February! And with it comes lots of holiday and theme month goodies to cover Chinese New Year, Black History Month, 100th day, and Valentine's Day. These flyers are jammed with stuff for these, but also some of the usual mix of good stuff, not so good stuff, and some of our usual repeaters. Getting … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: January 2013 Edition
It seems late in the month to be doing a Decoder, but I just got our flyers today, so I'm not the only one late off the mark, what with school starting a bit late in the month and getting back into routines. But! here we are, familiar newsprint flyers in hand. Let's dive in, shall we? ElfChinese New … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: December 2012 Edition
Woah. You guys. December! I barely got the advent calendar filled today, it snuck up on me so fast. And this month, as you might imagine, there are tons of holiday books as well as winter selections and just regular old any-time titles. Shall we? ElfLlama Llama Holiday Drama - These Llama Llama … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: October 2012
October! Wow, we're already right into the school year by now, with fall falling and temperature dropping with it, too. Brrr! At least we can curl up with some good books - there is some good solid stuff this month. Let's take a look... ElfLlama Llama pack - I haven't seen the new one, but the three … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: September 2012
It's been a couple of weeks now that the kids and teachers have been back to school, and everyone has gotten settled into routine. Which means that it's about that time - the time when those colourful book club flyers start coming home! If you're new to the Decoder, the idea is that I go through the … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: June Edition
School's nearly out! This is the last flyer of the year, so if you want to stock up for summer reading, it's a good opportunity. My suggestions? Here we go... ElfBest of Elf Pack - I'm not always a fan of these larger packs, as the contents are often pretty mixed and uneven, but there is very … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: May 2012 Edition
Spring is here - and so are the May flyers! Break out your pen, and let's get going... ElfUsborne 1000 things To Make and Do - I like these Usborne books of art ideas. The pictures and instructions are nice and clear, so kids can do much of this on their own by this age, and my own little grade 2 … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: April 2012
See that title up there? I wrote March up there first, the month has gone that fast. But no. It's April, it's Easter and Passover and Spring and all sorts of wonderful things - including time for another Scholastic Decoder! ElfI'm a Shark - this is a funny book about a shark who is busy talking … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: March 2012
March! And the break is coming... Not to mention spring and Easter, which are well-covered in this month's flyers. ElfCounting Critters Spring Pack - The Very Hungry Caterpillar, two fun, classic counting songs, and one more counting book? A fun pack for sharing and singing with your kids. Show … [Read more...]
Scholastic Decoder: February 2012
February! The dead of winter. What better time for some fresh books to curl up with? ElfPicture a Tree - Barbara Reid's latest is a lovely tribute to trees filled with delightful visual jokes and her incredibly detailed plasticene illustrations. Marvelous! Pigeon Pack - I love Mo. Seriously, … [Read more...]