Krysta

I just finished The Burning Side by Sarah Damoff which I grabbed from Libby because I loved The Bright Years. This was also a family drama, and (as Laura wisely pointed out) probably not the best choice if you’re already feeling emotional. Damoff really knows how to create that connection between reader and character. I enjoyed the characters, although I think the character I most related to was Deb, April’s mother. I will definitely be on the lookout for other books by this author.

Before that I read Gone Before Goodbye (by Harlen Coben and Reese Witherspoon) because I’ve been on a Coben kick lately. I’m not sharing a link, because…I do not recommend it. I did not like anything about it - the writing felt forced and awkward, the plot was completely implausible, and none of the characters were believable or likable. Just my opinion, and I’m just one reader - plenty of people liked it - but I read it all the way to the end, hoping it would get better, and it never did.

I’m also reading The Six Conversations: Pathways to Connecting in an Age of Isolation and Incivility by Heather Holleman and I’m really enjoying it so far. I am always looking for ways to improve by interpersonal skills, mostly because I care a lot about making people feel seen and loved. What I like about this book is that Holleman makes it super clear, super simple, but also I love that she connects it to scripture and what God’s Word says about how we should relate to one another. I’m only on the third chapter but really looking forward to the rest of the book.

Mr J, Age 10

Mr J started The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White this month, but couldn’t get into it. We might try it as a family read aloud soon though, because I love Arthurian Legends. It was one of my favorite classes in college, and The Once and Future King was one of my favorite books! Now he’s reading Secret of the Andes by Ann Nolan Clark, which takes place in Peru, where an Inca boy learns about his ancestors…and a secret about his true identity. A Newbury Medal winner!

Miss A, Age 8

Horse Diaries #2: Bell’s Star by Alison Hart is part of a pretty unique series. Each book in the series is told from the point of view of a different horse, living in a different place and time in history. This particular book is about a Morgan horse in Vermont in the 1850s who helps rescue a runaway slave girl; others in the series take place in Iceland (AD 1000), Missouri 1846, Austria 1938, etc. It’s a neat premise—perfect for anyone who loves horses and history!

Miss A also just finished Magic Treehouse #8: Midnight on the Moon by Mary Pope Osborne. The Magic Treehouse series has had a LONG run in our house, and this one is a favorite. Personally, I think it’s pretty cool to imagine what it would be like to visit the moon…and when you add a mystery to solve, and clues to gather, the result is a really fun and engaging story!

Laura

The Four-Hour School Day by Durenda Wilson was written for parents who are considering homeschooling their kids and it addresses so many of the fears, skepticism, and general questions one might have. While I settled on homeschooling years ago, I found this book to have so much wisdom and practical advice that I can apply for years to come. I love Durenda Wilson’s books and intend to read another by her: Raising Boys to Men.

A Girl Called Samson by Amy Harmon is historical fiction about a young woman who dresses as a boy in order to serve in the Revolutionary War. This is so different from the books I typically picked up, but I loved Harmon’s book set on the Oregon Trail so I thought I would give this one a try, and I loved it! This was actually a five-star read for me and reminded me how much I loved historical fiction as a kid and what a fun and memorable way it is to learn about history. What’s really incredible about this novel is that it is actually based on some true events, which inspired me to do a little additional research on this story!

Miss I, Age 5

Louise, The Adventures of a Chicken by Kate DiCamillo & Harry Bliss is one of my favorite audiobooks of all time. We listened to it before we had ever seen the book, and when I checked the book out from the library I felt I could not do the narrator justice, so we listen to the audiobook while we look at the pictures! This is such a fun story of an absolutely daring chicken and her adventures aboard a pirate ship, joining the circus, and more.

Narwhal & Jelly Books 1-5 by Ben Clanton fit really well into our summer school ocean theme. These books are novels about two friends (a narwhal and a jellyfish) and are a good mix of silly fun and ocean facts, and we have enjoyed them on audio as well.

Mr L, Age 3

The Big Alfie Out of Doors Storybook by Shirley Hughes is a delightful and nostalgic collection of stories about Alfie and his family, all of which take place outside. There’s a lot of pretend play, sweet simplicity, and childhood innocence in these pages. We read it over and over and look forward to getting more Alfie books from the library.

5-Minute Pete the Cat Stories by James Dean is one of many 5-Minute story books on rotation in our home. Pete the Cat has been a favorite in our house for years; I’m pretty sure we have read every single book!

We hope your family finds some newly beloved books from this post! What are you reading right now? Give us some ideas in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

Unsurprisingly, I personally find Scandinavian literacy rates to be the most interesting! Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Norway, and Sweden are among the most literate countries in the world, where the majority of adults read for fun and many even publish their own books. These countries have made reading for pleasure a strong part of their culture; just check out Iceland’s Jólabókaflóðið, which is a Christmas book flood in which Icelanders gift each other books and spend Christmas Eve reading and drinking hot chocolate. Because of this tradition, books are the most popular Christmas gifts in Iceland.

In reading up on why literacy rates are so high in Nordic countries, I found a few main reasons:

1. Libraries have strong programming to encourage a love of reading and create an inviting community space. I’m sure this contributes to the high literacy rates in these countries, but I also believe that American libraries are excellent and offer so much to communities, so I’m not sure that this sets Scandinavian countries apart.

2. Parents read aloud frequently to their kids and treat it as a positive bonding experience. When I first read this, I thought that American parents also read to their children. However, it seems I live in a bit of a bubble, as statistics show that most American parents actually do not read to their children, or even to themselves! If parents don’t model reading for pleasure, or practice it with their children, it’s no wonder so many of our children grow into adults who don’t read.

3. Early education is play-based. Shockingly, most Scandinavian schools do not teach their students to read until age seven! At first glance, it seems paradoxical that countries that teach children to read later have higher literacy rates compared to the United States, where children are typically taught to read in Kindergarten. However, early education in Nordic schools focuses on play and story-telling; children are read to and encouraged to make up their own stories, and a love of learning and literature is emphasized. It makes sense that grueling early education could lead children to resent reading, especially when reading isn’t a positive experience at home.

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When my firstborn was a toddler, I had heard that Scandinavians don’t teach reading until age seven and have high literacy rates, so I wondered whether I would wait to teach her to read. However, she started showing interest in reading just before she turned five, so we gave it a shot. It ended up being too challenging for her at that time so we put it on hold for about six more months. When we tried again, she excelled!

As Jim Trelease discusses in The Read-Aloud Handbook, literacy is so important because reading is the basis for so much other learning. I also think the love of reading and love of learning are so intricately related that fostering the love of reading in our children will almost simultaneously foster their love of learning as well.

Yes, we live in a time where we are competing against a lot of flashy distractions, such as tablets (if not at home then at school), video games, and television streaming services—and Nordic countries are also dealing with these challenges—but we are also living in a time where there are multiple ways to enjoy reading (excellent audiobooks, story podcasts, e-readers) and literature available to pique any child’s interest! I’m also grateful I get to homeschool my kids, so we can ease into school, go at their pace, and use literature for learning about anything they’re interested in. And on the happiness scale, I think sitting down with a page-turner will beat out sitting down with a tablet any day.

This is just a cursory glance at this topic, and of course there are other factors influencing the happiness index of Nordic countries, but I do think it gives us some food for thought and inspiration for encouraging a love of reading in our children.

Sources:

The historical significance of education on high literacy in Sweden

Icelandic Christmas book flood

Literacy in Finland: How a Reading Culture Starts Early

How often are we all reading? A recent study examines American pleasure reading

10 facts about reading in Finland 2024

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My family is taking the summer off from our typical homeschool rhythm, but in the interest of continuing to follow their educational interests, I recently asked my two older kids (ages 3 and 5) what they’d like to learn more about. My three-year-old said he wants to learn surfing and scuba diving (can’t help him too much with that one) and my five-year-old exclaimed “the ocean!” That I can do! Coincidentally, I also love learning about the ocean (who doesn’t?!), so I gathered any relevant books from our own shelves and checked out a ton of library books and we dove deep (pun intended). Here are some of the non-fiction ocean picture books we have enjoyed and learned from this summer:

• An Anthology of Aquatic Life by Sam Hume is part of a series of nature anthologies and they are fantastic. This one features beautiful, full-page photos of the most intriguing sea creatures and lots of interesting facts about them. I’ll be honest: many of them are downright ugly, BUT my kids love learning about them. They are truly fascinating.

• Over and Under the Waves by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal is also part of a series of really great nature-themed picture books. This one is about a family kayaking on the ocean and talking about all of the animals living there.

