Book Picks of the Week

The boys and I had fun getting to share our favorite books with you last week, so we thought we would make a habit of it (at least for the summer).

Here are our book picks for this week (fyi:  the boys chose the books they liked best without my input)…

Big Brother’s PicK:  Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (Storybook Treasury) by Bernard Waber

This hardback treasury has four books in one! Four of the most popular “Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile” books is included:  The House on East 88th Street, Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile, Lyle and the Birthday Party, and Lyle Walks the Dogs:  A Counting Book.

Despite his unusual initiation into their family, Lyle is the beloved pet crocodile of Mr. and Mrs. Primm and their son Joshua. Lyle is a wonderful pet and quickly becomes part of the family. The books in this treasury highlight Lyle’s adventures and how he wins over some individuals determined not to like him! The last book is a cute counting book where Lyle takes on a job of walking dogs.

Little Brother’s Pick:  Not Afraid of Dogs by Susanna Pitzer

This book was actually given to me as a gift by a former student. The author was a friend of my student’s mother and our copy is even autographed! Little Brother has always been a dog-lover, so this was an obvious choice for him this week.

The story is about a boy named Daniel who says he is not afraid of anything:  not spiders, not snakes and not even thunderstorms. Daniel claims he just doesn’t like dogs, but his family quickly comes to realize that Daniel is, in fact, afraid of dogs. His mother dog-sits for an aunt who will be out of town and Daniel refuses to come out of his room, even for dinner. That night, he wakes up to a thunderstorm (which he isn’t even afraid of) and has to go to the bathroom. He walks into the bathroom to find Bandit, the dog yowling in fear. Although at first timid, Daniel realizes the dog is also scared and eventually consoles her. This book is not only cute, but great for teaching your child to overcome fears!

My Pick for Moms:  Love & Logic Magic for Early Childhood by Jim & Charles Fay

I read this book cover-to-cover almost two years ago exactly (and reviewed it here). I didn’t reread the entire book this time around, but I did thumb through it. You see, Little Brother (who has always been a very easy-going child) has suddenly decided in the last month or so that he is TWO and he is going to act like it! Needless to say, I’m grasping for any helpful information I can get my hands on to deal with the sudden onset of full-blown tantrums. If you saw us leaving the waterpark this morning, with a screaming and thrashing child in my arms who was attempting to hit me in the face, you would agree that I am in deep. :)

Although I don’t agree with everything and think the book can at times promote avoiding conflict at all costs, I do think it is a great guide for dealing with misbehavior without completely losing it (although I still do my share of that as well).

What great books have you read this week (for kids and adults alike)???

9 Comments

  1. Thank you! I was just thinking today I need some book recommendations to check out from the library. I just put all three of these on hold :)

  2. I LOVE book posts! I was just blankly staring at the library shelves the other day. These are very helpful!

  3. Love your book posts! One of our favorite reads is, “Animal Strike At The Zoo”…I love the rhyming and it’s just a fun story. I enjoy reading this book over and over and over!

  4. Thank you SO much for that book recommendation. I was literally just considering bying it this week. I am an ECE myself and chose to run a day care from my home so that I would be able to stay home with my own children (which God chose not to give me – as I learned shortly after becoming a foster parent – so I beleve it was because so many more children need a loving family than I could have provided had I had 2 or 3 of my on as well, so I adopted one of my foster children and have had 50 others call me mom for weeks/months/years). I have great success with all of my day care kids, but often the litlle angels who come to live with us (who we love dearly as our own!) come with some pretty big issues and sometimes I struggle with loving discipline that actually sees results. I will be buying this one today!
    Thanks!

  5. Very often your blog gives me encouragement! God is GOOD! Thank you for all that you do, to encourage! It was comforting to hear about “a child screaming and thrashing child in my arms trying to hit my face”, because I have experienced this with my 2 almost 3 year old boy, too. He will soon be a big brother, to a sister. Any tips on how to help him transition into being a sibling and not an only child?
    God Bless!

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