May 2022 Book List

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My oldest child and I tend to butt heads. We are both, dare I say, a smidge alike temperamentally. Both outspoken yet deep thinkers, passionate but stubborn. Teaching her to read will always be one of my life's most proud accomplishments.
Really, it was a joint struggle but amidst the work, I had a deep-seated fear not that she wouldn't eventually read well, but that she would ultimately hate stories and reading.
 
It felt like a long year and a half of tedium. When I re-shifted my focus on bringing more delight in our homeschool reading, her fluency took off. 
She was off to the races ever since the end of first grade and it has been such a gift to see her relish reading. One of the keys to help her enjoy book time has been having a wide variety of new, incoming picture books. I'm at the library more often than the grocery store(PTL for click-list)! And that's the way I like it.
 
Even though May feels like cram season, cram before our state testing that is, I am still bound and determined to spend a liberal amount of our days reading together. I see popsicles in our future read-aloud time too. Happy May and Happy reading to you.


Picture Books this Month:

If you have girl(s) in the house, you may already know Shannon and & Dean Hale's Princess in Black series. One of my twins doesn't seem to tire of these short chapter books. I'll find her devouring the pictures and asking Winston and I to read and re-read. There is now 8 books in the series. They are cute and fun.

Little man loves the llama llama books. This one might be momma's fave. Shows kids what life would be like if Mama Llama never cleaned. Teaches responsibility and the importance of helping out around the house. 

The Gruffalo by John Donaldson and Axel Scheiffler is oh so good. We read it 5-6 times. A new read for our family. A short story about out-smarting your fears and your enemies.

Hilarious sequel to "the Boss Baby". The original boss is matched by a younger sibling. Marla Frazee must be a mom, she gets it.

Our Science Reading, good for introducing mammals to younger children. 

Our History reading. Written as journal entries read to the writer's grandchildren. So fascinating. My girls love the story of the real life princess Pocahontas. It has been fun to see bits of her story from a settler's viewpoint. Jamestown New World Adventures by James. E. Knight can be found on Amazon.

We love Arnold Lobel. And fables. Fables are a fun way to convey truth and logic to young children. Fables aid in decision making and teach that people matter. Listening on Audiobook from Hoopla.

Such a fun, rhyming read. We can easily relate to the main character, a dozen cousins are not far off for our family.

Listening in the car via hoopla. Teaches different flowers. An annual spring read. Found to borrow for free on Hoopla.

Hands down one of my favorites. All about relationships overruling rules. A story of a loveable lion who loves and helps out around the library.




One of my most favorite series of all time. Author Jeanne Birdsall has a way of capturing the simplicity and joy of childhood and the treasure that is family. The fourth book in the Penderwicks series will make you LOL and shed some big ole tears. This book in particular got me through a Covid winter, helped me walk through some deep grief and was pivotal in launching my daughter's own reading. I kid you not. Read the series.

Mama's List


To be honest, this was a Christmas gift that I have yet to begin. Realizing more and more that I may just prefer non-fiction books. Looks intriguing, was a recent book of the month choice.

As far as non-fiction books go, Apologetics is my go-to genre. I honestly have yet to read anything by world-class apologist J. Warner Wallace. Excited to understand the reliability of the gospel accounts from an atheist-turned Christian homicide detective's perspective.


This book will probably be my fastest read yet. President of the Barna Group presents his findings and offers Godly wisdom to parents parenting the smartphone generation. The data is fascinating and I love that it is written from the viewpoint of two Christian fathers. 






































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