Non-Fiction Monday: Are You Ready for Spring?

Are you ready for spring? I know I am! But I likely have at least another month to go before the buds start popping out and all this snow disappears for good! Until then, I think I'll hunker down and enjoy some books - starting with these four new releases from Lerner Publications! After exploring these books further, I centered all of the activities around them based on the 5 senses, as they are all greatly explored throughout the books. Hopefully you'll be able to make use of the activities, as well as the books!

Anderson, Sheila.
Are You Ready for Spring?
January 2010.
Lerner Publications.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

I chose to feature Are You Ready for Spring? first because spring is just around the corner here in NY (I'm not excited or anything)! This is a wonderful resource for children and can be used with a wide age variety with modifications!

The book features a wealth of information, shared in the most basic manner about: sights and sounds of spring, spring weather, plants coming to life, the spring world, the impending summer season, and of course (and probably most interesting to children) the hatching of chicks! The photograph style illustrations allow children to easily connect with the material presented. Perhaps what I found most enjoyable about this book (and the entire series) is that you can use parts of the book alone without having to read it cover to cover (nice if you're working with young children trying to focus on one specific topic)!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Throughout the book, the five senses are explored as spring is described by using each of the five. Encourage your child(ren) to explore more ways in which their five senses are put to use during the Spring season. A worksheet for this activity can be downloaded here!
  

Anderson, Sheila.
Are You Ready for Summer?
January 2010.
Lerner Publications.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

This is yet another wonderful book in the Our Four Seasons series, Are You Ready for Summer? briefly introduces children to some of the fun and explorations of the summer season.

Topics covered include: sights and sounds of summer, summer weather, how to stay cool, what the world looks like during summertime, and the impending fall season. For the science lover, details about the Summer Solstice are also included, allowing a great deal of room for further exploration!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Encourage your child(ren) to think ahead to the summer season. Ask them some things that they would like to do to be adventurous. What are some new "summery" foods you'd like to try? Is there anything about summer that you'd like to touch? How about smell? See? Hear? The worksheet for this activity can be found here!
  

Anderson, Sheila.
Are You Ready for Fall?
January 2010.
Lerner Publications.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

No, I am NOT ready for fall! Can I please have spring and summer first? However, once spring and summer do roll around, this book will be the perfect introduction for children who are unsure of what to expect for the coming season - fall.

Similar topics are once again covered in this third edition in the Our Four Seasons series: sights and sounds, fall weather, fall activities, the fall world and the impending winter season. A description of why leaves change color is also included as the "bonus" section of this book - children are sure to love this, as they will likely easily relate to the happenings of fall as they are presented.

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Discuss with your child Fall holidays (Halloween, Veteran's Day, Thanksgiving). Choose one of these holidays and complete the 5 Senses activity sheet that surrounds the chosen holiday. The worksheet can be downloaded here.
  

Anderson, Sheila.
Are You Ready for Winter?
January 2010.
Lerner Publications.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Much like the topics that readers explored in Spring, Summer and Fall, readers will once again learn about: sights and sounds of winter, winter weather, the winter world and the next-up season. However, this time they'll also explore methods of staying warm during winter and what it means to hibernate!

As I'm pretty sure I made clear in each of the previous reviews, these books are absolutely wonderful resources! They're just the right length, with topics that can be explored further if children (or parents) so desire! There's much to be learned and that could be what I enjoyed most about these books!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Challenge your child(ren) to once again explore their five senses. This time, though, it's winter and (speaking from experience) snow days offer all kinds of activities and ways in which children can explore and have fun, while at the same time putting their 5 senses to good use! The worksheet for this activity can be downloaded 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!

Anita Lobel's Birthday was Yesterday, June 3

I'm getting really slopping in my posting methods... the nice weather snuck up on me and I'm finding less time for posting... I need a weekend free of activities, but that's not to be the case this weekend... Firemen's Field Days Parade is Friday night, followed by a family cookout and bonfire with two little step-cousins. Saturday evening, I'm heading out to the Syracuse Stage to see one of the seasons last two performances of Crowns - it should be fun... a night on the town usually is... especially at the stage.

Hopefully soon, things will settle down a bit or maybe I'll just take the books and laptop out to the new Adirondack chairs...

Lobel, Anita.
Alison's Zinnia.
1990.
Greenwillow Books.

This is the alphabet book of flowers and girls names, A to Z... and it's really pretty cool!

I don't think boys would find it too interesting, but girls who are interested in flowers or gardening will get a kick out of it! I'm going to share just a brief sample of it with you!

Alison acquired an Amaryllis for Beryl.
Beryl bought a Begonia for Crystal.
Crystal cut a Chrysanthemum for Dawn.
Dawn dug a Daffodil for Emily.
Emily earned an Easter lily for Florence.

The story continues on in such fashion until we finally see the alphabet ending and starting again as

Zena zeroed in on a Zinnia for Alison.

Lobel, Anita.
One Lighthouse, One Moon.
2000.
Greenwillow Books.

Divided into three sections, this book would be perfect for a preschool or kindergarten... possibly even a 1st grade classroom!

The first topic? Days of the week. Meshed in with days of the week are colors - perfect for reinforcing two concepts at the same time while allowing children to see the connections being made! This section of the book is also perfect for beginning readers because of it's predictability and repetition.

Black shoes on MONDAY.
Red shoes on TUESDAY.
Blue shoes on WEDNESDAY.
Yellow shoes on THURSDAY.
Green shoes on FRIDAY.
Pink shoes on SATURDAY.
White shoes on SUNDAY.

As you can see from the text alone, it is very predictable, and even if children aren't able to read color words, the illustrations show the colors on a pair of shoes! The only thing I didn't particularly care for in this first of the three parts, was that Lobel started out the week on Monday... I'm just used to considering Sunday the start of a new week...

Topic two is the months of the year... and tied alongside that are the seasons (if you live in a place where you get to experience all four season)! Again, it's perfect for young children (preschool, Kindergarten, maybe 1st graders), although the reading level is a bit more advanced!

In JANUARY Nini caught snowflakes on her nose.
In FEBRUARY Nini avoided kisses on Valentine's Day.
In MARCH Nini listened to winds howling.
In APRIL Nini watched crocuses poke through the ground.
In MAY Nini chased kites in the sky.
In JUNE Nini smelled roses growing on a bush.
In JULY Nini napped under a flag.
In AUGUST Nini dreamed of crayfish.
In SEPTEMBER Nini played in the autumn leaves.
In OCTOBER Nini posed on a pumpkin.
In NOVEMBER Nini smelled turkey.
In DECEMBER Nini waited for good things.
And they came.

Apparently, somewhere in there, Nini had some fun :) , as her "good things" that come turn out to be a new litter of kittens! However, this is perfect for teaching or even just reinforcing months of the year, seasons and, in some cases, the holidays that go along with those months and seasons! Again, the illustrations provide many context clues for perhaps, early readers who are getting used to different methods for recognizing words in a text!

The third and final topic in this book is counting... 1-10. Of course, the illustrations represent objects to show the one-to-one correspondences!

ONE lighthouse stood on a rock in the sea.
TWO boats sailed by.
THREE sailors waved to
FOUR girls dancing on the shore.
FIVE whales blew spouts of water in the air.
SIX pelicans dozed.
SEVEN seagulls bobbed on the waves.
EIGHT geese flew south to avoid early snow.
NINE fisherfolk walked home with their catch.
TEN trees bent in the wind.
And ONE HUNDRED stars and ONE moon lit up the sky.

This might be perfect to get children started with counting and then prompting them to continue counting on to one-hundred to practice for school! I do believe this book will be finding its way into my classroom library!

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.