Writings, Wanderings

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 t...

A very touching children's book. This tale about a mother elephant and her baby is told in a delightful rhyme pattern that is perfect for a read-aloud. Each action is one that a young child can relate to, loving gestures of a parent. The illustrations created with pencil, acrylic, and Photoshop pull their design from knitting and other objects such as doilies and baskets. The visuals are lovely.

Hard to believe but we are halfway through February already! I am unfortunately behind in my children's books reading goal for the year, but I do have a few more selections to share with you. Scuba Bunnies by Christine Loomis was actually a January read that I missed in my previous wrap-up...This adorable book followed several bunnies as they traveled from bath time into the ocean waters, all in engaging yet simple poetry. It would be fun to discuss their different animal encounters and find out what animal your child would most like to meet (I just hope they won't be disappointed that there aren't any sea creatures in their bathtub!) Bats at the Ballgame by Brian Lies is a beautiful addition to this series. With well-done drawings and an engaging rhyme pattern, I definitely recommend reading this one out loud together. Plus, there are a lot of cute parallels between the bats' baseball game and human ones. The storyline of Where to, Little Wombat b...

  Alma and How She Got Her Name  by Juana Martinez-Neal was my favorite children's book read for the month of January. As my blog entry for it says, this story was so much more than I expected, and I highly recommend checking it out. I really appreciated the honest, strong message in When I Was Eight by Christy Jordan-Fenton. This book is a very respectful introduction to what some indigenous children in Canada faced, a story that was paralleled in some places in the United States as well. Little Pea  by Amy Rosenthal was a four-star read for me. It was just so cute! How many parents (aunts, uncles, babysitters) can relate to a young kid not wanting to eat their vegetables? Well, this tale turns that idea upside-down: Little Pea desperately wants to get to eat his dessert of vegetables but first he has to face eating sweets for dinner. I also love the clean, minimalist drawings of the book. After the Fall: How Humpty Dumpty Got Back Up Again by Dan Santat...

Sometimes I read a book and it's just so good that I want to give it more attention than adding it in to a monthly wrap-up of reads. This Caldecott Honor Book is one of those stories. As a Spanish teacher, I am always keeping my eyes open for any literature that connects to my classroom; Spanish, English, bilingual, I simply want more good options for my students to connect them to the language and culture. When I saw this book at the library, I knew I had to evaluate it and today while my Spanish IV students read their own free-reading choices, I opened the book up. I had expected a basic story that explained the traditional Hispanic naming pattern of two last names, but I was immediately endeared to spunky Alma who found her string of given names too long. However, as her father explained the family connection to each name, the little girl beamed with discovery of similarities to her relatives. I loved this! The message of the importance of family came through clearly wit...

Do you set New Year's resolutions? For some reason about a decade ago, I stopped calling my goals for the new year resolutions and instead created a list of Things To Do. This shift suited me much better and I enjoyed having a focus for what I wanted to experience in my life. Plus the lists helped me keep track of where I was on hitting the goals (I had too much fun highlighting each activity a different color based on how far I had progressed towards reaching that goal.) I didn't do a list in 2019. I think I let myself get too busy. Developing my writing and everything that goes with sharing my work in the world has been a far bigger task than I anticipated a year ago. I am so grateful for this opportunity, but I know I got overwhelmed at times. Just look at this poor blog--this is my first entry in over four months! So anyway I want to spend the next several days creating my Things To Do in 2020 list, but I already have one idea in mind related to books: Read 365 books. B...

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 read four children's books this month and really enjoyed three of them. The Museum had an enjoyable rhyming pattern to it but the gem was how it introduced young readers to several art masterpieces. Children who love to paint would enjoy this book and there are multiple options for incorporating this book into a cross-curricular classroom setting. Mango, Abuela, and Me combined my love of Spanish with a genuine look at the question of how to handle the concerns of aging parents (or in this case, an aging grandmother). The story also infused parts of Hispanic culture. I would love a copy of this book for my Spanish classroom and will look for other offerings by the author. Just Add Glitter is simply a fun book. Any young child who loves bright, sparkly things will adore the illustrations. I even found myself gently touching the pages to feel the glitter! Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play was my least favorite book. It had a neat premise--look at what clothing ...

Three more children's books with activities to share!  If I Had a Gryphon by Vikki Vansickle was a delightful read that I highly recommend for any mid-elementary kid. It has a nice pattern to the words, and I love how it hits on so many mythological creatures across the world. Make sure to turn to the last page for a fun surprise. This book lends itself to a variety of activities including more in-depth research on lesser-known creatures mentioned or brainstorming other problems to go along with a specific mythological pet. (Could you imagine taking a unicorn to the veterinarian for a check-up?) A Song in Bethlehem took a unique look at the night of the Christ Child's birth. It had lovely illustrations that mixed the ethereal and the realistic. This book would work well for a read-together in early elementary or even a read-alone if the child has good reading skills. The story connects to music, so an extension activity could be to sing favorite Christmas carols o...

Looking to buy a book for a child for Christmas? Check out what I've read in the last month to get my opinion on some choices! Dinosaur vs Santa is my top pick for reading with little ones for this season. This book followed an adorable if slightly mischievous dinosaur kid as he prepared for Christmas. I had a lot of fun reading this story out loud with its dinosaur sound effects as he made presents, decorated the tree, and more. The illustrations are simple but engaging. Enrichment idea: discuss Dinosaur vs Halloween (or another holiday). What activities would he need to successfully conquer for this holiday? Draw some of your own pictures. Wombat Walkabout was another fun read although it did have me nervous about the fate of the wombats until nearly the end! What I loved about this book was its integration of words used in Australia. There was a glossary at the front of the book, but I actually missed it until I had read the story. However, the story and ...