• Over and Under the Coral Reef, also by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal, is about a boy and his Papa snorkeling around the coral reef and observing the creatures living down there. You really can’t go wrong with any of the books in this series—my kids and I love them all.

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• A Shell is Cozy by Dianna Hutts Aston and Sylvia Long talks about all kinds of different shells, the purposes they serve, who lives in them, and where they can be found. The illustrations are gorgeous—I love books that really highlight the beauty and intricacy of nature.

• My First 100 Ocean Words in English and Spanish by Emma Garcia is a great one if you also want to introduce your kids to the Spanish language! This book does not include facts, but it has lots of pictures of ocean life with their English and Spanish labels, and my kids love being able to identify more and more animals.

• Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger and David Leonard is more of a (true!) story rather than educational, but we absolutely love it. It’s about an octopus who escapes from his tank at the aquarium, never to be seen again (go, Inky!) and it’s written in verse with excellent illustrations. There are some facts about octopuses at the back of the book as well.

• Shark Lady by Jess Keating and Marta Alvarez Miguens is about Eugenie Clark, a woman who sought out to be a scientist (a male-dominated field) studying sharks, with the goal of showing that sharks are not just scary and dangerous, but also graceful and intriguing.

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Krysta

Heart the Lover by Lily King was on my holds list in Libby and I got a “skip the line” copy this week! It’s the story of a woman looking back and re-examining a college love triangle, how it has shaped her and continues to impact her. It was so good, the kind of book that just makes you feel - love, awkwardness, frustration and despair, connection - all the things. I cried at the end. Five star book for me!

A Marriage at Sea by Sophie Elmhirst is the true story (!) of a British couple who sells all of their belongings, builds a sailboat, and sets sail for New Zealand. Their boat capsizes and they are stranded in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. I did not always love the writing (and there were some parts that were pretty graphic, as you might imagine), but the book as a whole was fascinating to me.

Mr J, Age 10

A few years ago, my son was gifted The Action Storybook Bible and loved it - he read through it multiple times. Recently he asked me for an upgrade, so I ordered The Action Bible, which is basically the next step up. He has been reading it every night since he got it, and loves it. Just now, I went to make sure my kids had turned out their lights to go to sleep…and he was still reading his Bible. Can’t get too upset though, because I also used to read after lights out as a kid - in fact, I still stay up to read long past the time when I should be asleep!

Miss A, Age 8

We are in the midst of our Summer Reading Challenge, and my daughter has a time-based goal (rather than number of books or number of pages). She has spent a LOT of time pouring over this book and devouring the stories - and enjoying the lovely illustrations as well! There are tales from around the world, including retellings of some familiar fairy tales. It’s a BIG book, so it will keep her engaged for quite a while.

Laura

Our Perfect Storm is Carley Fortune’s brand new summer release. This novel is about two people who have been best friends their whole lives but have had a rocky relationship more recently. They spend one week together in paradise sorting through what happened and figuring out where to go from there. I have read all of Fortune’s novels and this was my personal favorite! I love how she writes about these beautiful locations, too—Tofino is going to blow up now that this book is out. This was a four-star read for me.

The Shampoo Effect is also a new summer release, written by Jenny Jackson, the author of Pineapple Street. I almost quit this novel at the beginning but something about it kept me hanging on and I’m glad. This book is about a tight-knit friend group in Massachusetts and the outsider who comes in and blows the lid off of their secrets. So many of the characters were initially unlikeable to me, which I really struggle with, but they actually grew on me! The book is also well-written and a juicy summer read. I’m finishing it now, and it will probably be a three-star read for me.

Miss I, Age 5

Over and Under the Coral Reef by Kate Messner and Christopher Silas Neal is about a little boy and his Papa snorkeling through the coral reef. These Over and Under books are such a great way to learn about different ecosystems, and Miss I has really enjoyed this one this summer.

The Berenstain Bears Play T-Ball by Stan and Jan Berenstain is An I Can Read book about— you guessed it— the Berenstain Bears playing T-Ball! I loved the Berenstain Bears as a kid and my kids love them just as much as I did. Miss I loved this book because it was one she could read all on her own.

Mr L, Age 3

Sea Glass Summer by Michelle Houts and Bagram Ibatoulline is the story of a little boy finding sea glass on the beach and the stories of how the sea glass got there in the first place. I loved finding sea glass growing up but never thought about its origin. Mr L has asked for this book over and over!

A Bedtime for Bear by Bonny Becker and Kady MacDonald Denton is about Bear, who is a very light sleeper, and his sleepover with his best friend, Mouse. If you have not read this series, you MUST! These books are some of our absolute favorites.

We hope your family finds some newly beloved books from this post! What are you reading right now? Give us some ideas in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown is the first book in a fantastic trilogy. I will admit, I didn’t enjoy the third book as much as the first two, but my kids loved all three so much that we ended up buying the audiobooks so that they could listen to them all again (more than once). It’s a sweet animal story with plenty of action…and a robot!

• Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White took me by surprise last month. I don’t remember reading this when I was younger but a friend told me it was one of his favorite books as a kid, and now I see why. The writing is beautiful and imaginative - so much appreciation for the natural world - and there are so many humorous moments sprinkled throughout the book. We all loved this one!

• Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell was a book that I could not wait to share with my kids because I remembered loving it so much! We listened to the audiobook together last summer while driving to and from a camping trip in Maine. It has sad moments, but it’s a captivating story! If you like survival stories, this is a great one.

• The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare was another audiobook we listened to together last summer, and another great survival story. I loved survival and wilderness stories as a kid, and I guess I haven’t outgrown that. There are definitely parts of the book that are outdated, but I choose to see those as opportunities to have discussions with my kids about how culture changes over time.

  

• The Saturdays by Elizabeth Enright is maybe more of a “misadventure” kind of book, but it’s the first of four books and they’re all hilarious. Follow the delightful escapades of the four Melendy children as they pool their resources to finance their Independent Saturday Afternoon Adventure Club. We have these on CD (from a library book sale) and my daughter listens to them over and over.

• The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum was better than I expected. I had only ever seen the movie, but the book was much more nuanced in terms of character development, and a very enjoyable read. (A note about the link: we actually have the Usborne Illustrated Classics version, which is beautiful but doesn’t seem to be available on Amazon, unless you want to pay $110 for it…)

• A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry is on the list because my kids insisted. The book is based on the true story of a wolf cub, and my kids really enjoyed it - a little more than I did. To be perfectly transparent, there are some books that I love, but for whatever reason I don’t enjoy reading them aloud…and this was one of them. However, lots of my friends enjoyed it as a read aloud!

• James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl was SO FUN to read aloud. My kids and I laughed the whole way through. I loved this book when I was young, and I love it now. It’s so silly and funny and weird (classic Roald Dahl). The aunties are pretty awful in the beginning of the story, so be prepared to maybe revise as you read if your kids are younger and/or more sensitive. However, don’t skip this book! It’s hilarious.

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• The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall is a charming story about four sisters and their summer in the country. It has all of the mischief and mayhem you’d expect, plus a good measure of sweetness, life lessons, and growing up. We made ginger bread cake with fresh whipped cream for a treat on the day we finished the book.

• Little Pilgrim’s Progress by Helen L. Taylor (with illustrations by the amazing Joe Sutphin) is a must-read. It’s Helen Taylor’s adaptation of John Bunyan’s allegory of the Christian life. If you only buy one book from this list, let this be the one. The illustrations are stunning, and the story is just perfect. This is not a quick read, but reading this book together will be a core memory for your family.

• Poppy by Avi (one of my favorite children’s authors) is not technically the first book in the series, but we read it first - and we loved it and read all the other books, and then listened to the audiobooks. I think my favorite book in the series is Ereth’s Birthday (because Ereth is so funny), but definitely start with Poppy. Great for anyone who loves a good animal adventure story with witty writing.

• Redwall by Brian Jacques is another awesome animal adventure story, and the beginning of a HUGE series. I had never read this one, but our children’s librarian said it was her favorite series as a kid, and we were not disappointed. The audiobook is also excellent.

  

• Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin is long but so wonderful. A captivating fantasy, beautifully written, telling the story of a young girl on an epic adventure to change her family’s fortune. I think what struck me most about this book was that it was different from anything we had read before. My daughter especially loved this one!

• Owls in the Family by Farley Mowat was a delightful read. I remember reading the end of it at the airport in Florida, and my kids dissolving into laughter, and everyone around us grinning at them. What kid doesn’t want to have pet owls?!

• The Midnight Fox by Betsy Byars is a sweet book about a city boy forced to spend a summer on his aunt’s farm, where he meets a black fox. As an adult, the story is maybe a little predictable, but still a great read; I didn’t read it as a kid, but was introduced to it when I taught fifth grade. If you do read it, be sure to plan a day to make the “Petie Burkis Special” sandwich!

