I Want My Light On! By Tony Ross

This addresses a common childhood fear of ghosts in the room at bedtime. The Little Princess is sure there is a ghost under her bed and wants her light left on. Everyone in the house tries to tell her ghosts don't exist, but she isn't convinced. Well it turns out there is a ghost in her room, but the ghost is just as afraid of her as she is of it. The ghost runs back to where he lives in the castle and says, "Mom, Mom, I've seen a little girl!" Mom replies, "Don't be silly, there are no such things as little girls!"

My 4 year old asked to read this often, calling it "the spooky book". I think he was a little bit scared of the ghost, but was intrigued by the story. It made him laugh every time to find out that the ghost was afraid of the little girl too.

Alphabet Under Construction by Denise Fleming

This is just another clever and adorable ABC book. A funny little buck-toothed mouse is busy working on the letters of the alphabet. He airbrushes the A, buttons the B, and carves the C...working all the to Z. Great illustrations and great fun. I don't think I will ever tire of discovering new ABC books.

Owen by Kevin Henkes

I've truly grown to love Kevin Henkes' stories. I think kids can really relate to his mousey little characters that experience all the same things that they do. Owen had a fuzzy yellow blanket that he carried everywhere. Fuzzy played with him, helped him become invisible and helped him through scary things like going to the dentist. But the nosy neighbor Mrs. Tweezers thought Owen was too old for a blanket. She offered his parents all kinds of advice like giving it to the Blanket Fairy and dipping it in vinegar. But Owen still found a way to hang on to Fuzzy. When it was almost time to start school, Owen's mom came up with the perfect solution- cutting Fuzzy into little handkerchiefs that he could still hold and use when he needed them.

Many children cling to something for comfort and companionship, whether it be a blanket, or a doll or a stuffed animal. I carried a blanket until it was literally torn to sheds. In our house, "Taggie" is my son's best friend. I think it is fine for kids to have a "lovey", but there will come a time when they need to learn to separate from it. Owen is the perfect little mouse to help them do it.

A Fabulous Fair Alphabet By Debra Frasier

About a year ago I started a collection of alphabet books for my kids. I'm fascinated by the amount and variety, many of which are far more interesting and unique that the basic "A is for apple, Z is for zebra." And I was thrilled when I came across "A Fabulous Fair Alphabet", which truly is fabulous in my opinion. Author Debra Frasier spends time each year at the state fair and photographs everything that she sees. One year she really noticed all the different lettering in the midway signs. So she started a collection of letter photographs, which ended up in this book. For example, F is for ferris wheel, which is spelled out with the photographs of letters she captured at the fair. And several unique Fs dangle on the ferris wheel as the seats. Eye-catching and very clever. It makes me want to go to the fair and eat something fried or dipped in chocolate!

The author's dedication page says, "For the inventors of the most amazing of tools: the alphabet..."

I must agree that the alphabet is something pretty amazing, so simple yet so complex.

What is your favorite alphabet book? Or one you've come across that is fun or unique? I'd love to read your comments!

Soccer Beat Written by Sandra Gilbert Brug, Illustrated by Elisabeth Moseng

This post is for the teachers! Or for parents helping their kids with homework or writing. After reading just a few pages it was clear that this book would be great for a mini-lesson on VERBS. It has a catchy rhyming beat, describing a soccer game between two teams of various animals. With the colorful, active illustrations, and the text scattered across the pages- I felt like the verbs were jumping out at me. Ready for some examples: hustle, kick, move, zig-zag, slide, spin, glide, running, romping, stomping, slapping, tapping, twirling, whirling, prancing, leaping, chancing, pouncing, tripping, rolling, sneaking, bouncing, jumping, clashing, thumping, seize, sprinting, guarding, looming, streaking, steal, turning, trapping, bashing, dashing, barking, stamping, pacing, praising, sparking, wave, tap, smack, crouching, skip, hop, pass, pop, stop, dribble, slam, SCORE! I was just planning to list a few examples, but I could not stop! I love words-their power, impact, and the pictures they can create. I also love reading about authors. Sandra Gilbert Brug is a librarian and former teacher. This is her first book, which was inspired by watching the neighborhood kids play soccer. I love that every day things can inspire people to write, and can turn into great stories.

So, read this to your students and they will have no excuse for using lame verbs in their writing!!

My favorite from the list is LOOMING. What is yours? Feel free to leave it in a comment!

Shades of People By Shelley Rotner and Sheila M. Kelly

This is the book that my little one is reading in the picture below. She absolutely adores it and I've found her looking through it several times. Her favorite books are ones with photographs of children. This book is filled with vibrant close ups of precious smiling children, all looking quite different from each other. It starts with, "Have you noticed that people come in many different shades?" Followed by, "Not colors, exactly, but shades." It goes on to show and list several diverse (and yummy!) shades: creamy, ivory, sandy, peach, coffee, cocoa, copper, tan, pink, rose, almond ,bronze, brown, and shades of gold. It is simply stated, and I think it appropriately addresses diversity and human differences to young readers.

Book Love

I just had to post this pic. This was a moment that made me so happy! I was cleaning up breakfast when I peeked into the office to see this. My little girl in her cute jammas, messy bed head, surrounded by great books. I love that she loves books, and especially that she chooses to look at them on her own, without any prodding from me.

