What Shall We Do With The Boo-Hoo Baby? by Cressida Cowell

Title: What Shall We Do With The Boo-Hoo Baby?
Author: Cressida Cowell
Ages: Birth - 3 years

This is a cute little story for little ones. The baby is crying and the fun collection of animal babysitters tries and tries to find a way to quiet him down. Simple, short text and adorable pictures.

Seattle with Kids : Hiking Wallace Falls

This is another fun hike, this one out Hwy 2 in the Cascades. The waterfall is really big and really beautiful. There are several options, a lower, middle and upper viewpoint.

We only went to the lower viewpoint as the boys were not very enthusiastic. I did not think this hike was the hardest we had done but they did not want to go any further. The viewpoint is quite nice and about 3.6 miles roundtrip. It is a beautiful view but if you go further you can get much closer to the falls. But I have heard you have to be careful nearer to the top as it can be a bit precarious for little ones.

At the start of the trail, you walk under humming power lines and wonder what you have gotten into. But in the next section you walk through the woods by a beautiful river and there are lots of scenic spots. It was somewhat steep in places. There is an option to take a longer trail up that is flatter but would add 1 mile to the distance. I might would try that next time.

I'd love to try this again next year and see if we can make it higher up.

Fire Truck Factory by Catherine Anderson

Title: Fire Truck Factory
Author: Catherine Anderson
Ages: 3 years – 6 years

My 3-year has really gotten into wanting to know how things are made. He looks around the room and asks “How make shower curtain?” “How make counters?” How make mirror?” “How make towels?” – until I about lose my mind. Imagine my excitement to discover this book that explains how fire trucks (another of his favorite things) are made. It integrates lots of photographs with labeled parts and walks you through the whole process. There are lots of books about Fire Trucks but this one earns an award from me for having a new twist on that same old topic.

I think any kid who loves fire trucks would enjoy this one to add some variety to their reading.

*this post originally written 4/28/2006

The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Title: The Little House
Author: Virginia Lee Burton
Ages: 2 years and older

I love finding books that my son can enjoy just like children 60 years ago did. And just like I did when I was a little girl. The copy of this book that we are reading is actually the one that belonged to me when I was his age and is complete with my nameplate stuck in the inside front cover. How special it is to show it to my son and tell him how his mommy read this book with his Grandmommy when she was his size. But even without that nostalgia, we have really enjoyed reading this book. Note to those parents who are desperate to read about something besides trains. This book is not about trains but does have some very interesting pages that show trains. Maybe that will be enough to get your train lover hooked on this beautiful classic.

*this post originally written 4/26/2006

Seattle with Kids: Hiking Little Si

There are lots of great hikes around here to do. A very popular one is called Little Si, out in North Bend. Do not get it confused with the Mount Si hike - that one is WAY harder. Little Si is still a pretty difficult hike. The round-trip is a little less than 5 miles with a 1500 ft elevation gain. I would not take beginner hikers on this one. You may want to plan easier hikes to "work up" to this one. The trail is very nicely maintained but there are very steep sections where my kids had to use all-fours. When we went, my kids were 4 and 6 and they made it with lots of rest breaks. I think it took us 3 hours to get up to the top, but significantly shorter on the way down so be sure to allow enough time.

A tip on parking. There are two lots. Go past the first one, as the second one is the one right at the trailhead. If that one is full, head to the overflow lot which you already passed. It is a very popular trail so go early on a weekend. When we arrived at just after 9am, the primary lot was already full.

Learn how to make bread

Title:Bread Bakery

One thing I love about reading is extending what we learn when we read into our daily activities. It brings the book alive and I think is going to really help turn my boys into kids (and adults) who love to read.

After reading this book to my 3-year old, my husband decided that we needed to make bread. I'd better go ahead and confess that we used a trusty bread machine instead of doing the whole thing by hand but it was still lots of fun and very educational. My son was able to help collect the ingredients and measure, and with the help of the instruction manual for the machine, watch each of the steps the machine performed, through the little viewing window on the top of the machine. When my kids get a little older, I'd love to try making it by hand with them.