• BONUS: Baby Island by Carol Ryrie Brink is a favorite from my own childhood - I remember my mom reading it to my brother and me - although I haven’t read it to my kids yet! My kids LOVE babies, so I’m looking forward to sharing this unique survival story with them.

Well, what do you think? Are any of these favorites of yours, too? Do you have other recommendations for great adventure stories to read aloud? I’d love to hear from you!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

• Storytimes: If you’re a homeschool mom or have raised small children, you have probably taken your kids to some storytimes, so I won’t spend too much time on this one. I have always taken my kids to storytime from infancy onward, and they are such a great way to have fun and build a positive connection with the local library. Most recently, we have participated in yoga storytime and a musical storytime and this programming has been phenomenal. Look out for one-off events at the library, too; our local library had an event where we could bring in photos and make a Father’s Day scrapbook.

• Play groups: First of all, libraries are a great place to play on a rainy day. Many of them have tons of cool toys and puzzles and sometimes even some sensory setups for kids to explore. A lot of libraries also run play groups for the littlest kids (think 3 and under) to come and play with the toys together. This is a great socialization opportunity for little ones and their moms!

• Homeschool clubs: A lot of storytimes serve kids through age five, but many libraries also have homeschool clubs for elementary age kids and even teenagers. They typically seem to meet monthly and have different themes (like Legos). Many libraries also have monthly events for elementary school kids who are not specifically homeschooled. Just be aware that kids activities at the library do not stop as your kids get older!

• Reading programs: Most libraries run incentive programs to encourage kids (and adults!) to read more. Some examples of reading programs your library might offer are:

  • 1,000 Books Before Kindergarten, which lets kids pick out special prizes whenever they reach a milestone (maybe 100 books) on their way to reading 1,000 books before they enter kindergarten.

  • Reading Buddies, which pairs new readers with teenagers to practice their reading. I have also seen opportunities for early readers to practice reading to a dog at the library!

  • Homework Help/Tutoring, though not specific to literacy, is offered at many libraries to help kids with their reading and other academic subjects.

• Book sales: Admittedly, I have taken advantage of these too many times! It seems like all libraries have book sales throughout the year, and some even have book sale rooms where you can shop whenever the library is open. I have found some real gems at library book sales. Plus, you get the books at such a low cost and it supports your local library.

• Takeaway craft kits: Some libraries have bins of little prepared craft kits you can do at a table at the library or take home to do later. Most recently, my kids have made a foam Father’s Day bookmark shaped like a hammer, a dinosaur egg, and bouncing chickens!

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• Library of Things: Many libraries are now offering non-book items you can borrow! I haven’t taken advantage of this one too much yet, but I think it is so cool. Here are some things I have seen available to borrow:

  • Literacy kits

  • Sewing machines

  • Games

  • Kindles

  • iPads

  • American Girl dolls

  • Nature Exploration backpacks

  • Playaways (audiobook players)

  • Seed kits and gardening tools

  • Sporting equipment

  • Metal detectors

  • Themed learning kits (math, chemistry, etc.)

• Streaming/electronic borrowing services: Libraries still have collections of CDs and DVDs if that’s your jam, but they now also have services for streaming and/or downloading media, including ebooks, audiobooks, movies, music, and magazines. Check your library website to see what your branch offers; here are the memberships my library system has:

  • Libby: I use this to borrow ebooks for myself and audiobooks for my kids. You can borrow picture books but the formatting of electronic picture books is not great. Older kids can borrow chapter books to read on their tablets!

    • P.S. Did you know you may be eligible for other library cards so you can access books/media from other library systems? As a New York State resident, I have library cards from three library systems: my local system, New York Public Library, and Brooklyn Public Library. This is such a great hack, because it means I can usually get access to pretty much any ebook I want! Here’s more info about that.

  • Hoopla: I use this app to borrow slightly older audiobooks (they don’t usually have anything brand new). You can also watch some shows and movies on Hoopla, and they do offer ebooks but they are not Kindle compatible.

  • Kanopy: I haven’t used this service, but it is for streaming thousands of free movies, including documentaries, foreign films, and classic movies.

• Museum passes: Many (if not all) libraries now offer free passes to museums, parks, historical sites, and other cool places! You typically have to schedule it in advance and then borrow the pass from the library.

• Community pantry: Many libraries now have community pantries if your family is in need of food.

These are just the resources that I know about—check with your local library and see what else they offer! Make sure to get on their mailing list so you’re aware of their services and any upcoming events, as well as registration dates for storytimes.

What unique resources does your local library offer? Tell us about them in the comments!

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• Magic Beach by Alison Lester: This classic book captures the endless imaginative play that can happen at the beach. Isn’t it amazing how many hours of play kids can enjoy with just a couple of (or even no) beach toys?

• Down to the Sea with Mr. Magee by Chris Van Dusen: For lovers of Mercy Watson, this is a hilarious story about Mr. Magee and his dog, Dee, and how one mishap leads to another when they visit the ocean.

• Summer Song by Kevin Henkes: Never have I ever met a Kevin Henkes book I didn't like! This one explores summer through all of the senses.

• The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli: This is such a simple, cute, funny book about a crocodile who swallows a watermelon seed and fears that there might be a watermelon growing in his stomach!

  

• Inky the Octopus by Erin Guendelsberger and David Leonard: This is like the children’s version of Remarkably Bright Creatures. It’s written in verse and has great illustrations— we love this one.

• Hot Dog by Doug Salati: A Caldecott Medal winner, this adorable book uses minimal text to tell the story of a dachshund who escapes the city with his owner to visit the beach for the day.

• The Little Blue Cottage by Kelly Jordan and Jessica Courtney-Tickle: I am a sucker for a book about the life of a home, and this one is about the life of a summer cottage (swoon). I also love the illustrations, which remind me a little of Barbara Cooney’s in a favorite book of mine, Miss Rumphius.

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Why do summer reading?

I know some people feel like Summer Reading is “homework” and summer should be for vacation, but it’s not like that for us. We originally started setting summer reading goals because close friends of ours were doing it with their four kids, who are a bit older than ours. It was a fun family tradition for them, and it has been become the same for us! Besides being fun, it keeps up the reading habit over the summer months, and sets the precedent that reading is important and worthy of intentionality. Plus…it’s fun!

What’s the “program”?

Even though I was a voracious reader when I was a kid, my mom still offered us summer reading incentives. I can remember her giving my brother and I each a box of Scholastic book club books for Christmas, and then giving us a dollar a book for Summer Reading as long as we read at least 20 books. For us, although we have never offered our kids money, it’s different every year!

When my kids were toddlers, Summer Reading was more of a challenge for me. I would set a goal to read 30 or 60 different titles aloud to my kids, and just keep the titles in a list in my phone, to gauge my progress. I would try to find fun new picture books that we hadn’t read before; All the World and Hattie and Hudson (or any Chris Van Dusen) were two favorites for summer reading (and beyond). I think this was a great way to introduce the idea of a Summer Reading challenge, because my kids love any kind of tradition that involves reading together. (At some point I will have to write about our Christmas Book Advent tradition!)

Once my kids could read a little bit, we shifted the goal and it would be based on a number of books read or a total amount of time. Depending on the kiddo and his/her ability at the time, we might read some of the books together, or we might just check out a huge stack of early readers from the library. Elephant and Piggy and Fly Guy were favorites, but we also owned and loved Usborne’s My First Reading Library for reading together.

As they have become fluent readers, we have shifted the goals to total time or number of pages, although reaching our goals definitely still involves consistent trips to the library. (In case you’re wondering: Yes, my kids also enjoy participating in the Summer Reading programs at our local libraries.)

The big thing is that I set the goals with my children, not for my children. This part is always a great conversation for us. We talk about what their goals were the previous summer, what they’ve been reading, how much they’ve grown as readers, and what seems like a challenging but achievable goal for this summer. I resist the urge to set a high goal for them, because this is supposed to be FUN.

Speaking of fun: I let my kids pick the prize. We always do some type of experience prize, whether that’s mini golf and ice cream, a trip to the zoo, a water park - some type of fun family experience. I will give them a list of suggestions if they’re stuck, but that’s usually not necessary. Also: For the years when the goal was a number of books that I was going to try to read to my kids, since I was doing the reading…I gave myself a prize too!

We only do Summer Reading for the month of July. I guess it’s mostly because that’s how our friends always do it, but also because it’s easier than having to figure out a start and end date. Plus, if we finish the challenge at the end of July, then we have all of August to do whatever activities the kids picked as their prizes.

