Book Love Blog Hop

I've agreed to do a rare blog hop because it's about books, and because the lovely Cathy Ballou Mealey asked. :)

The idea is the brainchild of Carrie Finison and it's to highlight books that you think deserve more recognition than they're getting. Participants are to:
"Post reviews for the books you chose on Amazon/social media. The reviews can be brief - even a short review on Amazon helps. Posting on Goodreads or Shelfari is great, too, or Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, etc." and link back to Carrie's blog.

I would like to highlight four of my favorite books:
Last Chance to See by Douglas Adams - the rather depressing topic of species going extinct is covered by Adams in his characteristic droll British style
The Cosmic Code by Heinz Pagels - a very well written book for the lay person on quantum physics; my only beef is that there are virtually no equations in it
Half Magic by Edward Eager - Eager was inspired by the tales of E. Nesbit to write tales that are equally magical and fun for the upper elementary set. I find his writing more accessible than Nesbit's
The Chrysalids by John Wyndham - not nearly as well-known as Day of the Trifid by Wyndham, this book is a memorable post-apocalyptic story that has a hopeful ending

I want to point out here something that some of you may not realize, which is that a 5-star rating on Amazon is equivalent to a 4-star rating on Goodreads.

If you'd like to play along, please let me know as I'd like to check out your choices. Also, if you're not already friends with me on Goodreads, please friend me! I like to see what others are reading. I think my moniker is "writer64" there.

Have a great week!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Never be bored again

I hear so many people complain about being bored or about their kids being bored, and I can't understand it. I've never been bored in my life and I don't think hubby had either. Want to know the secret to never being bored again? Read!

Read books, magazines, cereal boxes, blog posts...anything that you enjoy. Life is too short to read things you don't like.

We've shared this secret with kids since they were babies. They have never said the "b" word before. How can anyone be bored when there are books, etc., to be explored?

I'm only being slightly facetious about "the secret." It is true that our kids have never complained that they were bored, and it is true that it's all because of reading. I have photos to prove it.

Son1 around 10 months old; perusing the Sandra Boynton book, "But Not the Hippopotamus". It's a book I read to him from the time he was 2 months old.

Son1 around 1 years old, reading an issue of Babybug Magazine

Son1 around 1.5 years old, reading a Winnie The Pooh book

Son1 a little over 2; Son2 around 5 months old

Son1 about 2.5 years old; Son2 about 9 month old

 I wish I had a taken a photo of Son1 at age 3 when he was reading our "Organic Gardening's Guide to Insect and Disease Control." He was reading everything from board books to guide books for adults.

Son1 close to 3; Son2 around 1 years old

Son1 around 4 years old

Son1, still around 4 years old

Son1 around 5 years old; yes, that is "Socks" by Beverly Cleary

You've probably figured out by now that this was just an excuse to post cute baby photos of the kids. ;)

What about you? Do you, or your kids, complain of being bored?

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Great learning app for young kids!

As some of you may or may not know, my younger son has mild autism and it was always hard trying to find appropriate and helpful things to help him learn when he was little that would also be fun and keep his interest. Flash cards are so 1950s. ;) I wish this app was around 12 years ago when he was a preschooler.

Busy, Busy Farmer Brown, at a thoroughly affordable price of $2.99, is so sunny and adorable, I just want to play Level 1, where the narrator reads the sweet rhyming story and you can click on the art to hear the vocabulary words, over and over again.

Level 2, Vocabulary Matching, first offers a look at pictures paired with the vocabulary words, and if touched, the word is said aloud so that the child will know if his/her guess was right. The child can then move on to the Quiz portion where he/she can match the choice of three words with the one shown along with a picture of the word.

Level 3, Barnyard Sorting, presents a spread that shows which animals live on a farm and which live in the wild. After the child processes that page at his/her own pace, he/she can move on to the next portion where s/he can sort the animals, jumbled on the bottom of the page, to the appropriate habitat -- farm or wild.

The app is a terrific blend of fun and learning! I love the cheerful art and music and would have gladly let my son play with this when he was young.

Once your little one has mastered this game, he/she can move on to another terrific app offered by Brainy Day Apps: In the Deep Blue Sea. It's sure to appeal to the fishy wishes of your preschooler!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams