A Wonderful Movie and Some Books For Kids
This movie is so so good. It is wonderful-a wonderful message, talented acting, beautiful character development. I highly recommend it as all of us parents know-this is rare for Hollywood!
It is based on this book, which all my kids, but Janey and Patrick (who will start right after he finishes the book he is reading now) have read – one of their favorites.
Patrick (3rd grade) is reading a Tim Green book right now and loves it-it actually mentions the book Wonder in it, so he was eager to see the movie as everyone else was.
This year for Christmas we are doing something I’ve always wanted to do to simplify my life and set clear expectations-“something to wear, something to play with and something to read”. The one that will have me practicing restraint, but is so fun, is choosing the “to read” for each of them. Patrick will be getting another Tim Green book I think. Last year his dog bookwas such a huge hit with him (and everyone)-maybe I’ll go that route again. I’ll have to decide.
My high schooler has had this book saved in my cart for months, waiting for Christmas-that’s easy enough! It looks beautiful-another book we will all enjoy, great for nature lovers and those interested in photography.
Janey-she has memorized every Little House book in our well-worn set and we have a couple more to make that set complete. I adore the illustrations-and have read these to all of the kids again and again. Little House never gets old, and I love collecting sets of books.
My eighth grader is asking for his finalhard-back Harry Potter to complete his set. Big thick hard back books with beautiful dust covers all lined up on a shelf-heaven! 🙂
For my college/career minded older children, I loved this book so much-this is on the top of the list of all the choices I have in mind-it just creates such good habits for a purposeful, grateful life, and to use our God-given talents every day. It has made a difference in my life and I think even if they aren’t motivated to do the little routine every morning, it’s message sets high expectations.
We do four gifts per kiddo–want-need-wear-read–plus a group gift everyone can enjoy. It really simplifies the gifting side of Christmas.
Of course the grandparents still provide want-want-want-want…
We do that to at the holidays, as well as stockings.
That is exactly what I've been planning–something to play with, something to wear, something to read, plus a few family gifts (a movie, a card game {Blink}, and a bucket of K'nex to share). I love that it is simple, personalized, and makes for a happy day but not a lot of added clutter.
Wonder looks so good! We have a four-month-old, so we may not be ready to go to a movie as a family yet, but maybe we can rent it or check it out when it is out of the theaters.
I loved picking the "to read" books too! I got a cookbook for my 12-year-old son who is loving his foods class at school, a paperback of The Chronicles of Narnia for my 10-year-old, Pippi Longstocking for my tomboy 8-year-old, Yoko's World of Kindness for my 5-year-old (by Rosemary Wells, such a sweet book! You should read it with Janey), and a couple of board books for my two-year-old. I rarely let myself buy books, and I LOVE good books, so it was such a treat for me to get to pick them out.
I am thrilled to see Joel Sartore's book on your list. He is an exceptional guy and the mission of his photo ark is just beautiful. Be sure to check out his PBS special Rare too!