amos mcgee

Every morning Amos McGee would get ready for a day of work at the zoo.

He played chess with the elephant and ran races with the tortoise...they were his good friends.

One day Amos woke up with the sniffles so he stayed home. His friends decided to catch the bus...

and come take care of him.

A few weeks ago I read an article about this year's Caldecott winner...can you imagine winning such a big award on your FIRST book? Please let that happen to me, please let that happen to me....

I had to see this book for myself, so I reserved it at the library.

The pictures are sweet with nice little details throughout. The story {written by the illustrator's husband} is just as good as the pictures.

I'm adding this to my wishlist.

we love pippi!

It seems the Mary Poppins fetish has dwindled and been replaced by another favorite...Pippi Longstocking! The 1968 Swedish television series, based on the books by Astrid Lindgren. The shows are dubbed over in English. If you've never seen this, I HIGHLY recommend it. Super, super funny. Clayton and I LOVE it.

Now Olivia asks me, "Can I go to Pippi's house?" and I sing her the theme song all day long, at her request.

mary poppins

Mary Poppins is practically part of the family these days. Olivia is obsessed with the movie and watches it everyday. I can pretty much quote the entire film word for word now, but

I don't mind because I like Mary Poppins too.

I know what they say about little kids and too much TV, but you know what? I watched my fair share of it when I was little and I turned out okay...I think?

I do feel a teeny bit guilty about the TV, and ironically the main message in Mary Poppins is about parents needing to spend more time with their kids...you know, flying kites with them and all that. I'm not going to beat myself up over it though because honestly, life is crazy with these 2 babies, and I really do try to spend quality time with my kids. It just doesn't always happen as often as I would like. I just keep telling myself, "Next year will be easier, next year will be easier!" Besides, it seems like we always go through a big TV phase in the winter, then we hardly watch it at all in the summer.

As Olivia's obsession grew, I had a vague recollection of an old Mary Poppins book that belonged to my aunt Heidi, which she gave to me when I was little. I searched our bookshelves and ta-da! I found it! It's the 1964 Disney authorized edition, almost 50 years old! The illustrations are so pretty. Of course Olivia is in love with it. Sometimes she actually sleeps with it.

One night Uncle Trevor came over and was chasing Olivia around. When he caught her, she squealed the line from the bank scene where Michael shouts, "Give me back my money!" Haha! From time to time she asks me, "Where Jane, Michael?" I just tell her they went up the chimney.

{For more on how we love Mary Poppins, go here and here!}

the quiet book

A new little treasure I found at the library. Sweet and simple, it shows all kinds of ways that "quiet" can be. Perfect for settling little ones down before a trip to Sleepyland. Find it here.

goldilocks and the three bears

Look at this lovely little treasure we found at the library. The classic story, retold by Lauren Child {you know, the Charlie and Lola lady}, and illustrated with these adorable photographs. I think I like this book because of all the tiny details in the pictures. Look at those tiny spotted mushrooms, and those tiny red shoes on Baby Bear! What a fun project this must've been. I'm hoping Santa slips a copy of this book into his sleigh for us this Christmas.

nurse matilda

I don't know about you, but I really loved that movie Nanny McPhee that came out a few years ago. Sometimes I wish she would come and work a little magic at my house! Did you know that there is a sequel coming out next month? And just in time for Hannah's birthday, that could be fun.

In case you didn't already know, this book here by Christianna Brand is the one that inspired the movie. And you know, the books are usually better than the movies in most cases, and I think that's true in this case. This is one of my favorite books to read, especially as a mom. The kids in this book are super naughty, so it makes me think mine aren't so bad {haha}! I love that in the book there are so many kids, you can never really figure out exactly how many there are. It's just all these kids, and then the baby, and the smaller baby, and the tinier baby, and the tiniest baby, etc. So funny. Pick it up for yourself or your grade schoolers, it's a super fun summer read.

hubert horatio bartle bobton-trent

Do you ever have times in your life where you wish you had a money tree growing in your backyard? Me too. Especially this week since our freezer/refrigerator decided to completely stop working, as well as our disposal in the kitchen sink. And those darn broken-nose-medical-bills just won't disappear. When it rains it pours, doesn't it?

Here's one of my favorite books...a riches to rags story, rather than a rags to riches story. Because the best things in life are free, right?

Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent and his parents are so rich that they have everything they ever dreamed of. The play Monopoly with real money, host dance parties all the time, and their house is so big that each night when Hubert walks across it to say goodnight to his parents, his hot chocolate gets cold in the process.

But Hubert's parents are not careful with their money, and one day, they realize that all the fortune has been spent. So they sell all the valuables, but then use that money to host another party. It just won't do. So...they are forced to leave their ginormous home for a small apartment. But you know what? They find that it is nice and cozy and they really like it a lot. Especially Hubert, whose hot chocolate is now still hot after walking the short distance to his parents' room to say goodnight.

we're going on a bear hunt

Here is a classic for you. As toddlers, Ben and Hannah loved this one so much that our first copy was completely obliterated with use! So I had to order a new one when Nina was a baby so I could read it to her too. It's now the first one Olivia chooses from her book basket when it's time for a story. She likes to rush through it a bit because the end is so much fun, when they actually find...A BEAR! "Quick! Back through the cave! Tiptoe, Tiptoe, Tiptoe! Back through the snowstorm! Hoowoo! Hoowoo! Back through the forest! Stumble trip! Stumble trip!..." I'm writing this from memory, I've read this book easily a thousand times. At the end, when the family is hiding from the bear it says, "Into bed. Under the covers." Olivia squeals on that part because we actually throw her blanket over our heads, and get "under the covers" too.

