Has you child read any of these?

and then Came Number 3!!

Our first 2 sons took to books , literally like a duck takes to water. They learned to read will little effort or problem and they have loved reading ever since. Every night brings with it that time. The time to snuggle in and settle down to some good read or another. Neither of them is without a book , ever. They swap and share books with friends at school and have developed a rather extensive favourites list.

And then came number 3..... Our third son likes to read. He likes books and he is a good reader. He dose not love to read. He told me the other day, while at the library, "I hate books". My heart literally stopped. I was absolutely horrified. We chatted about reading and books etc etc.
The sad thing is that we have not invested nearly enough 'book time' with this little fellow. And so the challenge is on . How are we going to fan into flame the love of reading and books into this little men. I suspect the key, and all children have a key, is to find the right sort of books for him. We have tried all the best reads of the bigger boys but to no avail.

And so we gently encourage and build up and praise and offer this and offer that. The solution to this problem is still unsolved. The magic of a good book has not yet worked its charm on this little man.  We are setting our minds and problem solving as a family to this one and the bigger boys are coming up with their own solutions. Friends who have big families are adding much value and so we press on, book in hand and prayer in heart. The find the book lover in this child yet.

The Lorax Project

http://www.seussville.com/Educators/lorax_classroom/educatorlorax_discuss.php

Books about parts of speech

I stumbled upon these fun books. There are several in the series and they are written by a variety of authors including Michael Dahl. If anyone has used these with their children perhaps they could share with us some of their impressions.

:)

Mandela Day - communities get librbaries

 A great story about communities receiving books.
 
Mandela Day

Books for Babies and Toddlers

 I love Pinterest. There are so many great ideas for all sorts of things to make and do. I stumbled across this web site and on it is a list of fabulous books for toddlers and also some book reviews. Check it out and enjoy!




Books | No Time For Flash Cards - Play and Learning Activities For Babies, Toddlers and Kids

A visit to our local library

 Meadow ridge Library in the heart of Bergvliet is our local library. We love to visit it. It has some helpful librarians  and a good selection of books, both old and new. When I was growing up in Honeydew Johannesburg, my mother would take us to the local library regularly. I have vivid memories of searching for my favourite author and books on the crammed shelves. What a reading delight.  I guess I visit our local library with the same kind of expectation and hope for our boys.  The three readers love to read. Their choice of books is varied and they definitely do not like the same kinds of books all of the time. Some recent finds are.....

Wildfire by Chris Ryan

Snakehead and others by Anthony Horwitz


The Inkheart  Trilogy by Cornelia Funke

My personal favourites in the kiddies section always include a Shirley Hughes of some sort and then  soem from the Dorling Kindersley Books like


1000 Inventions and discoveries by Roger Bridgman  where we read about the invention of the watch ; umbrella ; toilet ; the first Christmas Card and so much more. a great read.

Finally , David Macaulay's The Way things Work is my absolute best book. It has delightful drawings showing how all kinds of things fit together and work. Things like , The Wheel and Axel or springs and Friction. The groovey Mamoths help expalin with their funny actions and facial expressions.

Another great read.

We often land up leaving with bags brimming with books, ready to be enjoyed. The enjoyment starts straight away as we journey home in the car.

Where is Wally?

We were first introduced to the Where is Wally series when our oldest son was 6.  Since then Wally has become a firm favourite in this household. I love his quirky character.  The delightful drawings bring great joy to children as they search and search for him , hidden in all kinds of situations.


http://www.findwaldo.com/

The official web site offers some more information and fun!!

The Code of Silence

 From the Mother of Boys link..... check this out!!!

Code of Silence: A Great Boy Book

Related posts:

• Classic books: an ingredient for boy-building

On death in childrens books by Jay Heale

SACBIP - Jay's monthly article

Home grown children's author Trudi Franke

I was just thinking back to when I first had the thought to write a story. My oldest son was stumped by an issue at pre-school. It was a personal issue which teetered dangerously on becoming a self-esteem issue and I knew if I didn't find the right way to deal with it - on a sensitive but positive level - it could well become one of those issues that could impact negatively in the future. A growth point versus a stumbling block.

