Hello Friends!!!

How are you this Saturday?  I hope all of you are well and enjoying good weather.  The weather has changed here in the midwest.  We are back to winter.  It is 39 degrees today and raining and chance of snow tomorrow.  So I will enjoy some hot tea and my blanket and think of warmer days this spring.  Oh Yes, 48 days till spring!!!!

This is a great day for some hot cocoa or hot tea and a good book.  I thought I would share five books with you that I love to read over and over. I hope you will enjoy some reading this weekend and reading to or with a child can make so much difference in their reading ability and most children love that time with a parent or grandparent.  Reading can take you many places in your life and who doesn't want their child to experience that.  So start reading to them early in life and keep it up as long as you can especially in the elementary school years. So check out my blog for some ideas for the children and other reading blogs for more ideas.

Enjoy your weekend and see you Monday.

Gone With the Wind

by 

Margaret Mitchell

Love Letters

by 

Debbie Macomber

Little House on the Prairie

by

Laura Ingalls Wilder

The Mitten

by

Jan Brett

Pride and Predujuice

by

Jane Austen

I hope you will share in the comments on this blog your favorite books.  I hope you have an enjoyable weekend and may I suggest  reading a good book. :)

Happy Reading!!!

Hello Friends!

How is everyone today?  It is 70 degrees here at my home today.  When I was out earlier I saw people in shorts, no coats,and even someone in flip flops. :) It really isn't January weather here in the midwest.   I will not complain though because I really enjoyed being out with no coat and gloves.  It was an excellent day.

I do remember though that it is winter so it can change at anytime. So I enjoy it everyday. It is warm like spring this January.

Today I would encourage you to read a good book with a child today.  You know most children love to hear their parents or grandparents read to them. It always helps them to become better readers when they go off to school or if they are already in school it helps them then too.  Also, it is great if you have a young reader for you to listen to them read. Practice makes perfect is true with reading too.  So check out a good book and read or listen to a good book this evening. :)
Please check out my January postings for this year and last year for some really good books to enjoy this winter day.  See you again on Friday with a new book for winter.
Happy Reading!!!!

Happy Monday Friends!!!

How is your day going? It is very beautiful outside here today.  It is 60 degrees and the sun is shining through my windows as I write and listen to the Johann Strass Orchestra and Andre Rieu.

Today I am having a hard time  thinking of winter as the weather is so beautiful here and I hope the storm in the Northeast will not be to bad for the folks living there.

Today I want to share a children's book  about a cute teddy bear and a winter day.  I hope you will share it with a sweet child this cute book.

Snowbear's Winter Day

by

Dorothea DePrisco

It is snowing and Snowbear calls for his forest friends.  Penguin and Fox found their friend, Snowbear. They said,"Bunny made a strawberry pie, let's run over there." The friends all run over to Bunny's cozy home and Fox knocks on the door  and says, "Bunny, are you home?" Bunny answers the door and they all have some strawberry pie and then decide to go to the pond to skate and play.  They go ice skating and Penguin builds a snow castle.  The friends make snow angels and have sled races.  It is a wonderful fun day in the snow and then they all head back on sleds to Bunny's house to snuggle in a blanket and watch the beautiful snow falling out the window.

This book would be for young children and they will love the illustrations of the animals and the snow. It would be nice to snuggle with a child under a blanket and have hot chocolate while you read this cute winter book about Bear and his friends.

Happy Reading!!!

Hope you enjoy the book and if you have snow I hope you enjoy it too!!!

Happy Sunday My Friends

How is everyone this Sunday?  It is raining here at my home today and I am drinking some hot green tea and thinking about what I would like for lunch. I am also listening to Andre Rieu playing the violin.  It is amazing and very uplifting.  I wish I had learned to play the violin.  I love being able to play the piano but I truly love to listen to the violin. I believe that music and reading are my great loves. What do you love ?  What do you like to do?
My favorites are playing the piano, listening to music, singing, reading, and enjoying the beauty of this earth.  I hope you will share with me some of your favorites in the comment section of this blog.

See you Monday with a new book for you to check out.

I hope each of you have a wonderful day.  ENJOY ONE OF YOUR FAVORITES!!!!!

These are some of the things I love !!

Hello My Friends!!!

How is your day going?  Is it snowing in your neck of the woods?  It is 42 here today and cloudy but no snow and it doesn't  look like any next week either but I am not complaining.  We are having great weather for January in the midwest. I am reading some good books this week though.  I just read two great children's books today that I haven't read before.  I thought I would share one today and one tomorrow or Saturday.

