Book Thoughts: Be a Good Dragon (Cyrus)
Type: picture bookAges: 3-7Author: Kurt Cyrus I sure do love a good rhyme! The magic element was unnecessary, but if you’re okay with a few pages of it, the rest of the book is fun. Check it out when your…
Category Books
Book Thoughts: The Twenty-One Balloons (du Bois)
Type: chapter bookAges: 7-12Author: William Pène du Bois This was one of those books that I’d heard about for ages but had never read till recently. Wow, did it surprise me! It was amusing and light-hearted, and I can’t imagine…
Book Thoughts: The Golden Goblet (McGraw)
Type: chapter bookAges: 9-12Author: Eloise Jarvis McGraw Ranofer, the main boy, has wanted nothing more than to be a master goldsmith like his recently deceased father; however, his half-brother arranges jobs for him that do not allow for that career…
Book Thoughts: Read a Book with Me (Schimel)
Type: picture bookAges: 3-8Author: Lawrence SchimelIllustrator: Thiago Lopes Not only do we quickly love the main character and hope, for his sake, that he’ll find someone who can spare some time to read, but this book also shines a light…
Book Thoughts: Mara: Daughter of the Nile (McGraw)
Type: historical fiction chapter bookAges: 11+Author: Eloise Jarvis McGraw *Regarding the romance, there are some instances where attraction is simply implied, but there is also “ogling,” a few flirting scenes (fake to get favors, but nonetheless, flirting), a few instances…
Book Thoughts: The Acrostic of Salvation (Gibson, Brindle)
Type: biblical picture bookAges: 5+Authors: Jonathan Gibson, Timothy BrindleIllustrator: C.S. Fritz This is honestly one of my favorite biblical children’s books we own. The text on each page is quite brief, but each is rich with accurate theology and the…
Book Thoughts: Ranger in Time 02: Danger in Ancient Rome (Messner)
Type: chapter bookAges: 8-12Author: Kate MessnerIllustrator: Kelley McMorris Another page-turning installment from Kate Messner! I appreciate her commitment to research and especially enjoyed her extra notes in the back. There is also a helpful glossary and further reading suggestions. Below…
Book Thoughts: Ranger in Time 01: Rescue on the Oregon Trail (Messner)
Type: chapter bookAges: 8*-12Author: Kate MessnerIllustrator: McMorris, Kelley *Having read farther into the series, I’m most comfortable giving an “8-12” age range overall; however, this first one would be fine for seven-, maybe even six-year-olds, depending on the death situation…
Book Thoughts: Every Little Seed (Schumerth)
Type: picture bookAges: 4-8Author: Cynthia SchumerthIllustrator: Elisa Paganelli *I point this out, because the author defines a naturalist as “a person who cares about nature,” which isn’t nearly close to encompassing the real use of the word. It’s leading children…
Book Thoughts: A Fruit is a Suitcase for Seeds (Richards)
Type: picture bookAges: 3-8Author: Jean RichardsIllustrator: Anca Hariton We’ve since purchased a copy of this because I liked it so much, but if our library had it, maybe yours will, too! It’s mostly illustrations with just enough text to teach…