Reina: Return of the Princess

So...I wrote a book. Here is the cover image and if you want to check it out, you can go over to wattpad and read it. Yay!

Here is the link

https://www.wattpad.com/story/100243534

It's Been A While

So I decided I am going to start up on my blog again.  I got distracted for a while with my husband's new business, new church callings,selling our condo and life in general but I really do want to try to keep on this blog thing 2-3 times each month.  I've done some great hair do's and I need to start taking pictures.  I just cut my own bangs as well as my daughter so maybe I should do a fringe post.  I have also read some amazing books.  Right now I am  reading the Midwife's Aprrentice by Karen Cushman to my daughter and Diary of A Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney to my son.  My daughter reads anything and loves it but my son is getting pickier.  I decided to find books that he is into.  I found some basketball chapter books and I think really, the trick with him is to read together.  He reads a page and then I read a page and that has been working wonders.  I read The Lemonade War Series by Jacqueline Davies to them this summer.  They both loved it.  They also loved Charlie And The Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.  My daughter read Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine.  She loved, loved, loved the Whatever After series and wants all of the books by Sarah Mylnowski now.  Anyways I will plan on some new posts coming up soon.  Feel free to comment on the hair styles and the book reviews.

More books for your little ones!!! Part 2

So here are the next 50 children's books recommended  by a reading specialist at our children's elementary.

#51.  Maisy Goes Swimming by Lucy Cousins
#52.  Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey
#53.  Mama Cat Has Three Kittens by Denise Fleming
#54.  The Man Who Walked Between the Towers by Mordicai Gerstein
#55.  Marth Speaks by Susan Meddaugh
#56.  Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia L. Burton
#57.  Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag
#58.  Miss Nilson is Missing by James Marshall and Harry Allard *
#59.  Mr. Gumpy's Outing by John Birmingham
#60.  Mufaro's Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe *
#61.  Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by CandaceFleming
#62.  My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann
#63.  The Napping House by Audrey Wood *
#64.  No, David!  by David Shannon *
#65.  Off to School, Baby Duck! by Amy Hest
#66. Old Black Fly by Jim Aylesworth
#67.  Olivia by Ian Falconer *
#68.  Owen by Kevin Henkes
#69.  Papa, Please Get the Moon For Me by Eric Carle
#70.  Pierre:  A Cautionary Tale by Maurice Sendak
#71.  The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg *
#72.  Puss in Boots by Charles Perrault *
#73.  The Random House Book of Mother Goose:  A Treasury of 386 Timeless Nursery Rhymes by Arnold Lobel
#74.  Round Trip by Ann Jonas
#75.  Rumpelstiltskin by Paul O. Zelinsky *
#76.  The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats *
#77.  Spots, Feathers and Curly Tails by Nancy Tafuri
#78.  The Story of Ferdinand by Munro Leaf
#79.  The Stray Dog by Marc Simont
#80.  Strega Nona by Tomie De Paola
#81.  Swimmy by Leo Lionni
#82.  Sylvester and the Magic Pebble by William Steig
#83.  The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter *
#84.  Tar Beach by Raith Ringgold
#85.  Ten, Nine, Eight by Molly Bang
#86.  There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly by Simms Taback *
#87.  The Three Bears by Paul Galdone *
#88.  Trashy Town by Andrea Griffing Zimmerman
#89.  The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by a Wolf by John Scieszka *
#90.  Tuesday by David Wiesner
#91.  Uptown by Bryan Collier
#92.  The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle *
#93.  The Wheels on the Bus by Paul O. Zelinsky
#94.  Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak *
#95.  Where's Spot?  by Eric Hill
#96.  Whistle For Willie by Ezra Jack Keats
#97.  The Wolf's Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza
#98.  Yoko by Rosemary Wells
#99.  Zomo the Rabbit:  A Trickster Tale From West Africa by Gerald McDermott
#100. It could Always be Worse:  A Yiddish Folktale by Margot Zemach

Great List of Children's Books

So here is a list of children's books in alphabetical order recommended by my children's reading specialist at their elementary.  Thought I would share with my fellow bloggers.  This is the first 50 books.  I will post the next 50 later.  The Books marked with an asterisk * are the books that I have read or have a copy of in our children's book collection.

