Friday, September 22, 2023

Homeschool Friday - # 3

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.

Goodreads description--Glenn and his goat go everywhere together. That silly little goat simply provides Glenn friendship and laughter until, one day, the goat helps Glenn find “gold” hidden in plain sight. This whimsically illustrated Silver Tales Series story is just right for Level 2 readers who will grow in their appreciation of hard work, family, tradition, and nature’s gifts.

We happened to be studying maple syrup the week we read Glenn and His Goat. It was the perfect addition to our science lesson this week. Glenn wants so bad to help his family out that is struggling financially. Glenn also wants his own pair of boots. Instead of sitting by and doing nothing, Glenn finds maple sap when his faithful goat starts licking a tree. The story of Glenn, and his goat's determination is something I want my kids to grow up with.

Goodreads description--From the creator of Ready Rabbit Gets Ready! comes a hilarious photo-story of sisterhood and one-upmanship.

Philomena needs new glasses. Her sister Audrey wants them, too. And if Philomena and Audrey have them, shouldn't their sister Nora Jane also have them?

In this utterly amusing tale of sisterhood, glasses, purses, and dresses, these girls soon make an important discovery. Not everyone needs the same things !

Philomena's New Glasses is about how often times we see what others have and think we have to have the same. Philomena needs new glasses, so Audrey's wants some too. And since Audrey gets some too, Nora Jane doesn't want to be left out. Eventually all of the sisters want new things, and all end up getting the same things as each other even though they don't need them. I can't remember all of the items they got off the top of my head, but the lesson is simple. We don't have to always have the same things as everyone else. PREACH IT!

Goodreads description--When Peter finds out that his blue furniture is being painted pink for his new baby sister, he takes the last unpainted item, a chair, and runs away.

A sweet book about a little boy who realizes that things he's outgrown are being revamped for his baby sister. At first, Peter is resistant. He doesn't want his things to be changed. And he doesn't want to give up his things. But he comes to realize that even if he doesn't want to outgrow his things (his chair or his bed), he truly can't use them anymore. And he changes his mind to be excited about giving his things to his new sister. A cute book with a good message.

Goodreads description--Charlie and friend Marv are in search of strange and tricky creatures. And they would like to search without Lola bothering and interrupting. But Lola knows EXACTLY how to catch strange and tricky creatures, and enlists a little bit of help from her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, and, of course, one or three drops of pink milk. "Child is as visually inventive and verbally dexterous as ever ...classic." - Guardian "The Child recipe at its fresh, playful best." - Observer "A typically exuberant, imaginative whirl of a story." - Angels and Urchins "Child is second to none when it comes to capturing the imagination of young children." - Daily Express "A witty book that reminds us why we fell in love with Charlie and Lola in the first place." - Junior

This was a funny one. Charlie and Marv want to play without Charlie's little sister, Lola. Totally relatable. I had an older sister, and I always hung out with her and her friends. Every now and then she would tell me that it was time for me to leave and let them hang out together. And I wouldn't always be happy about it, but I understood her point. Now that I have children, I'm seeing my oldest want to play with her friends without her little brother bothering them. And I hate him being left out, but I understand it all at the same time. Well Lola had a great strategy to be involved in the play. She suggested her invisible friend, Soren Lorensen, could find the creature Charlie and Marv were trying to find. Lola is brillant. And I kind of wish my two would take a page out of her book.

There was no description on Goodreads. This was included in my daughter's level 2 language arts curriculum. This is a reader meant to be read with both parent/teacher and student. I can't say that my daughter always looked forward to reading this book. As a matter of fact, she often huffed and puffed when it was time to pull this out. However, there were also chapter breaks where she was excited to find out what was going to happen next. Wesley and the Wolves is essentially a boy-who-cried-wolf story. Wesley literally cries wolf, but instead of having multiple instances of lying, Wesley really only lied one time, but this book shows that once trust is lost it can be really difficult to win back. But I loved how Wesley did in fact work to earn trust back with every single person that he broke trust with. A great message in this story.

Goodreads description--The Sour Grape holds grudges for every reason under the sun. Lime never returned a scarf they borrowed? Grudge! Orange never called back? Grudge! But when a friend holds a grudge against the Sour Grape without listening to an explanation, the Sour Grape realizes how unfair grudges can be. Could a bunch of forgiveness and compassion be enough to turn a sour grape sweet?

Jory John and Pete Oswald serve up another heaping plate of laughs and lessons with this empowering, witty, and charming addition to their #1 New York Times bestselling series!

This book is really, really good! I wasn't expecting it to be so good. Honestly, I could have used this book growing up. And I certainly have one child that naturally veers toward being a "sour grape". The concepts in this book were so clear. Seeing how easily and how quickly we can turn into a grudge-holding, bitter, angry person in an illustration was really impactful. I recommend this book to EVERYONE!

Goodreads description--How can we give our children an understanding of the value of love, kindness, empathy, and compassion?

It's challenging to explain the importance of giving and receiving love. Why do some people behave hurtfully? How can we respond with kindness and compassion?

I liked this book. I actually got a copy of this book for review from the publisher via NetGalley, but all of my thoughts are my own. The Love Tank is a really good concept in a way that children can understand. I liked the specific difference mentioned between your love tank and being hungry and how trying to fill your love tank with food or shopping will only leave you still feeling empty. I asked my daughter (7 years old) what she thought of this book. She said it was good, and she liked it, but that it was too similar to another book she read. And that made me think of Have You Filled A Bucket Today?, and she verified that was the book she was thinking of. I agree with her. I didn't get both books out to compare one to the other (since we own Have You Filled a Bucket...), but I feel like it went more in depth. If you had to buy one of them only, I would recommend Have You Filled a Bucket Today?, but I like that they both address a similar concept, and this can be great for repition that children need. And having both to use in teaching your kids would be a great way to address their emotional needs and teach them about how to treat others.

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