The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore
For anyone who’s experienced flight through words….this short animated (oscar-nominated) film is for you. Â This was great viewing for our whole family-if your young one is nervous about the storm in the beginning, tell them to hold on, it’s all going to be okay. Be inspired by the film, pick up your favorite book and…fly. Â And then make some art, and a movie, and…
(You can download this movie for FREE on Itunes. )
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.
A Booklist: First Chapter Books to Experience Together
Books have always been a portal.
Open one and climb through to something bigger. Â I’ve been finding those passageways since I was a kid. Â I found the Narnia Books, Madeliene L’engle, Judy Blume, and-well, truthfully I didn’t find the best storytellers beyond a handful of gems. There was The Babysitter’s Club series, which encouraged my already young boy crazy brain. Then there were the Daniel Steele books that started in 6th grade. Â I’ll let you fill in the places my young heart was traveling to in those books! Â Thankfully, it was L’engle, Lewis, and later Bronte that I never discarded.
When we entered the Land of Homeschool, lists of great books fell into my hands and our family began entering our own portals.
There are a generation of moms at the moment that are just glad their kids are reading. Â It doesn’t matter if the material is too mature, or simply poorly written and mass-produced for a quick money-making series. Â “No, I haven’t read those books, I’m just glad he’s reading.”
But great writing gives our children the appetite for more of it. Â It’s also the number one way I see my children’s spelling and grammar improve. I don’t claim that all of the books I’ve listed here are the best literature, some of just full of imagination and have inspired our family to laugh and dream.
If it’s at all possible, read these books out loud. Â They’ll become shared memories, like family vacations to remember from childhood. Â A reluctant reader might be a very attentive listener, even if it’s just because he gets the full attention of his mama or dad. Â We read at the table often, it seems someone is always putting a book next to me before I even get a bite of food.
This list is to tempt the five to 7 year old (or any age that has yet to fall in love with books) into a world made bigger and more colorful through the doorway of a book.
Introducing Chapter Books
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (and the other books in the series, though maybe not all at age 4 or 5 when we start the first book)
Little House on the Prairie Series
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit
*The Indian and Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Brink
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls ( the first chapter book our then five year old son finally begged for another chapter instead of groaning each time he saw our read aloud)
Mrs. Piggle Wiggle Series
My Father’s Dragon by Betty MacDonald
The Adventures of Buster Bear (and all the many other animal stories by Thornton Burgess)
Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie (very wittily written, precludes the animated Disney Version)
Homer Price by Robert McKloskey
Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White
Jenny and the Cat Club Esther Averill
B is For Betsy and other books by Carolyn Haywood
Betsy and Tacy series by Maud Lovelace
Mr. Popper’s Penguins by Richard Atwater
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary ( she has many others, her stories are endearing, though they were not always my favorite to read aloud)
*Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright (and other books by Enright)
The Cricket in Times Square by Garth Williams
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by Frank L Baum
James Herriot’s Treasury for Children
The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Benjamin West and His Cat Grimalkin by Marguerite Henry (and other books by Henry)
In Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson
*Note: These particular books contain what our family calls “foolish speech”, so we adjust as we read out loud.
Did I leave out some of your favorites? Please share them in the comments so I can keep my bookshelves always overflowing!
Do the Summer Reading Stretch
In our family we have:
- 1 ten year old who loves to read a great variety of books, including biographies for fun
- 1 eight year old who loves to read and has greatly improved in her endurance and skills in the past two years, but who still gravitates toward the Magic Treehouse series if left to her own wiles. Â She resists books that might be a bit challenging.
- 1 six year old who is struggling, still on the upside of the slope, and I’m underneath giving him a leg up.
- And a two year old who thinks she can read chapter books.
For the struggling readers in our family we’ve devised the summer saturday morning bookstore which I’ve written about in the past and I might share about again soon.
But to enlarge the reading world of our elder two, I found this idea for Book Bingo. Â Inspired by the idea, I created two bingo cards with a mixture of categories and specific book titles.
When the girls read five books in a row, they get to pick an extra book from our saturday bookstore. Â I like to keep reading rewards related to reading, so a grab bag filled with books would also be great. Â But you might have ideas that better suit your family.
I chose the types of books and book titles based on my individual children, their strengths and weaknesses.
I then laminated the cards and gave them smiley stickers to mark the boxes as they read a book.
I also created a list with a few recommended books for the categories on the Bingo card. Â Many of these I haven’t read, I just pulled them from the Sonlight booklist, which I like to refer to occasionally.
You can take a closer look at the Bingo Cards by downloading them here:Â Book Bingo.
S is for Sharing the Important Moments
My friends have various feelings about motherhood and teaching-some have a stronger liking for the newborn period or maybe the preteen years, some love the days of Five in a Row and some can’t wait to get to the deeper studies.
