With school getting back into swing, it's time for after school activities like clubs, dance, and sports! Here are some of our favorite books to inspire all of those little kickers out there! These are some of the best soccer books. Do you have a soccer book to add to the list? Let me know! I love getting book recs from our readers!
trainbots by miranda paul and shane mcg
Kids love trains. Kids love robots. So guess what? A genius person put them both together in one book giving kids everywhere exactly what they want! Miranda Paul is a relatively new author who has written several titles including the new and adorable 10 Little Ninjas.
Trainbots is the story of cheerful and rather industrious little robots who work together to build a shiny, new train that they will ride all the way to Kids Town, the place where boys and girls are waiting to play with their new robot toys. On the way to Kids Town, terrible mean bots jump on board the train and break it. The trainbots turn into super hero bots who save the day!
Story Time Conversations:
- This is a rhyming story. Let's think of some words that rhyme. I say a word, and you think of a word that rhymes. Ball/Wall Cat/Bat Bot/Pot Train/Rain
- If you were riding on the trainbots' train, what car would you ride in? Caboose? Engine? Passenger car?
- Which robot toy do you like the best?
medieval girlhood: catherine, called birdy by karen cushman
I remember the exact day that my sixth grade teacher put this book in my hands. Mrs. Hall had carefully styled grey hair, gold wire rimmed glasses, and always wore lots of perfume. She could be stern, but she had a warm smile. I had finished my work and was staring idly into space, and she must have noticed it because she went to her book shelf and got Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman. I couldn't put it down and quickly fell in love with Catherine, a fourteen year old girl who lived during the Medieval period.
Catherine is called Birdy by her family because she had a lot of pets and loved animals. Her brother teaches her to read and write, and he gives her a homework assignment - to keep a journal and write in it every day. Birdy is stubborn, strong, and set in her own opinions - something we value in our girls today, but in 1290, it wasn't seen as positively. Her father wants to marry her off, and the suitor he picks is someone that Birdy thinks is terrible! This book is a wonderful story with a strong female lead character. It's funny, sometimes shocking, and also serves as a very detailed and fascinating look into life during the Medieval time period.
Did you read this as a kid like I did? Did a teacher give you a book that you still hold dear? Let me know your experiences in the comments!
more aliki!
Hi Booktomato family! How has your week gone? My three year old just started a new preschool this week, and it is going to be a big change for us because he is goes every morning until lunch time. It will take some getting used to for the both of us since he has stayed home with me full time until now. He loves it so far, and he's having a lot of fun. I am enjoying it too, even though I miss him a little bit. I love having a couple of hours each day to myself. I'm happiest when I have a space in my day for my own creativity.
Let's talk some more about the wonderful author, Aliki! The first one, Milk: From Cow to Carton, is one of my favorites. We have a small milk packaging factory in our neighborhood, and we like to imagine that inside its walls, cows are walking around in aprons and hair nets with clip boards in their hooves overseeing the production. The information in this book doesn't exactly match up with our imaginations but it is a fascinating story. The book follows the journey of milk from the farm to the factories where it is screened for safety purposes and bottled up for grocery stores. It also talks about different cultures around the world and different animals that produce milk. This book has that great Aliki formula of beautiful pictures + engaging information + clear language and easy explanations to questions that little minds are wondering about.
Here are a few more Aliki books that we really enjoy reading.
the talking eggs by robert d. san souci and jerry pinkney
I love it when I read a story that is unpredictable. Most movies/tv shows/books fit in to one of a few formulas, and after reading a few pages or watching a few minutes of it, you can usually tell where the narrative is heading.
When I read The Talking Eggs by Robert D. San Souci with my older son (age 9), we got a few pages in, and he exclaims, "Oh I can tell where this is going! It's going to be like Cinderella." He was right. The beginning of this story has all of the makings of a Cinderella adaptation - a young girl who works night and day to please her mean and selfish mother and sibling. That, however, is where the similarities between this story and a fairy tale formula stop!
When her mother sends her on an errand to fetch water at the well in the woods, Blanche meets an old woman who is terribly thirsty. Blanche shows kindness and gives the old woman water. When the old woman meets Blanche at the well a second time, she brings the girl to her unique home. There Blanche sees a two headed cow, chickens of every color of the rainbow, and other crazy things. Because she is polite and doesn't laugh at any of the old woman's crazy possessions, the old woman rewards her with magic eggs that produce riches and jewels! When Blanche's mean sister, Rose, visits the old woman, she is not as polite, and her behavior gets her in trouble.
storytime conversation starters:
- what was the craziest thing blanche saw at the old woman's farm? would you be able to go there and not laugh?
