Kid's Book Recommendations: Home Edition

I just love all the books Nora and I have been discovering lately. Some through friend's recommendations, some from blogs and others just by sweet happenstance. I have a pretty long list of great books I want to pass along, so I thought I'd break them into categories. These are some wonderful titles that seem to center around the theme of Home.

All the Places to Love by Patricia MacLachlan. This is a gorgeous book and one I've put on our "to own" list. Little Eli describes life on his family's farm, from the sweet soil his father plows to the smell of leather in his grandfather's barn and the blueberry flats where he picnics with his mother. It is hard to read this and not daydream about buying a few acres, a barn and a menagerie of animals.

A House is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman. This book was given to me at a shower before I had Nora and the well-read gift-giver stated that this was her very favorite book as a kid (thanks Kathy!). The illustrations in this book are amazing...always important to me. The pictures are of intricate detail and provide something new to find on each page and with each reading. Reading like poetry, homes are described from ant hills to corn husks, tickling Nora's imagination and helping her see the world just a little bit differently.

I Know a Place by Karen Ackerman. Unfortunately, this little book about the sounds, smells and routines of a little girl's home seems to be out-of-print. This was one that Nora pulled off the library shelf on her own and I'm so glad she did. From the sounds of her father's early morning footsteps as he readies himself for work to family dinners and snuggling under her quilt at night - it highlights the importance of the rhythms of home and the comfort children find in it's familiarities.

Do you have any favorite books about "home"?

2011 Reading List

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Last year I set as one of my goals to stick to a reading list and to focus on reading one book at-a-time. I am happy to say that, although I didn't read all the books on my list, I actually read AND COMPLETED more books last year than I have in a long time! So, this year, I have no delusions that I will only stick to this list, or that I will complete it. But, I found it uber helpful to have a list to go back to when I was stumped as to what to read next.

So, here goes (you'll notice a few books I didn't get to from last year's list)...

Loving our Kids on Purpose by Danny Silk

Learning all the Time by John Holt

10-Minute Life Lessons for Kids by Jamie C. Miller

The Creative Family by Amanda Blake Soule

Adopted for Life by Russell Moore

Grace-Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel

Simplicity Parenting: Using the Extraordinary Power of Less to Raise Calmer, Happier, and More Secure Kids by Kim John Payne

The Heavenly Man: the remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun by Paul Hattaway

Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ, by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

A Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World by Paul Miller

Prayer: Finding the heart's true home by Richard Foster

One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are by Ann Voskamp

Relationships: A Mess Worth Making by Tim Lane and Paul Tripp

Womanly Dominion: More than a gentle and quiet spirit by Mark Chanski

Sacred Influence: How God uses wives to shape the souls of their husbands by Gary Thomas

Practicing Hospitality: The joy of serving others by Patricia Ennis

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted by T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell II

Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule--and Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern

Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail Gehring

The Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan (in writing this list, I realized I had the author's name as "Paul Bunyan" on last year's list - LOL)

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek by Annie Dillard

Mind of the Maker by Dorothy Sayers

East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Gilead by Maryanne Robinson

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

A Severe Mercy by Sheldon Vanauken

Thanks to all those who recommended many of these books! What are you reading in 2011?!

* edited to say this is a VERY ambitious reading list. It is more of a reference list than a goal, but I hope to read at least 20 of these books*

More recommendations

I've had a running list of great kids books and some other recommendations I wanted to share, so I thought I'd better quick write a post before I forget!

A Child's Day: an alphabet of play by Ida Pearle. With each letter, an action like "jump", "dance", "catch" and "swim" is depicted. I absolutely adore the illustrations in this book. They are all cut-paper collages and I especially love that the children are of many ethnicities. I am seriously contemplating buying 2 copies of this book - 1 for reading, and 1 to dismantle and frame and pages for Nora's room or a future playroom.

The reason this book caught my eye at the library was because I had recently purchased this album...

You are my Little Bird by Elizabeth Mitchell (Ida Pearle did the cover art). I stumbled upon this album listening to a children's station I had created on Pandora. I had found some other children's bands that I could stand, but I was blown away by this music - I mean, I actually listen to this when Nora's napping and love it! Folksy, pared-down and not over-the-top sugary sweet, my kind of music. And, from the smile on Nora's face whenever I turn it on, I think she likes it too!

How do you Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle. We've been reading this one several times a day for a week, and I'm just not getting tired of it. It makes me smile every time. A couple lines:

How do you wokka-wokka?

I wokka-wokka like a clock go ticka-tocka, pitta-patta, time-no-matta, picka-pocka-ticka-tocka

If only I had a little more rhythm, the lines would probably sound even better, but Nora doesn't seem to mind.

