Thursday, October 24, 2013

Ages 3+: 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

Total Books: 124
Books Read: 1 - .008% done

  1. A Bear Called Paddington (1958)
  2. Alfie Gets In First (1981)
  3. Amazing Grace (1991)
  4. Angelina Ballerina (1983)
  5. Avocado Baby (1982)
  6. Bad Habits! (1998)
  7. Barbapapa (1970)
  8. Blinky Bill (1933)
  9. Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (1967)
  10. Burglar Bill (1977)
  11. Can't You Sleep, Little Bear? (1988)
  12. Clever Bill (1926)
  13. Clifford the Big Red Dog (1963)
  14. Clown (1995)
  15. Corduroy (1968)
  16. Crocodile Beat (1988)
  17. Crispin (2000)
  18. Curious George (1941)
  19. Dogger (1977)
  20. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (2003)
  21. Dusty Wants to Help (1983)
  22. Eloise (1955)
  23. Ernest and Celestine Have Lost Simon (1981)
  24. Father Christmas (1973)
  25. Felix and Alexander (1985)
  26. Fire-Engine Lil (1989)
  27. Freight Train (1978)
  28. Frog in Winter (1992)
  29. Garden of Little Creatures (1994)
  30. Go, Dog. Go! (1961)
  31. Gorilla (1983)
  32. Green Eggs and Ham (1960)
  33. Guess How Much I Love You (1994)
  34. Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy (1983)
  35. Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs (1999)
  36. Harry the Dirty Dog (1956)
  37. In the Night Kitchen (1970)
  38. Is That a Monster, Alfie Atkins? (1978)
  39. Ivor the Engine (1962)
  40. Jamela's Dress (1999)
  41. Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale (2004)
  42. Léo and Popi (1980)
  43. Little Blue and Little Yellow (1959)
  44. Little I Am I (1972)
  45. Little Toot (1939)
  46. Lost and Found (2005)
  47. Lotta's Bike (1971)
  48. Love You Forever (1986)
  49. Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile (1965)
  50. Madeline (1939)
  51. Madlenka (2000)
  52. Marc Just Couldn't Sleep (2001)
  53. Marigold Garden (1885)
  54. Martine (1954)
  55. Max (2000)
  56. Mike Mulligan (1939)
  57. Mister Magnolia (1980)
  58. Molly Goes Shopping (1998)
  59. Moomin, Mymble, and Little My (1952)
  60. Morris's disappearing Bag (1975)
  61. Mother Goose (1881)
  62. Mousehole Cat (1990)
  63. Mr. Archimedes' Bath (1980)
  64. Mr. Tickle (1971)
  65. My Cat Likes to Hide in Boxes (1973)
  66. My Naughty Little Sister (1952)
  67. Okilélé (1993)
  68. Old Bear (1986)
  69. Olivia (2000)
  70. One Snowy Night (1989)
  71. One Wooly Wombat (1982)
  72. Orlando (1938)
  73. Ox-Cart Man (1979)
  74. Owl Moon (1987)
  75. Pancakes for Findus (1985)
  76. Peace at Last (1980)
  77. Peter in Blueberry Land (1901)
  78. Poems for the Very Young (1993)
  79. Possum Magic (1983)
  80. Postman Pat's Treasure Hunt (1981)
  81. Pumpkin Soup (1998)
  82. Rosa Goes To Daycare (1999)
  83. Runaway Train (1995)
  84. Sleep Well, Little Bear (1993)
  85. Slinky Malinki (1991)
  86. Stina (1988)
  87. Tatu and Patu in Helsinki (2003)
  88. T'choupi (1992)
  89. The Big Honey Hunt (1962)
  90. The Cat in the Hat (1957)
  91. The Children of the Forest (1910)
  92. The Church Mouse (1972)
  93. The Cow Who Fell in the Canal (1957)
  94. The Gruffalo (1999)
  95. The Jolly Aunt (1891)
  96. The Little House (1942)
  97. The Little Red Lighthouse (1942)
  98. The Magic Pocket (1998)
  99. The Quangle Wangle's Hat (1876)
  100. The Sea-Thing Child (1972)
  101. The Snowman (1978)
  102. The Story About Ping (1933)
  103. The Story of Babar (1931)
  104. The Story of Ferdinand (1936) - read in October 2013
  105. The Story of the Little Mole (1994)
  106. The Story of the Root Children (1906)
  107. The Tale of Jemima Puddle-Duck (1908)
  108. The Tale of Mr. Jeremy Fisher (1906)
  109. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (1902)
  110. The Widemouth Frog (2001)
  111. The Wonderful Tree (1969)
  112. This is the Bear (1986)
  113. Unknown or Forgotten Princesses (2004)
  114. Up in the Tree (1978)
  115. Uppo the Bear (1977)
  116. We Are the Triplets (1983
  117. What Do People Do All Day? (1968)
  118. What Does the Mouse Think on Thursday? (1967)
  119. Where the Wild Things Are (1963)
  120. Where's My Teddy? (1992)
  121. Who's Seen the Scissors? (1975)
  122. Window (1991)
  123. Winnie the Pooh (1926)
  124. Winnie the Witch (1987)

