Book Thoughts: Gilberto and the Wind (Ets)
Type: picture bookAges: 3-6Author: Marie Hall Ets If you read it with some feeling, your little one is bound to like this one. It’s cute and innocent.
Keenly Kept
Category Books
Book Thoughts: Tree of Cranes (Say)
Type: picture bookAges: 4-7Author/Illustrator: Allen Say It doesn’t take very long to read this book, but it’s a sweet glimpse into another culture–at least for us, living in the USA. One thing I should note–when he wakes up to find…
Book Thoughts: Hansel & Gretel (Lesser)
Type: picture bookAges: 4+Author: Rika LesserIllustrator: Paul O. Zelinsky You’ve likely heard a version of this fairy tale before, I’m sure! Have you ever read the original from The Grimm Brothers? This picture book edition stays closer to the brothers’…
Book Thoughts: Stranded (Coleridge)
Type: chapter bookAges: 8-12Author: Ann ColeridgeIllustrator: Eric David With a quick search, it appears this isn’t being published anymore, BUT you can find it used some places. Maybe your library will have it! *Here are some of the fun words…
Book Thoughts: Desert Giant: The World of the Saguaro Cactus (Bash)
Type: non-fiction picture bookAges: 6-10Author: Barbara Bash Because we live in Arizona, we’ve come across quite a few books on desert critters and plants over the years; however, I learned something new in this book! I’d never heard of “saguaro…
Book Thoughts: Samuel Morse, That’s Who! (Maurer)
Type: biographical picture bookAges: 4+Author: Tracy Nelson MaurerIllustrator: el primo Ramón *I only mention this because I have read other biographies which include different information. Mr. Morse was raised in a Christian home, and, by many accounts–personal diary, letters to…
Book Thoughts: Whose Nest Is This? (Roemer)
Type: non-fiction picture bookAges: 2+Author: Heidi Bee RoemerIllustrator: Connie McLennan Everyone in my family who read this loved it! Each page spread describes (and shows) a different type of nest and its environment, followed by answering the question, “Whose nest…
Book Thoughts: Will Spring Be Early? Or Will Spring Be Late? (Johnson)
Type: picture bookAges: 2+Author/Illustrator: Crockett Johnson If you don’t recognize the author’s name, you might recognize his most famous book: “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” The illustrations in this one have the same feel. My family has read other “Groundhog…
Book Thoughts: Chicken Sunday (Polacco)
Type: picture bookAges: 6-9Author/Illustrator: Patricia Polacco *Regarding theology, there is just a small line where the grandmother tells the children they are “good people” (see Romans 3:10-11) and one other point where the grandmother is singing in church “just for…
Book Thoughts: Bedtime in the Southwest (Hodgson)
Type: picture bookAges: 2-5Author: Mona HodgsonIllustrator: Renée Graef Though we live in Arizona and are particularly aware of all the nearby critters, this book can certainly be enjoyed by anyone! It’s short and sweet and ends calmly–perfect for a quick…