 What are you reading this week?  Please share in the comments section below something you are enjoying reading.  I would love to hear from you.

I know if you have children or grandchildren that you have had the talk about sharing with them.  Sharing is a concept that some children are great with and some never seem to learn the lesson well.  The book I am going to share today is about sharing and would be a great book for young children.  It has great illustrations too.  I hope you will share it with a child. :)

Little Snowman Stan

Can't We Share?

by

Guido Van Genechten

Little Snowman Stan lives in Freezeland with all the snowmen.   There is always snow and it is cold in Freezeland.  All the snowmen in Freezeland do wear hats of all shapes and sizes.  Snowman Stan has a beautiful blue plaid hat on his head. One day there arrives in Freezeland a snowman with a bare head.  Little Stan asks the snowman where his hat is.  Dimitri, the snowman says on his way to Freezeland there was a big snowstorm and he lost his hat and he looked for hours and never found it.  Little Stan feels bad for Dimitri so he tells him that he can wear his hat for a couple of days.  Dimitri is so happy and thanks him.

One day Little Stan realizes that Dimitri has had his blue plaid hat for 10 days so he goes to ask Dimitri if he can have his hat back.  Dimitri doesn't want to give it back to Little Stan.  So Little Stan goes away and cries. Little Stan goes to talk Alfred about his hat and what he should to.  Little Stan tells Alfred about what happened to his blue plaid hat.  Alfred calls all the snowmen together and tells them about Little Stan's hat and asks them what they think could be done so Little Stan could have a hat too. There are many responses but no one says what Alfred hoped they would say.  The Little Stan says, "We can share my hat."

Read the book and find out how they decide to share the hats for the snowmen in Freezeland.

This is a wonderful book about sharing with great illustrated snowmen.  What child doesn't love snowmen?  This is a great book to share with a child about sharing.

Check out the books that Guido Van Genechten has written for children.  The author is from Holland.

These two are really cute books.

Hello Everyone!!!!

Well, it is Monday and the sun is shining and the temperature is going to   be 57 today.  It is wonderful weather for January in the midwest. So I am sitting in the sun writing, and watching the birds coming to the bird feeder.  I saw a small yellow one earlier.  I am hoping to have some cardinals.  I love them especially in the winter.

I hope it is good weather where you are this day.  I hope you will have time to read to a child today or for yourself. I am reading Persuasion by Jane Austen and a Chicken Soup for the Soul book.

What are you reading?

Today I am going to share a cute children's book about a sweet hedgehog who loses his nest in a winter storm.

One Winter's Day

by

M. Christina Butler

Little Hedgehog loses his nest in a blustery winter storm.  All that he has is a cap, gloves, and a scarf.   He decided to go stay with Badger until the storm goes away.  On his way to Badger's house he meets a family of mice who are so cold.  Their nest blew away in the storm too so Little Hedgehog gives them his hat for a nest.  The mice are so happy and warm now.  Next Little Hedgehog meets Otter near the river.  Otter tells Little Hedgehog his fur coat keeps him warm but his hands are freezing.  So the Little Hedgehog gives him his gloves. The Otter thanks him and Little Hedgehog continues on to Badger's house in the storm. Little Hedgehog reaches the woods and runs into a family of deer and the little fawn is shivering in the cold so Little Hedgehog gives him his scarf and heads off in the deep snow to Badger's house.  The wind is howling and the Little Hedgehog slips on the ice and rolls down the hill and hits Badger's door.  Badger goes to the door to see what has happened and finds Little Hedgehog in a ball of snow.  He invites him in and give him some tea and Little Hedgehog falls asleep next to the fire.  

I really did love this book. The ending is very special when he returns with Badger to build a new nest after the storm.  Young children will love this book. The author has written several great children's stories about sweet animals.  Check them out at your nearest library.

Happy Reading!!!

Happy Weekend Everyone!!!

I was not feeling well yesterday so I missed my post yesterday so I am doing it on Saturday this week.  I am enjoying the sunshine coming through my sliding door as I type now.  We are having very pleasant weather here the last few days and this weekend almost feels like spring.  I love spring.  There are just 62 days till spring.  I am excited about that. :) After Christmas I am not a big fan of winter .:)  

This week I decided to watch all the Jane Austen movies I have and the ones I didn't have I found on Youtube.  Two of them I hadn't seen before, Mansfield Park, and Northanger Abbey.  They both were very good.  I have a hard time deciding which I like best Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility.  What is your favorite Jane Austen novel?  I think everyone should at least read Pride and Prejudice once in their lifetime.  They are amazing literature that everyone should read at least once. My daughter loves Jane Austen and so do I.  She is very popular even today.  Next, I am going to watch Becoming Jane with Ann Hathaway and The Jane Austen Book Club.

