Three Boys and Books

Long time, no blog...

2012-02-07T07:18:00.001-08:00

This just in: my children are wildly different people.

Toby, my nine year old, just finished reading HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE by J.K. Rowling. He is now very cautious about entering dark rooms and sleeps with about five night lights on; he is voluntarily "taking a Harry Potter break" for a while.

Max, on the other hand (now almost eleven), once on the Harry Potter path as a nine year old, would not stop for a breather until he reached the end and didn't seem worse for the wear. (His admitted chicken-ness predates his reading of Harry Potter.)

We started this blog, or, rather, I started this blog because I was desperate that my children become readers and at the time my oldest seemed to need some motivation to become one. I thought contributing his reading experiences to a blog would be fun for him.

Well, it worked! (Many other factors contributed, of course. ; ) ) Both of my older children are "readers" and avid ones, at that. It has made the need for this blog less urgent.

Sharing reading experiences is still fun, however, and I still do constantly hear the questions "Do you have any good book recommendations for boys?" and "How do you get boys interested in reading?" I also read, daily it seems, some new article despairing the fact that boys just don't read. I think we'll start posting again (I'm hoping more will be from the boys themselves) to continue to try and answer those questions.

Latest reading update:
Hatcher- He's very into Richard Scarry's Please and Thank You Book, much to my pleasure.
Toby- Striving for something light and fun as a break from HP, I bought him SECRETS AT SEA by Richard Peck... I haven't read it but, well, the cover looked whimsical enough.
Max- He just finished THE SIGN OF THE BEAVER by Elizabeth George Speare last night; he loved it.
Me- I'm reading THE NOTORIOUS BENEDICT ARNOLD: A True Story of Adventure, Heroism, & Treachery by Steve Sheinkin.

Coming soon: My belated review of Laurel Snyder's BIGGER THAN A BREADBOX.

In My Indie Bookstore Reusable Canvas Tote Bag Meme...

2011-04-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

We add books to our home library on a pretty much ongoing basis. I buy from our library's used bookstore, the monthly library sales, eBay, used bookstores, garage sales, Powells.com and probably other places I'm forgetting. My favorite place to buy books, however, is at the local independent bookstore, The Book Beat.

I was there today and I bought a beautiful hardcover copy of one of my all-time faves, Robert C. O'Brien's MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH. My boys love it as much as I do and our paperback copy is falling apart. As I see many rereads in its future, I figured it was time to invest in a hardcover.

I also bought a hardcover of THE CROW-GIRL by Brodil Bredsdorff. I borrowed THE CROW-GIRL and its sequel, EIDI: THE CHILDREN OF CROW COVE, from the library last year and was mesmerized; I decided I loved THE CROW-GIRL enough that I needed to own it.

I also bought Kate Messner's newest book, MARTY McGUIRE, in paperback. BLESS YOU, oh publisher, for making this book simultaneously available in hardcover and paperback. Are publishers finally understanding that they will sell more books if they do this? I rarely shell out money for a hardcover I haven't already read and know that I love. This often means that instead of buying a book that has just been released, I patiently wait my turn at the library. If I end up loving the book, I'll buy a copy to keep and will often then buy more copies to give as gifts. (I pretty much only give books as presents.) If, however, a new book I've been eagerly anticipating is immediately available in paperback, I WILL BUY IT IMMEDIATELY instead of checking it out at the library. More money for you, publisher!

While at The Book Beat, I also helped the bookseller fill several boxes full of books that will end up in my children's school's new library, via the Grandparents Day book sale. I put a hardcover of MARTY McGUIRE in one of the boxes because, of course, hardcovers last much longer than paperbacks when they are shared and loved by many children. I'm just so glad that both the hardcover AND the paperback were available.

LOVE YOU FOREVER bonds mother and son...

2011-04-14T10:16:00.000-07:00

Our whole family likes to joke around, tease, admire the absurd, and, sure, laugh at each other's expense from time to time... so, given that information, it shouldn't surprise you that when one of our children makes a GIVING TREE-esque request, we sometimes respond, "Oh, sure, you can have the rest of my steak/my spot on the couch/the last drop of milk-even-though-you-just-had-three-glasses-and-I-just-ate-a-cookie-and-am-dying-of-thirst... I don't mind, really... because in a few years I'll be old and *you'll* be taking care of *me*... feeding me, changing my diapers, etc."

It was after one such exchange, recently, that I thought of the book, LOVE YOU FOREVER by Robert Munsch, and decided it was time I shared with Max, for fun, the creepy, hilarious, absurd, tear-jerking craziness that it is. We truly enjoy discussing the things we find creepy, and he already had a healthy wariness of feral children/hairy men/others peering into his windows at night, so I knew he'd find it just as bizarre and horrifying and funny as I do.

Well, I was right... and his favorite part (as is mine) is the gramma-on-ladder/cradling sleeping, grown-up son scene

Now, when I feel like making Max squeal, I widen my eyes, make a cradle motion with my arms and say, "Love you forever." I am such a fun mom.

