Spring Reading List

Summer is upon us and you know what that means? My absolute favorite, the summer reading program! The summer reading program is the whole reason why I started tracking our favorite books. The kids and I read so many books that it is easy for us to reach the 20 books for the summer reading program and we go to the library once a week so hitting 4 library visits is no problem. So the first year doing the summer reading program with Carter I only wrote down our favorite couple books from each week so it would take us longer to get the prizes. I liked having our favorite books written down so I could remember them and order them for presents or check them out again so I started doing a favorite book list for each season and I've racked up an awesome list of wonderful books we've come across! Read last year's spring list here, 2015's list here, and 2014's list here. I also enjoyed as Carter got older, laying the books out and letting Carter pick his favorite books to write down. We're already signed up for the summer reading program which started on May 30th and have our first two library visit stickers! We've enjoyed a magic show and two different musician performances. Carter got to go on stage in the band for one of the performances and was just so darn excited about it! I love all the opportunities our library system provides for us!

 

Our Top Reading Choices From This Spring:

• Yoga Bunny by Brian Russo, This book was great because is showed different yoga positions and Carter got excited because he knows I do yoga sometimes. It was a great book for introducing yoga to kids and getting them interested in it. I also liked that all bunny's friends were rushing around and didn't want to do yoga with him, but he didn't let that upset him and just kept doing his own thing. 
• Please, Mr. Panda by Steve Antony, We'd read this book before and I remembered liking it so when I saw it on the library shelf I grabbed it again. I liked it even more this time! Carter loved reading it and wanted to read it over and over, even reading it to me numerous times. He was so proud that he could retell the story and wanted to read it to everyone who came over to our house. I also liked all the different learning points in the book. The most obvious was about manners. After each animal was refused a doughnut I asked Carter what the animal should have said and he'd rephrase their words using manners. We also practiced colors. When an animal said they wanted a certain color doughnut I had Elise point out that doughnut in the box. Of course each time she also had to point out the yellow doughnut and tell me it was "lellow." We also used the book for counting. Carter counted how many doughnuts the panda had. Then at the end he counted how many doughnuts were on the lemur's tail and how many were still in the box and we talked about how 3 and 5 make 8. Then at the end I had him infer what had happened to the doughnuts based on the lemur's bulging belly. I loved that it was such a simple book but incorporated so many different skills for us to practice.
• Floater by Rick and Ryan Goldsberry, The first time I read through this book with Carter I really enjoyed it and liked it even more because Carter laughed so hard at various different parts. Carter loved it and had me read it every night until we returned it to the library. Ty read it with him one night and really liked it too. The more I read the book, the more I liked it. The book is perfect for talking about new experiences. They may seem scary at first but once you stop being afraid, that's when it becomes fun. 
• Pirate's Lullaby Mutiny at Bedtime by Marcie Wessels, I thought I'd put this book down before but didn't see it when I went back through and looked. We picked this one up at the library and Carter loved it. I think he liked it so much because he enjoyed the pirate voices I use. He also just really likes books about pirates for some reason.
• Billy and Goat at the State Fair by Dan Yaccarino, Carter loved this book and had me read it to him multiple times each reading. Elise picked it out at the library and it was the first book she brought me and actually sat through the entire reading. She liked pointing out the different farm animals on a couple of the pages and telling me what sound they make. Anytime she sat down to look at a book she picked this one out. So I'd say it was Elise's favorite as well. It was a cute book and I think it would be fun to read before we go to the fair in the fall.  
• Who Wants a Hug by Jeff Mack, This is another one we had already read before and loved. I thought I had it on one of our other reading lists but didn't see it when I looked back so I'm adding it here. Carter absolutely loved this book! In it there's a bear who goes around giving out hugs. The skunk doesn't like it and keeps trying to make the bear smelly but it all backfires on him. It's very humorous and has a nice message. 
• The Dark by Robert Munsch, This was a huge hit with Carter. I grabbed it at the library because I love Robert Munsch and had never read this book before. Carter enjoyed it for all the reasons I love Munsch's books: the goofiness, the repetition, and all the sound words in the book. Plus all the yelling that takes place as you read! I'd read up until a point where a phrase was repeated which had been said throughout the book and Carter would yell it out, it was very cute. He also liked imagining shadows as something you could pick up and eat. If you follow the link above you can listen to Robert Munsch read the book. He is such an engaging reader and I love listening to him read his books and then incorporating some of what he does when I read them.
• Don't Slam the Door! by Dori Chaconas, This book was one of those classic cause and effect books that is like knocking over a domino and watching them all fall. Carter thought it was quite funny and he absolutely loved that the cat caused all the chaos in the book. I enjoyed reading it because it was rhythmic and fun. Elise enjoyed pointing out the farm animals and making their sounds, especially the cow! Carter enjoyed that the book was left open at the end and predicted the door was going to slam as the dog ran out, starting the craziness all over again!