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Books for Adults
May 1, 2015
Mrs. G

What I’m Reading (in May 2015)

Below are the two books I plan to read this month.  What books do you have in your queue for the month of May?  Feel free to let me know in the comments.

Design Mom: How to Live With Kids A Room-By-Room Guide by Gabrielle Stanley Blair

Status: Finished

 

In this book Gabrielle Stanley Blair offers a room-by-room guide to keeping things sane, organized, creative, and stylish. She provides advice on getting the most out of even the smallest spaces; simple fixes that make it easy for little ones to help out around the house; ingenious storage solutions for the never-ending stream of kid stuff; rainy-day DIY projects; and much, much more.
Time Management Magic: How To Get More Done Every Day And Move From Surviving To Thriving by Lee Cockerell

Status: Finished

Executive Time Management Secrets from a Life at Disney… During Lee Cockerell’s career at Disney as the Senior Operating Executive of Walt Disney World Resort, he led a team of 40,000 Cast Members (employees) and was responsible for the operations of 20 resort hotels, 4 theme parks, 2 water parks and the ESPN Sports Complex. As you can imagine, Lee had to become a time management expert, first as a means of survival and then as a way to help others make the best use of their time. The time management secrets he developed have become one of his most requested corporate training lectures and are now available to you in this tell–all book.
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Books for Adults
April 8, 2015
Mrs. G

What I’m Reading (in April 2015)

Below are the two books I’m reading for the month of April.  I started reading another book, but didn’t like it so I picked up Gretchen Rubin’s latest book instead.  I’d love to hear what book(s) you’re reading this month.  Let me know in the comments if you care to share.

~Happy Reading!

Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin



Status: Finished

I read Gretchen’s other book, The Happiness Project years ago and loved it!  I’m hoping this book will be just as good if not better.  It’s supposed to answer the question, “How do we change our habits?”French Kids Eat Everything by Karen Le Billon


Status: Finished
As the cover of the book states, Karen Le Billon and her husband moved their family from North America to France where they “cured” picky eating, quit giving their kids snacks, and started living by 10 simple rules that eventually taught her kids to be happy eaters who eat healthy food.
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read aloud
April 2, 2015
Mrs. G

What the Kids are Reading (in April 2015)

I seriously cannot believe we’re already in the month of April!  I swear time goes by so much faster when you have kids…or maybe it’s just me.

Below you’ll find all of the books I’ll be reading to the kids for the month of April.  Since it’s Easter, National Poetry Month, and Earth Month I think I’ve selected a nice variety of books.

This book is super cute!  It’s a wordless picture book, but the overall message of teamwork and working together is great!  Oh, and the pictures are just so adorable!  This would make a really cute Easter gift.  Sparkles cannot get enough of this book and neither can I.
Through the story of a little boy named Felix, this charming book explains to children how being kind not only helps others, it helps them, too. As he goes about his day, Felix interacts with different people — his sister Anna, his grandfather, other family and friends. Some people are happy, but others are grumpy or sad. Using the metaphor of a bucket and dipper, Felix’ grandfather explains why the happy people make Felix feel good, while the others leave him feeling bad — and how Felix himself is affecting others, whether he means to or not.

 

This book brings counting to life with a cute story about friendship!

 

When Felix wakes up one morning, he finds an invisible bucket floating overhead. A rotten morning threatens his mood–and his bucket–drop by drop. Can Felix discover how to refill his bucket before it’s completely empty?

 

Emma’s family is celebrating Easter! Emma and her little brother hunt for Easter eggs and candy. They go to church. Then relatives come over for a big meal.

 

Giraffes Can’t Dance is a touching tale of Gerald the giraffe, who wants nothing more than to dance. With crooked knees and thin legs, it’s harder for a giraffe than you would think. Gerald is finally able to dance to his own tune when he gets some encouraging words from an unlikely friend.  Another favorite for the kiddos!

 

Haiku poems just for boys…yes please!  My library had this on display so I snatched it up for my little man.  It contains a nice assortment of poems.

 

Yes, this book has a hole right in the center of it…brilliant!  The kids get a kick out of putting their hands or any other objects lying around through the middle…so cute!  The Book with a Hole blasts a hole through the middle of the book itself. Sometimes the hole is an eye the reader can look through; sometimes it is a mouth and the reader’s fingers make the teeth! The next minute it is a plate (with food drawn by the reader on a sheet of paper behind the book), an obstacle to jump across, or a saucepan.

 

This book has been on my “to-read-to-the-kids list” for a while and I finally got it.  Iggy has one passion: building. His parents are proud of his fabulous creations, though they’re sometimes surprised by his materials—who could forget the tower he built of dirty diapers?

