The RAHK Report for 3/4/18

Here are the books the Read-at-Home Kids enjoyed this past week:

• Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald, illustrated by Hilary Knight
  This is our new lunchtime read-aloud. The girls have previously heard the audiobook but they were little enough that they don't remember it. As is typical of our lunchtime read-alouds, Miss Muffet (4 years, 3 months) is enjoying this book more than Bo Peep (2 years, 5 months), so I try to make sure Bo Peep gets other stories read to her throughout the day. 
• James Herriot's Treasury for ChildrenI have read two stories to the girls from this book so far: Moses the Kitten and Only One Woof. Though Miss Muffet enjoys the stories, it is Bo Peep who has been enamored of the illustrations. She likes to take the book from me when I'm finished reading and go off alone to look at the pictures. This has required me to remove the book's surprisingly delicate jacket, but otherwise she has been very gentle to this book. 
• McElligot's Pool by Dr. Seuss
  On Friday, my husband stayed home due to the heavy winds. I suggested reading a Seuss book to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday, and he read McElligot's pool aloud, mostly to Miss Muffet. She was thrilled with it and when the story was over, she turned to me and said, "Dr. Seuss was silly silly silly!"
  

• Drawn from Nature by Helen Ahpornsiri
  I received a review copy of this beautifully illustrated nonfiction book from Candlewick and read it aloud to Miss Muffet over four days. I will review the book in its own post, but I wanted to mention here how much Miss Muffet enjoyed the artwork, which is made entirely from pieces of plants. The content was similar to Nature's Day by Kay Maguire, but it felt more accessible and better organized.
• Adventures in Science: The Human Body by Courtney Acampora
  This is an educational kit of which I received a review copy from Silver Dolphin books. It includes a book about the organs and systems of the human body, as well as a plastic model of a skeleton, a poster where kids can add stickers showing where the bones and organs go, and a deck of fact cards. Miss Muffet and I started out reading through the book, but after a few days, her brain went on information overload and we ended up just focusing our attention on the interactive elements. I'll be reviewing the set in its own post soon. 
• Mary Wore Her Red Dress and Henry Wore His Green Sneakers by Merle Peek
  This book was hanging around when I was playing with Jumping Joan (4.5 months) one day this week, so I decided to just sing it to her, even though it isn't typically a book I'd think of sharing with a a baby. I was pleasantly surprised by how much she looked at the pictures and how her face lit up at the sound of my voice. 

• Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
  We went to a book sale yesterday, and Bo Peep immediately found this book and said, "Look! It's Click Clack Moo!" We didn't actually own this book, despite our regular viewing of the Weston Woods video based on it, so we brought it home. Bo Peep was thrilled to have chosen a winner! 
• Let's Play by Gyo Fujikawa
  At the same sale, I spied this board book on a table and decided to also get it for Bo Peep, since she is such a Fujikawa fan and our copy of Oh What a Busy Day is getting a little fragile for her to handle unsupervised. She held it in the car on the way home and has looked at it several times since, and also showed it to Jumping Joan.
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
  Another book sale find, this was Miss Muffet's after-nap independent read yesterday. She really enjoyed the story and gave us a nice summary at the dinner table. I've heard her  talking about "the snort" several times today.