A very cute and very fun book for the holiday season!
If you are used to the usual run-of-the-mill nativity presentation at your local religious institA very cute and very fun book for the holiday season!
If you are used to the usual run-of-the-mill nativity presentation at your local religious institution and want a fresh take that is a bit out of the ordinary, it is worth giving The Best Christmas Pageant Ever a try! When a church goes to put on the same old nativity, some local ragamuffins are interested in participating (mainly due to the promise of snacks). Over the course of the story, these seemingly uncouth kids help those who have been taking the Christmas Story for granted open their eyes to the true meaning of Christmas.
I read this one out loud with my kids and we had a great time with it. The dialogue was fun and I loved hearing my wife and kids snicker after reading off a humorous line. So, not only was the book great, but it was a fantastic family read along experience. A great way to celebrate the holidays!
This is another book I read to my kids at bedtime. They have been very into Minecraft lately. I cannot say that I understand it and I definitely wouldThis is another book I read to my kids at bedtime. They have been very into Minecraft lately. I cannot say that I understand it and I definitely would not have chosen this book to read on my own. I will comment on my thoughts on the book, but I should probably rate it based on the target audience: my kids . . . and they loved it!
[image]
I am not sure the publishing history of this book and other books in the series. The cover says unofficial, so definitely not endorsed by the game’s creators. The quality of the grammar of spelling tells me that it likely was never reviewed by an editor. The story is interesting enough despite being quite repetitive. In the end, lessons were learned about how being different does not mean that we have to be enemies and fighting is not always the answer – so at least it had some positive vibes going for it. I am glad that my kids are into having me read books to them and having material they are into helps . . . even if I couldn’t wait for it to be over!
So . . . if I was rating it just for myself, I would probably give it 2 Stars
I am sure my kids would give it 5 stars
In the end, I will give it 4 stars and will be thankful for material that gets kids into reading. Also, I have watched them play Minecraft and the strategy and building aspects are pretty cool and educational. So, I am also thankful that they are into a game with a constructive and educational aspect.
I will just be over here playing Borderlands 3 or Red Dead Redemption . . . ...more
I am pretty sure I read this book when I was a kid and loved it. I figured it would be a great book to read out loud to my kids. Unfortunately 3 Stars
I am pretty sure I read this book when I was a kid and loved it. I figured it would be a great book to read out loud to my kids. Unfortunately it ended up being a somewhat painful book to read out loud.
While the stories are cute and memorable, the writing and dialogue is frequently convoluted and confusing. There is such and excess of run-on sentences that Milne even breaks the fourth wall at one point to comment about run-on sentences. Also, there is random capitalization throughout the book - which I don't think would be much of an issue reading silently to myself, but I never realized how much my brain would use capitalization as a visual cue to decide how I would say something out loud. Every chapter was stopping, restarting, apologizing to the kids, etc. All of this ended up tainting family reading time a bit.
My daughter pointed out that one of these stories is in her third grade reader. After this refresher, I fear that this book might promote some bad reading and grammar habits in kids just learning to read.
A classic, sure, but just not as fantastical and fun as I remember. I feel like being exhausted at the end of every chapter because of the writing is not a great thing....more
My daughter picked this book out for me to read it to her and her brother. She picked it up last year at a school book fair - I look for3.5 to 4 stars
My daughter picked this book out for me to read it to her and her brother. She picked it up last year at a school book fair - I look forward to having those again someday! (For those reading this review in the future and wondering why I say that - I am writing this review in 2020; school book fairs unlikely for the foreseeable future!)
Narwhal on a Sunny Night is right in the middle of the Magic Tree House series. While the main characters mention a few things that may not make sense if you have not read the rest of the series - and there are a few "Remember that time when . . ." moments when they recap a previous storyline - it is not bad enough to distract from the plot overall. This is especially important if you have a kid excited to read - just hop on in wherever!
The writing was okay - it obviously had to be kept at an elementary level. However, I have read a few elementary books with my kids where the narrative and dialogue flowed a bit better.
