The Little Book of Farmyard Tales

This is a book for fans of "Find the Duck" (of which I am). It is another book by Stephen Cartwright (and Heather Amery). If your child enjoyed finding the duck, then this is for them.

This is a collection of stories about Appletree Farm (which appears a lot in Stephen Cartwright books) that will grow with your child. At first, you'll be reading the entire story to your child . As they start to read, they can start with the short sentence at the top of each page. There is a longer sentence or two at the bottom of each page which you can read. Eventually, the child will be able to read the entire book.

A little game that you will be able to play together will be Find the Duck! Yes, the little duck from the original book is located in every picture in the book!

 Click Here to get your own copy of "The Little Book of Farmyard Tales" from Miss Stacey's bookstore

Hannah's Winter

This is a first novel by Kierin Meehan, an Australian writer, for kids about 10 and up. I was VERY impressed.

It's a fantasy/mystery/ghost story that takes place in Japan. Hannah, an Australian girl, spends a winter in Japan living with a Japanese family.

Your child will learn a lot about Japan, without FEELING like they learning. I found her descriptions of the people, land, temples, etc. very beautiful and thorough without going on and on - which I often find annoying in books.

The book is narrated by Hannah and I thought Ms. Meehan wrote in a very authentic way - I FELT like a 12 year old was telling the story. I didn't want to put it down once I started and look forward to future novels by this author.

Once again this is a book published by Kane/Miller and I must say that all in all I have been impressed with their books.

I'm going to have a 10-year old girl I know read this and I will let you know what she thinks.

Click Here to get your own copy of "Hannah's Winter" from Miss Stacey's bookstore

A book for your 9+ year old boy

Let's face it, boys are hard to keep engaged with books. Boys want to be active. Boys want to be physical. Boys don't want to seem "sissy". Well, by accident I stumbled across a series for boys that I think they will enjoy - Speed Racer. I never saw the movie that was released last year, but I certainly watched the cartoon when I was a kid (we won't specify how long ago THAT was!). The illustrations and writing took me back to my childhood. I could "see" the cartoon in my head while I read it.

Book 1 in the series, "The Great Plan", is all about how Speed began to race. It also introduces the characters to the uninitiated. I was a little disappointed that Racer X wasn't introduced - although he was in the "Bonus Race Story" included at the end of the book. What I liked is that it is obvious who the good guys and bad guys are - they might as well be wearing white and black hats. If your son is like my son then he would love this book. Matt loves cars, racing and cheering on the good guys.

If you want to relive YOUR childhood, read it out loud together! The chapters are short and would only take minutes to read each one.

Miss Stacey says on your mark, get set....READ!

Pick up a copy of "Speed Racer - The Great Plan" by clicking here

Find the Duck

When Matt was just a toddler, a friend was getting rid of some old books her children had outgrown and passed on "Find the Duck" to us.

I fell in love with the drawings and loved helping Matt find the little rubber duck on each page. At the back of the book there are additional characters for the child to find throughout the book. It also includes a page with some simple counting. I think it's a great book for the 1-year-old into kindergarten child. At an Usborne party I hosted a 6-year-old girl loved this book so much she wanted to get it for her little sister.

This was the book that introduced me to Usborne Books and Stephen Cartwright's illustrations. I love both now.

Click Here to get your own copy of "Find The Duck" from Miss Stacey's bookstore

Encourage Reading with a Book Allowance

I'm always looking for new and interesting ways to put books in the hands of young readers and I hope you give this idea some thought.

Do your children get an allowance? How about offering them a book allowance?

This would be money that your kids use just to buy books. If finances allow, it would be great if this wasn't tied to chores. Let them earn their "fun" money - the money they use for music, video games, movies, etc. Think about it, you give them money for important things such as lunch, clothes, shoes - why not books? If you encourage them to buy a book, whether or not they've "earned" it, they will understand that reading IS important.

"There are many little ways to enlarge your child's world. Love of books is the best of all." — Jacqueline Kennedy

Matt's Pick of the Month: Patrick's Dinosaurs on the Internet

This was a birthday gift to Matt and he loves it! It is also a favorite of the little boy who gave it to him. This is a cute book about a little boy who, while trying to fall asleep (or is already asleep?) is contacted by a dinosaur from outer space. He is taken on the spaceship and travels to another planet where they all live. There isn't any "learning" in this book - you won't learn about dinosaurs or space - but it does help develop the love of storytelling!

It is a great book to read to your child and one that they will enjoy reading themselves when they are able.

Classics

My favorite book of all time is "Jane Eyre". I read it every couple of years. Having said that, I must admit that the first time I tried to read it I couldn't finish it. I just couldn't get through it. The sad thing was it was a Reader's Digest Condensed Book! The language bogged me down. A few years passed and I tried again. By that time I had matured and I could appreciate everything about the book.

I have discovered the Usborne Classic Collection and have to recommend these books to introduce kids to the classics. I just finished "Jane Eyre", "Tom Sawyer" and "Moby Dick". Never having read the original "Tom Sawyer" I can't compare the versions, but I can say that I liked it, a lot. Boys would really enjoy it (as well as a certain 10 year old girl I know who recently read it also!). "Jane Eyre" was only missing the formal English language and phrasing. The only condensing I found was that some of the conversations were just summarized. In other words, the very things that can intimidate a young reader were omitted. These books should help smooth the transition to the original works. After reading "Moby Dick" I am actually planning on reading the original - I enjoyed it that much! I found it a little slow to start, but once Captain Ahab appeared I was riveted.

The Classic Collection is an excellent way to introduce children to the great authors and their works.

Click Here to get your own copy of "Jane Eyre", "Tom Sawyer" or "Moby Dick" from Miss Stacey's bookstore