It’s important to note that Summer Reading has not taken the place of reading aloud to my kids as they have gotten older. Even as my kids do their own Summer Reading challenges now, I still read aloud to them every day throughout the summer. In fact, when we go camping, I bring along whatever chapter book I’m reading to them. Reading by flashlight in the tent right before they go to sleep has become one of my favorite parts of camping!

How do we keep track?

To be honest, this is the one part of our Summer Reading tradition that I have yet to be satisfied with. When the kids were little I just kept a list in my phone; as they’ve gotten older and I’ve tried to give them more ownership, I have started to print a log or have them keep track of the titles and number of pages or minutes read each day. This solution still isn’t perfect though, because it’s VERY hard to keep track of that piece of paper, especially while we are traveling all summer. After reading THIS POST, I might try a journal this year! I would love for my kids to keep a reading journal, and I’m thinking maybe Summer Reading would be a good time to develop the habit.

What should they read?

You could set some parameters, taking the scoring system into consideration - for example if their goal is to read a certain number of books, I might specify that the book needs to be at least a certain number of pages. I could also give them special challenges (like if they read a certain book that I pick, that one might be worth double points) but - again - I try to remember that it should be fun. They should be picking books that they enjoy (with my approval). Typically, I do not allow the same book to count more than once; other than that I pretty much give them the same guidelines that I do for any other reading.

What do you think? Would your kids enjoy a family Summer Reading Challenge? Or, if you already do something similar, do you have any fun ideas to share? Please leave a comment below, or a question if you have one!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

Krysta

The Book of Lost Hours by Hayley Gelfuso is creative and engaging, kind of a fusion of historical/science/fiction with a bit of suspense…but (I think) written for people who don’t usually read science fiction. The ending felt a little bland after the long and complicated plot, but if you’re in the mood for something different, this might hit the spot.

Theo of Golden by Allen Levi was recommended (rather aggressively) to me by a close friend, and although I tried to wait patiently to get it from the library, I ended up using a gift card to buy it instead. I’m not very far into it, but I am already LOVING the gorgeous writing and totally captivated by the characters and plot.

The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White is fast becoming a favorite with both of my kids, and I am truly enjoying it myself! This is our current read-aloud, and we are all totally entranced by the beautiful language in this book.

Mr J, Age 10

The Percy Jackson series by Rick Riordan must be crazy good because my son just finished reading the entire series for the second time this year. Imagine being a “normal kid” and then discovering you’re actually the son of…a Greek god?! If your kiddo is interested in Greek mythology, there’s a reason these books have over 40k reviews on Amazon.

Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know is packed with facts and photos, and is sure to be a hit with any young Star Wars fan. Mr. J has at least a half dozen Star Wars books checked out from the library right now, but he says this is the best one.

Miss A, Age 8

In Grandma’s Attic by Arleta Richardson is a collection of stories that the author’s grandmother told her when she was a child. This is the first book in a series and it’s just lovely! I finished reading the Little House on the Prairie series to the kids recently, and this is a great independent read for Miss A, who absolutely loved Laura and Mary.

Lola Gets a Cat by Anna McQuinn, beautifully illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw, is one of the books Miss A requests from the library over and over. She loves the charming, colorful illustrations, and the story - in which little Lola adopts a new cat - is so sweet. Next on our holds list is Lola Plants a Garden, another favorite.

Laura

Whistler by Ann Patchett

This new release by the queen of literary fiction deserves the hype! This beautifully written novel tells the story of a woman, her stepfather, and the events that separated them and ultimately brought them back to each other. Once again, Patchett has expertly captured complex family dynamics and told a heartbreaking and somehow also heartwarming story. This will be one of the top books of 2026!

Dolly All the Time by Annabel Monaghan

I like to balance out my reading life by simultaneously reading one light book and one heavier book; this is the lighter book I am currently reading. I’ve been listening to the audiobook of this new romance release, and while predictable, it is entertaining summer reading and the audio is well done. The story centers around Dolly, a single mom and caretaker who pretends to date a local millionaire in order to earn money to fix the roof on her childhood home. I particularly love the New England summer setting, which makes me nostalgic. A good beach read!

Miss I, Age 5

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

In this award-winning book, a watermelon-loving crocodile accidentally swallows a watermelon seed and fears that he will begin to grow a watermelon in his tummy! The text and illustrations are so simple but funny—a great summer read.

The Bible in Pictures for Little Eyes by Kenneth N. Taylor and Annabel Spenceley

My husband puts Miss I to bed at night and they enjoy reading a few of these Bible stories together and answering the discussion questions. They just finished reading through the whole thing and started over again!

Mr L, Age 3

Saint George and the Dragon by Margaret Hodges and Trina Schart Hyman

This 1985 Caldecott Medal Winner tells the epic tale of George, who becomes a hero by slaying the dragon that has been terrorizing his village. The story is beautifully told and the illustrations are so detailed and captivating.

Giant Island by Jane Yolen and Doug Keith

In this book, a brother and sister go on a fishing trip with their grandfather to Giant Island, which turns out to be an actual giant disguised as an island! It’s such a fun tale—probably my favorite picture book of the month!

We hope your family finds some newly beloved books from this post! What are you reading right now? Give us some ideas in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

Whether you’re looking for a book full of imagination, inspiration, or information, grab a snack and a picnic blanket and head outside to enjoy one (or a stack) of these!

(Reading in a hammock is my personal idea of heaven on earth…)

Imagination Station: Fun and creative stories about the great outdoors

Treehouse Town by Gideon Sterer (with beautiful illustrations by Charlie Mylie) will never NOT be on my list of favorite books. We request it from the library all the time! The text is sweet and full of fun rhymes, and the illustrations are so captivating. It’s a tour of a magical town built into the treetops where kids and animals live and play together. If you loved the treehouse in the old Swiss Family Robinson movie, this book is for you!

Oliver’s Tree by Kit Chase is a sweet book for younger children. My daughter insisted that I add it to the list, and all the kids at our nature play group enjoyed it as a read aloud. It’s a cute story with adorable illustrations about three friends who are playing hide-and-seek and have to think outside the box to help one of them find a good tree to hide in.

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown is another book that I will never stop recommending. It is imaginative and GORGEOUS - there is just so much to look at, explore, and talk about in this book.

Roxaboxen by Alice McLerran (illustrated by Barbara Cooney) is another book that everyone should read at least once. This classic has inspired so much imaginative outdoor play for my kids and their friends - and probably countless other children.

Inspiration to Get Out There: Books that make you want to explore

The Hike by Alison Farrell is a sweet book about three friends taking a hike. You will surely be inspired to grab a compass and binoculars and head out for an adventure!

Up in the Garden, Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner is one of several titles in a series, but it’s a great book for kiddos who might be interested in gardening (like my daughter). The book showcases what’s going on above and below ground in a backyard garden, so after you read it you can head outside and poke around in the dirt!

The Raft by Jim LaMarche is a beautiful book about a boy who is not pleased to be spending the summer with his eccentric grandmother…but by the end of the summer he is sad to leave. We also really love LaMarche’s Pond, which is just as beautiful.

Time of Wonder by Robert McCloskey is just pure inspiration! Beautiful writing, nostalgia, all the things you have come to expect from McCloskey, who is a favorite author in our home (and countless other homes)!

Finding Wild by Megan Wagner Lloyd is a great book for anyone who thinks you need to visit a national park to enjoy nature. In this book, you will be inspired to “find wild” right in your own neighborhood.

When You Go Into Nature by Sheri M. Bestor is a great book for practicing mindfulness in nature! My kids have always been soothed by the outdoors, even as newborns, so I love helping kids add nature to their mental health toolbox.

Fun Facts: Learning to love nature

National Geographic Ultimate Bugopedia is a treasure trove of fascinating bug facts! My kids love all Nat Geo books, but this one is pretty epic. It’s especially fun if you live somewhere that has lots of bugs to spot after reading about them! For younger readers, we also really enjoyed Nat Geo’s Little Kids First Big Book of Bugs.

Science Comics: Trees: Kings of the Forest by Andy Hirsch is a great choice for any kiddo who is interested in trees! My son loves the whole Science Comics series, and we spend a lot of time in the woods, so this was a definite win for us. For adults interested in trees, I also recommend The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, which I found to be truly fascinating!

Mama Built a Nest by Jennifer Ward is both adorable and informative. Since I started homeschooling my kids, I have become quite the Bird Nerd. We have a bird feeder on the window in our dining room (where we also do a lot of our lessons), and it has been a delight to watch and learn about birds. This book is really neat because it shows all different kinds of nests that various birds build.

