Jennifer over at Snapshot is hosting a Read to Me mission to encourage reading to children. You can read all about it here.
My kids are great readers and read many many hours on their own but I’ve noticed that as they have gotten older the times I read to them has dwindled considerably. This makes me sad and I really miss it. The last “family” book, as they like to call it, that I read to them was quite a few months ago. It was my all time favorite children’s book, The Secret World of Og. I loved this book when I was a kid and I loved it even more reading it to my own kids. What fun we had all piled into “mom and dad’s” bed where we would read two or three chapters each night. Yes I definitely want to get back to this and the mission was just the prompting I needed. So last night we headed out to the library to make our selections. Each of my kids have totally different reading preferences so finding ones they could both agree on was a bit tricky but we managed to come up with four great selections I think. The kids both really enjoy having funny books read to them so with that in mind we’ve chosen two comedy’s, one mystery selected by my son and a serious one selected by my daughter. My goal is to read to them at least two chapters a night five times a week.
Here are the books we have chosen to get us through the next month:
The Beloved Dearly
Ernie is a twelve year old tycoon, always on the lookout for a fast buck. This time he stumbles onto a money-making bonanza: pet funerals. He hires Dusty to decorate the burial boxes and Tony to dig the holes, but his prize find is Swimming Pool, a tomboy who can cry on cue. Business goes through the roof - until Ernie loses Swimming Pool over a raise and the whole venture unravels. Here is a rollicking, fun-spirited novel about friendship, loss, business - and how we learn to express our feelings.
Benny Bensky and the Perogy Palace
The Benskys are worried. Their restaurant, the Perogy Palace, is losing customers. There is something wrong with the perogies. Even their dog, Benny, won’t eat them anymore, and Benny eats everything. Benny Bensky is not aware of their problems. He’s a happy dog until the day he is forced - because of some very tiny mistakes, such as digging up the household plants - to go to obedience school. Although the teacher, Ms. Viola Pin, is mean as mean, the experience leads Benny and his friends, Rosie and Fran, right into a mystery. Can they solve it in time to save the Perogy Palace?
Home Free ~ (Book One)
Welcome to our Canadian Girl! In this wonderful series, you will get to know Margit and many other strong, smart and courageous girls. They come from different places and times in Canadian history, and each of them meets some ordinary and extraordinary challenges in her day to day life.
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (another one of my favorites as a kid)
Can the secret weapon in Idaville’s war on crime really be a ten-year-old boy in sneakers? It can if it’s Encyclopedia Brown! Encyclopedia is back with ten all new mysteries to solve, along with the help of his partner, Sally Kimball, the prettiest and toughest girl in the fifth grade. They’ll have to face Bugs Meany, who’s up to his old tricks, and Wilford Wiggins, who’s still dreaming up new schemes to trick the kids of Idaville out of their money. The solutions to all the mysteries are in the back but can you solve them first?
Please go visit Jennifer at this post to see a list of the other participants and what they will be reading to their kids….join in too if you want!
11 Comments
Those sound fun. I’ll have to check them out for my kids. We spend many hours every day reading around here. That’s one of the things I love best about home-schooling! Right now I’m reading The Swiss Family Robinson to the kids.
We’re just finishing Harry Potter and The Order of the phoenix. We read 2-3 times on the weekends.
I forgot about the Secret of Og. Will have to get this for the boys.
We’re a reading family as well…Scott more so than me.
An answered prayer!! I HONESTLY just created new listmania lists on favorite and hated books trying to help sort out what would get my kids back to read aloud. I hope one of these books will work! I’ll check out the post. I haven’t linked on the blog yet to the list so here’s the list of listmania lists if interested
http://www.amazon.com/gp/richpub/listmania/byauthor/A2R35BNS0SYRVU/ref=cm_lmt_dtpa_p_1/002-4258088-2571243
Your goal is great and those books look like terrific choices. I was a big fan of Encyclopedia Brown, too. Of course, since I was going to be a world-famous detective when I grew up, I had to read all the E. Brown books for “research.” :)
Laura,
I’m glad to see you joining in, too! I just joined in on Tuesday. I didn’t list specific books we are going to read, but I’m going to do updates with the books we’ve read! The books you’ve chosen sound like a lot of fun! Happy Reading!
Reading to my kids is one of my favorite things about homeschooling! We have let it go to the wayside lately. I am inspired to pick up a book and start reading again! Have a great week!
Laura,
Those books sound great. I have to come up with some goals and get them posted. Daddy is doing most of the reading now since he didn’t get a chance while he was away. Have a great day!
Laura–I love that you all went to the library together to pick out the books. I will have to look into some of those as well. I really do love reading books that I enjoyed as a kid with her. Terry and I also enjoyed Encycl. Brown, and she’s started reading them, too.
The Secret World of Og! I loved that book too and have bought the 25th anniversary edition so that I can read it to my kids. My 4th grade teacher read it to us and I still remember sitting on the big red carpet as she explained what a neck-tie party was! Thanks for the memory!
Sorry I posted and deleted…I was typing while holding a pen and didn’t proof read!
I love Og! We read it in school years ago. I’m going straight to the library tomorrow to check it out! Thanks for jogging my memory!
I’ve never even heard of Og! Shame on me. My girls read a lot, they just finished a ‘Readathon’ to raise money for the school. We visit the library regularly…
Oops! I’ve just remembered I have two books to return today!
I haven’t blogged much this week, but had a little ramble this morning. Please visit for coffee!