I will be posting some of my latest book finds soon! And I will definitely be highlighting the one my daughter is looking at in the picture. She's picked it out many times and flips through the pages over and over. Stay tuned...

Here We Go...

Welcome to my new blog! This is an idea that has been brewing in my mind for several months and I’m excited to finally be putting it into action. I’ve always been a book lover. There are books in literally every room of my house. All types- lots of grown up books, and even more kids books. They are on shelves, in baskets and bins, on bedside tables, and yes, even in the bathroom (we are in the potty training season of life!). As a former teacher, books were obviously an important part of my daily routine. I was always on the hunt for quality picture books that could enhance my lessons. Books that used figurative language, or showed unique writing crafts, or even taught math concepts. Now, as a mom to two young children, I read to them mainly to share in the experience of enjoying books and to help develop a love for reading. We read books that are fun, silly, or just geared to their interests. Car and truck books, animal books, Elmo books. Of course we read books to develop preschool concepts as well, but mostly I just want my kiddos to love books. I could spend hours and hours in bookstores and libraries. I work part time as a tutor and I go to three different public libraries each week to meet with my students. It is very exciting to me to have three library cards and access to lots and lots of books! I am amazed at the sheer number and wide variety of picture books that are published. And I’ve been paying special attention to the books that are applicable to real life events, issues, and experiences. I think it is so meaningful when kids can identify with a character in a book. Characters that have fears, make mistakes, and experience the highs and lows of life. I have found great books that specifically relate to issues that my own kids have faced. It is so exciting to read a story to my three year old, see that little spark in his eye, and hear him say, “That’s like me Mommy.” I started keeping a record of these books, just for myself, and then thought maybe I could create some kind of resource to share with other parents, caregivers, and educators. Which led to the idea for this blog. My goal is to post books that I come across that I think can apply to real life issues and that children may connect with. I will highlight books that teach good character, social skills, manners, life skills, etc. Meaningful books with a specific purpose. The teacher in me may have to post some books for academic purposes as well! Feel free to become a follower of this blog and to pass it along to someone you think may enjoy it. I hope to post something new each week. Here are a few books to begin with…

Pecan Pie Baby Written by Jacqueline Woodsen Illustrated by Sophie Blackall

Gia is about to have a new baby brother or sister, and she is not one bit happy about it. She can’t stand hearing about the “ding-dang baby”. She worries that when the baby comes it will change all the special things that her and her Mama do together. At Thanksgiving dinner, Gia throws a fit and is sent to her room. Here is the line that gets me:
Gia says, “Upstairs, I got that teary, choky feeling. And even though there were a whole lot of people in my house, I felt real, real, real, alone.”
Throughout the story, Gia’s mama tries to comfort her by saying the baby loves pecan pie, just like the two of them. They enjoy the pie together, and Gia feels better.

I think older kids that are unsure about a new baby may relate to Gia. She is very open with her feelings and fears about the change. This is a sweet story that could be reassuring for children feeling the same way.

Be Gentle with the Dog, Dear! By Matthew J. Baek

Tag is a gentle lap dog that gets a lot of attention from the family baby Elisa. She squeezes him, pulls his tail, and tackles him. He tolerates it for the most part, but one day he’s had enough and gives a little growl. After many reminders from her parents, “Be gentle with the dog, dear”, Elisa finally learns to be gentle.

I snagged this off the shelf at the library as soon as I saw it, knowing it would be perfect to read to my own toddler. She loves our dog and is very affectionate with him, but sometimes the poor dog just needs a break.

Don’t Forget I Love You Written by Miriam Ross Illustrated by Anna Currey

Parents- have you ever had a hectic morning and felt frazzled, late, impatient and forgetful? Well, who hasn’t? In this story Mama Bear is so scattered and late for work that she even forgets to tell her little boy Billy that she loves him. While in his classroom he says, "Mama didn't say I love you.… She always says I love you." Luckily, she returns before long to give him a hug and say she loves him. I’d say that this is as much for parents as it is children, reassuring us all that grownups make mistakes too, but that our schedules and lives are never too busy to say those three important words.

When Sophie Gets Angry- Really, Really Angry By Molly Bang

Sophie gets angry when her sister takes her stuffed gorilla toy. Her mother makes her share, and she becomes even angrier. This is how her anger is expressed: She, “kicks, screams, wants to smash the world to smithereens, roars a red red roar, is a volcano ready to explode…” Then she runs. She runs outside and cries. She finds comfort in the things she sees, like rocks, trees, birds and water. Then she’s ready to come home.
The best part of this book is its illustrations (it was a Caldecott Honor Book). You will notice that as Sophie gets angry the colors change from yellows to oranges to reds. When she calms down you see more blue, white, and purple.

This story can lead to discussion about what makes children feel angry like Sophie did. I’m all about validating feelings and letting kids know that it is ok to be angry. And they should be able to identify ways they can calm themselves down as well.

(Although, running around alone outside like Sophie did is likely not a good option for most kids. You will have to help them come up with a list of safer ideas!)

Read It, Don’t Eat It! By Ian Schoenherr

This is a great book for toddlers and preschoolers. It basically teaches them how to properly handle books. With simple rhymes it tells them not to eat, sneeze in, rip or tear, color or cut, swim with books, etc. I don’t know why but I really like this book. Actually, I specifically remember a 4th grade student that I once had, who had a book in his mouth during our reading group time. Read It, Don’t Eat It would have come in handy then!