Day 1 of the 25 Days til Christmas: Curious George Christmas Carols

Start our the Christmas season by sharing traditional Christmas Carols with your children!

Rey, H.A.
Curious George: Christmas Carols.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

30 minutes of music and 10 Christmas Carols are shared on CD in this Curious George title! Lyrics to the ten traditional songs are provided, along with sections of the sheet music, set to an illustrated background that is typical and representative of Curious George illustrations.

Children will enjoy learning these classical Christmas carols and will appreciate a familiar character (Curious George), sharing the music and lyrics with them! It will likely spike an interest in your child that you typically wouldn't expect!

The ten Christmas Carols include:

1. O Christmas Tree
2. O Come, All Ye Faithful
3. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
4. We Three Kings
5. I Saw Three Ships
6. Deck the Hall
7. O Little Town of Bethlehem
8. The First Noel
9. Silent Knight
10. Good King Wenceslas

This is a great book to start out your holiday reading nights - children will love learning the songs and the actual lyrics to sing them throughout the remainder of the holiday season! This would be a great way to spend a "Family Night" and get in the holiday spirit! You could use this as an inspiration to learn Christmas carols and then spend one night closer to Christmas caroling about your neighborhood, at a local nursing home or even a hospital, with the hopes of brightening the spirits of those unfortunate enough to be spending the holidays away from home.



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

GIVEAWAY: Sleeping Bear Press Holiday Titles

My friends at Sleeping Bear Press have graciously agreed to offer one lucky reader a copy of three of their holiday titles - First Dog's White House Christmas, The Night Henry Ford Met Santa, and Small Medium & Large!

HOW TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY:

• In a comment on this post, share with me your favorite holiday story to date!
  
• Be sure to leave an email address along with your comment.
• Deadline to enter is Friday, December 3rd at 11:59PM EST.
• For an extra entry(or three):
  1. Become a subscriber/follower of my blog (+1)
  2. Blog about this giveaway on your own blog and leave a link in your comment (+1)
  3. Leave a tweet on your Twitter page and then leave a link in your comment (+1)
• Contest is open to U.S. Residents only, sorry for any inconveniences!
• Winner will be selected on Saturday, December 4th and will receive one copy each of First Dog's White House Christmas, The Night Henry Ford Met Santa and Small Medium & Large!

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Cyber Black Friday from Sleeping Bear Press

Black Friday doesn't have to be spent fighting amongst the crowds - you can complete your holiday shopping (and purchase your Christmas bedtime stories for sharing with children) from the comfort of your own home!

Lewis, J. Patrick and Beth Zappitello.
First Dog's White House Christmas.
September 2010.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Join White House dog, Bo as he invites his pooch friends from all around the world (a dog native to each country, i.e. - the Chihuahua from Mexico, or the English Bulldog from England) to learn (and share with readers) how different countries celebrate the Christmas holiday. From food traditions to gift giving traditions, all aspects of the Christmas season (and many of their origins) are shared in this fun-loving story that is perfect to encourage the exploration of how different cultures and countries celebrate a holiday that is so well-known by most!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Incorporate some holiday traditions from other countries into your own family holiday celebration! This will provide awareness to your children about cultures and traditions that will likely have a lasting impact!
  

Donovan, Jane Monroe.
Small Medium & Large.
September 2010.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

In this near wordless tale (with the exception of a little girl's letter to Santa Claus and later, her thank you note), children are given the freedom to imagine what one child wishes for for Christmas, and then, discover how a best friend (or friends) can be anything you make them out to be! On Christmas morning, it is evident that Santa has delivered the little girl three pages - one small, one medium, and one large. As the packages are opened, it is revealed that the child has been given three new friends - one small, one medium, and one large! Children will be smiling with delight as the story unfolds, while at the same time being given the opportunity to make up a story of his/her own to coincide with the illustrations!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Have your child predict what will be found within each of the three packages left for the little girl by Santa Claus.
• Have your child create a list of something he/she would like to find inside each of the three packages if they were found underneath your own Christmas tree!
• For older children, have your child create a story of his/her own and allow them to write their story on each page!
• Use this story to teach your child the concept of small, medium and large. Use wrapped gift boxes. Have your child put them in order from smallest to largest and then largest to smallest. Allow your child to unwrap the boxes to find out what is inside each. Have them then line up the objects from smallest to largest and largest to smallest. You could really trick them by placing the items in the boxes in a mixed up order (for example, put the largest object in the medium sized box)!
  

