I’ve been trying lately to jot down the titles of picture books the boys and I enjoy before we return them to the library, to help me remember to share them in a Book Discoveries/Read-Aloud-Thursday post every now and then.
One book we read quite a few times before its return to the library was The Grumpy Dump Truck by Brie Spangler. Bertrand the Dump Truck has a bad attitude. Nothing seems to go right for him and it’s hard to haul heavy dirt around all day. He meets Tilly the Porcupine, who takes just peek under Bertrand and is able to help Bertrand find out exactly why he has been feeling so grumpy. This book is really sweet, and kids and adults can all relate to Bertrand’s grumpy feelings. It’s a good conversation starter to help younger kids look beyond the feelings of the moment into why they might be feeling grumpy too.
We recently had Wink, the Ninja Who Wanted to Nap by J.C. Philipps for the second time 
in a few months from the library, but I don’t think I have shared about it here before. This is actually the second book about Wink, but we still haven’t read the previous title, Wink the Ninja who Wanted to be Noticed (I finally did request that from the library, and it’s on it’s way to our branch). Wink is not your average Ninja who sneaks around and doesn’t let anyone see him — he’s a star with many adoring fans. That turns out to be a problem, however, when he is just plain tired out and needs to take a nap. With the help of Ninja Master Zutsu, however, Wink comes up with a clever solution. My boys love to “sneak around like ninjas,” so they really enjoyed this story.
Here are a few other titles we’ve enjoyed recently (a few of which we found from other bloggers’ Read-Aloud-Thursday posts!):
The Boy Who Cried Alien – A funny twist on the classic “boy who cried wolf” scenario. Be ready to read “alien talk” in your best alien voice. 🙂
Interrupting Chicken – The Little Red Chicken can’t help but add her own twists and comments to her bedtime stories! (Sound familiar? I have at least one child who does this…)
Z is for Moose – Moose got left out for the letter M…now Moose will try and get in anywhere he possibly can. 🙂 Very funny!
Ice Cream for Breakfast – While not a literary classic by any means, my kids loved this Busytown book. It inspired them to ask for their own “backwards day” — a bucket list idea I’m still working up the courage (energy?) to pull off!
Smash, Mash, Crash – Lots of great sound/action words in this garbage truck book.
Don’t Forget the Bacon – A boy’s list for the store gets humorously, but not hopelessly confused. It’s the kind of book that will get stuck in your head, but not necessarily in a bad way — kind of in a fun “language play” sort of way!
Homeschool Discoveries 