Time to Sleep, SHEEP the SHEEP!

Another new title in the Cat the Cat series!

Willems, Mo.
Time to Sleep, SHEEP the SHEEP!
June 2010.
HarperCollins.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Cat the Cat is busy reminding all of her friends that it's time to get to sleep! However, when she stumbles upon her friend Owl the Owl, she quickly realizes not to say anything to Owl the Owl, as he's nocturnal and doesn't sleep at night!

Repetitive, simple text and basic, colorful illustrations make the book appropriate for beginning readers and the very youngest of children come bedtime! After one read, children will catch on and be reading this title to you!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Owl the Owl doesn't sleep at night! Talk with your children about why he doesn't - he's nocturnal. Discuss what it means to be nocturnal and then spend some time researching together animals that are nocturnal. If you're really up for an adventure, spend one night this summer pretending to be nocturnal yourself - start out the evening with a game of checkers, as Owl the Owl suggest to his sleeping friends!
  

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!

Mo Willems "Cat the Cat Series"

Cat the Cat... a wonderful new series for beginning readers!

Willems, Mo.
Cat the Cat, Who is That?
February 2010.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Cat the Cat introduces herself to young readers in this first title in the new series, Cat the Cat, by Mo Willem. Large, simple text with repetitive phrases and illustrations that provide simple context clues for the youngest of readers will have young children taking ownership of the book, eager to read to you! One phrase is repeated numerous times, Cat the Cat, who is that?! This particular phrase, once recognized by children, will allow them the knowledge that by looking at the pictures on the following page, they can pretty much guess who is next to come!

I loved these titles so much, I took my galley copies (provided from a friend) and bound them with yarn, offering them to my preschoolers for one of their prize choices at our classroom "Behavior Bucks Store." One little girl snatched it up quickly and was absolutely thrilled! If this is any indication of how much of a hit it will be, I'll keep it handy for the start of next school year!

Willems, Mo.
Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly!
February 2010.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Similar to Cat the Cat, Who is That?, Let's Say Hi to Friends Who Fly! takes the youngest of readers on an adventure, while allowing them ample exposure to literature in a way that enables them in their reading ability! Cat the Cat is once again this star of this book, as she introduces readers to her friends in an attempt to discover who can and can not fly, using the repetitive phrase, Can you fly...? As each friend is introduced, readers can easily complete the question by simply looking to the illustrations for context clues (such a bit part of early reading skills)! Along with the use of context clues for beginning readers, children will also likely pick up on the flying sounds/movements made by Cat's various friends, as they will probably be familiar with the buzzing of a bee, the flapping wings of a bird, the quaint flutter of a bat's wings, and even the zooming of an airplane!

I can't wait to use these books with my preschoolers who are on the brink of reading!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Mo Willems has put together a downloaded activity packet to go along with the Cat the Cat series of books. You can download the activity packet here. It is full of wonderful ideas!
• He has also provided a spot on his website for children to play games related to the stories! Children can play memory, take a picture search, color Cat the Cat, and even learn different animal sounds. All of those games/activities can be located by clicking here!
  

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!

National Puppy Day!

It's National Puppy Day! So, whether your children wish for a puppy, have a new puppy or just love to read about puppies, this post is for you to share with them!


Lee, Spike and Tonya Lewis Lee.
Please, Puppy, Please.
2005.
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

Mom and Dad are likely to be laughing along-side their kids, as two young children, a boy and girl, finally meet their match-up in a mischevious puppy, who gives the children a run for their mommy - almost as much as the children probably give Mom and Dad!

After what I imagine to be some begging, a new puppy has a new home. The children try desperately to keep "puppy" inside and when they finally relent and allow him outside to play, he heads for the gate and sends the children on a high-speed chase through the yard. He's amused by their chase though, and when they finally get near him, he throws himself down in the mud. The result? A sudsy bath in the kiddie-pool, but even that promises adventure, as the cat suddenly appears and the puppy hops out of the pool, shakes off all over the children. The day ends well though, as the puppy finally comes when the children call him and even fetches a ball!


O'Connor, Jane.
Fancy Nacny and the Posh Puppy.
2007.
HarperCollins Publishers.

In another of O'Connor's Fancy Nancy series, the girls will be delighted as Fancy Nancy sets out on an adventure to convince the family that the dog for them is the papillon.

