Tintin in Tibet
Because we were learning about China and Tibet in our history studies recently, our book (Story of the World) recommended reading TinTin in Tibet. I had never heard of Tintin, but my husband had and he was excited for us to start. I read the book in one sitting (60 min) and both girls loved it so much that the next day they asked me to read it again! So I read our first graphic novel again. When I had to split it into 2 sittings, Laurel picked it up and read a little bit out loud to Ella, which was so wonderful to see. I had no idea how funny this book would be! We all laughed a lot.... and learned a lot too. It's really neat how they work in a lot about the country and the culture.
 | author: Herge rating:  asin: 1405206314 binding: Paperback list price: $11.15 USD amazon price: $11.52 USD |
Journeying through the Himalayas in search of their Chinese friend Chang, whose plane crashed, Tintin and his faithful canine companion come face to face with the Abominable Snowman.
Betsy-Tacy
This is the first book in a series written in the early 1940's that has been loved by generations; in fact my parents read it to me and I loved it. 5 year old Betsy and Tacy begin their sweet friendship in this book. They both have 8 year old sisters, so I thought this book would be perfect for our family, since our girls are those ages, and I was right. I was surprised that our (then) 8 year old loved it so much, it's a favorite of hers as well as our (then) 5 year old, and we are pretty excited to continue with the next book and read the series.
 | author: Maud Hart Lovelace rating:  asin: 0064400964 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD |
Best Friends Forever There are lots of children on Hill Street, but no little girls Betsy's age. So when a new family moves into the house across the street, Betsy hopes they will have a little girl she can play with. Sure enough, they do--a little girl named Tacy. And from the moment they meet at Betsy's fifth birthday party, Betsy and Tacy becoms such good friends that everyone starts to think of them as one person--Betsy-Tacy.Betsy and Tacy have lots of fun together.
The Scrambled States of America
Laurel (then 10) asked me to get this book, it is really a favorite of hers. It takes a while to read all the little funny comments that the states make, but I think that's their favorite part! I must admit it is rather silly. We also have the game, which we played 3 times a week for the first month we got it. Because of this book and game, Laurel knows nearly all her states.
 | author: Laurie Keller rating: asin: 0805068317 binding: Paperback list price: $7.95 USD amazon price: $7.95 USD |
A wacky cross-country adventure starring the fifty states!"Well, it was just your basic, ordinary day in the good old U. S. of A. States all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise.All the states, that is, except for Kansas."At the first annual "states party," Virginia and Idaho hatch a plan to swap spots so each can see another part of the country. Before the party is over, all the states decide to switch places. In the beginning, every state is happy in its new location. But soon things start to go wrong. Will the states ever unscramble themselves and return to their proper places?Packed with madcap humor and whimsical illustrations, this quirky story-starring all fifty states-is chock-full of introductory facts and silly antics that will make learning geography as much fun as taking a vacation.
Boom Town
A great story about a resourceful young lady who creates a bakery in the family kitchen. Amanda encourages many people to begin their own businesses too, inspiring a whole town to spring up around her! A fabulous can-do book.
 | author: Sonia Levitin rating: asin: 0439643945 binding: Paperback list price: $6.99 USD amazon price: $6.99 USD |
Ramona's World (Ramona Series)
 | author: Beverly Cleary rating: asin: 0380732726 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD |
Ramona Quimby is back! Beverly Cleary's best-loved and most exuberant character has been winning friends since the 1950s when she made her first appearance as Beezus's pesky little sister. Now, in Cleary's first Ramona book in 15 years, our beloved spitfire is 9 years old, and she fully intends to make fourth grade the best year of her life. Even with her spelling struggles, a new baby sister, and a fall through her best friend's ceiling, her wish seems to be coming true. Old friends Yard Ape and Howie are still around--and with her new best friend Daisy, Ramona is on top of her world!