#1.  Abuela by Arthur Dorros
#2.  Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst *
#3.  Anansi and the Moss-Covered Rock by Eric A Kimmel *
#4   Andy and the Lion by James Daugherty
#5.  Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
#6.  The Bossy Gaillito: A Traditionl Cuban Folk Tale by Lucia M. Gonzalez
#7.  Bread and Jam for Frances by Russell Hoban
#8.  Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Jr. Martin *
#9.  Bruno Munari's ABC by Bruno Munari
#10.  Buz by Richard Egielski
#11.  Caps For Sale by Esphyr Slobodkina *
#12.  The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss
#13.  A Chair For My Mother by Vera B. Williams
#14.  Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Jr. Marin *
#15.  Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin *
#16.  Come Along, Daisy! by Jane Simmons
#17.  Corduroy by Don Freeman *
#18.  Curious George by H.A. Rey *
#19.  Dinosaur Roar! by Paul and Henrietta Stickland *
#20.  Don't Let The Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Williams *
#21.  Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
#22.  Fire Truck by Peter Sis
#23.  Freight Train by Donald Crews
#24.  Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
#25.  The Gardener by Sarah Stewart
#26.  George and Martha by James Marshall
#27.  Go Away, Big Green Monster! by Ed Emberley *
#28.  Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia McKissack
#29.  Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
#30.  Goodnight Moon by Margaret W. Brown *
#31.  Gossie by Dunrea Olivier
#32.  Grandfather's Journey by Allen Say
#33.  Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson *
#34.  Harry the Dirty Dog by Gene Zion
#35.  Henry Hikes to Fitchburg by D.B. Johnson
#36.  Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss *
#37.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?  by Jane Yolen *
#38.  I kissed the Baby! by Mary Murphy
#39.  If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura J. Numeroff *
#40.  John Henry by Julius Lester
#41.  Julius by Angela Johnson
#42.  Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes
#43.  Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes *
#44.  The Line-up Book by Russo Marisabina
#45.  The Little Red Hen: An Old Story by Margot Semach *
#46.  Lon Po Po:  A Red Riding Hood Story From China by Ed Young
#47.  Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile by Bernard Waber
#48.  Mabela the Clever by Margaret Read MacDonald
#49.  Machines at Work by Byron Barton
#50.  Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans

Little Miss and Mr. Men books

So while out and about in Oakham, England (one of my favorite spots in the world)- we were in a little shop and found the most adorable books ever. We all just LOVED them. They are written by Roger Hargreaves. I wanted to buy the entire set but of course couldn't take them all home with me. They are all so darling. Honestly I love Mr. Tickle, Little Miss Sunshine, Mr. Rude (laugh out loud), Mr. Nosey and Little Miss Fun. They are all cute though. My kids want to read them over and over. They can't get enough.
Here is a little quote from Mr. Rude.

"When you meet somebody, you might think to yourself that that person has a large nose, but you wouldn't say anything to them, would you? Because that would be rude, wouldn't it?
Well, Mr. Rude would just blurt it out.
"Big nose!"
But he wouldn't stop there.
Oh no, not Mr. Rude.
"Big nose! With a nose like that you could vacuum the floor!"
Can you imagine saying that to someone?
Well, I hope you can't!"

Anyways such funny, cute little British books that the whole family will enjoy. I highly suggest buying a few of these little treasures. You won't be sorry you did.

Funny book for kids

Oh my gosh, we have read this over and over. My little boy can't get enough. It is actually quite hilarious. I definitely recommend this book. #2 is 5 years old and thinks that this pigeon is a hoot. The story is about a bus driver who has to leave for a minute and warns not to let the pigeon drive the bus. The pigeon (who acts exactly like a child trying to get what he wants) is so funny. He begs, bribes, throws fits, sweet talks and tries everything imaginable to try to get you to let him drive the bus. #2 says "No!!" out loud every time the pigeon tries to get him to drive the bus. So cute and clever. A must read for little ones!

How to get your children to love reading

I have had many people ask me over the years how I got my kiddos to read early and how to get their children interested in books because they hate to read and so on. I have been thinking of this question lately and how to respond. I came up with a list of some things that I have done with my 3 little piggies to get them to love reading. If you can't tell, I love lists.

#1 Visit your local library. When #1 was little and we were living in sunny Arizona, I would take her to the library every week for story hour. Then we would check out like 20 something books and then head over to the park. I did this forever. I also love the library because in the summer, they would do the summer reading program and had all of these incentives for kids to read and come back to get prizes. It was a great experience. I have continued to go to my local library with my kiddos and enjoy books, though not faithfully like I did back in AZ. So go, go, go to your library. It is so much fun.