What’s in Your Pocket? by Heather L. Montgomery is a great roundup of well-known scientists who started out as kids with nature collections. If you sometimes grumble about finding random nature “treasures” in pockets, this is a great read!

Nature activities: Ideas for what to do outside

A Year of Forest School by Jane Worroll is FULL of great activities and projects for groups. We have done a few of them with our homeschool nature group. This book is more for adults/leaders, but maybe also good for teens who want to try leading activities.

100 Days of Adventure by Greta Eskridge is exactly what it sounds like - a whole bunch of ideas for how to have adventures! Not all of the ideas are nature/outdoor related, but a lot of them are. I also highly recommend Eskridge’s Adventuring Together if you (the adult) need some inspiration to have some adventures with your children!

Usborne Outdoor Book is full of ideas for all seasons and all weather. Projects, experiments, and activities that kids can do on their own or with a grownup, plus lots of great information and illustrations.

I could honestly go on, and on (and on) with this list, but I have to stop somewhere! What about you? What nature books does your family especially love? PLEASE share your favorites in the comments - I’m always looking for new nature books to enjoy!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

As I’ve shared in past posts, I recently read the first six volumes of The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, which takes place in 19th century London. As most of us know, the Brits traditionally pause in the afternoon to “take tea.” When reading this, I thought how lovely this tradition would be in my own home, and I quickly brainstormed ways to make it a special time, which I am excited to share with you.

But first, why should you incorporate Tea Time into your busy day?

• We are all here because we think it’s important to read to our children, but sometimes read-aloud time ends up squeezed in during bedtime. Tea Time sets aside a special time during the day for reading, showing your kids that it is important enough to stop during a busy day and make time to read.

• Tea Time offers a chance to bond with your kids during the day, sharing a comforting cup of tea and a story. I’ve found that the days when I feel like we should just skip Tea Time (I’m too busy, the kids are too grumpy, etc. etc.) are actually the days when Tea Time is most beneficial because it gives us a chance to pause and reset, share a laugh, and just enjoy some time together.

• If you’re anything like me, you are going, going, GOING all day long, rushing from one task to the next. Tea Time is beneficial for you, too! Sit down for a few minutes, drink a cup of tea, and calm your nervous system.

• It gives your family something to look forward to! My kids ask “can we do Tea Time?” They love everything about it: the story, the tea, the snack, the time together, mom’s full attention.

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Now that we see why Tea Time is so beneficial, let’s dig into what Tea Time can look like. I’ll tell you all about what Tea Time looks like in my home, but I’m sure you will have some fantastic ideas for making it your own!

1. Decide where this will fit into your daily rhythm. We like to have Tea Time in the afternoon, usually a couple of hours after lunch. Maybe late morning is better for you! Try different times of day and see what feels best.

2. Set the stage. Decide what will make this time feel special to your family. We meet at the dining room table and tidy it up a little so we can feel relaxed when we take our tea. I usually like to play a little quiet music in the background, like classical music or instrumental hymns. My kids are too little for this, but maybe you’d like to light a candle!

3. Gather your refreshments. I bought this little glass tea pot and we love this loose leaf tea. My kids drink their tea from little espresso cups we already had, but you could also head to a thrift store and look for a tea set together! For snacks, I love to make a big batch of mini muffins and keep them in a bag in the freezer so I can just take out a few when we’re getting ready to have Tea Time. I have this mini muffin tin and we love this Funfetti mini muffin recipe! We’ve also had protein balls, banana bread, and other little treats we have left over. In warmer weather, you could even have iced tea and popsicles!

4. Choose your books. Some families like to read poetry during this time. Maybe you’d like to read a chapter from a book each day or read a devotional. Perhaps you’d even like to put on an audiobook! In my family, I request a ton of library books each week and I choose a different one to read each day at Tea Time. My kids get to pick their bedtime books so Mama picks the Tea Time books (or at least the first book we read each day, and then my kids often pick books if we want to keep going). We’ve read such a great variety of beautiful picture books, and I’ll share some below.

5. Roll it out! Tea Time is so simple that you could institute this wonderful practice later today. It can take as little as ten minutes but have a profound effect on your day, so try it out!

6. Optional: invite a guest. We have not yet had friends come for Tea Time, but my kids’ grandmothers have both attended Tea Time during their visits and have even served as guest readers! It’s really so much fun to share this time with a guest.

Tea Time can really be as low-key or fancy as you like. Maybe you pull out all the stops with a fancy tea set and take the opportunity to practice fancy table etiquette, or maybe you grab a family-favorite book off your shelf and open a bag of crackers to have with your tea. Either way, it’s going to feel like a special time to your family, and that is the whole point.

As promised, here is a list of some of our recent Tea Time reads that we really enjoyed:

• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

• Farmhouse by Sophie Blackall

• The Bear and the Piano by David Litchfield

• Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson

• Dozens of Doughnuts by Carrie Finison and Brianne Farley

• Giant Island by Jane Yolen and Doug Keith

• Thunder Cake by Patricia Polacco

• The Curious Garden by Peter Brown

• The Cook and the King by Julia Donaldson and David Roberts

• Let’s Go Home by Cynthia Rylant and Wendy Anderson Halperin

• Finding Winnie by Lindsay Mattick and Sophie Blackall

Will you try Tea Time at your house? If you do, PLEASE report back in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

1. Literacy is at an all-time low in the United States, and I am committed to help foster a love of reading in the next generation.

2. What kid needs more toys?! I am constantly trying to cut down our toys by about 75%.

3. Books take up less space than toys! I cringe a little whenever we receive an enormous toy.😅

4. Books are a great way to build connection between children and their caregivers.

   

With the goal of fostering a love of reading as early as possible, I like to begin giving children books before they are even born (at their baby showers), but they’re also great holiday and birthday gifts. Here are some of my favorite, tried-and-true board books to gift to babies:

• See, Touch, Feel: A First Sensory Book by Roger Priddy is my absolute #1 most-gifted book. My kids loved this book as babies and toddlers, and it’s so well-made that it’s still in perfect condition after so much use. It’s bright and colorful and there are different textures to touch and a mirror at the end. It’s always a winner!

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What’s on the menu?

I’ve mentioned timing and location, but…which books? Well, that depends on your kids. It can certainly be tricky at times - it’s kind of like ordering food at a restaurant for someone else - and I don’t always get it right, but thankfully I can use our extensive inter-library network to try out all kinds of books for FREE! Things to think about when choosing books to offer your kids:

Is there an author or illustrator they already love? If you’ve read The Mitten, chances are your kids will be eager to look at pretty much any one of Jan Brett’s gorgeous books! My kids instantly recognize works by Eric Carle, Bill Peet, Kate Chapman and quite a few other favorites. For my daughter, any book with beautiful illustrations (and/or animals) is likely to be a win. My son loves Science Comics, so any time I see one he hasn’t read yet, I request a hold on it for him.

What is your child interested in? My daughter loves gardening and nature, so I always keep an eye out for plant books. My son is currently fascinated by the Titanic and Ancient Greece, so I try to grab at least one or two books related to those topics when we’re at the library. Sometimes I also try to help them “branch out” a little by choosing books that are interest-adjacent (ex. Ancient Rome instead of Greece).

Find a booklist you can trust! There are lots of booklist sources out there, but Read Aloud Revival is probably my favorite. Sarah Mackenzie has a variety of booklists covering more categories than you can imagine, and I refer back to her suggestions time and time again.

Cast of Characters

While all of these are great starting points, there’s more to consider. If books are friends (and I sincerely hope they are), who do you want your kids to hang out with? There are certain books that I know are beloved by entire generations, but if the protagonist is a brat, that’s going to be a hard pass for me. This is especially true for audiobooks; I have definitely seen how listening to stories can impact my kids’ behavior. Instead, I try to offer up a steady diet of (male and female) heroes and characters who bravely fight for what is right. The main character doesn’t need to be perfect, but character flaws such as foolishness, selfishness, bullying, and poor judgment should be presented as opportunities for growth, rather than acceptable behavior. I will be the first to admit, I have been the target of criticism for my stance here, but I truly believe that what our kids read impacts them, and let’s face it: there are way too many truly wonderful books to waste time on anything subpar.

Raise the Bar: Really Good Books

Along the same lines, the quality of writing is important, too. If you want your kiddos to be adventurous eaters who enjoy a wide variety of foods, you cannot only feed them applesauce and graham crackers. While it’s true that classic literature can be more difficult to “digest” it’s also worth the work! The more widely read someone is, the better their vocabulary will be, and the more they will be able to read - and enjoy it. This is why The Chronicles of Narnia books are on heavy rotation in our house. Other great examples are: The Complete Tales of Winnie the Pooh, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, Charlotte’s Web, The Wild Robot, and Where the Mountain Meets the Moon.

