Seaman

 

Mom's Notes: The buddies and I are learning about the Westward Expansion of the US. We had touched on the Corps of Discovery, and I pulled this book off the shelf and considered pausing there in our study and reading this. We're all glad we did! The boys were captivated by the adventures of the explorers, and the dog's antics were relatable and had them laughing many times. This book really is a great introduction to Meriwether Lewis, William Clark, Sacajewea, select corps members like York, John Colter, George Shannon, and of course the star of this specific retelling - Seaman the Newfoundland! 

The Wild Robot

 

Mom's Notes: I had heard rave reviews about this from friends and podcasts, so the buddies and I listened to it while we were out and about. Robots, nature, wild animals, adventure - it has the components of an exciting story for kids. And it is! But I didn't personally take to the writing or semi un-original plot as readily as those who recommended it so highly. Maybe it's because we rarely read aloud chapter books written on a very young level? (At least not many modern ones.) While it was wonderful to learn about nature and specific animals through Roz's story, I think this story might do much better as a personal read. And yes, we saw the movie in the theaters shortly after finishing the book. We really enjoyed it! (The parenting plot points were more powerful in the movie than in the book, in my opinion. I teared up a bit for sure!)