I believe, to be effective as a parent is to be "tuned in" to who your child is. Communication is a way we tune in. There are two levels of communication we use as parents. The kind of general communication like "go and brush your teeth" which deals more with the physical well being of a child and then the more intimate level of communication, which touches on their emotional needs. It deals with the mushy stuff, like feelings or the complex issues of faith, self belief and self esteem.

It's easy to communicate on a general level but not always easy on a personal level. Our lives are busy. Taking time to communicate on a more intimate level means making a real effort.

It comes with the responsibility of not inflating an issue but rather nudging your child towards finding a positive means to understand it.

Effective parenting is not always about delivering a solution - my son's would call that a lecture - but rather encouraging a child to find a solution for themselves. Children love positives and so helping them to find positive solutions is a way of teaching them about coping positively with all life issues.

So I wrote these stories to develop my children as individuals. These simple little stories became as a way of introducing an issue, then revealing a solution without me speaking about it directly. It gave my children the opportunity to "discover" a solution for themselves and by doing that helped them work through it and move on. Call it shrewd parenting but it worked.

I also wrote these stories for the future. For those tumultuous teenage years. By developing a more personal and communicative relationship we were able to develop something even more important - TRUST. In the teenage years, trust becomes, by far, the BIGGEST issue. Having a strong, trusting relationship with your young adult, as they try out the world means you both stand on more solid ground. I'm there now, my first child is at that point and I can honestly say all the hard work has been worth it. Happy reading, happy nudging and happy parenting.

Trudi

The White Girrafe book review by Holly

Holly is 10 and she has written to us about a book she loved. Thank you for sharing your good read with us :)

The White Giraffe

By Lauren St John

This is a brilliant book about an 11 year old girl. When her parents die she has to move to a South African game reserve where her grandmother lives. When she gets there she makes a strange new friend, discovers she has a special talent and saves her friend.

I like this book because it is set in South Africa, it is full of mystery and because they are so many animals in it!

I have read some of this author's other books and they are also very good!

By Holly Marsden (10 years old)

Heaven for Kids by R.Alcorn

If you are a christian parent and you would like a book that answers some interesting questions about Heaven for kids , then this is your book. Randy Alcorn is a good writer and he sets this book out with questions and answers about Heaven. I have been reading it with our 12 year old and our 10 year old as a kind of spring board for clarifying ideas and questions and for discussing all sorts of good things. I have thoroughly enjoyed sharing this book with them and been thrilled at how God is using it to answer some tough questions. I recommend this book.

Why do kids like to and need to read books about good and evil?

 In answering the question about good and evil in children's books, I came across this perspective. Have a read and share your thoughts.


School of Education at Johns Hopkins University-Understanding Good and Evil in Children's Literature

Rosie The Hen by Pat Hutchins

 Rosie the hen goes for a walk around the farm and on her little walk she is followed by a mischievous fox who longs to catch her. Each attempt on the fox's behalf ends in a disaster. A humorous little book  and must good read. Enjoy!



母鸡罗丝去散步 Rosie's Walk - YouTube

Focus on Shirley Hughes

 Author Shirley Hughes has been a first choice in our home for our Kids. I w.as introduced to her books while studying teaching and fell in love with her delightful characters , real life drawings and stories routed in  wholesome fun and true life happenings.  We have loved Alfie and his little sister Annie Rose. We have so enjoyed the many other titles like Dogger and Sally's Secret

While living in the UK I was fortunate enough to hear Shirley Hughes actually interviewed on the radio.  It was a delight for me to hear how she based her drawings on real people that she studied as she went about her day.

Alfie Gets in First has my all time best choice when it came to reading time and we still have this delightful read on our book shelf. If you have not yet read any of these books, I thoroughly recommend any of her books.






Alfie by Shirley Hughes - the official Alfie website

Leanna's Fun Read - book review

Book review - Léanna

Charlie and Charm

My name is Léanna, and I'm 8 years old. I am book mad. I would read in
my sleep if I could. I am writing about the book Charlie and Charm,
and it's part of the Pony camp Series.

