20-40 pages each. Paperback (like laminated paper)
Wednesday, April 29, 2015
Saturday, April 25, 2015
The Lion's Tales: April 19-25
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. I didn't get to write a recap post last weekend because I was away at a training for GEMS Girls' Clubs. My church has a club, but I am also involved in higher-up leadership training. About 50 women from all across the U.S. and Canada get together once a year to learn about things for the next season and prepare to bring those trainings back to our own area in late summer/early fall. If you're interested in having a club in your area for girls in 1st-8th grades, let me know and I can hook you up. :)
2. I got to go on my first field trip with Abby this week! This was one of the things I was looking forward to the most about leaving my library job, being able to do trips with my kids. We went with her preschool class to the zoo and it was COLD! It had rained most of the day and night before, and sprinkled a bit while we were there. There was one other class there from a different school, and about 4 other adults visiting, but other than that we had the whole place to ourselves. We alternated between outdoor exhibits and indoors to warm up. :-P It was quite memorable.
3. I had my first Usborne parties this week! On Thursday night I showed off my stash of books to a small group of friends. Both of my girls were with me, and they were natural saleswomen! I asked everyone who was there to choose a book from the display and we went around and talked about why it caught their eye. Abby started, and she grabbed a shine-a-light book and flashlight all on her own and showed off to the group how it worked. I might have to take her with me to more shows!
4. Getting things started with Usborne has really eaten into my reading time. Mornings and naptime and evenings when I would normally pick up my book and read have been instead spent writing party scripts and offering book recommendations and reading up on product knowledge. I'm hoping that in the next week or two I'll be off to a good enough start and have my materials already created so that I can get back on track with my reading goal! (I did start reading one of the chapter books that came in my kit, so I can give better advice to people who want to know more about it. I'll probably count those kind of books toward my goal since I've counted other YA & juvenile books! :) )
1. I didn't get to write a recap post last weekend because I was away at a training for GEMS Girls' Clubs. My church has a club, but I am also involved in higher-up leadership training. About 50 women from all across the U.S. and Canada get together once a year to learn about things for the next season and prepare to bring those trainings back to our own area in late summer/early fall. If you're interested in having a club in your area for girls in 1st-8th grades, let me know and I can hook you up. :)
2. I got to go on my first field trip with Abby this week! This was one of the things I was looking forward to the most about leaving my library job, being able to do trips with my kids. We went with her preschool class to the zoo and it was COLD! It had rained most of the day and night before, and sprinkled a bit while we were there. There was one other class there from a different school, and about 4 other adults visiting, but other than that we had the whole place to ourselves. We alternated between outdoor exhibits and indoors to warm up. :-P It was quite memorable.
3. I had my first Usborne parties this week! On Thursday night I showed off my stash of books to a small group of friends. Both of my girls were with me, and they were natural saleswomen! I asked everyone who was there to choose a book from the display and we went around and talked about why it caught their eye. Abby started, and she grabbed a shine-a-light book and flashlight all on her own and showed off to the group how it worked. I might have to take her with me to more shows!
4. Getting things started with Usborne has really eaten into my reading time. Mornings and naptime and evenings when I would normally pick up my book and read have been instead spent writing party scripts and offering book recommendations and reading up on product knowledge. I'm hoping that in the next week or two I'll be off to a good enough start and have my materials already created so that I can get back on track with my reading goal! (I did start reading one of the chapter books that came in my kit, so I can give better advice to people who want to know more about it. I'll probably count those kind of books toward my goal since I've counted other YA & juvenile books! :) )
Wednesday, April 22, 2015
Monday, April 20, 2015
What the Cubs are Reading: April 20
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by Stephen Cartwright & Heather Amery. January 2005
Read my full review here. Do you ever wonder why some kids pick certain books and just love them so much that they ask you to read them every. single. day. for weeks?? This is one of those books in our house. At least it's a collection of stories, so we can get by with only reading one or two different ones each day. :)
Little Loon and Papa by Toni Buzzeo. May 2004
Ellie affectionately calls this one the "peep peep where's Papa??" book. Little Loon can't figure out how to dive the way Papa does, and he eventually gets sick of diving lessons and swims away when Papa isn't looking. But the world can be a scary place without the comfort of a parent close by.
The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter.
Originally published in 1902. This edition 2013.
