I'm a little afraid my oldest will be scared of bananas after reading this one, but I'll risk it.

Are any of the books on your wishlist? Have you read any of them? I'd love to hear your thoughts and/or recommendations!

Banned Books Week

2014-09-23T06:20:00.000-05:00

Each year I like to read banned or challenged books to my children during Banned Books Week. Some of the banned books we have read and enjoy include:

Banned Books Week 2014

So far this week we have re-read Green Eggs and Ham, and we will probably revisit The Lorax again this week as well. I tried to read Charlotte's Web to them last year, but it didn't go over well. I think I will try again this year once the days grow short and cold.

Are you reading anything in honor of Banned Books Week? I'd love to hear from you.

Currently Reading | My First Post!

2014-09-22T06:19:00.000-05:00

This is my inaugural post! Please excuse the emptiness of my blog while I get started. I currently blog about YA/adult books over at Book Den, and I finally took the plunge and started Book Den Kids! I have 3 little readers so kid lit is a big chunk of my reading life. I look forward to being able to discuss in more detail what we are reading.

We are currently in the middle of the Magic Tree House books. Last week we read Day of the Dragon King, Viking Ships at Sunrise, and Hour of the Olympics.

My 5 year old had strep all week so it was a light picture book week (and thus a stronger read-aloud Magic Tree House week).

The only picture books we read were Lego City Need for Speed and Froggy's Best Christmas. (My kids pick holiday books year round!)

My kids and I always crack up at the end of Need for Speed. It gets a lot of great giggles.

This past week I also read The Girl Who Fell Beneath Faiyland and Led the Revels There. It's the second book in Catherynne M. Valente's amazing Fairyland series. My kids aren't quite old enough for this middle grade read so I'm going solo with this series. I'm loving it.

I'm very excited to start blogging about children's books, and I especially can't wait to discover and connect with other children's book bloggers.

I'd love to hear what you are reading this week. Let me know in the comments or leave me a link!

This post is being shared as part of Teach Mentor Text's It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA.