Goodnight Houston

Goodnight Houston
by Jennifer and Kyle Solak
Illustrated by Paul Dolan
30 page picture book


Goodnight Houston, a delightfully illustrated children's book was our gift from Sophie this Christmas (2013).  I love it! Written by two parents and dedicated to their sons, the rhyming pages share many of the good aspects of living life in Houston.  It was a joy to think back on all of what we have experienced since we have moved to Houston as H-town becomes home to us.  Sophie's enthusiasm for the city remains contagious and I look forward to further explores and contributions for our family in this great city.
Thank you Sophie for such a thoughtful gift.

Ribsy

 Ribsy
by: Beverly Cleary
1964
paperback 192 pages, larger kid-print

One evening after a great pizza at new restaurant in the Heights, we took a walk with the couple we ate with.  On the walk there was a red box that caught our attention and it turned out to be a local book box... like a very mini library.  Kristina and i browsed the books and as there were not any she had read to recommend to me, i chose one that i know i had read years ago when i was a kid.  Ribsy was written one year before i was born and it was interesting to me to think back to how life used to be lived... like new station wagons, phone numbers that began with two letters, the Pledge of Allegiance at school, show and tell in the class room, and so on.  I liked how Ribsy was a dog of great patience and as i am presently seeking to be more patient he was a good teacher.  The book is "a boy and his dog" kind of story, but in chapter one they get separated and in the 6 chapters to follow the story tells of Ribsy's adventures before the inevitable ending to wrap things up nicely.  It was fun to read things from the dog's point of view and i think most pet-lovers would enjoy this step back in time look at a month in the life of a dog and how he is joyfully reunited with his boy.

Elvis & Olive

Elvis and Olive
by: Stephanie Watson
2008
Hardback, 230 pg, kids print size

I've noticed that we have some after-school home-work doers pop into Menchie's so yesterday I asked one of the young boys (the one with glasses) what was a book he read recently that he liked.  He thought and said, Elvis and Olive.  I asked him if it made him laugh and he said yes.  So he wrote it down for me and today i went to check it out from the library and it just happened to be on display!  I rode home pretty excited and read chapters in between doing Saturday chores while icing my neck.
Oh, what a disappointment.  I was not disappointed in the author's attempt to communicate cleverly and effectively a story told from the viewpoint of two 10-year-olds.  What made me sad was the story line.  Summer vacation for kids should be fun but what i read was disturbing to me as a 47 year old reader and i thought i would never want my soon to be 10 year old niece reading this.  These kiddos experienced abandonment, deceit, infidelity, betrayal, hate, sadness, theft, confusion, destruction of property, invasion of privacy... and then a few pages of somewhat reconciliation at the end.  Looks like i need to become more familiar with books at this age-level so i can recommend a good one. 

Sluggers #1

Sluggers #1
Magic in the Outfield
by: Loren Long and Phil Bildner
Paperback 136 pages

Thank you Noah for suggesting Sluggers #1 for me to read!  It was a joy to meet Griffith, Ruby and Graham, the Payne children and their mom, "Guy" who plays as catcher for a traveling baseball team back in 1899.  The book Sluggers #1 is the first in a series of 6 that were originally called "Barnstormers" which is the name of their baseball team.  There is a mystery to be solved and at the end of the 136 page paperback we get just enough clues to draw is in and want to read more to figure it all out.  I love the creative and expressive illustrations throughout the story.  But what really captured me was the mini dictionary of baseball terms used back-in-the-day that add such authenticity to the story.  For an example, at the beginning of chapter 4 in the margin we can read that a Striker's Box is the area in which the striker (now known as the batter) stood when it was his turn to hit.  Also known as the "sticker's line."  Dish: home plate.  Lumber: baseball bat. also called "timber" and a Hurler is a pitcher.  The recommended age for the series is from 8-12, but at 47 (and as a gal who played softball back when I was kid) I found the book to be a lot of fun.  Noah, can't wait to borrow the rest of the series, thanks again for sharing some of your favorites with me.  Oh, and if you would like more information about it all, there is a cool website to get the behind the scene scoop! http://www.lorenlong.com

Ginger Pye

One day while at the Grace school library to pick up a book I had on hold, I saw a book that Beth Lewis had on hold (and she was not due back until after summer) and thought, I bet if Beth wants to read this it would be a good book and with Sophie (our dog lover) visiting, it seemed to be a good choice. However, life got really busy with our move and related things to end well in Chiang Mai and I did not get to finish this charming book...but maybe by posting it, I will not forget it and get to enjoy it again at a later time.

Written in 1951, we get a glimspe into the days of the Pye family as they bring a puppy named Ginger into their lives in Cranbury.
I have a feeling it would be a great great read- aloud to kiddos.
Jerry and Rachel are clever siblings and it looks like Ginger is a very clever addition to their family.  Even though I did not get to read it through, it was an interesting book and I like how they have an uncle younger than they are and one day all three kiddos worked to clean the church...how else were they able to get the money needed to buy the cute puppy?


Ginger Pye
by Eleanor Estes (author of Pinky Pye and The Moffats)
306 pages paperback
The book was originally published in 1951 and it won the Newberry Medal for excellence in 1952.

Why are You Angry?

Such a sweet story of one pig's insightful ways of helping his farmyard friends... and in the end they all help out little Fatty too...i won't give it away :)

My friend Bap is author and she wrote the book in Thai and asked me to help her with the English...what a fun project. A great read for young and old alike!

Why are You Angry?
author: Bap
22 pages; paperback
2010

The Magical Beans

a colorful little story about valuing the treasure that comes your way.  Bap does a great job in using repetition to help teach without loosing the reader's interest in the story. This little story is told in both Thai and English and has a happy ending.  





The Magical Beans
author: Bap
23 pages; paperback
2010