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.

Trains in the Bay Area

Since ningning mentioned trains in a comment to my post about the Holiday Train, let me write a little about trains for kids in the Bay Area.  I'm sure that I don't know all of them, so if anyone knows more, please let me know.  Here are the ones that we know.

Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad

This train in the Vasona Park in Los Gatos is loved by all kids I know.  The train ride is great and there are many other attractions in the park: the carousel, playgrounds, and ducks.

Mini Train in the Central Park in San Mateo
I don't like this one too much but if your child is really into trains, it may be worth checking out.  The train goes in a small loop.  Adults cannot be on the train because it is a very small train.  The Japanese Tea Garden in the same park is very nice.

Roaring Camp Railroads
This place close to Santa Cruz has two train: the beach train that goes to Santa Cruz and the steam train that goes in a loop.  Both are very nice.  There are also some events there, like Day Out With Thomas, and Holiday Lights Train.

Bay Area Holiday Train

We went to the Caltrain's Holiday Train in the past and we will surely go this year.  This year the train event will happen on December 6 and December 7, 2008 (note that different stations are served on each day).  You can get all the details on the Caltrain web site for Holiday Train 2008.

This is a very fun activity for small kids.  The train stops at the station and you can watch performers on a platform car.  Some characters (Santa etc) will get off the train and mingle with the crowds.

If you choose to watch it in Santa Clara, make sure to check out the train museum there.  The kids will love it!

The Holiday Train is also about giving.  If you can, please bring new toys and books.  Your gifts will be donated to U.S. Marine Corps Reserve’s Toys for Tots Program and the Salvation Army.