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Home ยป Blog ยป Some of Our Favorite Books

Some of Our Favorite Books

by Sarah Turner Clover Lane

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It would be impossible to name every one of them, but if you are in for someChristmas ideas, these are a few of our tried and true, mucg loved books.  Quite a few of them are activity/drawing books…sometimes I think those are best for the stages kids go through when they don’t really want to pick up a big old book at the end of a school day.

Guinness World Record Books 

 Someone always gets the new year’s edition under the tree.

They are filled with amazing (and gross) things.

Scribbles

My mom got this for Andrew for his birthday and he loves it.  It’s a super thick book that has pages with half drawn sketches that you can finish off.

The Art Of Cartooning 

 Matt and Andrew both love this book.  

A big book and very good with step by step easy to follow instructions for the 6-12 crowd.  

Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes

 All my boys love this.  I found it on Andrew’s floor one morning with about 10 airplanes laying around everywhere.  Apparently, when I thought he was snug in the bed for the night, he was up working away at aircraft.

Life Picture Puzzles 

 When you just can’t eek a book out at bedtime, these are easy and fun.

Manners Can Be Fun

 I love, love, love these books-there are three of them.  Manners Can Be Fun, How To Speak Politely and Why, How To Behave and Why.  

You all know about these I’m sure.  Andrew was excited to get the newest one.

 Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck, Book 8

Childhood Of Famous Americans 

These are all really well written.  My boys really like the sports guys.  

BOB Books 

 Do you know about BOB books?  They are great for teaching reading, and building confidence.  I learned about them with my first (got them from the library) and then eventually bought them all.   They really helped each of my kids learn to read.  They start out really really slowly, with very simple pictures and lots of repetition and progress up per set.

Pendragon Series 

 Matt had read and reread this series.  Abbey and Isaac have read them all also.

Matthew who is fourteen loved this series this year:

Beyonders The Complete Set: A World Without Heroes; Seeds of Rebellion; Chasing the Prophecy

Abbey LOVED the Beacon Street Girls.  Good wholesome tweenie reading.

The same with this collection-Catwings.

The Daring Book for Girls-filled with fun activities and facts.

Matthew, my science guy, loves this collection.

Basher Science: Core Science Library

(Maybe I should read them and relearn what I never learned in any of these classes because I was too busy passing notes.)

I love the National Geographic series for kids.  ALL the books are great but these are our favorite so far.

National Geographic Kids United States Atlas

National Geographic Kids National Parks Guide U.S.A.

Here are some more of our favorite National Geographic books:


Weird But True’s

Myths Busted!: Just When You Thought You Knew What You Knew…

National Geographic Kids Quiz Whiz: 1,000 Super Fun, Mind-bending, Totally Awesome Trivia Questions

This Star Wars book is SO worn out-it’s been taped up quite a few times.  Patrick and Andrew love it.

Star Wars Character Encyclopedia

They also love this one:

LEGO Star Wars: The Yoda Chronicles

This year I started buying one hardcover picture book a month to freshen up my collection.   (My favorite ever is old Harry the Dirty Dog.)  On my blog’s sidebar is a link to more of our favorites.

I think Santa might bring a few of these this year for Janey:



Little Golden Book Classics

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December 2, 2013 ยท 12 Comments

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  1. Jayme Ziemer says

    December 2, 2013 at 5:58 am

    Hi Sarah! Thanks for such an awesome list! We too love the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and Santa is bringing book 8 for my 9-year old. He is also a big fan of the Gregor the Overlander series, written by Suzanne Collins (the Hunger Games). It is a wonderful and very well written series!

    My daughter (19 months) loves to read just about anything, and we subscribe to the Dolly Parton's Imagination Library. Children under 5 receive a book, free of charge, every month. Be sure to check it out, it is a great way to expand your library (and I believe they are all hardcover). http://usa.imaginationlibrary.com/

    Reply
  2. Caitlin Davis says

    December 2, 2013 at 6:05 pm

    Sarah! You are saving me this holiday season. Between your book list and the toy list the other day, my Amazon account is busy:) Thanks!

    I especially love that you pick such well made classics.
    Happy Holidays!

    Reply
  3. Judy says

    December 2, 2013 at 7:00 pm

    FYI – the 2014 Guiness book is a Lightning deal today on Amazon. I just grabbed a copy for my boys for less than $12!

