Tasha Tudor is the Fiesta  author for the month of August. I'm so excited! She has the most beautiful illustrations.  I think we will have a tea party in her honor while we read a few of her books. I found this link to some really cool craft and activity ideas  on her website. What  a wonderful way to spend these last few weeks of summer!

We actually finished our study of Mem Fox  last month. I checked out every one of her books that our library had and we read them all that same afternoon. Then we read Where Is the Green Sheep about twenty more times. It is definately my little girls new favorite.  I think we will check it out again on our next trip to the library. Joann at Ten Kids and a Dog came up with a really cute idea to use with this book, and I'd like to try it out.

I also found a unit study  for Hattie and the Fox that looks like a lot of fun. There are also these instructions showing how to Make Your Own Chicken. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of the books our library had.

I must say, I wasn't entirely impressed with this author. Though she did have several books that we really lliked, there were several others that had witches and magic in them. These are not things we like our children to read about. It just shows that you can't make asumptions when choosing books for children.

It's June and time for a new author  at the Author Fiesta blog. This month (actually two months) we will be reading the books of Mem Fox.  Time for another trip to the library!

We really enjoyed getting to know the works of Patricia Polacco.  She does a wonderful job of turning her simple childhood memories into fascinating and touching stories. I am amazed at the details she remembers from those times long ago. Her illustrations are also wonderful.  I think the children and I will try writing a few of our own stories.

If you decide to join us in studying Mem Fox, you may want to check out  the Pirates Multi-book Theme Unit at Homeschoolshare using her book Tough Borris.  Currclick also sells a book called Teaching With Favorite Mem Fox Books which has various activities you can use.

My children love summer reading programs. Besides signing up at our local library, here are a few we plan to participate in this year:

Barnes and Noble has a Summer Reading Program for children in the first through sixth grade. Children are required to read eight books and fill out a form telling their favorite part of each story to earn a free book.

I read on Dana's blog that Cay Gibson just started a blog called  Author Fiesta,  which features a different  childrens' author each month.  I thought it would be fun to follow along with her and  find some new books to read. She also has free printables and other neat stuff to go along with the study. This month the featured author is Patricia Polacco. We just checked out a stack of Polacco books today.  If you are interested, you might also want to check out the new family reunions unit   at Homeschool Share which uses the book  When Lightning Comes In a Jar by Patricia Polacco. There are also studies on An Orange For Frankie, John Phillip Duck, Mrs. Mack, The Butterfly, The Trees of the Dancing Goats, Thunder Cake, and Rechenka's Eggs. (Thanks Dana.)

The Old Schoolhouse Magazine just announced their Summer Reading Splash, a reading program for homeschoolers. Every child who participates will receive a free E-book. Other prizes and incentives will be offered throughout the program, including some free bookmarks which you can download right now.

If you know of any others, please let me know.