Wednesday, October 23, 2013

Ages 0-3: 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up

Total Books: 37
Books Read: 1 - 2% done

  1. Alvin Says Good Night (1996)
  2. Bathwater's Hot (1985)
  3. Bedtime for Frances (1960)
  4. Bunny Bath (1990)
  5. Dear Zoo (1982)
  6. Each Peach Pear Plum (1978)
  7. Elmer (1989)
  8. Fly, Little Bird (1977)
  9. Good Dog, Carl (1985)
  10. Good Night, Alfie Atkins (1972)
  11. Goodnight Moon (1947)
  12. Handa's Surprise (1994)
  13. Humphrey's Corner (1999)
  14. Julian the Rabbit (2001)
  15. Kipper (1991)
  16. Lavendar's Blue (1954)
  17. Little Brown Bear (1975)
  18. Little Spook's Baby Sister (1977)
  19. Maisy Goes to Playschool (1992)
  20. Make Way for Ducklings (1941) - read October 2013
  21. Meg and Mog (1972)
  22. Miffy (1963)
  23. Mr. Gumpy's Outing (1970)
  24. Owl babies (1992)
  25. Pat the Bunny (1940)
  26. Rosie's Walk (1968)
  27. The Baby's Catalogue (1982)
  28. The Bear Went Over the Mountain (1999)
  29. The Elephant and the Bad Baby (1969)
  30. The Little Engine Who Could (1930)
  31. The Runaway Bunny (1942)
  32. The Three Railway Engines (1945)
  33. The Very Hungry Caterpillar (1969)
  34. Thomas the Tank Engine (1946)
  35. Tickle, Tickle (1987)
  36. We're Going on a Bear Hunt (1989)
  37. Where's Spot (1980)

Monday, October 14, 2013

Happy Thanksgiving Update

We are almost half way through October. I can't believe it. This week was another great reading week. I only have 7 books left and then I will be done all of my 2013 challenges! Today I am off to spend time with my family enjoying Thanksgiving. I hope all my fellow Canadians enjoy their Thanksgiving today as much as I am going to.

73 Books Challenge: 73/73 books read (DONE)
Library Books Challenge: 50/50 books read (DONE)
A-Z Book Challenge: 26/26 books read (DONE)
Classics Catch Up Challenge: 12/13 books read (92% done)
Books by Women Challenge: 16/16 books read (DONE)
Eclectic Book Challenge: 12/12 books read (DONE)
Literature and War Challenge: 8/12 books read (75% done, 2% behind schedule)
Classic Kids Book Challenge: 10/12 books read (83% done)
Books Tobias Picked: 5.5/6 books read (91% done)

Sunday, October 13, 2013

2013 Books in Review #17: Children of the New World


Children of the New World was the July selection for the Literature and War Reading Challenge hosted by Beauty is a Sleeping Cat.
The book is set out in a series of chapters each from a slightly different character perspective, rather than one overall main character. It is set during the Algerian war, their independence from French colonization. The characters are linked within a small community, some by marriage or blood, others by work or love or friendship or the law.
I really wanted to love this book. It is written by a leading authoress, who is considered to be one of the best in her field. She is notably anti patriarchal, and writes with a feminist slant. I found the book had gaps that made it hard for me to follow and because I didn't know a lot about the French-Algerian conflict my loss was magnified to the detriment of my loving the book.
Overall I'd like to go back and read more of her works. This has been said to be one of her weaker works and so I am wondering if the structural issues I had with the text would be gone in a different work.
Children of the New World was my 59th book of the year, and my 6th book read for the Literature and War reading challenge.

Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Babywearing and Me: The Beginning (up to 2006)

Babywearing for me was a concept I have always felt made sense, but I wasn't really familiar with it in the form I use it today until early 2007. My first child was born in August of 2006, but before that I was a baby carrier. Quite literally, lugging them in my arms, on my hips, on my back, however I could get them latched onto me enough to be mobile with them.

My sister is almost 9 years younger than me and she was my most carried babe. Unfortunately I don't have any adorable pictures of her curly blonde headedness when she was a baby or toddler but trust me when I say if I was around her, she was in my arms a lot. When she outgrew cradle style holding my carry of choice was a hip carry, and her on my hip as I walked around was a comfortable, comforting thing for me.

I got older, so did she, and soon I carried her mostly on my back piggy back style or else she walked. As she got more to the walking all the time stage kids that I babysat took her place in my arms and on my hips. I love babies, love kids, love nurturing.

Fast forward to 2006. At about the beginning of my third trimester I finally began to believe I might actually get to take a baby home at the end of my pregnancy and my closest friends were urging me to start acquiring the things I was going to need for my baby.

We were short on space and so I knew we were not going to have room for a lot. One of the things I knew I wanted was a baby carrier. I didn't know much about them, except that I'd seen them used. At that point I was familiar with only three kinds: Snugglis, baby Bjorns, and slings. I called them generic "slings" but really what I meant was New Native pouch slings, a type of sling that as I'd find out later, is very difficult to get sized correctly because of the limited number of sizes and the ranges they are meant to be for.

I chose a New Native pouch sling in blue (my favourite colour) and it arrived just before the birth of my baby. I did not own a stroller at all at this point.

After Tobias was born our first time babywearing was when he was a week old. Sadly I have no pictures of him actually in the sling (or maybe that is a good thing because the fit was not very good). I do however have one lone picture of him about to go into the sling. Sadly that is my only babywearing picture of 2006 (I promise there will be more in coming posts though).

You can see the pouch sling over my left shoulder

We used the sling a handful of times at best. It was way too big and he hit my knees when he was in it. By Christmas time I had given up on babywearing. It was uncomfortable and impractical in cold weather (or so I thought!). Then in early January 2007 something happened that literally changed my parenting life...

Tuesday, October 8, 2013

It's International Babywearing Week!

I am a little slow on the draw but I am finally getting my first IBW 2013 post up on Day 2 (just barely!) of International Babywearing Week. I've had a long love affair with babywearing and this week I'm going to share my journey. There will be lots of pics! You've been warned ;-)

One of my favourite babywearing pictures
Tobias and I in front of Niagara Falls in 2007

Monday, October 7, 2013

End of the 1st Week of October Update

This week ended up being way busier with two sick kids than I was expecting it to be. I ended up finishing several more books in spite of it all though, but I didn't get any more reviews done. Next week is a holiday weekend so I am not sure that I will get a lot done this week either but I am hoping for at least 5 more books to be finished.

73 Books Challenge: 70/73 books read (95% done)
Library Books Challenge: 50/50 books read (DONE)
A-Z Book Challenge: 23/26 books read (88% done)
Classics Catch Up Challenge: 10/13 books read (76% done, 1% behind schedule)
Books by Women Challenge: 16/16 books read (DONE)
Eclectic Book Challenge: 10/12 books read (83% done)
Literature and War Challenge: 6/12 books read (50% done, 27% behind schedule)
Classic Kids Book Challenge: 8/12 books read (75% done, 2% behind schedule)
Books Tobias Picked: 5.5/6 books read (91% done)