My kids really got into this book and said they want to find more in the series. Also, they were excited to learn all about Greenland. The problem is now they want to see a Narwhal and one of the things we learned is that narwhals can't be kept in captivity. Guess it is time for me to start planning that trip to Greenland!...more
I think as we get more into an era where kids don’t know a time without computers and easily accessible technology,Another classic read with the kids!
I think as we get more into an era where kids don’t know a time without computers and easily accessible technology, books like Little House in the Big Woods will start to appeal less to the young crowd. Listening to stories of pioneer life is so far removed from what they know it is at times incomprehensible. At least when I was a kid we were not all that far removed from a simpler and less wired lifestyle. I do think my kids enjoyed the time we took to read this together, but it was much less easier for them to stay interested in than in some other books we read (Willy Wonka and his fantastic factory and elevator, Bunnicula the vampire rabbit, Ralph and his Motorcycle (which also had some more old timey content that was a bit hard to connect to, but nothing like Little House)). I will continue to read to them and hope to keep the spirit of these classics alive.
I know that this was the second time reading this. I vividly remember the cover as the same one from elementary school. But before I re-read it, it would have been impossible for me to tell you anything about it. However, as our family got into it, I noticed some of the parts were very familiar. Apparently, I had retained a lot of the content, but my brain hadn’t filed it with any point of reference. I kept looking at my wife and kids while I was reading and saying, “Hey, I remember this!”
But I am also pretty sure that this is the only book I read in the series. I never moved on to Little House on the Prairie and I never watched the television show. Maybe this time I will move on to the second book with my family. Seems like I really must at some point to get the full feel of this classic series.
One major thing to point out about the first book that stood out to me, and is not really a criticism - it just is what it is – is that there is not a whole lot of plot. The point of the book is that each chapter shares a little bit of what life was like for the children while living through the year secluded in the big woods. So, instead of a beginning, middle, and end, you get a series of detailed anecdotes about some aspect of life in the cabin. I would be interested to know if that is how the rest of the series is as well.
This selection is worth checking out – especially if you are looking for something easy to read with the kids.
Disclaimer: Frequently as of late, books and movies have been putting disclaimers on content with dated cultural depictions. While Little House in the Big Woods does seem sweet and innocent, there is a song sung by the father with racial slurs. I am sure it was representative of what was acceptable at the time, but I wanted to make sure that anyone who might be sensitive to this know about it up front. ...more
When I read this as a kid: 5 Stars Reread as an adult: 2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic. I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it asWhen I read this as a kid: 5 Stars Reread as an adult: 2 Stars
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a classic. I enjoyed it as a kid and I enjoyed it as an adult when I reread it with my kids a few months ago. Next logical step was to reread the sequel to my kids which was another book that I had fond memories of from my childhood.
However, this book has not aged well . . .
Generally, I really enjoy Dahl’s work, but I may have found one that might be best left skipped. I guess the incoherent goofiness of this was endearing to me as a child, but it was quite painful during the reread. My wife kept trying to get out of listening to it with me and the kids because it was so bad, but the kids would not let me proceed unless she was in the room! The first half of the book is a bizarre space adventure with cringe-worthy dialogue. The second half is a thinly veiled commentary on drug overdosing – including an (view spoiler)[Oompa Loompa song about a girl ODing on laxatives and having permanent damage where she must sit on the toilet for hours every day (hide spoiler)]. It’s just makes me wonder a lot about where this all came from after the wonderful first book.
Also, there are many cultural representations in this book that would not fly today. Some of you have seen on Disney+ where they have left the old movies in tact but put a warning on movies like Dumbo and Peter Pan that they contain dated cultural references – this book needs that disclaimer! As racial tensions have been very high in the news lately, know that this book would not hold up in the debate. This is especially troublesome as it is geared towards children – so I kind of skimmed a few parts. Maybe back when it was written it was not a big deal, but there are several things here I would not want my kids repeating in public!
So, approach this one with caution. If you want to complete Charlie and Willy Wonka’s journey, then give it a go and maybe you will enjoy it more than I did. But, you have been warned about what you are getting into! ...more
As part of the celebration, my daughter's class had parents come in and read books to the kids. As luck would have it, It's Read Across America week!
