Cheaper by the Dozen by Frak B. Gilbreth, Jr. & Ernestine Gibreth Carey

This book was extremely influential in my life. I don't know if it was the zeal for life that this family had or the way they taught and learned or the simple humor, but it is one I have read over and over and just finished reading to my boys. In this book you fall in love with the father. He is larger than life and full of energy, working up until the day he died and he did die at the very end of the book, leaving not only his family devastated but those who fell in love with him sad also. His life was built around saving time and avoiding "unnecessary delay". He made his children play language records in the bathroom, he drew constellations on his walls and taught the children Morse code by sending secret messages to them, coupled with prizes if they figured it out first. He loved a good joke, especially one on himself. He wanted nothing wasted. I love this quote from the end of the book. "Someone once asked Dad: But what do you want to save time for? What are you going to do with it?
For work, if you love that best, said Dad. For education, for beauty, for art, for pleasure. He looked over the top of his pince-nez. For mumblety-peg, if that's where your heart lies."
I have found myself over the years looking for ways to save time and what do I do with it? I read, I work and most of all I spend time with family. This book will make your kids laugh out loud with the family stories it tells. My kids go around quoting from it all the time now, telling the family stories as if they were their own memories.

Zero by Kathryn Otoshi

She has written another book entitled One that is very simlar to this one in how it promotes good social behavior. You may want to check that one out, especially if you are dealing with bullies. This book though tells the tale of how zero feels so empty and so useless and how zero can't find a way to count. It's basically a story of self-esteem and how sometimes you just have to see yourself in a different light or pattern and then you see how much you are worth and how much worth you can bring to others. I would definately use it in a self-esteem lesson, followed by an activity. I might have the kids trace each other and then draw themselves and the things they love or think they are good at on a paper. I like how she makes everyone count in this book!

My Body Belongs to Me by Jill Starishevsky

I think that talking to your children about their body and how they should not be touched in private areas is one of the most important things you can do as a parent and it cannot begin too soon. The world is being overrun with pornography and the incedents of child molestation are becoming ever more prevalent. That is why this topic shoudl be discussed and discussed often. I liked this book because in the introduction, the author, who is a lawyer, explains that she wrote this book after prosecuting a child abuse case. The little girl had been abused for over two years when she watched Oprah one day and heard that you should tell someone if you have been touched inappropriately and if you cannot talk to a parent, talk to a teacher or another adult. That gave this little girl the courage and the place to tell someone and do it in safety since it was her step-father abusing her. This book is simple and to the point. It explains where you should not be touched and how if you are that it is not your fault and that you should tell someone. It lets you have good conversations with your children, espeically with older children if you take time to go over the introduction with them. A must read!

Watership Down by Richard Adams

I wasn't sure what to expect when my book club announced this book and one of them asked, "Is that the book about rabbits?" It is indeed a book about rabbits who have some wonderful human qualities we should all possess. I enjoyed the book immensely. At first I was reading it as though it was written for adults and then I realized that Mr. Adams had written this book for his children because he couldn't find a good story to read to them at bedtime. That swung the book into my good favor. I fell in love with each rabbit and their particular qualities from Fiver and his intuition, to Hazel and his trust and courage to Bigwig and his strength and self-sacrificing moments. The end story, Efrafra was the best because of all the action. The rabbits have been forced from their home by humans and while they have found an ideal situation they have no females with them and are in desperate need or they will die out. They find a place with many females but have to go to great lengths to free some does for their warren. It is a wonderful tale and one that I think would make a good read-aloud. I can't wait to read it to my children. It is almost 500 pages though so we may have to break the reading up into the three books and read them at various times over the year. I think though that all children would love to meet this special group of rabbits and even emulate some of their amazing qualities.

Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes

This historical fiction work is set in the pre-revolutionary war era and touches on the Boston Tea Party, Lexington and Concord and many historical figures from the Revolution, including Paul Revere. A young orphaned boy, Johnny Tremain is apprenticed as a silversmith. He is very good at what he does and it goes to his head. In his desire to do good work, receive praise and money, he lords it over the other apprentices and because of this mistake, he has a fatal fall. One of the other apprentice boys slips him a cracked tool and the silver spills out and burns Johnny's hand so that he can no longer use it to do any trade he wants, let alone work his precious silver. As Johnny recovers from this physical and spiritual wound, he learns compassion and service and love from a good friend Rab. The morals that are taught in this story are profound and not forceful but they make you want to be like Rab, just as Johnny does. I love that the story includes a kind mentor, in the form of a Master Silversmith, who sees Johnny's talent but also his failings and gently tries to teach his young apprentice and never gives up on him. I love that when the story ends, Johnny is the kind of boy, turning into a man that we would all want for our son.

Pigs to the Rescue

This hilarious tail resonates with all parents who have children trying to help and realize that help is just not making things better. The kids love this tale because the pigs are doing such outrageous things to help. Every time something on the farm goes wrong, the pigs rush in to help. When the garden hose leaks and Mrs. Greenstalk can't water her flowers, the pigs rush in with a small wading pool, water balloons and other assorted water sources and they succeed in watering the garden but leave behind a flower graveyard. When the pigs rescue Jeffrey's kite, they get it out of the tree but it is no longer in one piece. The family experiences many such "rescues" and are relieved when the pigs don't hear about spilled milk. Unfortunately, the cows do! This is a fabulous read for little kids and it will guarantee them a laugh.

Graphic Novels - A trick to get boys Reading

Finding books for boys can be very difficult, especially when they are at a lower reading level (1-4th grade). This has led me to the conclusion that anything they will read is fabulous. Graphic novels appeal to boys. I am not sure why. Perhaps it is the pictures that are found by every description or perhaps it is the sections that must be deduced from comparing the words to the pictures. Whatever the reason, graphic novels can be a fabulous way to keep your boy reading. There has been an influx of graphic novels onto the scene lately and many of them deal with presidents, inventors and other famous people; not all graphic novels are about superman. If your son is struggling to find something he enjoys, perhaps you could try a graphic novel. For a beginning reader, try Phonics Comics by Brett Sudduth (Smart Boys). My son found this one to be captivating when he was learning to read! For older boys, try Perseus : the hunt for Medusa's head : a Greek myth / Story by Paul D. Storrie, especially as the Greek Gods are all the rage because of the Percy Jackson books. Often the format will change a tedious historical subject into something amazing in the mind of a boy. Just remember that not all graphic novels are created equal and so select ones that actually have a decent amount of vocabulary.