Ladybug Magazine

A little over a year ago, my parents gave our four-year-old Levi a subscription to Ladybug magazine.

We have loved it.

In fact, we loved it so much that we made sure our subscription was renewed.

Now Levi is five years old, and wants you to know a few things about Ladybug magazine:

• My favorite thing is there is always an activity in the back.
• My favorite one to read is Molly and Emmett
• I like to read it by myself and reading it together.
• It's 3-6. (Meaning the magazine is for kids ages 3-6)

My favorite has to be the music: I love picking out the tunes on my piano. They are classic sounding, but not songs I've heard before. A quick glance at the issues that are pictured above reveals that two songs have contemporary composers listed, and four are traditional songs from different backgrounds: African American Spiritual, Scottish, and North American. Ok I have heard a couple of these before; Go In And Out The Window rings a bell.

You can see that in this issue they have the music on one side and simplified music on the other.
Pretty cool!

There are a number of recurring features in the magazine, besides music. Each issue begins with a hidden picture page and an easy-to-read story about Max and Kate, two friends who play together. Each issue has poetry, and some long-form stories, and a feature with three little bugs that also pop into the margins of other stories and comment.

And the activities that Levi loves are worth a mention. Once was a little mini book he made, one was a windmill he cut and taped. There was a cute mix and match paper doll, and a wild west valentine he gave to a friend. The activities are on a fold out page, designed to be cut out from the magazine. Most of them require a few other materials (scissors, glue, a straw) but we've always had these on hand.

Ladybug Magazine sometimes comes on the perfect day and saves us from boredom. I love that. We read it together and it's just what we needed. Other times, it comes on a crazy day and we don't get around to looking at it until a few days later.  Either way, we thoroughly enjoy it and I save all my back issues.

I'll put an affiliate link here so that you can check it out some more and shop for it. If you make purchases through my links I get a small commission, so thanks!

click to shop

I also reviewed the Babybug magazine, which is from the same publishers, for ages 0-4. 

What to Read to the Kids If You Like Jazz Music

Hello, hepcats!

Do you love jazz music? Do you want some good children's books to go along with your favorite tunes? I've got some really good ones for you!

My husband, Jacob, loves jazz. I've learned more about jazz from him than from anyone else. He likes to quiz me when we're listening to jazz and I'm getting pretty good at identifying Dave Brubeck, John Coltrane and Medeski Martin & Wood. I already knew Louis Armstrong, of course. He always gets me with Fats Waller though! One day I'm going to guess Fats right.

Here are five picture books we love for their strong rhythm and jazz influence:

Charlie Parker Played Be Bop by Chris Raschka -- This picture book by a Caldecott-winning writer/illustrator was the first one that came to my mind. The words of the book can be sung to the tune of Miles Davis and Charlie Parker's recording of Night in Tunisia. They're so silly that my kids loved them, and I can still remember the chorus. 

Mysterious Thelonious, also by Chris Raschka, is the picture book that Jacob wanted to make sure was on this list. It's words fit with the song Misterioso, by Thelonious Monk. It looks like this one is only available used on Amazon. Jacob got a real kick out of how perfectly this book matched the song.

Harlem's Little Blackbird by Renée Watson is one that I read back in 2013 when it was nominated for the Cybils award, and it has stuck with me. It's the story of Florence Mills, who was a voice for change (literally and figuratively) in the early days of jazz. Sadly, she died before her singing was ever recorded. Happily, she has an awesome picture book now, illustrated by mega-award-winner Christian Robinson.

Mama Don't Allow by Thatcher Hurd is a book that really gets my toes tapping. In it, a young musician gets kicked out of the house for his wailing and jiving music, only to find that all of his friends are in the same boat. If you can find this one on audio, snag it! If not, at least enjoy it with the Reading Rainbow episode close at hand.

How Do You Wokka-Wokka? by Elizabeth Bluemle, illus. Randy Cecil. Reading  this super rhythmic picture book sounds almost like scatting. Shannon Hale recommended it on her blog years back and I love it! A walk through the neighborhood turns into a dance party.

Add your favorites to this list in the comments below, and share this post with your jazz-loving friends!

p.s. If you want to try out Amazon Prime Music, I've got a link for that. Since they've got 30-day free trials, it's worth a spin!

What to Read If You Love Zydeco Music!

Do you love Zydeco Music?! I confess that I only just discovered what it is. When I started my every day blogging challenge, and asked for recommendations on what to post about, Yivette said:

I would love to see book suggestions based off music. I see a lot of posts/articles about "what to read next if you loved blank book," but what about "what to read next if you love jazz music" or "what to read next if you love zydeco music."

I responded by searching to find out what Zydeco music is. Per Wikipedia: "Zydeco is a musical genre evolved in southwest Lousiana by French Creole speakers which blends blues, rhythm and blues, and music indigenous to the Louisiana Creoles and the Native people of Louisiana." Zydeco is not just all kinds of Cajun and Creole music though. There's a nice paragraph about the distinctions here.

Since then, I've been listening to Zydeco and enjoying it. "Bye Bye Kitty Zydeco" by Kathy Kallick is my favorite song so far. A quick word about listening to music online: I do most of my listening on Spotify, but I've been looking into Amazon Prime Music. Do you use Amazon Prime Music? I'd love to hear about your experience, what you like and don't like about it. Right now Amazon has put a bounty on it, meaning if my blog readers sign up for a 30-day free trial of Amazon Prime Music I can get a special extra commission.

I'll tell you the reason Amazon Prime Music appeals to me over Spotify --- Amazon has Taylor Swift. I'm not a huge Swifty, but I like her stuff, and Spotify doesn't have it. I imagine Amazon has some other artists Spotify doesn't. I've signed up for a free trial, and if you're interested I'd be much obliged if you'd use my link above to sign up for one, too.

Now! It's time for the books! These three are stellar books that jump to mind when I hear Zydeco.

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood by Mike Artell -- I love this book so much. I discovered it when I was in high school and it's one of the few picture books I took with me to college. I developed voices for each of the characters (Petite Rouge, Grandmere, and Claude who is the alligator that plays the role of the wolf). It is written in poetry, and in dialect. Reading it the first time takes some thought, and becoming skilled at read-aloud takes practice, but it's SO worth it. Every time I read this to kids they are laughing at the antics, scared of ol' Claude, and triumphant right along with me. It made my list of Top Ten books to Read to a Kindergarten Class.  And I couldn't help but mention it in my post, Diversify Your Child's Library.

Mama Don't Allow by Thatcher Hurd -- Dont' judge this book by its cover alone. We checked it out from the library years ago and I'm still singing the song! The story is lively and fun, and parents of kids who are learning an instrument will relate to Mama. :) Miles and his friends get sent out of the house because their mothers are sick of the music they're playing. They form a swamp band and get hired to play for some gators. Thankfully the book has a happy ending. Looks like it was a Reading Rainbow bookepisode 5).
(season 4,

The Underneath by Kathy Appelt -- This book is unusual, strange, and beautifully written. It is perfectly suited for read-aloud, even though it is a longer book. According to the Amazon page, it's marketed for kids 10 and up. I would agree with that. The chapters are quite short, which provides lots of good stopping places. The Underneath follows the story of several animals in the bayou, and most especially a dog and a cat who are friends, living under the house of a man. Most Zydeco music that I've listened to is very upbeat -- I think that's part of the genre. This book is not upbeat. It is mysterious and foreboding and suspenseful. But it's so well written I had to recommend it with this list.

What do you think? Please share if you have a favorite zydeco song! Or a favorite book you think would fit on this list. And don't worry, Yivette, I'll get around to posting my list for jazz music, too.