A BOY, A DOG, AND A FROG/FROG GOES TO DINNER by Mercer Mayer I tried to get the frogs to comply and pose for a picture alongside our outdoor goldfish tank. They would have nothing to do with it. It's time for a flashback to some of the best wordless books ever created for kids (in my opinion). If you want a book that will make you laugh, or I suppose it may cause you to feel faint if you have a child like this at home, these books are for you! Mercer Mayer nails idyllic childhood in his book A Boy, A Dog, and a Frog. Watch through a progression of pictures, as a boy sets off with his dog to the local pond to catch a frog. When the frog refuses to be caught, the boy heads home, but that is not the end of the story. In Frog Goes to Dinner, above mentioned frog joins the family at a fancy restaurant for dinner. Yes, what you imagine happens! If you have ever had a memorable restaurant experience with one of your kiddos (I have once - thank goodness it was out of state!), you will completely understand the parents' reaction. Absolutely hilarious for both parents and children even if you are coming at it from different view points!

NINE, TEN: A SEPTEMBER 11 STORY by Nora Raleigh Baskin Nine, Ten: A September 11 Story by Nora Raleigh Baskin is the story of 4 kids that live in different parts of the United States and how the September 11 tragedy affected them. Covering a 3 day span in their lives, the book begins on September 9th. Sergio is African American and lives in Brooklyn, New York with his grandmother. Will lives in Shanksville, Pennsylvania and is trying to emotionally heal from the traffic accident that took his father's life. Naheed lives in Ohio and is a Muslim. Aimee has recently moved to LA because of a job opportunity for her mom. This book does a good job of taking us to the heart of the kids' current lives and what a normal day looks like for each of them. For some that means trying to heal from tragedy or from a father that has walked out. Then, unexpectedly, 9/11 happens and their lives are changed even more. We are given a glimpse of the uncertainty and chaos that ensues. SPOILER ALERT The kids all make it and no one close to them perishes. The author explains that while that may not be realistic, her goal was to focus on how the tragedy brought them together. The book fast forwards to one year later where all four kids cross paths at Ground Zero. A healing has begun in each life. HEADS UP- So why the cautions, because really overall this book is pretty good. Two reasons. The first one is the anti police message we get from Sergio when he decides to skip school one day. The message lasts for one page. The second one is that Will has a crush on a girl that he ends up kissing.

MY TEACHER IS A MONSTER! by Peter Brown A peek into how our first day back to homeschool will start tomorrow. After opening prayer and Bible verse, I'm going to pull this great picture book out and read it to my 3 that are still around the table (including my high schooler!). My Teacher is a Monster by Peter Brown is a hilarious book about a little boy's perception of his teacher. It is set in a public school setting, but I am sure there are times that my kids have thought I was just a tad bit of a monster. SPOILER ALERT When he runs into his teacher outside of school, little by little he realizes that she is a person. Brown does a wonderful job with his illustrations as he transforms the green monster into a sweet lady.

WOLF HOLLOW by Lauren Wolk Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk is not a new read. Published in 2016 it has been around for a few years, but I wasn't familiar with it. Hauntingly sad in a Where the Red Fern Grows sort of style (there are no animals but you become wrapped up in people and situations where tragedy occurs), Wolf Hollow gets under your skin and is difficult to put down. Originally written as an adult read but classified as a middle grade read, Wolk's opening lines are hooking. "The year I turned twelve, I learned to lie. I don't mean the small fibs that children tell. I mean real lies fed by real fears - things I said and did that took me out of the life I'd always known and put me down hard into a new one." She closes the book with a lesson learned. "But Wolf Hollow was also where I learned to tell the truth in that year before I turned twelve: about things from which refuge was impossible. Wrong, even. No matter how tempting." Set in Pennsylvania post World War I, Annabelle lives in a loving, farming family in a close knit community. Days follow a predictable schedule and pace until Betty Glengarry comes to town. Betty is downright cruel, and she desires to take from and hurt others. Her behavior goes far beyond practical jokes, and completely upends loved ones in Annabelle's life. All the blame for the mayhem is being placed on a strange, reclusive WWI veteran who has clearly been through some very rough times. Annabelle knows he isn't to blame and sets out to find the proof she needs to clear his name before anyone else is hurt. Be sure to catch the symbolism of Wolf Hollow and the reclusive Veteran. There is a second book to Wolf Hollow. I will be diving into it soon. HEADS UP- Just a minor one. Betty is always disappearing with a boy. You get the feeling they may be off making out although no details are given. Part of the time they are carrying out Betty's destructive plans.

