Friday, April 17, 2009

Current Reading Stacks

Several blogs that I read share their bookstacks (Melonie, Teri hosts a carnival), and since I actually thought about it while I had my camera out and my books in one place, I thought I'd participate :)


Graeme's Library Stack:

Knick Knack Paddy Whack - Judging by the 50x we've listened to this since getting it from the library, I guess Graeme likes it. A fun, upbeat CD goes along with the classic "This Old Man" - each page features a new instrument, and each verse of the song in the CD features that instrument along with. I've loved almost every book I've seen from Barefoot Books (you can order from the link in my sidebar ;)

Snuggle Up, Sleep One - G. sat through this a few times, but it's a little "sleepy-time" for him during the day. I keep forgetting to take it up to read before bed. Beautiful illustrations and a soothing rhyme make this a nice (new to us) sleepy-time book.

All Aboard! - We both love this one! A fun story about Mr. Barnes, the bunny, who takes a trip on a train. Even though there is a substantial amount of text, Graeme sat through the entire thing the first reading, and subsequent readings are fun because of the recurring train chant. Interesting illustrations and descriptions of what one does on a train, woven together by a poetic story line.

The Racecar Alphabet - Anything with cars or trains or firetrucks will keep my son interested. This is an alphabet book, but it doesn't read like one. It's not "A is for...". Each page features one letter of the alphabet, but it's a race, so the words are descriptive and related to the cars. Another interesting feature is the book's timeline through the history of racing cars. This will go on our "would like to own" list.

Thank You, Bear - Simple story line and simple illustrations. Along the lines of a fable. Read about it on Amazon. I liked it, though I think the "moral" was a bit lost on a toddler.

Prayer for a Child - Another one that Graeme didn't really sit through during the day, but again, I need to try it during a quieter time. It's a classic, and an award-winner. Sweet prayer from a child's lips, I like that it demonstrates good things to thank God for. I'd enjoy owning a copy and reading it more frequently.



My current reading "stack" (though they're not in a stack, they're all over the place normally - the stack is only for the picture ;)

As you can see, I am a non-fiction reader. I can't recall the last time I sat down to read a work of fiction. I don't consider that a virtue, and would love any suggestions for a good piece of fiction...I just gravitate towards reading about the things that are interesting me at the moment, or things I want to learn more about.

No, I'm not trying to tell you anything with The Natural Pregnancy Book! I ordered it from PaperBackSwap a few months ago and have been waiting for the opportunity to delve into it. I just read a bit today and can't wait to read more. It will be invaluable for my next pregnancy. It has herbal remedies and nutritional guidelines and is from the perspective that I value highly - midwifery :)

After reading about the FIAR books, I was excited to order Before Five in a Row off Ebay. I do a lot of integration already when we read (numbers, shapes, alphabet, question/answer), so I'm interested to glean from the author's ideas for preschool learning through literature. I'll post more on this in a separate post.

Living the Cross-Centered Life by C.J. Mahaney contains life-changing thoughts on gospel-centered living. It was an easy read, and a wonderful reminder that only by "preaching the gospel to myself" daily can I find the peace that comes through knowing that Christ satisfies God's wrath for me, enabling me to live for Him.

That's all I have time for at the moment! What are you reading, anything to recommend?

3 comments:

Michelle @ Find Your Balance said...

I like this book stack idea! Right now I'm like you, with lots of non-fiction. What To Eat by Marion Nestle and Food Energetics by Steve Gagne. Do magazines count? Because I'm also reading the Atlantic!

The Happy Housewife said...

Just put The read-aloud handbook on hold at my library. Definitely something I am interested in reading. I am not a big fiction reader either, unless I am reading something to preview for my kids. Thanks for sharing!
Toni

Melonie said...

BFIAR and FIAR are wonderful. Some of the FIAR titles used are out of print but you can probably find them online somewhere.

I love that you showed Graeme's stack as well as your own. GREAT idea. I will have to do a stack pic of the board books my son chose Thursday. Fun fun!

I've finally gotten that preschool at home series started on my blog. Lemme know if you have things you want me to address or want to do a guest post!