Good Children's Books

We began a new read aloud today, Sarah Witcher's Story by Elizabeth Yates. She is also the author of Mountain Born which we read this summer. These books are delightful! Inside the front of Sarah Witcher's Story I found a list of other books that Yates has written. I was so happy to find this list. I searched Amazon this morning and found four of Yates's books. I ordered all of them, plus two books written by George Selden, the author of A Cricket in Times Square. I was also very excited to find that Selden wrote several books about Chester Cricket, Harry Cat and Tucker Mouse (from A Cricket in Times Square). To complete my order, I purchased two books by Elizabeth George Speare. Here is the list of what I bought today:

Amos Fortune, Free Man by Elizabeth Yates
Carolina's Courage by Elizabeth Yates
The Next Fine Day by Elizabeth Yates
A Place for Peter by Elizabeth Yates (this is a sequel to Mountain Born)
Chester Cricket's Pigeon Ride by George Selden
Harry Kitten and Tucker Mouse by George Selden
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Calico Captive by Elizabeth George Speare

I will have to hide these books from Olivia and Julie when they come in! If I don't, they will read all of them in 3 days! It is very hard for me to find good books to read aloud that they have not already read. Of course they don't mind my reading aloud a book they have previously read, but it is so much enjoyable for all of us when the book is new to everyone. I am always on the lookout for books that can be enjoyed by both boys and girls. Leah and Sam listen too.

These new books should keep us supplied with read alouds for a while. I read to them only 30 minutes a day, first thing in the morning. I mean the very first thing! As soon as their alarm clocks go off, they come down for read aloud time. I find that if I don't read first thing, I never get around to it, and it makes getting up early for school much more pleasant!