While the apple cake baked...

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We read some more apple books.

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The Apple Cake This is a charming story about an old lady who wants to make apple cake but has plums instead of apples. She chats along and trades, continuing to give up what she has to meet the need of somoene else. Nicholas baked a delicious, yeasty apple cake using the recipe on the back of the book with 

Alyosha's Apple This is a lovely fairytale told and illustrated in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. A young orphan girl ventures bravely into the forest to seek healing for her borther.

Brother Bartholomew and the Apple Grove Sadly out of print, this is a beautiful parable of humility and stewardship.

Apples to Oregon Papa moves from Iowa to Oregon and the whole family and lots fruit trees go along for the ride. There are plenty of facts mixed in with the tall tale.

How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World This one is a classic favorite. Gather the necessary ingredients for an apple pie from locations all over the world and have a grand time enjoying the process.

Folks Call Me Appleseed John This is the legend of Johnny Appleseed told by John Chapman himself.

Rain Makes Applesauce This one is pure whimsy. It was introduced to me by a friend who came to stay in my dorm. Her boyfriend lived in the suite downstairs and when she came from New Jersey during her senior year in high school to visit Patrick Murphy, she slept in my room. Later, she, too, went to UVa and she was a sorority sister of mine. She could quote this whole book by heart and she did frequently when it rained. My friend Patrick died in the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001 and somehow this book has become part of our repertoire on that day. 

For more about our Storybook Year, read here. 

You can find the cake pan here.

Our Everyday Go-To Faith Books

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Joy in Alabama asked about how we use E is for Eucharist, so I figured today is a good day to share our essential stack of faith books. 

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E is for Eucharist is like many of the Sleeping Bear Press alphabet books. There is a picture for each letter of the alphabet which gently introduces a topic. A short rhyming quatrain approaches the topic on the simplest level, perfect for the little ones. Beneath it, there is a narrative paragraph which explores the topic in more depth. My children illustrate each letter's topic as we read and discuss it. Older children can also write or dictate a short narration and even research the topic further. 

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 An Alphabet of Catholic Saints is a sweet book with a short rhyme about a saint for every letter of the alphabet. Introducing saints alphabetically is a bit awkward. Saints come up in our daily life of worship as they are celebrated in the Mass. I worried aobut this being "all out of order, " but not for long. Now, we use this organizing system and we encounter the same saints on their special days, it's like meeting an old friend.  Again, narrations are simple pictures and perhaps a dictated caption to add to their notebooks.

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An Alphabet of Mary beautifully introduces differents names and roles for the Blessed Mother. It's a lovey companion in the same style as the book above.

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That brings me to the Loyola Kids Book of Saints and the Loyola Kids Book of Heroes. These books bless and bless and bless. In the Alphabet Path lesson notes for each letter, we've pulled out the saints who belong. I like to read these aloud to younger children and have slightly older, independent readers read them to themselves. Then, the ones who read it on their own, keyboard a narration all on their own. I'll sit and edit for punctuation and spelling, but I mostly leave the narrations alone. These are gathered and loved into a notebook. True keepers.

Also in the  Alphabet Path lesson notes for each letter , there are stand alone picture books selected for faith study. We'll look at some of those one by one through the year, I'm sure. They are  linked here down the lefthand sidebar.

For more about our Storybook Year, read here. 

A is for Animals

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As we travel along the Alphabet Path, we don't reach the zoo until the very end. But Wednesday was just so beautiful and I knew that it was way too early for anyone to have already organized school field trips and I was pretty desperate to inhale great gulps of fresh air, so I declared that "A is for Animals" and off we went.

Long ago, I promised Stephen that when he finished the entire Apologia Zoology Series, he could give us a tour of the zoo. He was a most impressive tour guide. Seriously, they should hire this kid to sell the series. He learned--and retained-- so very much. 

We had a glorious day. Katie was given free reign with the camera. Nearly all the "big camera" photos are hers. And even though we'll revisit the zoo, both in story and for real, at the end of the Alphabet Path, I did bring our just a few zoo books for the occasion.

Zoo: For the youngest set. A very simple introduction to the zoo and the people and animals there.

The View at the Zoo: Darling rhyming book with whimsical illustrations. See the zoo from the animals' perspective.

