Summer Reading - A Family of Her Own for Candy

 

The summer of 2022 my husband, grandsons, and I went to the Humane Society to get a kitten. I wanted my grandsons to go with us because, first of all, they love all animals, secondly I wanted to be sure whatever cat we got was one which was able to be around my grandsons without being aggressive. We spent some time at the Humane Society and finally settled on a very sweet calico - which we named Candy, because she is sweet (and my middle grandson said she reminded him of candy corn.) 

Summer Reading - Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us

Do you have children you love who enjoy science and learning about the world around them? If so, then my last book from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers is a book they will find to be fascinating! Water: Discovering the Precious Resource All Around Us by Olga Fadeeva and Illustrated by Lena Traer is a book my grandsons will enjoy - they love sciency things and learning about the world around us.

just for fun - Today, July 8th, is National Milk Chocolate with Almonds Day!

Mmmm! I do enjoy chocolate and almonds, so a day to celebrate these delightful treats sounds like a good idea to me! Especially since chocolate is good for you and almonds are good for you . . . combining the two has to mean this sweet treat is actually good for us . . . right??!!!

I thought it would be fun to share some almond fun facts with you on this delicious day - so I looked on-line for some info to share! Did you know . . .

Summer Reading - The Little Ginormous, Humongous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster Boys & Their Not-So-Peculiar, Scary, or Terrifying Discovery!

Yesterday I shared a couple illustrations with you from the first story - There are Teeny, Tiny, Itty, Bitty, Not-so-Hairy, Two-eyed People Children Under My Bed! in the book - "The Little Ginormous, Humungous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monsters' Adventures! Today I am happy to share a couple illustrations with you from the second story in the book - The Little Ginormous,   Humongous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster Boys & Their Not-So-Peculiar, Scary, or Terrifying Discovery!

Summer Reading - Yellow Dog Blues

Today I am happy to share with you another book from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers - Yellow Dog Blues by Alice Faye Duncan and illustrated by Chris Raschka. Of all the books I've reviewed this summer, this one has my favorite illustrations! I love these colorful, detailed, and unique illustrations and recommend Yellow Dog Blues, as the illustrations are enough of a reason to get it!

Today is Worldl Chocolate Day! Celebrate with the Best-Ever Chocolate Cake!

Today is World Chocolate Day, so in honor of this most important day, I'm re-running my recipe for the best-ever Chocolate cake! Don't you just love chocolate cake?!!! Aren't there days when chocolate cake is the best thing you could possibly eat? Well, I do love chocolate cake and there are days when chocolate cake most certainly does put a smile on my face - although since I've been working the past four years to lose weight (and have lost 100lbs), I rarely eat it, but I do fix it for others.

So, when I found the recipe I'm sharing with you today and tried it . . . well, I knew I had to share it with you because it is the best chocolate cake I've ever had! (I found the recipe in my Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book) What could be a better way to celebrate World Chocolate Day, than with the Best-Ever Chocolate Cake???!!! :-) Or, if you have a special event coming up where a chocolate cake would be the perfect addition . . . or, if you would just like to brighten your family's - and your own - day, bake up this best-ever chocolate cake! But first, some chocolate fun facts . . . did you know -

Summer Reading - The Little Ginormous, Humungous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monsters' Adventures!

Today I want to let you know about another fantastic book for summer reading with the children you love - "The Little Ginormous,  Humungous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monsters' Adventures! and I am happy to share with you a peek into the first story in the book - There are Teeny, Tiny, Itty, Bitty, Not-so-Hairy, Two-eyed People Children Under My Bed!

Several years ago on a sleep-over at my house my sweet, and rascally oldest grandson decided to scare his younger brothers at bedtime by telling them there were monsters under their bed. I told them there could not be monsters under their beds because the monsters were at their poppa's and grandma's house getting ready for bed on their sleepover! We then made up a story about the little Ginormous, Humungous, Hairy, One-Eyed Monster boys who thought they saw teeny, tiny, itty, bitty, not-so-hairy, two-eyed people children under their bed at bedtime and how their poppa and grandma monster told them these people children were very much like little monster boys! I thought I'd share a couple pages from this story with you today . . . 

Summer Reading - Harriet's Reflections

For several weeks I have had the delight to share with you some wonderful books which you could get the children you love to encourage Summer Reading. As I've written, when you surround children with books from their youngest ages and invest time in reading to and with them, they learn to talk sooner, develop a larger vocabulary, begin to read on their own sooner, and do better in school. Reading is essential, so today I'm very happy to share with you another wonderful book - this time from Eerdmans Books for Young Readers - Harriet's Reflections by Marion Kadi.

Summer Reading - Created "Just Right" - Look What's Swimming in the Sea!

I have been sharing with you about the new Life on the Goldilocks Planet Created "Just Right"! books - today I'm happy to let you know about one final book in the series all children will enjoy, but which is especially perfect for children ages three through seven - Created "Just Right" - Look What's Swimming in the Sea! This is a picture book filled with full-color photos - two of each creature which swims in the seas, and some interesting, fun facts about each one as well.

Summer Reading - The Island Before NO

We all know one of the first words a child learns to say is "No", so a book about an island of walruses where they all say, "Yes", until children arrive who say, "No", is a story children will enjoy! Today I'm happy to share with you another book from Penguin/Random House Canada/Tundra Press - The Island Before No by Christina Uss and illustrated by Hudson Christie.

Summer Reading - Created "Just Right" - Look at Our Many Feathered Friends!

For the past several days I have been sharing with you about my new Life on the Goldilocks Planet Created "Just Right"! books - today I'm happy to let you know about another book in the series all children will enjoy, but which is especially perfect for children ages three through seven - Created "Just Right" - Look at Our Many Feathered Friends! This is a picture book filled with full-color photos - two of each bird, and some interesting, fun facts about each bird as well.

Summer Reading - Roy is Not a Dog

Among the books I received from Penguin/Random House Canada/Tundra Books was one which creatively introduces young children to "mystery books" - Roy is Not a Dog, by Esmé Shapiro and Daniel Newell Kaufman. Get ready for some fun with this story - do not be surprised if the children you love want you to read this one to them again and again - or choose it to read on their own again and again!

Summer Reading - Created "Just Right" - Look What Lives in Africa!

If we surround the children we love with books which will capture their attention, they will speak sooner, develop a larger vocabulary, learn to read sooner, do better at school, and will want to read all the time. Yesterday I wrote about one such book - Created "Just Right" - Look What Lives in Asia!, and today I want to let you know about another book in the series which will absolutely capture the attention of the children you love - Created "Just Right" - Look What Lives in Africa! This is a picture book filled with full-color photos - two of each animal, and some interesting, fun facts about each one as well.

Summer Reading - What Does Little Crocodile Say At The Birthday Party?

I have another book from Penguin/Random House Canada/Tundra Books to share with you today - What Does Little Crocodile Say At The Birthday Party?, by Eva Montanari and today I am happy to let you know about it.