Sickness/ Kids' books
Andrea
This will be the third night I will get little or no sleep because a child
started vomiting in the evening and continued through the night on a
regular schedule. Luckily they have chosen alternate nights so I got to
sleep Saturday and Monday nights after being up Friday and Sunday nights
and being sick myself all day yesterday. Blech. The bright side is I caught
up on my e-mail.
So now a little rant. Is it just me or are there a lot of plain-awful
kids' books out there? I love our library system but it seems a lot of the
books in there are stinkers. Mostly it is the condescension I don't like
and my kids see right though it as well. Some are trying too hard to teach
a lesson, such as word recognition or a certain value, some are just plain
bad. How do these get published? Luckily there are a fair number of good
books. One of my favourites is Something From Nothing by Phoebe
Gilman. The illustrations are beautiful. Rosemary Wells and her Max and
Ruby books are favourites, too. And Sheree Fitch's wonderfully rhythmic
poems and stories. In the non-fiction I don't like the Usborne books that
so many homeschoolers like. I find them too busy. I like Dorling
Kindersley books, and the Eyewitness series. My ten-y.o. likes the cutaway
books (they show objects, e.g. spacecraft, s if part of it was cut away so
you can see the workings), and any National Geographic book.
Can anyone recommend some good picture books for older children, around age
seven? Eric likes to have chapter books read to him but also still likes
picture books with a good but not too long story.
Rant over, not much of a rant, and I only had to get up once to hold a
bucket. Poor baby, I hate when they are sick.
Donna Andrea, up late and probably most of the night, in Nova Scotia
started vomiting in the evening and continued through the night on a
regular schedule. Luckily they have chosen alternate nights so I got to
sleep Saturday and Monday nights after being up Friday and Sunday nights
and being sick myself all day yesterday. Blech. The bright side is I caught
up on my e-mail.
So now a little rant. Is it just me or are there a lot of plain-awful
kids' books out there? I love our library system but it seems a lot of the
books in there are stinkers. Mostly it is the condescension I don't like
and my kids see right though it as well. Some are trying too hard to teach
a lesson, such as word recognition or a certain value, some are just plain
bad. How do these get published? Luckily there are a fair number of good
books. One of my favourites is Something From Nothing by Phoebe
Gilman. The illustrations are beautiful. Rosemary Wells and her Max and
Ruby books are favourites, too. And Sheree Fitch's wonderfully rhythmic
poems and stories. In the non-fiction I don't like the Usborne books that
so many homeschoolers like. I find them too busy. I like Dorling
Kindersley books, and the Eyewitness series. My ten-y.o. likes the cutaway
books (they show objects, e.g. spacecraft, s if part of it was cut away so
you can see the workings), and any National Geographic book.
Can anyone recommend some good picture books for older children, around age
seven? Eric likes to have chapter books read to him but also still likes
picture books with a good but not too long story.
Rant over, not much of a rant, and I only had to get up once to hold a
bucket. Poor baby, I hate when they are sick.
Donna Andrea, up late and probably most of the night, in Nova Scotia
Kelle Kjeer
Hi Andrea,
One of our favorite authors is Cynthia Rylant. She has several series: Poppleton; Henry and Mudge; and Mr. Putter and Tabby. These might be too young for him, but maybe not, if he likes the Max and Ruby books. She also wrote the best book if your dog dies: Dog Heaven.
You could check out Chinaberry for ideas. www.chinaberry.com They are a wonderful resource for us.
Wishing you healthy times ahead!
Kelle
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One of our favorite authors is Cynthia Rylant. She has several series: Poppleton; Henry and Mudge; and Mr. Putter and Tabby. These might be too young for him, but maybe not, if he likes the Max and Ruby books. She also wrote the best book if your dog dies: Dog Heaven.
You could check out Chinaberry for ideas. www.chinaberry.com They are a wonderful resource for us.
Wishing you healthy times ahead!
Kelle
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Fetteroll
on 2/4/03 11:44 PM, Andrea at andrea@... wrote:
want to feel like their children are learning something and not wasting
time.
But it might also be your kids and the way they learn. I don't remember
coming across that many kids books that bothered me so it could be Kathryn
liked the books you see as condescending. Some of them are exploring
patterns in English and to kids who are figuring out the patterns, it's like
delightedly finding someone else who has noticed the same patterns.
Or maybe it's your librarians! Maybe they're only buying books that are
overtly teaching.
Joyce
> Can anyone recommend some good picture books for older children, around ageI'd second the recommendation for Chinaberry.
> seven? Eric likes to have chapter books read to him but also still likes
> picture books with a good but not too long story.
> Mostly it is the condescension I don't likeI think some of it is blatant because that's what many parents want. They
> and my kids see right though it as well.
want to feel like their children are learning something and not wasting
time.
But it might also be your kids and the way they learn. I don't remember
coming across that many kids books that bothered me so it could be Kathryn
liked the books you see as condescending. Some of them are exploring
patterns in English and to kids who are figuring out the patterns, it's like
delightedly finding someone else who has noticed the same patterns.
Or maybe it's your librarians! Maybe they're only buying books that are
overtly teaching.
Joyce
Andrea
I love Cynthis Rylant, but for some reason none of my kids do. Another
author I thought of is Jean Van Leeuwen who wrote the Oliver Pig books. I
especially like the story where the mom gets her two piglets dressed to go
out in the winter and while she is getting ready they undress themselves,
so she sits down and cries. "Mamas aren't supposed to cry," they tell her.
I can really identify with that one.
I had a twenty minute nap at 5 a.m. Eric was sick all night but has
stopped vomiting and is feeling and looking better. I expect him to sleep
most of the day. The one good thing was that I got to watch Gosford Park,
which I had borrowed from the library, though it took about 4.5 hours with
all the pauses - ick. Thank goodness I don't have to go to work or anywhere
else.
Donna Andrea in Nova Scotia
author I thought of is Jean Van Leeuwen who wrote the Oliver Pig books. I
especially like the story where the mom gets her two piglets dressed to go
out in the winter and while she is getting ready they undress themselves,
so she sits down and cries. "Mamas aren't supposed to cry," they tell her.
I can really identify with that one.
I had a twenty minute nap at 5 a.m. Eric was sick all night but has
stopped vomiting and is feeling and looking better. I expect him to sleep
most of the day. The one good thing was that I got to watch Gosford Park,
which I had borrowed from the library, though it took about 4.5 hours with
all the pauses - ick. Thank goodness I don't have to go to work or anywhere
else.
Donna Andrea in Nova Scotia