Educating Risa

Full Disclosure: The book links below are through the Amazon Affiliates Program. The first link (Canada) is to amazon.ca, the second (US) to amazon.com.  If you buy a book through a link, I get more books from Amazon to sate our bibliophilic tendencies. For more book recommendations, see the “Books We Love” tab at the top of my blog.

Bats at the Library (Canada) (US) was one of our favourites this week. It’s a delightful, rhyming tale of bats who sneak into the library one night when a window is left open. The pages in the book showing “bat-ified” images from classic children’s books is not to be missed. Here’s just a close-up of a small part of one page, showing the bat-ified version of Robert McCloskey’s classic Make Way for Ducklings. We had a lot of fun trying to figure out what book was being depicted in the images. One of a series.

Polar Bear Math (Canada) (US) tells the true story of the hand-raising of polar bear cubs Klondike and Snow at the Denver Zoo after they were abandoned by their mother (also at the zoo).  You can read just the story with super pictures on the right hand side, or read the math (fraction themed) on the left-hand side for more detail—e.g., using fractions to make their ‘baby’ formula, using fractions to measure their growth, etc. One of a series. The Guard Mouse is a wonderfully illustrated book—now sadly, out or print—from the 1960s about a mouse who works as a guard outside Buckingham Palace. When relatives of his from New York arrive, he shows them around London (the artwork of all kinds of classic London locations is superb), making sure to arrive back in time for the changing of the guard.

The Bugliest Bug (Canada) (US) is a lively, rhyming book about a contest to find the bugliest bug—but it’s actually a sneak attack by spiders (who aren’t bugs!). The boys demanded we re-read this immediately after finishing it the first time, something they almost never do anymore (that should give hope to those of you with 2 year olds!)   Abigail Spells (Canada) (US) is the story of two friends, and overcoming the disappointment of losing a spelling contest. Tops and Bottoms (Canada) (US) is a really unique book (it’s read on it’s side, for one thing) about a rabbit who outwits a lazy bear, his landlord, by making deals with him about sharing the tops or bottoms of the planted crops. When bear says he’ll take the top crops, rabbit plants root vegetables; when bear says he’ll take bottoms, rabbit plants lettuce. In the end bear wises up and says he’ll take BOTH tops and bottoms…and rabbit again finds a way to outwit him.   

Living Sunlight (Canada) (US) explains how all life on earth depends, ultimately, on the energy of the sun. One to add to your list of readings for upcoming Earth Hour / Earth Day celebrations. Heart of a Snowman  (Canada) (US) was a really ‘out there’ story about a boy who builds a snowman and that night is taken to a magical land by spaceship where winter animals take snowmen apart and rebuild them to try to make them perfect. It was strangely mesmerizing, and kept both my boys’ full interest. If You’ll Be My Valentine (Canada) (US) was a superb Valentine’s book to share with little ones, with playful rhyming poems on each page as a boy gives a Valentine’s to the important figures in his life (friends, family, pets, etc.). Something children can relate to far more than romantic Valentines, in my view. 

A Visitor for Bear (Canada) (US) tells the amusing story of a grumpy bear with a prominent “No Visitor’s Allowed” sign on his door, and a mouse determined to get inside and become his friend. Two Old Potatoes and Me (Canada) (US) is a book my boys first learn about on the show Reading Rainbow. It’s about a boy and his dad who—after consulting with grandpa—find a use for two old potatoes that they originally tossed in the trash. They cut them up and planted them, growing new potatoes to eat. Striking artwork and text. Cuckoo Can’t Find You (Canada) (US) is a simple rhyming book with hidden pictures—and perfect for Gareth who is just learning to read. For example, on one page the text says “Stork can’t find his fork” and has picture of a stork wading in water, with an upside down green fork cleverly hidden among the water plants. When I read it with Gareth, I did not read the final rhyming word aloud (“fork” in this case) allowing him to ‘read’ the word for himself (with help from the rhyme and the picture). The final page has a picture of a cuckoo and a good-quality mirror (Cuckoo can’t find you.) Excellent execution of a simple idea, and one that is perfect for children at the emergent reading stage.

Today I Feel Silly (Canada) (US) was a fun read about emotions, with colourful if chaotic artwork throughout. It covers both pleasant and unpleasant emotions in contexts children can easily relate to. Never Smile at a Monkey (Canada) (US) is book covering ways in which different animals can be dangerous, such as a monkey interpreting your smile as a threat. Good artwork and information as is usual with Steve Jenkins’ books, but the topic is pretty intense and my youngest found it disturbing to hear about the possibility of “dying within minutes” if pierced by a cone shells’ barb, for example. A Porcupine Named Fluffy  (Canada) (US) has been a favourite hear for years. It’s the very funny tale of a poorly named porcupine, and his one day finding a friend in a similarly poorly named rhinoceros. This book still makes my boys laugh after countless re-reads.

Happy reading!