Inspired by this blogger’s goal of reading 1000 picture books this year, I thought I would start doing a weekly round-up of our reading. I will include only those books I have read to or with the boys; Daegan reads on his own every night, and Gareth is beginning to peruse books solo as well. Hover over the book to read the title and author; I’ll comment only on our favourites. Here’s what we read this past week:
Someday a Tree is about a family trying to save their beloved oak tree that has been poisoned, and when all looks lost, the child remembers her collection of acorns. We read the story of Rachel Carson’s life in Girls Who Looked Under Rocks: The Lives of Six Pioneering Naturalists. Carson is best known for her ground-breaking Silent Spring, a seminal book on the environment, and one which led to the eventual banning of DDT and other pesticides.
Bear Feels Scared is one of a series, and just as delightful as Bear Snores On, the only other we have read as yet. Superb rhythm and cadence to the book—both boys requested an immediate re-read upon finishing it, something that doesn’t happen often anymore. Dinosaurumpus is a family favourite, a very fun/silly book about dinosaurs getting ready for a dance—though our eldest was quick to point out that the dance couldn’t really happen: the problem being that the dinos (“and not all were dinosaurs!” he added) lived during different time periods. An Egg is Quiet was a superb book about all kinds of eggs (numerous birds, plus reptiles and fish) and their characteristics, with stunning artwork. I highly recommend it.
Flotsam is a quirky book, with no words. The pictures tell a fantastic tale of a boy finding a camera on the beach…and carrying on a legacy. We only read a couple poems from the poetry anthology, but it looks promising—fun poems with lively cartoonish pictures.
Our Natural Homes looks at the different biomes, or regions, of North and South America, such as tundra, chaparral, desert, grasslands, and various forests. There is a map at the back showing these regions all over the world. Dinosaur Mummies is a fascinating read for the dino-crazy, focussing on fossils where soft tissue—such as skin, heart, intestine—has been preserved, not just bone. I also liked that the book discussed finds from all over the world, a necessity I suppose as mummification is far, far rarer in nature than fossilization. We read The Selfish Giant by Oscar Wilde in the Hutchinson Treasury of Fairy Stories, a story that none of us knew and all of us enjoyed. When the giant built a wall around his garden to keep children from playing in it, the garden was no longer alive or joyous—a reminder to me about what the purpose of our yard is for sure. :-)
Nature’s Paintbox was a gorgeous journey through the seasons via different artwork (nature draws winter in pen and ink; spring in pastels; summer in watercolours and fall in oils)—a unique and captivating read. Both boys giggled their way through Even More Parts: Idioms from Head to Toe, which had cartoonish drawings such as a cash register full of limbs—”it cost an arm and a leg”—or a boy with an open mouth and a frog peeking out—“a frog in my throat”. There are two earlier titles—Parts, and More Parts—that I will be seeking out. Lastly, though we are only partway in to the Canadian Dinosaurs book, it is great! The back of the book lists all museums of palaeontological interest in Canada (including one in Manitoba I knew nothing about), and the little sidebar features with brief biographies of Canadian palaeontologists is inspiring to my two junior scientists. Happy reading!