We read another Carl book this week – Carl’s Sleepy Afternoon, by Alexandra Day. It was even more of a hit than our Carl book last week. Carl is quite the dog – very adventurous and helpful and completely loveable. So far we haven’t found a story about Carl that we haven’t loved or at least liked. We haven’t read all of them though, so I can’t say for sure that they are all wonderful, but this one sure is!
A Far Fetched Story, by Karin Cates has been one of M’s top favorites over the past couple of weeks. We read it at least once a day, and quite often it’s one of the books he chooses to look at in bed at the end of the day. In my opinion, it’s okay… even cute, and sort of funny. The real attraction (for me) is the artwork, by Nancy Carpenter – so interesting, and I can’t even explain why. Here’s a note about the artwork, found in the front of the book:
“The paintings for A Far-Fetched Story are done in pen and ink with watercolor on Arches 90-lb. hot-press watercolor paper. Each family member’s far-fetched tale, as well as a few other illustrations, are also pen and ink drawings with watercolor that have been color copied onto transfer paper and ironed onto white linen. I used a sewing machine and colored thread to sew additional lines and add details to the linen paintings. – Nancy Carpenter”
Interesting, no?
Our newest series of chapter books to read at lunch is The Littles, by John Peterson. I remember loving these books when I was little. I read them on my own in 2nd grade or so, but the vocabulary and story lines are super-easy for M to comprehend and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend these as read-alouds for 4+ non-readers. There are a couple of things I’ve skipped (which is easier to do with non-readers than readers, right?), that I felt were too scary for M (like a Little almost getting eaten by a dog, and that kind of thing, which some children his age are fine with). The three books pictured above are the ones we’ve read so far. Our favorite is The Littles Go Exploring – a story about finding a hidden room, going on a adventure beyond the Dark Woods, and looking for Grandpa Little who disappeared 2 years prior. Super-duper exciting stuff! ;)
For more reviews of children’s books, check out Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns.
Have a beautiful day! :)
Now you've got me thinking about trying a Carl book again.
ReplyDeleteI remember loving hte Littles TV show, and then finding the Borrowers books by Mary Norton, which I think the LIttle was based on. Loved that series, but it's definitely more of a 9+ book series.
I love that you introduce M to many books of your own childhood. The Littles sound very interesting, but Anna is extremely sensitive to scary stuff, and skipping is not an option with her. Perhaps I can get one and preread it first.
ReplyDeleteOh thank you for reminding me of The Littles books! And that's a Carl book we haven't seen yet; I'll have to check it out!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter loves The Littles :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for Carl books idea!
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