Good morning everyone!

 

Hope everyone is warm this morning and enjoying this winter day.  It is a little warmer here today but going to get colder again tomorrow and maybe snow.  Oh where is spring??? Well, according to the calendar it will be here in 49 days.  As for me I can't wait for it to get here,

Today, I am going to share the first Magic Treehouse Book by Mary Pope Osborne.  I hope you will check it out.

 

Dinosaurs Before Dark

by

Mary Pope Osborne

 

This is the first book that author Mary Pope Osborne wrote in the Magic Treehouse series.  The book begins by introducing us to Jack and Annie and the Magic Treehouse.  Jack and Annie are outside playing and Annie says she sees a monster but Jack doesn't believe her.  Annie runs into the woods and Jack runs to get her because it is starting to get dark.  Annie finds a treehouse in the woods in a large tree.  She climbs the rope ladder to the top and goes in the treehouse and then shouts to Jack.  She tells him there are all kinds of books in the treehouse so Jack decides he will go up and see since Jack really loves books.  When he gets to the top he is amazed at all the old books in the treehouse.  Just then Annie screams .  She says there is a monster.  Jack looks out the window of the treehouse and wow, there is a a big bird flying around.  Just then the treehouse starts to spin around and around and then it stops and everything is still.  Jack looks out the window and realizes they are not in the woods by their house anymore.  Jack and Annie are in the Prehistoric past and there are dinosaurs.  What an experience they have but the question is will they get back home before dark or will they become dinner for some dinosaurs? 

 

This is a great book and the kids love it.  The boys especially.  Check it out at your nearest library and your child or grandchild will sit spellbound while you read it to them.  There is also a Dinosaur fact book you could share with your child or grandchild.

Hope you will check them out.  See you soon with another Magic Treehouse book.

 

 

Check out the Magic Treehouse site. 

 

http://www.magictreehouse.com/#home?intro=0

 

 



 

 

Good morning everyone!

 

 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and you are keeping warm today.  It is 4 degrees here this morning.  Anytime it is below 32 degrees I am cold.  I am starting a new series of books this week. I want to share the Magic Treehouse Books with you.  They are written by Mary Pope Osborne.  I have links to her Official Web Site and the Magic Treehouse Site for you to check out.  I loved reading her books to my students when I was teaching and my students loved them.  We read them all through the year.  I would choose the ones that I thought went with the season or holidays we were studying.  The kids love Jack, and Annie.  When we would start a book the kids couldn't wait for Jack and Annie to go to the Magic Treehouse and see where they would go.  Mary Pope Osborne recently wrote one where Jack and Annie go back in time and visit with Abraham Lincoln.  I haven't read that one yet but I look forward to reading it. 

Mary's books are for children mostly in grades 2-5 and children love to read them too but they love having them read to them too.  So check out your nearest library and start your journey to so many wonderful places and times in this world with Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Treehouse books.  You and the children will love them.

 

 

http://www.magictreehouse.com/#

 

http://marypopeosborne.com/

 

 

Buffalo Before Breakfast

by

Mary Pope Osborne

 

The Magic Treehouse takes Jack and Annie back 200 years to the Great Plains of America where they meet a Lakota boy who teaches them how to hunt buffalo.  But something goes wrong! ( the children love the action in the Magic Treehouse books and there is always plenty of action in the books.)  Jack and Annie must stop 1,000 buffalo from stampeding! 

 

Jack and Annie always have great adventures and this story is a really good one but then again all of the books are great.  There are so many possibilities for learning in these books.  Boys and girls alike love them.  So I hope you will take your child or grandchild to the library and let them help pick out several for you to read together.  I will see you again with another book this week.  Happy reading!!!

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It's Friday Everyone!

 

I hope everyone is having a great Friday.  It is a little warmer here today so I did venture out to do some shopping.  Now, I am relaxing and enjoying the sun shining through my arcadia door and Hotshot the cat was here earlier enjoying the sun too. :)  Today I want to share some of the books that I didn't review by author Jan Brett.  Please check them out and again I would recommend her site for activities to go with her books and many other fun things for children.  I am working on a couple of authors to share books with you in the next few weeks.  I want to share author Mary Pope Osborne's great books.  I love the Magic Treehouse Books.  I can't wait to share them with you.

 

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Jan Brett's site

 

http://janbrett.com/activities_pages.htm

 

 

Hope you will check out all the Jan Brett books.  See you Monday.