And, so, another book shared adds to our tender bond as mother and son. ::wipes tear from eye::

If you share Max's and my outlook on LOVE YOU FOREVER, you definitely won't want to miss this recent Read It and Weep podcast. I listened to it this morning as I folded clothes and cleaned the kitchen, and I've truly never laughed harder while doing chores.

Hatcher's first review!

2011-04-10T06:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Hatcher saw Toby and I working on Toby's Stink blog post, and he decided he wanted to get in on the action. (I'm sure it had everything to do with taking Toby's picture; Hatcher is a bit of a ham, I'm afraid.)

So I asked Hatcher to go to his room and bring me a book that he loves. He brought out I Saw an Ant on the Railroad Track, written by Joshua Prince and illustrated by Macky Pamintuan. Here is what he said about it:

"It is funny like an ant on a track.* There are a lot of pages. The ant is so cute."

We first bought this book a few years ago when Toby was very into trains. The kids have always enjoyed it as it has a fun, rhythmic style and the language is playful. My husband, especially, is talented at reading it aloud.

*I know he is only 3 and I shouldn't read into this statement, but "funny like an ant on a track"??? Note to self: keep magnifying glass out of Hatcher's reach.

"Get out your clothespin!" (Toby reviews the Stink Moody series, written by Megan McDonald & illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds)

2011-04-09T17:20:00.000-07:00

As dictated to me by Toby:

"This is a series I really like. It's called Stink. There are six in the series so far including two Stink-o-pedias.

The Stink books are very easy for your kids to read by themselves because they have easy-to-read words and lots of pictures.

I like them because they are very, very, very funny, like when Stink was caught in his pajamas and he accidentally punched his best friend.

You should get out of your chair and get one of these books or you will turn into a bathtub." (howls with laughter)

Celebrating World Read Aloud Day

2011-03-09T18:20:00.000-08:00

Max, Toby and I were laughing so hard and loudly tonight while we read the final chapter of HELLO, MRS. PIGGLE-WIGGLE by Betty Macdonald together that my husband and our youngest came in the room to find out what was going on. (I'm only "officially" reading the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books with Toby, but often Max will listen from his bed, pretending to read something else while he waits for his read aloud time. I unfortunately tried reading a Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle book to Max when he was a little too young for the long chapters/too few pictures... he wasn't interested and for some reason I never tried again. I'm thrilled that he is surreptitiously listening along now, though, and enjoying them as much as Toby is.)

Anyway. Tonight Max decided to join us on Toby's bed while we read. I know I've already written a post on why I love to read aloud to my children even though they, especially Max, can read on their own. Since today is World Read Aloud Day, I thought it was worth it to share how much fun we had tonight. I'm sure we'll be calling each other "brave little Mounties" for weeks to come, and perhaps we'll start referring to Hatcher as Old-timer, after the baby in the chapter. I loved how we kept interrupting each other while we read if something struck us as funny or if we were reminded of a hilarious story and needed to share it. At one point Toby actually raised his hand and said, "Can you tell us a few more times when *we* were slow-pokey because we were in our imaginations?"

I know reading aloud to children is so much about turning them on to reading. I love it for that, sure, but I love it more for how it brings our family closer together.

Max and Percy Jackson

2011-03-07T09:18:00.000-08:00

Before I type in what Max wrote, I just want to say how delighted I have been over the past few weeks watching Max inhale Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. You'd think I'd be miffed because this seems to support my friend Melody's opinion that Percy Jackson is far superior to Harry Potter (wrong! WRONG!), but I have put my own feelings aside and have just been enjoying watching Max cart the books everywhere so as not to miss an opportunity to read. He even finished THE LOST HERO, Riordan's first in the adjacent series to Percy Jackson, and is currently reading THE RED PYRAMID, Riordan's first in the Kane Chronicles series.

Max wrote the following, whereas in Toby's last post, Toby dictated and I transcribed:

"I recently read all the books in the Percy Jackson series. I thought they were awesome. Out of 1 to 10 I would rate them a 10.

I recommend these books to people who like Harry Potter, monsters, and Greek myths and gods.

The books really kept me going. There was always action, fighting, battles and funny comments.

They are about Percy Jackson going to Camp Half-Blood. He goes on adventures to save the world and other crazy stuff. He is 12 years old at the beginning of the series and has ADHD and dyslexia like all of the half-bloods. He has two friends, Annabeth and Grover, and that's all I'm going to tell you."

Toby and Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

2011-02-22T13:01:00.000-08:00

"There are four Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books. I read the first one and the second one, and I'm still reading the third one. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle has cures for kids that have some type of bad behavior. She is very, very kind to children and understands them. No matter if it is a bully or a heedless breaker, she can cure anything.

I like them because they are funny. Well, don't just stand there! Get a Piggle-Wiggle book!

You will know how to cure your child's behavior. If you are a child reading them, you'll not become one of these guys. That's it!"

An endeavor in book-banning...

2011-01-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

After seeing me tear through THE HUNGER GAMES trilogy earlier this year (and watching JJ engrossed in it now), Max recently started lobbying for permission to read it. "Mom, I *like* hunting and fighting and stuff... that's why I'm reading the Narnia books!"