So if you haven't read Jane check out one of her books this winter and enjoy the beauty of love and family.  Also, why not watch a movie of one of her books too with family or friends. I thought I would list her books for you to choose from.  Enjoy the characters of Austen in her great books.

Jane Austen Books

Sense and Sensibility

Pride and Prejudice

Northanger Abbey

Mansfield Park

Persuasion

Emma

I hope you will enjoy reading Jane Austen and check out some of the movies made off of her books.  I enjoyed this week reading and watching the movies.  I even think I would enjoy a Jane Austen Book Club too. 

Happy Reading!!!!!!

Hello My Friends!!

How is everyone today?  I hope everyone has been reading some good books this week.  I have been reading a couple of children's books for the blog and I am working on three books for me.  I love reading.  It takes me to such wonderful places both in the real world and the fantasy world.  I am working also on writing a children's book.  I hope that it goes well.  Maybe one day this year I will be able to review it here on my blog.  I sure hope so.

The first book I want to share is a cute alphabet book for children.  I love all the alphabet books out there.  They are so clever and great for young children.  So today I am going to share a new one I found that I really enjoyed.  I hope you will share it with a young child in your home.  I am sure they will love it and the cute illustrations too.

S is for Snowman

God's Wintertime Alphabet

by

Kathy-jo Wargin

This book is a rhyming alphabet book using all the letters of the alphabet to share wintertime ideas.  I love the pictures in this book that go with each two line rhyming verse. It starts with Angels and goes through the alphabet to Z for zoom as a sled slides down a big hill. It is a wonderful wintertime alphabet book.

The author, Kathy-jo Wargin has also written several alphabet books such as, K is for Kite, F is for Fireflies,and P is for Pumpkin.  So check out S is for Snowmen and Mrs Wargin's other books.  I am sure your child or grandchild will love them.

In fact, I would suggest you check out many of Mrs. Wargin's books at your local library.

No Two Alike

by

Keith Baker

Follow a couple of redbirds as they  travel through a winter wonderland to find that no two things are alike. No two snowflakes are alike, no two nests, no two tracks, no two forests, no two roads, no two bridges, no two houses,no two friends, and at the end the birds decide  they are almost, almost, but  not Quite.

Author Keith Baker also wrote LMNO Peas, 123 Peas, and Mouse's First Snow.

All of of these books would be great for young children.  I hope you will share some of these books with a child on a cold winter's day.

Happy Reading!!!!!!

Happy Monday My Friends!!

How is everyone this second week of January?  Do you have  cold weather, snow. or both?  It is cold here but is suppose to warm up to 50 degrees by Friday so that will be very nice.

Has anyone read any good books over the weekend or last week?  If so please share them in the comments section of the blog.  I would love to hear from each of you.

Today I am going to share a children's book about winter and a cute short book for the mother's and grandmother's who read my blog.

First one for the children is.....

Peter and the Winter Sleepers

by

Rick de Haas

Peter lived in a lighthouse with his grandmother and his dog, Leo.  Peter loves where he lives and he can't wait for it to snow.  So one day it starts snowing and Peter and Leo go outside and build snowmen and enjoy the snow all day. That night it started to snow again and grandmother said she thought there would be a lot of snow by morning.  Grandmother was right .  There was three feet of snow and they heard scratching at the door.  Peter opened the door and there was a high wall of snow.  In the middle of the snowbank was a hole.  In the hole was a very cold rabbit.  Peter told the rabbit he could stay with them and he gave him a little bed to sleep on the stairs.  Then Peter heard a tapping  at the window and he  opened it and there was an owl.  Peter welcomed him in  and gave him a place to stay.  Day after day more sleepers arrived . Peter made each of them a bed on the stairs.  Then, there was a late arrival at the lighthouse.  Who could that be?  

Check out this cute book and see who was the last arrival.  Children will love this book about snow and animals.  It is a great winter book.

For the mothers and grandmothers

Family Affair

by

 Debbie Macomber

This is a really cute romance.  A romance between two cats named Cleo and Dog and between Lacey and Jack.  Lacey lives in a San Francisco apartment and Jack lives down the hall.  Jack and his girlfriend (who turns out to be his sister) argue all the time and Lacey is upset because Cleo is in the "family way" thanks to Dog (Jack's cat).   It is a wonderful short book about love.  The book is only 102 pages long but  is a really good read if you like romance and cats.