Hagen, Carol.
The Night Henry Ford Met Santa.
September 2006.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Children will learn a bit about history (Henry Ford and his automobiles), as well as learning about Santa's workshop and how all those toys are produced so quickly to be distributed once children are asleep on Christmas Eve! The story is very fun and educational, likely capturing the attention of children due to the Christmas-like information shared within.

Learning/Reading Activity:

• This might be an interesting book to use with a classroom of children who are working to make a holiday gift for their parents. Perhaps you could create a "Gift in a Jar" for each parent/family, having each child in the class be responsible for measuring one of the ingredients that will be placed in the jar. Set this up production-line style (or even two production lines, depending on which jar gift you opt for and how many children are in the class) and children will quickly be able to understand how Santa (and Henry Ford) are able to mass-produce toys (and cars) using a production line!
  

Donovan, Jane Monroe.
Winter's Gift.
September 2004.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

I'm not entirely sure that children will discover the appreciation and love that went into this story, but any adult surely will! An old man is going through the motions of the holidays on his own for the first time after having lost his wife that summer. Just when he feels hopeless about the upcoming holidays, the old man is given a sign that things will be okay and not to give up hope. Definitely a heart-wrenching tale, but totally worth sharing. If nothing else, children will love the illustrations and be more than fond of the certain surprise at the end of the story! The book would make a perfect gift for families dealing with the loss of a loved one for the first time this holiday season...

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Teach your child about the true meaning of Christmas by gifting this title to family who has recently lost a loved one - either a family you know or select a family from the Obituary page of the newspaper and send them this heart-warming tale of hope in times of a loss. If you are unsure of how to mail the book to the family, mail it to the funeral home mentioned in the obituary, asking the director to please pass it along to the family (as surely they will have contact information).
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

A NOT SCARY Story About BIG SCARY Things

Use literature to share with children the ability to overcome fears!

Williams, C.K.
A NOT SCARY Story About BIG SCARY Things.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When a little boy goes walking through a forest full of bears and snakes and wolves among other scary things, he is determined not to be afraid of the big scary monster he's been warned about. With his mind set and determined, when the big scary monster does appear, the little boy is able to talk himself out of being afraid by reminding himself that he doesn't believe in monsters. The constant reminders allow the monster to shrink in the boy's mind, so much that it turns from a monster into a cuddly little cat!

The message given to children here is very powerful and quite easily portrayed... just a little bit of confidence and braveness will go along way in helping you to overcome your fears. I think I might just have to try this one out with my preschoolers!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George

Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George

Platt, Cynthia and Julie Bartynski.
Happy Thanksgiving, Curious George.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

From cooking the feast to saying thanks and everything in between, Curious George does a wonderful job introducing young children to the Thanksgiving holiday. This book is perfect for children who are old enough to begin understanding that Thanksgiving in a special day - out of the ordinary. The text is simple, yet detailed enough to paint a thorough picture of many traditions of family Thanskgiving celebrations. Coupled with the illustrations, children are sure to comprehend what's important and special about Thanksgiving!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Use this book to help introduce your children to the Thanksgiving holiday.
• Involve your children in helping prepare the turkey for the feast... chances are the parts of the job you'll hate (removing the gizzards, seasoning with your hands, etc), your child will take delight in! Just make sure they wash their hands to eliminate any possible bacteria spreads after handling the uncooked bird!
• Turn into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. As a family, have each member pick which float/display they like most!
• Tables often feature centerpieces or nameplates at Thanksgiving, have your child craft a handprint turkey similar to Curious George's! Use these as nameplates for each guest. A pattern can be found here.
• Children love to help out - give them the assignment of setting the table (of course, if you're using fine china or similar, you'll want to modify this a bit) - allow them to set out the silverware and napkins!
• Anything in the kitchen is fun for kids - allow them to help you prepare the side dishes - peeling vegetables, mixing, or even measuring and pouring are tasks that children can handle with supervision.
• Be sure to include your children in "Saying Thanks!" They're definitely old enough to name something they're thankful for! Of course, you might need to do some prompting, but they'll enjoy being a part of the conversation during the meal.
  

