Homeschool Friday - The Close Shave

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

The Close Shave

By: W. Awdry

Illustrated By: Richard Courtney

Publication: May 27, 2008 by Random House Books for Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Level-1 Readers, Step-1 Readers, My First Reader

Source: Personal Library

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Description--THOMAS’ FRIEND DUCK likes to be Really Useful and Right on Time. One day, some Troublesome Trucks start pushing and they will not stop, and a station is just ahead! Duck works himself into a lather trying to brake in time, but ends up crashing into the station’s barber shop.

The Close Shave is an obvious choice for early readers who are fans of Thomas the Train. The hardest word in the book is "troublesome" which is only used once. Readers get to see how three troublemakers cause problems for Thomas, an engine named Duck, and a barber shop. So there's a little moral to the story which I always appreciate. The Troublesome Trucks are mean and cause problems. Duck is a hero and saves the day by thinking of others.

My seven-year-old isn't a Thomas fan exactly, but he did enjoy this book and read it willingly without any fuss. He did stumble on the word "troublesome" as I mentioned above. I do wish it had been used more than once to build up mastery and recognition. The main repetitive words were names, and so there weren't any repetitive phrases. Sometimes I appreciate repetitive phrases so that the child really begins to recognize and memorize those words. Other times, it's really nice from an adult reader perspective not to have the same phrases sprinkled throughout the book.

The Close Shave gets 4.5 Stars for being a good early reader, but also having a moral to the short story. Have you read The Close Shave? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Cooking with the Cat

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

The Cat in the Hat the Movie!: Cooking with the Cat

By: Bonnie Worth

Illustrated By: Christopher Moroney

Publication: October 14, 2003 by Random House Books for Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Level-1 Readers, Step-1 Readers, My First Reader

Source: Personal Library

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Description--Look! Look! The Cat wants to cook!

Told with simple rhymes and rhythms, this jaunty illustrated tale gives very young readers a taste of the Cat in the Hat’s flamboyant cooking skills as he slaps on a Chef’s hat and whips up purple cupcakes using some truly odd ingredients! A cat-terrific spin-off based on Dr. Seuss’ The Cat in the Hat movie.

I hated The Cat in the Hat when I was a kid. I'm typically a rules-follower. Plus I don't like a mess. So these alien-looking creeps with no fingers terrorizing my house while my mother is gone sounds like a nightmare to me. That being said, Cooking with the Cat didn't make the little girl in me cringe.

Cooking with the Cat is 32 pages of rhyming and repetitive words and phrases. There's not much to it, and I'd say it falls on the easier side of level-1 readers. My son did like some of the nonsense that is typical of Dr. Seuss, but there's nothing too crazy.

Cooking with the Cat is a fine level-1 reader. It's fun for kids and anything that makes reading enjoyable is a win in my book. Cooking with the Cat gets 3.5 Stars. Has your early reader read Cooking with the Cat? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Biscuit and the Little Pup

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review/review for each.

Biscuit and the Little Pup

By: Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Illustrated By: Pat Schories

Publication: December 26, 2007 by HarperCollins

29 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Level-1 Readers, Step-1 Readers, My First Reader

Source: Personal Library

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Description--When Biscuit finds a little pup in the park, he wants the pup to play with him. But the little pup won't come over to look at Biscuit's ball or to chew on a bone. In fact, he won't come out of his cozy hideaway at all! Is the little pup lost?

How will Biscuit get the little pup to come out? Can he help his new friend's owner find the little pup too?

Biscuit continues to charm the hearts of friends old and new in this, his twelfth adventure for the youngest of readers.