A KID'S GUIDE TO BACKYARD BIRDS by Eliza Berkowitz. Illustrated by Nicole LaRue. We love to watch the birds around our house. We live in the middle of the woods, so bird interactions are a daily happening. Guides have always been a must have for us for identification. They can be difficult to maneuver for younger hands or a quick flip. I always keep my eyes open for easier, more manageable editions that can be grabbed quickly, thrown into a nature walk bag, etc. A Kid's Guide to Backyard Birds by Eliza Berkowitz is easy to use with a nice, big illustration of each bird. Just shy of 100 pages it is lightweight, and the format is a large picture on the left with lots of facts on the right. The guide covers a nice selection of common birds across the U.S. There is no index, but since it is so easy to flip through with large illustrations, I don't find this to be a huge drawback! ALONGSIDE ACTIVITIES- I typically do a bird unit in the winter with my kids. We put out feeders (included in this book is a simple feeding activity), use either a sketch book or Dover Coloring books on North American Birds or Audubon's Birds, and our bird guides. We pick one bird a day to identify. We draw or color the bird, pay attention to behavior patterns at the feeder, look up facts and record them with our picture, and listen to their song/call. I have a book I use that plays the calls, but you can also Google calls to listen to as well. Fall ACTIVITIES- As the leaves drop, birds become more visible. Nests do as well. Examine birds and nests (leave the nests in place unless they are blown out by wind or storms). Use binoculars to identify building materials, size, etc used in the construction. Make a list of birds that winter in your area and those that migrate. Begin to watch for migration. You can map distances and destinations of bird groups. Distances that birds cover are nothing short of a miracle. There are different ideas as to how birds know where to go (built in by our wonderful Creator!). This can be a fascinating study! Additional reading you can branch into include books about John J. Audubon. There are beautiful picture books about his life. Owls in the Family is a great read. Saving Jemima was an interesting adult read (I wrote a review on WWR. You can put the title in the search bar).

IF A HORSE HAD WORDS by Kelly Cooper and Lucy Eldridge. Do you have a younger child that loves horses? This is a fun read about a boy and a horse who come full circle in life. If a Horse Had Words by Kelly Cooper and Lucy Eldridge begins with the birth of a little foal. Later, the boy has to rescue him out of a patch of trouble he gets into. When it comes time to ride him, things don't go as planned, so he is sold, but that's not the end of the story!

WHO IS JESUS? by Kate Hox. Illustrated by Joe Hox Who is Jesus? is a wonderful devotional we just finished up in our evening family devotions. Written to a middle grade level, this book would work well if you have a wide range of ages. Author Kate Hox is very good at coming up with engaging questions that even teens and adults can find valuable for growing and self examination. Hox begins in the Old Testament and draws the evidence and presence of Christ. She then continues the thread with Jesus' life on earth. Each lesson is entitled with a Jesus is ... statement. Examples are Jesus is the Ark and the Door, Jesus is the Tabernacle, Jesus is the Mercy Seat, Jesus is the Bridegroom. The book contains forty lessons with the possibility of using it as a Lent/Easter devotional. Illustrated by Joe Hox, the author's husband, each lesson includes a thought provoking illustration and a symbol to help solidify the lesson.

THE BOOK RESCUER by Sue Macy. Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. Here I am in the car with my daughter traveling from Ohio to South Carolina. We are on our way to check out wedding venues for her upcoming wedding. Nine hours in the car leaves some space for reading! My book bag is bigger than my travel bag. No joke! So what am I reading? Well one book is The Book Rescuer. The Book Rescuer is a picture book by Sue Macy about Aaron Lansky and his amazing ongoing journey to rescue books written in Yiddish. What is Yiddish? It is the language of European Jews. Due to WWII and also the European Jews leaving old lives behind, many Yiddish books were lost or destroyed. Lansky had and still has to this day a desire to keep the history and culture of the European Jews alive through the finding and preserving of books written in Yiddish. Illustrator Stacy Innerst does an amazing job on illustrations. The pictures are mainly done in browns and grays and blacks emphasizing the history, but then, where the future is portrayed, colors touch the pages. What emerges is a feeling of bringing the past into the present.