 

 

 

Good morning everyone!

 

 

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!  It is cold here this morning.  It is 3 degrees with a wind chill of -11 degrees.  I sure hope it is warmer wherever you are today.  Where is spring is my question?  So today for me and you to if it is cold where you are here is where I would like to be today.  I am going to get some hot green tea , a good book, and a blanket and enjoy thinking of someplace warm today.  I hope each of you stay warm and I will see you tomorrow with a few of the books you should check out that I didn't share from author Jan Brett.  See you then.  Stay warm!!!

 

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57 days till spring :)



 

 

 

 

Happy Hump Day !

 

Hi everyone!  Hope everyone is keeping warm out there in the second polar blast of the year.  It is going to be really cold here this afternoon and evening  with wind chills below zero.  So to me that means stay inside with a good book and some tea or hot cocoa.  I have my last Jan Brett to share with you today although there are many more to check out so on Friday I will put a list of some of the books she has I didn't share.  I hope you will share the books with your children or grandchildren.

 

Today's book is Comet's Nine Lives.  I especially loved this book because it is about a cat.  I have a cat that lives with me and he is quite the character.  So I really enjoyed this book by Jan Brett.  I know the children will too.

 

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Comet's Nine Lives

by

Jan Brett

 

Comet was born on Nantucket Island which is off the coast of Massachusetts.  This is a lovely story about a cute cat who travels around the island getting into all kinds of trouble.  First he eats some foxglove and falls asleep and realizes he has lost the first of nine lives every cat has when he is born.  So he decided maybe he should find a home.  So he goes to a bookstore and settles down on some bestsellers to take a nap.  Life was good in the bookstore until one day it rained and all the islanders hurried inside for something to read on a rainy day.  In the rush, all the books fell on Comet and he realized he had turned the page on life number two.  So Comet decided he needed some fresh salt air so he headed out to sea on the Jean T.  Once out to sea  a storm washes him off the boat so he loses life number three.  Comet has some adventures with a tuba, the ice cream shop, the bicycle, the theater, and the ocean.  Finally, he decides he needs a safe home since he has lost eight lives and only one remains.  Check out Comet's Nine Lives and see where he ends up for his home.  This is a really fun book about a cat and his nine lives.  Children will love it I guarantee. :)
 

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Please remember to check out Jan Brett's site for fun activities to go with all her books.

http://www.janbrett.com/index.html

 

 

 



 

 

 

 

Happy Tuesday Friends!!!

 

Just have a couple of quotes to share today and some sites for kids.  Hope everyone is having a great day.  I hope you enjoy the quotes and the sites.  I hope it is warm and sunny where you are.  Grab a book and some tea and enjoy your afternoon.  See you Wednesday.

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Happy Monday friends!

 

I hope everyone had a great weekend and enjoyed the winter weather.  I would like to share another Jan Brett book with you today.  O hope you and the children you are reading to or with are enjoying the Jan Brett books.

I always enjoyed sharing them with my students and children.

 

 

Gingerbread Baby

by

Jan Brett

 

 

Matti and his mother are going to make a gingerbread baby.  They measured and mixed and Matti rolled out the dough and made a gingerbread boy and popped it into the oven. The receipe says bake for 8 minutes but Matti can't wait and out jumps a gingerbread baby. The gingerbread baby says," I am the Gingerbread Baby, fresh from the pan, If you want me, Catch me if you can."  Matti and his mother chase the Gingerbread Baby all around the kitchen and then Matti's father comes in the door and the Gingerbread Baby runs through his legs and out the door.  The Gingerbread Baby ran past the cat and dog. The Gingerbread Baby ran to the barn and right over the top of the goats. Martha and Madeline tried to catch the GIngerbread Baby at the well but he was to fast for them and jumped away.  All through the book we see Matti doing something in the illustrations on the sides of the pages of the book. So the children have to try and figure out what Matti is doing. The Gingerbread Baby jumped in the farm cart and almost was eaten by the pig but once again he got away.  Then he got to the bridge going into town and all the townspeople were on the bridge so the GIngerbread Baby jumped on a piece of ice in the river and floated down the stream.

Then the fox almost got him and then he saw behind him that most of the town was running after him so he ran into the woods. In the woods he finds a surprise that Matti made for him.  You have to read the book to see what Matti made.  This is once again a really wonderful Jan Brett  book and the remake of the Gingerbread Boy.  CHeck it out and read it to a child.  They will love the illustrations and the story.

