Motherhood – Page 4 – Unleashing Readers

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten Books We Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving for Our Boys

December 20, 2016 by Kellee

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. The feature was created because The Broke and Bookish are particularly fond of lists (as are we!). Each week a new Top Ten list topic is given and bloggers can participate.

Today’s Topic: Ten Books We Wouldn’t Mind Santa Leaving for Our Boys

Ricki

1. The Right Word: Roget and His Thesaurus by Jen Bryant and Melissa Sweet

The premise of this book makes me so happy. I’d love to read it with my boys.

2. Open This Book by Jesse Klausmeier

I’ve heard that this book is interactive and good fun.

3. I Spy a Funny Frog by Jean Marzollo

My older son loves this series.

4. Nerdy Birdy by Aaron Reynolds

Honestly, how adorable is this book?

5. Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet

Every book that this author writes is incredible.

Kellee

Santa may just be bringing these books for Trent 😉

1. Super Jumbo by Fred Koehler

We loved Little Jumbo in How to Cheer Up Dad, and I read Super Jumbo at an independent bookstore in DC, but now Trent will have his own copy.

2. Mama Built a Little Nest by Jennifer Ward

I’ve only heard great things about this book, and after meeting Jennifer at NCTE, I knew I had to get it for Trent.

3. Also An Octopus by Maggie Tokuda-Hall

I read this while standing at Candlewick’s booth in the exhibit hall at NCTE, and I knew I, I mean Trent, had to have it!

4. Nanette’s Baguette by Mo Willems

A new Mo Willems book? Yes please!

5. Books 1-3 in the Elephant and Piggie Like Reading! series: The Cookie Fiasco by Dan Santat, We Are Growing by Laurie Keller, and The Good For Nothing Button by Charise Mericle Harper

I cannot believe we didn’t own the first two yet, but we didn’t; however, after receiving an ARC of the third, I went online and remedied that very quickly.

Which books do you hope to get for Christmas?

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Top Ten Tuesday: Reasons We Love Being Moms to Readers

June 21, 2016June 7, 2016 by Ricki

Today’s Topic: Reasons We Love Being Moms to Readers

Ricki

1. I feel compelled to keep up with the latest picture books.

2. We get extra family time, reading books together each night.

3. And then my son reads books by nightlight after we read as a family. The way he sneaks extra books reminds me of my own childhood.

4. I spend several days a week in the library, and it is a peaceful, wonderful place to be.

5. I have a partner to share my joy when we open packages that have books in them. His “Ooos” and “Ahhs” rivel mine.

6. (I am cheating with one more than my allowed five): I have a stronger sense of the power of rereading. My son can read the same book thirty times in one day (and this can extend over several months). It amazes me.

Kellee

I hope through raising my son around books and around a mom who loves books, he’ll become a voracious reader. He already loves books which makes me so happy!

1. Listening to my son “read” books to me. Trent is reaching the stage where he is learning what is said for each page in his favorite books, and it has gone further than just knowing a few words per book , liked Pete the Cat, and towards him knowing the entire book of board book s like Llama Llama Zippity Zoom and longer books like Go Dog Go.

2. I love our time at night where Jim and I read to Trent. It is one of my favorite parts of the day.

3. Watching Trent learn through books is such an amazing experience. This is very similar to #1, but I love having him look at pictures and ask questions and learn. He is such an inquirer.

4. In the future, I cannot wait to listen to audiobooks of novels I love with Trent and especially cannot wait for Harry Potter.

5. In the future, I cannot wait to have a partner in library and book store visits. Right now, he does enjoy going, but it’ll be even more wonderful when he will wander the shelves with me and look at books and we can discuss and laugh and talk. My husband is a different type of reader than me, so I hope that Trent becomes a book lover like I am.

If you are a parent or caregiver, what is your favorite part about having a reader in your home?

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Trent’s Favorite Books: One to Two Years Old

February 14, 2021February 26, 2016 by Kellee

I cannot believe that Trent is two! He is such a smart, sweet, funny boy who is really coming into his own. Additionally, over the last year, he has gotten a reading personality. I used to be able to force him to listen to whatever I wanted to read, but now he drives the book bus. He’ll still listen to new books I love sometimes, but most of the time, he is choosing what he wants to read, and he definitely has favorites. I will preface with the fact that most of these are board books because that is what he primarily has access too. I cannot wait until he isn’t into tearing book pages, and we can dive into all of his picture books freely!

Here are his favorite books over the last year (in no particular order):

1-2yearsbookcollage

Don’t Push the Button by Bill Cotter

This book is hilarious! Trent loves the interactive parts, and I love how clever it is.