- why was blanche rewarded and rose was not?
- what would you want to be hidden in your magic eggs?
the weekend roundup!
Hi there! Welcome to the weekend roundup! In our house, we survived our first week of fourth grade, and for that, we deserve a celebratory fancy latte for mom and hot chocolate for kid! Here are some of the best book posts from around the web to fill your weekend with kid lit inspiration!
The cover of Bird and Bear and the Special Day has me craving walks through fall leaves. Kids Book Review shares the details of this cute picture book here. They also review a new YA novel set in London, V for Violet, here.
Pragmatic Mom has two great book lists this week! One geared towards teaching toddlers kindness here and one with books about Mexico here.
What Do We Do All Day shares a list of math art books that are great for getting kids excited about math here.
B is For Bookworm does a monthly reading challenge that encourages kids to log more book time. The details are here.
a classic for every bookshelf: who's there, spot? by eric hill
Hello hello! Welcome to Booktomato! Today we are talking about a pure and simple classic character that every young reader should have on their bookshelf - Spot, the dog. Author Eric Hill created this darling little doggy in 1976 for his son, Christopher. Spot the dog can be found in a number of essential preschooler books like this one, Who's There, Spot?, Spot's Birthday Party, Spot Can Count, and others. Each book features fun lift flap windows to discover on each page. Did you know that Hill invented the lift-the-flap style? He did! recommended age: 0-5
Story Time Conversations:
- The first read around, open each flap and talk about who is inside. The second read around, try to guess who is inside the flap before opening it.
- Which of Spot's friends is blue? Which friend is green?
- Do we go to the places Spot went to in his day? School? Laundry room? Backyard? Talk about what we like and don't like about each place.
Have a great day and read something fun!
6 cookbooks for kids!
Do you have a New Year's Resolution to cook more and eat healthier? I always feel like once the holidays filled with eggnog and endless sugar cookies are done, I'm ready to press the reset button on what me and my family are eating. Here are some of the most adorable and fun looking cookbooks I have found, and they contain some fun and healthy recipes to help me achieve our goal of good food choices. I really want to cook from these with my kids. Wish me luck!
This cookbook for ages eight and up is truly a cookbook for beginners that spells out each recipe in easy to understand picture-heavy tutorials. Some of the recipes look really cute too.
The title says it all - this is for the foodie kid in your life. The one who likes the stinky cheese on the cheese plate and is curious to try new things at dinner time. The recipes aren't your typical kid recipes, and with a little help from an adult, this book could be a first voyage into culinary adventure.
This is labelled for ages ten and up and is a comprehensive lesson on cooking techniques like knife skills, measuring, how to roast, and how to saute.
The Help Yourself Cookbook employs loads of playful humor and fun facts to empower kids to think about nutrition and cook for themselves, showing them that they are capable of becoming mini chefs!
I have had the adult original edition of The Forest Feast for about a year, and I love the unique, vegetarian recipes. They are really yummy. The Forest Feast for Kids features the same recipes with clear, step-by-step instructions.
The Silver Spoon is for Italy what The Joy of Cooking is for America - a classic tome with millions of standard recipes. We have this Silver Spoon for Children in our kitchen and have used it so many times. The lasagna recipe in this is actually my favorite lasagna recipe that I use all the time, even when I'm not cooking with mini chefs around.
the weekend round up!
Hi there! Welcome to what is for us, the last weekend of summer break. School starts Monday, and we are right back to homework, construction paper, glue sticks, and class parties! Here is a list of book posts to read while you wait in the mile long check out line at the school supply store.
Kids' Book Review shares a artistic new alphabet book here. This awesome blog also has an interview with best-selling author, Fleur McDonald here.
Pragmatic Mom shows us how to make a simple sun catcher here.
What Do We Do All Day shares 15 books guaranteed to make kids smile here.
story time + snacks: funfetti madeleines for madeline
Sometimes the story on the page sustains us, and sometimes, well, we need funfetti. Yes, I did take the ever classy, oh-so-french madeleine cookie and white trash it up a bit with an entire bottle of star sprinkles thrown into the batter, and it was so good. Normally, I don't like to clutter my kitchen cabinets with gadgets and pans that only have one task, so buying a cookie pan that would only be used to make one specific type of cookie didn't appeal to me. However, the key to making the classic french madeleines is a madeleine pan. Most madeleines start with a base of flour, sugar, eggs, and butter, but from there, they are quite versatile. You could add chocolate chips, orange zest, dried fruit, whatever you want.
