Homeschool Discoveries

I looked back in the archives, and I discovered I haven’t written a general picture book post since July.  I’ve tried to write little notes to myself here and there about books we’ve enjoyed, but in the course of nearly five months I’m sure I’ve lost a few of those notes.   Several years ago, before the Minneapolis city library system merged with the county library system, the catalog had a “history” function that listed all the books you had ever checked out.  Oh, how I miss that.  (Everything else about the larger merged library system is great, though!)

Far and away, everyone’s favorite picture book from the couple months has been This Plus That: Life’s Little Equations by Amy Krause Rosenthal, illustrated by Jen Corace.   It’s a really clever book that sums up life in some very insightful ways:

Tall + Coffee = Grown-up

small + Bottle = Baby

Somersaults + Somersaults + Somersaults = Dizzy

Cozy + smell of pancakes – alarm clock = weekend.

Everyone found an “equation” to love, and a couple months after we first checked it out (it’s one we keep renewing, and renewing since no one wants to bring it back), we’re still quoting it and coming up with our own “equations.”  We even considered modeling our Christmas card/letter after this book (DH’s idea of a “corporate report” style letter with charts and graphs he has been working on while laid up with his leg injury won out for this year…but I’m saving this idea for a future year!).   I think this is one I might need to buy a copy of for our collection.  🙂

Here are a few “quick takes” on other picture books from the library we’ve especially enjoyed in the last few months:

Chicken Big: Chicken Big towers over the coop and everything else in the barn yard.  But if it’s something THAT big, could it really be a chicken? The other chickens in the barnyard aren’t so sure.  But size does have its advantages, as Chicken Big is able to prove.

39 Apartments of Ludwig Van Beethoven: I’ve seen/heard of this book for quite a while, but one of the kids grabbed it off the shelf on a recent library trip.  It was funny enough to the boys that they requested multiple readings of this book about how much work it might have been for Beethoven to move his five pianos to various apartments in his lifetime.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting Joeys: We read several non-fiction picture book titles about Australian animals recently, but this one was my favorite.  Written as though it were a guidebook for a marsupial parent-to-be, it packs in a lot of information about not just well-known marsupials like the kangaroo and koala, but many lesser-known marsupials as well.  I just discovered there is another about expecting larvae in the same series.  I’ll think the boys would enjoy that one too!

Al Pha’s Bet:  Al makes a bet with himself…that maybe he can find a great way to put 26 letters order.  I bet you can guess what Al’s last name is? 😉 This was a silly but fun alphabet book to share with Mr. K.

Do Not Build a Frankenstein:  A boy has some advice — building your very own Frankenstein may sound like a good idea…but take his word for it.  It’s not! Very funny!

Take Your Mama to Work Today:  Violet visits her mother’s office and has one viewpoint on all the ways that she is helpful to her mama.   But pay attention to the illustrations for another view on things.  😉  Miss M and I enjoyed this one together (I like that she still humors me and lets me read her a picture book every now and then!).

I’m linking up with Read Aloud Thursday @ Hope is the Word!