The Hundred Dresses

Everyone should read The Hundred Dresses because it teaches you not to tease people.
It's about a girl who is very poor and she says she has a hundred dresses all lined up in her closet, even though she only wears the same one every day to school.
Note from Mom:
The Hundred Dresses was very moving, and a great way to teach children about racism and prejudice as well as bullying. I love a story that can subtly teach a lesson instead of sounding preachy and trite.

There is even a guide to teaching the lessons from The Hundred Dresses in the classroom:

Black Beauty

Black Beauty was a very famous story. I enjoyed it. I even read more chapters than my Mom! And now I'm going to do harder books. The author wrote Black Beauty because she wanted to teach that animals have feelings too.

Note from Mom:
Caleb has taken a break from schoolwork for the last few days and has gotten a tremendous amount of reading accomplished. He's read several chapter books this week. I had never read Black Beauty either and especially enjoyed reading part of this book aloud. I never realized Black Beauty was narrated from the perspective of the horse.

Swiss Family Robinson

Two days ago I read Swiss Family Robinson. And it was interesting, very interesting. I liked the part when they reached the island. And before that, they lived in Europe. There was an ostrich and they ate one and captured one. And they gathered antelope to eat in cold weather.

They saw a 14 foot long boa constrictor! And they had 2 dogs. Their names were Turk and Flora.

Note from Mom:
Caleb devoured Swiss Family Robinson in a couple of hours. I had never read it so I enjoyed reading a couple of chapters with him. The book is quite similar to the movie but the boys were a tad more enthusiastic with the guns than I would've liked! They were always shooting the animals. But it was a great adventure story.

Spiderwick Chronicles

This is Mom speaking ;)

Caleb hasn't been interested in blogging much this week, probably because he's read The Spiderwick Chronicles 3 times since he got it 3 days ago.
I take that as a sign of his approval of it!

I liked it too... I read it aloud to the kids the day we got it. It's a good "What to read after Lemony Snicket" type of book.

I will ask him to come back and give his official review tomorrow.

Why I Like Homeschool

I like homeschool better than public school because at school they teach evolution. I don't believe evolution.

And when you homeschool you get to spend a lot of time with your Mom. And you can ask her questions. Like if you do something wrong on your school project you can ask her if you're doing good or bad on your schoolwork.

And you get to play a lot more than you do at regular school.

When you homeschool you get to read a lot. I like going to the library and checking out books with my own library card.

When you homeschool you get to go to the playground and play in your back yard, instead of waiting 6 hours.

I wouldn't want to ride the school bus. Eating at home is better than eating at school because the food tastes better.

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day!

Hooray for Diffendoofer Day was very cool. I liked the teacher Miss Bonkers. She is as bouncy as a flea. She teaches pigs to put on underpants. And one time she taught a duck to sing. And a frog to march. And how to tell a cactus from a cow.

Note from Mom:
This was a book that was roughed out by Dr. Seuss but that he never finished before he died. It's classic Seuss but with a twist.

Koko The Gorilla's Kitten

I liked Koko's Kitten. It was cool when Koko got a kitten. A real kitten! And the sad part was when Kiko's kitten got hit by a car. But then, Koko got a new one. And it had a happy ending.

Note from Mom:
I'm so glad we picked this book up. It brought tears to my eyes! I was absolutely amazed at Koko's intelligence and sensitivity, and her love for her kitten. This is a very endearing book.

The Story of the World- Susan Bauer

I especially like the hanging gardens of Babylon and I liked all the stuff about Assyria. It was cool. I liked it. The Assyrians were very violent. People were afraid of them. And I liked Hatshepsut the woman Pharaoh. And Hatshepsut didn't conquer any countries. And so people liked Hatshepsut. She pretended to be a man.

Alexander the Great treated people royally. He didn't burn down houses when he conquered a country. And he treated the royal families well. He let them stay in their palaces and live.

The Story of the World by Susan Wise Bauer

Note from Mom:
This is the book I am using to teach Caleb History. It is recommended by Jessie Wise and Susan Wise Bauer in their book "The Well Trained Mind". I am enjoying it as much as Caleb is! He often wants to read more than one chapter in a sitting. The Story of the World also has an activity book that can be purchased separately.

Magic School Bus Books- Adventures in Egypt

Mrs. Frizzle's Adventures in Ancient Egypt was cool. I learned how ancient Egyptians farmed and what their homes looked like. And, one Egyptian had a big, humongous house. He was a scribe, and he was very wealthy. His house even had an indoor shower and toilet.

Note from Mom:
In keeping with the ancient Egypt theme, I let Caleb check this one out from the library. He read it several times.

Tutankhamen's Tomb

Tutankhamen's Tomb was interesting. And, I learned quite a few things from the book of Tutankhamen's Tomb. My favorite page was the one with Tutankhamen's third coffin. It was made of solid gold.

Note from Mom:
Caleb is studying ancient history at the moment and we have been learning about Egypt. He enjoys reading about the Pharaohs.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Book Review

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Book

This book was cool. I read 3 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle books. I read them while Mom was at a Barnes and Noble Educator Open House. I ate 5 cookies! And I had half a cup of coffee. One of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles books I read was called Friends Forever Until The End.

The Day I Helped Pop-Pop Build a New Dagobah

I like helping Pop-Pop build things.
It makes me like a grown up.
Dagobah is where Yoda lives.
I have a Dagobah in Nannie and Pop-Pops front yard.

We put new hinges on it.
And we found a door that had everything we need on it.
And I can go in whenever I want to at Nannie's.