Mr. Popper's Penguins

We just finished listening to Mr. Popper's Penguins written by Richard and Florence Atwater.  My children were excited to read the book after their grandmother told them how the book had been one of her favorites as a child.  The story was originally published in 1938 and is a fun read.  Mr. Popper is a painter in the small town of Stillwater but has always wanted to travel the world - specifically to the two poles.  Mr. Popper writes a letter to Admiral Drake, an explorer of the North Pole, who in turn unexpectedly sends him a penguin.  The Poppers name the penguin Captain Cook and the adventures begin. Handles are put on the inside of refrigerators, ice skating rinks put into basements, Captain Cook finds some penguin friends, and the Popper's have to find a way to support their new penguins.

My six and four year old loved this book!  They were so engaged by the story that we had to bring the cd's in from the car and finish it in the house because there just wasn't enough driving for them to get their fill.  We rented the new movie starring Jim Carrey this weekend and thought it was a fun movie - albeit very different from the book.  When I asked my kids which they preferred - the book or the movie - they both said the book.  Hooray!

Matilda

Every January I am resolute.  I started this blog in January of 2008 and wrote exactly one post.  In 2009 - I resolved again - only to get one post again.  But in 2011 I started out once again and wrote 77 posts!  Here's to 2012 - and even more reading and blogging.

We made a lot of trips to the library over the break and the big winner this holiday was the audio book.  We love audio books at our house. It seems we spend quite a bit of time in the car and instead of it seeming never-ending my kids are asking me to "please don't turn the car off" when we pull into the driveway.  If we didn't have a baby who does not like a stopped car I think we might never get out.

One of our great audio finds at the library is Roald Dahl's Matilda. I know this book is forever old but my children (especially my six-year-old) and my husband and I found this fantastically funny.  I had read this as a child and found it every bit as funny now - perhaps more.  Matilda is the story of a five year old girl who is exceptionally precocious.  She loves to read but upon asking her parents for books she is told to just watch the tellie.  She finds the library and begins to read - really read - like the complete works of Charles Dickens.  When she enters school (late because her parents did not get around to it) her teacher, Miss Honey, quickly sees that Matilda should be moved up to the highest class.  However, Miss Trunchbull, the horrible headmistress, will hear nothing of it.  What ensues are unbelievable tales of Miss Trunchbull's cruelness and hilarious stories of children trying to outwit her.  If you, or any child you know,  have not read this recently - I highly recommend a quick trip to the library.