Exploring Fall with Children's Books

Explore fall with Cloverleaf Books new series, Fall's Here!

Rustad, Martha E.H.
Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter.
September 2011.
Millbrook Press (a division of Lerner Publishing).
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Children are simply introduced to the ways in which animals prepare for winter in this book - migrating, hibernating and changing for their winter needs. The book is very basic and to the point, allowing the youngest of children to keep focused and understand the changes that animals go through in preparation of the winter months. Definitely a hit for exploring the fall season or to introduce the concept of "Animal in Winter" as a thematic unit!

Learning Activity:

• The last few pages of the book contain a glossary, other books on the topic, websites to explore and an activity that allows children to "experience" how a gray whale's blubber works.
  

Rustad, Martha E.H.
Fall Apples: Crisp and Juicy.
September 2011.
Millbrook Press (a division of Lerner Publishing).
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Introducing children to the process of growing apples, this book is slightly more complex than Animals in Fall: Preparing for Winter and will likely be more harder to use with younger children. However, I would imagine that some parts of the story could be modified for use with the younger ones as well! The process shared will likely catch the attention of many children, as many have probably had some kind of experience with apple picking and likely enjoy apple cider. The book is definitely a good one to use as part of a thematic unit on the fall season!

Learning Activity:

• The last few pages of the book contain a glossary, other books on the topic, websites to explore and a recipe that involves children in making "Upside-Down, Inside-Out Apple Crisp."

There are 4 other books in the series, also by Martha E.H. Rustad, that I am excited to check out at some point!

• Fall Harvests: Bringing in Food
• Fall Weather: Cooler Temperatures
• Fall Leaves: Colorful and Crunchy
• Fall Pumpkins: Orange and Plump
  

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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!

Wacky Wednesday

Today's post was supposed to feature books in recognition of National Roller Skating Month. However, I wasn't able to get my hands on any of the books that I was hoping to... so, it's going to be Wacky Wednesday instead - a mixed bag, all appropriate for the season. Hopefully you can enjoy them as much as you would have had they been related to roller skating!
-The Teacher's Calendar, 2008-2009

Falwell, Cathryn.
Mystery Vine.
August 25, 2009.
HarperCollins.
Source: Review Copy Provided from Publisher

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

As the seasons go by, the mystery vine grows and grows and grows. Now, finally, it is autumn, and the mystery vine is no longer a mystery. Hello, pumpkins! This is the season for jack-o'-lanterns, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, and pumpkin seeds—ready for toasting and munching, and for saving and planting come spring.

This cute rhyming book is more than appropriate for this time of the year! The two children watching the mystery vine will easily encourage other young readers to guess what the vine is... it'll be even more fun to use as a read-aloud or in the classroom if you don't show children the cover (they might spot the tiny pumpkin that dots the "i"). I'm definitely glad to add this to my bookshelf for fall books (believe it or not, I don't have many fall books, but rather tons of Halloween ones).

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities/Additional Suggested Reading Materials:

• An entire pumpkin thematic unit with cross-curricular activities from Mrs. Nelson's Class can be found here. Looks like an awesome unit with fun, educational activities for little ones!
• Pumpkin, Pumpkin, Jeanne Titherington
• From Seed to Pumpkin, Wendy Pfeffer
• The Biggest Pumpkin Ever, Steven Kroll
  

Brallier, Jess.
Tess's Tree.
August 2009.
HarperCollins.
Source: Review Copy Provided by Publisher.

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

Tess loved her tree. She liked to swing on it and sit in its shade and catch its leaves in the fall. When Tess's tree has to come down, Tess is very sad . . . until she finds a way to gather friends and family and celebrate her tree's remarkable life. This is a book for sharing with people you love, among good friends, or on a quiet day under a favorite tree.

I was so excited the day this book arrived... I had been waiting for it and earlier in the day (on the same day it arrived), I had been substitute teaching in a computer lab for K-6 students. The kids were having free computer time, but were restricted to links provided on the school district website. Didn't one of the second grade girls find this book available to read online (you can find it here)? I was thrilled to see that some of the books are available for kids free of charge! While I still prefer to read a book from an actual book, if it takes books online to get kids to read, I guess I'll learn to deal with that!

This is an incredible book... one that I would recommend for children going through a loss. The book shows that it's okay to mourn, but that it's also good to celebrate the life that was (and will always be remembered)! However, this book isn't limited to just sharing with children experiencing a loss - it makes for a great read-aloud for families, as it's tender and moving... definitely love this one!