Abby received this one last week from DPIL (I'm so sad! She only has one more month until she's 5 and stops getting monthly books!). It's been fun to introduce a "classic" to my kids.
Just a Mess by Mercer Mayer. 1987.
The Little Critter books were some of my absolute favorites as a kid. Anytime I see them at garage sales or used book sales I grab them up. Little Critter can't find his baseball mitt, so his mom tells him he should clean his room...
I am an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. Purchasing books through the link(s) above will pay me a commission. Usborne Publishing Ltd. has no connection with this blog and does not sponsor or support its content.
This post also contains Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!
Thursday, April 16, 2015
Wednesday, April 15, 2015
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Quick Lit: April 2015
My goal for this year is to read 36 books - 3 a month - after only finishing 24 last year. I'm slightly ahead of schedule, with 12 books completed so far in mid-April. Here's what I've finished in the last month.
Jack: The True Story of Jack and the Beanstalk by Liesl Shurtliff
I received this middle-grade/juvenile book as an Advanced Reader ebook through NetGalley (that's my Kindle in the photo above!). It's "release date" is actually today. I was drawn to the adventurous cover of Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin when it came out last year, and enjoyed Shurtliff's telling of the old fairy tale. Again in Jack, the author takes a relatively short story and adds characters, wonderful development of those characters, and sub-plots to the original tale. Jack is a typical teenage boy who can be a bit of a troublemaker, but longs to live up to his name - he was named after his great-great...great-grandfather Jack the Giant Slayer. I loved the message that came across: troubles are not always what we assume based on what little knowledge we might have. I also loved noticing the connections between this story and Rump, though the books can easily be read separately. I've heard the next book will be Red: The True Story of Red Riding Hood and I can't wait!
Champion by Marie Lu
Book 3 in the Legend Trilogy - I'm reading these as part of the Young Adult Book & Movie Club. After what I said about Prodigy last month, I wasn't sure how the end of the story would go. In fact I wasn't even sure if I wanted to start this one right away after finishing Prodigy (since Champion is the April-read in the book club). But I did, and I finished it in something like two days. And I'm glad I was alone when I read the ending because I seriously cried. It's been a long time since I cried from a book. I won't say anything else about the plot, but I do think it was a great conclusion to a lot of conflict. So if you weren't a fan of Prodigy either, be sure to finish the series.
The Best Yes by Lysa Terkeurst
"Are you living with the stress of an overwhelmed schedule and aching with the sadness of an underwhelmed soul? Lysa TerKeurst is learning that there is a big difference between saying yes to everyone and saying yes to God..." In the midst of deciding whether or not to leave my job at the library, I heard about this book and borrowed it from a friend. WOW. There was so much quotable material in every chapter I wanted to underline (though I refrained because it wasn't my book!) and I posted almost daily on Facebook the things that really stuck out to me. This is definitely going on my list of books I actually want to buy someday -- which is something that doesn't happen often (I'm usually a read-it-once kind of girl).
Did not finish:
At Home in Mitford by Jan KaronWhen I was done with the Legend series and wanted something lighter to read, a few people suggested the Mitford series. The first one was available through Overdrive from my library, so I started it. And I just could not get into it. I really tried. I got just about half way through before giving up and moving on. I really wanted to like it, since it's a bestselling series and so many people I know have read and loved them. But overall I think my biggest issue with it was that I didn't feel any sense of major plotline, or conflict that needed to be resolved. I felt like each chapter was practically a stand-alone short story. A few were obviously intertwined together, but I figured by halfway I should have some sense of the overall direction the book was going, besides "life in a small town". Sorry friends! I really really did try!!
Linking up today with Anne at Modern Mrs. Darcy.
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!
Saturday, April 11, 2015
The Lion's Tales: April 5-11
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. We enjoyed our Easter Sunday last week. The day started early, as Rocky and I led music at our church's Sunrise Service at 7:30am! The girls went in their pjs, then while the youth group served breakfast we got them dressed in their pretty outfits. After the regular morning service we loaded up in the van, picked up Rocky's sister and her husband, and traveled about an hour away to have Easter brunch at a "fancy restaurant" (as the girls called it) with Rocky's dad and stepmom.
