books we read in Feb

rating 4

Angelina Ballerina

Avril is a big fan of Angelina Ballerina. She likes all of her books and DVDs.so no surprise,she loves this book.




Arabella Miller's Tiny Caterpillar

3.5 star

It is overall a book, but for some reason, 3-year-old Avril can never concentrate on finishing the book.Maybe to her, that is a little too educational and she could not quite understand yet.

The Birthday Box

5  star

Avril likes this book, it is a simple read.On each page, there is only one line, after reading a few times, Avril can read this book by herself.

3 star!

Bringing in the New Year

To Introduce Chinese New year to Avril,I read her this book about Chinese new year.It is OK to read.

Cool Daddy Rat

4 star

The text is rhythmic--quite challenging for my foreigh tongue to read,the illustration is beautiful and jazzy. very unique book.

Dog and Bear (Neal Porter Books) (Boston Globe-Horn Book Award Winner-Best Picture Book) (Awards))
5 star!

After the two's company, I tried to find more Dog and Bear series to read.It is perfect for toddlers to read. Simple, loving.After a few readings, Avril can read most of the pages by herself.

Fancy Nancy and the Boy from Paris [FANCY NANCY & BOY FROM PARIS]

5 star

We like all Fancy Nancy books:)

Fish Who Cried Wolf

4 star

It was enjoyable, the illustration was great.The text was rhythmic and cute.

On Meadowview Street 5 star!

I love this book a lot. This is my second time checking it out.I can not say Avril likes as much as I do,but she certainly enjoys it too. It is a book about nature,garden,grass,birds...very cute.

Valentine Hearts: Holiday Poetry (I Can Read Book 2)

4 star
I picked up this book for Valentine's day was getting closer.I usually do not expect books of this kind to be any interesting.I was surprised by how good,cute and emotional those simple poetries are.I have been thinking to introduce Avril literature and poems,but most of them I found are either too difficult and advanced for a 3 year old, or too silly to call them poems:) This book is perfect, the collections are perfect for this age.Avril likes it a lot for she could understand them very well.

Hug Time
5 star!
I saw this book in Urban Outfitters.I liked it very much.It is a very cute,loving book, the drawings are simple,abstract,smart.The story is simple and touching. I will remember to check out more books by the same writer. It is also a beautiful gift book to give to someone with a warmhearted message.





How I Learned Geography

5 star
This book might be  a little  advanced for 3-year-old, hopefully one day she will understand to feel same kind sympathy to others and the world

A very unique children book.







10 Minutes to Bedtime

5 star

Avril really liked this book, requested us to read to her over and over.

The Busy Body Book: A Kid's Guide to Fitness (Booklist Editor's Choice. Books for Youth (Awards))
4 star
This is really good book about human body-- a little bit too advanced for 3 year old, but Avril learned a lot about her body from this book. I am considering buying this book, for this one we can read for many years.

There Are Monsters Everywhere (There's Aà)
4 star

Not sure why kids like monsters:) 

A Visitor for Bear
4 star
A cute story about friendship and sharing. It is perfect for a 3 year old

books we read this month

I decide to keep a journal of the books I read to Avril.

Tonight on the way home from daycare, we stopped by the library picking up some books. After dinner, we finished reading the following books. Avril and I enjoyed all of them.


I will give a rating 3.5 out of 5

What Happens on Wednesdays is a good book for preschool kids, we can really relate to the daily routines in the book, as we were reading this line" mommy read me a book, we were laughing to see Michal was unloading the dishwasher.

It might be a little too long for 3-year-old Avril? I will read to her a few more times. I personally like the drawing texture.There are lots of details,Avril and I spend time on each page looking at the shops,dogs on the street ..




5 star !!!

Dog and Bear: Two's Company is consist of 3 short stories. I liked it immediately. It is really appropriate for 2-3 year old. Avril can quickly recognize words she knows. I plan to read this book a few more times this week.
I requested a few more books by the same author.



rating 3

The Chicken of the Family
A cute stories about siblings.The younger one was teased by the old sisters.It is a little complicated for a 3-year-old, maybe when Avril is 4 or 5 year old, we can read it again?





The Day the Babies Crawled Away
4 star
This distinctive feature is its silhouette illustration with a lot of detail.Avril and I enjoyed it.I am not sure how much she really appreciate the drawing.Maybe as she gets older,she will appreciate the artistic aspect of this book.



We read this book twice tonight. once by me, once by Avril with my help. After this book,she remembered 4 to 5 Chinese characters.I shall remember to have her read the same book for the rest of week a few more times.

Bay Area Trains Map

My coworkers suggested a few more trains in addition to what I wrote about earlier in the blog, so I decided to create a map of all those trains.  First, the list of train rides:

• Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad
• Mini Train in the Central Park in San Mateo
• Roaring Camp Railroads
• Little Puffer at the San Francisco Zoo.
• Gilroy Gardens: Coyote and Redwood Junctions Railroad Train Ride
• Sonoma TrainTown
• Redwood Valley Railway in Berkeley's Tilden Park.
• Niles Canyon Railway in Fremont

And train exhibits:

• California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento
  
• Edward Peterman Museum of Railroad History in Santa Clara
  

View Larger Map

Books about multilingualism

I recently wrote a review of a book about multilingualism (bilingualism to be exact). It's the second book I read about the subject since it's of big personal interest to me.  I've also read a few articles and followed at least one online discussion about it.  Here's what I believe now about all the information that's available:

• Do not read any books about bilingualism unless you have to.  The information is unlikely to change much about your attitudes towards multilingualism and reading them can be annoying because they read like propaganda materials.
• If you do want to read something, the book I've just read (A Parents' & Teachers' Guide to Bilingualism) is not too bad in spite of the fact that my review contains a few criticisms.

Carol of Lights Festival in Campbell

We go to the Carol of Lights Festival in Campbell every year and really like it.  It's an opportunity to see snow in the Bay Area (the build a snow hill on one of the streets), take a picture with Santa and see many other holiday-related things.  The event used to be in the evenings but this year they decided to move it to the afternoon.  It will take place on Saturday, December 13, 2008 from 2pm to 5pm.  Immediately before the Carol of Lights, there's the Christmas in Campbell event, 11am-2pm featuring music performances.

Here's a picture of us on a pony ride in the 2007 Carol of Lights Festival.

Little Puffer

In my post about trains, I completely forgot about the Little Puffer at the San Francisco Zoo.  Our daughter and other children we know love this train.  Here's a picture from one of our visits there.