Eating French cookies got us in the mood for everyone's favorite red-headed frenchie, Madeline! I have loved Ludwig Bemelmans' stories about Madeline for as long as I can remember. We think nothing of reading about a strong, independent female character today, but Madeline was doing her own thing long before it was the norm. I found this volume of every Madeline book published into one collection a couple of years ago. It's a treasure!
Funfetti Madeleines
- one cup flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 4 eggs
- 1 stick butter
- one bottle colorful sprinkles (optional)
- combine flour and baking powder in a bowl.
- beat sugar, eggs, and vanilla until thick (this takes a couple minutes.)
- fold flour mixture in to egg mixture.
- melt butter and add to batter. put batter in the refrigerator for about an hour. stir in sprinkles.
- preheat oven to 325 degrees. butter the madeleine pan. fill molds of pan with batter.
- bake for 10 minutes or until golden.
reference books kids love!
Hi there! Welcome to Booktomato! I hate to bring you a list of text-book style picks during what might be your kids' time off for summer break (no school=no boring text books/work sheets), but not to worry, these are fun! I wanted to share with you some of the reference books geared towards kids that I have collected over the years. I have no worries bringing educational books to you during spring break because unlike some text books, these make learning fun! There are a lot of really great dictionaries, thesauruses, and encyclopedias for kids that strike a great balance of informative and fun/playful. Whenever my kids have a question about a country, a unique word, or a science concept, sometimes it is more helpful for them to research the topic on their own rather than hear me just give them an explanation.
I found this set of The Little Golden Book Illustrated Dictionary at a second hand store a few years ago. I was so happy to find the complete set in one place! It has six volumes, over 10,000 words, and 3,000 pictures. It was published in 1951, so like most older reference books, I'm sure there are some outdated word entries. However, overall, this is still a great first dictionary set. Not every word entry has a picture, but each entry provides an easy but thorough definition and a sentence that really helps with understanding. I have seen illustrated dictionaries with more pictures, but those tend to be more cute than functional. This set is actually functional for reference purposes.
This student thesaurus by The American Heritage has been a life-saver for my third-grader this year. He is learning to write "big kid" paragraphs in his reports, and that means learning how to find new and interesting words. This edition is not illustrated and is really meant for upper elementary and possibly junior high level readers.
If you check out one book from this post, this should be it! We purchased this My Picture Atlas by Roger Priddy probably 7 years ago through a montessori catalog, and it has been used every week since its purchase. I couldn't love it more. Its cover says it all - it gives kid-friendly facts along with colorful pictures and a map of every country in the world. When you have this book, you know how to say hello and thank you in every country's official language. You know what each country produces, what the people like to eat, and what their houses look like. It is such a great reference for kids who want to learn about the world!
Do you have any kid's reference books that you go to again and again? Ones that your kids love? Let me know!
the weekend roundup!
Weekend time! Woohoo! What are your plans for the weekend? Here are some kids bookish posts to read while you sit on the couch with your favorite coffee mug in one hand and kids in pajamas watching cartoons sitting around you.
Great Kids Books shares a list of books about the upcoming U.S. elections here.
Kids Book Review reviews super-cute picture book Mrs. Dog here and a chapter book that is perfect for third and fourth graders, The Other Christy by Oliver Phommavanh here.
Pragmatic Mom shares some of her favorite Instagram feeds here.
Crafty mastermind Pink Stripy Socks has an easy and cute ladybug painting craft here.
mufaro's beautiful daughters by john steptoe
Hi there, Booktomato family! Where we live, we are entering into the second to last weekend of summer! This Sunday is the last Sunday that isn't a school night. I feel bittersweet about it every year. I am ready for the season to change from muggy Summer to crisp Autumn. I am ready for pumpkin flavored everything and sweaters. I am ready to see all of our school friends again. I am not ready for my now-fourth-grader's homework to start streaming in. I am not ready for a week that whizzes by so fast that we have to fight for family time. In every season, turn, turn, ya know?
Today's book pick is one I remember watching on a Reading Rainbow episode when I was little, and when I found it again at a book store, I remembered just how much I loved it!
This marvelously illustrated book is based on the Cinderella story, and while it isn't a traditional African tale, the setting and characters are inspired by a trip the author took to Zimbabwe. Mufaro is a happy and prosperous man with two beautiful daughters - Manyara, pretty on the outside, but selfish and impatient on the inside, and Nyasha, beautiful, kind, and loving on the inside and out.