I know what you’re thinking: This all sounds like a lot of work. And…sometimes it is. Sometimes you get into a good rhythm and it’s easy - maybe your child has found a series he LOVES, and you just need to keep ordering the next book. But other times, you will look up and realize all of your library books are overdue (gasp!) and your kids haven’t picked up a book all week, and it seems like a Herculean task to scour the library for new books to offer them. Don’t get discouraged - and don’t give up! Ask questions like “What was the last book you read that you loved?” and go from there. Get them involved in picking a few new titles to try out.

Or, maybe your little reader only wants to read 5 Minute Spider Man Stories (I know your pain, I really do!) and you’re losing hope that anyone in your house will ever enjoy a classic novel. It’s okay - don’t lose heart! Just keep offering, and keep reading aloud, from that stack of Really Good Books. This kind of growth takes time and consistency, but it will happen! Before you know it, you will be having deep, thoughtful conversations about books that you all love.

What about you? Any go-to tricks for selecting books for your kids? Please share in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

Krysta

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower

I cannot say enough about this series. It is just delightful. Every book is better than the previous one, and Emma is hilarious - I literally laugh out loud while reading - and the writing is just flawless. If you love Jane Austen, or you wish you did, this series is for you.

The Q by Beth Brower

When I finished the Emma M. Lion books, I decided to check out something else by the same author, published earlier in her career. Several of her other books were fantasy, but this one was historical fiction (sort of - it has some of the same quirkiness as Emma M. Lion and takes place in a fictional setting). The writing wasn’t quite as good, but I loved the growth of the spirited female protagonist, and the plot was engaging.

The Eights by Joanna Miller

After The Q, this popped up in my suggested books, and I figured I’d give it a shot. It follows four young women from the first degree-track class at Oxford. I really enjoyed it! There were a few surprises and the character development was interesting. Definitely good for anyone who is suffering a book hangover after reading Emma M. Lion or The Q!

30 Days of Prayer: A Bible Study in Psalms

I just started this a few days ago, but I am loving it so far. I’ve been spending a lot of time in Psalms lately, and I really like the Proverbs 31 Ministry resources, so when this caught my eye I had to give it a shot. I like that it is a journal-style Bible study, with great questions and space to record your thoughts and responses. After just a few days, I already feel like I’m reading the Psalms with fresh eyes.

Mr J, Age 10

The Misadventured Summer of Tumbleweed Thompson by Glenn McCarty

A friend passed this on to us, and J picked it up recently. He said it’s funny and full of action and adventure, with likable characters. This was his first read after finishing the Harry Potter series, so it must be pretty good!

Ben and Me by Robert Lawson

A friend recommended this so I borrowed it from the library for J to read. He liked it more than he expected, and when he was finished we watched the Disney film adaptation (25 minutes). J said the book was much better than the film!

Usborne Book of Greek Myths by Anna Milbourne

This is NOT a small book, but my son has been lugging it around everywhere. The stories are illustrated and nicely told. As I've mentioned, we love Greek Mythology, and this is a great collection.

Miss A, age 8

The Littles by John Peterson

I loved this book when I was a kid, and I don’t think I even knew it was a whole series! After she read the first one, we requested the next few from the library and she’s been carrying them around, laughing and reading little snippets to me.

Anne Arrives: Inspired by Anne of Green Gables by Kallie George

This series of six books is absolutely darling. I LOVE the original Anne of Green Gables series, so I was super excited to introduce Miss A to the precocious “Anne with an E” and these books were a great place to start. The illustrations are sweet and the books, while technically “chapter” books are very simple. Highly recommend!

Laura

Under the Magnolias by T.I. Lowe

This novel is about a teenage girl growing up on a tobacco farm in the 1980s southern U.S. After her mother dies and her father is unfit to care for the family, she finds herself caring for her many siblings while also trying to raise herself. I’m almost done and enjoying the story and setting!

The Night We Met by Abby Jimenez

I’ve read many Jimenez books when in need of a light, romantic read, and her latest release is fitting the bill! I started listening to this book on my way home from a family vacation and I really like the audiobook. The story is about a woman who meets a group of men at a concert one night and chooses one to date, but later gets to know his best friend, who may have been the better match. If you’re looking for a palette cleanser, give this one a try!

Miss I, age 5

The Beginner’s Bible: Read Through the Bible

Isla has loved listening to the original Beginner’s Bible on audio, so I got her the early reader edition and it is a huge hit. It includes eight Bible stories and very cute pictures. There are also some sticker books to go along with these books!

Let’s Go Home by Cynthia Rylant and Wendy Anderson Halperin

Who doesn’t love a Cynthia Rylant book?! This is such a unique book about each room in a home and what makes it special. There is so much to look at and talk about on each page.

Mr L, age 3

Too Many Carrots by Katy Hudson

This is a very cute springtime story about a rabbit who has more carrots than can fit in his home, so he tries moving into all of his animal friends’ homes in order to accommodate his growing collection. In the end, he learns that sharing his carrots is better than hoarding them!

Mortimer’s First Garden by Karma Wilson and Dave Andreasen

Another lovely springtime book by another beloved author (Karma Wilson), this heartwarming book is about a mouse who learns that gardening requires patience and faith.

We hope your family finds some newly beloved books from this post! What are you reading right now? Give us some ideas in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

As a former teacher and a mom, I have heard many, many parents complain that their kiddos just don’t like to read. What’s a mom to do? How can we help our kids unlock the door to the world of literary adventures?

Books, books, everywhere you look

I don’t know about you, but when I step into the library, or (joy-of-joys) Barnes and Noble, I feel a little giddy. Books, as far as the eye can see. So. Many. Books. It is a delight, am I right? And no matter what your interests or reading level or mood might be, there’s something for every reader. Doesn’t it make you want to grab something from a stack and find a comfy chair?

Our homes can follow this same approach (although - sadly - probably not to the same degree). We can “spread a feast” for our children. It doesn’t have to look like a library or a book store, but putting out some carefully selected titles in strategic locations can catch their eye and inspire them to take a peek. Having books readily available makes it easier to grab one in a moment of down time or boredom. A few key locations:

• Where you eat: I have narrow shelves in our dining/homeschool room with a few books displayed, and there’s usually at least one book on the table.

• In the bathroom: Okay, this one is a little controversial, and I personally do not keep books in the bathroom, but I know plenty of people do (including my kids - I often find books on their bathroom counter).

• On the coffee table: Actually, a little stack near any comfy seat can tempt kids to take a peek.

• Next to the bed: All readers should have a few great options on their nightstand! Even before they can read, flipping through books is a great habit to work into the bedtime routine. The Alphabet Room by Sara Pinto was a favorite for this, because there are no words, but plenty to look at and talk about.

• In the car: If you’re lucky enough to have kids who don’t get carsick, keep a handful of picture books in the car. Actually, even if they can’t look at them while you’re moving, books are great entertainment while you wait for curbside pickup!

• In your bag: Read to your kids in the waiting room, at the restaurant while you wait for food, while a sibling has soccer practice, etc. When my kids were little I was lucky enough to find a handful of small paperback picture books that were perfect to tuck into a bag, but now that my kids are older they automatically grab a book before we leave the house to go anywhere.

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I began by looking for lists of book recommendations around the internet and found surprisingly few! I asked our local librarian for suggestions and he gave me a couple of titles, but I had to do some more digging to create the list below. I broadened the topic slightly to include some books that are a little more colonial than pioneer, but still allowed us to see the differences between life in the 1700s compared to now. Here are the books we read (be sure to read til the end for a few ideas to really bring this unit to life, as well as suggestions for adapting this unit for older siblings!):

• The Little House Picture Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder are adaptations of the beloved Little House on the Prairie book series. Written and illustrated for younger children, these books are just so sweet; Miss I said they make her feel “warm and cozy” and that she loves them because she can learn about how things used to be a long time ago. Aside from additional board books and lift-the-flap books, there are 14 main picture books in this series, and I believe we read them all! Both Miss I and Mr L loved them (and so did my niece, Miss A), which makes me even more excited to read the chapter books with them when they’re a little older.

• Prairie Days by Patricia MacLachlan and Micha Archer uses simple text and gorgeous illustrations to depict a simple, beautiful life on the Prairie.

• Journey of a Pioneer by Patricia J. Murphy is a fictional journal of a girl traveling on the Oregon Trail. It includes lots of additional facts, which I think is particularly helpful if you’re including slightly older children in your unit.

• Apples to Oregon by Deborah Hopkinson and Nancy Carpenter is a delightful story of a family whose father wants to transport his fruit trees across the plains.