My son loved it and we all enjoyed the bread so much that we have already made a second loaf. Guess who ran to the bookshelf to find the Bread Bakerybook to read while the bread baked?

*this post originally written 5/8/2006

Billy and Blaze by Clarence William Anderson

Title: Billy and Blaze
Author: Clarence William Anderson
Ages: 4+

I love older books. This one was written in 1936. It is a bit longer than a picture book but not so long that a little one cannot enjoy it. The story is simple and sweet and easy to follow along. There is a whole series of books about Billy and his horse to keep you reading away the summer!

Peekaboo Baby by Margaret Miller

Title: Peekaboo Baby
Author: Margaret Miller
Age: Birth - 2 years

My 10-month old really enjoys reading this book. He can flip the pages himself and loves to look at other babies. This is one from her Look Baby! Books series – and they have fun baby photographs and bright cheerful pages.

*this post originally written 4/27/2006

Seattle with Kids: Discovery Park

Since we live in the Seattle area, I realized it was about time to mention some of the activities we enjoy with the kids nearby.

A few weeks ago, we headed down to Discovery Park. This is a huge park, the biggest in Seattle with a very long and beautiful coastline. It is definitely worth checking out. And I don't want to forget to mention the wonderful lighthouse right on the point. Such a scenic spot with views on Mt Rainier and Mt Baker!

As you enter the park, there is a very helpful visitors center. Most of the parking requires a hike down to the beach but if you are handicapped, have small children, or elderly with you, then you can get a special pass there that lets you head right down to the beach to park.

Besides the scenic coastline, there are quite a few hiking trails though the park to enjoy, so have a great day!

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler Warner

Title: The Boxcar Children
Author: Gertrude Chandler Warner
Age: 5+

What a fun book this is to read! I read this one out-loud to my 6 year old son. It is a great read-aloud story. Not only did he really enjoy the story and the exciting happy ending but I really enjoyed it as well. My favorite part was reading about all the ways they "made do" with what they had and set up such a nice house for themselves.

We both looked forward to this story each night. I think boys and girls would like this one from the time they are old enough for a chapter book until age 10.

Who is in the Garden?

Title: Who is in the Garden?
Author: Vera Rosenberry

We've been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and really enjoyed this picture book for a change of pace. The illustrations are beautifully done and we had fun finding and counting all kinds of creatures living in the garden. The text is so well written and flows so pleasantly.

I've been reading a lot of easy readers lately so it was nice to read something with a bit more interesting vocabulary. I needed to explain what some of the words meant and sometimes I let my son guess the meaning by looking at the illustrations. I think this is great for learning new vocabulary.

*this post originally written 6/9/2006

Children's Cookbooks

Title:The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Children's Cookbook

I was inspired by this post on the PlayLibrary blog to look at some cookbooks for children since we enjoy having my son cook with us so much. I really like this cookbook I stumbled across. It has tons of pictures and the instructions for the simple recipes are very detailed and clear. And the best part is that the foods sound yummy to eat.

Many others I have looked at either have unappetizing recipes or are full of junk food.

Anyone have suggestions for other good cookbooks for kids?

*this post originally written 6/6/2006

Crafts and Activities Related to Childrens Books

Title:Great Books to Read and Fun Things to do with Them
Author: Mary Beth Lagerborg
Ages: Parents of children aged 2 and up

All the other books I have reviewed so far are for children to read but I ran across this book and thought it looked like fun. The editors picked a children's book for each month of the year and then collected a bunch of ideas for crafts, snacks and activities related to that book as well as ideas of things to teach your child about using the book. The ideas look like lots of fun and seem like a great help for those long summer days when your little one is on preschool break.

Books include classics like The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Where the Wild Things Are as well as a bunch of books I have not heard of and am looking forward to trying out.

*this post originally written 5/30/2006

Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why?

Title:Why is soap so slippery?
Author:Catherine Ripley
Ages: 3 and up

I am sure I am not the only mother of a 3-year old hearing Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? Why? ALL DAY LONG! Check this book out! It has answers to some common questions kids might ask - these are all about bathtime. But I noticed when I looked on Amazon, this author has several other books of a similar nature - answers to questions on other topics. My son will be thrilled!

