September Readings

The kids needed a quick and funny story - the first week of school coupled with the fantastic weather cut into out bedtime story time last week. We were left starved for something easy-going, entertaining and plain silly. So, I picked this. It served the purpose. We laughed our hearts out. I think my favorite Roald Dahl's books, in order, are: The Twits, Esio Trot, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the Enormous Crocodile. James and the giant peach, The Fantastic Mr. Fox and Giraffe and the Pelly and Me were somewhat dull. The Twits, Esio Trot and Charlie had some edge-humoristic and clever-to them that won me over.  Of course we love the Twits so much, we are planning on reading it again.

 At the library's bookmobile we found this gem which we read last year. The pictures are spectacular, the story line is super simple. It's a puzzle in a story and even after having read it many, many times, it is still wonderful to guess and look at all the beautiful details in the pictures.

While in the library I found this book. I think I encountered one or two of the other books in the series and did not find them very good-the one about flight and the one about Columbus. This one is great, though. The pictures are beautiful; the story follows one imaginary character from his trip from Ireland to America. The man takes on this journey driven from his homeland as a result of the potato famine. He arrives in the east, moves to the west and assumed various jobs on the railroad. The Chinese workers are acknowledged too. The discrimination is not overlooked. The impact of the railroad success on the local populations and the local fauna is mentioned even if not discussed. The point is all important topics for discussion are there, one just needs to read the story a few times and each time reflect on one point and then do a review.