• Johnny Appleseed by Madeline Olsen and Steven James Petruccio is a first reader book about (you guessed it!) Johnny Appleseed. I was surprised to learn that he was a real person! Miss I (my kindergartener) really enjoyed getting to read this book herself.

• Ox-Cart Man by Donald Hall and Barbara Cooney is a classic book describing how the man’s family creates products to sell in town.

• Homespun Sarah by Verla Kay and Ted Rand follows Sarah in the process of making her own dress from start to finish. I love that this book is written in verse and showed my kids how much work it used to be to make everything yourself!

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This unit was meant to consist primarily of reading living texts together, but I added in a few other resources and activities to help bring it to life:

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But one of my favorite, EASY tricks for diffusing any conflict with or among my children is reading! I have used it in challenging moments and even proactively when I know chaos is coming. Let me give you some examples:

• If my children are having one of those days where they’re constantly bickering, I invite them to snuggle up on the couch with me for a book. They always say yes (especially if it’s this book), they each sit on either side of me, and the tension disappears instantly. Not only do they feel warm and cozy bonding with me, but they’re enjoying a positive shared experience with each other. (Be warned that this almost never stops at one book, but it’s well worth spending a little extra time to get your kids on the right footing once again!)

• If my Miss I tells her little brother she wants alone time and shuts him out of her room, and his feelings are hurt, I invite him to read a book with me on the couch. This invitation makes Mr L feel special and loved, and Miss I will almost always come out and join us, so again, the tension is smoothed over between them.

• If I sense that Mr L’s mood is going south (read: an impending tantrum), I can intervene by reading a book with him. Oftentimes, to start, I will pick out one I know he loves (this is a current favorite), and as he loosens up he will pick out the next books. It’s so much easier to invest ten minutes in lightening his mood proactively rather than waiting until it worsens!

• If I am stressed out and finding myself snapping at my kids, I try to remind myself that my relationship with them is more important than my to-do list and I (you guessed it) invite them to read a book with me on the couch. I’ll admit that I am still working on using this strategy more often because it does really help us to reset the day, bond with each other, and calm my own nervous system.

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• Last year, we participated in a homeschool co-op, which was a bit overstimulating for my kids and me. I was stressed to the max every morning trying to serve breakfast, pack lunches, and get us all out the door on time, and the stress was contagious. By the time we arrived at co-op, my kids were needy and clingy and we were all fried. I started carving out time in the morning after breakfast to read some books together on the couch (they loved this treasury) before we left the house and it really helped us all calm down and connect! This took some planning on my part but it was worth it to help the rest of the day go smoother.

• Similarly, when we host a holiday or special gathering at our home, I tend to race around the house, all stressed out (I know you’re starting to see a theme here). My little ones chase me around, vying for some of my attention and affection. Pausing to read a book with them helps to fill their little cups and grounds me at the same time.

• When I’m potty training one of my children, books are a great tool. We read tons of books together during our main potty training weekend, most of them about the potty! Potty training can be quite challenging but reading together can help everyone feel safe and connected and make this tricky time feel exciting and special. This is one of our favorite, timeless potty training books.

• I also like to use books to talk about difficult subjects with my kids. My children are still pretty young so I’m just getting started with this, but books can serve as an invaluable resource for broaching sensitive topics in a kid-friendly way. I recommend searching something like “books on grieving the loss of a pet for age 5” on Amazon, and then requesting a few from the library; for these kinds of topics, I prefer to vet them first and then choose the best one(s) to read to my kids rather than purchasing them. Just last week, I found the book The Pout Pout Fish and the Worry Worry Whale to be helpful in talking about social anxiety with my kids. Hearing about these topics from a third party in the form of a book can get through to kids in a different way.

I’ve become a firm believer that reading together can solve (almost) any parenting challenge. Try applying it next time a conflict arises and see how it goes; there is no down side!

How have you used books to diffuse conflict or solve other problems in your home? Do you have any favorite books for these situations? Tell me in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

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I admit, I was a little hesitant at first. Greek Mythology is, to put it mildly, kind of…violent. And pretty graphic. To be honest, it doesn’t really give kid-friendly vibes at all. Plus, my daughter can be sensitive to certain things - for example, she refused to watch Moana for the longest time because the lead character disobeys her father in the opening scene. So… ya. I wasn’t sure how some of the more graphic stories (looking at you, Prometheus…and you too, Cronos) would land with my kids, but as usual I was pleasantly surprised. I guess maybe the stories are just so wild, it’s hard not to be captivated?

In any case, they’re hooked, and we have done a deeeeeeep dive into Ancient Greece. There are a couple of reasons that I feel like this has been an especially worthy “rabbit trail” on our homeschool journey. The first may seem kind of obvious but just in case it’s not: Greek Mythology is awesome and it’s a great way to spark an interest in history! Because my son was already interested in Greek mythology, he was pumped when we came to Ancient Greece in our history studies. The stories are just so different from anything else we’ve read (or are they?! More on that in a minute!) and sometimes just plain bizarre. It wasn’t long before both of my kids were hooked, which was a wonderful bridge to talking about the history of Greek architecture, culture, and of course the Olympics.

The second reason that I am thankful for my kids’ obsession with Greek mythology is that it is a cornerstone of literature. Modern literature is chock-full of references and allusions to the stories, names, and details of Ancient Greek myths. The more familiar you are with the heroes and monsters of these myths, the more you will notice their names in modern literature. Not only the smaller details - even the overall plot of many works of fiction follows the traditional “hero’s quest” story structure that we see in the stories of Heracles, Odysseus, and Jason (to name a few). My son and I had a wonderful (nerdy) discussion the other day about how the storyline of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars parallels what we have read about different Ancient Greek heroes and their journeys. Conversations like this are pretty much pure bliss for me as a homeschool mom and literature lover, and even more so because J was so excited to talk about it. Win-win! And it doesn’t just apply to Star Wars - we talked about several other favorite books that follow the Hero’s Journey structure, and we are planning to start reading The Hobbit soon, so I’m sure we will continue the conversation… hopefully for the next ten or twenty years.

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Even beyond the bountiful literary allusions connected to these tales, the stories themselves are creative and captivating. My kids love to listen to D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths in the car, and I think these stories in particular are engaging because they have what all good stories have: intriguing characters and engaging plots. As a bonus, there are a lot of examples of characters having to face the consequences of their choices and actions, which have led to a number of meaningful conversations with my kids. The way I see it is this: any story that we all enjoy is an opportunity to strengthen our connection as a family. Looking at it through that lens, Greek mythology has definitely earned a spot on our bookshelf!

What about you? Does your family enjoy Greek mythology? Please share your favorite book(s) in the comments!

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If you’re ready to dive into the world of Ancient Greece, here are some of our favorite resources (my kids helped me make this list):

*Resources:

10-Minute Stories from Greek Mythology: Gods, Heroes, and Monsters (we have the audiobook)

Usborne Illustrated Stories from Greek Myths

Ultimate Greek Mythology by LJ Tracosas

Tales of Brave and Brilliant Girls from Greek Myths (Usborne)

Jason and the Argonauts: The First Great Quest in Greek Mythology by Robert Byrd

Greeking Out Podcast

(Audiobook) Homer’s Iliad and the Odyssey: Two of the Greatest Stories Ever Told

(Audiobook) D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths (awesome narrators!)

Magic Treehouse: Hour of the Olympics

Magic Treehouse Fact Tracker: Ancient Greece and the Olympics

Percy Jackson series

The Usborne Book of Greek Myths

*Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

Krysta:

Every Woman a Theologian, by Phylicia Masonheimer

I am really enjoying this book! The author does an impressive job of explaining a variety of theological viewpoints in very articulate and concise language, breaking down complicated concepts in a way that is way easy to understand. Conflicting views on the finer points of theology are presented in an unbiased manner, which (for me, anyway) creates the space for the reader to consider them all without feeling pressured to agree with any of them.

Reading Picture Books with Children, by Megan Dowd Lambert

I just started this one, but I love it so far. I think the author’s Whole Book Approach is magnificent! My kids are a little older (8 and 9) and both are fluent readers, but we still read a lot of picture books together. I have long proclaimed the value of picture books, and used to read them to my eighth grade students when I taught public school. I am really excited to implement the Whole Book Approach with my own children.

The First Four Years, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I have been reading the Little House on the Prairie series to my kids for well over a year now. I usually read it to them at breakfast, although sometimes I also read at dinner or (when we’re traveling or camping) at bedtime. These were my favorite books as a child, and reading them (my actual childhood boxed set) to my kids has been so fun! This last one is a little different from the rest, mainly because it was published posthumously, but still lovely - I'm trying to take my time because I’m not ready to say goodbye to Laura!