If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Great Bilingual Books

Expose your children to the Spanish language using bilingual picture books!

Walsh, Ellen Stoll.
Mouse Paint/Pintura de raton.
June 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Three adventurous white mouse take readers on a journey exploring the act of color mixing. As they dip into different color cups, readers will find great join and excitement in the new colors that are formed - orange, green, purple and even brown! The simple text introduces secondary colors through the mixing of the primary colors. This book is perfect for preschool children learning about colors. It also makes for a wonderful art activity!

• Get out those finger paints and a large piece of finger paint paper. Using the three primary colors: yellow, red and blue, allow children to explore by mixing colors of their own, after giving them a dollop of each on their plate. Challenge your child(ren) to try and find the combinations that make orange, green, purple and even brown!
  

Parks, Carmen.
Farmers Market/Dia de mercado.
July 2010.
Hougton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Parks and Farmers Market/Dia de mercado introduce young readers to the concept of a farmers market - from how it works to the items being sold. This book would make for a perfect introduction about fruits and vegetables, how they are grown and who the people are that grow them. You could easily expand upon this book in other ways, as well!

• Take a field trip to your local farmers market (or produce section at the grocery store). See what fruits and vegetables you can find. Try buying 3 different ones that haven't yet be tried by your family/class. Experiment trying out new fruits and vegetables!
  
• Set up a farmers market in your classroom using play fruits and vegetables. Tag each item with a price and have your child(ren) "buy" the items to practice counting with money!
  

Floyd, Lucy.
Rabbit and Turtle Go To School/Conejo y Tortuga van a la escuela.
July 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Similar in aspects to the Tortoise and the Hare, Rabbit and Turtle Go To School/Conego y Tortuga van a la escuela, explore how these two animals take different approaches in a race to school. While ultimately the animals travel in different methods than you might expect - and the race results are likely to be surprising - this is the perfect book to introduce children to the classic, The Tortoise and the Hare. Definitely a fun, simple story that children will likely enjoy!

• Use a Venn Diagram to draw up a list of similarities and differences between Rabbit and Turtle Go To School/Conejo y Tortuga van a la escuela and The Tortoise and the Hare. See if children can identify what is so ironic about Rabbit and Turtle Go To School/Conejo y Tortuga van a la escuela (Tortoise is the slower of the two animals, yet he wins the race to school)!

The bilingual aspect of these books will allow children to not only see and hear the Spanish language, it also allows them to make a connection between words. The books are perfect for any families you might come across that are bilingual - in my classroom I have an English speaking child with Spanish speaking parents - interesting to say the least! However, providing them with such reading materials exposes the children to their parents' native (first, and only) language and the parents' to the the children's (first, and only) language, allowing them both to learn from each other (and the illustrations of course, that are key for preschoolers to draw conclusions from print and illustration)!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Baby Baby Baby!

Get out those bedtime jitters and put that baby to bed!

Janovitz, Marilyn.
Baby Baby Baby!
October 2010.
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Bedtime might just become a bit easier with the help of Janovitz's Baby Baby Baby!. If you have a little wiggly one when bedtime rolls around, this book encourages just a bit of movement by every part of his/her little body, helping get out the wiggles and settle down for a night's rest. From clapping to giggling, the rhyming text and actions found within will likely make this a bedtime favorite at your house! You could even use it at nap time!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

My Name is not Isabella

A great kick-off title for Women's History Month or any 'Women in History' thematic unit!

Fosberry, Jennifer.
My Name is Not Isabella.
September 2010.
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When Isabella is awoken one morning, she suddenly decides she is no longer Isabella. Instead, she makes the day adventurous, through use of her imagination. Throughout the day, Isabella takes on the identity of six various women who left a marked impact at some point throughout history - Sally Ride, Annie Oakley, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Elizabeth Blackwell... and of course, we can't leave out Mommy!

Fosberry provides readers with the utmost basic of information - a first name and one simple word that gives a very broad overview of the role these different women played in history - basic enough that it will allow children to use their "thinking caps" to make inferences (guesses) about what the role they believe these women might have played.

