Bedtime Stories

More than a year has passed since the kids and I started a book club. The kids' ages range from three to nine. At the time only the oldest (the girls) were readers. The boys were just starting to learn their letters. I wanted to start something that would be fun for the kids and not feel like school: no lessons or homework, just listening to a good story.

We usually get together every day and read. On the weekends we visit our local library, checking out too many books. We also watch movies based on books like The Velveteen Rabbit, Stuart Little, Harry Potter, and many more. The kids enjoy themselves while unknowingly adding new words to their vocabularies and enriching their love of books.

This week we are reading some great finds from our library:


Behold the Bold Umbrellaphant by Jack Prelutsky, illustrated by Carin Berger (2006)
Ages 4-6
40 pages

As a group we never read poetry. The kids, with very different interests, would rather not. But after reading some great reviews about this book, I checked it out for myself and ended up reading it to the group every night. The book is about imaginary creatures that are part inanimate object and part animal. So far the kids' favorite is the toadster, an animal that is part toad and part toaster who loves popping out toast from the top of its head.



Owl at Home written and illustrated by Arnold Lobel (1982)
Ages 4-8
64 pages

It's amazing how even as an adult you can rediscover your childhood by falling in love with children's books. This was published the year I was born but I've never encountered books by Lobel until now.

Owl at Home is a collection of five stories about the adventures of Owl in his home. The kids loved reading about the silly character as he welcomed winter into his warm and cozy home one night, walked home with the moon, and others.

Owl at Home has been such a good fit with my family, I am finding as many books as I can by Lobel.