Go, Dog, Go! by P.D. Eastman

A classic! Trent says good bye at the end of the hat scene which is adorable! I also love how it teaches colors, prepositions, and opposites.

Thomas the Tank Engine Me Reader

This lets Trent be in control. It has a reader that allows him to pick which book he wants to read then each page he is reading has a symbol that he presses and it reads the page to him.

Friends by Eric Carle

A new favorite of his. There is a part in the middle where the character is on an adventure to find his friend, and Trent loves the onomatopoeias that are within this section.

Race Car Count by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

I am so glad we got this book because it may just be Trent’s favorite. He loves the orange car the best. I really think this book is the reason why he knew all of his colors by 22 months!

Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site (Sound book) by Sherri Duskey Rinker

Trent is a fan of sound books and construction machinery, so this is a perfect mix and a great bedtime story.

Big Friend, Little Friend from the World of Eric Carle

Another sound book which looks at big and little animals that live in the same habitat. Another combo of two things Trent loves.

A Book of Sleep by Il Sung Na

This has been a favorite of Trent’s from the second we read it the first time. He loves his owl book. He’s also started having us read Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan, so I can see it sneaking in and being a loved owl bedtime story too.

If I Were a Penguin by Anne Wilkinson

Another favorite for his entire life. He loves the touch-and-feel aspects and penguins.

Rainbow Rob by Roger Priddy

This book is such a great mixture of humor, touch-and-feel, and learning. It teaches about different animals and colors within a humorous story with each animal having a different textured aspect.

Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown

At first Trent had no interest in Goodnight Moon, but recently we had started saying goodnight to everything around the house, so I decided to bring it back out. Now it is the book that we end every day with. He crawls into bed, and I read it to him right before kissing him goodnight.

The Monster at the End of this Book and its sequel by Jon Stone

My boy is a Sesame Street kid (and proud of it), and we love both Monster books.

Little Monsters and Oh My a Fly! by Jan Pieńkowski

These are both pop-up books that we had when I was younger, and my mom passed on to me. They are a little gross and weird, but Trent just thinks that’s hilarious.

Peek-A-Zoo and Peek-A-Boo by Nina Laden

This along with Pete the Cat and Llama Llama are the first books that Trent “read” because he memorized what to say (or parts of what to say). He loves turning the page and “scaring” himself with the animal or Halloween-themed thing beneath the page.

Llama Llama Zippity Zoom and other Llama Llama board books by Anna Dewdney

Llama Llama Zippity Zoom is one of my favorite books to read with Trent because he reads along with you and loves the different rhyming words throughout. He yells VROOM VROOM VROOM every time–it is so great! He is also starting to like the rest of the Llama Llama board books we have, so I see him being a huge Llama Llama fan in the future.

Pigeon books by Mo Willems

We have progressed through many of the pigeon books over time. Originally, we read mostly the board book The Pigeon Has Feelings Too, but one day Trent saw The Pigeon Needs a Bath on the shelf and asked for it. The rest is history. He now has Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus in the mix as well.

Pete the Cat books by Eric Litwin and James Dean

We love Pete. The original is still our favorite and probably always will be, but Trent is good with reading any Pete book.

Disney Sound Storybook Treasury and other Disney books

We are a Disney family, so Trent is a bit obsessed with some of the characters (Anna, Olaf, Ariel, Mike Wyzowski, Sully, Buzz, Woody, Mickey, and Minnie to name a few), so he often wants to read our Disney books.

Reading with my child is something that I cherish. And I love that he is a fan of reading and has been since birth:
A First Year Full of Books
Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Nine to Twelve Months
Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Six to Nine Months
Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: Three to Six Months
Trent and Kellee’s Favorite Books: First Three Months

I cannot wait to see what the next year in books looks like for my sweet boy!

Bella’s Best of All by Jamie Harper

January 22, 2016 by Kellee

Bella’s Best of All
Author and Illustrator: Jamie Harper
Published January 5th, 2016 by Running Press Kids

GoodReads Summary: Bella thinks her purse, necklace, and shoes are good. And Mommy’s? Well, Mommy’s things are always better. But what happens when Bella misplaces her favorite toy? Follow this busy little mouse as she discovers what truly is the best of all.

Kellee’s Review: This is such an endearing story of a young girl’s love of her mother as well as the mischief she causes throughout her house. As a mother of an almost two-year-old, I can very much relate to Bella’s story. However, unlike Bella, my son doesn’t have a consistent favorite toy, so I have to guess which toy he wants each day. I also really love Jamie Harper’s artwork. The backgrounds are always a solid color then in the foreground you have a drawn Bella with collage accessories. It is so clever how she uses collage to bring Bella to life.

