Five For Fun

After a week of vacation we were glad to get back to our Five For Fun books. This week's pics were:

Back of the Bus by Aaron Reynolds. This story is told from the viewpoint of a young boy who is riding the bus with his mother in Montgomery Alabama- "way in the back- right where they're supposed to be." He is enjoying playing with his marble and watching it roll up and down the aisle when the bus begins to fill up and he watches the historic act of Rosa Parks that changed our nation. It was a wonderful way to introduce this era in our countries history in a very gentle way.

Next on the list was Gregory's Shadow by Don Freeman. This is a story of a shy groundhog who takes comfort in having his shadow close by. One day he and his shadow become seperated which makes Gregory feel all alone and what is even worse it is snowing and tomorrow is groundhog day. Will Gregory find his shadow in time? The story was cute but when I finished Abi said "well, that was silly." You be the judge.

In The Sparrow's Song by Ian Wallace young Katie finds an orphan sparrow while fishing at the creek only to discover her brother had killed the bird's mother. Katie takes the bird home to care for it and even lets her brother help! Then the day comes when they realize that they must let the bird go free. The story takes place near Niagra Falls and the impressionistic illustrations make this an enjoyable book.

How to Bake an American Pie by Karma Wilson is written in a delightful rhyming style. Blending purple mountains majesties with a measure of meekness and might, takes you on a journey through this great melting pot we call America. This was such a cute book- it reminded me of How to Bake an Apple Pie and See the World. This was my favorite book of the five. It would make great copy work or a fun memorization.

And last but not least....The Subway Mouse by Barbara Reid follows the journey of "Nib"- a mouse who lives in a subway station. Every night the mice tell stories about a far away place called "Tunnel's End" where "the air is sweet and the sky is blue, but where danger lurks." Then one day, despite the dangers fortold by the othe mice, Nib decides to set off and find this "Tunnel's End" and finds a new friend along the way. You guessed it- This was Abi's pick for the best of the five.