Betsy-Tacy and Tib (Betsy-Tacy)
This is the 2nd book in the series. We loved it!
 | author: Maud Hart Lovelace rating: asin: 0064400972 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD |
Three of a KindBetsy and Tacy are best friends. Then Tib moves into the neighborhood and the three of them start to play together. The grown-ups think they will quarrel, but they don't. Sometimes they quarrel with Betsy's and Tacy's bossy big sisters, but they never quarrel among themselves.They are not as good as they might be. They cook up awful messes in the kitchen, throw mud on each other and pretend to be beggars, and cut off each other's hair.
Betsy and Tacy Go Over the Big Hill (Betsy-Tacy)
This is the 3rd book in the series - excellent!
 | author: Maud Hart Lovelace rating: asin: 0064400999 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD |
Betsy, Tacy, and Tib can't wait to be ten. After all, getting two numbers in your age is the beginning of growing up--exciting things are bound to happen. And they do!
Summer of the Monkeys
This book is an absolute gem! We all loved this book as a family. Set in the late 1800s, Jay Berry is a 14 year old boy who has an amazing adventure trying to capture 29 monkeys that have escaped (from a circus trian) and are living in a wild part of his family's 60 acre farm. It is hillarious, it made us cry, it was a little scary at times. At one point I thought it was to scary to read to our girls (then ages 9 and 6) because when Jay Berry is catching a couple monkeys, the rest of them jump on him and bite him and his dog all over. However, they are not seriously hurt, Jay Berry simply lays in bed for 3 days and he's better. Also, know that Jay Berry's goal is to get a pony and gun, it was simply part of the lifestyle of a boy living back then. Overall, this is a fabulous read and I'm sure we'll return to this book over and over again throughout the years.
 | author: Wilson Rawls rating:  asin: 0440415802 binding: Paperback list price: $6.99 USD amazon price: $6.99 USD |
The last thing a fourteen-year-old boy expects to find along an old Ozark river bottom is a tree full of monkeys. Jay Berry Lee's grandpa had an explanation, of course--as he did for most things. The monkeys had escaped from a traveling circus, and there was a handsome reward in store for anyone who could catch them. Grandpa said there wasn't any animal that couldn't be caught somehow, and Jay Berry started out believing him . . .
But by the end of the "summer of the monkeys," Jay Berry Lee had learned a lot more than he ever bargained for--and not just about monkeys. He learned about faith, and wishes coming true, and knowing what it is you really want. He even learned a little about growing up . . .
This novel, set in rural Oklahoma around the turn of the century, is a heart-warming family story--full of rich detail and delightful characters--about a time and place when miracles were really the simplest of things...
Dear Fish
 | author: Chris Gall rating: asin: 0316058475 binding: Hardcover list price: $16.99 USD amazon price: $11.55 USD |
DESCRIPTION: Dear Fish, Where you live is pretty cool. You should come visit us sometime. Plus, my mom makes good pies. Sincerely, Peter Alan What happens when the creatures of the sea take Peter Alan up on his offer? Something fishy, of course! Watch out for a bucking bull shark at the rodeo, the invasion of a slimy school of fish, and other playful pictorial puns hidden within the illustrations. Endpapers identify more than 30 species of fish that appear in the book!This is a fantastic flight of fancy that every child will savor!
Button Box
Mama worked in a factory sewing by day and sewed custom clothes at night. She saved everything, but particularly fabric scraps and buttons. Her daughter would sit on the floor and dig through the button box and ask to hear stories about buttons. "Well, jerk out my heart and stomp on it! Baby that's the button off your first birthday dress!" This collection of stories are often hilarious, especially at the end where we hear how Mama sang in church....
 | author: Barbara McBride-Smith rating: asin: 0874837626 binding: Audio CD list price: $14.95 USD amazon price: $12.11 USD |
Mama believed the woman who dies with the most fabric scraps wins. She saved scraps from odd sewing job for neighbors. She saved buttons from old winter coats and birthday dresses. Mama had a button from Daddy's first uniform and another from Grandma's cloth coat and every button in the box came with a story. In her trademark Texas twang, award-winning storyteller Barbara McBride-Smith recounts stories from her family that speak to all of us.