Ricki’s Review: This narrator of this story will be relatable to many children. She reminds me of myself as a child! I loved her desire to be just like her mother, and her passion and vigor for life made me smile. Kids focus on individuality, and this would be a great conversation starter about what makes them different and unique from their parents. I particularly loved the illustrations of this book. The layering of images is eye-catching and quite wonderful. I am excited to have this book for my son, and I plan to read it to him again and again. This would be a fun text to use in classrooms.

Teachers’ Tools for Navigation: Bella’s comparisons of her things and her mom’s things would be a great conversation in an early ed classroom about why things that belong to your parents, made by your parents, or approved by your parents seem to always be better. For example, if my mom makes me a sandwich, it always taste better than if I make one. It would also be a way to start a conversation about favorite toys and could extend to a creative writing exercise where students share their favorite toy.

Discussion Questions: Now that you know what Bella loves best of all, look back through the book. Did you notice Kitty the first time? Do you notice her now? Did you see when she disappeared?; What is Bella’s relationship with her mother? What lesson does Bella learn?

We Flagged:

“Mommy’s is better.”

Read This If You Loved: Chester the Raccoon by Audrey Penn, Hug Time by Patrick McDonnell, Never Too Little to Love by Jeanne Willis, I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak

Recommended For:

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**Thank you to Cassie from Running Press for providing copies for review!!**

Best of our 2015 Book Lists

July 20, 2018December 30, 2015 by Kellee

Some of our favorite posts to write are book list posts, so today we decided to highlight our favorite book lists posts from 2015.

1. In the World of Books: 25 Boys Who Stand Out for Us

Kellee’s Ricki’s

2. In the World of Books: 25 Girls Who Stand Out for Us

Kellee’s Ricki’s

3. Civil Rights Text Set/Reading Ladder

4. Top Checked Out Books by Kellee’s Middle School Readers

5. Great Pairings of Young Adult Texts and Classic Texts

6. From My (Huge) Library Pile: We Need Diverse Books

Fiction Non-Fiction

7. Trent’s Favorites from His First Year

8. Ricki and Henry’s Favorites from His Second Year

9. Books I’d Recommend to Students If They Like ______

10. YA Text Recommendations for Bestselling Adult Titles

To see even more of our book lists, check out our Top Ten Tuesday category to look through our weekly list post.

Happy list reading and making!

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**Thank you to Carrie for the idea!**

Ricki and Henry’s Favorite Children’s Books (1-2 Years)

December 10, 2015 by Ricki

I make an attempt to pick out the top ten picture books that Henry and I read together. These posts feature his (my husbands, and my) favorite picture books that we’ve read. This is incredibly difficult because we read so many fantastic books. But I understand, as a mom with a limited budget, that other parents may appreciate a list. We usually plow through library books and buy our favorites. Each of the books listed below is worthy of purchasing! With the holidays near, I recommend each of these. I am excluding my favorite books from our first top ten list (birth to six months) and our second top ten list (six to twelve months). As I described in the first post, Henry, his dad, and I read books together every night, and we are excited to share these great books with all of you! They are listed in alphabetical order.

1. The Color Monster: A Pop-Up Book of Feelings by Anna Llenas

This beautiful pop-up book is fascinating. I’ve always found pop-up books to be entertaining, but this one takes pop-up books to a completely different level.

2. Emmanuel’s Dream: The True Story of Emmanual Ofosu Yeboah by Laurie Ann Thompson

This is an inspirational nonfiction picture book. I loved learning about Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah and loved the themes.

3. Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast by Josh Funk

This book is not only fun, but it is funny! My son and I really enjoy reading this one together, and I love that it gives me opportunities to promote foods. This helps me combat the picky eating—an excellent bonus to a well-written text.

4. Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Peña

I love everything written by Matt de la Peña, and this book is no exception. Henry pulls this book off of the bookshelf every day, and it makes my heart happy. This one is a crowd favorite in our household.

5. Little Tree by Loren Long

This quiet book holds a special place in my heart. The drawings and text are simple, yet the story fills the room.

6. Planes Fly by George Ella Lyon

My son would be very upset if I didn’t include this book on the list. We read it every night, and he is obsessed with the planes.

7. The Racecar Alphabet by Brian Floca

We tell Henry he can read two books each night (otherwise, it turns into twelve–and don’t worry, he gets about thirty books during the day). Sometimes, he requests this one twice. He loves it, and so do my husband and I, so it is a win-win.

