Books On Our Bookshelf

The next two weeks I am going to try something a little different. I have decided to try having the kids read books online. We will also be reading physical books, probably at bedtime. Here is a list of both the kids and my books we have waiting to read. I plan on doing reviews on most of these as well. If I come across more I will add them to the list.

Bless This Mouse by Lois Lowry


A resilient and quirky colony of church mice fears another Great X more than they fear cats. Under Mouse Mistress Hildegarde's leadership, they save themselves from one danger after another—sometimes just by the skin of their tails! Can one ultimate act of bravery during the feast day of St. Francis get Father Murphy to bless these mice and keep them safe forever?


Rife with humor and personality, this young middle grade novel has an old-fashioned feel with the makings of a modern classic.




Ruby Valentine Saves the Day by Laurie Friedman

It's Valentine's Day and Ruby won't let anything spoil the celebration! In this follow-up to the popular Love, Ruby Valentine, Ruby's favorite day of the year rolls around again, and she and Lovebird work feverishly to plan the perfect party for everyone in Heartland. But when Valentine's Day arrives, an unexpected snowstorm threatens to ruin all of Ruby's plans. Will Ruby find a way to save the day, or will everyone in Heartland have to wait until next year to celebrate?



Petunia Pepper's Picture Day by Cathy Breisacher
Poor Petunia Pepper! Every year disaster strikes her on school picture day. Puffy hair, pumpkin-style smiles and pink eye help create pictures that only her family could love. But this year, Petunia promises herself things are going to change. She plans carefully for the perfect picture day. Unfortunately, she misses the school bus and begins a series of misadventures that lead to yet another picture day fiasco. In the end, Petunia spots her picture on the front page of the local paper, featuring her heroic rescue of a runaway poodle. Now that's a picture everybody in her class will love!





Rachel Yoder: Look Out, Lancaster County (Rachel Yoder Series: # 1 - 4) by Wanda E. Brunstetter
 
Rachel Yoder--Always Trouble Somewhere! Join Rachel Yoder on a series of adventures with this story collection written by bestselling author of Amish fiction Wanda E. Brunstetter. Four stories under one cover will provide you with unlimited entertainment and laughs along the way as you accompany Rachel to church (along with some unwelcome frogs!), encounter trouble with the name “O-R-L-I-E” (and a face full of freckles), and even sled into an icy-cold creek (brrr!).




Rachel Yoder: Growing Up in Lancaster County (Rachel Yoder Series: # 5 - 8) by Wanda E. Brunstetter


Join Rachel Yoder on a series of adventures with this story collection written by bestselling author of Amish fiction Wanda E. Brunstetter. Four stories under one cover will provide you with unlimited entertainment and laughs along the way as you accompany Rachel to the eye doctor's (with a belly full of butterflies), visit Hershey Park (and experience a breathtaking ride), and even fall into a chilly fishing pond (oops!).





A Kiss Goodbye by Audrey Penn
Moving is hard on everyone, but especially children. Chester Racoon, whom readers have come to know and love through the New York Times bestseller The Kissing Hand, and its sequel, A Pocket Full of Kisses,is facing another dilemma common to the lives of many children; he and his family are moving. Young readers will love the way Chester says goodbye to his old home and learns that there are some exciting aspects to his new home.



A Bedtime Kiss for Chester Raccoon  by Audrey Penn

The sun is up, it's time for little Chester Raccoon to go to bed, but he is frightened by the shadows the sun is creating on the walls. Mrs. Raccoon soothes him with a Kissing Hand, and he is able to go to sleep.


This sweet and decidedly unscary board book is both a light-hearted way to calm children's fears at bedtime, along with a gentle introduction to Chester Raccoon and the Kissing Hand for the younger child. Funny illustrations will gentle the scary-looking shadows in a bedroom.


Chester Raccoon and the Big Bad Bully by Audrey Penn


In this latest addition to the Kissing Hand book collection, Chester Raccoon must learn to deal with another common problem of childhood: a bully at school.