Biscuit and the Little Pup is a sweet level-1 reader about Biscuit meeting and playing with a new little puppy. The dogs end up playing together. I struggle with what to say about this one. It doesn't rhyme which is nice because I don't love for every early reader to rhyme. None of the words were particularly challenging, yet my reader probably needs to move from level 1 to level 2 readers. Biscuit and the Little Pup would be an excellent choice for beginners. I'm rating it 4 Stars. Have you read Biscuit and the Little Pup? If so, what did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Biscuit Meets the Class Pet

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Biscuit Meets the Class Pet

By: Alyssa Satin Capucilli

Illustrated By: Pat Schories

Publication: December 22, 2009 by HarperCollins

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Picture Books, My First Reader, Level-1 Reader

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--For fans of Clifford and Spot, welcome everybody’s favorite little yellow puppy, Biscuit, in an I Can Read adventure! Hop, hop! There's someone new at Biscuit's house--Nibbles, the class pet, has come for a visit. Nibbles likes exploring Biscuit's home and wants to play with all of Biscuit's toys. Biscuit isn't sure if he is ready to share with Nibbles, but soon Biscuit realizes that he likes having a visitor after all! Biscuit Meets the Class Pet , a My First I Can Read book, is carefully crafted using basic language, word repetition, sight words, and sweet illustrations—which means it's perfect for shared reading with emergent readers.

I feel like I'm running out of things to say for these level 1 readers. Biscuit Meets the Class Pet carries on with the character, Biscuit, which is a dog. In this story, the little girl gets to bring her class pet, a bunny named Nibbles, home for a visit. As Nibbles explores Biscuit's home, he finds all of Biscuit's belongings. Eventually, Nibbles goes missing and Biscuit must find him. It kind of amazes me how much story can come from a 32 page book with level 1 words.

Biscuit Meets the Class Pet doesn't rhyme, which is fine by me. It does use repetitive words and phrases to build fluency. There was a section of 6 pages where the same 2 words were used in various combinations. This was a little too much repetition for me, but my son didn't seem to mind.

Biscuit Meets the Class Pet uses repetitive words to build vocabulary fluency and mastery. This was a sweet, short story that any animal loving level-1 reader will enjoy. Biscuit Meets the Class Pet gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Biscuit Meets the Class Pet? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words (Step Into Reading, Level 1)

By: Kathryn Heling & Deborah Hembrook

Publication: May 27, 2003 by Random House Books for Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, My First Reader, Early Reading, Level 1 Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Mouse makes word play fun!Readers will delight in finding small word hidden within bigger words; for example, when Mouse trips, his pants rip! Silly Mouse! A Step 1 book.

Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words is a fun rhyming book. Anytime you can add in a little game to the reading process, it helps liven the spirits of my reluctant readers. However, I do wish the words were a little more actually hidden on the page so my son could actually search for them. They were way too obvious to be considered real hide-and-seek, and I think that bummed him out alittle. In the beginning, he read the sentences and then re-read the words that were "hidden." But by the end of Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words he'd given up on re-reading the "hidden" words. He thought a couple of the illustrations and sentences were funny. Even though most pages only included one short sentence, it still felt like it took us forever to get through this book. That isn't a reflection of the book or my son's reading level. It's a reflection of him being easily distracted.

Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words uses rhyming words to build phonetic fluency and mastery. The concept of hide-and-seek made my son more excited to read as he loves to conquer a game. However, the game was entirely too easy as the words aren't actually hidden at all. Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Mouse's Hide-and-Seek Words? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Me Too, Woody!

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Me Too, Woody!

By: Walt Disney Company & Heidi Kilgras

Publication: January 22, 2002 by RH/Disney

32 pages

Genre: Children's, My First Reader, Early Reading, Level 1 Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--When Jessie tries to join in the fun and games with Woody and Buzz, she finds out that some games are simply meant for two . . . until the gang rounds up a game that everyone can play—including Jessie! In super-brief, super-simple text, this book promotes the power of inclusion.

Me Too, Woody! is one that my son picked out from our stack of level-1 readers. In some ways the phonics principles in this book had a few that we haven't covered yet, like "ies." On the other hand, the sentences were really short in this book. I believe 2- word or 3-word sentences. My son, of course, liked that this was a shorter book. He didn't even stumble on any of the words I was worried about. Me Too, Woody! had some sneaky-E practice which my son needed.