8. Red: A Crayon’s Story by Michael Hall

I read this book in the bookstore. Everyone was raving about it, and I wanted to see what it was all about. I had to buy it. It is that good. Not only does it allow me to practice colors with Henry, but we talk about empathy and feeling confident in who we are—regardless of societal expectations. Of course, we talk about this in age appropriate terms. 🙂

9. What Do You Do With an Idea? by Kobi Yamada

After I read this book, not only did I buy it, but I bought it for my sister. I absolutely love the way this book inspires me to be creative. It is a great book to teach symbolism.

10. Wish by Matthew Cordell

This is a book written for parents (and obviously, it is very kid-friendly, too!). It made me cry. These two elephants wish and wish for a baby.

What are your favorite children’s books? Henry and I would love to reserve them from the library! Please share!

Author Guest Post!: Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove by Corine Dehghanpisheh

November 22, 2015 by Kellee

Parents + Baby + Technology = #BabyLove

#BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

The inspiration for my book, #BabyLove: My Social Life came from my experiences of using many devices, apps, and social media with my child. After the birth of my daughter Lily, I became a jubilant mother. I wanted everyone to meet her and get to know her especially my immediate family and friends.

There was just one tiny problem– my husband, and I lived out of state, quite a distance away from most of our closest family and friends. So like many other new parents and families in today’s society, we took to our phones– photographing and creating videos of our baby girl. We shared some of these items through social media, texting, emailing, and anything else that kept us connected with our loved ones.

We wanted our family and friends who were interested in getting to know Lily to be kept updated on her progress. Along with updating our social network feeds, we found family photo sharing options with more privacy and regularly made FaceTime calls.

These modern tools coupled with quite a few family trips home have been a big help in establishing close connections for Lily. As she grew out of infancy into toddlerhood, she began recognizing faces and voices as they popped up on our phones and in person. This advancement and connection made my husband, and me relieved.

I know that these tools fall far from perfect or efficient. So I take advantage of the positive aspects of these devices, apps, and social media sites along with the necessary security measures to enjoy their benefits.

Even though the premise of #BabyLove: My Social Life is cute and humorous the story could be used to introduce more thought provoking discussions or education on the topics of social media, technology, and parenting in today’s modern world.

I have provided some ideas below of topics that could be used in a parenting group, class, or classroom discussions with students.

Parenting Topics

Relevant apps that aid in parenting and education.
Put down the phone– parents as technology role models.
Technology and social media safety.
How to establish on-line privacy and setting parental controls.

Classroom Topics

Provide guidelines for using technology and social media safely.
Discuss the positive and negative aspects of technology and social media.
Relevant educational apps.

About the Book: “Click.” “Tap.” Tag and Post. An adored baby tells a modern tale about life in today’s digital world. #BabyLove: My Social Life highlights the social phenomena of sharing daily activities using technology and social networks.

“A charming modernization of the traditional bedtime tale.”- Reviewed by Kirkus

“#BabyLove: My Social Life, is a clever and entertaining look at raising children in the age of social media… The author’s story flows beautifully, and her illustrations are brightly colored, cheerful and humorous… Dehghanpisheh’s wry and subtle humor is evident throughout this story that will entertain adults as well as the children they share the book with. #BabyLove: My Social Life is highly recommended for tech-savvy parents and their babies.” – Reviewed by Readers’ Favorite

“#BabyLove offers a hipster view of contemporary parenting. Beneath the story of technological trendiness, however, lies a more enduring portrait of nurture and joy.” – Reviewed by Foreword Clarion Reviews

#BabyLove was published in July 2015 and is available for sale on Amazon.

About The Author: Corine Dehghanpisheh is a children’s book author and illustrator. Her inspirations for writing and illustrating come from everyday life.

She was a Mom’s Choice Awards® Silver Recipient and a Next Generation Indie Author Finalist for her debut children’s book Can We Play Again?, which was published in March 2012. Her inspiration for this book came from her work as a Licensed Creative Arts Therapist in NYC. Corine published her second children’s book, Buddy’s Dream, in November 2013, and her third children’s book, #BabyLove: My Social Life, in July 2015.

When Corine is not busy being creative, she is most likely having fun taking pictures of her family. Corine lives in Manhattan, NY with her husband and new baby.

Readers can connect with Corine on Facebook, Twitter, and Goodreads. To learn more, go to http://www.booksbycorined.com/

Thank you Corine Dehghanpisheh for introducing us to picture books 2.0,

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