The Horse and His Boy (The Chronicles of Narnia #3) by C.S. Lewis

Blurb: Narnia . . . where horses talk . . . where treachery is brewing . . . where destiny awaits.

On a desperate journey, two runaways meet and join forces. Though they are only looking to escape their harsh and narrow lives, they soon find themselves at the center of a terrible battle. It is a battle that will decide their fate and the fate of Narnia itself.

 

 

 

 

3 stars

My daughter really wanted us to keep reading this series so I pushed through this book but I was never really a fan of this story. I think this might be my least favorite CS Lewis book in the Narnia series.  My daughter loved it though.  She was very excited to read it and I think we may have finished it faster than TLTWATW.

I found Aravis to be a bit spoiled and overbearing.  We see the potential for her character to grow but it happens at such a slow pace for me that I kinda just gave up on her.  Shasta seemed to be a bit of a pushover, never really coming to any conclusions on his own.  Just kinda letting events happen to him as opposed to facilitating them himself. And the horses seemed to be more of just extras to tie in the Narnia theme.  Their personalities reflect Shasta and Aravis, making them less likable to me due to lack of originality.

I did enjoy the hermit quite a bit along with the king and the young prince as well. I could have spent more time getting to know him more.  Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy are the ones I wanted to learn more about really, but they were only in it sparingly.  The good news is, my favorite book in the series is next so yea, more Pevensies!

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (The Chronicles of Narnia (Publication Order) #1) by C.S. Lewis

Blurb: Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

This book satisfies challenge #9: A classic about a animal or which includes the name of an animal in the title. 

5 stars

I’ve read this book about three times now. Still love it. I forgot how fast paced it was.  And the sentences are quite long-winded.  It was hard to read it to my daughter in any kind of rhythm cause I had to keep catching my breath, so annoying.

My kid loved it, we tore that book in about a month.  I read aloud to her so it takes a lot longer to finish books with her. My favorite part was when the wolf was fighting Peter and Aslan was all, “Nah bro, he needs to earn his bones on this fight, don’t help him.” I mean, not in those words but you get the idea. My daughters favorite part was the end, when they were all grown up and they came back through the wardrobe and no time had passed for them on earth.

Anyway, if you don’t know this book, you were probably never in the US public school system cause it mandatory reading here.  Great book, highly recommend.

The Butter Battle Book by Dr. Seuss

Blurb: Dr. Seuss’s classic cautionary tale, introduces readers to the important lesson of respecting differences. The Yooks and Zooks share a love of buttered bread, but animosity brews between the two groups because they prefer to enjoy the tasty treat differently. The timeless and topical rhyming text is an ideal way to teach young children about the issues of tolerance and respect. Whether in the home or in the classroom, The Butter Battle Book is a must-have for readers of all ages.

 

 

5 Stars

When I was a young girl, my father used to read Dr. Seuss books to me before bed.  He would do accents and speak in a comforting rhythm that never failed to lull me to sleep. It’s one of my earliest memories of reading. And one of my fondest.

I knew once I found out I was going to be a mother that I would get to pass on that love of Dr. Seuss to my daughter.  I’m confident it will turn into a tradition because my daughter loves to read Dr. Seuss to me; I can only imagine when she has a family of her own to read too.  It kinda makes you feel small when you think about it that way.  Something that you did will continue to live on after you expire.

But enough with the history lesson, the reason I’m telling you this is because this book is on my Read Harder challenge list from Book Riot.  Read a book out loud to someone.

This book should be mandatory reading IMO because it touches upon a subject that is very difficult for some people to deal with; the judgment of others. Many types of judgment can be seen in our soci0-economic structure; in our past as well as our present.  Just because some people don’t talk the same way, look the same way, act the same way, or do the same things that you do; like say, eating bread and butter a certain way, doesn’t mean you are better than them. Or that they should be treated differently for it.

This book explains to children a complex concept in a simple way that can be easily understood.  Dr. Seuss was a brilliant writer/poet and his books will continue to remain in mainstream literature because of his catchy rhymes and awkward illustrations that show kids a more adult view of the world.  A view that they can identify with and understand.

It’s my favorite Dr. Seuss book of all time. And that’s saying a lot since he had so many great books.  Highly recommended to people of all ages.  You are never too old for Dr. Seuss!