What We've Been Reading - February

Preschool - Second Grade Read Alouds

Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett

Bible Stories for Little Children under the approbation of Cardinal McCloskey (excerpt here)

The Boy Who Loved to Draw: Benjamin West by Barbara Brenner
The children found Benjamin West's making of his homemade brush very funny.

Brigid's Cloak by Bryce Milligan

Catholic Children's Treasure Box Books by Maryknoll Sisters

A Child's Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson, illustrated by Tasha Tudor

Henner's Lydia by Marguerite de Angeli

Miniature Stories of the Saints by Rev. Daniel A. Lord, SJ

Saint Bernadette by Fr. Gales

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett

and more...

Second Grade

Jenny's Birthday Book by Esther Averill

Pancakes Paris by Claire Huchet Bishop

Sam and the Firefly by P.D. Eastman

Small Pig by Arnold Lobel

The Truffle Pig by Claire Huchet Bishop

Fifth Grade

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner

My children all decided to read this book after watching the old Disney movie. A couple of the children preferred the book. It is appropriate for younger readers too.

Henner's Lydia by Marguerite de Angeli

My daughter read this chapter book to her younger siblings.

Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
It took a friend recommending these books to my daughter for her to decide to finally read all of them. Thanks to the Little House books, she is turning into a bookworm.

The Martha Years series (Little House in the Highlands, The Far Side of the Loch, Down to the Bonny Glen, and Beyond the Heather Hills) by Melissa Wiley
I hope that Harper Collins eventually comes to their senses and reprints these books with the original illustrations and in an unabridged format. Although we already own them in this form, I would like to buy three or four more unabridged sets of this series.

Little Vic by Doris Gates, illustrated by Kate Seredy

The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright

The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright

Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright

Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright

Sixth Grade

Big Red by Jim Kjelaard
Anthony has read and reread this story over the years. I think that it is safe to say that it is one of his favorite books. We have an older version of this book.

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill
Anthony couldn't wait for the audiobook to finish, so he decided to read the book.

Young Mac of Fort Vancouver by Mary Jane Carr

Eighth Grade

The Ark by Margot Benary-Isbert

The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright

Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright

Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright

Lay Siege to Heaven by Louis de Wohl

Little Vic by Doris Gates, illustrated by Kate Seredy

The Song of Bernadette by Franz Werfel

The Wind Blows Free by Loula G. Erdman

The Yearling by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings

Tenth Grade

Emil and the Detectives by Erich Kastner

Emma by Jane Austen

The Four-Story Mistake by Elizabeth Enright

Then There Were Five by Elizabeth Enright

Spiderweb for Two: A Melendy Maze by Elizabeth Enright

Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski

Me

Story of a Soul: The Autobiography of St. Therese of Lisieux edited by John Clarke, OCD

Read Aloud

Bernadette: Our Lady's Little Servant by Hertha Pauli

The Burgess Bird Book for Children by Thornton W. Burgess

Enid Blyton's Nature Lover's Book by Enid Blyton

I grew up reading some of Enid Blyton's  books. I am happy to be able to share her writings with my children. I originally intended to read this book to my younger children, but I noticed that a couple of the older children migrated to the room as I read. My children in preschool through sixth grade are enjoying listening to the story. My two eldest children read this and The Burgess Bird Book for Children a few years ago.

The Man Who Never Died: The Life and Adventures of St. Peter, the First Pope by Gerald T. Brennan

      

Audiobooks

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, read by Rob Inglis

The Pushcart War by Jean Merrill, read by Mark Hammer
We laughed out loud as we listened to Mark Hammer reading The Pushcart War. His narration of this great satire is absolutely delightful. One  of my children said, "It's worthwhile reading the book, but you have to listen to it too. The narrator makes it even funnier." Mr. Hammer does a wonderful job imitating the various dialects that one might have heard in New York in the 1960's (maybe even today). Check the book out to read it and see the illustrations. Check the audiobook out to hear this funny story come to life.