Monthly Book Log {November & December 2018, Age 5.5}
It’s times like this I’m so glad I’ve kept up with blogging! There’s something nostalgic about the last days of the year, looking back at what we’ve read over the months. In the last two months of 2018 we snuggled up with more picture books than anything, and I’m 100% okay with that! Here are the chapter books we read:
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Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Treehouse series) Magic Treehouse has waned in popularity in our home for a short season, but I see glimmers of a resurgence in Bookworm #2. The 4yo sees it as a “big kid” thing to read, and he listened to the first in the series just before his 4th birthday!
Caterflies and Ice (Zoey and Sassafras series)
Merhorses and Bubbles (Zoey and Sassafras series)
We continue to love this sciencey- fantasy early chapter book series (yes, that’s a thing!). After reading these, KB has been known to take out his science journal and write some observations and hypotheses.
A Little House Christmas. After having finished the Little House series this year (road trip survival guide, thanks to the brilliant narration of Cherry Jones), we adored re-reading the Christmas chapters from each book all in one volume. They have such a way of re-orienting our perspective! (Their Christmas gifts were a tin cup, a candy, and a penny??!)
Special Gifts (The Cobble Street Cousins series) by Cynthia Rylant. This is such a cozy read. At 55 pages with some pencil illustrations throughout, it’s a quick but lovely story centering around the Winter Solstice. Over Winter Vacation, the cousins decide to ask an elderly neighbor to teach them to sew. They celebrate the Winter Solstice with a special meal and the very best gifts– an original poem and song created by the girls.
Audiobooks
Laurie Berkner’s Song & Story Kitchen. My 4 yo Bookworm especially loves this! It’s a 5-hour collection of, just what the title says– songs and stories! Familiar Laurie Berkner characters and songs appear with extended stories about them. (Although this is an “audible original,” you do not need to be an audible member to listen! You can purchase as an audio CD, or purchase the audiobook a la carte. If you are wondering more about Audible, I shared my top tips here.)
Cinnamon Bear. I heard about this from Janssen over at Everyday-Reading, and my kids have loved it! (We listened on Audible.) It’s a radio series from 1937 and delightfully old fashioned. It follows the adventures of twin brother/sisters who find that their beloved Christmas star is missing as they are decorating their tree, so they set out to find it in the attic, only to be whisked away on a fantastical adventure. They follow Cinnamon Bear to Maybeland, where they encounter a dragon, a witch, a whale, a queen, a rhyming rabbit, a magician, cowboys, a gentle giant, and even pirates. The adventure concludes with a trip to the North Pole to meet Santa Claus himself! (Same as above, we listened to this on Audible, but you can purchase this without a subscription, or get audio CDs as an option.)
During Kindergarten Bookworm’s daily quiet time, he has been listening to Henry Huggins (again). This compilation has been listened to approximately 300 days this year. Neil Patrick Harris reading Beverly Cleary = perfection. For my list of favorite audiobook compilations with similar “bang for your buck” go here.
I can hardly wait to see what our 2019 reading lists include with my new 4yo and soon-to-be 6yo! (Babies don’t keep. Neither do toddlers. Or preschoolers.)
What have you read this year? Share with me on my Instagram or Facebook pages!