As part of the celebration, my daughter's class had parents come in and read books to the kids. As luck would have it, I got to be one of those parents! Since I am such an avid reader, it was so exciting to be a part of an event that encourages kids to read. From what I could tell, it is working because they were all very enthusiastic!
My choice was Smell My Foot by Cece Bell. I had not read it before, but someone recommend Bell's more well known selection, El Deafo, to my daughter and my daughter has already read that one two times in the past week. With an endorsement like that I felt like giving her other book a go might be the perfect choice for her class.
I am pleased to report that the kids - and the teacher (who laughed throughout) - loved it! I enjoyed doing silly voices for each character and I was pleased to hear the kids whisper "I love this book" several times throughout. I was so glad to have picked a winner and that I made my daughter proud of her Daddy!
The kids have spoken - 5 stars!
Oh, and I am sure the teacher loved having a room full of kids demanding she smell their feet for the rest of the day! ...more
My wife is a big fan of Karen Kingsbury. She received a copy of this as a gift and since it is geared toward a younger audience, we decided to read itMy wife is a big fan of Karen Kingsbury. She received a copy of this as a gift and since it is geared toward a younger audience, we decided to read it out loud as a family. My kids have been really into out loud reading time at night and it is fun to see them get excited to recap what we read the night before. These are times I will cherish forever!
I have not read any Kingsbury myself before this and am not likely to read her again simply because her writing doesn’t fall into my normal preference. But, it was fun to get a glimpse into a book that is part of a series my wife loves so much. As it deals with the younger versions of some of the main characters in her other books, I think that this will be more enjoyed by a Kingsbury fan than someone who is just picking up a young adult book for a stand-alone read.
Kingsbury is a spiritual, Christian author. If this is not your jam, this would not be the book for you. But, if you don’t care one way or another or are spiritual/Christian yourself, and you like cute, coming of age young adult novels, then this book is very worth a try.
When we were finished, my kids asked if there is a sequel. So great to see them excited and I guess maybe there is a good chance I will be reading some more Kingsbury in the future! ...more
Another fun and nostalgic re-read for me. I have very fond memories of reading this book when I was a kid. Now I have the pleasure of reading it out lAnother fun and nostalgic re-read for me. I have very fond memories of reading this book when I was a kid. Now I have the pleasure of reading it out loud to my kids. I could not be happier in reporting that they loved it, too!
This book is a timeless modern classic that is perfect for kids. Even though my son is still learning to read, he loved listening to the escapades of Ralph S. Mouse. And, because he loved it, I hope it promotes his interest in reading books as he gets more comfortable.
There are a few things here I think may start to get lost on kids as we move farther and farther away from the era it was written in. There are mentions of ashtrays in the hallways, the descriptions of the hotel are of a more classic, early 20th century style, etc. But it is not enough to distract, it just could require some extra explanations – I know my kids were raising their hands with questions throughout!
Whether you are reading this to your kids, reading it for the first time as a child (probably not a lot of those will be reading my Goodreads review!), or just discovering it for the first time on your own as an adult, there is a good chance you are going to find something you love with Ralph Pb-pb-b-b-b-ing up and down the hallway on his motorcycle searching for adventure. ...more
I feel like I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. It is not that I am reading a whole lot less, I am just not REALLY enjoying the time that I feel like I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. It is not that I am reading a whole lot less, I am just not REALLY enjoying the time that I am reading. It might be that the whole family is in back to school mode, so schedules have changed. Or, maybe just the general ups and downs of life will occasionally put me in a “low interest in reading” category. All of this just to say that The Wind in The Willows is another victim of my “reading is meh” state.
When I first started this, I tried to read it to my kids every night. I figured since it was written for a younger crowd and I found it in the kid’s books section at the library it might be perfect for them. I recently read The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe to them and they loved it. So, this would be the next best step, right? Nope . . . they were not interested at all. We sat down for about 10 nights straight trying to read this and they quickly lost interest, loudly exclaiming “I’m bored” after a few pages. Around 40 or 50 pages in I finally gave up.