 

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Also check out Jan Brett's site

http://www.janbrett.com/index.html

for ideas for activities with this book.  Also check out the book Teaching with Favorite Jan Brett Books by Scholastic.

 

Of course a neat thing to do when you read this is make gingerbread boys and girls with the children and then let the children decorate them.  They will love it.  See you Wednesday with my last Jan Brett book.  Take care.

 

 

Happy Friday Friends!

 

I hope everyone is looking forward to the weekend.  I always enjoyed Fridays when I was teaching.  It was my favorite day of the week.  The day I would go home early from school.  Now, I think my favorite day is Sunday.  I enjoy my church time, my meditating time, and my rest.  What is your favorite day of the week?  Share it with us with a post on the blog today. :)

 

Today I would like to share the book The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett.

 

Who hasn't read Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  This  book is off of that but really cute and as you always find in a Jan Brett book beautiful illustrations of the animals of the north.  Before you read  this story to a child you should explain to them what an Inuit is so they will understand what nationality Aloo-ki is in the story.  The story takes place in the land of the Inuit in Canada where Aloo-ki is traveling with her dog sled team when the dogs get trapped on the ice in the water and Aloo-ki cannot reach them.  The three polar bears live by the water in igloos and they have gone for a walk while Little Bear's soup is cooling.  Aloo-ki goes inside and looks around and because she is hungry tries all of the soups and ends up eating all of Little Bear's soup.  Then Aloo-ki goes into the next room and sees three pairs of boots so she tries on all three pairs of boots and of course Little Bear's boots fit just right.  Then Aloo-ki goes into the next room and sees three beds and finally falls asleep in Little Bear's  bed. Then the three polar bears return to their home after they saved Aloo-ki's sled dogs.  I know you know how this story ends so check it out at your nearest library or bookstores. I really think I like this book better than Goldilocks and The Three Bears.  Of course this book has such beautiful illustrations to go with it.  Children will love this book and it would be great to read both stories and have the children compare the stories.

 

 

I hope you and your child will enjoy the stories.  Hope you have a great weekend and I will see you back on Monday when I share another Jan Brett book.  Keep reading and share it with a child.

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Happy Thursday Friends!

 

 

I just finished reading some really nice quotes about reading.  I do think reading is so very important in life.  A very wise man I was very close to told me to learn to read and follow my education as far as I could go.  That man could not read or write much and quit school when he was in the second grade.  He chose to work and make a good living for himself and his family.  He might not have been able to read but he was a very wise man.  Reading is very important and you can never read enough.  Read to your child, your grandchildren, to yourself and anyone else you can.  It is very important to read.  It takes you to many places in life.

 

Enjoy your day and read a good book with some tea or some good soup.  I was reading a blog today  Delightfully Sassi and she has some good stuff to eat , books to share, and just fun ideas.  So I am giving you the site so you can check it out.  Always enjoy hearing from you the readers.  So make a comment and share with me .  See you Friday with another Jan Brett book.

Delightfully Sassi's site-http://delightfullysassi.blogspot.com/

 



 

 

 

Happy Wednesday everyone! 

Does anyone out there know what a Tomten is?  You will need to know that for this story.

 

The tomte, nisse or tomtenisse (Sweden) (Swedish pronunciation: [ˈtɔ̀mːtɛ]), nisse (Norway and Denmark) (pronounced [ˈnìsːɛ]) or tonttu (Finland) is a mythological creature from Scandinavian folklore typically associated with the winter solstice and the Christmas season. It is no taller than three feet, and has a long white beard and colorful clothes. ^[1] It is known as a gift bearer ^[2] and considered the Swedish version of Father Christmas.

Be sure to explain the Tomten to the children before you read the story.

 

 

Hedgie's Surprise

by

Jan Brett

 

This story is about how Hedgie helps Henny keep some of her eggs instead of the Tomten stealing them every morning to make his breakfast.  Henny sees Goosey Goosey with several baby ducks and Henny wants some baby chicks of her own so she asks Hedgie to help her trick the Tomten.  Every morning when the roster crows the Tomten comes to steal Henny's eggs but each morning Hedgie finds something else to put in Henny's nest instead of  her egg. Hedgie puts an acorn, a strawberry, a mushroom, and a potato.  The last morning Hedgie plans a special surprise for the Tomten.  Ask the child or children to predict what Hedgie will do to save Henny's eggs.  This is a really cute book and shares how friends help each other.  Read the book tonight to a sweet child and find out what Hedgie's Surprise is.  Children will love it and Hedgie.