Learning Activities/Related Resources:

• Tess's Tree eCard
• Tess's Tree Coloring Game
• Tess's Tree Quiz
• Tess's Tree Online Reading
  

Other Related Reading Suggestions:

• Our Tree Named Steve, Alan Zweibel
• The Fall of Freddie the Leaf: A Story of Life for All Ages, Leo Buscaglia PhD
  

Bunting, Eve.
The Banshee.
September 2009.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
Source: Review Copy Provided by Publisher

Summary from Barnes & Noble:

“SCREE . . . SCREE . . .” Terry is half asleep when he hears the wailing, rising and falling like the waves of the sea. He wishes it were a dream, but he knows it isn’t. It isn’t an owl screeching, either. Or the Flannerys’ old cat. Could it be the Banshee—the ghostly figure of Irish legend who wails outside a house when death is near? Why would she come here? In spite of his fears, Terry goes out to confront her. Is it really the Banshee, or . . . something else?

While this isn't in any way a Halloween story, the eeriness about it definitely makes it a good candidate for being a "Halloween" read. The dark illustrations had me picturing a Halloween night, dark and creepy. It was a very interesting read and even I learned something I wasn't familiar with - what a Banshee is! Do you know about Banshees? If not, pick up a copy of the book and check it out with your children!

Lesson Plans/Reading Activities

• The Banshee Writing Prompt
  

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.

Tying up Life Cycle Saturday ... Finally!

I've been trying to "tie up" Life Cycle Saturday for over a month now! So, here are the last two reviews I had planned! Pumpkins and butterflies!

Swinburne, Stephen.
A Butterfly Grows.
2009.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

This is a very simple text that would be ideal for young children, pre-school through 1st grade! It's nice because the youngest children will gain a basic understanding of the butterfly life cycle through the simple language being read to them. For older children (1st graders), the book is geared toward beginning readers - the language is simple and quite predictable when using the photos as context clues!

I will definitely keep this one with my other butterfly books for use in a classroom!

Lesson Plans/Worksheets:

• Life Cycle of a Monarch Butterfly
• Butterfly Life Cycle Booklet

Other Butterfly and Butterfly Life Cycle Books:

• From Caterpillar to Butterfly: Following the Life Cycle
• Where Butterflies Grow
• Are You A Butterfly? (Backyard Books)
• Butterfly House
• The Butterfly Book: A Kids Guide to Attracting, Raising and Keeping Butterflies
  

AND!!!!... For Some Great Summertime Fun!

• Live Butterfly Garden
• Butterfly Feeder
• Certificate for Live Butterfly Garden
  

(I was fortunate enough to land a long term sub position in a 3rd grade classroom and we used the Certificate for Live Butterfly Garden during the Butterfly Unit... Out of about 30 we received, I'd say we hatched 25! The students loved it!)

Nelson, Robin.
Life Cycles: Pumpkins.
2009.
Lerner Publishing.

It's not too late to start a small pumpkin patch of your own for this fall! Why not turn it into a summer of learning about the pumpkin life cycle? Although this book is a bit pricey at the time (currently available in library binding), it's definitely worth the investment (or maybe your local library has a copy available to be checked out)!

As one of a whole slew of plant life cycle books, this is no less disappointing than Apple Trees, Dandelions, Strawberries, Sunflowers or Tomatoes! It is very simple, yet accurately describes the life cycle of pumpkins: roots -> sprout -> seedling -> leaves -> vines -> buds -> flowers -> pumpkins starting to grow -> flowers falling off -> pumpkins turning to orange and the seeds located inside -> seeds being eaten by animals/people or being planted as a new crop of pumpkins!

Lesson Plans/Worksheets:

• Pumpkin Life Cycle
• Pumpkin Unit
  

Other Pumpkin and Pumpkin Life Cycle Books:

• Pumpkin Circle: The Story of a Garden
• Pumpkins: A Story for a Field
• From Seed to Pumpkin
• Pumpkin Pumpkin
• The Pumpkin Patch
  

Fun Summertime Activities:

• KiddieGardens: Growing Pumpkins

Other GREAT life cycle books for teaching children:

• Life Cycles: Butterflies, Chicks, Frogs and More! (Early Themes)

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.

Life Cycle Saturday #4 - Pumpkins

Nelson, Robin.
Life Cycles: Pumpkins.
2009.
Lerner Publications Company.







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.