One thing I was really looking forward to on this trip to the US was having the girls gorge on library books. Unfortunately, we haven't had a lot of time to just sit and read. We only made one trip to the library, in Idaho Falls, and that was it. So I made sure it was worth it. Even if we didn't get to read everything we hoped, the girls and I at least got some ideas for books to track down (probably unsuccessfully, sigh) once we're back in the UAE.
Miriam chose more books from The Great Brain series (she's read 1, 2, and 3 already). She also got a few books from the American Girl series. For fun, she got a book about the UAE to read with any interested relatives, and a book about traditional songs and sayings in the US.
Magdalena was asking a lot of questions about the Civil War when we were in the car listening to MoTab's Battle Hymn of the Republic, so I found The Silent Witness, which is a true story for children about the Civil War. Once she saw the collection of Pinkalicious easy readers, though, the search was over. She checked out about 10 of those and we read every single one.
A public library with an excellent selection of children's books remains one of the things I miss the most about the US. I take comfort in knowing that we have access to their school libraries, but there is something to be said for turning a kid loose in a public library and letting them wander and explore. I'm glad we got to do that at least once this year.
Miriam chose more books from The Great Brain series (she's read 1, 2, and 3 already). She also got a few books from the American Girl series. For fun, she got a book about the UAE to read with any interested relatives, and a book about traditional songs and sayings in the US.
Magdalena was asking a lot of questions about the Civil War when we were in the car listening to MoTab's Battle Hymn of the Republic, so I found The Silent Witness, which is a true story for children about the Civil War. Once she saw the collection of Pinkalicious easy readers, though, the search was over. She checked out about 10 of those and we read every single one.
A public library with an excellent selection of children's books remains one of the things I miss the most about the US. I take comfort in knowing that we have access to their school libraries, but there is something to be said for turning a kid loose in a public library and letting them wander and explore. I'm glad we got to do that at least once this year.