Then I went on to reading it on my own. Maybe my experience was tainted by my disgruntled children, but I was not getting much more excited about it than they did. Every time I read it I had to force myself to refocus as my mind was wandering. Now, this is not a complicated book, so the fact that I was losing touch with the content was definitely a red flag. And, I think another thing about it that was frustrating was that most of the book is really long run on sentences with lots of commas. You might think that doesn’t make a difference, but it is quite taxing on the brain when sentence after sentence goes on and on without a break. I kept wanted to yell “yes, yes, I get it! You can stop now!”
For many, this is a classic. If it was released now, I am not sure if it would be met with the same excitement. The story is kind of silly, which is okay as it is for kids. But, since it didn’t keep my kids interested, it must not be the right kind of silly. I need to look into the background of this story as I am sure that the anthropomorphic woodland creatures interacting with humans in a normal fashion must be an allegory for something. Or, maybe it all doesn’t mean anything. Either way, I am glad it is finally done and, on the bright side of things, I can check another classic off the list! ...more
Y'all are out there watching Avengers: Endgame while I am at home watching the classic 80s cartoon of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. A whole lY'all are out there watching Avengers: Endgame while I am at home watching the classic 80s cartoon of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. A whole lotta nostalgia going on.
Why am I watching it right now?
Well, I just finished a reread of the book, and it is simply as magical as I remember. It is a well written fantasy story that is not too complex and, therefore, is accessible to young and old alike. It does indeed have Christian allegory, but it is up to you whether you want to read it with that in mind or not.
One thing about the dialogue is that while it is simple, there are some words and phrases that are dated to the time period it was written. Because of this, a dictionary may be helpful every so often throughout the book. One place where Google came in quite handy was in the chapter about Turkish Delight. It might have been more common long ago or in other parts of the world, but I was not quite sure what it is.
Finally, the best part of this reread was that I read it out loud to my 7 and 5 year old. It feels great to pass great books on to them. Also, it was magical to watch how much they enjoyed it. They we're even drawing pictures of the characters and running around the house pretending to look for the wardrobe!
Side note: some versions of the series have this as the first book. Some have it as the second. Even though I have read them all before, I don't really have an opinion on the matter. I think either order is just fine....more
Another classic read with the kids! I love reading to them – they enjoy a chapter every evening and it gives us some good, quality family time. Also, Another classic read with the kids! I love reading to them – they enjoy a chapter every evening and it gives us some good, quality family time. Also, it is cool to see them disappointed if we don’t have time to read (sad, but cool that it is so important to them!)
If you don’t remember Charlotte’s Web from your childhood, did you even have a childhood?
While it is dated – even more so now than when I read it as a kid – it is a timeless tale of life, death, and friendship. There are so many amazingly deep facets in this little book written for children. I am pretty sure a group of adults could still have a very deep discussion about the themes, plot points, and characters in this book.
I mentioned that death is a key part of this book. Some may think that could be too much for kids. But I feel like White presented it in the perfect way to show that death and rebirth are a part of life; perfect in a way as to not upset kids and allow them to explore their curiosity on the subject.
If you have never read Charlotte’s Web, you really should!
Evening reading time with the kids continued with Prince Caspian. Last year we read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then we watched both the Evening reading time with the kids continued with Prince Caspian. Last year we read The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and then we watched both the old cartoon and the recent live action version. The kids frequently asked for the next one, so it was time. Now, I know there is some debate as to the order of the books in The Chronicles of Narnia, but we choose to go with these two first as it seemed like the most cohesive storyline to keep the kid’s attention.
We all enjoyed family time together with this book, which was a reread for me. We had to break the chapters up because they were kind of long to hold the attention of a 6 and 8-year-old. Also, the language is a bit complex at times and I found myself getting all turned around while reading it out loud. Several times we had to stop and go back over a section to make sure we all understood what just happened (not just the kids!) Also, Lewis loves his run on, comma-delineated sentences!