When Mrs. Raccoon learns that there is a bully problem at school, she decides to investigate the situation. But after seeing the bully for herself, she shares a story about a forest that was full of smooth yellow stones, and how the animals living there changed a pointy stone they found into a smooth stone so that it wouldn't hurt any tender paws.


Chester,Ronny, and Cassy follow the spirit of Mrs. Raccoon's story when they next encounter the Bully. Approaching him as a group, they invite him toplay, proving that the best way to get rid of an enemy is to make him or her a friend.


This book encourages children to understand that many child bullies are themselves unhappy and gives readers a good example of settling differences by peaceful means. Educators will embrace this story about apositive strategy for dealing with a bully.




Wolf Camp by Katie McKy


Maddie's mother agrees to send her daughter to a new camp - Wolf Camp. But when Maddie returns, she seems, well, changed. She snaps at flies, howls at fire trucks, and chases squirrels - on all fours. She quits eating candy and starts eating meat - only meat. And the dog is now afraid of her when she lifts her lip and shows her teeth.


What child hasn't fantasized about being an animal? And what parent hasn't exclaimed over the transformation in their child when picking him or her up from camp? This book intertwines these two themes in a hilarious story of a very different kind of camping experience.


It All Began with a Bean by Katie McKy
What happens when, one day, a dropped bean is devoured by ten flies, and hundreds of dogs eat cheese fallen from a truck, and thousands of runners begin gulping air, and all the people at home that morning have eggs for breakfast, and then they all fart at once?

This hilarious book answers that intriguing question, as readers learn the after-effects of the world's biggest fart on the poor town where it happens, from poodles' curls going limp to elephants plugging their trunks with bananas. This unique picture book, with lighthearted illustrations, will entertain children and parents alike.



Not a Buzz to Be Found by Linda Glaser

Buzz! Zip! Zoom! When the weather is warm, insects are everywhere. But what do they do in winter? Honeybees huddle in their hive. Monarch butterflies fly south. Woolly bear caterpillars hide under leaves and snow. This book shows what twelve different insects do to survive winter’s chill.



Oddfellow's Orphanage by Emily Winfield Martin
What do an onion-headed boy, a child-sized hedgehog, and a tattooed girl have in common? They are all orphans at Oddfellow's Orphanage! This unusual early chapter book began life as a series of full-color portraits with character descriptions.

Author/illustrator Emily Martin has fleshed out the world of Oddfellow's with an episodic story that follows a new orphan, Delia, as she discovers the delights of her new home. From classes in Cryptozoology and Fairy Tale Studies to trips to the circus, from Annual Hair Cutting Day to a sea monster-sighting field trip, things at Oddfellows are anything but ordinary . . . except when it comes to friendships. And in that, Oddfellows is like any other school where children discover what they mean to each other while learning how big the world really is.
May B. by Caroline Rose

May is helping out on a neighbor's Kansas prairie homestead—just until Christmas, says Pa. She wants to contribute, but it's hard to be separated from her family by 15 long, unfamiliar miles. Then the unthinkable happens: May is abandoned. Trapped in a tiny snow-covered sod house, isolated from family and neighbors, May must prepare for the oncoming winter. While fighting to survive, May's memories of her struggles with reading at school come back to haunt her. But she's determined to find her way home again. Caroline Starr Rose's fast-paced novel, written in beautiful and riveting verse, gives readers a new heroine to love.



Now a small sampling of what I plan to read for myself. Most of my reads will end up benefitting the kids in one way or another.

OMG Pancakes! 75 Cool Creations Your Kids Will Love


The Dead Celebrity Cookbook A Resurrection of Recipes from More Than 145 Stars of Stage and Screen

Treasured Amish & Mennonite Recipes 627 Delicious, Down-to-Earth Recipes from Authentic Country Kitchens

Junior's Dessert Recipues 75 Recipes for Cheesecakes, Pies, Cookies, Cakes, and More

Handmade Music Factory The Ultimate Guide to Making Foot-Stompin Good Instruments

Yoga for Your Brain

Natural Wooden Toys 75 Easy-To-Make and Kid-Safe Designs to Inspire Imaginations & Creative Play