Tough Chicks

This is a really cute book about three little chicks that are different the moment they hatch. Penny, Polly and Molly don't do the normal things that all the other chicks do and have to put up with some pretty judgmental attitudes from the other barnyard animals.

Mother Chick defends her kids and in the end, everyone realizes that Penny, Polly and Molly are different in a good way.

New Baby Train

My take on this book: it's very strange. I didn't look to see what the story was about when I picked it up. My youngest son loves trains - and I mean LOVES them. So, anything with a train seems like a winner to me. Well, not this one.

I like the illustrations; they're different and fun to look at. The story however, is not so great. It's an explanation of where babies come from - like the story of the Stork. Sometimes the book seems like it's supposed to have the rhythm of a song and then suddenly there's no rhythm at all. It just doesn't flow very well.

As much as I dislike this book, Simon loves it. It has trains and babies - two of his favorite things. I'll put up with it for awhile longer, but I won't be sad when I have to take it back to the library!

Pirate Pete's Talk Like a Pirate

I really like this book! Pirate Pete is trying to find some Buccaneers for his ship but can't seem to find anyone suitable for the position. Each rascal that he interviews has the necessary skills, except for one thing - none of them can talk like a pirate!

If you've ever wondered how to talk like a pirate, this has all the answers. The kids like it too - Andrew likes to test out his pirate voice, which he thinks is better than mine. We'll see about that...

Sweet Dream Pie

I'm a fan of anything with Audrey Wood's name on it! This is one fun and creative story.

Pa Brindle convinces Ma Brindle that he must have some of her Sweet Dream Pie - just one piece will be enough. She warns him that the last time he ate some pie his dreams weren't so sweet, but he begs and she gives in. The smell of this gigantic pie has made everyone in the neighborhood crazy all day and they're dying to try a piece. Ma Brindle warns them to eat only one piece, but nobody listens...

More Parts

I haven't read 'Parts' yet, but I don't think our library has a copy. So I decided to get the second book and see what it's like. We love it!

The little boy in this story doesn't understand the figures of speech that people use and he's afraid that his body is going to fall apart at any minute. It's adorable and very funny!

The Quicksand Book

Andrew has a fascination with quicksand - he's always asking me questions about how it works, so when I saw this sitting on the shelf in the library I knew we had a winner!  It was perfect for Andrew - it was filled with all kinds of information about quicksand and it was hilarious enough to keep us both laughing!

My Father's Dragon

A little boy in our Primary said during his spotlight that this was his favorite book, so of course I had to check it out. Andrew and I loved it!

It's a funny and lighthearted story about a boy named Elmer who saves an enslaved baby dragon from Wild Island. It's a fast, easy read and full of fun illustrations.

Elmer and the Dragon

This is the second book in the series and it's just as great as the first. It's a continuation of the story about Elmer and the baby dragon he rescued. On their way home from Wild Island, they're caught in a storm and forced to land on a sandbar until the storm passes.

The next morning, they discover a new island inhabited by canaries. Elmer and the dragon discover that the king of canaries is dying of curiosity and they help him to discover just what it is that he's so curious about.

The Dragons of Blueland

This is the third book of the Elmer and Dragon series, and we loved it!


After the dragon returns Elmer to his home in Nevergreen City, he heads back to Blueland and finds that a group of men have discovered his family and plan to capture the dragons and sell them to the circus. The dragon rushes back to Nevergreen City and asks Elmer to help save his family.

Strega Nona

This is definitely a classic! Great story and fun illustrations - who doesn't love Tomie de Paola?

Big Anthony goes to work for the local witch, Strega Nona, and one day discovers that she has a magic pot. This pot will make unlimited amounts of pasta! Strega Nona leaves town one day with strict instructions not to touch her special pot.

Big Anthony rushes into town to tell the townsfolk about the magic pot. Of course, no one believes him, so he invites everyone to Strega Nona's house for some pasta. Believing he knows the correct spell, Big Anthony produces enough pasta to feed the whole town. Not until he tries to stop the pasta does he realize that he doesn't know the entire spell and so much pasta comes out of the pot that it floods the streets! When Strega Nona returns, she's wise enough to make the punishment fit the crime :)

The Blue Castle

I read this for Book Club a few months ago and absolutely loved it! I bought my copy online and received this older copy, which was a surprise, but I like it.

The story is about Valancy Stirling who, at 29 years old, is an old maid living with her mother and aunt. The family considers Valancy to be sickly and very plain. When she's not being overlooked, she's the butt of family jokes.

Early in the story, Valancy's doctor tells her that she has only 6 months to live. At first Valancy is devastated, and then she realizes that she's tired of being the person her family expects her to be and she decides to be the person she's always wanted to be.

