three books

Lately, I have probably finished more children's books than books for adults, and here are three that I don't get tired of reading.
Dirt on My Shirt is by Jeff Foxworthy and it is a collection of poems that I think most school age children would enjoy. I read the entire book to several of my groups of students and they seemed to enjoy them. I enjoyed reading them, too, and I think that the neatly done color illustrations make this a book I will use each year for poetry month.


The Rain Came Down by David Shannon is another great book. Yesterday I read it with three different groups of students and many of them said when we finished that they like the story. It does a good job at showing cause and effect, and the pictures really add to the story. At the beginning of the story it begins to rain, which makes the chicken squawk. In turn they cause the cat to yowl, the dog to bark, and soon it is affecting people and the whole town turns into a traffic jam.

The Blue Hill Meadows by Cynthia Rylant is a good for reading aloud to students that are getting introduced to chapter books. There are four chapters, one for each season of the year. It starts in summer, and it tells about Sullivan and Eva Meadows and their boys Willie and Ray. The characters are likable and it is a story that makes me wish everyone had such a good family.

April

April is National Poetry Month
April is National Kite Month
April 12-18 is National Library Week
April 20-26 is Turn Off the TV Week
April 22 is Earth Day
April 24 is Arbor Day
Most years Easter is in April
How can I help but like April?

A Tip a Day with Ellie Kay

A Tip a Day with Ellie Kay is a book that has lots of money saving tips. It has all the categories that you would find in any book about saving money-coupons, insurance, entertainment, banking, transportation, education, home, clothes, furniture, appliances, and electronics. It has three categories that you don't see in every book about saving money-helping kids learn about saving money, relationships (with your spouse), and making a difference in the world. I would not have thought about some of those things, but Ellie feels like people should not just save money, but find a way to use that to help others. The tips in the book were brief, and if a person picked up this book, it would be easy to find the tips because they are well organized. What is one way that you have chosen to be frugal?

Fireproof

Last night I watched the movie Fireproof for the second time. I enjoyed it, though I have to say there is something about watching a movie for the first time that makes it more engaging. If you haven't seen it, I would definitely recommend it. Have any of you seen it?

spring

I realize that it is not officially spring yet according to the calendar, but it is definitely spring by the weather here. The snow has been melting like crazy and there is so much water on some sidewalks that I could use some galoshes now instead of my snowboots. Spring is probably enjoyed more by people in northern climates because the change from winter to spring is so drastic, don't you think?

Key Lime Pie Murder

Key Lime Pie Murder by Joanne Fluke is the book I read for March's book club meeting. It is one of eleven Hannah Swensen books that Fluke (who grew up in Swanville) has written, but I think that they don't necessarily have to be read in order because this is number 9 and references to stories before this one were almost nonexistent. This book takes place in a small, fictional town in Minnesota. Hannah is the owner of a bakery and somehow gets involved in trying to solve the most recent murder case that happens during the county fair. Although I thought it took a long time (over 100 pages) to get to the murder, there was plenty after that to keep you guessing. One other positive thing about the story is there was not bad language and nothing overly graphic that made you want to quit reading. A unique thing about this book is that at the end of every few chapters there is a recipe for one of the foods mentioned. Most of them are dessert recipes, but there is also one for popovers as well as an egg bake. If it was summer I might have been tempted to try the recipe for key lime pie. Anyone else read any of these?