Reading Y-Z's

Oh me, oh my . . . Why we're nearly at the end of the road

of the amazing summer reading racetrack.

Maybe you would like to read:

"You are Special" by Max Lucado

my "Yankee Doodle America" alphabet book

"The Year of the Book" by Andrea Cheng

"A Year with Friends" by John Seven

or "The ABC's of Yoga for Kids" by

Teresa Anne Power

Some zany "Z" titles:

"Zap! a Brief History of Television"

"Zap! I'm a Mind Reader"-- one title in a series called

"The Zack Files" by Dan Greenburg

"A Zeal of Zebras--an Alphabet of Collective Nouns"

"Zelda and Ivy"--two fabulous fox sisters

in a book by Laura McGee Kvasnosky

"Zin! Zin! Zin! a Violin" by Lloyd Moss

"ZooZical" by Judy Sierra

and the zaniest of all:

"Z is for Moose" by Kelly Bingham

This may be the end of the alphabet . . .
but the actual reading race does not end until
the end of August. You all still have time to
win an amazing summer reading race trophy
(even if all you read is one book, Zach!)

Happy Summer Reading!
Love, Grandma

Reading X

Did you read any of the favorite books of your cousins this summer?
If so, put an "X" by the title . . . or rather put an "x"
on your amazing summer reading racetrack.

 

"Diary of a Wimpy Kid" books by Jeff Kinney
are favorites of both Brody and Coltin.

   

Any "Series of Unfortunate Events" books
by Lemony Snicket are favorites of Eddy.

"Harry Potter" books by J.K. Rowling
 are Jack's favorites.

A "Pete the Cat" book happened to be on top of
the book basket the day Lindsay picked her favorite
book . . . but according to her Mom, every time
they go to the library Lindsay finds a new "favorite" book!

Luke likes the "Fly Guy" books by Tedd Arnold.

Nash likes the board book "Peek-a-Who?"

Owen's favorite board book is "10 Trick-or-Treaters".

Parker liked a "Duck and Goose" board book on this particular day.

Ryan's favorite book is "Buzz's Big Mission"--
from the Disney Pixar Storybook Library.

Wade loves legos and his "Amazing ABC" lego book.

And Zach doesn't like reading much,
but does like "The Unwanteds" series by Lisa McMann.

Happy "X marks the spot"!
Love, Grandma

Reading W's

My wagon is full of "W"onderful books like
"Where the Wild Things Are" by Maurice Sendak
"Charlotte's Web" by E.B. White
and "Old McDonald Had a Workshop"
which is a twist on the song "Old Mcdonald Had a Farm"!

The "Whatever After" series of cute chapter books are about
a sister (Abby) and a brother (Jonah) who jump into a magic
mirror and visit fairy tales like Snow White in "Fairest of All"
. . . Cinderella in "If the Shoe Fits" . . .  the Little Mermaid in
"Sink or Swim" . . . and Rapunzel in "Bad Hair Day".

Another fun series of chapter books are "Weird School"
books by Dan Gutman like "Miss Daisy is Crazy" . . .
"Mr. Klutz is Nuts" . . . "Ms. Hannah is Bananas" . . .
"Mrs. Yonkers is Bonkers!"

Perhaps your Moms remember this weird book,
"When the Wind Changed" and would love to
read it to you sometime!?

But, of course, you could read about many other
things like the weather . . .wheels . . . witches . . .
the world . . . Winnie-the-Pooh . . . or books
written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

I remember my 5th grade teacher reading our class
"The Wind in the Willows" by Kenneth Graham,
but I sure couldn't remember anything about it. So that is
one more library book I found and read this summer.

Whatever you read, have a wonderful day!
Love, Grandma

Reading Roadblock Blue

Once you hit the blue section of your Amazing Summer Reading
Racetrack, you will not only be close to the finish line, but you
will be ready for your very last reading roadblock challenge!

Have a family read-a-thon!

Find a comfy, cozy spot . . . and maybe a few pillows, too.
Gather up a pile of books . . . and maybe a few tasty treats.
Invite the whole family . . . and read to yourself or out loud
or any combination for at least 30 minutes!  Maybe longer
if you're having loads of fun. Let me know when you're
done and it will be time to pick another goodie from
my Suitcase of Summer Surprises.

