Off the Book Shelves: The Seven Silly Eaters

 Ok, so I make no secret of the fact that I am a bit of a book junky. I was a book junky before homeschooling, and now after five years of homeschooling... well, maybe it's gotten a tad out of hand.:) This is why I say "bookshelves" and not "bookshelf". I know I'm not the only homeschooler complaining of the mounds of books taking over the house, but at the same time I have to admit I'm a little bit proud of it. After all, these books are not for show. We are actually reading these books... well, most of them anyway.:) Not only have I gone to book fairs, used book stores, and homeschool stores, I also inherited a great number of books from family (we have the first and oldest grandchildren) and bought a fair number online. I do periodically go through and try to cull them a bit, and so, all appearances aside, what we have now is mostly our favorites plus the ones we still need to read or will review at some point. Since I have so many books I love, I thought I might share a few with you here and there, especially the ones you might not have heard of before.

 My shelves are not neat and tidy, but I like to think that there is a wealth of beauty and knowledge in the mess anyway.

Does your house look like this? If not, don't tell me.

Well, last night we weren't able to do our usual chapter book reading at story time, so my daughter brought out a couple of her old favorites. This one was given to us as a birthday present and it's been a favorite ever since.

The Seven Silly Eaters by Mary Ann Hoberman and illustrated by Marla Frazee. What I think we love most about this book is it's detailed and amusing illustrations. It's a really fun book to read out loud as well, and after some of the books I've read out loud lately, I really appreciate a book that has great rhythm to it. The kids love to hear about all the personalities of the kids (and I keep thinking MY GOD, is it possible to have that many kids that fast!?). It's just a fun book all around, and it hits obliquely upon a few worthwhile topics, like helping out and working together. I also love that the mom and dad seem to be modern do-it-yourself kind of people. The mom plays cello in her spare time, and the dad helps out too. 

This is a picture book good for any kid three and up and a terrific pick for family story time.