My first, automatic reaction was, "No way." Of course it was. THE HUNGER GAMES is heavy stuff; I put off reading it for months because I wasn't sure *I* could handle the subject matter. But then I actually considered it; I felt I owed it to him to think it through. Did I really want to discourage my child from *reading*? Something I had been trying to nurture pretty much since his birth? I am such a huge believer in children selecting their own reading material and the part that plays in them developing a life-long love of reading. If I were to stick to the "no way," would I be stifling that important self-selection? Would it make me (gulp) no better than your average book banner?

Then, yesterday, I noticed he was reading THE STRANGE CASE OF ORIGAMI YODA instead of THE HORSE AND HIS BOY, which he had started devouring the night before.

Me: What gives?
Max, nonchalantly, not looking up from the book: Oh, I had to put it down.
Me: Really? Why? You seemed to really be enjoying the Chronicles.
Max, waving his hand dismissively: Sad part.

Yep. He's way too young for THE HUNGER GAMES. And, as his mom, that is more than okay for me to decide.

On selecting books to read aloud...

2010-10-12T09:05:00.001-07:00

My husband, JJ (an elementary school principal), recently asked me for suggestions for books to read aloud to a couple of classrooms he planned to visit later in the day. I immediately handed him BETSY TACY AND TIB by Maud Hart Lovelace, instructing him to read the Everything Pudding chapter. He is fully aware of my Maud Hart Lovelace-worship but was a little skeptical about how BTT would be received by classrooms of 8/9 year olds of both sexes. (Read: He was afraid the boys might think it too "girly.") I assured him they would all love it, and so they did. JJ reported that at least thirty kids of both genders clamored to borrow the book after he had finished reading the chapter. It reminded me of the time I overheard Max describing the series as he hastily rationalized to his cousin, Joseph, why the audiobook was playing in our car: "It's about girls... BUT they fight and get in trouble and all kinds of cool stuff. It's awesome."

My last post was all about why I read aloud to my children (even when they can read on their own). One of the benefits I listed was that my boys get to experience books (like the BETSY-TACY series) they might never pick up on their own. With that in mind, I take very seriously the task of selecting our read alouds.

Imagine if you met someone who had never heard music before and you could only share *one* song with that person to try and demonstrate how amazing music is... or, imagine the same situation but with food. Are you going to play "Row, row, row your boat" or serve saltine crackers? I don't get quite that dramatic when selecting books to share with my children, but almost. Reverence is certainly required. I can't help but feel that each book we read together is an opportunity to strengthen my children's incipient love of reading.

I also think it is crucial that I not only select amazing books that my children will enjoy, but that I will as well. If I weren't enjoying myself, they would sense my disinterest and then it wouldn't be fun for anyone. And if it isn't enjoyable for them *and* for me? It will happen less and less until I've just decided it is easier to let them get a t.v. in their room and to fall asleep while watching Spongebob. (Okay, so that would never happen. But you get my point: if we read good books, we'll all look forward to that time together in a way that will ensure it will stay a ritual.)

I fully admit I am influenced by books read aloud to me as a child, either by my parents or by a favorite teacher/librarian. Of the books I recommend in this post, about 75% were read aloud to me at some point in my childhood. Several were read to our class by my second grade teacher, whom I didn't even particularly like at the time... but I remember her with fondness now because of the books she read aloud to us. (So, even if you are an otherwise lame parent, perhaps if you read good books aloud to your children, you'll at least have some chance that they'll still change your Depends for you when you are 104. Bonus!)

In general, we are going to try and be better about posting about all of the great books we read. But here are a few books I've read aloud with excellent success to my own boys, books that they probably would never have chosen to read on their own but that are really just too great for them not to have in their lives*:

BETSY TACY AND TIB by Maud Hart Lovelace (Once past the first couple of pages of "who's who," you get right into pure, hilarious mischief that really doesn't stop until the end of the book. For a description of the whole series, go here.)

THE WOLVES OF WILLOUGHBY CHASE by Joan Aiken (Action-packed and short chapters, to boot! The only thing I didn't like when reading this aloud was the chronic begging each night for "one more chapter, please.... please... PLEASE!!")

MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien (I read this to Max when he was six and just read it again this summer to Max and Toby together. We all consider it one of our all-time favorites.)

GONE-AWAY LAKE, RETURN TO GONE-AWAY by Elizabeth Enright (I love how Enright enables my children to experience childhood in a completely different way. We all love how Enright makes us giggle.)

LITTLE HOUSE IN THE BIG WOODS by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Max and Toby both are obsessed with the whole Man vs. Wild concept; they marveled at how the Ingalls family survived in the "olden days." Max and I, in fact, read the whole series up through LITTLE TOWN ON THE PRAIRIE. I didn't want to push my luck with the courtship/love/wedding of THESE HAPPY GOLDEN YEARS.)

The RAMONA books by Beverly Cleary (I know Beverly Cleary's Henry Huggins and Ralph books aren't considered unconventional for boys... but, really, the Ramona books aren't to be missed; my boys, while liking Henry, prefer impish Ramona handsdown. In the pictures above, you'll see my two oldest boys and two of my nephews posing with Ramona's statue in Portland, Oregon... and in front of the Beverly Cleary Elementary School with our lovely tour guide.)

What do you recommend as your favorite/most successful (but somewhat unconventional) read alouds?

*I find in some of these older books some dated (read: commonplace at the time but now considered racist) references that I easily leave out when reading the books aloud. If it is more of a racist belief (i.e. Ma's feelings about Native Americans), I tend to include it, but we talk about why she might have felt that way back then and how ignorant and unfair it seems to us now.)

Why (still) read aloud?

2010-09-24T08:52:00.000-07:00

A truth I thought we all knew by now: sharing books with children by reading them aloud is one of the most effective ways to help children develop a love of reading. (And, being an avid reader is, y'know, not just good for kids but good for our whole society.) In the past two weeks, I have read two different pieces that address children and reading: How to Raise Boys Who Read by Thomas Spence and How to Accelerate a Reader by Donalyn Miller. What I found quite surprising is that neither piece mentioned reading aloud to children as a way to help children develop into readers/improve their reading. (Where are you, Jim Trelease?!?) If writing about how to raise readers or accelerate readers, it seems one should include the recommendation to regularly, meaningfully, read aloud to those readers you are attempting to raise/accelerate. In the current climate of Extreme Testing and literacy, literacy, literacy, people are not prioritizing one of the easiest ways to turn kids on to reading. I wish these recent articles, full of other excellent points, had made the case for reading aloud.

So, after that little diatribe, it might surprise you to learn that "reading aloud to children so that they develop a love of reading/accelerate their reading" isn't even the point of this post.

While I think there is a real danger in mistaking “can read on his/her own” for “has developed a love of reading,” that is not the driving reason behind the fact that I read aloud to my children every night. To speak particularly of Max, my nine year old... he can read (and enjoys to) on his own now. Why then do I continue to read aloud to him? I have had a draft of this post going since, I kid you not, February. But it took several recent conversations in which I found myself justifying why I still read aloud to my oldest child (even though he can read to himself and likes it) to get me to finish it. Well, those conversations AND the frustration over the aforementioned articles leaving out the recommendation to read aloud.

A new development in our family: if you want to start everyone laughing, dreamily utter the word "Jupiter" at any random moment. Seriously. It has been the source of MUCH amusement. "Jupiter" has even derailed at least one Lego dispute-related meltdown. If you read one of our last posts, you'll know that "Jupiter" is from our recent read-aloud, Elizabeth Enright's GONE-AWAY LAKE. I think it would only be slightly hyperbolic to say that our lives are richer because of "Jupiter." Sharing little inside jokes like this is just one of the many ways that reading aloud together makes our lives richer.

Reading aloud together…

…provides at least one point during even the crazy-busiest of days that we are snuggling our children, sharing a meaningful experience. It's intimate... and in this age of Wii, DS and other electronic distractions, as well as soccer practice and playdates, "intimate" doesn't happen often enough. And it isn’t just me trying to get my child’s attention away from DS or tv. My children like to have my undivided attention just as much as I like to have theirs.

…can be a springboard for important conversations. For example, TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING by Judy Blume had Max and I talking, on the surface, about Peter's frustrations with having a baby brother. But we were also talking about Max's frustrations with HIS little brothers... in a "safe" way.

...can be edifying. When we read together, my guys frequently stop me to discuss an unfamiliar word or a confusing/interesting topic. For instance, when reading the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, we had many conversations about Native Americans and the awful way they were treated and thought about by many people (yeah, I'm talking to you, Ma).

...usually makes the guys sleepy, which, before bed, is always a good thing. (Okay, so maybe you're thinking, "How does THAT make your family's life richer?" I suppose I could argue that the kids falling to sleep easier lets them get more sleep which makes them less cranky which makes me not get annoyed and cranky back at them which makes our lives richer... but I'm willing to admit that maybe them falling to sleep easier just makes my life richer because I have more time in my evening to spend with my husband/read/watch FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS and GLEE/fold laundry/knit/computer.)

...gives us something pleasant to share and talk about, even if we've had a night of squabbling and butting heads. It guarantees that none of us end the day thinking about our latest argument over leaving dirty clothes all over the house instead of, for crying out loud, putting them into one of the twenty hampers I've strategically placed throughout the house... Wait. What was I saying? Oh, right, reading together goes a long way in repairing any daily frustrations between us before settling in to bed for the night.

…provides a foundation, in a deep way, for shared experiences and communication. I know this kind of encapsulates some of the reasons I listed above, but it bears repeating. I know my kids and I have a lot of shared experiences, now, without reading aloud together. (Although, it seems, daily, they become interested in something Pokemon/Bakugan/etc. that couldn't be considered a "shared experience.") I’m thinking ahead to the future. By having an established, beloved tradition of reading together, I'm hoping that when it becomes even harder for us to talk about important things together (see: most any teenager that isn't Rory Gilmore), reading will be a valuable common ground… whether we’re on our 100th reread of the Harry Potter series, or if we’re reading something like SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson or THE HUNGER GAMES by Suzanne Collins. We'll have something to share and talk about even if we can't see eye to eye on anything else.