Me Too, Woody! has repetitive words which helps build fluency, but I'm not sure if it is sinking in long term or if my son just noted them at the moment as being the same word. This book isn't a rhyming book which I can take or leave. I love being able to use characters he's familiar with in level-1 readers like this to reinforce that learning and reading can be fun. Me Too, Woody! gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Me Too, Woody!? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Mouse Loves School

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Mouse Loves School

By: Lauren Thompson

Illustrated By: Buket Erdogan

Publication: June 28, 2011 by Simon Spotlight

24 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Mouse decides to hide inside a bright red backpack...and ends up at school! He explores a world full of colors, letters, and numbers and more until, at last, Mouse discovers his favorite thing about school. Friends!

Young readers are sure to enjoy Lauren Thompson's simple, energetic text and Buket Erdogan's sweet, playful illustrations as they learn to recognize words and begin to read on their very own!

Mouse Loves School is one that my son picked out from our stack of level-1 readers. I kept this one back for several weeks because I saw some words that we'd not learned the phonics principles for yet. He actually asked to read this one with my husband instead of me, but I wanted to be close by since I try to repeat or give hints to the principles we have learned without giving the answer away or telling him what the word is. Like with Turtle and Snake Go Camping, he did surprisingly well using context clues to help him with words that he didn't know or hasn't learned the phonics to be able to sound out completely.

Mouse Loves School has repetitive words and sounds which helps build fluency. There was even a small amount of rhyming. I love the concept of reinforcing the idea that learning and school can be fun. It can be enjoyable and a positive thing. For someone who thinks learning gets in the way of all the fun they want to be having, I think reinforcing that it is possible to enjoy learning is always a good thing. Mouse Loves School gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Mouse Loves School? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Turtle and Snake Go Camping

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Turtle and Snake Go Camping

By: Kate Spohn

Publication: June 1, 2000 by Penguin Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Turtle and Snake are going camping. Where should they put their tent? They splash through a brook, climb over some rocks, and paddle across a pond, before they find the perfect spot. But the forest is a little too scary at night. These endearing characters help beginning readers gain confidence.

Turtle and Snake Go Camping is one that my son voluntarily pulled from our stack of level-1 readers. He will often say a book looks "boring" or "cheesy", so for him to choose a book is a big thing. I was worried that he might not be at a level to actually read this book because "turtle" isn't a word that he's learned the phonics principles yet (words that end in le). But number 1, the word "turtle" isn't actually in the book, only the title. And number 2, he has been doing surprisingly well using context clues to help him with words that he doesn't know or hasn't learned the phonics to be able to sound out completely.

I'm always looking for books that are repetitive with words or sounds because that helps build fluency without each sentence being a repeat. Turtle and Snake Go Camping was a good method of doing this because Turtle and Snake go camping and then come back home. So the actions they do to get there are the same actions they take to go back home. And this provided repetition without it being "cheesy" as my son might say. He did give me a little giggle there at the end also. Turtle and Snake Go Camping gets 4 Stars. Have you or your child read Turtle and Snake Go Camping? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Tiny Goes to the Library

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Tiny Goes to the Library

By: Cari Meister

Publication: July 1, 2000 by Penguin Young Readers

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Tiny likes to go places with his best friend. But when they go to the library, Tiny has to wait outside. Soon it's time to bring the books home. Tiny is a very big help! Not since Clifford has a big dog been so appealing!

As I've discussed, my son, who is 6 years old, is a reluctant reader. He doesn't love it. He melts down over how long books are. Yet he's doing a great job at actually reading.

Tiny Goes to the Library wasn't a book that he was excited about reading. They can't all be books that we're excited about, right? At least at this stage the books are all short and easy to read. He's doing really well. I didn't notice as much repetition in phonetic sounds or specific words in this book as I have with some other early readers. He did get to read "Tiny" and "library" over and over. So those were two words that he gained some familiarity with.

In the end, I think Tiny Goes to the Library gets 3 Stars. It wasn't bad, but I wasn't blown away by the story or the vocabulary building/phonetic skills. This was just an okay addition to our early reader library. Have you read Tiny Goes to the Library? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Pup and Hound

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Pup and Hound

By: Susan Hood

Illustrated By: Linda Hendry

Publication: August 1, 2004 by Kids Can Press

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Follow the farmyard adventures of two lovable dogs in these humorous stories about friendship. With simple, rhyming text and playful illustrations, the Pup and Hound books are perfect for the beginning reader. Hound discovers Pup curled on the ground in need of dinner. Will Hound find a way to make his new friend feel better? This Level 1 first reader contains short stories, simple sentences, easy vocabulary, simple visual clues and lots of repetition.

My reluctant reader (6 years old) took one look at this book and decided he wasn't going to like it. Now, that could very likely have more to do with his mood at the moment than anything to do with this book. He isn't generally interested in reading when he doesn't want to. But once we got past the "I don't want to do this", he got into the story pretty well. 

Pup and Hound has both repeated phonetic principles as well as rhyming words. When my son was reading, we were moving slowly enough through the words that I didn't pick up on the rhyming scheme until I looked back on the book to write this review. Both of these work well together to build reading fluency. The repeated sounds and words helps to build memorized words, and I could tell he wasn't sounding out the repeated words each time by the end of the book.

Even though he initially turned his nose up, Pup and Hound ended up grabbing his attention, and even by the end of the book, he was reading much faster than he started. Pup and Hound gets 4 Stars. Have you read Pup and Hound? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Oops! I Made a Mistake

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Oops! I Made a Mistake

By: Susan Hood

Illustrated By: Dana Regan

Publication: September 13, 2011 by Studio Fun International

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Oops! A young girl tracks dirt inside, spills paint on the floor, then her dog runs out the door! She made a mistake, but dad does not yell. No one is perfect, he tells her, and mistakes can be fixed. They clean up the dirt, wipe up the paint, and bring back the pup. Then we see Dad make a mistake too! Includes a note to parents with tips on how to encourage reading and on how to help your child learn to read. Also included is a list of words to "point and read" to help young readers learn new words. As each word is read by a narrator words are highlighted on the screen. Sounds effects are also included.

Oops! I Made a Mistake follows a little girl who makes a series of 3 or 4 mistakes. She sees how her Dad handles mistakes without getting too worked up. And then she realizes that everyone makes mistakes. Even her dad.

What child cannot relate to making mistakes? The mistakes the little girls makes are all ones that a typical child might make and mostly result from not paying attention. They aren't intentional. It's good to see how adults handle mistakes without getting too upset. And then it's a nice reminder to know that even adults sometimes make mistakes too. I liked the phonics repetition in this book. Kids need to see each word over and over until it becomes memorized and not just sounded out. Frequent repetition helps words to become memorized and not have to be sounded out each time.

Oops! I Made a Mistake is a book any kid can relate to. Especially if you have a child that makes frequent inattention mistakes, this might help them to feel understood. I loved the phonics repetition with specific words being repeated and then specific phonetic blends being used multiple times. This helps to build reading vocabulary and mastery plus builds the child's reading confidence. Oops! I Made a Mistake gets 5 Stars. Have you or your child read Oops! I Made a Mistake!? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - No Kisses, Please!

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

No Kisses, Please!

By: Hans Wilhelm

Publication: January 1, 2004

32 pages

Genre: Children's, First Readers

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--Noodles the puppy faces a new kind of problem. Auntie Judy has arrived for a visit, and he is determined to avoid getting a kiss! When his attempt to hide in the garden fails, Noodles comes up with a hilarious and messy plan. This funny Level 1 story is perfect for beginning readers.

In No Kisses, Please! we follow a dog whose aunt is coming to visit. The aunt always gives him kisses which he doesn't like. He tries hiding, but that doesn't work. Eventually, he finds something that works. In the end, he gets something better than kisses.

This story appealed to my 6-year-old son because he isn't always a fan of kisses either. He can understand wanting to get away and hide from people who want to smother you with kisses. Even though this wasn't laugh-out-loud funny, it was funny enough for him to appreciate the story and relate.

No Kisses, Please! gets 4 Stars. I have no complaints with it, but I'm a firm believer of not giving everything 5 Stars because then you have nothing to rate the exceptional. Have you or your child read No Kisses, Please!? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Get the Giggles

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

Get the Giggles: A First Joke Book

By: [Scholastic Reader Level 1]

Illustrator: Bronwen Davies

Expected Publication: April 29, 2014 by Scholastic Inc.