*this post originally written 5/28/2006

Puerto Rican Folktale

Title:There's a Billy Goat in the Garden
Author:Laurel Dee Gugler

This story is a retelling of a Puerto Rican folk tale. The story flows smoothly and the illustrations are unusual and enjoyable to examine.

Here is a quote from the publishers website(Barefoot Books):
Another soon-to-be classic collage picture book from Clare Beaton! This heartwarming version of an old Puerto Rican folktale reminds us that the smallest creature can make a huge difference. Join a group of farmyard animals as they stomp, bark and whinny in their hilarious attempts to chase a misbehaving billy goat from the garden. The animals' confidence soon turns to dismay as the billy goat remains stubborn, and the solution to the problem lies not with the biggest, but with the littlest of them all.

*this post originally written 5/21/2006

Soap Nuts Giveaway!

Ok, these are the coolest sounding things ever. I really want to try this.

Soap Nuts!

Isn't that crazy sounding? An inexpensive and natural laundry soap.

Go check out the giveaway Lindsay is doing and read her really interesting article about homemade laundry detergent options.

I have been planning to try making my own for quite a while now but have not gotten to it. This seems even easier and more natural for sure!

Richard Scarry's Best First Book Ever

Title:Best First Book Ever
Author:Richard Scarry
Ages: 3-5 years

I have fond memories of Richard Scarry books from when I was growing up. A few years ago, I pulled out an old one to share with my son and was pretty disappointed with the busy pages and strange characters intermingled into the story. So I really think the choice of the title is a bit odd. This is not a great first book.

But now that my son is 3 and a half, we are really enjoying this book. He likes to look at it on his own and read it with me. It is chock full of all sorts of things to learn about like colors, numbers and months of the year. I'm sure we'll be enjoying this one for a long time to come. So even though it is not a great first book - it is a great book for the preschool set.

*this post originally written 5/17/2006

I Love You Because You're You

Title:I Love You Because You're You
Author:Liza Baker
Age: 1-4 years

I took the advice of PJ Librarian at The Magic of Books and got the book I Love You Because You're You. I was so excited that I wanted to read it right away to my 3-year old. I should have waited until he was in the mood for a cuddly-lovey book-reading-snuggle instead of eager to go outside to play. I, on the other hand, was almost crying as I enjoyed holding my quickly-growing-up little boy while reading such a sweet book. PJ Librarian hit the nail on the head for me when she said

Plus, as a parent it is a reassuring read to sooth a soul on a crazy and hectic day.

Another thing I like a lot about this story -- It goes through a bunch of situations where the little fox's mother still loves him like when he is sad or angry or loud but fortunately it does not do what some other similar books I have seen do. It does not suggest bad behavior to my little one that he may not yet have thought of, like

I love you even when you paint the walls and your brother too!
I love you even when you disobey and run into the street.

Sure we still love them but lets not put any ideas in their heads.

*this post originally written 5/9/2006

All Aboard Overnight (A book about a train ride)

Title: All Aboard Overnight:A book of compound words
Author: Betsy and Giulio Maestro

We got this book right around the time we were taking a train trip ourselves. After reading this, our kids were quite disappointed that we did not go on a much longer ride including a sleeping berth.

I have liked most the books we have read by Betsy and Giulio Maestro. They have lots of educational books many of which are about various modes of transportation. This story follows a family as they go on an overnight train ride to visit grandparents and has a focus on compound words.

My kids both really enjoy this one

Truck and Loader by Helen R. Haddad

Title: Truck and Loader
Author: Helen R. Haddad
Age: 3 years – 5 years

This is a nice, short chapter book for little ones who can sit for a little longer book. This one is especially interesting because it tells 3 different stories of situations where the dump truck and loader can work together to get a job done. This is a great addition to your library of books about trucks. Especially if you are getting tired of the simple books where trucks and truck parts are just labeled. My son asks me to read this one over and over again.

*this post originally written 5/5/2006