2. It's been Spring Break around here, so Rocky and Abby have both been home all week. I took the girls to the library one morning to see the yo-yo man (a performance I'd arranged before I left), and we've tried to let Rocky have some away time too (or at least downstairs in the office time). It was REALLY nice to not need to rush off to work at some time every single day. It was a little taste of what summer break will be like!
3. Abby and I got a little excited this week as we started talking about her birthday. She'll be 5 in about 6 weeks, and while I threw her a couple parties in her younger years, I don't want to get into the habit of doing a big themed party every single year for both her and her sister. But age 5 is pretty big, so we talked and she decided she wants a My Little Pony themed party. We snuggled on the couch and looked on the computer for awhile...
Poor guy. Even our two cats are girls. :) I hope I'm not too ambitious, but I started crocheting a birthday present for Abby. I made a monkey for our nephew for Christmas that took me about a month, so we'll see.
4. My biggest news of the week is that I signed up to become an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. You can read more about it through the "Usborne" link at the top of the page (or by clicking this link). I've been considering it for awhile, and after leaving my library job we thought it would be a good idea to have a little extra income here and there. When it comes to any "direct sales" or "home-based-business" I hear people say you need to be passionate about the product or you will never be a good salesman. Well I think I'm a little passionate about kids books... :)
1. We enjoyed our Easter Sunday last week. The day started early, as Rocky and I led music at our church's Sunrise Service at 7:30am! The girls went in their pjs, then while the youth group served breakfast we got them dressed in their pretty outfits. After the regular morning service we loaded up in the van, picked up Rocky's sister and her husband, and traveled about an hour away to have Easter brunch at a "fancy restaurant" (as the girls called it) with Rocky's dad and stepmom.
2. It's been Spring Break around here, so Rocky and Abby have both been home all week. I took the girls to the library one morning to see the yo-yo man (a performance I'd arranged before I left), and we've tried to let Rocky have some away time too (or at least downstairs in the office time). It was REALLY nice to not need to rush off to work at some time every single day. It was a little taste of what summer break will be like!
3. Abby and I got a little excited this week as we started talking about her birthday. She'll be 5 in about 6 weeks, and while I threw her a couple parties in her younger years, I don't want to get into the habit of doing a big themed party every single year for both her and her sister. But age 5 is pretty big, so we talked and she decided she wants a My Little Pony themed party. We snuggled on the couch and looked on the computer for awhile...
4. My biggest news of the week is that I signed up to become an Independent Consultant with Usborne Books & More. You can read more about it through the "Usborne" link at the top of the page (or by clicking this link). I've been considering it for awhile, and after leaving my library job we thought it would be a good idea to have a little extra income here and there. When it comes to any "direct sales" or "home-based-business" I hear people say you need to be passionate about the product or you will never be a good salesman. Well I think I'm a little passionate about kids books... :)
Monday, April 6, 2015
What the Cubs are Reading: April 6 AND April #bookwormproblems
(Woo-hoo, two linkups in one post! All of you visiting from one of the linkups, be sure to click through and check out the other awesome one! :)
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My #bookwormproblem for the month? I want the kids' bookshelves to look like this:
But most of the time things look like this:
I'm really glad that they love books so much, but how is it that 1) we've obtained SO many books in the last five years and 2) they always seem to end up EVERYWHERE??
Here are some of the girls' favorites this week:
Amelia Bedelia's First Field Trip by Herman Parish. June 2011
I remember loving Amelia Bedelia books as a kid, and thought it was neat that Parish has started making bigger, colorful picture books about Amelia's earlier years as a kid in school. She still has the quirkiness that we all know and love, and my own kids are learning the real meaning of phrases we understand and take for granted. Abby chose this one at the library last week, she has a field trip coming up soon that I will be able to go on with her (now that I'm done at the library! I've missed the others she's had this school year) and she is absolutely thrilled I can go.
The Golden Egg by A.J. Wood. February 2000.
This was a gift from a baby shower before Abby was born. I'm pretty sure it's the book that initiated my love for good rhyming kids books. Little Duck goes looking for a golden egg, encountering many animal friends and eggs of other colors. It has flapped pages to look behind, and I think the ending would make any woman smile.
The Story of Easter by Patricia A. Pingry. Board Book edition February 2011.
I got this book for the girls a year or two ago to help explain Easter to them in an extremely simple way. I'm sure by next year we'll be moving on to something more in depth (we've been reading the Easter story from the Jesus Calling Bible Storybook at dinnertime), but they have been asking for this one every night since they knew it was Easter week.
