Keeping Score by Linda Sue Park

Maggie (or Maggie-0 like Joe DiMaggio because her parents love baseball) loves to listen to baseball games on the radio. Sometimes she goes down to the firehouse to listen. One time she goes down to the firehouse and watches Jim keeping track of the score on paper. She is intrigued and learns how. She becomes very good at keeping score. Then Jim gets called to the Korean War. She learns to keep track of the war on paper.

This story has twist and turns. It is hard to stop reading because I always wanted to know what was going to happen next. I like this story because I learned about baseball while reading and I learned about the Korean War while reading. It also brought back memories of keeping score as a kid myself which I forgot all about. This is a touching story and it makes me a better person for reading it.  It even had some insights into prayer and hope.

Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park

Bee-bim Bop by Linda Sue Park

This is a fun little storybook. It takes us through the process of preparing a dish called “Bee Bim Bop.” The little girl is with her mom through shopping, baking and preparing the dish for the table where her whole family joins them in the eating.

The words rhyme. The rhyming alone is a great reason to read the book. It is just so fun to say the words. I read it to my children out loud and instead of dreading reading it over and over again, I liked it and really enjoy reading it. The words are fun to say.

I like to have the kids finish the sentence “for some….” Then they add “Bee Bim Bop” with a giggle. So it is definitely a book that can be interactive and fun.

It has a recipe at the end. My daughter has told us we need to make it.

I like this book because its words are catchy. My children really like this book and have asked for it by name. So, if they like it that is all the more reason for me to like it too.

Mung-Mung by Linda Sue Park

Mung-Mung by Linda Sue Park
This storybook asks “What kind of animal says…” Each page asks that question. Then it gives the sound of each animal, but not just in English. It gives the sound in many languages. Then the answer is found by opening up the page to make the page open extra long to find the animal that answers the question.

I love this book. The illustrations are beautiful and the colors are bright. It is a really fun book and I love to know how to make sounds in other languages. It’s good to intrigue and interest children in other languages. I know I really liked knowing the sounds of animals.

I think this is a personal favorite of mine. I like the way it interacts with kids. It’s brief, yet in that briefness it makes the point quickly.