Mr J, age 9 (almost 10):

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by JK Rowling

After reading through all of the Wingfeather Saga and a huge stack of books from the I Survived… series, J dug into Harry Potter last month and has been flying through the series on his Kindle. In addition to reading the books, he and A have also been listening to the new Audible version, which is a full cast dramatization and is absolutely stellar.

Star Wars: The Secrets of the Jedi, by Mark Sumerak

For Star Wars fans, this is one not to be missed. I believe J got this one for Christmas, and it has become a favorite. Even his sister (who is not into Star Wars) likes to look through it.

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Miss A, age 8:

The Pony Pals series, by Jeanne Betancourt

These books, published in the 90’s, are super sweet but very hard to find! My daughter found one at a used book store last fall and I wanted to buy more of them for her as a Christmas gift and could only find them on eBay. She has been loving them, though - I think they’re at the perfect level for her right now, and the stories are cute - simple conflicts and great lessons about friendship.

The Magic Treehouse series, by Mary Pope Osborne

Although we did have the boxed set, I had already passed it on to Laura when Miss A decided she wanted to read the series. My kids both still like to listen to the audiobooks, but thankfully I was also able to borrow them in ebook format from the library and download them onto my daughter’s Kindle. We do still have some of the corresponding Fact Trackers in paperback, and she likes to look through those as well.

Moose’s Book Bus, by Inga Moore

I borrowed this from the library to read with my kids and it quickly disappeared into my daughter’s room. It has adorable illustrations and the story reminds me a little bit of Bunny’s Book Club, which is one of our favorites.

The Curious Garden, by Peter Brown

Although the ground here is still covered with a lot of snow, Miss A is eagerly awaiting the spring thaw and already planning her garden for this year. She pulled this book out last week and asked me to read it, and then we all spent a good long while pouring over the beautiful illustrations. This book is the heartwarming and imaginative story of a garden growing in some unlikely places, and now is a great time of year to check it out!

Laura:

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, by Beth Brower

I’m about half-way through this 8-book series and absolutely loving them! The journals are short and delightful and have the feel of Austen-era literature while still being approachable. The narrator is funny, the characters are interesting, and the story is so well-written. I initially started reading these books because they’re short and I wanted to get out of a reading funk, but I have a feeling this will be one of my my favorite book series of all time!

One & Only, by Maureen Goo

I chose this book when I was craving something light but not forgettable, and it absolutely delivered. This romantic comedy tells the story of a forty-year-old woman who has the inter-generational gift of seeing people’s past lives in order to match them with their “fated” in the current life. The twist is that she finally finds her own fated just as she connects with another mate. I really loved the unique story line and tidbits of Korean culture!

Miss I (age 5):

My First Little House Books, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

We read all of these books as part of our homeschool history unit on pioneer life. These books are so sweet and they provide a nice introductory depiction of life on the prairie. Miss I loved them all, saying they made her “feel warm and cozy” and that it was so interesting to learn about the past.

Farmhouse, by Sophie Blackall

This book blew me away! It tells the story of a large family growing up in a farmhouse long ago, and the illustrations are outstanding. As it turns out, this is based on a true story! The author actually bought a property in New York with a farmhouse on it and upon exploring the house she uncovered the belongings of the family who once lived there, whose story she told through this book. She even used bits and pieces of their clothing to make the book illustrations. There was so much to look at and talk about while reading this book. Miss I enjoyed reading more about what life was like a long time ago, and I felt a little emotional thinking about the story currently taking place in real time within the walls of our own home.

Silly Milly and the Mysterious Suitcase, by Wendy Cheyette Lewison and Nadine Bernard Westcott

Miss I has been learning to read this year and she has just started reading some Level 1 books! We both loved this book about Silly Milly and all the strange things she is packing in her huge duffel bag. You have to read to the end to find out why she has selected all these unusual items!

Mr L (age 3):

5-Minute Marvel Stories, by DBG

Mr L was gifted this and absolutely loves it. If you’re not yet familiar with the 5-Minute Stories series, I highly recommend them! This one has about 15 short stories about various Marvel characters, all of which we have read several times, but Mr L also loves just looking through the book on his own and taking in the illustrations.

The Big Mess: A Deliciously Funny Story of Siblings Learning to Get Along, by Justin Whitmel Earley

This is such a cute tale of Mouse, who is trying to make the perfect dessert, and his little brother, Moose, who foils all of Mouse’s plans with his clumsiness. The moral of the story is to embrace your sibling’s strengths in order to work together. The story and illustrations are so fun, and Mr L loves his desserts, so this one was a home run for us!

We hope your family finds some newly beloved books from this post! What are you reading right now? Give us some ideas in the comments!

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!

But nothing - NOTHING - prepared me for the joy of reading with my own children. I don’t mean teaching them to read - which I did, and it was also amazing - I mean reading to them and with them. Honestly, even now I get a little giddy just thinking about it. Sharing that joy with my kids has only made it intensify by like a thousand percent. What’s better than passion? Passion shared.

And boy-oh-boy do we share it. My kids are 8 and 9 right now, and we’ve been reading together since they were born. From the time he could sit up, my son would happily sit and look through stacks of board books. Lots of kids “devour” books but my daughter actually ate a few. (As you can imagine, that was fun to explain to the librarian.) We have shared picture books, chapter books, audiobooks, poetry, Shakespeare, biographies, and adventures around the world.

The Pay-off

It’s like anything with parenting, I think: sometimes it’s hard to see the oak tree when you’re looking at the acorn. I have always been intentional about reading to my kids - one of my only “Mom rules” for myself is that if one of them asks me to read to them, I stop what I’m doing and read. Honestly. (Does that sound crazy?) I admit, sometimes I try to quickly finish what I’m doing, but when they were little I didn’t even do that. Even now that my kids can (and do) read independently, I still try as much as possible to stop what I’m doing and read to them if they ask. I still read to them every morning while they eat breakfast (I used to read to them at pretty much every meal, but eventually I realized I also needed to eat). Even so, for all the ways that I have intentionally tried to cultivate a love of books, I think maybe I wasn’t always aware of what else I was creating: a strong family.

Shared Language

Because we have read a zillion books together, we have a shared language. We can speak in book-code, laden with obscure literary allusions. At least daily, one of us will say, “Oh, that reminds me of [book title] when [character name]…” and we all understand the reference. When my kids were little, “Llama, llama touch!” was how I told them to touch their toes. Right now our daily conversations are peppered with words like “muggle” and “snitch” and “expelliarmus” (IYKYK).

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Shared Experiences

It’s not just the language - we have shared countless emotional connections as well. We have cried together (On the Shores of Silver Lake, when Jack dies), laughed ourselves silly (James and the Giant Peach) and cheered for our favorite characters (Little Pilgrim’s Progress). We’ve been on every kind of adventure, and together we have witnessed good overcoming evil, over and over and over. You know how in movies after two people get stuck in an elevator together (or some similarly sticky situation), the shared experience draws them closer together? It’s like that, but less engineered, more organic. So that’s great news, right? You don’t have to actually travel the world to have adventures and create shared memories with your kids!

Growing Together

I think this is true on a deeper level, too. We’re not just sharing emotional connections to fictional characters - our own connections to each other grow deeper and stronger, too. The natural outcome of reading together is talking - about the books, but also about ourselves and each other. We talk about what we admire, what we disagree with, how we relate (or don’t). As my kids have gotten older, these conversations happen more - and I’m no longer the one who asks most of the questions. Now we all wonder aloud why authors write about certain things, how characters will conquer certain obstacles, what we would do differently. I’m starting to see the forest through the trees, finally - because not only do my kids LOVE books (praise God), but we can love them together. Not only do we read about characters who struggle and grow, but we face challenges and grow together as well.

For the past year (plus), we’ve been reading through Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series. Most days I read it aloud in the morning at breakfast or, if we’re traveling or camping, I read it at bedtime. These were my favorite books as a kid - and we’re reading my original boxed set, even though they’re falling apart. Reading them again with my children has been absolutely magical. Like, seriously, a top ten experience. We talk about these books all the time. We’ve studied pioneer life and westward expansion, we’ve made a brownie “sod house” and a pretzel stick “log cabin” and a model covered wagon. We are almost done, and I just dread it. What will we read next? What could possibly follow this? At the same time, I know that whatever we choose to read next, we will experience it together, and that is a comforting thought.

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Disclosure: We are affiliates for Amazon. That means that if you use the links in our publications to make a purchase, we may get a small percentage of the purchase price. It never changes the price you pay and we only share links for products/books that we personally recommend. Thank you for supporting our work!