Reading is "allowed" ( get it? get it?)

When I was growing up we didn't have a TV. Yup, you read right! NO. TV. So when Brett makes Goonies references or discusses various early 90s cartoons I have no idea what he's talking about.
I usually roll my eyes and look superior which works really well for our marriage. Ha!

However, lets talk Heidi and Little Women, The Secret Garden, Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit, or The Chronicles of Narnia or the Chronicles of Prydain...or a Wrinkle in Time or the C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy, The Giver, Anne of Green Gables....yeah, ok, I didn't mean to give you so many examples-but basically my Television growing up was a book.

And we're starting at a very very young age. ( I was the youngest and my sister was 5 and a half years older than me, so I got most books probably before my technical "age bracket" allowed.). All of this was because my mother read out loud to our family. I "read" The Hobbit before I could actually read. 

I think I've told you before how I have strong memories of laying on the couch while my Mom read to us for hours on Sunday afternoons. She'd read till her voice started to go out.

These memories are strong and they are some of the happiest of my childhood. And I want more than anything to pass those memories on to my kids!

So this year as we have "homeschooled"...one of the standards has been reading allowed chapter books. In fact, when we don't get anything else  accomplished I make sure we do a piano practice and our read allow time. ( we're clearly an "arts" family! hahaha!)

Because my mind is so stock full of favorites from my childhood and yet I have no real recollection of when we read a certain book it has been a bit of an all over the place education for Ransom so far but I wanted to share  a few of the books we've read so far this year and give Ransom's 5-year-old rating on each:

6/10

This most definitely has to do with his age. He just isn't quite there on the listening front. Or maybe its because I love these books SO MUCH that his own love just can't measure up. Anyway, we have only read The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe  and The Horse and His Boy.  and I think we'll probably wait till next year to continue.  ( seriously, he actually did like these books its just that he didn't CRY when Aslan died and I felt like he needed to. I'm a jerk book-snob) 

8/10 

Both Homer Price  as well as Centerburg Tales: More stories of Homer Price were pretty big hits with Ransom. They are the perfect read-allowed stories for those starting out because each chapter is almost its own stand alone story just with the same reoccurring characters. 

9/10 

We will probably be reading more of the Paddington books in the near future. Ransom got the physical humor and he laughed a lot at the silly situations that Paddington got into. Boys and their physical humor...it cracks me up! 

5/10 

We've read a few Carolyn Haywood books this just being one of them. I was a HUGE fan as a kid ( I think maybe these are girl books?!) and I've got loads that are sadly now out of print. I do recommend them to those reading to their 6-8 year olds...particularly girls. Also they are perfect for early readers-maybe second graders? Seriously loved these as a kid. Not enough "action" for Ransom I think. 

4/10

I think this was a fail on my part. While the stories of Peter Pan are quite riveting the reading level is a bit high for Ransom and I think some of the language went over his head and made it less interesting for him. I'll probably wait a year or two and hit this one up again. 

10/10

Ransom looooved this book! Which was fun, because I remember loving it as a kid too! I think it hits that sweet spot of little kids who like to go outside and build forts and "secret little houses" in their parents bushes ( read: all children) and Ransom was legit sad when this book was over ( little does he know there are about 30 thousand more of these books! hahaha! Seriously, how prolific of a series is this?!?!) 

9/10 

Now, bear in mind we JUST started Farmer Boy this week, but its already a HUGE hit! I mean, not to ruin it for you-but starting a book out with a "will they won't they" beating scene is pretty much right up a 5 year old boys alley (!!)..

So, I'll stop there, I don't want to make this post too long! Have you read any of these books? Have memories from your own childhood? What about other favorites? I'm all ears! You know I'd talk about books all day if you let me!