Read to Tiger by S.J. Fore. August 2010
This is one of many many books we've received from the Dolly Parton Imagination Library (hey that's part of the reason we have SO many books -- each girl gets one in the mail every month!). I sometimes feel like the boy in the story, trying to read while someone keeps interrupting.Have you read any of these? How do you teach your kids to put their books away??
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The Lion's Tales: March 29-April 4
This weekly recap is where I blog about anything and everything from the past week. Could be about books, my kids, my garden... Random things in my life that don't fill enough space for their own post!
1. I finally made it to the last day of my library job on Wednesday. The month really did fly by (I put in my notice on March 2, my last day was April 1). I was able to lead one more morning of storytime, which the new gal was able to be at with me. Then she and I talked through a bunch of stuff and I showed her where things are. Over the last month I've been creating a Word document with all sorts of info about programs and pictures and where to find things and links to posts on my blog about past programs... It might have been 3+ pages of overkill, but I know when I started the job almost exactly two years ago I started with nothing. Literally, nothing. The gal before me left in a hurry and files were deleted from the computer and I started from scratch. So I wanted to make this transition as easy as possible -- and I think Kristen appreciated it: "Thank you SO much for all of this! You and I think a lot alike." :) I'm so excited for you Kristen! You're going to be great!!
2. I've gotten an extra workout in my other (and now only) job -- I work 8 hours a week for my church as the Communications Coordinator, doing things like emails and website and making the weekly bulletins. On Wednesday night after a meeting (while we were also there at praise band practice), our pastor headed home on his motorcycle and hit a deer. Thankfully he only ended up with some scrapes and a broken clavicle. It was a scary night, and I was busy sending emails and posting Facebook updates to get our congregation praying. Then Thursday evening, when we were getting ready for our Maundy Thursday service, the pastor's wife fell and also had to go to the ER, and she ended up with a broken foot. What a crazy week!
3. I launched a Facebook page for my blog this week. In addition to posting links to my blog posts, I'll be posting fun book-ish pictures and links I come across, asking questions, and just including things that probably aren't worthy of a whole blog post in and of themselves. Hop on over and like the page today to join in the fun!
4. Last Saturday I mentioned we were heading to the boys basketball state finals that my husband's school was playing in. They didn't win (the team they played has won something like the last 3 of 4 years of finals...), but it was a GREAT time for Rocky and me. We were able to get a babysitter and left early, so we could walk around campus and reminisce for awhile. This was where we met, 13+ years ago!
1. I finally made it to the last day of my library job on Wednesday. The month really did fly by (I put in my notice on March 2, my last day was April 1). I was able to lead one more morning of storytime, which the new gal was able to be at with me. Then she and I talked through a bunch of stuff and I showed her where things are. Over the last month I've been creating a Word document with all sorts of info about programs and pictures and where to find things and links to posts on my blog about past programs... It might have been 3+ pages of overkill, but I know when I started the job almost exactly two years ago I started with nothing. Literally, nothing. The gal before me left in a hurry and files were deleted from the computer and I started from scratch. So I wanted to make this transition as easy as possible -- and I think Kristen appreciated it: "Thank you SO much for all of this! You and I think a lot alike." :) I'm so excited for you Kristen! You're going to be great!!
2. I've gotten an extra workout in my other (and now only) job -- I work 8 hours a week for my church as the Communications Coordinator, doing things like emails and website and making the weekly bulletins. On Wednesday night after a meeting (while we were also there at praise band practice), our pastor headed home on his motorcycle and hit a deer. Thankfully he only ended up with some scrapes and a broken clavicle. It was a scary night, and I was busy sending emails and posting Facebook updates to get our congregation praying. Then Thursday evening, when we were getting ready for our Maundy Thursday service, the pastor's wife fell and also had to go to the ER, and she ended up with a broken foot. What a crazy week!
3. I launched a Facebook page for my blog this week. In addition to posting links to my blog posts, I'll be posting fun book-ish pictures and links I come across, asking questions, and just including things that probably aren't worthy of a whole blog post in and of themselves. Hop on over and like the page today to join in the fun!
