Favorite Links

Mail Call! - YSS Events, News, and Info  -  A clever idea for using "mail" to encourage literacy and enrich story time! I'm going to try this. Love it!

A Conversation on 'Playdough or iPads' in Early Ed - Early Ed Watch

Reading to Kids is an Irreplaceable Gift - The Tennessean

Letter Sort: Fat or Thin - ABC and 123

Picture Book Round-Up: What We've Been Liking From the Library

I liked the simple message in this book (see title). I'm always looking for good books that will help my students understand the value of reading. I think I might work this title into my beginning or end of the year lessons. It would be a great discussion starter for my students to talk about their own personal reading experiences. 

This book felt like a hybrid between a traditional picture book and a wordless picture book. There was minimal text in it, and the text didn't so much tell a story as much as it made simple observations of the illustrations and allowed the reader to fill in the story themselves. There were dangling questions that the reader could imagine or guess their own answers for. Would work great when studying quantity perhaps in a preschool science unit, or even just as a means for practicing some great quantitative vocab words: plenty, much, more, few, several, etc. Could lead into some fun circle time activities.

I picked this book up in the "new books" section at my library. I was not familiar with the series, but it's very cute. My preschool son liked this book. It's a simple little story, but the characters and illustrations are pretty darling. I think my son would enjoy reading more titles in the series. And my older son is able to read the simple words in it to his younger brother, so that make it extra fun!

Loved this book. Wordless. A walrus escapes from his tiny cage at the zoo, the zoo keeper goes searching for him, but the walrus cleverly disguises himself in a variety of situations. Lots of giggles from my preschooler. And of course, it makes him feel so clever to be able to spot the walrus on each page. Would be fun to give your students or kids a simple walrus cut-out, like the one in the story, and let them create their own illustration in which the walrus is cleverly (or not-so-cleverly) disguised. Perhaps you could do some fun brainstorming with them before this project, in which you come up with ideas for other places the walrus could have hid. 

This is one of those warm fuzzy (maybe cliche a bit?) that I could get behind. In it, a mom explains to her child that she loves them when they are doing all kinds of things that might make them feel unlovable: hitting, making messes, being irritating. What mom doesn't GET this? And what an important message to remind our kids of. All three of my kids (11,8, and 3) enjoyed hearing this story, and it made for some interesting conversation around the dinner table. 

I think I was expecting a lot form this book too; not sure what I had heard about it. But I wasn't really digging it. I guess it felt like one of those heavy-handed, cliched concepts to me: everybody is different, some do this, some do that, but be yourself. Left me feeling very "eh." The illustrations were pretty. And it would be fun to use the illustrations as inspiration for some cool fish art projects. Actually, if you found some nice, smooth, round-shaped stones, you could paint them to look like the fish in this story. That would be kind of fun. Maybe my kids and I will do that this summer. 

 

I love a funny story, and this is a funny story. My boys and I love to laugh together over a book, and this book was great for that. One of my sons has a hard time committing enough to a sport or activity to really put much effort into practicing, and this book was a great catalyst for us to talk about what it takes to get good at something. It's always nice when you can giggle about a topic and also have a thoughtful discussion about it. A humorous story can drive a point home much better than a lecturing parent. 

I was excited to read this title, because I had heard so much buzz about it. I was a little disappointed. I did enjoy it, but I guess I was expecting more. There is much beauty in this book. I love the tenderness between Baby Bear and Mama. The illustrations are pretty. The detail of all the various woodland creatures tucked most pages is fun. And because the story's theme is color, there is so much you could do to expand the story after reading. You could do a matching game with the colors and the critters from the book, you go on a color hunt of your own and create your own story book with a "baby" and a "mama"... 

What makes a picture book stick with a child for life?

My mom recently dug up a picture book from my childhood that I had been asking her about. I figured the book was long gone, and had been scouring Amazon and other sites trying to find it. I was pretty sure of the title, but had no clue who the author was. And I was coming up with absolutely nothing with my online searches. So I was more than thrilled when I went to visit my family for Easter and my mom plopped the long-lost book on my lap. The Nothing.

Look closely at the photo of the cover and you can see how well-loved this book was. There are water stains (or is it some other liquid?) along the bottom, and then there's the lovely added illustration that one of us kids put on there with a Sharpie. Obviously, the book jacket went missing at some point over the years.

I'm not exactly sure what made this book stick with me into adulthood. We were read all kinds of books when we (my siblings and me) were growing up. My guess is that there was something about this book that I particularly liked and so I must have asked my mom to read it to me over and over and over.

As soon as I picked this book back up, the story came flooding back to me. And the illustrations were so familiar to me, like I had just seen them yesterday.

The book is not particularly noteworthy in terms of story or illustrations (though I recently discovered that Sal Murdocca is the illustrator for The Magic Treehouse series). I don't recall being gifted this book for a special event, or it being read to me at a particularly meaningful time. There was no deep message in it that resonated with my childhood life...

So why do I remember this book from my childhood so fondly? I think it was simply a book I enjoyed being read (for whatever reason), and so I heard it a lot. And thusly, it has stuck with me. Sitting with my mom or dad, maybe my aunt, or a brother or sister, snuggled up, hearing the familiar words... It's those kinds of cozy, repeated experiences with books that (in my opinion) can hardwire a seemingly random story into a person's heart and soul.

