Children's Books: February Second Half
The second part of February had several good children's books reads as I continue on my quest for 2020.
Baby Bedtime by Mem Fox & Emma Quay made my five-star list and received its own blog entry. Just a heartfelt story.
Zoo Day: A My First Experience Book by Anne Rockwell was an easy read about a young boy and his sister's first trip to the zoo. While the words and illustrations were decent, I am more excited about the options for enrichment activities related to this book. Only a few pages in is a map of the zoo. Ask the young reader where he or she wants to go first. After reading, have them draw their own maps (buy animal stickers ahead of time for a different creative approach). The boy says that he is a little afraid of the lion's roar. Find out which animal makes your reader nervous. Wrap up the reading by asking what souvenir he or she would like to take home to remember a day at the zoo (I love how the book adds in the reminder that the animals have to stay at the zoo!). Also of note, the featured family is African-American, great for representation in a classroom.
Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall was another top read for me. I love how the book introduces different flowers (including broccoli!). The penguins are so cute as they create a gift for their mother. The illustrations are just fun. A creative rewrite with a young learner could involve renaming the penguins for another theme such as vegetables and designing a story around something they love. I should also mention that there are other similar books by this author, and I was delighted to discover that this book has a Spanish version!
Wish by Matthew Cordell. Ok, this book should have come with a warning: Do not read if you are yearning for children or you will cry. Basically I describe this book as a love story of two parents to the child that they waited for. It is a very honest look at how our plans do not always go as hoped and we just have to keep living and moving forward even when the deepest hopes of our hearts go unfulfilled. This one hit a little too close to home to me to want to reread it, but it was well done.
In my opinion The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle is not his strongest book, but I think that is because this story leans non-fiction rather than fiction. I think it would be a good addition to an elementary classroom that is looking to incorporate books related to science. It could also be used to introduce a unit connected to how/why plants grow.
The Princess and the Pizza by is not one of my favorites for the month. Honestly, I didn't like the main character that much; she seemed rather whiny. However, the story did grow on me towards the end. Plus, the book offers several extension activities with children such as discovering the real origin of pizza (not this fairytale version!). Then of course, there is the food connection. You can make a homemade pizza with the young ones or have a conversation about interesting pizza flavor combinations like what was seen in the restaurant at the end of the book.
What two toppings do you think would make for an interesting pizza combination?
Baby Bedtime by Mem Fox & Emma Quay made my five-star list and received its own blog entry. Just a heartfelt story.
Zoo Day: A My First Experience Book by Anne Rockwell was an easy read about a young boy and his sister's first trip to the zoo. While the words and illustrations were decent, I am more excited about the options for enrichment activities related to this book. Only a few pages in is a map of the zoo. Ask the young reader where he or she wants to go first. After reading, have them draw their own maps (buy animal stickers ahead of time for a different creative approach). The boy says that he is a little afraid of the lion's roar. Find out which animal makes your reader nervous. Wrap up the reading by asking what souvenir he or she would like to take home to remember a day at the zoo (I love how the book adds in the reminder that the animals have to stay at the zoo!). Also of note, the featured family is African-American, great for representation in a classroom.
Penguins Love Colors by Sarah Aspinall was another top read for me. I love how the book introduces different flowers (including broccoli!). The penguins are so cute as they create a gift for their mother. The illustrations are just fun. A creative rewrite with a young learner could involve renaming the penguins for another theme such as vegetables and designing a story around something they love. I should also mention that there are other similar books by this author, and I was delighted to discover that this book has a Spanish version!
Wish by Matthew Cordell. Ok, this book should have come with a warning: Do not read if you are yearning for children or you will cry. Basically I describe this book as a love story of two parents to the child that they waited for. It is a very honest look at how our plans do not always go as hoped and we just have to keep living and moving forward even when the deepest hopes of our hearts go unfulfilled. This one hit a little too close to home to me to want to reread it, but it was well done.
The Princess and the Pizza by is not one of my favorites for the month. Honestly, I didn't like the main character that much; she seemed rather whiny. However, the story did grow on me towards the end. Plus, the book offers several extension activities with children such as discovering the real origin of pizza (not this fairytale version!). Then of course, there is the food connection. You can make a homemade pizza with the young ones or have a conversation about interesting pizza flavor combinations like what was seen in the restaurant at the end of the book.
What two toppings do you think would make for an interesting pizza combination?
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