 

 

A Swedish Tomten

 

Also, check the book I shared on Monday, Teaching with Favorite Jan Brett Books by Scholastic.  The book has some activities to do with this story too.

See you Friday with another Jan Brett book.

 

 



 

 

Happy Tuesday friends!

 

Just wanted to leave a few quotes about reading today for you to ponder on.  I will be back tomorrow with another Jan Brett book to share.  Hope you have a wonderful day wherever you are in the world.  See you tomorrow.

 

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Happy Monday friends!

 

I hope everyone had a great weekend.  It was 60 degrees here Sunday and I really enjoyed being outside for a bit with no cold, no snow, and no ice.   Last week I started sharing some books from author Jan Brett.  She is one of my favorite children's book authors.  Today I am going to share a book about an armadillo named Bo.  If I was introducing this book to my student's when I was teaching we would start by talking about what an armadillo is and what they look like.  When I lived in Texas I saw quite a few of them.  So if you are sharing this book with a child you might want to talk about armadillos and what they look like before you read the book.  I also have some activities to share after that to use with the book.  I hope you enjoy Armadillo Rodeo.

 

 

 

Armadillo Rodeo

by

Jan Brett

 

Bo, his mother and three brothers are headed out to do some digging in the Texas countryside when Bo spies a lizard.  Off he goes chasing the lizard down to the creek.  All of a sudden he hears whoopin and hollerin coming from the creek.  Bo looks up and sees what he determines is a red armadillo(which are really red cowboy boots on a cute young girl).  Then the excitement begins as Bo follows the red "armadillo" to the rodeo.  Harmony Jean jumps on her pony Spotlight and Bo jumps on to.  Spotlight of course bucks Bo off and he ends up in the dust.  Bo thinks this is really fun so he continues to follow the red "armadillo." As Harmony Jean heads to the chuck wagon to have a bbq sandwich where Bo finds a green  jalapeno pepper and eats it thinking the red armadillo ate one too.  His mouth on fire Bo runs out and douses his head in the lemonade to stop the burn.  He yells, "Delicious", and "what's next?"  Then Harmony Jean joins in the two-steppin with the other cowgirls and cowboys.  Bo finally finds the red "armadillo" in the midst of all the other boots.  All this time Ma Armadillo and Bo's brothers have been looking for Bo.  Ma hears Bo hollerin so they head to the barn.  Finally, Harmony Jean takes off her new boots and Bo crawls in one and finds ........  You will have to read the book to find out the ending.

This is a really cute book and it helps if the kids know that armadillos can't really see very well then they will understand why Bo thinks Harmony Jean's red cowgirl boots are a red "armadillo."  Check it out at your closest library or bookstore.

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This was made from paper plates. 

 

 

Rodeo Day

Fun activities from Teaching Activities from Jan Brett's books.

 

Horse Races-Make a course of a figure 8 in the gym or outdoors.  Challenge students to race from start to finish while riding a "hobbyhorse."

 

Fancy boots-Let each child design and decorate a boot. ( Provide a cowboy boot for them to trace).

 

Rodeo talk-using a dictionary, let teams of students race to be the first to define these rodeo words:brand,chaps,earmark, and stampede.

Rope tricks-Cut a length of rope into several different sized pieces .  Place the rope in a bag and let each child choose a piece. Ask students to measure their rope.

 

Check out the book Teaching with Favorite Jan Brett Books

by

Scholastic

It has some great ideas to use with children reading the Jan Brett books.

 

See you Wednesday!!!!

 

 

 



 

 

 

Hello friends,

 

 

Today I would like to share another book by author Jan Brett.  This book is The Hat and is about a girl named Lisa and the hedgehog.  It is a really cute book and one children will love and the illustrations are marvelous. 

