Category Books

Book Thoughts: Gramma’s Walk (Hines)

Type: picture bookAges: 2-7Author: Anna Grossnickle Hines This is a darling book. What a special relationship those two have! As they “walk the beach,” both their descriptions and the illustrations carry us on the walk with them. It would be…

Book Thoughts: Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie (Roop)

Type: biographical picture bookAges: 4-8Authors: Peter and Connie RoopIllustrator: Peter E. Hanson Whew! What a storm they had! While caring for her younger sisters and her sick mother, Abbie worked with diligence and fervor. The great relief felt toward the…

Book Thoughts: The Phantom Tollbooth (Juster)

Type: chapter bookAges: 7-12Author: Norton JusterIllustrator: Jules Feiffer *Regarding the evil creatures (most often called “demons”), we don’t encounter them till closer to the end of the book (but they are alluded to throughout). Turns out, the “demons,” who all…

Book Thoughts: Thimble Summer (Enright)

Type: chapter bookAges: 5-10Author: Elizabeth Enright *There are also a handful of “ain’t” words, if that bothers you. For us, we think they add to the fun of doing “hick” accents. 🙂 Also, there are quite a few references to…

Book Thoughts: Seahorse (Morris)

Type: picture bookAges: 3-7Author: Robert A. MorrisIllustrator: Arnold Lobel Though the story follows a fictional seahorse, the rest of its information is factual and matter-of-fact. This will interest anybody who likes to learn about the creatures of the sea!

Book Thoughts: An Elephant in the Garden (Morpurgo)

Type: chapter bookAges: 10-14Author: Michael Morpurgo *I was pleasantly surprised at the level of intensity maintained throughout–it never went too high. The violence described was completely appropriate for the intended age group, in my opinion. This is loosely based on…

Book Thoughts: The Gingerbread Cowboy (Squires)

Type: picture bookAges: 3-8Author: Janet SquiresIllustrator: Holly Berry “Giddyup, giddyup as fast as you can. You can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread Man!” They don’t actually mention Arizona in the storyline, but since saguaros are depicted on multiple pages and…

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