Jimmy, the Pickpocket of the Palace
This the 2nd book in the series that began with The Prince of the Pond. This book is fun, light reading that we all enjoy.
 | author: Donna Jo Napoli rating:  asin: 0525453571 binding: Paperback list price: $15.99 USD amazon price: $15.99 |
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...
Henry Huggins (50th Anniversary Edition)
 | author: Beverly Cleary rating: asin: 0380709120 binding: Paperback list price: $5.99 USD amazon price: $5.99 USD |
Nothing ever happens to Henry Huggins. Nothing, that is, until a stray dog named Ribsy comes into his life. Pretty soon, Henry and Ribsy are wreaking havoc on the city bus, getting a ride in a police car with sirens wailing, and winning a prize at the dog show. Thanks to their joint shenanigans, Henry finds himself covered in green paint one day, and later accidentally colors Ribsy's fur pale pink. One week, Henry catches earthworms for his fisherman neighbor to raise money for a borrowed ball Ribsy helped him lose. One football costs a lot of earthworms--1,395, to be exact.
The Wheel on the School
We listened to the audio version of The Wheel on the School (320 pages), a 1955 Newberry Winner that had all of us interested in riding in the car so we could hear it. It was really neat to hear about life in Holland, during a time when the village school had only 6 children, with only one girl - Lina. She surprises the teacher by independently writing a short composition, wondering why storks don't nest in their fishing village of Shora but they nest in all the neighboring villages. This inspires them to figure it out and they are are encouraged to spend their school time to work out the solution. It sounds dry but this is a very exciting book! This is a fantastic book about the power of hope, and the idea that it take a village to raise a child.
 | author: Meindert Dejong rating: asin: 0064400212 binding: Paperback list price: $6.95 USD amazon price: $6.95 USD |
Why do the storks no longer come to the little Dutch fishing village of Shora to nest? It was Lina, one of the six schoolchildren who first asked the question, and she set the others to wondering. And sometimes when you begin to wonder, you begin to make things happen. So the children set out to bring the storks back to Shora. The force of their vision put the whole village to work until at last the dream began to come true. Winner, 1955 Newbery MedalNotable Children's Books of 1940–1970 (ALA)1963 Lewis Carroll Shelf Award
Mik's Mammoth
| author: Roy Gerrard rating:  asin: 0374318913 binding: Hardcover list price: $15.00 USD amazon price: $15.00 |
The Roman Twins
 | rating: asin: 0374363390 binding: Hardcover list price: $16.00 USD amazon price: $16.00 |
Maximus and Vanilla, twin slaves, use all their wits to escape their cruel master, Slobbus Pompius.
The Language of Birds
 | rating: asin: 0399229256 binding: Hardcover list price: $15.99 USD amazon price: $15.99 |
Ivan and Vasilli are as different as brothers can be. When their father sends them out to prove themselves in the wide world, Vasilli is only out for himself, while Ivan approaches the future with a generous heart. When a thoughtful gesture saves the life of a baby bird, Ivan is granted a wish from the bird's mother--he is able to understand the language of birds. Vasilli mocks this humble gift even when he's warned of danger and his bullheadedness lands him in a dungeon. But Ivan comes to his rescue, freeing Vasilli and greatly impressing a princess at the same time.
Mary's Little Donkey and the Flight to Egypt (Contemporary Kelpies)
We are not Christian, but we always read lots of books like this around Christmas, because our girls (then ages 5 & 8) love them. This book was fantastic! We found it to be heartwarming and quite captivating.
 | author: Gunhild Sehlin rating: asin: 0863150640 binding: Paperback list price: $12.23 USD amazon price: $12.23 |
The stubborn, dirty little donkey is of no use to anyone in Nazareth, but he becomes a quick and willing helper under Mary's care. Here is an engaging alternative to the traditional Christmas story. It can be read to children aged 6-8, or children from 8-10 can read to themselves. (Ages 6-10)
The Cat Who Went to Heaven
 | author: Elizabeth Coatsworth rating: asin: 1416949739 binding: Paperback list price: $4.99 USD amazon price: $4.99 USD |
In ancient Japan, a struggling artist is angered when his housekeeper brings home a tiny white cat he can barely afford to feed. But when the village's head priest commissions a painting of the Buddha for a healthy sum, the artist softens toward the animal he believes has brought him luck.
According to legend, the proud and haughty cat was denied the Buddha's blessing for refusing to accept his teachings and pay him homage. So when the artist, moved by compassion for his pet, includes the cat in his painting, the priest rejects the work and decrees that it must be destroyed. It seems the artist's life is ruined as well -- until he is rewarded for his act of love by a Buddhist miracle.
This timeless fable has been a classic since its first publication in 1930, and this beautifully reillustrated edition brings the magic and wonder of the tale to a new generation of readers.
Mr. Putter & Tabby Feed the Fish (Mr. Putter & Tabby)
 | author: Cynthia Rylant asin: 0152163662 binding: Paperback list price: $5.95 USD amazon price: $5.95 USD |
Mr. Putter and his fine yellow cat, Tabby, both getting on in years, love going to the tropical fish store. Mr. Putter owned goldfish as a boy, and Tabby loves watching the fish because it makes "her whiskers tingle and her tail twitch." When the pair decides to bring home three fish one day, neither one of them is aware that, well, how shall we put it delicately... Tabby has a "fish problem." Each evening Tabby wants to go to bed, she needs to go to bed, but she can't drag herself away from the fishbowl.