Check it out at your local library or bookstore.

See you my friends on Wednesday.

Hello EVERYONE!!!

I thought on this Saturday that I would share some of my favorite winter books for children.  I have several that my students loved when I was teaching.  They always wanted to read them in January.  Of course I have favorite authors who have written wonderful winter books.  So I am going to share a few of my favorites and maybe you can get some of them at the library and share them with a child this coming week.  Some of them I reviewed last January 2014 so check them out on my blog. They are great books to share with  a child because they will love them too.  So find a cozy corner and make some hot chocolate and start reading. It will be a few minutes to an hour of quality time with them.  Happy Reading my friends!

List of Great Winter Books.

Three Snow Bears-Jan Brett

The Hat-Jan Brett

The Mitten-Jan Brett (all time favorite)

Poppleton inWinter- Cynthia Rylant

A Winter's Tale-Beatrix Potter

Max and Ruby's Winter Adventure-Rosemary Wells

Winter Days in the Big Woods-Laura Ingalls Wilder

It's Snowing, It's Snowing-Jack Prelutsky

Grandmother Winter-Phyllis Root

CHeck out some of the great winter books listed above and stay warm. :)

See you Monday with more great books  

.HAPPY READING!!!!!

Happy Wednesday Friends!!!!

How is everyone today?  It is very cold here where I live but I believe it is very cold in most of America today  Oh guess what dear friends?  There is only 72 days till Spring.  Yea!!! I  love spring and I must say that after Christmas I am ready for winter to be over. I know the children love the snow though and snow days and many schools in my part of the country have a snow day today.  So a good day to do some reading by the fireplace or in a warm corner of the house. It is a great day for reading and drinking some hot chocolate.  I hope everyone is warm today and I must say I am very thankful  today for having a nice warm house and the money to pay for it.  We who have a nice warm house should be so thankful for a warm home and the money to pay for it because so many around the world do not have that.

Well, I hope everyone finds a warm spot and a good book to read this afternoon and reading to a child would be even better. :)

Snowmen at Night

by

Caralyn Buehner

This is a great book about snowmen.  The author, Caralyn Buehner has written several cute books about snowmen and what they do when the humans are not around.  My students always loved this book and several of the other books that the author wrote about snowmen.

What child doesn't love building snowmen and who hasn't wondered in their imagination what the snowmen do when we aren't around

What do snowmen do at night?  This book has great illustrations of cute snowmen playing games and many other things during the night while everyone is asleep.

Check out one of the Snowmen books at your local library or bookstore and read it with a child on this cold winter day or week.

See you Friday with some more great winter books.

Happy Reading everyone!!!!!

Happy New Year My Friends

Well, here we are in 2015. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and enjoyed the beauty and peace of the season. Now, we all are ready to move on to the New Year and bring some of the peace and joy we felt at Christmas with us.  I decided this year to make goals for the year not resolutions.  I am hoping that I will be able to accomplish all of them in 2015. Did any of you make goals for the New Year?  I wish you the best in accomplishing them in 2015.

I hope one of your goals is to to read more and to read to a child more.  Reading is so important and the more a child is read to from birth on the better reader that child will be.  Also, they will be better students in school and accomplish their goals in life when they are older if they are a reader.  I hope to bring you good books to read to that child this year and I hope you will share with us good books you read in this coming year.  One of my goals was to write more on my blog and to be more consistent.  So let's get started reading in 2015.

My first book of the new year is a great one and there is a movie coming out January 16, 2015.  So read the book before the movie or after the movie.  I believe this will be a great movie for children and the books are great too.  In fact, the author Michael Bond has written fourteen books about Paddington and now a new movie is coming out about Paddington.

Paddington Bear

by

Michael Bond

A little bear from Darkest Peru set out on an adventure of a lifetime on a train.  The little bear carried some jars of marmalade in his tattered suitcase  and was wearing  a tag around his neck that read,"Please Look After this Bear." He stowed away on a ship headed for faraway England.  When he arrived at London's busy Paddington Station he was discovered by Mr. and Mrs. Brown.  The Browns were so nice they decided to take the little bear home with them.  They named him Paddington since they found him at Paddington Station. They took him to their home at 32 Windsor Gardens, London, ENgland  to meet Mrs. Bird and Jonathan.  

Paddington has many problems but the Browns and Mrs. Bird love him and so the adventure of living with the Browns in London begins for Paddington.

So check out Paddington at your nearest bookstore or library and read this charming book to a child this year. 

Happy Reading!!!!!

See you soon.  Share Paddington with a child this week !!!

Happy Reading!!!!