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Humor, First Readers, Joke Books

Source: Personal Library

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Goodreads description--This joke book is sure to tickle your funny bone!

Why is it hard to play cards in the jungle?
-There are too many cheetahs.

What's a pirate's favorite letter?
-Aaarrr!

What time is it when an elephant sits on your fence?
-Time to get a new fence.

These hilariously simple jokes will have beginning readers rolling on the floor with laughter.

My six-year-old is a reluctant reader. He CAN do it. But overall, he doesn't enjoy reading. Yet. So I'm always on the lookout for books that might interest him. I wanted to get all of my kiddos a book as an end of school present, and this seemed like the perfect choice. And I have to say, I was right. My six-year-old loved this book. Not only has he read it and laughed, but he's read it more than once without complaining at all. Before long, I know he'll have it memorized word for word. Of course, the jokes aren't mind-blowing. They're written for early readers. That's the entire point of the book. But if you have a child who likes jokes but doesn't love reading, Get the Giggles might be a great choice for him/her. I have to give Get the Giggles 5 Stars. Have you read Get the Giggles? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Jesus and His Friends

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Beginner's Bible Jesus and His Friends

By: Kelly Pulley & Mission City Press Inc.

Publication: June 10, 2007 by Zonderkidz

32 pages

Genre: Children's, Bible, My First Readers

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Goodreads description--Jesus loves many people. He has lots of friends who love him, too. Jesus and his friends help people. They share their food. Best of all, Jesus and his friends tell people about God. This My First I Can Read! book, with basic language, word repetition, and great illustrations, is perfect for shared reading with a child. It aligns with guided reading level J and will be of interest to children Pre-K to 3 rd grade.

Jesus and His Friends was pretty good. It's written in a way that young children should be able to understand the gist of the story. This book covers who the twelve apostles were (by name only), and two of Jesus's miracles--the feeding of the five-thousand and healing the centurion's daughter. The healing is mentioned only in passing with little detail. The feeding of the five-thousand has a little more details.

I suppose since this is a "shared reader" level that means the parent is mostly reading to the child. I originally requested these books thinking that my son who is 6 and learning to read would be able to read this on his own. I didn't actually ask him to try, but there were words that I know he hasn't been exposed to either the phonics rules or the words themselves. That is no fault of the book. I just didn't pay close enough attention when I requested it. Overall, I give The Beginner's Bible Jesus and His Friends 4 Stars. Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know!

Homeschool Friday - Baby Moses and the Princess

Homeschool Friday is a feature here at Somewhere Only We Know that showcases books my family reads during homeschool and provides a mini-review for each.

The Beginner's Bible Baby Moses and the Princess

By: Kelly Pulley & Mission City Press Inc.

Publication: August 30, 2009 by Zonderkidz

33 pages

Genre: Children's, Bible, My First Readers

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Goodreads description--Mom must give up Miriam’s baby brother, Moses. She puts him in a basket on the river. But Miriam is worried. Will anyone discover him? This My First I Can Read! book, with basic language, word repetition, and great illustrations, is perfect for shared reading with a child. It aligns with guided reading level E and will be of interest to children Pre-K to 2 nd grade.

Baby Moses and the Princess was pretty good. It's written in a way that young children should be able to understand the gist of the story. Of course, there are some pretty scary parts of the real Biblical story that were left out. Ex: Pharoh's command to kill all the Jewish baby boys is changed into "the mean king want's to take baby Moses away." Much of this is understandable. I do sometimes question why pieces are altered in the storytelling process that seem unnecessary. Like the Princess finding Moses in the basket before he cried. The truth can stand up for itself and doesn't need to be altered in this way. Not a huge deal, but unnecessary if you ask me.

I suppose since this is a "shared reader" level that means the parent is mostly reading to the child. I originally requested these books thinking that my son who is 6 and learning to read would be able to read this on his own. I didn't actually ask him to try, but there were words that I know he hasn't been exposed to either the phonics rules or the words themselves. That is no fault of the book. I just didn't pay close enough attention when I requested it. Overall, I give The Beginner's Bible Baby Moses and the Princess 4 Stars. Have you read this book? What did you think? Let me know!