You say it like this: pappy-yawn. In French it means
butterfly.

As always, Nancy will be introducing your little girl to a whole new world of vocabulary that she'll surely try out in a sentence of her own before day's end!

My dear friend Amanda, over at A Patchwork of Books, got me hooked on this series from the very first book and I was certainly not disappointed in this one! Look for more of these books to be highlighted in the future!

Willems, Mo.
The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
2008.
Hyperion Books for Children.

This is my second attempt at understanding the thought behind Mo Willems' Pigeon series, and I appreciated this one a bit more! The little pigeon is allowing readers to enter his mind and feel exactly what his thoughts are regarding wanting a puppy. The pigeon goes on to explain everything that he promises he'll do to make sure that a puppy is taken care of (watering it, giving it sunshine). He's dead set that he's got to have that puppy! Until... he hears a woof and comes face-to-face with what else, but a puppy!

The teeth! The hair! That wet nose! The slobber! The
claws! I mentioned the teeth, right? Really, I had no idea!
I've changed my mind.

I'll let you read on to find out what the pigeon wants next! It might just surprise you!

The one-sided dialogue allows readers the opportunity to imagine their responses to what the pigeon is saying/asking and might make for an interesting writing assignment for younger children or act as a good introduction to writing dialogue with older students.

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.

Bedtime Stories!

I'm featuring bedtime stories today - 3 reviews, two of which I absolutely loved and the third confused me a bit. I'm highlighting these today because this week is National Sleep Awareness Week and in my research I've discovered several bits of information that may be surprising to you!

• 3-5 year-old needs 13-15 hours of sleep.
• 5-12 year old needs 10-11 hours of sleep.
• Adults need 7-8 hours of sleep.
  
• National Sleep Awareness Week coincides with the end of Daylight Savings Time. You know what that means? At 1:00 am, this coming Sunday, March 8, the clocks spring ahead - an unofficial start of spring and an extra hour of daylight!

Sardenga, Jill.
K is for Kiss Good Night: A Bedtime Alphabet.
1994.
Doubleday Books for Young Readers.

Who ever thought someone could write an alphabet book about sleep? Well, it's been done, and this book is fabulous! Following a variety of young child as they embark on bedtime, Sardenga shares with readers the bedtime routines that help children embrace bedtime: flickering shadows on the wall, just one more bedtime story, lullaby lilting low, robe hanging on the bedpot... the list goes on... 25 deep until we finally reach Z (Zzz!) and the children are asleep at last!

This really is a wonderful bedtime story, and if it doesn't appeal as a story to you, why not give the different routines a try and see if they help improve bedtime in your house?

Willems, Mo.
Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
2006.
Hyperion Books for Children.

This book was kind of confusing for me... I was a bit baffled as to who was telling the story. Was it the the guy in the pajamas on the first page, even before the title page? Was it a second pigeon that looked identical to the first? I'm still not sure, and while I'm sure children will probably love the events that take place, I was left wondering...

The pigeon is doing everything in his power to prolong bedtime - asking for more water, acting as a cheerleader, trying to talk about his day. However, another pigeon (I'll assume his mother) is yawning and desperately wants the pigeon to go to sleep. He just continues on with the bedtime rant, until he wears himself out and eventually falls asleep before making it to bed.

Again, I'm sure children will love the book and I've heard lots about the Pigeon series, so for that I'll try out a few more of them... I guess I'll just hope they don't confuse me as much as this one did!

Metaxas, Eric.
It's Time to Sleep, My Love.
2008.
Feiwel and Friends.

Of the three books I've read and have to review for today, this was by far my favorite. Nancy Tillman's illustrations are gorgeous and I could get lost in the book just looking at the illustrations alone! This is a must have on any young child's book shelf and would make for a wonderful gift to give a new baby! I honestly can't say enough about what I thought of this book.

The story itself features a variety of animals as they say goodnight to their child/children - fish saying goodnight beneath the deep waters, songbirds singing to their babies, panda bears, tigers, otters - all kinds of animals! The story ends as the author describes to a child that while he or she is sleeping and dreaming, all of these animals will be dreaming of "you, my love, of you, the one I love," leaving the child with a sweet, endearing message as they head off to dreamland each night.

Some Sleep Related Information:

• Children and Sleep
• Women and Sleep
• Adolescent Sleep Needs and Patterns
• Pointers for Parents
  

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.