    Reply
  4. Lisa says

    December 3, 2013 at 12:28 am

    Good suggestions! We love the NG books, too. Look for The Book of Why if you don't have it – that is a favorite here!

    Reply
  5. Unknown says

    December 3, 2013 at 1:54 am

    Just a heads up, I found those same National Geographic Weird but True books at my dollar tree the other day. My kids love them too, and you can't go wrong for a dollar!

    Reply
  6. Lisa Zahn says

    December 3, 2013 at 2:02 am

    Many of those are OUR favorite books by far, too. Thanks for reminding me! My kids have grown out of most of them. I keep the Basher science Periodic Table book in the bathroom for a little browsing time. I probably know more about the elements now than I ever learned in school!

    Reply
  7. Anonymous says

    December 3, 2013 at 2:57 am

    Thanks for all of the great ideas. I absolutely adore the classic Little Golden Books. Reading your post today got me searching, and I'm going to get the LGB Farm Favorites book for my kids for Christmas. We have a little hobby farm with chickens and sheep, so they like reading about farm things. Something about those classic illustrations just makes me feel like all is right with the world. I have a Garth Williams Treasury of Little Golden Books with the many books he illustrated. I just love it.

    Reply
  8. Unknown says

    December 4, 2013 at 3:30 am

    Harry the Dirty Dog was one of my absolute favorites when I was a kid. Loved reading it to my boys! Katy and the Big Snow was another favorite of ours. I think I'll have to pick up the Yoda Chronicles for my Star Wars fans.

    Reply
  9. MLE says

    December 4, 2013 at 11:47 pm

    I have book envy. I love books, my kids love books yet we don't seem to have many.

    Reply
  10. vera says

    December 19, 2013 at 1:17 am

    My sweet Amelia asked for a Harry book for Christmas – it was actually the only thing she could think of that she REALLY wanted. That one with the old lady next door two sings and makes everyone crazy? She LOVES that book! Thanks for the other suggestions – will check out the ones we don't already have. Oh and the Bob Books – ha ha! My family talks in Bob Book speak sometimes just because it does get kinda old listening to "Pat and the cat sat on a mat" a thousand times! Speaking of favorite books… my kids are sitting under the Christmas tree right now, begging me to read Santa Mouse ๐Ÿ™‚

    Reply
  11. Beth says

    December 28, 2013 at 2:04 am

    You and I are bookworms cut from the same cloth, Sarah. I vividly remember poring over all the Little Golden books by Eloise Wilkin, like "Baby Listens", "Baby Dear" and "We Help Mommy". Even as a little girl, I dreamed of growing up and having babies that looked like her precious illustrations. This year things came full circle when I bought "Baby's Christmas" for the baby girl we brought home last Christmas Eve. One of the pictures in the book looks exactly like her, and it's like God's answer to the prayers of a child, 35 years later.

    Reply
  12. Becky Home-ecky says

    January 5, 2014 at 1:32 am

    Oh, thank you for the good list. I have some boys who need to expand beyond the Tintin comics, and I was struggling to find something to catch their interest.

    Reply

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Sarah Turner

When our first baby was placed in my arms I knew there was no place I wanted to be other than home with him every day. Twenty five years, and five more babies later, (six children, now ages 26-8), I still feel the same. I blog here about motherhood, how to make a house a home, easy recipes, and simple living. You can read more about me here.

