Sorry to post two book round-ups in a row, but seeing that the d-date is around the corner, or at least I’d like to think it is, here are two “big sister” books that we’ve been reading…thanks D!
I’m a Big Sister by Joanna Cole
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This has become a regular in the night-time rotation.
I like that the book helps to explain that newborns have different needs and limitations and that the older siblings can bond and help care for the new household addition.
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The best thing about this book is that there are no words – so every time you sit down to read this, you & your child can talk about different things. The older sibling, the new baby, helping mommy & daddy, and so on…
Grossly overdue…here’s our latest book round up!
Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
The best used book I’ve bought! My daughter simply adores Daisy and seems genuinely concerned when Daisy gets separated from Mama Duck. We’ve read it so many times, my daughter can now “read” it back to me.
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
The story follows Peter throughout his snowy day adventures.
I read this to my daughter before our trip to the snow and I think it made her even more excited when she could have a snowy day of her own! She now makes snow angels on the carpet!
A classic, must-read!
Bedtime for Frances by Russell Hoban
My review
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
**spoiler alert**
Frances was a favorite of mine when I was young. Lately, getting Mads to bed is one ordeal after another…just like Frances.My 3yo finds the part about the potential tiger a bit scary, so we skip that part. Surprisingly, she’s okay with the giant in the room.
We’ve got such a great collection of books now – I’ll try to be more vigilant about publishing more book round-ups!
Alice Waters And Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
A fabulous insight to one of the most celebrated restaurants in the nation and the woman who is responsible for bringing Laura Chenel goat cheese to the masses!
As a somewhat foodie, I appreciated very much the history/beginnings of some of the Bay Area’s food stars: Jeremiah Tower (Stars), Steve Sullivan (Acme Bread) and Judy Rogers (Zuni Cafe) to name a few.
It does not get into the business side of things – which would have been an entirely separate book on its own – but rather details the slow food movement and the growth of the “buy local, buy organic” movement. The success/popularity of farmer’s markets today is all thanks to Ms. Waters.
This book will leave you craving a lovely french snack of crusty baguette and artisanal brie as well as a meal at the famous Chez Panisse.
I hope that I can make this children’s book roundup a regular Kellybean feature…we’ll see how it goes.
Madeline’s Christmas by Ludwig Bemelmans
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
It’s way past Christmas, but my daughter still requests that we read Madeline’s Christmas. I’ve read it so much to her, that she can almost recite this book back to me…and she’s only 2! I don’t think she likes it at all. 🙂
Priscilla and the Great Santa Search by Nathaniel Hobbie
My review
rating: 4 of 5 stars
My daughter received this book as a Christmas gift from some friends of ours.The first time I read it to her, she didn’t seem too interested. But the next night she requested that I add “Silla” to the bedtime story rotation. I think that it being a Christmas book, helped pique her interest. Also, too, my daughter is showing signs of being a girly-girl and Priscilla and her friend, Bettina are as girly as you can get!
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
“…and the smallest one was Madeline.” This is the first story of the fiery red-head at Miss Clavel’s. My daughter loves this book, and is starting to recite this story as well. The illustrations are so simple, it’s great! We heart Madeline!
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
How could children not love this book? The title sounds silly enough, kids go nuts! My daughter just loves this book and seems genuinely concerned when the letters have fallen from the coconut tree.
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems
My review
rating: 5 of 5 stars
My daughter just adores this book! She really gets into telling the pigeon, “No!”
Though, quite enjoyable, this does not make a good choice for the bed time story rotation.
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert
My review
rating: 3 of 5 stars
Slow to begin, it ended up being a quick read.
You’ll enjoy this memoir if you don’t take the author so seriously.
Though, it has gotten me interested in finding a guru and retreating to an ashram.
The ending and preview for her next memoir, left me warm and fuzzy – it’s a good thing.
A while ago, I discovered this song from my mom (of all people!) – from her copy of a Hotel Costes mix. Yes, my mom has a Hotel Costes mix – is she uber-hip or what?
As the title mentions, I have no idea where to begin, I’ve got a lot running thru my head right now…
*I picked up my new glasses (cute little Prada frames with subtle bling)
*I went crazy at the bookstore and picked up 4 new books to read (I need to get a library card, buying full price is expensive!). I’m trying to venture out into different topics as to keep my brain working, so I picked up the following books:
The Audacity of Hope: Thoughs on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama
The Story of French by Jean-Benoit Nadeau, Julie Barlow
The Canon: A Whirligig Tour of the Beautiful Basics of Science by Natalie Angier
Anything that involves a “whirligig” sounds like fun!
Alice Waters and Chez Panisse by Thomas McNamee
*Mads is still on her Nemo kick, but when we do put the DVD on, she asks, “turtle?” Is is sad that I know that the Sea Turtle scene is #16 on the DVD?
But after watching Nemo for like, a jillion times, I’ve started to take notice of a few things. For example, Nemo’s friends at school, it’s the dads that are dropping off their kids. The turtle scene also lacks mama turtles. When Nemo gets scooped up by the diver, I thought it pretty rude that none of the class went to help (survival instinct, I suppose). Also, when Nemo is freed from the aquarium, he forgets his tank buddies, just like that – not that he could do much to help – but you get the idea.
*The search is over…I hope. I’ve got an occasion of sorts next week and have been frantically trying to find a dress, or two, or three. I found a cute little frock here and found a more casual one here. For the third, I may just recycle an older one from her.
*We’ve bought our tickets and will be visiting famille Rebaud later this summer. We’d like to take a side vacay, but with the price of airlines tickets, along with the price of gas/oil, and the weak dollar, I’m thinking exploring Paris may be just enough (financially). I’m not complaining, really!
*Not only can I listen to Madonna’s new single, I can watch the video over and over and over.
Okay a partial brain dump…I’ve got to convince a 20-month old to take a bath – not her favorite thing to do right now. Wish me luck!