"Because of Winn-Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo

Abby thinks you should read this one!

Because of Winn-Dixie by Kate DiCamillo tells the story of a young girl who befriends a dog that she names Winn-Dixie, after the store where she found him. Because of the dog, she gets to become friends with other people in the neighborhood. It's a very short children's book but I enjoyed it! The story is well told.
(Gerard's Review:  My rating: 3 of 5 stars)



Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Finding Danny" by Linzi Glass (UPDATED Rescue Me Week))

Finding Danny by Linzi Glass was the perfect book to read during Shelter Appreciation Week!  It is a happy children’s book about Bree, a 7th grade girl who meets some interesting people who change her life as she searches for her runaway dog, Danny.  When she visits an animal shelter for the first time, she determines to help the dogs somehow and does.

I liked this book because it was upbeat and focuses on animal rescue.  I think it would also be inspirational for children and teens to see how one person can make a difference.  My favorite part was that Bree convinced her lonely elderly widow neighbor to get an abandoned dog named Neptune.  This is a cute quick read.  (www.linziglass.com and www.theforgottendog.org)
(Karen's review)

This is a book about a young girl named Bree. Her parents are super busy so they decide to get her a dog to keep her company. She names the dog Danny and they get along famously! One day her mom makes a mistake and leaves the gate open and Danny gets away. Bree sets out to find Danny and winds up helping many other dogs How you ask? You will have to read this book to find out. It's a wonderful story. I read it in two days and loved it! Give it a chance and you will too! 
(Gerard's review)

Now, how about visiting a shelter near you and adopting a pet?

Over at Mayzie's Dog blog, to honor their Grampa J who loved pets, they are encouraging everyone to post a pet who needs a home on your blog and next week they will draw five participants and donate $100 to an animal rescue of their choice!

Here is Forest, one of the dogs hoping for a forever home waiting at Canine Lifeline where we got our dog from:

The shelter was full and Forest was at the top of the list to be put down as he’d been there awhile. According to the dog pound folks, Forest’s family moved out and left him chained at the empty house. Forest spent his weeks at the shelter grieving for the loss of his home and family. The shelter staff and volunteers said he looked closely at everyone walking through the shelter hoping his family had come for him but after a couple of weeks, he was depressed and seemed to have given up hope.


You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

The International Children's Bible Packs A Punch!

For my personal devotions this year, I have been using the International Children's Bible. It is especially helpful when reading through the Old Testament books.

I was brought up using the King James Version of the Bible and so memorized my scripture from that. I was always hesitant to read other versions but over time, I have come to accept the New International Version (NIV). I just think part of the charm and uniqueness of the Bible is the old English. It reminds me how old the scriptures really are and how God has protected his word throughout time.

However, here is an example of how some verses can really be more powerful when put into plain English.  This particular verse jumped out at me and then I looked it up in my KJV Bible to see if I had it marked. I did, but oh, how much plainer is the International Childrens Bible.

Here are three examples of Proverbs 18:15 so you can see how much easier the Childrens version is to understand:

KJV:

He that justifieth the wicked, and he that condemneth the just, even they both are abomination to the LORD.

NIV:

Acquitting the guilty and condemning the innocent--the LORD detests them both.

International Children's Bible:

The Lord hates both these things: letting guilty people go free and punishing those who are not guilty.

If you have children, I recommend getting them The International Children's Bible and use it yourself too for a better understanding of the scripture!

Have you seen this before? Which translation of the Bible do you prefer?

You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"Please Take Me For A Walk" by Susan Gal (Updated with video)

Please Take me For A Walk by Susan Gal is a cute, charming little book for children about a dog wanting to go for a walk with full-page illustrations portraying the reasons why the dog likes to go for walks.  It's a lovely book that was entertaining and amusing to me.  It only takes about three minutes to read.
(Karen's review 6/4/10)


Gerard's Review 6/4/10:  Loved It!  Woof!  Woof!
This book tells the story of a puppy who wants to go for a walk.  The words and pictures are very cute.  If you have a dog or love dogs, you will love it too.  It is especially for children, but are not we all kids at heart?

Our Dog, Abby's Review:
It is very inspiring!  It made me want to go for a walk.  I loved all the pictures of things I enjoy when walking.  Every dog would identify with this puppy!  Woof!  Woof!

Updated 7/19/11:
Abby was jealous when she found out I read to the cats so wanted me to read this book to her. This video shows me reading the book to Abby:



Happy Father's Day everyone!