Charlie and Charm is about a girl called Charlie who has to sell her
pony. She is very upset about this. Her mom and dad try to cheer her
up, by sending her to pony camp. Now she is worried that she will stop
loving her pony. But Jody, the owner of the camp, gives her a pony
called Charm. Can Charlie ever find some space in her heart for Charm?

I really love this book because I love horses and, it actually sounds
like it's a real story!
I hope you enjoy this book as much as I did.

Local is Lekker

I have been in search of some more South African books for kids. We have read some good stores like the Jafta series by Hugh Lewin and Lisa Kopper ; The Special Fig Tree by Elixabeth Andrew ; The gift of the Sun by Dianne Stewart and Jude Daly , One Child One Seed by Kathryn Cave , Books from The Little Library Series , The Everything there is a Season by Jude Daly ,Kudalaladala by Niki Daly ; Papaniki by Edna Quail ; and my personal favourite Not so fast Songololo by Niki Daly.

This week I heard Gcina Mhlope interviewed at the Early Childhood Education conference on storytelling and young children. I have had the privilege of experiencing Gcina tell a story and it was indeed a brilliant experience. But I love what she had to say on telling and retelling stories. Two things stuck out for me. Firstly all children love stories. As a mom of four and a teacher to many, I know this is true. How can one reach the minds and hearts of a child - well one way is through the telling of a good story. The other thing she said was that anyone can tell a story. It is not about being like this person or like that person but it is about using your own gifts and personality to tell the story in your own personal way. I just loved this idea and encouragement from one of South Africans best known and great storytellers.

So, in my search I stumbled, as you do , upon this fun and worthwhile site. Have a look and see for yourself. What a glorious find :)


Bookchat. South African Children's Books

Letter from Jean

This blog is all about Kids and books. It is very much a blog that is evolving and morphing along the way. I have a vision but it is a very loose and flexible vision. I have so enjoyed receiving a book list from Saski , the heads up from Nan and now a letter about some great books to look out for from Jean. Thank you for taking the time to think, write and share your ideas with us.

A letter from Jean.......

Hallo Caren

Nick is never without a book. He does not read what most boys his age read. He loves a combination of historical facts, adventure and fantasy. An animal thrown into the mix is also always a winner. His all-time favourite when he was 8 and 9 years’ old was the Chronicles of Narnia, C.S. Lewis, which he must have read, cover to cover, at least 4 times.

Lately he has discovered a series by Erin Hunter, the Warrior Cats. Each book introduces various cats who live in a wood and engage in combat and other activities with other cat clans. The cats have names like Mistyfoot and Firestorm and Dappletail. He must have read 10 of these books and he loved them all.

At the moment he loves Michael Morpurgo’s books – all of them, and there are many. The movie, War Horse, currently on the circuit is based on his book of the same name . Private Peaceful has a boy in the 2^nd world war. Shadow has a boy and a dog in Afghanistan. I have also read some of these books and they are so well-written and un-put-down-able!

Other titles are Alone on a wide wide sea, Kensuke’s Kingdom, Dear Olly, Born to Run, An elephant in the Garden.. What makes these books so wonderful is that some are really short, for children who find it difficult to read, and some much longer for the more advanced reader. All are set in interesting backgrounds. Nick has learnt so much from these books. For instance, Running Wild is about a boy and an elephant during the tsunami in Indonesia

There are so many more I could tell you about, but I’ll keep them for a next time. Love from Jean

James Talks

My Name is James and I am 12. I would like to talk about my favourite series which would be the Wardstone Chronicles by Joseph Delaney.

The first in the series is the Spooks Apprentice, in which farm lad Thomas Ward, who is a seventh son of a seventh son, is apprenticed to the local spook. John Gregory, who is a spook, teaches him to fight the dark and bind boggarts and witches and things that go bump in the night.
He meets a girl called Alice who gives him a basket of cakes to give to the most evil witch in the County, Mother Malkin, although these cakes end up freeing her. How can Tom stop the most evil witch in the County?

I like the way it is written because it sounds freaky and exciting and so it makes me want to keep on reading it. I dont just read these freaky books and have enjoyed reading The Redwall Series and The Lord of the Rings and 2000 leagues under the sea and Horrible Histories series.