...is the best way to have them experience a story they might not ever pick up on their own (movies do NOT count!!!). Books that might seem a little old-fashioned but that have richness, depth, wit. Also, be it right or wrong, boys are not as likely, on their own, to pick up a book about a female protagonist as girls are to select books with male protagonists. That means that my boys wouldn't read most of what I consider to be Very Excellent literature?? I couldn't accept that; I just simply want certain books, like I want certain people, to be in my children's lives.

Also? Sharing books with my children is good for my parental self-esteem. Every time one of my children quotes/makes reference to/uses a particular word from one of our read alouds, it gives us both that inside joke thrill, sure, but it also gives me a different kind of good feeling... like no matter what parenting mistakes I may make, at least I'm giving them this positive thing, this wonderful gift of loving literature.

Wow. Was that last line too cheesy? Sorry.

To be continued... What to read aloud?

Note: Although reading aloud was not mentioned in the Donalyn Miller article mentioned above, she is obviously a proponent of reading aloud. Please read her article on reading aloud in the classroom.

Do you understand?

2010-08-13T08:57:00.000-07:00

I was gently urging Max this morning to write down a few reactions to some of the books he has read this summer so that I could include them in a blog post... he responded, vaguely worried, "Have you put anything on it lately? They'll understand that it is summer, right?"

We'll catch up soon, but I do want to share one of my favorite reading moments so far from this summer... Max and I finished NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST, BOOK 2: THE BASILISK'S LAIR by R.L. LaFevers one night in late June. Even though it was already a bit late, Max grabbed his advance reader's copy of the third Nathaniel Fludd (due out in September), climbed into his bed with his booklight, and read the first five chapters by himself. The picture below is him reading it the next morning, right after waking up. (I was reading BLACK HEARTS IN BATTERSEA by Joan Aiken, by the way.)

Last night I read with Max and Toby chapter one of GONE-AWAY LAKE by Elizabeth Enright...

2010-05-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

I just had to share my exultation that last night's "try out" of GONE-AWAY LAKE was a success!! The boys were a bit skeptical when I suggested it as our next read aloud... "I want something with a mystery in it. Or wizards," someone muttered. After my pitch, they finally agreed to "one chapter with rights of refusal."

Well, if you've read it, you won't be surprised that it was approved unanimously. I think we all laughed the hardest at Foster's "Jupiter" non sequitur on the train.

A review: BENNY AND PENNY IN THE TOY BREAKER by Geoffrey Hayes

2010-05-01T19:50:00.000-07:00

What do you offer your early reader after he has read-until-memorized all of Dr. Seuss’s oeuvre, every Fly Guy adventure, and every Elephant & Piggie book? I tried to offer the usual fare: Frog and Toad, Frances, Little Bear. All of those excellent… but Toby just didn’t seem to be reaching for them over and over on his own. Before I could spend too much time considering the problem, Toby solved it himself. As much as I love introducing my children to great books, I love it even more when they discover one on their own.

A few months ago, Toby checked out BENNY AND PENNY in JUST PRETEND by Geoffrey Hayes from the school library. He (or we) read it at least once a day for two weeks. He asked his librarian at school for more Benny and Penny books, but she didn’t have any others. Our local library had another one, but it was checked out. I found BENNY AND PENNY in THE BIG NO-NO, finally, at a local independent book store.

It wasn't until we got the third book, BENNY AND PENNY in THE TOY BREAKER, that I realized these were comic books. I know, it is hardly a surprise that kids like comic books. Max was very into the Bone series for a while… and both Max and Toby love all of my old CALVIN & HOBBES anthologies. But I’ve never come across comic books like the BENNY AND PENNY books. These are bound like regular books with hard covers and so are very durable. The stories are exactly right for early readers, unlike, for example, CALVIN & HOBBES. (I started questioning my wisdom in sharing those books after Max and Toby locked me out of our hotel room so that they could eat all of the cookies… and then said they got the idea from CALVIN & HOBBES.) And, of course, with comic books, there are many pictures per page to help provide visual support for the story… even if a child could only read a few of the words, there is enough action in the pictures in the BENNY AND PENNY comics that the story would be easily understood.

“I love the pictures so much. The mice are so cute!” said Toby when I asked him why he was first interested in the Benny and Penny books. After reading the newest one, THE TOY BREAKER, Toby said he thought all of the arguing was funny and also liked how Cousin Bo finally learned how to play nicely. He recommends it for “anyone who likes to read.”

I, personally, love a good Other Child Misbehaves story. I think one of the hardest things to teach a child is how to cope with another child’s misbehavior. Kids have a challenging enough time managing themselves… choosing right over wrong, being polite, trying to share. So, after already working so hard to control their own negative impulses, it feels especially egregious when another child violates etiquette or breaks a rule out of sight of an adult.

The build up of the story in THE TOY BREAKER has plenty of action, complete with classic comic book “bonks!” and “pooms!” Comic book slap-stick. Toby laughed out loud at several points. (Don’t worry, the action comes from accidental violence.)