Happy Read-a-thon!
Love, Grandma

Reading U-V's

Under my umbrella are book ideas for both the letter "U" and

  the letter "V" including "Un-Brella" by Scott E. Franson.

In this wordess book, a little girl uses her magic umbrella to give her

 the weather she wants, regardless of what the conditions really are outside.

 

Zach is a fan of a series called "The Unwanteds"
by Lisa McMann-- a series described as
"The Hunger Games meets Harry Potter."

Other "U's" you might choose to read:

"Up and Down" by Oliver Jeffers"

"The Ugly Duckling"--a classic fairy tale

or a book about the universe or the USA or Utah!

Or a book about under the sea or Uh-Oh . . .

"Underwear:What We Wear Under There"--

a non-fiction title you might find at your local library!

I read an interesting book called "Under the Egg" by

Laura Marx Fitzgerald.  In this book Theodora Tenpenny spills

a bottle of rubbing alcohol on her late grandfather's painting of

an egg and she discovers what seems to be an old Renaissance

painting underneath it. So she sets out to solve the mystery

in this 5-star book!

As for the letter "V",  I read "The View from Saturday"

which is a 1996 Newbery Medal winner by E.L. Konigsburg.

It was a very good book, also and told the story of four members

of an extraordinarily successful 6th grade quiz bowl team.

Other books you very well might like to read:

"The Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

or books about vegetables, Vikings,  volcanoes

or valentines including a book "Unvalentine"

by Sam Beeson which could count as a "U" or "V" book.

So there you go!

Love, Grandma

Reading T's

There are ton's of terrific titles for "T" reading:

"Tarzanna" by Babette Cole
"Tea Party Rules" by Amy Dyckman
"Teddy Bear Picnic"
"Town Mouse Country Mouse" by Jan Brett
"Come to Town" by Ann Rockwell
"T is for Tugboat--Navigating the Seas from A -A"
(a book from my travels to Canada)
 

Maybe you could take a break from TV and read about or
under a tree today. "Maple" by Lori Nichols is a darling
book about a girl and a tree who grow up together.

Of course, you could also read tongue twisters,
Thanksgiving stories or a tooth fairy book. Or

take some time to read about trains, tigers, turtles,
treasures or "The Adventures of TinTin" by Herge. 

I read "The Phantom Tollbooth".
One day when Milo was totally bored, he drove through
the toll booth he found in his bedroom and began a crazy
journey through all kinds of "wordy" places. This is a
fun book to read more than once.

Ta ta for now.
Love, Grandma 

Reading S's

"Summer Reading is Killing Me" by  Jon Scieszka
is a book I highly recommend to boys who believe that this is true.
In this book Joe, Sam and Fred find themselves trapped inside their
summer reading list, involved in a battle between the good and
evil characters from well-known children's books.

Some other super "S" stories are:

"The Saturdays" by Elizabeth Enright
"Stink" books by Megan McDonald
"Skippyjon Jones" books by Judy Schachner
"Sheila Rae, the Brave" by Kevin Henkes
"Slyvester and the Magic Pebble" by William Steig
"Splat the Cat" books by Rob Scotten
and "The Scrambled States of America"
 

"Scapegoat" by Dean Hale is the silly
Story of a Goat Named Oat and a Chewed-Up Coat
with a lot of rhyming words!

And there are books by Lemony Snicket and Shel Silverstein
as well as books about seasons . . . seeds . . . snakes and
snow . . . sports . . . space . . . and the sea.
 

One of my favorite movies, "You've Got Mail" inspired me
to finally read a shoe book. There are several, but the one
I read this summer was "Skating Shoes" by Noel Streatfeild.

So long my super summer readers!
Love, Grandma

Reading R's

"Read Anything Good Lately?"
That's not only a question, but the name of a picture book in
my collection. . . "Rosie's Walk" by Pat Hutchins . . . "Russell
the Sheep" books . . . "Robin Hood" . . . and "The Rescuers"
are other good "R"eads .

Or you could read about rabbits . . . the rain . . . or rainbows.
There is a whole series of "Rainbow Magic" chapter books
about fairies like "Ruby, the Red Fairy" and "Rebecca, the
Rock 'n Roll Fairy". But maybe boys would rather read about
 robots . . . rockets . . . or "Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes."

"Read Aloud Rhymes for the Very Young" is another
good book in my picture book collection or you could
read any number of children's book that rhyme!