Good and Evil in this series is described as dark and light. Although I am a Christian I find it interesting to read what other people thing about Good and Evil.

I like reading because it passes time and it is interesting and it helps with school work. Reading helps me to picture the words in my mind and I like being able to see something that others are not seeing.

From the book shelf by Saskia Wild

From the book shelf introduces a great list of books to look out for by Saskia Wild.
Thanks Saskia.

Check our more books from The Book Shelf.

The Never Ending Story - Michael Ende - reader and pre-teen
The Enchanted Castle - E Nesbit - Pre-teen
Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie - pre-teen
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott - Pre-teen / young Adult
The Wizard of Oz - L.Frank Baum - Pre-teen / young Adult *
Emily - Michael Bedard -reader / pre-teen
Madeline - Ludwig Bemelmans - reader / pre-teen
Addie McCormick - Leanne Lucas - pre-teen ( Nancy Drew mould but with a Christian message)
Fairy Tales - Hans Christian Anderson - reader /pre-teen
Fairy Tales - Grimms - reader /pre-teen
Aesop's Fables - Aesop - pre-teen / young adult

"Today you are you. That is truer than true. there is no-one alive that is youer than you." Dr Seuss

Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte - young adult
Pilgrims Progress - John Bunyan - young Adult *
Treasure Island - Robert Louis Stephenson - Pre-teen
Moby Dick - Herman Melville - Pre-teen
The adventures of Tom Sawyer - Mark Twain - reader / pre/teen
The Coral Island - R.M Ballantyne - pre-teen
The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett - pre-teen / young adult
The Little Princess - Frances H. Burnett - pre- teen / young adult
The Incredible Journey - Sheila Burnford - pre-teen / young adult *
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll - pre-teen
Alice through the Looking Glass - Lewis Carroll - Pre-teen
Robinson Crusoe - Daniel Defoe - Pre -teen
A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens - pre-teen / young Adult
Sherlock Stories - Aurthur Conan Doyle - young Adult
World Treasury of Children's Literature - Clifton Fadiman - pre-teen / young Adult
The Diary of Anne Frank - Anne Frank - pre-teen / young Adult *
The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame - reader -pre-teen *
The reluctant Dragon - Kenneth Grahame - reader -pre-teen
All Creatures Great and Small - James Herriot - young Adult *
The Tale of Three Trees - Angela Elwell Hunt - reader / Pre-teen * *
Hind's feet in High Places - Hannah Hurnard - pre-teen/ young Adult
The Jungle book and Just So Stories - pre-teen / young Adult
Tales from Shakespeare - Charles and Mary Lamb - Pre-teen and young adult
The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S.Lewis - reader /pre-teen *
Letters to children - C.S Lewis - Pre-teen
Doctor Doolittle - Hugh Lofting - Pre-teen / young Adult
The Call of the Wild - Jack London - Pre-teen -
The Golden Key -
The princess and the Goblin -
The princess and the Curdie and At the back of the North Wind - George MacDonald - Preteen
Christy - Catherine Marchall - young Adult ( True Story)
Anne of Green Gables - Lucy Montgomery - pre-teen /young Adult
Peter Rabbit and other Tales - Beatrix Potter - young reader /reader
The Adventures of Robin Hood - Howard Pyle - Pre-teen / young Adult
Black Beauty - Anna Swell - Pre-teen / young Adult
The Sword and the Circle - Rosemary Sutcliff (P/T) - re-telling of the story of King Aurthur - pre-teen / young adult
Gulliver' s Travels - Jonathan Swift - pre-teen / young Adult
The Hiding Place - Corrie Ten Boom - Young Adult *
The Hobbit - Token - pre-teen / young Adult *
The Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens - Pre-teen / young Adult
Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens - Pre-teen
2000 Leagues under the Sea - Jules Vernes - pre-teen *
The Redwall Series - Brian Jacques - pre-teen *

" Once you learn to read, you will be free forever." Frederick Douglass

Boys need to move

Here is a helpful article on boys and moving and reading.