If Anything Ever Goes Wrong at the Zoo: A little girl who lives on a hill above the zoo tells various animal keepers to remember that the animals are welcome at her house if ever anything should go wrong at the zoo. There's a flood and...

A few more zoo books here and here:

My Visit To The Zoo

100 Animals To Spot At The Zoo

National Zoo Board Books

Z Is for Zookeeper: A Zoo Alphabet

We'll do it up big with zoo books in the spring.

For more about our Storybook Year, read here. And, there are Storybook Science books, from A-Z, linked here, scroll down on the lefthand side.

iPhone shots:

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All About Apples

The first couple of weeks of school are always apple-y around here. The Alphabet Path story begins with an apple tree and the fairy who lives there. And, of course, there are apples to pick and apples to make into pie and apples to can for later. The apples where we like to pick aren't quite ready for us yet, but we have our apple books out and we're exploring the science behind all that apple loveliness. 

It's my theory that good picture books can completely cover all necessary elementary science. To that end, two favorite apple books are How Do Apples Grow by Betty Maestro and How Do Apples Grow.

Karoline chose How Do Apples Grow, a simple book which follows an apple tree from the bare winter branches until autumn picking time. We read the book and talked about it and then she chose her favorite picture to copy. 

Katie chose The Life and Times of the Apple, which is sadly out of print, but worth the hunt. It's a more advanced lifecycle book with excellent detailed illustrations.

Other favorites are:

Apples (a Gail Gibbons, book. She's always excellent.)

The Seasons of Arnold's Apple Tree (Gail Gibbons again. Excellent again.)

The Apple Pie Tree (this one is new to us this year. I pretty much love the collage illustrations.)

We have some favorite apple-themed fiction books. I'm saving those for next week.

For lots more apple-related and "A" themed learning, visit us here.

For more about our Storybook Year, read here. And, there are Storybook Science books, from A-Z, linked here, scroll down on the lefthand side.

A Cornucopia of Thanksgiving Books

Are you living a storybook year? Our book-a-day selections for this month come from Chris Scarlett, who graciously shared this list and her notes with me (and you!). A book a day and then some from now until Thanksgiving. Thanks so much, Chris!

For The Younger Set:
My First Thanksgiving (board book) by Tomie dePaola (super simple for toddlers)

Thanks For Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, illustrated by Doris Barrette (bright, bold colors and simple rhymes)

 Countdown to Thanksgiving by Jodi Huelin, illustrated by Keiko Motoyama (family-oriented)

Thanksgiving Is Here! by Diane Goode (big, busy family)

 1, 2, 3 Thanksgiving by W. Nikola-Lisa, illustrated by Robin Kramer (doubles as a counting book from 1-10 and 10-1)

 The First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed, illustrated by Mark Buehner (1-12, brief rhymes, nice pics)

Thanksgiving by Brenda Haugen, illustrated by Todd Ouren (sweet overview)

Thanksgiving Is... by Gail Gibbons (colorful, brief highlights)

The Very First Thankgiving Day by Rhonda Gowler Greene, paintings by Susan Gaber (lovely illustrations)

Fancy Nancy, Our Thanksgiving Banquet based on Fancy Nancy written by Jane O'Connor, illustrated by Glasser, Fletcher, and Drainville (we completely missed out on this commercial brand, but I think this one is charming for girly-girls and their moms)

Saying Grace, A Prayer of Thanksgiving by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Timothy Ladwig (pioneer girl)

The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving by Ann McGovern, illustrated by Elroy Freem (basic, gets the job done)

Thanksgiving by Dana Meachen Rau (simple school-type overview)

This Is the Feast by Diane Shore, illustrated by Megan Lloyd (bold, attractive pictures, rhyming)

 Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock (a grandpa story)

"Potluck" For School Aged Children:
 Let's Throw A Thanksgiving Party! by Rachel Lynette (nice photos, very doable recipes and crafts, will click with Family Fun magazine fans)

P is for Pilgrim a Thanksgiving alphabet, illustrated by Helle Urban (written at two age levels, with poetry and prose, fact-packed and gorgeous)

 Oh, What A Thanksgiving! by Steven Kroll, illustrated by S. D. Schindler (modern schoolboy imagining a parallel life as a Pilgrim kid, fun)

 N. C. Wyeth's Pilgrims, text by Robert San Souci (BOGO alert--art appreciation and educational)

 The Thanksgiving Story by Alice Dalgliesh (vintage Caldecott, lovely wording)

