Summer This and Thats

Summer time = No time. At least that's how it feels for me as a mom. We travel, we swim, we go here, we go there... and I entertain children (Any other moms feel like a cruise director during the summer months?). As a result, I don't get to spend as much time here. I'm still alive though!

We have been visiting the library and doing better (though not great still) with logging our summer reading hours than we did last year. Who else hates reading logs in all ways, shapes, and forms? My kids have been enjoying choosing books on our library visits, finding books to practice their reading with, and listening to audio books.

I haven't been real jazzed about what we've brought home form the library over the summer months. With other kids out of school and frequenting the library more, it's usually pretty slim pickings. But here are a few selections that seemed worth mentioning:

I think we might read this next month during our last Literacy Launchpad Summer Session. My boys were initially expecting a certain type of ending, and were surprised when about half way through when they realized they had no idea what kind of ending this book was going to have. Unique, weird, and fun. It has helped inspire my theme for our next Literacy Launchpad session. 

What a darling story about the joys and benefits of reading. This one might get used in a Literacy Launchpad lesson too. When we finished reading this one, both my boys and I all said, "That was a really good book." :)

Dots, dots, dots! Can you think of all the places you might find dot shapes? This book will help get your kiddos brainstorming! Love the colors used, and the simplicity of the illustrations. And I've got some Bingo dot painters that are just begging to be used for a fun project with this book! 

Fun play with words. My boys needed some help figuring the word plays out, but really enjoyed the challenge and the fun of it. They asked their dad the next day, "Have you ever read this book? You should!" It would be fun to see what other kind of word plays you could cook up with your kids or students. 

My Little Reader "reading" me Carl the Dog at bedtime. 

Big brother reading to little brother.

Big brother "teaching" little brother how to read.