Boys Need to MOVE IT: How to Use Movement to Help Boys Become Better Readers | Getting Boys To Read

Book worms on line

My kids and I had so much fun checking out this fun web site. It is full of colour and activities to get kids interested and reading. Enjoy

Jeremy Strong | Welcome

From the book shelf

From the Book Shelf
This is an every growing list

In order - Title - Author - suitable age

Categories include -Young (baby - young reader) - Reader ( getting going with reading)
Pre-teen - (about 9-12years) - Young Adult - ( teenage years)
(These will overlap depending on your choices and the reading ability of your child and therefore are not prescriptive.)

* recommended

• Just William Series - Richmal Crompton - Pre-teen *
  
• Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Jeff Kinney - Pre-teen *
  
• How to be a Pirate - Cressida Cowell- Pre-teen *
  
• The Lord of the Rings Series - Young Adult *
  
• The Roman Mysteries Series - Caroline Lawrence - Young Adult *
  
• The Squires Tales Series- Gerald Morris - Pre-teen *
  
• History Spies - Jo Foster - reader
  
• Horrible Histories Series - Terry Deary - Pre-teen *
  
• Horrible Famous Series - Alan MacDonald - Pre-teen *
  
• Horrible Geography Series - Anita Ganeri - pre-teen
  
• Legend of the Guardians - Kathryn Lasky -Pre-teen
• Jungle Doctor Operates - Paul White - pre -teen
• Jammy Dodgers in Deadly Danger - Bowering Sivers - pre-teen
• Charlotte's Web - E.B.White - pre -teen *
  
• Sophie and the Pancake Plot - Stephen Davies - reader
• Flight of the Fire Thief Trilogy - Terry Deary - pre-teen*
• The Wind in the Willows series - William Horwood - reader / pre-teen *
  
• The Collected Tales of Nurse Matilda - Christianna Brand - reader *
  
• Mr Gum and the Cherry Tree - Andy Stanton - reader
• The Chronicles of Faith Series - The Pilgrims Progress - retold by Dan Larsen - reader
• The Indoor Pirates of Treasure Island - Jeremy Strong - reader *
  
• The Tanglewood's Secret - Patricia St John - reader
• Little House in the Big Wood - Laura Ingalls Wilder -Reader
• The Illustrated Bible - Michael Pearl - reader *
  
• Humphrey series - Betty G. Birney - reader
• Inheritance Series - Christopher Paolini - young adult *
  
• Slinky Malinki ( other books in this series)- Lunley Dodd - young / reader *
  
• Rosie's Walk - Pat Hutchins - young *
  
• ABC Zoo and others by Rod Campbell - young
• Five Minutes Peace - Jill Murphy - Young *
  
• Flat Stanley and others by Jeff Brown - reader *
  
• Dirty Bertie Series - Alan MacDonald - reader
  
• The Hundred Mile Dog and more - Jeremy Strong - Reader *
  
• Horrid Henry Series - Tony Ross - reader
• The Indian in my Cupboard - Lynne Reid Banks - reader
• The Full Moon Rising - Kristi and T. Livley Fluharty - reader/ young
  

Thomas Talks

Hi my name is Thomas and I am 10.
My favourite books are the Harry Potter Series but I am going to tell you about a new good read. The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan . If I think about it there are 6 books in this series but I may be wrong. Each book has its own individual title.

I like these books because they are very well written ; exciting and actually based on Greek Mythology. The Key Character is Percy and he is the son of Poseidon and his mother is Sally Jackson. Since he is the son of Poseidon that makes him a Demi-God and he has powers.

He has always got monsters chasing him and he spends his time basically going on quests to save the Gods and the Worlds and things. It is not scary . It is cool. It is gripping.

As a Christian Kid I think it is pointless that in this story they have so many Gods. I am not confused about the real story of Jesus in the bible and this story.

I love to read because it passes time and I can get lost in the book.

Book Review- Fool Moon Rising | Ordinary Pastor

A friend in Australia recommended this book. Here is a book review so that you can check this out for yourself.


Book Review- Fool Moon Rising | Ordinary Pastor

Introduction

I love to read. Each of our sons , in turn, thus far loves to read. That is how and why this blog has come about. We would love fellow book lovers to share their ideas on books and reading and why it is such fun. This is a fun blog and one we want you to be a part of. So welcome, put on your boots and lets get reading!