Rainbow Fish July 28, 2009

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

The Rainbow fish is the most beautiful fish in the ocean, but he is also very selfish. As a result, he doesn’t have a lot of friends. One day, he receives some good advice about friendship. He decides to take the advice, and learns a very valuable, life-changing lesson.

If you haven’t read this book, you must check it out from the library. The pictures are amazing; the Rainbow Fish’s scales are actually glittery! The storyline is unforgettable and helps children learn about selflessness and friendship.

For directions on how to make this fish, click here: http://dressesandmesses.wordpress.com/2009/07/27/rainbow-fish/

 

As a side note: The author has written some more books about the Rainbow Fish and his friends. The few I have read are also very cute!

Rhyming Book July 20, 2009

Cuckoo Can’t Find You by Lorianne Siomades

Another favorite in our house! This is a fun rhyming AND seek-and-find book. Children are asked to help Cuckoo and his friends find their missing items. “Bear can’t find his pear. Crow can’t find her bow. Fox can’t find her socks…” And in the end, Cuckoo can’t find you (there’s a spot to place a picture of your child, or there are some versions that include a mirror). The pictures are bright and colorful. The missing items are camoflouged inside each picture. I was worried that after reading it through a couple of times, my kids would get bored with finding the items, but I was wrong. Now, it’s more fun because they know where the items are and enjoy seeing how FAST they can find them!

This would be another fun book to make on your own! Help your child think of some various animals (or use the ones in the book for inspiration). Then, have your child think of a word that rhymes with each animal. Write the words on different sheets of paper and let your child illustrate each page, hiding the items they thought of. Bind and add to your personal library! Wahlah! Your own version! Plus, it reinforces/practices rhyming words. What more could you ask for?! Brilliant!

Good Night, Gorilla July 13, 2009

Good Night, Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann

If you are not familiar with this book, you have got to check it out at the library! This is a favorite among all children I know. As the zookeeper is putting all the animals down for the night, the gorilla steals his keys. He continues to be sneaky by letting all the animals out of their cages, at which point, they follow the zookeeper into his house (kids get a kick out of this part!). The zookeeper’s wife tells him “goodnight,” at which time all the animals say “goodnight” back to her. Her face is priceless! She walks them back to the zoo for the evening, not knowing that the gorilla is following her back into the house. The book ends by them all settling down for the night in the zookeeper’s bed!

The neat thing about this book is that it is practically wordless. The only words that appear are “goodnight” and the animal names. It’s a lot of fun to add your own narration, as well as to have your children “read” the words. My kids love to act out parts, such as the zookeeper’s wife’s eyes, and the gorilla’s grin when he is discovered. What a fun read!

Weslandia July 8, 2009

Weslandia by Paul Fleischman

Wesley decides to spend his summer project creating his own civilization. He begins by turning over a plot of land and lets new and unknown seeds blow into it. An unknown plant does develop, and Wesley uses that plant for the basis of everything–including food, clothing, and shelter. He develops his own alphabet and writes with ink from the plant. He tells time and develops his own number system using the flower with eight petals as his base. He also creates his own games and sports. Pretty amazing, huh?! When he returns to school in the fall, his old tormentors have now turned into good friends.

This is a fun and very creative book with amazing pictures! Younger children may not get the whole storyline, but they seem to enjoy the creativity and bright pictures anyway; it’s always been a favorite in my preschool and 1st grade classrooms. I think this would be a great book for older children though; how fun to see what type of civilization they could create using this book as a base! Check it out and see what your children think!