So far I’m rather attached to all of it and, on the days I’m not ready to quit everything, I’m glad I get to enjoy a variety of ages and learning at the same time.
But I do think teaching a child to read is nothing short of magical.
This morning as Drummer Boy worked through his A Reader, I watched as…
…he worked slowly, hesitantly, through the first word and I hoped he wouldn’t give up.
…his pace quickened, Â and I knew his confidence was growing, and I watched the small smile on his face and a secret look of wonder at himself.
…I mentioned how soon his little sister would be begging him to read her a book just like he’s begged his big sisters for the last five years. Â The smile grew.
By this point the girls are gathered around, interjecting “I remember that!” because they sang the same songs, played the same games, and sat in my lap with the same readers. Â We entered the world of books together and as I look at my boy I see the door opening that won’t ever close.
We have plenty of learning ahead of us but for me only a few other moments are as powerful as sharing the moment a child learns to read.
(I get to do it one more time.)
Read This Book Out Loud
Life and learning have carried on over the past few months even without a record of either in words.
For today, a quick review of a book that we’ve all fallen head over heels for in the Anteater house. Experiencing books aloud has brought us much joy over the years, long past the time that my nine year started reading on her own.
The Indian and the Cupboard contains all of  the elements that make for a great family read-aloud. Adventure, characters that jump off the page and demand a great performance, anxious and hilarious scenes, and a story that was enjoyed from ages 5 to 32(note: probably the first chapter book that our 5 year old boy didn’t  say “next you’ll read a book for me, right mommy” when I pulled it out, this time it was his book too).
When Omri receives a cast-off plastic indian from his best friend he tries to shrug off his disappointment, only to discover that with the help of an old cupboard and a family heirloom key, it will be his most memorable present ever. Â After studying Indians this year, we all appreciated that Little Bear was not just a generic Indian but an Iroquois who refuses a teepee and builds a longhouse instead. Â The care to detail doesn’t necessarily carry over to Boone, the cowboy, but he’s really too loveable to let that matter long. Â This story opens-wide the possibility of favorite toys being brought to life and the possible, unnexpected consequences when Omri and Patrick discover just how real their toys can become. Note: From a parent’s perspective, this made a better read aloud because there were a few words and phrases along with a playful emphasis at the end on Boone’s cowboy-ish need for a drink that I skipped over without losing any of the grand adventure.
Add it to the summer read aloud list.
Other books you might consider reading aloud if you stopped sharing stories after the Dr. Seuss years(these will appeal to various ages, you know your family the best):
- My Father’s Dragon
- The Invention of Hugo Cabret
- Peter Pan
- Anne of Green Gables
- The Narnia Series
- Mrs. Piggle Wiggle
- Mr. Poppers Penguins
- A Wrinkle in time
- The Hobbit
Speaking of books, I was out just this morning combing garage sales for our family bookstore, our idea for spurring on young readers.
reading together last spring
Keeping Track of Good Reads
My middlest daughter  has gained the most ground with her reading whenever we’ve offered an incentive of some kind.  While her older sister is reading a chapter book every two days, Jellybean still bounces around from book to book, never really seeing one all the way through. I’ve been trying to think of a way for the girls to keep a record of the books they’ve read.
I found these fun book forms tonight, they look like a creative way to summarize a book. Â I’m thinking about offering some time of incentive for every 5 log pages completed. Â No, they won’t have to do one on every book they read, and I might make the number higher for the 9 year old. Â Our summer bookstore will be opening again in a few months, so I’m thinking of a simpler reward for the present moment. Â We’ve instituted a full hour of quietness at our house, removing play and audio books for those precious moments of peace. Â Maybe I’ll offer minutes of audio book time on fridays, I’ll have to think on it.
I printed several of each type of log and I’ll let them choose what strikes their fancy. Â They’ll keep their completed forms in a folder and then we can staple them together at the end of the year. Â I think I’ll also provide a blank list for recording the titles of books that aren’t entered into a form.
To view and print the six book logs, go here, click on any of the “logs”.
Jimmie also has some great resources for encouraging your child to dive, not just toe waggle, Â into a book.
Feed the Hungry Readers-Builder Edition
A few posts back I wrote about a great find for hungry book lovers-Books Children Love. Â We just picked up our first round of holds from the library. Â Books on performing plays, recycled trash art, a new-to-us George MacDonald story, and this source of inspiration.
Block Building for Children by Lester Walker:
I’m amazed at the 101 uses of simple wooden blocks since they entered our house 4 children and 8 years ago. Â The same set has prompted endless imaginative play(a great toy is one that can become anything you want it to be). Â When I saw this book in the list under architecture in Books Children Love, I ordered in for my visual/kinesthetic boy who’s been building roads and tracks since he was 1. Â Today the kids and I flipped through it and oohed and aahed at the airport, train station, skyscrapers and other ideas. Warning-this books will cause block envy. Â Now we want to double our block capacity and get some of the wedges and curved blocks shown in the book. Â On the other hand the kids weren’t too daunted, they looked for something they could pull off and then just did the best they could with what they had. Â “Let’s just look through it and then take the ideas and make our own things,” said the 7 year old when faced with the limitations.
