Book recommendations #1

I'm guessing that vast majority of posts on this blog will be about books. I think I just heard some people fall asleep. Hey, no one told you that you had to read my blog. I love books. This love was instilled deep into me by my book loving parents - my mom was a librarian. How could I not love books? I'm eternally grateful to them for that. So here are a few books that we've loved as a family recently:

1. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo
My mom turned me on to this (of course). It's about a china bunny who is full of himself. He gets lost from the little girl, Abilene, who loves him far more than he deserves. He is passed from stranger to stranger, getting more and more shabby. Along the way he finds his heart. It's a terrific read aloud because the chapters are quite short. Except for the last chapter, which I read two or three words at a time, pausing to collect myself while the kids kept asking, "Mommy, why are you crying?" Yeah, it's that kind of good.

2. Mercy Watson Fights Crime, by Kate DiCamillo
I give the Mercy Watson series credit for teaching my five year old to read. Since the chapters are short and there are lots of pictures, it held Megan's attention while it challenged her with bigger words. As a read aloud, it's quick and fun - what's not to love about a toast eating pig who's treated like one of the family?

3. The Man Who Wore All His Clothes, by Allan Ahlberg
This is one of a series about a funny family, the Gaskitts, that has crazy adventures. The illustrations are great and the story has our kids laughing out loud. They're disappointed that they've read them all already.