4. Last Saturday I mentioned we were heading to the boys basketball state finals that my husband's school was playing in. They didn't win (the team they played has won something like the last 3 of 4 years of finals...), but it was a GREAT time for Rocky and me. We were able to get a babysitter and left early, so we could walk around campus and reminisce for awhile. This was where we met, 13+ years ago!
Thursday, April 2, 2015
Storytime: My Favorites
Age: 2-5 years
Time: 30 minutes + play and snack
For my very last storytime, I chose some of my favorite books and songs. I made it through without crying! The gal who will be taking my place was able to be there with me, which was so great for her to meet the kids and see what I've done!
1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.
4) Flannel - Shape Monster
6) Song – We are the Dinosaurs - Laurie Berkner
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!
Time: 30 minutes + play and snack
For my very last storytime, I chose some of my favorite books and songs. I made it through without crying! The gal who will be taking my place was able to be there with me, which was so great for her to meet the kids and see what I've done!
1) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.
2) Llama Llama Red Pajama - Anna Dewdney
I can pretty much recite this one without looking. It's always fun to be extra dramatic...
3) Song - Moon Moon Moon - Laurie Berkner
3) Song - Moon Moon Moon - Laurie Berkner
This one is still on the Music & Movement playlist, which we're scheduled to start in a couple weeks, so I wanted the kids and the new gal to see my motions (I started with the motions from Sunflower Storytime, and then changed a few).
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
Shining bright (wiggle fingers like they are sparkling)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
My night light (act like turning off a light)
Moon, moon, moon (arms in circle over head)
I can see (point to eyes)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
You’re taking care of me (hands over heart)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with right hand and look up)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with left hand and look up)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with both hands)
Up in the sky (wave arms back and forth over head)
It’s big and round (make circle with arms over head)
And I have found (thumbs to chest)
That it looks just like a pizza [lemon] pie! (make circle with hands in front of you, then take a bite)
Shining bright (wiggle fingers like they are sparkling)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
My night light (act like turning off a light)
Moon, moon, moon (arms in circle over head)
I can see (point to eyes)
Moon, moon, moon (form arms in circle over head)
You’re taking care of me (hands over heart)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with right hand and look up)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with left hand and look up)
Look up, it’s the moon (point up with both hands)
Up in the sky (wave arms back and forth over head)
It’s big and round (make circle with arms over head)
And I have found (thumbs to chest)
That it looks just like a pizza [lemon] pie! (make circle with hands in front of you, then take a bite)
4) Flannel - Shape Monster
My favorite generic flannel of all time. The youth gal before me did it when I was just a mom bringing kids to storytime, and I continued to use it throughout my two years.
5) If You Give a Mouse a Cookie - Laura Numeroff
The best storytime song for getting kids of all ages (and their grown-ups!) up and moving.
7) Song & Rhyme Cube
8) Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? - Bill Martin Jr.
The kids' faces lit up when I pulled this one out. So many of them know it so well, but they love hearing someone new read it to them. This book taught my kids their colors, and I've used it throughout my Storytime for Littles this year. I like giving the animals different voices.
9) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.
7) Song & Rhyme Cube
Today the cube rolled I'm a Little Teapot, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, and Five Little Monkeys.
9) I use the same opening and closing songs each week. Click here to see what I do.
10) Playtime/Snack
I brought out the blocks and instruments for play, but none of the kids were interested. My director had bought cupcakes for my last day, and the kids just enjoyed them at the tables before giving me hugs and heading out.
What a fun two years this has been! I'm really going to miss these kids!!!
This post does contain Amazon Affiliate links. Purchases you make help support The Lion is a Bookworm a little bit without changing the cost to you!
Wednesday, April 1, 2015
Goodbye March, Hello April
Goodbye March. Hello April.
Goodbye snow and cold. Hello grass and flowers.
Goodbye cabin fever. Hello playing outside.
Goodbye basketball (okay, yes there are still a few more days of Madness... :) . Hello softball and tennis.
Goodbye wool coat. Hello t-shirts.
Goodbye storytime kids. Hello my own kids.
Goodbye library. Hello home.
Goodbye snow and cold. Hello grass and flowers.
Goodbye cabin fever. Hello playing outside.
Goodbye basketball (okay, yes there are still a few more days of Madness... :) . Hello softball and tennis.
Goodbye wool coat. Hello t-shirts.
Goodbye storytime kids. Hello my own kids.
Goodbye library. Hello home.
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