But, what to do with this toy breaker? In another Other Child Misbehaves early reader story, A BARGAIN FOR FRANCES by Russell Hoban, Frances enacts intricate revenge on her friend Thelma after Thelma tricks her into buying her junky plastic tea set. In comparison, the resolution in THE TOY BREAKER might seem a bit quick, a little too pat. (Benny and Penny, after trying several different avoidance strategies, figure out that the solution to their problem with Cousin Bo is to simply play, but without any toys.) But, honestly, that seemed to appeal to Toby. Who wants a long, drawn out resolution when it is the action part of the story that is so fun? Plus, while I love A BARGAIN FOR FRANCES and find it wildly clever, the resolution in it is not super realistic. And, frankly, neither of my older two can identify with longing for a blue and white china tea set. In THE TOY BREAKER, Bo is a toy breaker, but he is also Benny’s and Penny’s cousin; they can’t always avoid him, so Benny and Penny simply learn to avoid what makes playing with Cousin Bo so undesirable. A simple solution. Doable. And they figured it out themselves.

Look at us! Two posts in two days! It will never happen again...

2010-04-16T11:10:00.000-07:00

Max's update:
After finishing NATHANIEL FLUDD: BEASTOLOGIST, Max and I read THE GREAT BRAIN together. I remember several years ago when my friend Steffi Smith (retired children's librarian and story-teller extraordinaire) extolled the wonders of the THE GREAT BRAIN series in my car on the way to a get together of Maud Hart Lovelace fans. The series was familiar to me, but I couldn't remember if I had ever read any of the books growing up. (And, in my defense at not having read such a classic series as a child, I quote yet another Lovelace-fan-friend, Wendy Burton (sixboxesofbooks.blogspot.com), who simply wrote, when defending *herself* for not having read THE PHANTOM TOLLBOOTH while growing up, "IT'S ABOUT A BOY!" But I digress.) Steffi swore up and down that the series had turned her "reluctant reader" son into the avid reader he is today. That very weekend I ran across a set of the entire series at a used bookstore and bought them all. I read the first one immediately and loved it... but I decided to wait to read the rest of the series until my boys were old enough to enjoy them with me. (It is entirely out of character for me, by the way, to not tear through an entire series if I love the first book... but, come on, IT'S ABOUT A BOY!)

Usually Max would read the first three pages of each chapter, and I would read the rest. I must say, it is not my favorite book to read aloud... in the same way I do not love reading Harry Potter books aloud. There are just so many words! But the story is wonderful and the writing clever (if *thorough* at times). Max loved it. *Loved* it. He said it was his favorite book *ever*. (When I asked him if he liked it even more than Harry Potter, he chuckled and said, "Well, nothing beats Harry Potter." Another digression: I'll bet that changes as he gets older.) I really wouldn't recommend THE GREAT BRAIN for anyone under 9 or so. As fun as it is, there is definitely some heavy subject matter. I don't think Max would have enjoyed it so much two years ago. I *know* Toby would find the tough stuff just too stressful.

Anyway, Max wanted to read the second one immediately. In some ways I think I should have just gone with it since he was so excited, but, frankly, my throat needed a break. Plus, he's hooked now. He can plow through those on his own when he's ready. I need to use my precious read aloud time with him to give him some Elizabeth Enright experience, which is coming up. (Wouldn't the first week of summer be perfect for GONE-AWAY LAKE?)

In the mean time, and to placate him, we went back to the Trixie Belden series. We were on a spree in the fall and read the first four. I jumped ahead to number 14, THE MYSTERY OF THE EMERALDS. Max's class just finished studying the underground railroad so I thought he'd get a kick out of it. Last night we heard from Mr. Carver that Jenkins allegedly found the necklace... can't wait to finish it tonight! Max tried to bribe me in all sorts of ways last night to read more chapters but bedtime was past.

Max is also reading HENRY HUGGINS to me. (He reads for 15 minutes to me and then I read to him.) Last night we had a faux argument/good laugh about whether we should skip his reading and go right to Trixie. I said, "C'mon, Max. We left Henry in that phone booth, not knowing whether he'd get to bring Ribsy home." He said, "True, but we left Trixie down in that dark passageway... she could be dead for all we know."

The "too proud to speak" moment of the evening: Max said, when Brian, alarmed, jumped up to call Trixie back up from the passageway: "I know! The air is bad!"
Me:"How did you know?"
Him: "You know, from the well in LITTLE HOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE."

We are the lamest bloggers in Bloggerton...

2010-04-15T19:06:00.000-07:00

Before I launch into an update on what Toby has been reading (Max's update will be tomorrow), I have to share the following quote from a book I'm reading right now, Maryrose Wood's THE INCORRIGIBLE CHILDREN OF ASHTON PLACE- THE MYSTERIOUS HOWLING:

"She had chosen Dante because she found the rhyme scheme pleasingly jaunty, but she realized too late that the INFERNO's tale of sinners being cruelly punished in the afterlife was much too bloody and disturbing to be suitable for young minds. Penelope could tell this by the way the children hung on her every word and demanded "More, more!" each time she reached the end of a canto and tried to stop."