 

A classic favorite finds six lovable animals using humorous rhymes to help Lloyd the llama discover what kind of animal his mother is.

 

I love this book more than the kids do.  Barbara Cooney’s story of Alice Rumphius, who longed to travel the world, live in a house by the sea, and do something to make the world more beautiful.

 

This is definitely a book to add to your home library if you like prayers and teach your children to pray.  I bought this for the kids for Easter…so beautiful!  This poem is nice to recite at bedtime.

 

This is another book I’ve been wanting to read to the kids for a while.  Such an inspiring book for girls and boys alike!

 

I adore this book!  What a beautiful story about a tiny snail and a giant whale.  The overall message is fantastic…another winner from Julia Donaldson!

 

The poems in this book are funny!  We love the one entitled ‘Maybe I’ll Sleep in the Bathtub Tonight’.
Join Little Mole as he travels over land, air, and sea in search of an answer to his question: “How big is the world?”  Lovely story and beautifully illustrated.

 

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read aloud
March 4, 2015
Mrs. G

What the Kids are Reading (in March 2015)

 

 

Just as the title implies, this book has no pictures, but the kids love it!  Definitely a hit in our house.  It’s requested to be read over and over at bedtime.

 

Shark in the Park by Phil Roxbee Cox
A cute story about a pup who warns all the other animals there is a shark in the park.  This book is easy to pick up on and would be great to revisit again when the kids are able to read on their own.Bee-Bim Bop! by Linda Sue Park
This is another one of the kids’ favorites.  They love the rhyming text and the illustrations.  There is even a recipe of how to make Bee-Bim Bop (a Korean dish) at the back of the book.Goodnight Already! by Jory John & Benji Davies
A very funny story about a bear who just wants to sleep and a duck who wants to hang out all night.

 

This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen
This book is written by the same author who wrote I Want My Hat Back which I’ve also read to my kids.  The ending can be seen as a bit dark (in both books), but I don’t have a problem with it as I think it teaches a lesson.  Read it for yourself and draw your own conclusion.  My kids seem to like this book.The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman
This is soooo fun to read aloud and my kids just love it!  I can’t imagine having seven children, much less seven picky eaters…a delight!Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco
Although my children haven’t shown any signs of being afraid of thunderstorms yet, I thought I’d pick up this book to read to them anyway.  I love the way the grandmother consoles her granddaughter by telling her thunderstorms are nothing more than ingredients used to make Thunder Cake…genius!
The Alphabet Tree by Leo Lionni

When a fierce wind threatens to blow all the little letters out of the alphabet tree, they must band together in words—and then sentences—to create a message that’s even stronger than the wind: peace on earth.
Sam Sheep Can’t Sleep by Phil Roxbee Cox
Another easy reader phonics book about a sheep who can’t sleep.
My Mouth is a Volcano!  by Julia Cook
This is a great book to read if you have children who are constantly interrupting when grown-ups are talking.  We’ll be revisiting this book again when the kids are a bit older.  Great story and illustrations!Rumble in the Jungle by Giles Andreae
We adore this rhyming safari book!  The kids love pointing to the colorful pictures of all the different animals in the jungle.  So cute!
Ten Little Ladybugs by Melanie Gerth
In Ten Little Ladybugs, one by one, ten tactile bugs disappear. Where did they all go? Young ones will love finding this out as they feel their way through the sturdy, colorful pages of this innovative book. The cute critters provide a hands-on learning experience and the rhyming text reinforces the counting concept. Interactive, educational, adorable – this magical countdown book adds up to a whole lot of fun…a winner!
Take Away the A by Michael Escoffier
One of the best alphabet books I’ve ever read and the kids love this one too!  It’s a good way to show children how different words are formed.
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Books for Adults
February 27, 2015
Mrs. G

What I’m Reading (in March 2015)

The Fringe Hours: Making Time For You

Status: Finished

Every woman has had this experience: you get to the end of the day and realize you did nothing for you. And if you go days, weeks, or even months in this cycle, you begin to feel like you have lost a bit of yourself.  While life is busy with a litany of must-dos–work, parenting, keeping house, grocery shopping, laundry and on and on–women do not have to push their own needs aside. Yet this is often what happens. There’s just no time, right? Wrong.The Green Ember by S.D. SmithStatus: Finished
Heather and Picket are extraordinary rabbits with ordinary lives until calamitous events overtake them, spilling them into a cauldron of misadventures. They discover that their own story is bound up in the tumult threatening to overwhelm the wider world.
An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-year-old panhandler, a busy sales executive, and an unlikely meeting with destiny by Laura Schroff
Status: Finished

An Invisible Thread tells of the life-long friendship between a busy sales executive and a disadvantaged young boy, and how both of their lives were changed by what began as one small gesture of kindness.