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Out Of My Mind" by Sharon M. Draper

I enjoyed this children's book, Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper about Melody, a girl with Cerebral Palsy. She had a photographic memory but greatly limited physically. She couldn't talk, walk, feed herself or do basic things. Kids thought she was retarded and pretty much ignored her or made fun of her. When she was in 5th grade, she got a medi-talker which enabled her to communicate. When the kids discovered how smart Melody was, they were very surprised.

This was a quick, enjoyable read that has increased my empathy for those who have disabilities.  I recommend this to anyone who knows or has contact with special needs kids.

To see how far we have come as a society though in treating people with Cerebral Palsy, I suggest you read Petey by Ben Mikaelsen which is about the 1920s.  This one is very sad but also interesting.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Check out Bloggin' bout Books review of this for another opinion:  An Important Story For Us All

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help our charity of the month just by leaving a comment on any of our blogs! We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month. The charity for this month is at the top of our blog.

"The Cat In The Hat" by Dr. Seuss

One of my first books that I owned was "The Cat In The Hat" by Dr. Seuss. I was trying to remember the other day what it was about. I don't know what happened to it. I have other books from when I was a kid but couldn't find this one. All I remembered about it was that it was about a cat with a big hat and it rhymed.

I was surprised to see it sitting on the coat rack at church last Sunday. Our church also runs a school and apparently one of the children set it up there and forgot about it. I removed my coat and read the book there in the hallway! It is about two kids being bored sitting in the house on a rainy day with nothing to do until the cat in the hat came in. Basically, he balanced things, including the fish bowl, and brought in two things that ran through the house flying a kite inside making a huge mess. The talking fish kept saying he didn't like that game and the cat had leave because the children were not supposed to have anyone in the house when the mother wasn't home. Then the mother came home and the cat cleaned the whole house up before she got inside because the kids were worried they would get in trouble. When the mom came in, she asked them what they did all day. The kids had a decision to make whether they should tell her or not and ended with the question, what would you do?

It was fun reading this again and refreshing my memory. It repeats a lot of the words so that children can read it themselves. I completely forgot it dealt with integrity. I wonder how many children would tell what really happened while mom was away. I doubt very many. This is a fun kid's book with illustrations on each page.

What was one of your earliest books you remember? Did you read any by Dr. Seuss?

A few years ago I found a Rookie Biography series by Dana Meachen Rau which included one about Dr. Seuss. This is a biography about Dr. Seuss that is written for the beginning reader but still contains some interesting facts and has colorful pictures every other page. The point is reading can be fun. I was surprised to learn that Dr. Seuss wrote a book for adults as well called "You're Only Young Once." It's a very quick read--only takes five minutes!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

A Couple Childrens Books

The two childrens books we read this week were Snow!  Snow!  Snow! by Lee Harper and Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit--A Book of Changing Seasons by II Sung Na.

Snow Rabbit, Spring Rabbit by II Sung Na appealed more to Gerard than me.  It's about different animals and how the handle the snow and what happens in spring.  There are pictures on every page but not particularly cute.

Snow! Snow! Snow! by Lee Harper is a short, fun childrens book with very little writing and big pictures on every page.  Gerard and I both liked it because it was a cute story about dogs going sledding and having a good time like we did as kids and even not to long ago.  We thought you might enjoy a video of us sledding to bring this to life!

This sure beats shoveling!

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? You can help Canine Lifeline (a dog rescue organization that saved our dog, Abby) by leaving a comment on any of our blogs in March. We will donate 50 cents per comment at the end of the month.

"A Sick Day For Amos McGee" by Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead

A Sick Day For Amos McGee by Philip C. Stead is a childrens book about Amos McGee who works at the zoo.  He always makes time for some very special animal friends.  One day he is too sick to come to the zoo so his animal friends came to visit him! 

Amos cared about the animals and the animals cared about him.  It's childrens book that we think any child would find amusing. The illustrations that go along with the story are very well done.  A charming little kids book about caring for others!
(Gerard & Karen)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Spunky's Diary" by Janette Oke

I was looking for some light fun reading for my vacation so when I saw this child's book called Spunky's Diary by Janette Oke, I just had to get it because my cat is named Spunky and I like Janette Oke.  This book though is about a puppy named Spunky and is sort of cute because the puppy writes about his adventures at the playground, at a farm, at church, and running loose trying to find the school.  I especially liked the line describing church:  "It seemed like a great place, with lots of men that wanted to play chase."