Ha! I'm laughing again as I type this and nodding appreciatively at the ring of truth in those words. (It's not easy to laugh, nod and type at the same time, but I managed.)

So. Since our last post, Toby finished up (with my husband, mostly) RAMONA THE PEST and RAMONA THE BRAVE. He has now switched back to Henry Huggins and is currently reading HENRY AND BEEZUS. I got to read chapter four to him last night while my husband was at Max's late soccer practice; Toby pretty much had a grin on his face the entire time I was reading, and he laughed out loud several times. Thank you, Beverly Cleary.

In his spare time, Toby loves to read Fly Guy and Elephant & Piggie books to Hatcher. I also caught him last night reading HOORAY! FOR FLY GUY to himself in bed *after* lights out. I teared up a little with pride.

"Mom, we never said we wanted to blog about EVERY book..."

2010-03-17T09:04:00.000-07:00

It turns out that Max, Toby and Hatcher aren't ALL that interested in blogging. I'm guessing their contributions will be sporadic at best. I'm hoping to bribe them into contributing something about their latest reads, but in the mean time, an update:

Max finally finished the Harry Potter series. About five seconds after the last sentence, "All was well," Max turned to me, sighed, and said, "Are you sure there isn't a number eight? I really want a number eight." I'm with you, kid.

His melancholy was short-lived, however, because he raced through the second Alvin Ho and is almost finished with THE FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (Nathaniel Fludd, Beastologist, Book #1) by R.L. LaFevers. I love the illustrations, and I think this is one of those that, while it isn't *my* idea of a desert island read, I enjoyed it and Max is LOVING it. If you are interested, I think this review sums up my feelings about the book quite nicely: http://www.wired.com/geekdad/2009/11/the-geekly-reader-nathaniel-fludd-beastologist-flight-of-the-phoenix/

The second in the series comes out in June. http://www.powells.com/biblio/62-9780547238678-0

Toby is working his way through the Ramona series. I think he is stressing out a little (jeez, Mrs. Griggs, cut Ramona some slack!) so we might need a little bit of a break.

We have also been listening to HP and the SORCERER'S STONE on tape during Lego-building sessions with the big kids... that led to about two days of rampant "Got yer conk!" attacks. Thanks, Peeves.

Toby has taken up residence on Klickitat Street...

2010-02-24T17:32:00.000-08:00

Toby's review of HENRY HUGGINS by Beverly Cleary, as dictated to his mother:

"Henry is very smart. Henry has a dog named Ribsy. Sometimes Henry tries to help. Henry has a friend named Beezus. I liked the book very much. It makes me laugh. I liked when Henry got paint on him."

I tried to get a review of BEEZUS AND RAMONA out of him as well, since he had finished it right before HENRY HUGGINS. This was all I got before he gave me a look and said in a tone of finality, "I think I'm done now."

"Beezus and Ramona are funny. Ramona has a tricycle."

Lessons learned: Always get the review right after the book is finished... and definitely never ask for more than one review at a time!

Some Reading Accomplished In Spite of Olympics!

2010-02-24T10:52:00.000-08:00

My own reading is suffering because of too much Olympic-watching, but the boys are carrying on. Yesterday afternoon:

Max: He was home half the day from school (another, more annoying, story), so he was able to read independently at least two chapters of the second Alvin Ho, and he also listened to 5 chapters of HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE. (Almost finished with that one...)

Toby: We listened to two chapters of RAMONA THE PEST while we cut out 100 pieces of yarn for him to take to school today (100th day of school!). At bedtime, he read MY FRIEND IS SAD by Mo Willems and MOO BAA LA LA LA & THE BEDTIME BOOK by Sandra Boynton to Hatcher. My husband then read the last chapter of HENRY HUGGINS to Toby.

Max reacts to ALVIN HO: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things by Lenore Look...

2010-02-15T08:49:00.000-08:00

When my friend Kelly (herself the mother of two awesome boys) recommended Alvin Ho to me, I knew Max would appreciate it. He, like Alvin, is afraid of many things. We talk about those things a lot, and he works through them (i.e. he no longer has to wear socks to bed because he is afraid crabs will pinch his toes in the night)... but I just knew he would enjoy reading about someone who thinks like he does.

Max writes (with spelling help from mom):

It was funny, really funny because it reminded me of everything. And it is always good when the bossy guy gets it.

My list:

1. Feral children (editor's note: Thanks a bunch, NatGeo! http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/is-it-real/2706/Overview)
2. Cougars (editor's note: He means cougars of the feline variety...)
3. The dark
4. Talking to grown-ups
5. Getting lost
6. Floods/tornadoes/hurricanes/earthquakes/volcanoes
7. Bears
8. Rats
9. Big Foot/neanderthals/hairy men/werewolves/sasquatch

I think most second-grade boys would like this book. I didn't understand all of the words, but I knew enough to understand and like the story. And don't forget it is really funny.

Being sick isn't like it used to be...

2010-02-15T07:41:00.000-08:00

Wow. We just survived a week and a half of all three children being sick. Before I had kids, I used to almost welcome illness; it was the ideal time to slow down and spend full days reading. That is hardly the case now. We did manage to finish a *few* books... But if Max preferred, while recovering from a rotten cold, to snuggle under a quilt in the guest bedroom and listen to Jim Dale read HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE rather than read to himself, I wasn't going to argue.