The Prince announces that he is looking for a wife. When both girls decide to travel to the big city to try and become the Princess, Manyara's true colors serve her poorly while Nyasha is rewarded for her kindness. This tale has a good amount of magic and unique twists that keep it from being a straight forward Cinderella story and make it more interesting.
Storytime Conversations:
- What picture in this book is your favorite? I liked the picture of . . .
- Why was Nyasha rewarded in the story?
- Why was Manyara punished in the story?
- How can we act more like Nyasha throughout the day?
- What fairy tale does this story remind you of?
we love little golden books: seven little postmen by margaret wise brown
Do you do any thrift store shopping? I love a good thrift store, and I have one in my area that always has the best picture books. Every time I go, I magically find some amazing kid's book waiting for me to take it home. This week I found this charmingly retro little golden book, Seven Little Postmen, and I bought it for only seventy-five cents! I paid for it and did my little good deal dance while singing Macklemore's "Thrift Shop" in my head. It's the little things.
What happens to a letter when you drop it in the post office box? This book answers that question for young readers with fun illustrations by Tibor Gergely. A little boy mails a letter to his grandma. The letter travels on mail trucks, trains, a mail plane, and gets sorted by seven different postmen on its journey to grandma's house. Check it out!
nerd power!!
So it happened for the first time - my son was called a nerd by a school mate. He was reading a book on the playground at recess, and another kid came up to him, saw that he was reading instead of hanging from the monkey bars, and called him "nerd".
He was upset, of course, but I told him to wear his nerd label with pride. His parents are nerds. His grandparents are nerds. Presidents, scientists, and teachers are nerds. Nerds are the people who make a difference in this world, and the term is simply not derogatory in my eyes.
Nerdy Birdy was a great reading pick to comfort him and me. There are cool birds, and there are not cool birds. Eagles, cardinals, and robins are super cool with their sharp beaks, strong wings, and predatory ways. Nerdy Bird is neither sharp, strong, nor predatory.
Eventually, Nerdy Birdy finds his tribe. He finds friends and learns how to be a friend as well. This story is funny, relatable, and will comfort and inspire. If a young reader in your life is struggling with being "different" from the rest of their class, read this. It made us feel proud to be nerds!
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the weekend round up!
Welcome, my friends, to another weekend! If you are reading these words while living anywhere in the U.S., you are probably doing what I'm doing, only leaving my air conditioned home long enough to run through the front yard sprinkler because the heat dome that is Summer 2016 continues. My weekend goal: eat watermelon. That's it. Lofty, I know, but it's just too hot for anything else.
What are your plans this weekend? I received my first back-to-school shopping catalog in the mail, and I feel bittersweet about the end of summer break. What about you?
Here are some great book posts from some of my favorite sites.
A Kids Book A Day reviews possible 2017 Newberry candidate, YA novel, Wolf Hollow here and fascinating folk-tale-style book from Morocco, The Storyteller , here.
Pragmatic Mom shares some super cute books about the Big Smoke, the city of London, along with a fun paper craft activity here.
Kids Book Review has an interview with award-winning UK author of young adult novels, Sioban Curham here.
What Do We Do All Day shares a backyard game that gets her family up and moving and having fun here.
if you love goodnight, moon: the house in the night by susan marie swanson and beth krommes
Okay, so I know that I have picked on a certain classic children's book (Goodnight, Moon)about a certain great, green room and that icky bowl of mush. I mean, I have so many questions. Mushed what? Is it hot, cold, replaced daily with new mush or is it a week old? Is it for eating in the middle of the night or are these bunny parents geniuses for setting out their child's breakfast the night before so they can sleep a little later? (Note to self: leave a box of granola bars in kids' room so they don't come storming into my room at 6 a.m. asking for pancakes.)
But, I have to say, after a little research, I have a new-found respect for Goodnight, Moon and Margaret Wise Brown See that article here.
Well, if you love Goodnight, Moon, you will love The House in The Night by Susan Marie Swanson. It is the story of a child with a great imagination. As day turns to night, the child gets ready for bed and reads a book that comes to life. The bird in the book flies off the page and takes the child on a magical flight over their town.