Shocking her entire family (and the community), Valancy becomes outspoken and carefree, eventually leaving home for her own adventure.

I loved the humor in the book; it was a very easy read. I also loved the message that the author conveys; that our life is what we make it, and beauty truly comes from within.

100 Cupboards

I found this book randomly on a shelf at the library and was immediately intrigued. I think I've mentioned before that I judge books by their covers; I can't help it!

This is the story of a young boy named Henry, who is sent to live with his Uncle, Aunt and cousins in Henry, Kansas when his parents are suddenly kidnapped. Before too long, Henry discovers that beneath the plaster of his bedroom wall there are cupboards - 98 to be exact. Upon further examination, he learns that these are actually portals into other worlds.

I had a lot of unanswered questions throughout the book. I really wanted to hear the back story of these cupboards and the different worlds, but it didn't go into that as much as I would have liked. By the end of the book, Henry has only been into one cupboard; although he did let something out of a cupboard...

Overall, I really liked the story and I'm glad I had the second book so I could start reading right away. I did think the first one was a little slow - but maybe the author left it open so that he could write a prequel to the series. Who knows?

I have to say, these books are listed as being for readers from 9-12 years old, but I disagree. N.D. Wilson's writing style was pretty deep - even for me. And...it might be too scary for that age group. You never know though, my 5 year old loved the first two Harry Potter books and Voldemort didn't even phase him.

Dandelion Fire

The second book in the 100 Cupboards series definitely moved faster than the first and Henry is finally able to travel into some of the cupboards to explore other worlds. In this book, Henry discovers his own special power and a family he never knew he had.

There were times during the book that I struggled to grasp the author's descriptions, and I honestly wondered if my reading level had decreased over the last couple of years. However, that could have been because I still kept trying to read it while my kids were running around the house, and drowning out their noise can be a difficult task. I found that if I read at night, while everyone else was asleep, I was able to fully immerse myself in the story and read much faster.

The Chestnut King

This is the third and final book in the 100 Cupboards - and I really liked it. I think it was the longest out of the three and definitely the creepiest. Well, the whole thing isn't creepy - just parts of it.

Henry fights the evil and undying queen of Endor and she's just weird. The whole time I read this series I couldn't help but wonder if Hollywood would try to make a movie out of it. It seems like every book can be made into a movie these days.

The Witch's Guide to Cooking with Children

When I took this book off the shelf, I didn't even bother to look at what the story was about. As it turns out, this is a modern day retelling of Hansel and Gretel. If the original story doesn't disturb you (we are talking about cannibalism here), then you'll love this book!

As a child, I never really thought about how gruesome the fairy tale was - I think I was more interested in the gingerbread house covered in candy. Somehow, reading this book it suddenly clicked for me and I found it a little creepy. Of course, it didn't bother my 5 year old at all and he couldn't wait to finish it. So, I have mixed feelings. I liked it and yet...I was a little creeped out.

Scaredy Squirrel at Night

In this book, Scaredy Squirrel takes up scrapbooking and cymbal playing in order to avoid the fairies and polka-dot monsters that are sure to haunt his dreams.

Everything is going according to plan, until one night when he happens to read his horoscope - apparently, all his dreams will come true at midnight. Scaredy quickly puts together a 'Bad Dream Action Plan' and counts down to midnight, but once again - things don't turn out the way he thought.

My kids love Scaredy Squirrel! Andrew has nearly memorized this one and he 'reads' it to his little brother. It's pretty cute :)

Scaredy Squirrel Makes a Friend

On the inside cover it reads, "I don't have a friend. It's way too dangerous. I could get bitten." This poor squirrel - nothing ever goes according to his incredibly detailed plans. But you can't blame him for trying - after all, the world is full of potential biters.

Out of all the Scaredy Squirrel books, this one has to be my favorite!

Scaredy Squirrel at the Beach

After we read the first Scaredy Squirrel book about a hundred times and still found it side-splitingly funny, Chris suggested I look for more books by Melanie Watt. Who knew that she had more Scaredy Squirrel books?!

I love that he's afraid of tribes of jellyfish and packs of pirates - definitely good reasons to stay away from the beach!

This ultra-organized, extremely OCD and anti-social squirrel makes me laugh through each of his adventures.

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets

Andrew and I just finished this and I loved it just as much as I did the first time. Professor Lockhart has to be one of my most favorite characters - next to the Weasley twins of course :)

Surprisingly, Andrew isn't all all scared by Lord Voldemort, but I wouldn't suggest reading this to most 5 year olds.

When we got to the part that reveals Voldemort as the heir of Slytherin he told me, "I knew it was Voldemort the whole time. I was just saving it as a surprise for you Mom." Hilarious!