I, myself, read "Romeo and Juliet"--not the real
Shakespeare version, but a BabyLit board book
by Jennifer Adams.

Remember-- the amazing reading race ends this month!
Love, Grandma

Reading Roadblock Green

It will be time for another challenge when you reach the green
section on your amazing summer reading racetrack. And this
challenge is probably the easiest one yet!

Read for at least 20 minutes in a different
spot than you have ever read before!
 

Maybe you could read outside in the yard . . . or inside at
the breakfast table . . . or outside under a tree . . . or inside
under a fort . . . or who knows where you will think of!
If you can't come up with a unique place to read, I'm sure
Aunt Betsy can give you some good ideas!

Happy reading in a new place!
Love, Grandma

Reading Q's

Snuggle under a quilt and read a book about quilts . . .
or quack . . . or queens. You could even read "Olivia and
the Fairy Princesses" by Ian Falconer. Olivia, the cute spunky
pig I love, believes there are too many ruffly, sparkly
 princesses around these days and she does not want
to be like everyone else. So what will she be?
Read this book and see. (hint: it begins with a "Q")

I love the illustrations and story in
"The Quiet Book" by Deborah Underwood.
But this summer I finally read the funny story
of "Ramona Quimby, Age 8" by Beverly Cleary.

If you're still wondering what to read for the letter "Q",
try reading a book with a "question" title:
"How Much is a Million?"  by David M. Schwartz
"What Do People Do All Day?"  by Richard Scarry
"Where's My Teddy?"  by Jez Alborough

Any more questions?
Love Grandma

 

Reading P's

Plenty of possibilities abound for letter "P" reading:
books about pigs . . . pigeons . . . penguins . . . pirates . . .
princesses . . . even little green peas in
"LMNO Peas" and "1-2-3- Peas" 
plus peek-a-boo books . . . "Parts!"
. . . Pinkalicious" . . . "Purplicious"
and "A Porcupine Named Fluffy".

Puppy poems A-Z can be found in "Name That Dog"
by Peggy Archer. Nursery rhymes A-Z can be found
"In a Pumpkin Shell" illustrated by JoanWalsh Anglund.
 

A picture book with possibly the most "P" words
and pictures you can imagine is "Pigs in Pajamas"
by Maggie Smith--a story that also rhymes!

 Perhaps you would prefer to read

 "Pixarpedia" (an encyclopedia of characters from
 Pixar movies) . . . or "Peter and the Starcatchers"
 by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson which  is a prequel
series about the Peter Pan stories by J.M. Barrie.

The book I picked to read was by Jeanne Birdsall--
"The Penderwicks--A Summer Tale of Four Sisters,
Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy".

Please have a pleasant day reading!
Love, Grandma

Reading O's

Oh boy, there are a lot of books that begin with "Oh":
"Oh, the Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss
"Oh, Were They Ever Happy" by Peter Spier
and "Oh, What a Busy Day!" by Gyu Fujikawa

"Once upon a time . . ." stories are ever so abundant, too
plus "Once There Were Giants" and
"Once Upon a Golden Apple" books.

Not only that, but you could read a book about my favorite
"O" character: Olivia (who is a spunky pig) or you could
read "Olive the Other Reindeer" --a Christmas story.
You could read about oceans, octopus, owls, or origami
. . . even the "Origami Yoda" series by Tom Angelberger
 

"Beautiful Oops! is a cute picture book with this moral:
"It's ok to make a mistake. In fact, hooray for mistakes!
A mistake is an adventure in creativity."


I read and loved "The Ordinary Princess" by M.M. Kaye
but maybe you would prefer reading "Over in the Meadow"--
an old counting rhyme book by David A. Carter.
"Outside the Box" is a book of funny poems
by Karma Wilson like this one about oatmeal:
"As mooshy, gooshy, squishy goo?
It's awful stuff to eat.
As crunchy, munchy cookie bliss?
Oatmeal's a wonderful treat.

Of course, the easiest way to earn a letter "O" on your
amazing summer reading racetrack, might just be to read outside!

Oh, what a wonderful day to read!
Love, Grandma

Reading N's

It might be nice to read a Newbery Medal book for the letter "N".

Newbery Medals are awarded each year to the author of the most

distinguished American literature. In 2013 the medal was awarded

to Katherine Applegate for "The One and Only Ivan" which is a

pretty good book I read this summer.

