Week 2: Excellence In Reading Challenge

Brrrr...it is cold outside! We are experiencing blustery winds and frigid wind chills of 0°-10°. I'm not fond of this cold weather...neither are our 10 laying hens. We chose 3 cold hardy breeds of chickens and this is our first winter with them. Thankfully, they survived the below freezing temperatures.

As for the reading challenge. Alexis and I completed two more books on the list.

Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel by Virginia Lee Burton 
Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Ann, dig big deep canals for waterways and cut passes through the mountains for trains. But the industrial age is changing and with that change comes new machines with gasoline and diesel engines. Mike Mulligan and his steam shovel, Mary Anne, are being put out of work by the new modern machines. Mike Mulligan believes that he and Mary Ann can dig in a day as much as 100 men can dig in a week, he just needs to prove it. Mike Mulligan and Mary Ann travel to Popperville and succeed in building a cellar for the local town hall, all in one days time.  Satisfied with their cellar, the town people of Popperville find a solution to keep Mike and his steam shovel, Mary Ann, useful during this era of industrial change.

Make Way For Ducklings by Robert McCloskey

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard fly over several locations searching for a new home but Mrs. Mallard can't find anything that satisfies her. Finally out of exhaustion, Mr. and Mrs. Mallard land at the Public Gardens in Boston. After being hand fed peanuts by the locals, they decide the Public Gardens would be the perfect place to build their nest. That is, until they were nearly ran over by a bicyclist. The ducks continue their search and settle on an island in the Charles River. Nearby, they meet Michael, a policeman, who feeds them peanuts everyday. Soon, Mrs. Mallard hatches 8 little ducklings. Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Oack, Pack and Quack. Mr. Mallard leaves to explore the river and Mrs. Mallard agrees to meet him at the Public Garden in one week.

On the way to the Public Garden, Mrs. Mallard and the ducklings must cross a highway and various other streets. It is a dangerous adventure.  With the help of Michael, the nice policeman, they make it safely to Public Garden, their new home.

This was my first time reading Make Way For Duckling. I actually like this book very much and Alexis likes it as well. What did you read this week?