If you use this title as an opener for Women's History Month or even any thematic unit involving the study of women in history, you'll provide the perfect opportunity for a project! Split your class into groups (or assign each child one of the famous women if you happen to be a homeschooler with just a few children). Once they are split into groups, assign each child one of Isabella's identities. Have children work together to research and then create a report of some sort that showcases the key word that is associated with each. For example, the key word that is used in describing Rosa is March. Encourage children to incorporate that key word into their project in some way! Wish the kiddos I work with were older - this could be a really fun project!!!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!

Let Halloween Continue in your Household!!!

Even though the hustle and bustle of Halloween and trick-or-treating may be over with for this year, allow your child the opportunity to make the distinction between forming healthy choices, by encouraging him to trade in some of his/her candy for a healthier habit - reading! By trading in some Halloween candy for one of these spooky (and fun) Halloween books, Halloween will last just a bit longer in your household!

Tegen, Katherine.
The Story of the Jack O'Lantern.
July 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

This cute tale shares with children how the jack o'lantern came to be. While the story is presented in a fictional manner, there is a non-fictional note at the end that allows readers to delve deeper into the actual story of the jack o'lantern. Very fun and creative, while at the same time somewhat educational, as it will definitely allow children to gain a better understanding of this trick-or-treating holiday!

Brown, Lisa.
Vampire Boy's Good Night.
July 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Vampire Bela and Witch Morgan are likely to surprise readers in this Halloween night tale! The two team up and set about just as the darkness of night sets in, eager to see what the children are up to. Readers will likely appreciate the different viewpoint of what Halloween looks like to an outsider - if you could technically call a vampire and a witch outsiders to Halloween!

Schaefer, Lola M.
Happy Halloween, Mittens.
July 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

A companion to Biscuit, Mittens will join young readers on an adventure as they prepare for Halloween. However, Mittens owner, Nick finds Mittens more of a pest than anything... that is, until he finds Mitten helping out by making the ghost scarier. This is a very simple story, but captures nearly all aspects of Halloween in a manner that readers can relate to, while also encouraging independence in reading (through simple, repetitive text)!

Meddaugh, Susan.
Martha Speaks: Haunted House.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Children are sure to love the mystery in which Martha, TD, and Helen partake in this adventure! Martha the talking dog returns in this Halloween green light reader, allowing beginning readers the opportunity to join their favorite characters on a holiday adventure, in the hopes of attracting little ones to reading by capturing their attention on a topic of which they're sure to love! This is a must have, especially if your little one is a fan of Martha and her other adventures!

Berenstain, Jan and Mike.
The Berenstain Bears and the Haunted House.
July 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

When Brother Bear and Sister Bear's kitty Gracie turns up missing, the two set forth on a hunt to try and find her. As they opt to look for her within the walls of a haunted house, what they find just may shock you! While the 'haunting' is not enough to scare, it's just enough for your little Berenstain Bear fans to enjoy without too much of a spooking! Definitely a great choice - and a different take on a Berenstain Bears' story!

Brown, Jeff.
Flat Stanley and the Haunted House.
July 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Once again, Flat Stanley's flatness works to everyone's benefit! When Stanley and his family attend the Halloween party at his school, Stanley and brother Arthur are less than thrilled with the non-scary haunted house. However, they find the opportunity to provide a bit of scaring on their own, coming to the rescue of friend who's been bullied . Together, they team up to scare the bully and shock their parents, resulting in what is apparently the only scare of the haunted house! Fans of Flat Stanley are sure to enjoy the latest in the series, especially since it incorporates a favorite among holidays with children!

Brown, Calef.
Hallowilloween: Nefarious Silliness.
September 2010.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Enjoy Halloween 14 times over, with the wickedly silly Halloweenish poems by Calef Brown. The rhyming, lyrical text, children will spend story time chuckling with laughter at the funniness portrayed throughout! This would make for a wonderful bedtime sharing story starting two weeks before Halloween come next year!



If you're interested in finding out more information about any of the books reviewed or if you'd like to purchase the books, click the cover image for a link to Amazon.com. I am an Amazon Affiliate, so any purchases you make after clicking these images will result in my receiving a small percentage of the sale price!