SHADY HOLLOW: A MURDER MYSTERY by Juneau Black If you have been following this page for any length of time you will see a reoccurring genre - mystery. I love a good mystery. With that being said, it was a no-brainer when I was perusing the shelves at the bookstore and came across Shady Hollow. Shady Hollow is a fun read set in an animal community by Juneau Black. Sort of like if Wind in the Willows met Maisie Dobbs. When Otto Stumpf, the curmudgeonly old toad of the community, turns up dead in the millpond with a knife sticking out of him, the entire hollow is thrown into a panic. Nothing like this has ever happened before in the small community. But as Vera Vixen, a local news reporter who happens to also be a fox, begins to dig, secrets begin to emerge which lead to yet another death. Hopefully, she can figure out what's going on before the murderer gets to Vera to shut her up. HEADS UP- So why did I give this a yellow? For one reason. This entire story is based on an affair gone wrong. There are no intimate details shared. You just know that the affair is over and there is an individual that is seeking vengeance.

HOW TO WRITE A STORY by Kate Messner. Illustrated by Mark Siegel How about a picture book that teaches the process of writing a story by a well known author? Kate Messner takes kids through the steps of writing from a blank page to a finished story. This book is a great start for a younger child stepping into the writing world or a middle grader that is burnt out on writing lessons and needs a basic refresher about the joy of the process. Messner shares 10 basic steps that really are the backbone of writing. I, personally, love to use resources like this. We do use a writing curriculum, but from time to time I like to step away from it and see what my kids create naturally on their own without a checklist of "make sure you include." I appreciate steps that say things like, "Write Your Story With So Much Detail Readers Can See It In Their Minds." This is an activity that even I will probably jump in and do with the kids this school year!

THE WHITE LADY by Jacqueline Winspear If you like a good mystery wrapped in a bit of war mystique, Jacqueline Winspear is your author. Well known for her phenomenal Maisie Dobbs series, Winspear follows a similar vein with her book The White Lady, but with a bit of a twist. Elinor White, The White Lady, is an ex-spy from WWII who enjoys her quiet and now uneventful life. She doesn't want to be close to anyone again, because in her life she has experienced the heartache of loss too many times. But when a little neighbor girl, Susie, goes out of her way to befriend her, Elinor can't refuse. Susie's family is in serious danger because her father is a notorious crime boss's son that has left the family business to pursue true family life, and they want him back for a job. Elinor is reminded of another little girl from her past, and she can't walk away. Before she knows it, she is wrapped up in connections from long ago and on the hunt for answers to questions that were buried deep. Well written. HEADS UP- Very minor language. There is an attempted rape. Doesn't happen. You know Elinor has had an affair with a man, but no details are given.

A BOY CALLED BAT by Elana K. Arnold. Illustrated by Charles Santoso Recently I read aloud A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold to my 10-year-old. I had picked it up at the bookstore with her in mind because it involved the rescue of a sweet, skunk kit. (Yes it is possible for skunks to be sweet.) She loved it! While I knew loving the skunk was a given I didn't know how much we would enjoy the character of Bat, short for Bixby Alexander Tam. Bat is on the autism spectrum. He likes his room a certain way. He likes his life a certain way. He tends to be blunt with his words and struggles with making friends. Enter Thor the skunk. Bat's mom is a vet, so when an expecting skunk is hit by a car, she is able to save one kit. The little kit requires around the clock care and Bat is all in. What Bat doesn't know is how much this little animal is going to change his world! This is Book 1 in a series that I know my 10-year-old is chomping at the bit to continue. HEADS UP- Just a couple minor notes: Bat's parents are divorced. Everything is very peaceful between them and there are no stepparents. Bat and his sister struggle in their relationship a little. Bat's tendencies can be annoying to her and she loses her patience at times with him.