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Welcome to Best Books
First! My intent is to provide parents with reviews of kid-tested
books that will give you and your children great joy in your reading
adventures. Keep checking back for new book reviews and my occasional
musings on reading with kids. As this is a website in progress,
please give me time to fill in all the blank spaces!
Honey for a Child's
Heart
I have an
author to thank for my passion for children's books. Author Gladys
Hunt gave me a taste of honey in her book, Honey for a Child's Heart,
and forever changed the way I look at books for children. When my
first child was only an infant, I picked up a copy of Honey and was
lead into the magical world of reading. I found there were many
classic books I had never read as a child. And so began my journey
into the Hundred Acre Wood, the farm at Green Gables, and a secret
garden. I've got a lot of reading to do to catch up on all I missed.
Join me in the journey!
Help for the Frazzled
Have you ever walked in to the library with your children and felt
overwhelmed by bookcase after bookcase full of books? Do you find
yourself only choosing the books that are already on display? Do you
spend more time keeping your kids from pulling books and videos off the
shelves than actually looking for books?
I have experienced all of these scenarios at one time or another. My
hope is that this website will help you on your next trip to the
library. Check out these books, the ones on display, and the ones
your kids pull off the shelves. Chances are good you'll find a few
gems in the stack that you haul home. Because that's exactly how I
found some of our all time favorite books.
The Power of a Good Book
Recently I was reading the classic The Three Little Pigs to a
rowdy group of kindergarteners. For the first few pages, I was
wondering why I was bothering since the kids were noisy and
distracted. But something happened by the time I read the first
"Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin!" All eyes were
riveted to the story and several of the kids were saying the words with
me!
After the story, a little girl came up to me and asked, "Are you a
librarian?"
I answered, "No, I just love books."
"Me, too," she said, "only I can't read yet."
Read It Again!
Parents who find they are reading the same book over and over again
rely on well-written books to ensure their sanity. If you are
dreading the words "Read it again!" after you finish a book, then
chances are your child's book doesn't have something to offer you, the
adult. The best books for children contain stories and illustrations
that appeal to both grown-ups and kids. Since most picture books are
meant to be read aloud, it is important for you to want to read the
book again and again. Try the books I recommend on for size - and see
how they fit the adults and kids in your family.
Why Wait?
Kids are growing up too fast, don't you think? As parents, we are often guilty of
exposing our kids to movies and even books they aren't quite ready to see
or read. When the Harry Potter
books came out, my husband and I read them with enjoyment and
enthusiasm. It was hard to wait to
share them with our kids. But we
made the decision to wait until they were at an age they could fully enjoy
all that the books had to offer. By
"fully", I mean being able to identify with the characters,
understanding good and evil, and comprehending the wit and cleverness of
the story.
Yesterday, I gave my ten-year-old a copy of the Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
She looked at it and said, "I'm not interested." Can you blame her? Most of her friends had read the book
already and seen the movie. She was
"behind the times". But
after we walked away, she opened the book and read the jacket cover. She shut it. Then she opened it again and read the
first page. By 11:30 pm, she
was knee deep in Hogwarts and needing a parental warning to turn out the
light.
My daughter hasn't missed anything by waiting a few
years. In fact, I believe she gained
something. A chance to fully enter
in to all the story has to offer a ten-year-old kid. Which is more than it had to offer when
she was seven or eight.
A good book is never out dated. Don't be afraid to wait.
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