June Children's Books
Hard to believe June is almost over! I've been enjoying my time off by reading more than I have in some time. I added a few more children's books to this year's list--and I even had an audience for one! I babysat my not-quite-two-month-old niece earlier in the month and in between holding and walking her around, I got to read my first story with her :)
Mamasaurus by Stephan Lomp was a fun, quick read--this is the first book I got to read to my baby niece! I loved the simplicity behind the illustrations but also that it did not shy away from using the long names of the dinosaurs. There was one moment that hinted at danger, but even that was glossed over. I think this would be a fun read-aloud to preschool-aged kids starting to get interested in dinosaurs.
Miguel and Amazing Alebrijes by Roni Capin Rivera-Ashford and Aaron Rivera-Ashford is a follow-up to the Disney movie Coco. I love this movie and was excited to see more its culture. While I enjoyed the book overall, I think the Spanish integration could have been done better. This book would be a useful addition to a Spanish classroom library for students who complete Dia de los Muertos explorations early especially if an activity was related to the mythical alebrijes. You could also include the book in a study on mythology especially one that was looking to move beyond the Greek pantheon.
Is It a Mermaid? by Candy Gourlay (illustrated by Francesca Chessa) is a beautiful mix of culture and mythology. The premise is that two young siblings encounter a sea creature. While the sister believes her assertion that she is a mermaid, the brother insists she is just a dulong. The illustrations are vibrant and really add flavor to the text. I think this book would be a wonderful addition to any curriculum looking at the Philippines for early elementary children. There are also great tie-ins to a unit on mythology especially the question of how do these stories originate. The back of the book gives a brief mention of the endangered status of the dulong so you could also connect this reading to issue of environmental dangers and what can we do to help.
Bits & Pieces by Judy Schachner was an ok read for me. I love cats so that helped, but the plot didn't seem very cohesive. It does touch on the idea of a family pet getting older and not as capable as it once was, so parents might find a practical application of this book along that line.
What Good is an A? by Marie Powell is the first book in a series introducing the letters. I liked how it explained that an a can go in different spots in a word and how it makes different sounds. I thought that some of the example sentences could have been stronger.
Mamasaurus by Stephan Lomp was a fun, quick read--this is the first book I got to read to my baby niece! I loved the simplicity behind the illustrations but also that it did not shy away from using the long names of the dinosaurs. There was one moment that hinted at danger, but even that was glossed over. I think this would be a fun read-aloud to preschool-aged kids starting to get interested in dinosaurs.
Is It a Mermaid? by Candy Gourlay (illustrated by Francesca Chessa) is a beautiful mix of culture and mythology. The premise is that two young siblings encounter a sea creature. While the sister believes her assertion that she is a mermaid, the brother insists she is just a dulong. The illustrations are vibrant and really add flavor to the text. I think this book would be a wonderful addition to any curriculum looking at the Philippines for early elementary children. There are also great tie-ins to a unit on mythology especially the question of how do these stories originate. The back of the book gives a brief mention of the endangered status of the dulong so you could also connect this reading to issue of environmental dangers and what can we do to help.
Bits & Pieces by Judy Schachner was an ok read for me. I love cats so that helped, but the plot didn't seem very cohesive. It does touch on the idea of a family pet getting older and not as capable as it once was, so parents might find a practical application of this book along that line.
What Good is an A? by Marie Powell is the first book in a series introducing the letters. I liked how it explained that an a can go in different spots in a word and how it makes different sounds. I thought that some of the example sentences could have been stronger.
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