As promised, here's my favourite kid books from 2010. Some are picture books. some are novels, but all are enjoyable.
1. "The Dragons are Singing Tonight"-without a doubt one of the best collections of poetry I've ever found. Great fun poems about dragons, what's not to love?
2."A Necklace of Raindrops"-last year I discovered Joan Aiken as a writer and I've become a big fan. She's especially talented at writing new fariytales, which this is a collection of. Wonderful.
3."Pumpkin Soup"-is the first in a series of three terrific tales about the cat, squirrel, and the duck who all live in the old white cabin and make pumpkin soup every night for dinner. Delicious reading.
4."Click, Clack, Moo"- what happens down at the farm when the cows get a hold of the old typewriter? Mayhem and hilarity ensue, of course.
5."Among the Hidden"-first in a novel series where Luke, as a forbidden third child who must spend his life in hiding, life changes forever when he discovers yet another forbidden child living next door. This one made me cry.
6."Princess of the Midnight Ball"-Remember the old fairytale of the twelve dancing princesses? Here's the story in greater detail and good characters to boot.
7."Hana's Suitcase"-this is one I'll certainly read with my children, once they're old enough. The story jumps back and forth between a museum curator unraveling the mystery of the most popular item in their exhibit on the holocaust-a suitcase with the name Hana on it- and the story of the girl Hana herself.
8."Something BIG Has Been Here"-funny, lyrical, and just plain enjoyable to read aloud, here's a collection of poems by Jack Prelutsky.
9."Ghosts in the House"-my thanks to Jaima for recommending this one, it became a fast family favourite around here. A good guide should you ever move into a haunted house, but great fun even if you never do.
10."Daddy Long-legs"-my love of epistolary novels continues! A good one for Anne Shirley fans; the book has an orphan, an unknown benefactor, school adventures and just a hint of romance thrown in for good measure.
Happy reading all!
Monday, January 24, 2011
Monday, January 17, 2011
Books of the Year
Going over my reading log (yes, I AM that dorky!) from 2010 there were some fabulous books that I discovered. There are too good to keep to myself, so here are my top ten of adult reads from the year just past:
1. "The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society"- I originally got this book because the title was such a mouthful and tickled my funny bone,but it has become a firm favourite of mine. Here's a read that will make you laugh, cry, has a plethora of delightful characters, and even weaves the love of books into a superb plot.
2."Griffin and Sabine"- In keeping with my love of epistolary novels here is a unique winner. My teacher Mr.Murdock read this to us as a class when I was young, but rediscovering this was sheer delight. You get to read the correspondence between the two title characters, even taking their beautifully illustrated letters from the envelopes as their mysterious romance unfolds. Read all three of the books in this series, they're well worth it.
3."Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"- Who would have thought that a humble fish would wield such power over world events throughout time? Fascinating.
4."The Host"-Arguably Stephanie Meyer's best novel yet. Forget those sparkly vampires and enjoy this one. I came into this book determined to hate the main character only to fall in love with her. Full of surprises, the book made me cry it was that good.
5."One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies"- Don't you just love the title of this one? Brilliantly told in a series of poems of all things, our teenage heroine must move to California after her mother dies of cancer to live with the moviestar father she has never met.
6."All New Square-Foot Gardening"- A practical guide to growing a successful garden without investing vast swatches of time. This one even explained the wonderful mysteries of effective composting to me.
7."Salt: A World History"- Written by the same author as "Cod" here is another great tale of humankind's pursuit of the most precious resource throughout our entire history. Now commonplace and easily accessible, this now humble element once shaped mighty empires and sparked wars.
8."Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery"-Finally a well-written and compelling biography of a forgotten historical figure that has fascinated me for years!
9."The Happy Hooker"-This is not what you think, it's a book about crochet! Clear instructions, funny writing and with cool projects that range from purses, bunny slippers and cowboy hats it has convinced even a die-hard knitter like me to learn this craft.
10."Stich'n Bitch Superstar Knitting"- You didn't think that there wouldn't be at least ONE knitting book on my list now did you? Superb with great instructions, funny quips and fantastic projects that make me eager to tackle such daunting techniques as fair isle, beading or cables with confidence.
Happy reading all and stay tuned for my kid picks from 2010!
1. "The Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society"- I originally got this book because the title was such a mouthful and tickled my funny bone,but it has become a firm favourite of mine. Here's a read that will make you laugh, cry, has a plethora of delightful characters, and even weaves the love of books into a superb plot.
2."Griffin and Sabine"- In keeping with my love of epistolary novels here is a unique winner. My teacher Mr.Murdock read this to us as a class when I was young, but rediscovering this was sheer delight. You get to read the correspondence between the two title characters, even taking their beautifully illustrated letters from the envelopes as their mysterious romance unfolds. Read all three of the books in this series, they're well worth it.
3."Cod: The Biography of the Fish That Changed the World"- Who would have thought that a humble fish would wield such power over world events throughout time? Fascinating.
4."The Host"-Arguably Stephanie Meyer's best novel yet. Forget those sparkly vampires and enjoy this one. I came into this book determined to hate the main character only to fall in love with her. Full of surprises, the book made me cry it was that good.
5."One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies"- Don't you just love the title of this one? Brilliantly told in a series of poems of all things, our teenage heroine must move to California after her mother dies of cancer to live with the moviestar father she has never met.
6."All New Square-Foot Gardening"- A practical guide to growing a successful garden without investing vast swatches of time. This one even explained the wonderful mysteries of effective composting to me.
7."Salt: A World History"- Written by the same author as "Cod" here is another great tale of humankind's pursuit of the most precious resource throughout our entire history. Now commonplace and easily accessible, this now humble element once shaped mighty empires and sparked wars.
8."Amazing Grace: William Wilberforce and the Heroic Campaign to End Slavery"-Finally a well-written and compelling biography of a forgotten historical figure that has fascinated me for years!
9."The Happy Hooker"-This is not what you think, it's a book about crochet! Clear instructions, funny writing and with cool projects that range from purses, bunny slippers and cowboy hats it has convinced even a die-hard knitter like me to learn this craft.
10."Stich'n Bitch Superstar Knitting"- You didn't think that there wouldn't be at least ONE knitting book on my list now did you? Superb with great instructions, funny quips and fantastic projects that make me eager to tackle such daunting techniques as fair isle, beading or cables with confidence.
Happy reading all and stay tuned for my kid picks from 2010!
Thursday, January 6, 2011
C is for Cookie
I've always had a fondness for Cookie Monster. And although we had more than our fair share of cookie baking fun last month (Christmas seems like the ultimate excuse to whip up a batch for me)today we made some more- Ben, Briggy and I.
Briggy loves helping out in the kitchen so much that I've dubbed him "My Little Sous Chef". And with Ben getting some marvelous new cookie cutters in the shape of a race car, train and (his favourite) an airplane it was only a matter of time before we made some dough together so that they could make cookies to their hearts content. Ben has been pestering me to do so since he opened that present Christmas morning, so he was very excited about today's activity!
We had a grand time together. I do love the whimsy of cookie cutters, and as such, am slowly acquiring a rather fun collection. While Ben loves his airplane, Briggy favours the pterodactal while I love the tyrannosaurus rex. Even though I'm working hard to loss the remaining baby weight, a certain satisfaction is derived from biting a dinosaurs head off!
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