Free time for reading is a big part of what makes summer special in our family. This year we tried something new, setting a goal that we all work together to achieve. Inspired by a feature on books that ran in the Wall Street Journal, we tacked the photo illustration on the side of our fridge and got to work. Every post-it note represents a book read by one or more of us. Everyone pitched in to cover the fridge with titles. Several were read-alouds we did together in the evenings after dinner. We all loved seeing the notes accumulate, and Steve and I were especially glad for permission to read for pleasure and not only not feel guilty, but know that we were helping to reach the family goal.
If you're looking for some ideas of what to read next, here's a round-up.
Picture Books
Bunny the Brave War Horse: Based on a True Story, Elizabeth MacLeod. Based on a true story about a horse and the two brothers who rode him while soldiers in The Great War.
My Friend Rabbit, Eric Rohmann. Mostly pictures, this one was read aloud by one brother to another.
Sea Rex, Molly Idle. Delightful outsized illustrations of a girl and her friends, including a dinosaur, at the beach.
Memoirs of a Goldfish, Devin Scillian. Laugh-out-loud antics of life in an increasingly-crowded fishbowl. Lively, colorful illustrations.
Memoirs of a Hamster, Devin Scillian. Much like it's predecessor, with the added danger of a hungry, mischievous cat.
What NOT to Give Your Mom on Mother's Day, Martha Seif Simpson. All the gifts that would be great for bugs and other creepy crawlies to give their moms, won't do for you to give your Mom. She's be most happy with a hug.
McElligot's Pool, Dr. Seuss. Oh the places your imagination can take you! In this classic, a boy with a fishing rod hunched over a tiny fishing hole dreams up all the creatures he might catch from near and far.
I Pledge Allegiance, Pat Mora and Libby Martinez. A heart-warming true tale of a grade-school girl and her Aunt's shared efforts to learn the pledge of allegiance and other elements essential for becoming an American citizen, leading up to the Aunt's naturalization ceremony.
A Great Day for Pup, Bonnie Worth. Part of the "Cat-in-the-Hat" franchise.
The Day is Waiting, Don Freeman
Yellow Copter, Kersen Hamilton
If I Built a Car, Chris Van Dusen. If you read one, you'll want to read them all. Imaginative, bright, and wonderfully illustrated, these whimsical stories are fun for all ages.
Days with Frog and Toad, Arnold Lobel. The best "I Can Read" book ever written and illustrated. This one is a classic that makes all others in the I Can Read series green with envy. We've read and re-read this to the point of pages falling out. Clever, subtle, funny, instructive for all ages. Hard to overstate how much we love Frog and Toad.
Frog and Toad all Year, Arnold Lobel. Ditto.
Everything Goes by Sea, Brian Biggs. Silly, comic-book style illustrations of all things maritime. Fun for learning boat basics early on.
Planet Kindergarten, Sue Ganz-Schmitt
The Little Train, Lois Lenski. Board book. Simple, primary color drawings that show the process of moving by rail from one town to the next.
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children, Jan PinBorough. The true story of a somewhat headstrong girl who grew up to be the woman who championed and oversaw the opening of the first children's library in America.
Duck and Goose Go to the Beach
Chapter Books
Tumtum and Nutmeg: The Rose Cottage Tales, Emily Bearn. A mouse couple spends their life on adventures together.
The Green Ember, S.D. Smith. A first novel for Smith, this rollicking tale of adventure unfolds amidst brave rabbits and wicked wolves. Ideal for family read-aloud time.
The Saturdays, Elizabeth Enright. A favorite family read-aloud six years ago, this story of the four Melendy children's idea to pool their allowance in order to fund more elaborate weekend adventures is ideal for a blossoming young reader. The first of four books in a series.
The Clue in the Old Stagecoach, Carolyn Keene. The same Nancy Drew mystery I read when I was a girl.
Aldo's Fantastical Movie Palace, Jonathan Friesen
The Threefold Cord, Jeremiah W. Montgomery. Book three in The Dark Harvest Trilogy; a fantastical retelling of early church history.
Mossflower, Brian Jacques. One of the many parts of the Redwall series of warrior animal tales.
These High Green Hills, Jan Karon.
A Light in the Window, Jan Karon. Book two in the At Home in Mitford series.
Party Shoes, Noel Streadfiled. One of the "shoe books" mentioned in the movie, "You've Got Mail." that tells the story of a family's efforts to ...
Time at the Top. Edward O. Mondroyd
Tabitha's Travels, Arnold Ytreeide. A fictionalized account of a Jewish girl's journey toward Jerusalem in the days leading up to the crucifixion of Christ.
Gulliver's Travels, Swift
Historical Fiction
Kidnapped by River Rats, Dave and Neta Jackson. Historical fiction that recounts the story of .
Stowaway, Karen Hesse
Chestry Oak, Kate Seredy. The author of FAMOUS TITLE tells the lesser known story of the last Hungarian prince's escape to America in World War II.
Scottish Chiefs, Jane Porter.
The Scarlet Pimpernell, Baroness Orexy.
History
From the Landmark History Books for kids:
Medal of Honor Heroes, Landmark HistoryIntroduction to Global Missions, Zane Pratt, David Sills, Jeff Walters
Custer's Last Stand, Kantor
William the Conqueror, Lafayette
Combat Nurses of World War II, Wyatt Blessingame.
Stonewall Jackson,
Dolly Madison, Jane Mayer.
A Short Life of Jonathan Edwards, George Marsden.
Dead Wake, Erik Larson. Riveting account of the building, launch, and tragic sinking by German U-Boat, of the luxury ocean liner Lusitania.
Target Tokyo, James Scott.
Princes at War, Deborah Cadbury. World War II British history,
The Write Brothers, David McCullough.
In the Kingdom of Ice, Hampton Sides.
The Speechwriter, Barton Swaim. A rollicking look at life from the inside of a Governor's office. Swaim worked for South Carolina Governor Sanford, before his moral failing and political demise. As a former congressional staffer, I can testify to the truth of what he experienced, but also the value of the lessons he learned.
Biography
Frances Ridly Havergal, The Girl Who Loved Mountains, Lucille Travis.
The Hallelujah Lass, Wendy Lawton. The true story of NAME.
Courage to Run, Wendy Lawton tells the story of Harriet Tubman's work with the underground railroad to help 300 slaves escape to freedom.
Ransom's Mark, Wendy Lawton. The story of Pochanatos
Fierce Convictions: The Life of Hannah More, Karen Swallow Prior.
The Greatest Knight, Thomas Floridge
Through Gates of Splendor, Elizabeth Elliot
Discipleship
The Things of Earth, Joe Rigney.
Praying the Bible, Don Whitney.
Let the Nations Be Glad, John Piper.
What is the Mission of the Church? Kevin DeYoung and Greg Gilbert.
The Missionary Call, David Sills
Seeing Beauty, and Saying Beautifully, John Piper. Compelling portraits of three of the most effective communicators of the Christian faith: poet George Herbet; preacher George Whitfield; and apologist C. S. Lewis.