I love the board book for toddlers, but it is also available in a larger format. The watercolors by Helen Oxenbury are beautiful. If you could frame a book and hang it on your wall, this would be the one to use!

clarice bean

Being the huge Lauren Child fan that I am, I was so excited a couple years back to find that she had finally come out with some chapter books. Now that my bigger kids have outgrown the Charlie and Lola books (they have got to stop growing up so fast), they can read these! I read Clarice Bean Spells Trouble in about a day myself because I couldn't put it down...hilarious stuff! If your elementary schooler has a book report coming up, give these books a try. They are super fun, with little Lauren Child doodles throughout as well. I catch my kids laughing alone in their rooms while reading these!

it's spring!

Here's another sweet little spring book. Olivia loves this one. The illustrations are simple and cute (by Melissa Sweet), and the rhymes are too. "The rabbit hopped and thumped his feet to tell the deer the air smelled sweet." Added bonus...it's a board book, so it's almost indestructible.

he really is fantastic

I don't know which I like better, the book or the movie. I have always been a big Roald Dahl fan, and I think his books make the best movies. I can't believe this film was only in theaters for a couple of weeks this past holiday season, it deserved to be in much longer.

I LOVE the stop-motion animation style in the movie, and the music is so charming and fitting. However, I do think the original story is more sweet, since Mr. Fox isn't quite so egotistical in the book as he is in the movie. And he has more kids to take care of. But I highly recommend both. If you've never read this one, it's time you did. Pick it up and you'll have fun reading it in about an hour.

Here's a fun peek into the making of the film.

We watched it as a family and had our favorite movie treat...caramel popcorn (a recipe from my friend Heather) Here's the recipe for you:

Mary Jane's Caramel Popcorn

1 stick of butter

1 1/4 c. corn syrup

3 c. packed brown sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

a couple huge bowls of popcorn

In a heavy medium sized saucepan, combine corn syrup and brown sugar. Cook and stir until it comes to a boil. Stir in sweetened condensed milk. Add butter. Continue cooking and stirring until mixture form a soft ball (I cook it to about 235 or 240 degrees on the candy thermometer). Remove from heat and pour over the popcorn.

Sometimes we don't use all the caramel at once, so we store half of it in the fridge, then heat it up to use for the next week's movie night.

not your ordinary coloring book

My kids have caught me coloring in this book without them...it is just too much fun. I love it because it's more than just "coloring inside the lines," and it pushes my kids to be creative. Each page has a small drawing of some sort and at the top are suggestions for finishing the picture. For example, on one page there is a drawing of an elephant. At the top it says, "The elephant is cold. Can you draw some warm clothes on him?" I've found that this book can always frighten the "I'm bored!" monsters away.

We've also gone through Taro Gomi's other coloring books, Doodles, Scribbles, and Squiggles, which I highly recommend as well. They cost just a little more than grocery store coloring books, but they are HUGE and you'll get hours of creative time from one book.

perfect for spring

With spring right around the corner, we have been loving this one. The little root children sleep all winter underground, but when Mother Earth wakes them in the spring, they put on their new clothes and go out the door to dance and play in the sunshine. Even the beetles and bugs join the celebration, until at last the leaves blow off the trees once again.

Another vintage find by Sibylle Von Olfers (1906), yet it's still in print, so hooray for us! It's rare to find such a sweet story these days. Plus, the illustrations are frame-able, if you ask me.

It's a perfect "seasons" book for little ones, yet my 8-year-old is the one who has been reading it the most. It's fun to imagine a magical world beneath our feet, isn't it?

Also, check out the quilted version of the same story (who had time to do that??). It's amazing.

fun library finds

I discovered Polly Dunbar books a few years back and it was so fun to stumble upon this series of hers at the library. The illustrations alone make me happy, and combined with the simple stories they are collection-worthy! Nina loves these, and I can't wait to add these to our bookshelves. Make sure to check out others in the series (Happy Hector, Pretty Pru, Where's Tumpty?, Goodnight Tiptoe, and Doodle Bites).

Ollie's Ski Trip

Just in case you need one more little treasure for Christmas this year, here is another beautiful vintage Swedish book, Ollie's Ski Trip, by Elsa Beskow.

Ollie waits and waits for the snow to come so he can use his new skis. What a surprise when he meets Jack Frost in the forest and is escorted to the King of Winter's palace! My kids, even my big ten-year-old boy, listened carefully to every word and studied each detailed illustration.

Hurry and order before it's too late! {Or just ask Santa for it, of course.}

Also, look for this. I promise you'll think it's so cute!