The Moffats and other completed books 12/22/10

We recently finished The Moffats (261 pages), Eleanor Estes.  The children originally became interested in this book after an excerpt was used from the book in their writing curriculum.  We decided to listen to the book on CD while we followed along.  The CD was FANTASTIC!  All of the characters had different voices and there were times when we all laughed out loud. 

Summary from Amazon:

Who else but a member of the Moffat family could, during kindergarten recess, accidentally hitch a ride out of town on a boxcar? Or wind up trapped in the breadbox outside the delicatessen store? Or kindly offer to escort the Salvation Army man to his destination--only to accidentally bump him out of his own horse-drawn wagon? The Moffats is a paradigm of old-fashioned family fun. 

Marcus has really enjoyed The Ten Commandment Mysteries series by Elspeth Campbell Murphy.  He has read:

Second Map (39 pages)
Silent Idol (45 pages)
Double Trouble (48 pages)
Vanishing Present (46 pages)
Tattletale Parrot (45 pages)

He also finished Gulliver's Travels (GIC - 240 pages), Jonathan Swift.

Gabriella very much enjoyed Uncle Wiggily's Story Book (247 pages), Howard R. Garis.  There are 36 chapters in this book and each chapter is a unique story detailing the adventures of Uncle Wiggily, the bunny rabbit gentleman, who understands people talk, and dedicates his life to helping other animals and children.

Another series that Lella is enjoying is The Animal Rescue Squad series by Ellen Weiss and Mel Friedman.  There are only a few books in this series, but she just finished Kitten Alert (117 pages) and is halfway through the next book.

Other books Lella finished recently:
Why do Volcanoes Erupt, Chris Maynard
Safari Journal, The Adventures in Africa of Carey Monroe, Hudson Talbott
Timothy's Tales from Hilltop School (64 pages), Rosemary Wells
Fairy Tale Lunches (29 pages), Jane Yolen
Fairy Tale Desserts (31 pages), Jane Yolen

Both:
Micro Monsters, Life Under the Microscope (48 pages), Chris Maynard
The Dinosaurs of Waterhouse Hawkins, Kerley and Selznick

History Reading (both):
Chanticleer and the Fox, Barbara Cooney
The Making of a Knight, Patrick O'Brien

Book Completed 12/6/10 and some favorable mentions...

At night, I have been reading poems from Robert Louis Stevenson's A Child's Garden of Verses.  The illustrations are by Brian Wildsmith and are beautiful watercolors which complement each poem.

Some of Lella's favorites are:
Travel, My Shadow, The Land of Nod, The Dumb Soldier, Nest Eggs, My Bed is a Boat, Looking-Glass River, The Cow ,Little Land
Time to Rise, and North-West Passage, Escape at Bedtime, Foreign Children, and The Moon.

Other books completed by Marcus and Lella:
On Beyond a Million, An Amazing Math Journey, David M. Schwartz
You are the First Kid on Mars, Patrick O'Brien
Megatooth, Patrick O'Brien

Marcus:
The Year at Maple Hill Farm, Alice and Martin Provensen
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Jumping Frogs (69 pages), Donald J. Sobol
Go Figure, A totally cool book about numbers, Johnny Ball
***Marcus LOVED this book.  He learned some really neat math tricks.

Lella:
Why do seasons change?, Christopher Maynard
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Treasure Hunt (91 pages), Donald J. Sobol
Encyclopedia Brown and the Case of the Mysterious Handprints (90 pages), Donald J. Sobol
Jenny goes to Sea (128 pages), Esther Averill
The Best Book of Dinosaurs, Christopher Maynard
Amelia Earhart, The Legend of the Lost Aviator, Shelly Tanaka
Fairy Tale Cookbooks, Fairy Tale Dinners, Jane Yolen
The Children on Troublemaker Street (99 pages), Astrid Lindgren
***Warning:  Astrid Lindgren is one of Lella's favorite authors (Pippi Longstocking, The Children of Noisy Village, etc...) and she enjoyed this book, however she came to me when she was finished and said that she thought she learned a bad word.  I couldn't imagine what the word was, but sure enough, one of the children says, "Damn it!"  This is the second book in this genre of literature from the early 60's that I have found unfavorable phrases in.  So, just be aware that it is in there.

Completed History Reading (both):

The children loved Eric A. Kimme's Sword of the Samurai, Adventure Stories from Japan.  The book is 120 pages and full of short samurai stories.
Food and Feasts in the Middle Ages, Imogen Dawson
The Girl Who Loved the Wind, Jane Yoland
Little Mouse and Elephant, A Tale from Turkey, Jane Yoland