It's again the end of a quarter (dates of which will forever be burned into my brain thanks to all the quarterly payroll taxes I prepped in my accounting days) which means it's time to share some books that the boys have been loving lately. Reading them picture books has been a struggle since the weather has gotten nicer. Let's rephrase that. Reading LUKE books has been a struggle. Most days Sam and I are home right from drop-off or for at least part of the morning and we sit to read a stack of books. So far all of our outside play has been saved for after school since the mornings are still pretty chilly. However, often by the time Luke is home from school it is GORGEOUS outside or at least tolerable and thus getting him to sit still long enough to do homework is a challenge, much less sitting AGAIN for books. I honestly don't mind a rainy afternoon once or twice a week because it makes our homework process SO MUCH EASIER. Like infinitely easier. Really, if I could just get some rain from about 3:30 - 4:30 twice a week that would really help.
Luke is doing more independent reading too and I've been shifting which picture books I still read to him. I believe STRONGLY in still reading picture books to him but a lot of the more simple ones I read to just Sam and then read a lot of picture book biographies and seasonal ones to both boys. Or any that Luke picks up and is interested in I'll read to him but there are many that go through the house without being read to Luke which is fine. I generally have a chapter book going with him too and then he reads on his own as well. And reads to us for school. There is still A LOT of reading in his life!
Luke
Dog Man by Dav Pilkey
Hands down, Luke's current favorite. I've never read a single word of any of them but they are what usually picks from the school and public libraries (although we also have some volcano books he picked out too). I like the sound of them better than Captain Underpants (by the same author) and I'm ok with almost anything that gets him excited to read on his own. The picture books I read at least keep him getting some quality! He's even copied me, staying up too late reading a few nights. It's not great but I still am a little proud.
Hello, Hello by Brendan Wenzel
This is a simpler picture book that I'm not sure why I read to Luke, probably one of the boys picked it from the library pile. Luke liked it for one major reason. It had lemurs in it and Luke is ALL IN on any book with lemurs. Are there any graphic novels with lemurs??? I need to investigate that. I was asked to read this many times solely for the lemurs.
If Elephants Disappeared by Lily Williams
This is a neat picture book series that looks at endangered animals and what could happen to the Earth and ecosystems if they disappeared. We've read all 3 that are released and they've all been fantastic. Luke is interested in science and animals so these really appealed to him too.
I am Anne Frank by Brad Meltzer
We've read nearly all the books in this series and every one we've read has been fantastic. This one especially stuck with Luke and gave me a reason to talk a bit more about the Holocaust with him. He asked for it a few times and then brought it up again weeks later when we were rereading I am Albert Einstein so I guess it really stuck! I think this one really stood out to him because Anne was always a kid, there is no adult story for her. She lived to be older than Luke is but the fact that she died as a kid really stood out to him.
Energy: Physical Science for Kids by Andi Diehn
Like I said, Luke is interested in science and this has been a great series for introducing some concepts to him. I don't expect them to really stick but at least he's getting an introduction so if we read another book or they come up at school then he will be familiar. These are easy and kid friendly.
Sam
The Three Little Aliens and the Big Bad Robot by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mark Fearing
This is not the first time this book has appeared on this list but it is the first time it has appeared for Sam. Sam LOVES this book. We read it before every nap time for what felt like a month before I finally started to refuse. Then Sam got Luke to read it to him before some weekend naps. It's the Three Little Pigs story but in space with aliens. I still don't know why this appeals to my boys so much but they LOVE it.
Daniel Gets Scared by Maggie Testa, illustrated by Jason Fruchter
Sam has been on a big Daniel Tiger kick lately and when he gets screen time outside of family movie night or family Dude Perfect time, then it's almost always Daniel Tiger. When Sam gets to pick a few books at the library they are almost always Daniel Tiger. This episode "Big Storm!" is free on Prime right now and Sam has watched it many times while I've been working from my office so of course he loved the book version. He keeps talking about how he wants us to get a big storm even though the one in Daniel's world was a bit destructive.
Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson
A spring pick that Sam has really liked. He likes all the books that have kids turning and clapping and tapping and interacting with it. We haven't planted any seeds yet this year but maybe he'll be a bit more prepared once he do? Always one of his picks when I sit down to read with him.
Sammy Skunk's Super Sniffer by Barbara deRubertis, illustrated by R.W. Alley
My good friend told me about these and now Sam and I have been reading the series (some of those books we read without Luke). There are 26 animals in Alpha Betty's class and each one's name starts with a different letter of the alphabet. OF COURSE, this one was Sam's favorite. They are simple stories with a lot of words in the book that start with the letter of the featured animal kid. They aren't amazing must reads but Sam and I have enjoyed them.
Won't You Be My Neighbor?: A Mister Rogers Poetry Book by Mr. Rogers, illustrated by Luke Flowers
I didn't know this one had stuck with Sam until he started quoting it to me weeks after we read it. It's Mr. Roger's "Won't You Be My Neighbor?" song written out with pictures. That's it. He's probably heard it too on Daniel Tiger but this was a sweet book. Maybe why he often prays for "our whole neighborhood!".
Those are some books the boys have been loving lately, I'm always up for any more book recommendations!
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