Reading to M has always been one of most enjoyable aspects of parenting, and now that he’s getting a little older, I’m getting the joy of revisiting some of my all-time favorites books. This past week involved the welcome return of Beverly Cleary with The Mouse and the Motorcycle. I had forgotten how wonderful her characters are, but it didn’t take long for me to get sucked into the tale. I’m honestly not sure who’s enjoying the story more! Now I’m curious to see how long before …

I loved The Swiss Family Robinson as a kid. It was one of my favorite stories, along with Robinson Crusoe and the Little House books. I remember going to Disney World long before I read the book and wondering what the treehouse was all about, but I understood once I was old enough for the book. After reading this abridged edition, I realize that the cornucopia of flora and fauna on the island is utterly outlandish, but as a kid it seemed perfectly normal for an exotic …

I’ve been reading some of the Little House On The Prairie series to M lately, and we are both loving it. We finished On the Banks of Plum Creek a few weeks ago, and now we are working on By the Shores of Silver Lake. I skipped the first book (…Big Woods) mostly because I had read it before several times, and I also skipped Farmer Boy …