Keeping It Simple

Lewis and Clark and Me- A Dog's Tale by Laurie Myers  We all enjoyed this story of Lewis and Clark told by the dog's (Seaman) point of view. At the end of each chapter is an excerpt from Lewis's journal that matches the story just read. We read this as a part of our dog study, but it would make a great history read! Saving Audie- A Pit Bull Puppy Gets a Second Chance by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent On a recent road trip one of my sons started telling his dad, in great detail, about "these pit bull puppies that were rescued". His brothers quickly joined in and the whole story was retold to dad as we were driving along. While this true story about the dogs rescued from Michael Vick's dog-fighting ring could be a grim tale, it is handled in a way that is appropriate for young readers (or listeners). My boys, always rooting for the underdog, really enjoyed this book as was obvious in their enthusiastic retelling of the story. Leo The Snow Leopard- The True St...

Books by Alan Baron : Red Fox And The Baby Bunnies The Red Fox Monster Little Pig's Bouncy Ball Red Fox Dances It appears that these titles are out of print; we borrowed them from the library. James (8yo) took charge of read aloud time with them. The front covers of the books have the phrase "giggle club" in the corner, which makes sense because James giggled frequently while reading them. With a very controlled vocabulary, these books are easily read by the 4-8 yo crowd (depending on their readiness). For a nice read aloud session, they are also the perfect length to finish a book (or two) in one sitting. While the story line was entertaining to James, it is the illustrations that tickled his funny bone. Togo by Robert J. Blake This is a newly discovered author for us and we love his books (the two we have read so far). While my 8-year-old will listen to almost any picture book attentively, it takes something a little more special to keep the r...

I am thinking that I should rename my blog having something to with animal books... Morris and Buddy: The Story of the First Seeing Eye Dog by Becky Hall Learning about working dogs in our " Dog Unit Study " led us to this book. It is not only a wonderful story about Morris and his seeing eye dog, it is also about the challenges faced by Morris at a time when few accommodations were made for those with physical limitations (blindness or other). How Morris traveled to Switzerland to meet his own guide dog, Buddy, and ultimately paved the rode for the "Seeing Eye" guide dog school was an inspiring read. You can also read more about Morris here . Nubs: The True Story of a Mutt, a Marine, & a Miracle  by Major Brian Dennis, Kirby Larson, and Mary Nethery My boys loved this story of an unlikely friendship between a Marine and a "dog of war". This book follows the story of "Nubs" (so named by the Major Brian Dennis because of his cut off e...

One would think that there would be a limit to how many animal stories there are... I have not found that to be so. Another one for the "animal story" list: HERBERT: The True Story Of A Brave Sea Dog  - All three of my boys (even my 13yo) loved this story. This is the story of a boy's dog, Herbert, who was lost at sea and then found after 30 hours in the water. My boys especially enjoyed the "Map of Herbert's Journey" in the front of the book, and the actual pictures of Herbert and his owner, Tim, in the back of the book along with a newpaper article and letters written to Tim about his dog. Tim's words as he went in search of his dog- "this will be the worst day of my life or the best day of my life"- also made a big impression. My boys, dog lovers in a big way, took Tim's predicament to heart. Recently read books that we did not get to with our "Astonishing Animal" study last month turned out to be fun as well: What Do Y...

Brave Norman : A True Story A "hard to place" shelter dog finds a home with a loving family. The dog goes blind. In spite of those who say this is too much of a burden, the family keeps their commitment to this dog that they love. In an unexpected turn of events, this "unwanted" dog saves the day at the beach by rescuing a drowning girl!! Really, truly. A true story about a canine hero is the perfect read in James' eyes. Why Do Horses Neigh? This book is leveled for 4-7 year old readers. For James (7yo), a few words needed to be sounded out, but it was just the right difficulty and length for his patience level (which is not very long!). Plus, and this is a big plus when looking for easy reader books, James thought it was interesting. Tara and Tiree, Fearless Friends: A True Story Another one from the Pets to the Rescue series. This book gets off to a heart stopping start with Jim and his dogs walking across the frozen lake, and then J...