The Wizard of Oz

Author: L. Frank Baum
Lexile measure: 1000
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence: Two witches are killed (one by a falling house, another by melting in water).  Also, animals who attack Dorothy and her band are killed and the Scarecrow and Tin Woodman are badly roughed up by the Winged Monkeys.
Big Kid Mature Topics: cyclones, magic/witches (portrays magic as value neutral, depending on the user), lying.
Illustrations:  Depends on your edition--often you can find color illustrations every several pages.
Plot: moderately complex.

Well, we're still waiting for Mr. Popper's Penguins, so it was this or Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH.  I really didn't want to explain what NIMH was, so this won.  I found the movie really scary when I was a kid, so I told DD she was not allowed to read this one by herself and that I would read it to her, so she wouldn't be scared (especially since she is very afraid of storms since we live in the Midwest).  This book is a great book and is definitely kid friendly.  However, it is not appropriate for the very sensitive reader.

Houndsley and Catina

Author: James Howe
Lexile measure: 580
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence: none
Big Kid Mature Topics:  fame, participating in/losing a contest
Illustrations: Full color paintings, every page.
Plot: mildly complex.  The book has 40 pages, 3 chapters.

Like Frog and Toad, but a little more complicated.  Unfortunately, one of the great things about Frog and Toad is what is done with such simple language.  DD kind of thought it was ok, but not great.  It has a decent plot, but it sometimes seems stiff.  Someone at the National Endowment for the Humanities thought this was a classic, though.  And I guess it is better than Rainbow Magic Fairies, Junie B Jones, and some of the other stuff I've seen in the Easy Reader section.  If your child likes it, the bonus is, it is a series.  But for us, we're waiting for Mr. Popper's Penguins.

Question of the week

One of the other things we are working on parenting-wise is problem solving skills.

Question of the week:  What is another way (character name) could have solved the problem differently?

Ha, ha--another opportunity to emphasize--USING YOUR WORDS and ASK FOR IT NICELY (sigh).  Or whatever it is that you are working on behaviorally lately.

Of course, DD had to point out--"Then the story would have been a lot shorter, Mom."  "Yes dear, you're right."

Question of the Week

I've been trying to keep the questions I ask as open ended as possible.  I use the reading response questions as a way of assessing what my student got out of reading, but also as a way of getting to know my daughter as a person.  Open ended questions tend to encourage more than a grunt for an answer from my 4 going on 16 year old.

Question of the week:  What was your favorite chapter (character, quote) in the book and why?

Overdrive

Ok, ok, I'm one of those people who is slightly technophobic.  I don't even have a Facebook account.  BUT, today, I just discovered something really cool.  You can get ebooks from the library on your smartphone.  Its called Overdrive.  Our library has some great titles available for kids.  So if you're ever stuck without a book--HORRORS--now you can get one on your phone--breathe a deep sigh of relief.  Never be without a book again.
 
1)  You do need a library card/account.
2)  You can download the app directly from the Google Play store.
3)  OR you can access it through your library's app  (YES, you can renew books and put books on hold from your smartphone!)--even our little city library is connected.

Tales of the Full Moon

Author: Sue Hart
Lexile measure:  estimated about 700?
Language:  Acceptable, no swear words, no potty language.
Violence:  with reference to predator prey relationships, one of the narrator's friends is eaten.  I would not say that the violence is particularly graphic--no blood and guts.
Big Kid Mature Topics:  see above.
Illustrations: Full color paintings, every several pages.
Plot:  simple.  Each chapter can be read as separate and distinct from the others.

This reads a little like the "Just So" stories, but more naturalistic and scientifically accurate--with the exception of the whole scenario of the talking animals all getting together to listen to stories by the light of the full moon. The illustrations, while beautiful and in full color, add little to the story in many cases. DD and I feel about the same -- that the book is worth reading but not the most exciting way to learn about natural history.