A Horse Named Dragon created by Gertrude Chandler Warner

by Carol3 Comments
A Horse Named Dragon created by Gertrude Chandler Warner (Suggested grades: 3-6) I have to say this is one of my favorite Boxcar Children Mysteries that Amber (10) and I have read together. The four Alden children are spending a week at the Dare to Dream Ranch while their grandfather is away on business. The Aldens have gone riding at the ranch many times and know the place and the owner, Cookie, well. But horses start disappearing, including Jessie Alden's favorite Dragon, and the kids are determined to find out what's going on. There are plenty of clues sprinkled throughout the story, clues that kids can catch and can put together to solve the mystery before the Aldens. And the horses are definitely being stolen, it's not some innocent misunderstanding. This was actually a little more exciting than some of the Boxcar books. There were several possible suspects and a point where the children actually were in a bit of true danger. I think...
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Johnny Appleseed by Jane Yolen

by Carol6 Comments
Johnny Appleseed by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Jim Burke (Suggested reading level: Grades 2-4) Today is usually Fairy Tale Friday, but Tif is taking the day off for the holiday with the discussion of Rainbow-Walker postponed until next week. Rainbow-Walker is the story of Johnny Appleseed, and I happened to run across this book at the library, so I thought I'd go ahead and talk about the real Johnny Appleseed today, saving the legend for next week. Yolen does a wonderful job of telling the true story of Johnny Appleseed, or John Chapman, who was born in Massachusetts in September of 1774.  I knew the story of Johnny Appleseed, that he was an actual man who did plant apple trees across the US, but that's really not the whole story. Johnny learned to read and write before, at age 14, he went to work for a local farmer, working in the fields and orchards. He takes off west in his early twenties. I didn't...
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Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola

by Carol5 Comments
Strega Nona by Tomie dePaola (Suggested reading level: Ages 4-8) I've read many of dePaola's Strega Nona stories with Amber over the years. They are all sweet, delightfully illustrated and filled with a kind, gentle touch of magic. Today's Fairy Tale Friday selection is the original Strega Nona, which I don't remember reading before, but it's a perfect story for me. In a town in Calabria, a long time ago, there lived an old lady everyone called Strega Nona, which meant "Grandma Witch." Although all the people in town talked about her in whispers, they all went to see her if they had troubles. Even the priest and the sisters of the convent went, because Strega Nona did have a magic touch. Even though she has a touch of magic, she's so kind and considerate everyone in the village trusts her. Strega Nona hires Big Anthony to help out around her house and garden, warning him never to touch the pasta pot. Big Anthony learns, by...
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The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden

by Carol5 Comments
The Journey That Saved Curious George : The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey by Louise Borden, illustrated by Allan Drummond (Suggested reading level: Grades 3-6) I love Curious George, especially his new adventures and the PBS cartoon. We have two box sets that I'd read over and over with Amber when she was younger, but I never knew the story behind Curious George. I mentioned the other day about author's own experiences showing up in their works of fiction. I didn't realize how soon the topic would come up again, but Hans Reyersbach, who eventually changed his name to H. A. Rey, left his home in Germany in his early twenties and headed to Brazil. It was hot in Brazil—so Hans wore a broad hat, even in the shad of Rio's palm trees and cafés. When he traveled up and down the Amazon River, Hans watched the monkeys and made drawings of them. (pg. 12-13) I can certainly see where the famous...
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Donner the Western Dragon by Suzanne Davis Marion

by Carol5 Comments
Donner the Western Dragon: A Hero's Tale by Suzanne Davis Marion, illustrated by Marj Hales Amber (10) loves dragons, so when I saw this book I couldn't pass it up. The story is a cute book to read aloud with younger elementary children. Donner and his family live in a cold northern forest along with several other dragon families. Unlike the other young dragons, Donner does not like to play rough games, wrestling and snorting fire. He would much rather spend time with his best friend Una, a unicorn. They enjoyed the vivid colors of the flowers, and sometimes they would watch the dragonflies skating on the water for hours, admiring their pretty iridescent colors and their graceful flight. (pg. 7) All the other dragons, even Donner's father, make fun of him, but one day when disaster strikes he is the only one the dragons and unicorns can turn to. His unique personality and talents help him become a hero. The story is a...
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The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall

by Carol4 Comments
The Gammage Cup by Carol Kendall (Suggested reading level: Grades 4-6) This is one of the few books I have clear memories of from when I first read it. My copy has the cover on the right, but the newer versions just don't have the same feel to me. I loved reading this out loud with Amber (10), seeing her get excited over the characters I fondly remember. The Minnipins are a small people, sedate, somber and conforming. Today Minnipins of all ages were scurrying about the market place, green cloaks flying in the breeze. Round, rosy housewives, their brown-weave dresses tucked up, were scrubbing their doorstones or polishing the silver doorknobs on their watercress-green doors, while children were watering the flowers that grew around the family trees. (pg. 19) They live securely in an isolated mountain valley and never question the authority of the Periods, the leading families. There are a few rebels, though, referred to as "Them" - Curley Green a painter, Walter...
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