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving by Eric Metaxas, illustrated by Shannon Stirnweis (check out the Catholic connection here)

Squanto, Friend of the Pilgrims by Clyde Robert Bulla, pictures by Peter Burchard (old school bio, sparsely illustrated)

 Squanto's Journey: The Story of the First Thanksgiving by Joseph Bruchac, illustrated by Greg Shed (one of the best Squanto books out there)

 If You Were There At The First Thanksgiving by Anne Kamma, illustrated by Bert Dodson (classic series, Q&A format)

The First Thanksgiving Feast by Joan Anderson, photographed by George Ancona (beautiful B&W photos of re-enactors at Plimouth Plantation)

A World Of Holidays, Thanksgiving by Marilyn Miller (overview, colorful photos)

 The Pilgrims' Thanksgiving from A to Z by Laura Crawford, illustrated by Judith Hierstein (organized as an alphabet book, would be a good way to kick-off or wrap up a mini-unit study, pretty)

The First Thanksgiving by Linda Hayward, illustrated by James Watling (interesting early reader)

Three Young Pilgrims by Cheryl Harness (attractive and very well-researched)

Eating The Plates: A Pilgrim Book of Food and Manners by Lucille Recht Penner (foodies might like this chapter book)

1620 Year of the Pilgrims by Genevieve Foster (a meaty chapter book)

 1621: A New Look At Thanksgiving by Catherine O'Neill Grace and Margaret M. Bruchac, photos by Sisse Brimberg and Colton Coulson (detailed)

 Giving Thanks: The 1621 Harvest Feast by Kate Waters, photos by Russ Kendall (parallel stories of Pilgrim boy and Indian boy at Plimoth Plantation)

Thank You, Sarah: The Woman Who Saved Thanksgiving by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Matt Faulkner (Can you say perseverance? charmingly told, girl power--in a good way)

 Sarah Gives Thanks by Mike Allegra, illustrated by David Gardner (more straightforward than the previous title about Sarah Josepha Hale, a good complement to it)

 A Thanksgiving Wish by Michael Rosen, paintings by John Thompson (missing departed grandma, a wishbone story, not a downer)

 Fat Chance Thanksgiving by Pat Lakin, illustrated by Stacey Schuett (kids' initiative brings neighbors together)

 Thanksgiving On Plymouth Plantation by Diane Stanley, illustrated by Holly Berry (bland title for an imaginary time-travel tale with grandma as teacher using comic speech bubbles, very kid-friendly) 

 The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell (an elderly couple is included in a family meal at an ethnic restaurant)

 The Firefighters' Thanksgiving by Maribeth Boelts, illustrated by Terry Widener (whole lot of action here for one day)

Turkey Bowl by Phil Bilder, illustrated by C. F. Payne (let's hear it for the boys in this family football story)

 The Memory Cupboard: A Thanksgiving Story by Charlotte Herman, paintings by Ben F. Stahl (people and memories are more important than things, don't miss this one)

The Pilgrims of Plimoth by Marcia Sewall (quaintly written in first person, present tense)

The First Thanksgiving by Jean Craighead George, illustrated by Thomas Locker (well told, Dutch Masters-style paintings)

Thanksgiving Day, A Time To Be Thankful by Elaine Landau (overview that would be nice for a schoolish report)

 The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll, illustrated by Philomena O'Neill (cute, far-fetched, convoluted tale)

Thanksgiving Day Alphabet by Beverly Barras Vidrine, illustrated by Alison Davis Lyne (use this one to summarize and review the whole unit of study)

One For The Oldest Students:
Thanksgiving, The True Story by Penny Colman (nice reference for fact-checking teens or parents)
Junior high and high schoolers may enjoy reading some from the previous level aloud to siblings (or children they babysit). 

A REWARD IF YOU ARE STILL WITH ME HERE:
 The Perfect Thanksgiving by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi (Hilarious. Highly recommended. Shhh. We will be reading this one to all the big Scarlett kids on Turkey Day this year. Thankfully, most of our families fall somewhere on the continuum between the extremes of the Martha Stewart-ish and the "redneck" clans depicted here.)

For more about our Storybook Year, please visit  here. 

(And many thanks to Nicky for all the linking. He's a coding machine:-)