Summer Book List

Being an SAHM for the last 6 months has given me a chance to spend a lot of time with my kids, some of which seem magical while others are best forgotten. I got a clear measure of my patience and stamina. I also got a surprisingly good inkling of how rewarding it can be - moments that just take my breath away.

Ana has asserted her creativity and stubbornness confidently over the last half-year, while Oggie has been hitting his milestones right under my watch. The humming bird that she is, our visits to the park several times a week has shown me the importance of expending the pent up energy in a 3-yr old in a constructive way. The cuddly-poo that he is, Oggie has shown me how relaxing it can be to lay him on my chest and enjoy our times on the rocker/glider without looking at the clock and worrying about not getting enough sleep to function in a coherent and professional manner at the office the next day :)

This change of pace also gave me an opportunity to make several library visits with Ana and Oggie. We read an average of 3-4 books every 10-12 days. Not all those books are worth writing individual reviews here or at Saffron Tree. Some were a big hit with Ana, although I couldn't see why, whereas others were quite a lot of fun to read with nothing special to offer, while still others made me wonder how they got published in the first place... but, every once in a while we hit upon some delightful and clever books, for which I have written individual reviews here and at Saffron Tree.

Just for my own records and perhaps to help fellow mommies, I am listing some of the recent books we read over this summer that warrant at least a brief mention since Ana enjoyed them.

	A Was an Apple Pie (Letters, Numbers and Colors) by Etienne Delessert. Creative Editions (2005), Hardcover, 32 pages
	The Absent-Minded Toad by Javier Rondon. Kane/Miller Book Publishers (2002), Paperback, 28 pages
	Alfred Digs by Lindsay Barrett George. Greenwillow (2008), Hardcover, 40 pages
	The Baker's Dozen: A Counting Book by Dan Andreasen. Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) (2007), Hardcover, 32 pages
	Click, Clack, Splish, Splash: A Counting Adventure by Doreen Cronin. Atheneum (2006), Hardcover, 24 pages
	Cookies: Bite-Size Life Lessons by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. HarperCollins (2006), Hardcover, 40 pages
	Colors Everywhere: A Guess How Much I Love You Storybook (Guess How Much I Love You) by Sam Mcbratney. Candlewick (2007), Edition: Brdbk, Board book, 24 pages
	Color Zoo by Lois Ehlert. HarperCollins (1989), Edition: 1st ed, Hardcover, 40 pages
	Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert. Harcourt Children's Books (2005), Hardcover, 40 pages
	Elmer by David McKee. Grupo Editorial Norma (2005), Paperback, 32 pages
	Flotsam (Caldecott Medal Book) by David Wiesner. Clarion Books (2006), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 40 pages
	Gallop!: A Scanimation Picture Book (Scanimation Books) by Rufus Butler Seder. Workman Publishing Company (2007), Hardcover, 12 pages
	Henny Penny by Vivian French. Bloomsbury Publishing PLC (2007), Paperback, 32 pages
	How To be A Baby . . . By Me, The Big Sister by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Schwartz & Wade (2007), Hardcover, 40 pages
	Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting. Harcourt Children's Books (2007), Edition: Library Binding, Hardcover, 40 pages
	In a Blue Room by Jim Averbeck. Harcourt Children's Books (2008), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 32 pages
	Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney. Viking Juvenile (2005), Hardcover, 40 pages
	Move Over, Rover! by Karen Beaumont. Harcourt Children's Books (2006), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 40 pages
	Mouse Paint: Lap-Sized Board Book by Ellen Stoll Walsh. Red Wagon Books (2006), Edition: 1, Board book, 30 pages
	One More Bunny: Adding from One to Ten by Rick Walton. HarperCollins (2000), Hardcover, 24 pages
	Scoot! by Cathryn Falwell. Greenwillow (2008), Hardcover, 32 pages
	Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. Dial (2002), Hardcover, 32 pages
	Ten Little Sleepyheads by Elizabeth Provost. Bloomsbury USA Children's Books (2005), Hardcover, 32 pages
	Time Out, Buzzy by Harriet Ziefert. Blue Apple Books (2006), Hardcover, 32 pages
	When Sheep Sleep by Laura Numeroff. Abrams Books for Young Readers (2006), Edition: Library Binding, Hardcover, 32 pages