 

 

The Hat

by

Jan Brett

 

 

 

Lisa, a Scandinavian  girl hangs out her woolen clothes to air them out and a hedgehog ends up with her sock on his head. Hedgie the hedgehog gets his nose stuck in the end of one of Lisa's socks which now looks like he has a hat on his head. A mother hen, a goose, a talkative barn cat, a dog, a pig and her piglets, and a pony come by.  They all laugh at Hedgie especially when he tells them he has a new hat.  But in the end Hedgie gets the last laugh on all of them.  Lisa has been on the margins of the book in the illustrations.  When she realizes she lost her stocking she enters the story to find out where it is.  This story goes along with The Mitten and both of them are really cute stories and have beautiful illustrations and the children love finding the animals in the illustrations. Check it out at the library or your nearest bookstore.

 

I have included the address for Jan Brett's site and she has some really cute masks for the children that they can use to do a play about the book.  Check it out.

 

http://www.janbrett.com/hat_animal_masks_main.htm

 

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Check out the posting on The Mitten below.

 

 

 

Happy Monday Everyone!

 

I am going to review and share some information about Jan Brett's books this month.  I used her books many times while I was teaching and all my students loved her books.  I think their favorite one though was The Mitten.  So I am going to give a little information about author Jan Brett and then share some about the book The Mitten.  I hope you child or grandchild will enjoy the books as much as my children and students did.

 

Author Jan Brett

 

Jan Brett is from Massachusetts in the United States of America.  She is a best-selling author/illustrator of children's books.  Her books are known for colorful detailed depictions of animals and cultures from Scandinavia to Africa. Her best known titles are The Mitten, The Hat, The Three Bears, and Gingerbread Baby.  Jan Brett also has an awesome site for parents and teachers to go along with her wonderful books.  Check it out at the following  web address.

http://www.janbrett.com/index.html

 

The Mitten

by

Jan Brett

 

This is a Ukraine Folktale retold by Jan Brett.  Nicki asked his grandmother for some mittens.  His grandmother knits some for him and he goes outside for a walk in the woods.  She tells him not to lose them.  Along the way he loses one of his white mittens. One by one some curious woodland animals find the mitten and crawl inside.  First the mole, then a rabbit, a badger and each one larger than the last till the big brown bear. The last animal in the mitten is a little mouse and what happens next makes the climax really funny and all the children are surprised.

The book has beautiful illustrations and shows Nicki walking through the forest not knowing what is happening with his mitten.  It is a wonderful story and the illustrations definitely bring the book to life.  Check it out at the library or bookstore.  The children will love it.

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The Mitten Activity

 

Check out this page on Jan Brett's website for a really neat activity you can print out on your printer.  My student's loved doing this activity after we read the book.  Jan has many activities on her activity page listed below.  Check out her site as we review more of her books.  See you again on Wednesday with another Jan Brett book.  Happy reading !

 

 

http://janbrett.cohttp://janbrett.com/activities_pages

http://janbrett.com/put_the_animals_in_the_mitten.htm

 

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Hello Friends,

 

I am going to share one of my favorite books from author Debbie Macomber. This post will be for my adult readers.  I love Debbie's books.  I shared some books from her Cedar Cove series and today I want to share a book from her Blossom Street series.  The Name of the book is Twenty Wishes. On Valentine's Day which is coming up here soon Ann Marie and several other widows get together to celebrate what?  Hope, possibility, and the future.  They also decide to make a list of twenty wishes (things they always wanted to do but haven't yet.) Ann Marie list begins with, find one good thing about life.  Her list also includes learning to knit, doing good for someone else, and falling in love again. She begins to act on her wishes and she volunteers at a local school and meets a young girl named Ellen. Ellen helps Ann Marie complete her list of twenty wishes.  This is a great book.  The whole Blossom Street novels are wonderful so check them out at your local library or bookstore. 

 

 

Hope you enjoy this great book.  See you again on Monday with a review of a Jan Brett book.

 

 

 

 

Happy New Year Everyone!!!

Welcome to 2014

 

 

 

I am looking forward to the new year and posting on my blog.  I have decided to start out the New Year with Jan Brett books and some ideas for teachers and parents to use with the books as they start reading in the New Year.  Hope everyone is ready to read.  I will also have a book for adults on Fridays to review and share.  I am hoping to get more comments this year and to have some guest bloggers on my site.  Please come and enjoy some reading reviews and ideas for the books in the New Year.  I have ordered the books and I am hope to have them on Monday.  I will review and adult book on Friday.  Hope to see old and new viewers of my blog in 2014.  Welcome to Jolie's Reading Fun in 2014.

 

See you again on Friday.