The Bookmonster review

Solo Bush Babies: Koala by Robin Stewart

It   is  about  a  baby  koala  losing  his  grip   on  his  mother's  back  one  night. he  falls. I liked  it  because  it  was exciting, and had lots of  good words.  Some were: pouch, moonlit, wailing, completely, camera, and reporter.

By Annika

Reading right now

The Bookmonster's bedside drawer currently contains:

Ballerina monster

* Magic Ballerina (Holly and the Rose Garden) by Darcey Bussell
* Dragon of the Red Dawn (Magic Treehouse #37) by Mary Pope Osborne
* Thanksgiving on Thursday (Magic Treehouse # 27) by Mary Pope Osborne
* Oliver's Egg (Aussie Nibbles) by Meredith Costain
* Philomena Wonderpen (is a very naughty teacher) by Ian Bone

and open, on her bed, from which she had just arisen thanks to a lurgy:

* Magic Ballerina (Holly and the Land of Sweets) by Darcey Bussell
* Magic Ballerina (Rosa and the Golden Bird) by Darcey Bussell

And yes, the Bookmonster loves her ballet. Almost as much as reading!

A short history

Bookmonster and sister playing Reading Eggs 

The Bookmonster started reading around the time she turned 3. We're not exactly sure when ... she was so good at memorising entire books, she had us fooled.  At 3, however, she started one day a week in a beautiful Montessori children's house, and in her second week came back with her first reader.

It took her about a month to move from "I am Sam" to children's books.

By three and half, when she started Montessori school proper, she was on beginner readers (level 5).  By the end of her first year (2009), she had "levelled out" the entire range and moved on to chapter books.  Aussie Nibbles and Aussie Bites are generally a good ranges, but the content can be uneven, and in some cases, the books are uninspiring.

And lets not talk about PegLegMeg, when the Bookmonster came out of her room with a worried look on her face.

"Mummy, what does 'torture' mean."

Oh dear.

And so I learnt to vett her reading quite carefully.  I peruse all the books from the library quite carefully, looking at content first, and language second.  There are lots of worthy, uplifting books, but some have the most boring language.  Others are too scary.

We have a number of reliable series that we hunt down everything published.  They are:

* The Secrets of Droon series by Tony Abbott
* The Magic Ballerina series by Darcey Bussell
* Doll Hospital by Joan Holub (excellent use of historical themes)
* The Magic Treehouse series by Mary Pope Osborne
* Pony Pals by Jeanne Betancourt
* Bonnie and Sam books by Alison Lester
* Matilda Mudpuddle by Gordon Winch.

Annika also loves Tashi,  by Anna Fienberg et al, but I am uncomfortable with some of the content.  It verges on a bit too scary at times, and I spend a lot of time convincing the BookMonster that certain things are Most Definitely Not Real. Fantasy is a somewhat disputed area in Montessori theory, but generally is not favoured for young children, and the 5yo tendency to overdose on fairies and magic has to be carefully balanced with reality.  We love how the Magic Treehouse books mix fantasy with historical themes, and Pony Pals and Bonnie and Sam manage to deliver good strong female role models doing lots of healthy, outdoorsy stuff.  Bonnie and Sam, of course, get major props for being Australian, as does Matilda Mudpuddle.

About the Book Monster

A month ago, my daughter came marching out of her bedroom.

"Mum.  This book says I'm a bookworm!"

She was delighted. To find out what it is you are - who you are - when you feel different to everyone else is a magnificent thing.  But herein lies the problem.

My daughter -  the fairy queen, the pirate princess -  is five years old.  She reads better than many teenagers.  I call her the Bookmonster. She munches through books like the Cookie Monster attacks cookies, and I am going mad trying to keep up with her.

The problem is not trying to find books.  We go to the library each week - there is no shortage on the shelves.  The problem is finding books she SHOULD be reading. Books that will open the horizons for her, without teaching her about concepts a five year old doesn't need to know.  Books that will build her love of the language.  Books that will challenge and stretch her, without forcing her to become a teenager before her time.

The Bookmonster is a very young advanced reader.  There isn't a lot out there for children who read so many years ahead, and we need all the help we can get.  This is me, bookmumster, seeking help.

This blog will list what Annika Bookmonster has been reading lately - the nitty gritty of titles and series and if she feels like it, an analysis from the Bookmonster herself.  And then, it's over to you, oh great Internet public.  I'm hoping the parents of other Bookmonsters (or the monsters themselves) will join us to share what they have been reading too.  Bookmonsters of the world -  unite!