August 5, 2009 at 10:32 pm (Animals, Blissfully Domestic)
I posted at Blissfully Domestic today about The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. This is the perfect book to read at the beginning of the school year when young children are a little hesitant to leave home. There is also an accompanying activity. Check it out! (click on the picture for the link)
August 2, 2009 at 9:12 pm (Hints)
Today, I wanted to share a list of the top children’s books recommended by the National Education Association. This list includes books from preschoolers through young adults. In looking through these, I know I came across some of my all-time favorites, as well as a couple of new ones. Hopefully you will, too! Enjoy!
July 28, 2009 at 9:35 pm (Fish)
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!
July 20, 2009 at 6:07 am (Animals, Rhyming)
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!
July 13, 2009 at 9:03 pm (Animals, Zoo Animals)
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!
July 8, 2009 at 8:30 pm (Uncategorized)
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!
June 18, 2009 at 7:53 pm (Uncategorized)
Here’s my latest post at Blissfully Domestic about a fun summertime book and activity: http://blissfullydomestic.com/blissful-kids/fun-with-books-bartholomew-and-the-oobleck/
June 15, 2009 at 8:05 am (Bear)
We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen
Based on the classic rhyme, this book is a lot of fun!! The pictures alternate between black & white and color, making it interesting for kids. And the repetition is perfect for children to chant along with you (a great reading skill). We used this in preschool in a big book version; my family has the board book, and the kids just LOVE it! Check out the link above for some great reviews!
June 9, 2009 at 10:10 am (Uncategorized)
Round Trip by Ann Jonas
This is one of the coolest picture books ever written! It was one of my favorites as a child. The pictures are all black-and-white. You read it all the way through, enjoying the simple storyline about a family going on a trip. When you reach the end, it’s “time to turn around,” and you literally flip the book upside-down and read it again! This time the pictures create something completely different. This is one your children will want to read over and over! And it’s entertaining to adults, as well.
June 1, 2009 at 7:41 am (Animals, Insects)
The Very Lazy Ladybug by Isobel Finn
Cute, cute story with very bright, colorful pictures. This ladybug is so lazy that she doesn’t even know how to fly! One day, she decides to look for a new sleeping spot, but because she can’t fly, she must come up with a way to move. So, she latches on to various animals throughout the story, only to find out that none of them are ideal: the kangaroo is too bouncy, the lion is too loud, the turtle is too hot. When she hops onto the elephant’s trunk though, she thinks she has found the perfect spot. But then, the elephant sneezes, and the lazy ladybug is literally blown out of the book as the pages unfold to extend into a longer shape. It’s at that point, that she eventually learns to fly!