The words possess the same metered and meditative pace as Goodnight, Moon, and the story is simple and calm. Perfect for bedtime reading! What I love most are the illustrations. They are full of life and motion, and they add a really exciting element to a simple story. If you want to check out more of Beth Krommes work, check out her website. recommended age: toddlers and preschoolers
Have you read this book? It won the Caldecott Medal in 2009. Do you also have a love/hate relationship with Goodnight, Moon or any other classic kids book, for that matter? Tell me about it in the comments!
build the best book nook!
If you build it, they will come . . . Creating a good reading space for your kids is pretty simple as long as you follow this formula:
bookcase with sufficient space + cozy seat + fun rug and pillows + good lighting.
Here I have created a cute cactus themed book nook, and I think the fun theme plus comfy digs will draw kids in and invite them to stay and read a while.
- This bookcase from Ikea is perfect for holding a growing book collection. The first reading space that I put together for my own kids had one of those canvas sling bookshelves that are great because they allow each book to be displayed with the cover facing out. This made the kids want to read them more because they could see them better, but I eventually had to get rid of the canvas shelf because it just doesn't hold that many books. This case holds a lot.
- This chair from Amazon looks so comfortable! I know my kids would fight over who gets to snuggle up in this chair first.
- This lamp is so fun! The playful shape adds to the theme, but the neutral color keeps it from being cheesy.
- I found this art on Etsy here and here. Oh, Etsy. My credit card hates you. My credit card company loves you. Too many cute things that I can't live without.
- Every good book nook needs a soft rug. Half the time, my kids would rather lay on the floor while reading as opposed to sitting in a chair, so finding a good rug is key. I like this one from Ikea. The graphic print is happy, and the price is happy too!
- Lastly, cute and comfy pillows bring it all together. The two pillows here are from Land of Nod.
Do you have a special reading area in your house? What did you put in it? Let me know below!
it's raining pigs and noodles by jack prelutsky
Hi there, Booktomato family! How is your week going? We are falling victim to the "heat dome" that the weather channel keeps talking about. It. Is. Hot. Truth be told, Memphis is hot every summer, and every summer, I act surprised, "What?! It gets hot in the summer here?!" But really, I'm not kidding. It's hot. In between running through the sprinkler in the front yard and eating our weight in ice cream, we are reading these poems by Jack Prelutsky.
Jack Prelutsky has written the holy grail of children's poetry, and I have yet to meet a kid that hasn't loved, laughed, and become intrigued with his work when its read aloud.
"It's raining pigs and noodles, it's pouring frogs and hats, chrysanthemums and poodles, bananas, brooms, and cats."
His work encompasses titles that you may have already be familiar with, like his popular collection called "The Dragons Are Singing Tonight" and "My Dog May Be a Genius". His poems really hit the target for elementary school kids possessing tons of silly and absurd humor, tongue twisters, and quirky surprises that kids that age just flip for!
Check out his website for more information and some really fun activities. http://jackprelutsky.com/
If you love his poems, there is an app that is based on one of his books, The New Kid on The Block. Here's the link to download that app.
iOS: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/new-kid-on-block-interactive/id722613096?ls=1&mt=8
roald dahl + poetry = fun!
How do I love Roald Dahl? Let me count the ways. We have read all of his marvelous works, but I have to confess, that this book of his poems is new to us. I was so happy to find that Dahl's poems have the same quirky wit and absurd humor that we find in his novels! Revolting Rhymes by Roald Dahl takes classic fairy tales and turns them on their head resulting in some stories with surprise endings and crazy twists. Fairy tales featured are: Cinderella, Jack and the Bean Stalk, Snow White, Goldilocks, Little Red Riding Hood, and The Three LIttle Pigs.
I take my job as your book-picker seriously, and I personally appreciate when someone gives me a heads up when a book features sensitive subjects. I have full confidence that this would be a laugh riot read for readers third grade and up, but just a little warning: If you are familiar with Dahl's short stories for adults, you know that he can sometimes have a darker sense of humor. While this book of fairy tale poems is no where near as dark as his adult works, just know that there is a good bit of cartoon violence. Cinderella's prince chops off the evil step sisters' heads, for example. Also, in the Cinderella story, a word that we definitely don't us in our house is used - "slut". It is said by a bad guy, and sometimes we read stories where bad guys use bad words. Possibly not a big deal, but it did surprise me the first time I saw it. Well, glad that's out of the way . .. . .
If you collect Roald Dahl books the way I do, Revolting Rhymes is a must for your collection! It even features pictures by the classic and beloved illustrator who does all of Dahl's work, Quentin Blake.
Have a great day and take time to read a good book!