I'm really trying hard not to have this blog turn me into a task-master when it comes to my children reading. 'Cuz it wouldn't work, and they'd probably grow to hate me *and* reading, to boot.

On the night stand...

2010-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Max's and Toby's report cards, Hatcher and I ventured down to The Book Beat (a local indie book store with a fabulous children's collection) to buy them each a new book. I would normally have them come and be a part of the selection process, but I wanted the books to be a surprise... it is so thrilling to walk in to dinner and see a new book on your plate!

Anyway, for Toby we bought BENNY AND PENNY IN THE BIG NO NO!, written and illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes, which (I didn't realize until yesterday) won the 2010 Geisel award. Toby loved the other Benny and Penny book (see Toby's recommendations) and has been looking for this one. It was checked out of the library when we went to look for it the other day.

For Max I couldn't resist R.L. LaFevers's NATHANIEL FLUDD, BEASTOLOGIST, BOOK ONE: FLIGHT OF THE PHOENIX (illustrated by Kelly Murphy)... and not just because of the super long title. I love the pen and ink illustrations, the large print and the short chapters; the fact that mythical creatures play a large part in Nathaniel's adventure should put this early chapter book at the top of Max's TO READ pile.

Of course Hatcher and I couldn't leave without getting a thing or three for ourselves. Hatcher selected DINOSAILORS, written by Deb Lund and illustrated by Howard Fine. I chose THE MAGIC THIEF and HOMER PRICE to share with Max and Toby at some point, and THEODOSIA AND THE SERPENTS OF CHAOS, also written by R.L. LaFevers. I also bought copies of BETSY-TACY and BETSY, TACY AND TIB by Maud Hart Lovelace to give as birthday gifts.

Our TO READ piles are huge. Here are just a few from Max's and Toby's piles...

Max:
SUPERFUDGE by Judy Blume (we've actually read a few chapters of this already)
OTIS SPOFFORD, HENRY HUGGINS by Beverly Cleary
The second ALVIN HO
THE GREAT BRAIN by John D. Fitzgerald

Toby:
RAMONA THE PEST by Beverly Cleary (hmm... doesn't Ramona get in trouble a lot in this one?)
BETSY AND TACY GO OVER THE BIG HILL by Maud Hart Lovelace
HALF MAGIC by Edward Eager
MRS. FRISBY AND THE RATS OF NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien

Happy reading this weekend!

Darsa

Toby has his say...

2010-02-03T18:51:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure Toby really "got" what I was doing with this interview... as we began he leaned in towards my notepad and said several times, loudly, "HI... MY NAME IS TOBY MORROW." I think the word "interview" must evoke for him a microphone and loud introductions.

In a nutshell, Toby likes funny books and doesn't mind some mystery and magic, as well. He does not like it so much when the "stars" of the books get into trouble. (This comment reminded me of the time when Max, Toby and I were reading ON THE BANKS OF PLUM CREEK and we got to the part where Laura is being scolded for going in the creek... Toby hopped right out of bed, declaring angrily, "I am OUT of here.")

Toby's favorite place to read is in his bed or anywhere he can "sit softer." I hear you, Toby. I like to "sit softer" whenever I can.

An interview with Max, in which he discusses his reading habits...

2010-02-01T20:03:00.000-08:00

I want the boys to think of themselves as Readers; in an effort to help Max clarify for himself who he is as a reader, I asked him a few questions:

Me: What are your ideal reading conditions?

Max: I like to be alone or at least for it to be quiet because it helps me concentrate. I like to be somewhere cozy like a bed or the couch in front of the wood stove. I think it is good to read towards your bedtime because reading calms you.

Me: How do you pick the books you read?

Max: I have trouble with that because I don't like all the books... I like ones that have kids like me that get into trouble and do funny stuff. Like TALES OF A FOURTH GRADE NOTHING. And ALVIN HO.

Me: Are you going to read the second ALVIN HO book next?

Max, excited: There's a sequel?!? YES! (does fist/bended elbow/inward-downward thrust thing)

Me: What books don't you like?

Max: Like Captain Underpants... the story is all right there. It doesn't give it to you bit by bit to keep you interested. If you can't get really into the story, why bother?

A beginning...

2010-01-28T19:18:00.001-08:00

I know a lot of parents worry about when their children learn to read. Should they learn to read in kindergarten? Before kindergarten? Does my child need a tutor if he's not reading Harry Potter in the first grade?

I have never worried much about *when* my children learn(ed) to read, but one of my biggest parental fears has always been that one of my children would grow up not *loving* to read.

So, in addition to reading aloud to my children every day, I really try to share my love of reading, as well. I read them books that I loved as a child and books that I have discovered as an adult. I take them to the library and to book stores. They see me read books for pleasure. We listen to books on tape in the car. And now we have started this blog together... Does all of this mean that they will, all three of them, grow up to be avid, voracious readers? I don't know for sure, of course; but if they're not, it won't be from a lack of me trying!