This last one I hesitate to "recommend" since kids under 2 are technically not supposed to watch t.v. But, who among us has not used the glowing screen as a short-term babysitter at some point in our parenting lives? I am so thankful for Netflix "instant play" to be able to quickly pull up a short show for Nora to watch while I make dinner or wash up breakfast dishes. This is Pingu, a claymation-style show about a penguin and his antics. It is originally from Sweden. Not necessarily going to contribute to language development, but Nora is highly entertained!

A love of reading.

"Children are made readers on the laps of their parents." — Emilie Buchwald

Something we definitely want to be more intentional about in the coming year is reading to Nora. When she was littler and less mobile, reading together was a part of our daily rhythm. She relaxed on my lap as I would read book after book, before naptime, after naptime, before bed. Now that she is an active toddler, reading together has gone to the wayside a bit. We still read together everyday, usually before naps and at night before bed. But, it's often hurried or Nora is already so tired neither of us enjoy our time. Honestly, it's my own fault (duh, I am the mom), because Nora plays so well by herself, I've taken advantage of that time to do my own projects and I've spent less intentional time with Nora.

A good friend recommended reading to Nora while she eats. Since she is strapped down in her high-chair (most of the time), she is a captive audience. This morning we read from the Bible together then read a couple of library books. Nora enjoyed it so much, we read a couple more books after breakfast snuggled up together on the couch. I am also realizing that I need to be more discriminating on the books we check out at the library - there are some real duds out there!

So, I thought I would share some of the good books we've discovered, and you can pass along your favorites to us:

Robert McKloskey is probably more famously known for another great book, Make Way for Ducklings, but I must say, I am partial to Blueberries for Sal. I love that Little Sal is in overalls and Maryjanes. I love that her mother puts her to work helping her pick blueberries and later helps in canning them (although Sal gets into a bit of mischief along the way). Written in the 1940s, Little Sal's mother recognizes that although Sal is small, she can be productive and learn alongside her in the day-to-day business of life.

Nora's Ark, by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock. This one came home from the library with us for obvious reasons, but I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of this story. Based on the true events of a disasterous flood in 1927 Vermont, it is a tale of survival for a little girl and her grandparents. But, even more than that, it is a story of true hospitality and the value of being prepared.

The illustrations of All in a Day by Cynthia Rylant were what initially attracted me to this book. The paper-cut pictures use only 4 colors: black, white, yellow and sky blue, but are stunning. The words are a poetic description of the value of a day. Some of my favorite lines - "The past is sailing off to sea, the future's fast asleep. A day is all you have to be, it's all you get to keep." and "A day can change just everything, given half a chance." Oh, and there's a chicken. Everybody loves chickens. We've been reading this mostly at breakfast time.

The Little House: Her Story by Virginia Lee Burton is a classic, and for this urban planning nerd, will probably become a part of our permanent collection. This is the tale of a little pink house, built to stand the test of time in the countryside. Over time, progress has it's way and soon envelops the little house. But, no worries, there is a happy ending. Watch the subtle way the Little House's "facial" expressions change - it took me 4 or 5 readings before I even noticed this!

These books make me excited to discover even more children's book gems. So, what are some of your favorites? And, I know you have some!

Reading List 2010

In my last post, I noted that one of my goals is to make, and stick to, a reading list for 2010. So, without much ado, here is my reading list for 2010, in no particular order:

Real Food for Mother and Baby: The Fertility Diet, Eating for Two, and Baby's First Foods, by Nina Planck

The Omnivore's Dilemma: a natural history of four meals, by Michael Pollan

The China Study: The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted..., by T. Colin Campbell, Thomas M. Campbell II

The Urban Homestead: your guide to self-sufficient living in the heart of the city, by Erik Knutzen, Kelly Coyne

The Heavenly Man: the remarkable true story of Chinese Christian Brother Yun, by Paul Hattaway

The Lost Art of Disciple-making, by Leroy Eims

Created to be His Help Meet: discover how God can make your marriage glorious, by Debi Pearl (re-reading!)

The Mission of Motherhood: touching your child's heart for eternity, by Sally Clarkson

Honey for a Child's Heart: the imaginative use of books in family life, by Gladys Hunt

Radical Womanhood: feminine faith in a feminist world, by Carolyn McCulley

Shepherding a Child's Heart, by Ted Tripp

Counsel from the Cross: Connecting Broken People to the Love of Christ, by Elyse M. Fitzpatrick

Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule--and Your Life, by Julie Morgenstern

Pilgrim's Progress, by Paul Bunyan

Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, by Annie Dillard (re-reading...I love me some Annie Dillard!)

The Mind of the Maker, by Dorothy Sayers

I may not get this list read this year, or who knows, maybe I'll read more. Nonetheless, I am going to try taking them one-at-a-time (which is REALLY hard for me).

What are you reading this year?