This is a great series for some classic fantasy. It is especially nice if you don’t want to commit to some of the larger classic fantasy tomes. And, while they don’t stick exactly to the plot, a few of the Chronicles have movies to watch afterwards – which is always a bonus for the kids! However, the Prince Caspian movie is over two and a half hours long, so we had to take it in chunks.
Next stop – The Voyage of the Dawn Treader! ...more
In the darkest throes of the longest slump ever . . . Harry Potter helps me through!
The last couple of years I keep trying to get back to reading and In the darkest throes of the longest slump ever . . . Harry Potter helps me through!
The last couple of years I keep trying to get back to reading and reviewing and enjoying it all like I did before the beginning of 2020. But, reading feels like a chore almost every time I do it. Most of my reading has been audiobooks when I run errands and go for a walk. One of the books I have been reading I started well over a year ago. This is just not the normal me . . . but I fear it is becoming the normal me.
This is why re-reading the second Harry Potter book has given me a little gimmer of hope. I am reading it out loud to my kids in the evening and they are SO into it. Seeing their enthusiasm with the magic of the written word and getting a chance to have some quality family time as well really gets those book-reading juices flowing. We are planning to start the next one soon and I hope the joy continues; I am pretty sure it will!
Since it has been over 20 years since I originally read this book, and most of what I remember from it was from the movie or other pop culture references, it was nice to get back into it. I will say that they did seem to keep the movie pretty close to the book (we watched it again right after we finished reading). It is nice that they did this because so often book adaptations stray way off the mark.
The book perfectly carries over the story from the first. Maybe a little repetitive at times ((view spoiler)[another trip into the bowels of Hogwarts to face Voldemort (hide spoiler)]) but not too much to spoil my enjoyment. I also like the fact that this book is still a “reasonable” length. Not that I minded some of the extra content as the books got into the 500+ pages range later on, but the events and the storytelling, for me, are much more to the point in these earlier books. That serves well to keep my interest better than the later entries.
In general, I am sure most people reading this review already have read the book and have seen the movie, so I am not telling you anything you do not already know! I hope you enjoy this series as well and it brings a little magic to you and your family. ...more
Both of my kids were born after the whole Harry Potter series was released. They are now old enough to sUpdate – 4/4/2022 – Reread out loud to my kids
Both of my kids were born after the whole Harry Potter series was released. They are now old enough to start appreciating the story so I thought it would be fun to read it out loud to them. While it did take us a while because, you know . . . life happens . . . we were able to find a few minutes every few nights or so to read a chapter or part of a chapter. It was really fun to see them getting into it.
They are looking forward to watching the movie and starting in on the Chamber of Secrets!
Original review:
One of my first jobs was at a bookstore. When I was a kid my Mom would take me to the mall and I would spend tons of time hanging out at Waldenbooks (who here remembers Waldenbooks?) Right when I became legally old enough to work, I went in and submitted my application and a few weeks later I was selling literature to the masses.
Why do I tell you this story on this review, you ask? Well, at the time, young adult/teen literature consisted mainly of RL Stein, Christopher Pike, Beverly Cleary, Judy Blume, and a few other classic Newberry Award winners, but certainly we did not have a YA section to the extent you see it today.
Towards the end of my tenure at Waldenbooks - as Oprah's book club was hitting its stride and Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus was in its bazzilionth week on the New York Times best seller list - a book display arrived featuring a buzzy new title about a certain boy wizard. I remember the display at the front of the store, and selling a few copies, but I didn't realize what it would become.
A few years later (early 2000s), I had kinda gotten out of the loop on what was big in books. I had just finished college, which had taken up most of my free reading time. A friend of mine named Bronco (yup, real name, not a nickname, who also was the Best Man at my wedding) had a copy of this book on his coffee table. Holy cow! Here is that same book we were selling at Waldenbooks about 5 years before - what was he doing with it!?
Well, he said it was good, so I borrowed it. I quickly plowed through the first 4 books and then got the pleasure of joining the world in waiting for the release of Order of the Phoenix. And, I noticed when I went to the bookstore, the YA section and selection was not so small anymore. I truly believe it was Harry Potter that opened the door to get more young adults (and even adults, of course) reading and authors interested in writing for that genre....more
Loading...