#2 Sight words are wonderful. We make lists of sight words at my house and I stick them on the fridge. I periodically grab the list and run through them with my kids.

#3 Flash card games and memory are always a fun way to learn new words.

#4 Use silly voices when reading to your kids. They LOVE it!!!!!

#5 Pick out books that interest your kids. They will want to read them over and over. For example........We love scary books at my house. I do not know why. Maybe, it is because my birthday is on Halloween, so we have a ton of spooky books, but my kids love reading scary books. I love to do creepy voices and then scare them. We all laugh and always try to scare each other. I had to laugh because one time at my book club, I brought a list of suggestions for children's books and pretty much every book was a scary one. Some that I recommend would be a) Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. b) The Spider and the Fly by Mary Howitt and Tony DiTerlizzi c) The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams d) Where's My Mummy by Carolyn Crimi e) There's an Alligator Under my Bed, There's Something in the Attic, There's a Nightmare in My Closet by Mercer Mayer f) Monster Goose by Judy Sierra. Those are just some off the top of my head. I'd have to look at our book shelf to get more because I KNOW I have more. haha!

#6 Pick a book that has a movie to go with it. For example, a couple of summers ago, we read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. This was a wonderful book and when we were all done, we rented the movie, popped some popcorn, ate a bunch of treats, had a pajama party and loved it. I mean you could really get into it and buy Wonka treats and chocolates, etc.

#7 Read books with values and talk about the values and stories that have happened to you while you grew up. Share experiences together and teach the importance of this particular value.

#8 Start a little kid book club and let them talk about the books they have read. So cute!

#9 Get involved in your children's school and participate in Read-a-thons, reading celebrations, contests, and giveaways. My children have a kite festival coming up that if they read so many hours they get a free kite.

#10 Read to them and let them read to you every single day. You will be so glad you did! :)

Great Board Books for Babies & Writing Get Together

I was able to attend a writing workshop a few months ago with a famous children's book author named Rick Walton. You can check out his amazing webpage here. This is one of his books titled So Many Bunnies.
This quote is straight from his website
ook"Picture books are often seen as literary baby food, the stuff we feed children until they have the teeth to eat real food. They are the first books that children fall in love with, that turn children into lifetime readers. Lifetime readers become lifetime learners. Lifetime learners become lifetime contributors."

You can continue to read more from his website if you want to find out the other 9 reasons. Anyways, Picture books are important. I love his very first comment, "Lifetime readers become lifetime learners." So with that being said, I would like to suggest some board books that I read to my 11 mo. old. That's right....11 mo. old. And guesss what? She loves them. She loves to feel the pages and turn the pages and hit the pages and talk to the book and eat the book. That is why board books are for babies. (They can chew on the corners and it is okay.)

#1 I See A Monster by Daniel J. Mahoney (My kiddos love the mirror at the very end. Such a cute little rhyming story.)#2 The Napping House by Audrey and Don Wood (Great funny story)

#3 Giggle & Grow Baby Face by Piggie Toe Press (My kids love to look at the faces of the kids in this book, over and over.)

#4 Counting Kisses by Karen Katz (Great bedtime book)

#5 How Do I Love You by P.K. Halliman (Very Sweet story.)

#6 Dinosaur Roar by Paul & Henrietta Stickland (My kids love the voices we make for the dinosaurs.)

#7 Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? by Dr. Seuss (This book is by far my favorite board book. In fact our copy has been used and eaten on so much that it is now held together by duck tape.)#8 Good Morning, Good Night! by Melanie Mitchell (My kids love to feel the animals and help tuck the little girl in at the end of the story.)#9 Good Night, Sweet Butterflies by Dawn Bentley, Heather Cahoon, & Melanie Gerth (My kids love to feel each butterfly and we talk about colors.)#10 The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle (Classic) Now for the second part of my post. There is a very cute girl named Erin Shakespeare who put together the 2011 Southern Utah Writing Conference with Rick Walton and Mette Ivie Harrison. She has a fun event planned that she wanted to get the word out coming up in a few weeks. So for all of you aspiring writers, go and check out her blog here. It looks like a lot of fun and a good way to meet new people and get new ideas brewing for your books.