But if you are in more of a naughty mood, you could read

"M is for Mischief--an A-Z of Naughty Children" by

Linda Ashman . . . or "No, David!" . . . or

  "No Peas for Nellie".

"The Boy Who Cried Ninja" is a silly picture book

by Alex Latimer and

"The Three Ninja Pigs" is a fractured fairy tale

by Corey Rosen Schwartz.

Christmas is coming in less than six months so how about

reading  "The Night Before Christmas". There are other

"Night Before . . . " books about other holidays, too.

Nancy Drew books have been around for a very long time.

They are popular mysteries that have been written by many

different authors through the years all using the same pen

 name of Carolyn Keene. This series remains so popular that

versions called "Nancy Drew Notebooks" and

"Nancy Drew and the Clue Crew" have been written especially

for a younger audience.  Beginning readers might like

the boy detective mystery series called "Nate the Great"

 by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. Or you could read about another

Nate in "Big Nate" books. "Big Nate" is also a comic strip
in the newspaper. And the newspaper is Grandpa's
most favorite kind of reading of all!

Have a nice day reading!
Love, Grandma

Reading M's

You might like to read a magical book for the letter "M"!
Maybe a magic tricks book or a "Magic Tree House" book
by Mary Pope Osbourne or a "Magic School Bus" book by
Joanna Cole. In this series Ms. Frizzle is the teacher who
dresses in outfits that match the subject of the day and takes
her students on amazing learning adventures!

Maybe a mystery would be more exciting for you like:
"The Missing Mummy"--one of the A-Z mysteries by Rob Roy
or "March Mischief"--one of the calendar mysteries by Rob Roy.

You might like a Mother Goose book or a book about mothers
like "Mars Needs Moms!" by Berkeley Breathed.  There are
magazines, math books, monster books,
mouse books and music books.

"M is for Music" was a book even Grandpa liked!

Don't miss out reading books about "Miss Nelson is Missing!
. . . "Miss Rumphis" . . . "Miss Spider" . . . or "Mrs. Piggle
 Wiggle by Betty Macdonald. "The Complete Adventures of the
Mole Sisters" is a very cute picture book. "Madeline" and
"Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" are classic picture books.

I decided it was about time I read "Mary Poppins" by P.L. Travers
 . . . afterall, it was my favorite movie when I was a young girl.
 

Man alive . . . this post was so long you should get credit
for the letter "M" just for reading it!

Happy reading minutes!
Love, Grandma

Reading Roadblock Yellow

When you reach the yellow section on your amazing summer
reading racetrack, try this new challenge to earn another
reading reward from Grandma's Suitcase of Summer Surprises!

Visit the library!
Look for something you might like to read for the
amazing summer reading race, but consider looking

 around in different areas than you normally look.
Look for a DVD or a Book on CD to listen to or read
along with.  Look for a Graphic Novel or a magazine.
Look in the non-fiction section (where the books have
numbers on the spine) and find a book about an animal
. . . or a biography (which is the story of a real person)
. . . or a book about a country . . . or a book about
a sport . . . or a holiday book . . . or a how-to book.

If you don't already have one, get your very own
library card . . . or maybe attend a summer reading
program or a story time. You could even look for your
Grandma at the library (if you happen to be in Farmington
and if it happens to be Tuesday, Thursday or Friday!)

 

Happy library visit!
Love, Grandma

Reading L's

Look at all the books you could read for the letter "L":
"The Library" by Sarah Stewart
"Library Lion" by Michelle Knudsen

"Lyle the Crocodile" by Bernard Waber
"Lady Lollipop" a pig story by Dick King-Smith
"The Lady with the Alligator Purse"
"Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse" by Kevin Henkes
"The Little Red Hen (makes a pizza)"
"Little Red Writing" by Joan Holub
(the characters in this book are pencils! . . . so this book
plus a few others on this list could also be "P" books)

For beginning readers there are LEGO Ninjago books.
For more advanced readers there is:
"The Lightning Thief: Percy Jackson and the Olympians"
by Rick Riordan
"The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" by C. S. Lewis

and "The Little House on the Prairie" series by Laura Ingalls Wilder
 

I quite liked this book:
"Lulu and the Brontosaurus"--
a short chapter book with lots of cute pictures
about a sassy, spoiled little girl named Lulu
who is determined to get a brontosaurus for her birthday!

Have a lovely day of reading!
Love, Grandma