Saturday, February 27, 2010

Greens Have More Fun

Yes, I like a good dragon story. I wish I could post the giggling in the background that went with reading HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOOD KNIGHT, and TAKE CARE, GOOD NIGHT, by Shelley Moore Thomas.
Happy Birthday, Good Knight (Dutton Easy Reader)

Take Care, Good Knight
The loudest giggling came from the eleven-year-old, who couldn't even see the pictures because she was supposed to be doing her homework. To quote a line from the knight in HAPPY BIRTHDAY, GOOD KNIGHT, "the gift of laughter is the best gift there is!" Thank you, Shelley, for giving my family the gift of giggles.

On a slightly (but not much) more serious note, I gave my seven-year-old Tony DiTerlizzi's KENNY AND THE DRAGON for Christmas and couldn't figure out why he wouldn't read it. I mean, check it out.
Kenny & the Dragon
When I picked it up, I knew right away. I have to wonder what the reading level on the book is. However, DiTerlizzi tells a great story, so I read it to him. We both enjoyed the story and illustrations immensely. Now, I'm thinking, if my little guy could handle the vocabulary and story-telling style of KENNY AND THE DRAGON, he'd probably enjoy Tolkien's FARMER GILES OF HAM (the next time I'm feeling ambitious).
Farmer Giles of Ham : The Rise and Wonderful Adventures of Farmer Giles, Lord of Tame, Count of Worminghall, and King of the Little Kingdom

13 comments:

  1. I've just bought (for myself!) Tony DiTerlizzi's The Spiderwick Chronicles. Fabulous series, I love it! :o)

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  2. Yes, it is, and I really did like Kenny and the Dragon. It was just too hard for my seven-year-old to read on his own. My eleven-year-old gobbled it right up though. She's read it three times since Christmas.

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  3. Oh, I loved the Spiderwick Chronicles too. I'll have to check that dragon book out.

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  4. I've seen it at the library, but, if you can't find it, you can borrow ours.

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  5. Thank you, Myrna! (and both books are based on semi-true stories....involving my own little dragons!)

    I'm so glad your dragons love them, too.

    Shelley

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  6. You're welcome, Shelley! Or should I say, Good Knight? We do love them.

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  7. You're an awesome mom! I can't wait to have kids so I can read to them too. There's so many books for them to discover! Ahhh I can't wait...

    P.S. This comment is confidential! If my boyfriend heard me talk like this, he'd freak out. lol

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  8. Judith, your secret's safe (unless your boyfriend reads kidlit blogs). lol

    Seriously, reading great books with my kids is one of the best parts of being a mom. Mine all love books.

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  9. More great book ideas, Myrna. Thanks.

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  10. I love Shelley too! She truly is the Storyqueen. And my 6 yo and I are reading Kenny and the Dragon as well. I thought the same thing--pretty advanced vocab, but a beautiful story with gorgeous illustrations. So we're doing the same thing--reading it together.

    That daughter of mine is gaga over dragons and unicorns! :)

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  11. You're welcome, Krista!

    Jackee, Bruce Coville has a great unicorn series, but I can't remember how old the main character is.

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  12. I've read that unicorn series by Bruce Coville (the first book, at least)! And his JEREMY THATCHER, DRAGON HATCHER remains one of the standout books of my childhood.

    Also, Myrna, I finally gave you an award for a change:) Head on over there to check it out.

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  13. Tom, I'm not interested. Please don't post advertisements on my blog.

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