Here’s the first of their creations: The Greek Temple(with playmobile gods, of course)
Later there was a house with doors, windows, and several rooms. Â I think there were also robbers and a dog shop on the roof, but that wasn’t in the book.
Update: Whoops! I wrote this post late at night and didn’t check my facts. Â I didn’t actually find this book in Books Children Love, but instead caught a glance of it on the side bar here.
Holiday Book Basket-All Wrapped Up
Most of you know that we have a tiny, barely noticeable, really-we-could-give-it-up-anytime, passion for books in our family. Last year we put together a winter basket of our favorite books, which gave us countless hours of cozy couch time. Â This year we’re continuing the tradition with an added tint of pleasure.
I came across the idea to choose 24 books, wrap each book, and add a number tag to each package. Â Suddenly our winter book basket is an advent countdown. Â Last night Mr. Darcy and I sat up wrapping packages, and I said “Honey, you are so crazy and sweet to be sitting here doing this with me instead of telling me I’m nuts.” I should mention it was the far side of midnight and the night before he’d been at the E.R. with our 9 year old. Â He replied smilingly, “Honey, we’ve been married for ten years, I know all about your ideas.”
We’ve been adding a christmas book here and there for 9 years so we happen to have more than 24 books. Â However, you may be be at the beginning of your collection. Â Try scouting out thrift stores and used bookstores, look for special seasonal sales, or get really thrifty and wrap up a new batch of christmas library books each week.
To further your christmas journey into books check out Crafty Crow’s great book/advent post. Â I’ll be adding several of hers to our library list.
We also enjoyed this lapbook/unit study, The Legend of the Candy Cane a few years ago, free at Homeschool Share.
For more great ideas about reading and advent, head to Real Learning.  After enjoying her links, scroll down and look in the left sidebar for a list of great christmas books.  This post includes a review of family favorites.
Happy Holiday Reading!
Sam Sat on Mat
I love that I get to be the person who teaches my children how to read. Â I love being there for the first word, the first sentence, the first Dr. Seuss book, and the first time they read a chapter without giving up. Â It’s like watching their minds open a little wider with each step, a gateway to stories and information.
Even though I would never give up this un-paid gig, it hasn’t been an easy task.
“I can’t do it,” with a huff.
“You read it mommy.”
“I can’t do it!” with a loud siren sound.
With our first child, the path to reading was completely new territory for her and for me(learning for her, and teaching for me). The right books, curriculum, style of teaching, all of these seemed mysterious and I knew there must be one right answer. Â Now I know, of course, that there are many right ways to go down this path, but at that point I hadn’t walked with a child to the other side. Â I wondered if I’d chosen the correct tools and even more, I wondered if she would even learn to read at all.
My eldest learned with Sing, Spell, Read, and Write. Â She grasped the phonics rules quickly, appreciating their neat and tidy rules. Â The next daughter didn’t care much for the tidy rules and clear boudaries(and yes that trait does flow in the rest of her life as well). Â Once she got past the basic letter sounds, she complained her way through the phonics lessons for the length of kindergarten. Â In the summer, when we offered her some reading incentives, she leapt up several levels by sheer force of will. And followed suit again the next summer. Â Just don’t ask her the “I before E except after C” rule.
The next child to enter the reading gates is The Boy. Â I haven’t been in a hurry to teach him this skill. Â After schooling his sisters, I had an advantage. Â I knew the question wasn’t if he would read, it was simply of a matter when. Â This knowledge makes for a much more relaxed teacher mama. Â Until recently he’s been the snuggly little brother who follows around after the girls. Â He been mommy’s little boy. Â But lately he’s been coming into his own and one way is his readiness for new skills. Â Â He started by pointing to specific words in books, “What’s that word mommy?” I told him the word. “And this word?” Â And it went on like this with me convinced that he would get bored, and him still asking two pages later.
Drawing letters, playing alphabet games, surprising me with the letter sounds, and then, two days ago, he read his first book. And for the third, and no less exciting time, I sat with one of my children as they experienced reading for the first time. For all of the activities and practice, the beginning of reading still feels like magic.
Some of the tools we’ve used:
Melissa and Doug’s Alphabet Puzzle
Melissa and Doug’s Alphabet Magnets
The Sweet ABC’s
I happened across this idea sunday night and just knew J would enjoy this game. Â Learn with a game and some leftover candy from the holdiday weekend? Â He did enjoy it and once he went through his candy, he asked if he could play again, this time with his sister’s. Â See more details here.