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Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular. Just an o Nothing pretty, flashy, or spectacular.  Just an ordinary Monday morning breakfast counter after the kids leave for school.  Because ordinary gets the short hand in our culture but really it's extra special. 
It's a symbol of unselfishness, contentment, prudence and gratitude.  There is a certain peace about the ordinary.  It's the opposite of temporary-it holds the joy of contentment and gratitude and prudence all in one hand.  It's lends itself toward peace, and a settling in, not a constant search for more or less or anything.  Ordinary is authentic and good enough- in short it's a gem in disguise. ๐Ÿƒ
I love my home and I hope you do also. With all t I love my home and I hope you do also.  With all the imperfections and maintenance it requires, when I pull up and walk in I want to stay, to relax, to feel safe, for daily life to be easy, and to care for "home". I want simplicity, ease, convenience.  To me when my home is simple, without being filled to the brim of things that just take up space I love it best.  I hope if you've participated fully or even partially as time allowed in 40 Bags in 40 Days you've found that joy and pride in your home.  I plan to share more little challenges and tips as the year proceeds to trouble shoot areas and keep maintenance effortless and the house love flowing.  Daily life in our homes should bring us joy and ease while we care for our families, we should be thoughtful stewards of our money and of our time and simple living is the answer to that. 
Thank you for participating! ๐Ÿก
I think this is one of the best things about the 4 I think this is one of the best things about the 40 Bag decluttering process.  When I know what I have and have removed all that I don't, it cultivates more discretion and caution about what I bring back in.  I think there is also some realization of how much money is wasted on fads, or thoughtless purchases.  It's quite eye-opening.  I've become so much more careful, and find we all take better care of things, as do my children.
The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days! I've tackle The final week of 40 Bags in 40 Days!  I've tackled all the areas of my home with exception of my oldest daughter's room (not the photo)- which she is excited to work on this week.
The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean an The simpler the room, the easier it is to clean and straighten up.  And then the more enjoyable it is to actually sit in that room.  It's not a hard equation, all it takes is ruthless purging-and not just little things but larger items also.  Functional furniture is the key and very few decorative pieces especially when children are in the home, makes life so much easier. 
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As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 As we head into the last week of the 40 Bags in 40 Days Challenge I'm hearing from so many of you what a difference it has made in your appreciation of your homes, a certain contentment, and at the same time a thrill of looking in on the organized kitchen, closet and living space.  I agree!  I love purging, cleaning and organizing a space and then going back later that day just to get that wonderful sense of accomplishment.  It makes such a difference! 
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A lighter, fresher, calmer home is the result of de-cluttering.  I even had a participant who had been planning on listing her home, start 40 Days just to get her house ready to sell, and then was so ruthless in the process and also thrilled by the results that they decided to stay put in what seemed like a new home to them.  What a savings of time, money and energy. 
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Next week I will be talking maintenance and answer all questions! โ˜€๏ธ
Tips For Shared Kids Rooms- This bedroom has seen Tips For Shared Kids Rooms-
This bedroom has seen every configuration possible.  With kids spread out 18 years apart, I've had to be creative over the years-which I think is the key to sharing rooms.  It is all possible-I consider it a rare luxury and privilege to not have to share a room although I know that is not the norm today. 
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I like to create a simple look with white furniture (this ends up making room transitions easier also when moving someone out and someone else in.) I also like to match bedspreads for a cohesive look. 
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Clip on bed lights save space. 
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A simple shared book shelf can hold a child's special books and knick knacks and if necessary can be assigned per shelf.
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When my kids were younger I had my dad build me a large wooden roll out box for under each bed.  This held each child's toys. 
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All clothes are kept in a closet instead of dressers to save space.
I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags I feel like I bailed on everyone following 40 Bags progress and tips.  My excuse is the stomach flu ravaging us all here in the last week with me being the last to fall and the slowest to recover.  On top of that the weekend before I tried to roller blade (don't even ask how many steps I made it) and majorly bit it.  Thankfully I think I just sprained my arm. So I've been using one arm for nursing sick children back to health, and doing whatever cleaning and cooking and straightening I can do.  Alas, last week was a wash.  We have two weeks to go.  I'd like to continue and end on a high note.  How about you?  Even a little de-cluttering counts! Spring is in the air and I can't wait to throw open my windows and let fresh clean air circulate through my fresh clean orderly home. โ˜€๏ธ๐ŸŒท๐ŸŒฑ
Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to th Especially where kids are concerned- we tend to think that the more things they have the happier and more occupied and loved they will feel.  Nothing can replace human interaction and I've found that too many toys has the reverse affect.  They cause overwhelm-just like us - we'd rather sit in an orderly space than one filled with too many things to do and too much stuff.
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When it comes to kids closets here are some tips-
1. Hand me downs don't all have to be received.  Or received at all.  Be choosy and keep just what they will use and need.
2. When children are presented with too many choices, tension and acrimony can exist.  Being able to open a closet with a reasonable amount of outfits can create more peace.
3. Cultivating independence in care of clothes is easier when there is less and the space is simplified and organized. 
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More tips coming on the blog this week.  I am moving my blog platform so I can't make any promises - it's under construction and that's exciting!
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