So that book that you have read to your child so many times you want to chuck it out the window? You know the one. The one you don't even know why they like so much? Yeah, that one. Take care of it. Don't chuck it out the window, or give it to Goodwill. When you're child has seemingly outgrown it, tuck it safely away somewhere. Because chances are, when they grow up, they'll recall it with great fondness, and hope you hung onto it for them.

Thanks, Mom! And Happy (early) Mother's Day.


I would love to hear what long-lost book you recall from your childhood. Did your parents save it for you?

What book of your child's do you suspect might stick with them into adulthood?

Favorite Links!

Dig in and enjoy!

Reading Aloud to Children: What I Have Learned - Kid Lit Frenzy

An Easy Trick That Helps Preschoolers Learn to Read: Point to the Words - The Atlantic 

14 Great Educational Apps for Children - Literacy, families and learning

Study: Effective School Libraries Impact Entire Schools, Not Just Test Scores -  School Library Journal 

Random Acts of Kids Having Fun with Literacy!

It's not a box!!

"Photos" from our crazy, fun roller coaster ride!

Aaaargh!!

Taking our own princess/prince test, and a stacking mattress game!

Storytelling with fun puppets!

Favorite Links!

Seven Questions Over Breakfast with Laura Vaccaro Seeger - Seven Impossible Things

Leonard Marcus: The Art of a Children's Book - Kirkus Review

Once Upon A Book - Big Red Barn Puppet Show - Totally Tots

I'm A Book Person. Are You? - Jen Robinson's Book Page

Books Worth Checking Out

I've had this stack of library books sitting in my house, needing to be returned. But I couldn't send them back till I shared at least a handful them with you guys, because they are definitely worth checking out at your local library!

What child doesn't love arts and crafts? And here's a story all about being crafty. My son loved this one, and I need to read it to my eleven year old daughter before I return it. She would love it too since she's crazy about crafts! Since this story is about a little girl that creates a special, one-of-a-kind, homemade birthday gift for her friend, it might be perfect to read around Christmas time to get your kids in the mood for some Christmas crafting! Or just lay out a smattering of craft supplies anytime and let Crafty Chloe inspire everybody's creativity!

This book just warmed my heart. Not sure exactly why, because it wasn't necessarily a sentimental story. I think it reminded me some of my own mother and siblings (there were five of us). And then it also reminded me of my own children (only three, not five) and myself as a mother. I guess we really do become our mothers to some degree? (I'm more than OK with that.) This book was sweet, but not sappy. From the gentle illustrations, to the idea of little Edwin trying to help his mommy remember the sugar with his adorable little babbles. It did take my kids a couple reads to really fully understand what was going on in the story; they didn't immediately get that Edwin was trying to actually tell his mom something and wasn't merely talking gibberish. Once they understood that, they thought the story was a hoot.

This is one my new favorite books! It's so creative, fun, and well done! It shows any "mistake" in art can be turned into a "beautiful oops." A tear in a piece of paper becomes and alligators's mouth, a bent corner becomes a penguins bill, a crumpled up piece of paper becomes the body of a sheep... It's really clever and interesting! A great read for any age! Maybe I like this book so much because it feels like a metaphor for my life? Ha!

I'm not one for picture books with themes that go over kids' heads, and are really meant more for parents. But this is one of those rare books that makes parents giggle, but that kids can understand too. My little guy enjoyed this one. It's another one that I need to read with my older kids too, as they would appreciate the humor in it a little differently than my youngest. It would be fun to brainstorm and make a list of all the things parents ask kids to do, and what it would look like if they asked them to do the opposite. Might be a great writing prompt!

What a gorgeous book! It takes the reader through the various settings and seasons in nature, pointing out all the places, sometimes unusual or unexpected, where we find beautiful swirls. It's fun to let the kids find the swirls on each page. Bring this one along on a picnic at the park or a nature hike and go on a swirl hunt! Perhaps bring along some paper, journals, or cameras to record what you find. Depending on where you find swirls, you might be able to do a crayon or chalk rubbing of them. Ooo, as I was just sitting here, looking at the illustrations, it occurred to me that black scratch-art paper would be perfect for recording the swirls you find! It would mimic the style of the illustrations in the book. So cool!

Another clever book! Another one that's so perfect for my kids! A monkey tries to explain to a jackass that what he is reading is simply and wonderfully just a book. This does not compute with the jackass. You can't scroll down? There's no mouse? It can't text or tweet? No! "It's a book!" The jackass finally discovers how enjoyable a book can actually be, and borrows it from the monkey. But he promises to "charge it up" before returning it. Loved this one! Wouldn't it be interesting to have a discussion with my preschoolers about the characteristics of a book versus something like an iPad? The pros and cons of each? I would have to make a list or chart of some kind, because I know my kids would come up with some great stuff!

I love a book that's fun to read aloud, and this is one I could read aloud over and over. It's really true to its title. Yes! Be ready for some fun! This one is maybe even as good as a Mo Willems title. Yes, really. At least in my own opinion.