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Forever Dog" by Bill Cochran

The Forever Dog by Bill Cochran is an illustrated children's story about friendship between a boy and his dog, Corky. Mike makes up a plan with Corky to be friends forever, a wonderful plan!  But one day, the plan ends, or so Mike thinks.  For your first book, Mr. Cochran, you did real well.  Best of success in your future books.  I liked it.
(Gerard's review)


I thought this book was too sad for kids to enjoy, unless you get it for your child who lost a dog to help them cope with losing their pet.  The idea, of course, is that our pets will forever be in our hearts with us no matter what.  Still, I did not care for this one.
(Karen's review)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

I read this because I came across a blog that posted this was her first favorite book and she still enjoys reading it over and over so I wanted to read it to see why.  Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams is a cute classic children’s book about toys becoming real when they are well loved and cared for.  I liked the idea of a nursery fairy and how when a stuffed animal is worn out, that's when it becomes real.  

I recommend this book to any parent who thinks it’s time to throw out a worn out stuffed animal that their child is not ready to part with.  This should help.  Me being a stuffed animal collector, I really liked this story!

(Karen's review 4/18/10)

Comment moved from our other blog:

My daughter loved this book when she was small. I would read it to her, and then when she could read, she would read it to me. When my sons were small, the oldest had a black and white teddy bear that actually was tread bare. Our boys were 5 years apart so the oldest never played with it anymore, but the little one took it over and loved it. Well, when cleaning out things (we could burn things in a burn barrel where we lived), I threw that bear in thinking it was old, raggedy and worn out. Well, you would have thought I had killed my baby boy's best friend. He screamed and cried, but it was too late to retrieve it from the fire. I felt so bad for quite a while over that. The baby girl that came along 13 years after this incident is the one that loved The Velveteen Rabbit...too bad I hadn't read it when my boys were babies. Thanks for the reminder of a great book for little ones.

By peabea on April 18, 2010

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"No Dogs Allowed" by Bill Wallace

No Dogs Allowed by Bill Wallace is about Kristine, a 5th grader girl, who is afraid to let herself love her puppy because she is so sad the horse she loved died.  She doesn’t want to be hurt again.  Her father gave her a puppy for her birthday, but she did not want it.  I did not like Kristine at all.  She was mean to her puppy and was a stupid girl.  I was glad to see her attitude changed by the end of the book; however, it was too little too late for me.  I felt the best part was when her grandfather told her off about there being a difference between training a dog and making a dog terrified of you.  I only recommend this book to people who can identify with Kristine because they are afraid to love because they might be hurt.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"The Dog Who Had Kittens" by Polly Robertus

The Dog Who Had Kittens (Live Oak Readalong)The Dog Who Had Kittens by Polly Robertus is a charming little book for children about a dog, Baxter, who lived with a cat named Eloise that had kittens.  The dog felt ignored at first but when everyone was gone, sneaked in to see the kittens and liked them!  They got along great.  I loved that the dog became “the kittens’ playground.”  It has a happy ending but I do not want to give it away.  It is a fun, quick read and the illustrations are cute as well.  I think any child with pets would enjoy this book.
(Karen's review 7/3/10)

The Dog Who Had Kittens is a book about Baxter, a Basset hound, who befriends a group of kittens that Eloise the cat had.  It is a really good story and the pictures are spectacular!  Pick it up if you see it.  It will make you smile and that is a good thing!
(Gerard's review 7/3/10)

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams

This children's book, A Beach Tail by Karen Lynn Williams, tells a story about a boy named Gregory who went to the beach with his dad.  He drew in the sand and obeyed his father.  The story is nicely told with large illustrations. 


Gerard and I both read this one because it is so short and quick.  As children's books go, I wasn't much impressed with this one but Gerard liked it.  Guess you'll have to read it for yourself to see who you agree with. 

"Totally Fun Things To Do With Your Cat" by Maxine Rock

Totally Fun Things to Do With Your Cat (Play with Your Pet) is a wonderful book for any cat owner. It's ideal for children to learn positive ways of playing with their cat. Large print and easy reading adds to the fun of this book! It gives many ideas of fun things to do with your cat and some tips for better communication.  It mentions that trust is very important so we shouldn't do anything to scare the cat, even though it may be fun. Additionally, there are tid-bits of interesting information about cats.  It contains instructions for making some cat items instead of spending a lot of money on purchasing them from the store, for example a cat porch by a window and scratching post.

(Karen's review 4/4/08)