Now that is a good Saturday of reading

We went read many books today:

• The Greatest Parade, a Clifford the Big Red Dog colouring book that Reid got for Christmas. She hasn't asked to colour in it yet but she stopped unwrapping presents on Christmas morning to have me read the sentences along the bottom of the page. Today, it was Ken who was picked for the unlikely task of reading a colouring book.
  
• Clifford's Best School Day, a Clifford the Big Red Dog book, by Quinlan B. Lee and illustrated by Steve Haefele - Emily Elizabeth is oh so perfect, isn't she? We need to see some examples of her doing something wrong and being redeemed.
• Mom and Me by Miela Ford - a book of photographs of a baby polar bear and its mama that has just a few words. It was just the right topic for a girl who was being uncooperative at naptime to ask for when she finally snuggled up with her own mama.
• Santa's New Jet by David Biedrzycki - Reid grins at the chubby and out of shape reindeer and I like to mention the aviation museum references in the illustrations since that is a favourite museum of Ken's.
  
• Mama Loves You by Caroline Stutson -Reid knows that she can sometimes get an extra book before bed if it is a short one and this one is particulary hard for me to say "no" to as it is a favourite of mine.
  
• The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton - It's important to remember to dial back the energy when reading this book. Boynton's rhymes are rollicking.
  

From the library's Sharing and caring: a preschool approach to bullying prevention kit
we read:

• Crabbit Comes to Stay by Julie Hegarty and illustrate by Ritchie Collins - featuring Michelle, a girl's head in a clam shell that seems to be somewhat important since there was a super-title "Michelle in" but I don't know who Michelle is otherwise. Knowing Michelle didn't seem important to appreciate the illustrations and story.
  
• The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister and translated by J. Alison James - This book is an Abby (American Bookseller Book of the Year Award) Winner, I hadn't heard of the award before. I'll have to check out other winners for ideas.
• Franklin is Bossy by Paulette Bourgeois and illustrated by Brenda Clark - Reid is awfully bossy at home with us and if she is like that at daycare, she'll be suffering the treatment that Franklin receives from his friends and I'm not sure that friends are so quickly forgiving in real life.
  
• Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes - I recognized the illustrations as being similar to books featuring Lily and enjoyed the story as we have enjoyed the Lily stories. The story describes Chrysanthemum's dilemma well. I like the titles of the books that the father is reading throughout the story.
• Is it Because? by Tony Ross - The text offers an interesting exploration of why a person might bully another.
  

Starting the Year off right

Well, it was started off right but maybe not great in terms of reading. Reid was persuasive about writing some of her new dvd shows. Still, we read:

• Santa's Suit: touch-and-feel Christmas fun by Kate Lee and Edward Eaves - Reid is getting to be too old for this book but she is enjoying it but it is probably for 0-3 years old.
• Merry Christmas from Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli and illustrated by Pat Schories - Reid got this book through Scholastic and it came with a Biscuit ornament which was given pride of place at the top of the tree, along with Dora and the smallest nesting Santa. This was the first time I read the story and discovered that there were pages at the end to place pictures of our Christmas celebration.
• The Donkey's Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri - This board book is one of my favourite Christmas stories. The illustrations are lovely and each of the animals offers their song to the baby in the manger, even the donkey with his noisy song, that makes the baby laugh and me, too. Reid likes it, too. It'll be making an appearance next year.
• Mrs. Wishy-Washy's Christmas by Joy Cowley and illustrated by Elizabeth Fuller - The illustrations to this series are odd but appealing nonetheless and the story is bouncy and offers good lines for the cow and the pig and the duck.
• I Will Never NOT Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child - Reid received this book from Melissa and her family. It features Charlie and Lola (characters from a tv show we don't watch) but the story does not depend on knowing who they are. Since Reid is a tomato-lover, it was an apt choice.
• Bear's First Christmas by Robert Kinerk and illustrated by Jim LaMarch - I love this story and its illustrations. Reid was angling for a Clifford book and so I agreed to an extra story if she would sit quietly while I read this one.
  
• The Big Itch, a Clifford the Big Red Dog book, adapted by Allison Inches and illustrated by Robbin Cuddy - Reid received 11 Clifford books for Christmas. They were read at least twice on Christmas Day and are still making appearances.
• The Dog Who Cried "Woof!", a Clifford the Big Red Dog book, adapted by Bob Barkly and illustrated by John Kurtz - We read this one twice at Reid's insistence. She doesn't get the pun in the title but she does love Stinky the Skunk Ghost, just saying it makes her giggle.