My Thoughts:  Good book.  Overall, I enjoyed it and found it interesting how the two main characters were so different, yet so alike in other ways.  I do believe there is an invisible thread that connects us to people we encounter in our lives.

 

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Books for Adults
February 13, 2015
Mrs. G

What I’m Reading (in February 2015)

 

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Status: Finished

I found this book to be very inspiring.  It was interesting to read about all the things she endured and the people she met along the way in her very emotional and compelling journey.  The quality of writing in this book is fantastic.  Cheryl is a wonderful storyteller who vividly captures her experience of hiking the PCT.  Now I want to see the movie starring Reese Witherspoon!

 

The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing
by Marie Kondo

Status: Finished

WOW, this book is AMAZING!  I read the entire book cover to cover in five days.  I probably could have finished this in one full day, but between work, taking care of the house and the kids I had to squeeze it in when I could.  Anyway, this book was definitely a page turner for me from beginning to end.

The topic of decluttering and tidying has always intriguied me, but Marie Kondo has definitely got me beat.  She spent more than half of her life researching tidying since the age of 5…that’s impressive!  Some people may find this book a bit over the top, but I loved every.single.word.  Who knew I would find a book about decluttering and tidying so intriguing?

Now that I’ve completed the book, I’m going to start the process of tidying up our home using the KonMari Method.  I can truly see how this book can be life-changing and magical.  It just makes so much sense to me by putting your house in order you can put your entire life in order.  Kudos to Marie Kondo for writing such a well-written and inspiring book!

The Noticer: Sometimes, all a person needs is a little perspective by Andy Andrews

Status: Finished

I started reading this book on a Thursday and was finished by Saturday of that same week.  This book is a quick read – only 156 pages in length, but it’s filled with so many great nuggets of wisdom that can truly be applied to your everyday life.

I absolutely loved the chapters about the four dialects that people use to convey love.  It definitely gives you a whole new perspective and makes excellent comparisons between the four dialects and corresponding animals – brillant!

I look forward to sharing the life lessons I learned from “Jones” in this book.  Everyone needs a “Jones” in their life – I know I do.  I can definitely see why this book has gotten such rave reviews on Amazon and other websites.  I’ll be purchasing this book for sure to add to my collection.  An excellent read!

 

 

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read aloud
February 12, 2015
Mrs. G

What the Kids are Reading (in February 2015)

 

Below is a list of the books I’m currently reading to the kids for this month.  Almost all of these books were borrowed from the library.

Such a fun book with a great overall message to be grateful.  The kids really seem to get a kick out of this book.  Another great rhyming book with fun illustrations.

Love this book…it’s a classic!  This book has it all: great illustrations, rhyming text, it’s thought provoking and imaginative.
This is a counting book with awesome illustrations.  The kids like looking for the dragon on each page, especially my daughter, Sparkles.
This is a really cute bedtime story for children.  The kids loved this book so much the first time I checked it out from the library that we ended up purchasing it.  This one is always requested to be read again during storytime.  My daughter can recite this entire book from memory on her own.
You can never go wrong with a book by Karen Beaumont.  I love the rhythm and cadence in this book as well as the illustrations…poor sheep!  Another favorite for the kiddos.

 

I recently discovered Julia Donandson and I haven’t been disappointed with one of her books yet.  A great story about a monkey looking for his mom.
I just picked up this book on a recent library haul and I’m so happy I got this for the kids.  An adorable story about a duck who lost his new blue socks.
The kids and I adore this book about friendship.  This is another one requested to be read again during storytime.
My 14 month-old son (Mr. Tickles) absolutely loves this book and so do I.  Great story, wonderful cadence and illustrations.  I’ll purhcase this book eventually to add to our collection.  This is our third time checking it out from the library.
Mem Fox is another author who does not disappoint.  Love this story!  I even learned a new vocabulary word from reading this.  Anyone know what an eiderdown is without Googling it?  Don’t worry, I didn’t know either.
This is another one of Sparkles’ favorites.  I had to renew this book twice already!  We’ll be purchasing this one at some point too.  Lucy is such an lovable character!

 

A lovely interactive book!  This book instructs kids to do something to the tree on each page.  As you turn the page the tree changes in some way.  Such a delight to read!

 

I can see why this book has its’ title.  It has a little bit of everythng in it from shapes, to colors, to nursery rhymes.  The kids love all of the colorful illustrations – a winner!  This book also has a total of 119 ladybugs scattered throughout.  The kids and I like searching for the ladybugs on each page – so fun! 
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