April Giveaway Winner

Congratulations to Linda Kish - the winner of the April Giveaway book, But Who Will Bell the Cats? An e-mail has been sent your way, but in case you happen to see this first, please check your email and send me your snail mail address, so I can get your book on the way to you!

My Heart Is Like a Zoo

A unique approach to representing emotions and feelings using animals familiar to children and creative artistic expression!

Hall, Michael.
My Heart is Like a Zoo.
December 2009.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publishers.

Readers take a "virtual" trip to the zoo of sorts, exploring different zoo animals. While visiting the different animals, children are introduced to different emotions (experienced from the heart) that are sometimes compared to the temperaments of animals.

My heart is like a zoo...
silly as a seal,
happy as a herd of hippos drinking apples juice,
bothered as a bull with a hornet in its hair,...

Michael Hall took a unique approach in relating feelings to the "heart" and using the heart shape to create all of the illustrations in this book! I'm very much looking forward to the opportunity to use this in my preschool classroom, as the text is super simple, the illustrations pleasing to the eye. The book strikes me as one that will appeal greatly to my age group of students (four and five year olds), but I worry a bit as to whether or not they will make the connection with feelings being depicted by different animals! However, I'm sure with at a bit of explaining, they'll catch on! I'll have to get back to you about how they really do with this clever story!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Draw (and cut out, if necessary) a variety of colors and sizes of hearts. Ask your child(ren) to use the hearts to create some animal to express an emotion felt by the heart. Encourage him/her to be creative and try to come up with something not mentioned in the story. Then, have your child dictate, "My heart is like..." and complete the sentence. Write this somewhere on their page and display it proudly or create your own classroom book full of their work!
  

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!

Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek

Although this title has been out in publication since 2004, it's a new one for me, and I'm eager to share the story (and the activity) with my preschoolers in the coming weeks!

Christelow, Eileen.
Five Little Monkeys Play Hide-and-Seek.
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: Sandpiper.
May 24, 2010.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

The five little monkeys are back! And as one would typically assume, they're up to a little monkey business!

The five little monkeys
are ready for bed.
Their mama's going dancing.
She's dressed in bright red.

"Lulu's the sitter.
You'd better be good.
No tricks! No silliness!
Is that understood?"

Those are the rules set for by Mama before she leaves her five little monkeys with Lulu, the sitter, and heads out for a night of dancing. The monkeys agree, and then quickly involve Lulu in the promised "just one game" of hide-and-seek. However, one turns into two and two turns into three... and before you know it... Lulu isn't able to "seek" out the five little monkeys. And before long, Mama returns home, to find that Lulu has frantically lost her babies. Or has she? One might just be surprised to find out where the five little monkeys chose to hide during that third game!

The rhyming text, coupled with a unique story ensure a fun read aloud for children, ages 3-8. Seeing the return of familiar characters will also encourage reading in children, as they'll love seeing favorite characters in new settings!

Reading/Learning Activity:

• This book provides perfect opportunity to introduce and/or reinforce children to the concept of making predictions. I have provided a neat "predicting" activity to have children complete part way through the reading of the book. However, this means you'll need to read the book first, and mark the page at the correct point (the page reads as follows):

  She hunts in the closets.
  Where can they be?
  Under the table?
  Behind the big chair?
  Those five little monkeys
  aren't anywhere!

• At this point, stop reading and pose the question to your child(ren), "Where do you think the monkeys are hiding now?"
  
• Using the handout that can be downloaded here, have your child(ren) complete the sentence at the bottom of the paper and then illustrate the sentence to show their prediction as to where the monkeys are hiding.
• Then, after the pictures have been illustrated, finish reading the story and find out if any predicted correctly!
  

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!

Horrid Henry's Joke Book

A delightful way to engage hesitant readers!

Simon, Francesca.
Horrid Henry's Joke Book.
April 1, 2010.
Sourcebooks Jabberwocky.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Horrid Henry returns to share with readers some of his most horrid jokes... and yes, some of the jokes truly are horrid! Page after page are filled with jokes... all categorized into unique chapters. Children will get a kick out of reading the jokes and then retelling them to friends and family - what better way to get hesitant young readers to pick up a book? While the book is intended for middle-grade readers, creative teachers and/or parents could easily use this with children much younger who understand the concept of jokes.

I'm even going to try a few of these out with my preschoolers, who have suddenly expressed an interest in knock-knock jokes... I'm not sure if they'll fully understand, but these are definitely worth trying on them! I thought it might be fun to share a few of my personal favorites with you - the ones I'm going to try out with preschoolers... perhaps you'd like to share them as well!

What would you find on a haunted beach?
A sandwitch.

What do mermaids have on toast?
Mermalade.

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Ahab.
Ahab who?
Ahab to go to the bathroom.

Why did the golfer wear two pairs of underpants?
In case he got a hole in one.

When is the best time to visit the dentist?
Tooth-hurty.

What do you call a dinosaur with one eye?
Do-you-think-he-saur-us?

Knock knock.
Who's there?
Dishes.
Dishes who?
Dishes your friend. Let me in!

What did the teddy bear say when he was offered dessert?
No thanks, I'm stuffed.

Those were just a few of my personal favorites! As I'm sure you figured out from the jokes I shared, this is a wonderful book, and you can't go wrong for the paperback price of only $4.99!

Learning/Reading Activities:

• Jokes are a wonderful way to start communication or dinnertime conversation with your child(ren). Get each child his/her own spiral notebook and help them come up with a clever name for their "Joke Book." For example, for myself, I might call my joke book, Kooky Katie's Joke Book. Each day, provide your child(ren) with a new joke that they can write down and then share with friends or other family members! Kids will love the opportunity to dish out a new joke to their 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!

Happy Earth Day!

It's Earth Day, and while this title hasn't yet been released publicly (according to BN.com and Amazon.com the release date is May 1, 2010), this is definitely one Earth Day title you'll want to advance order!

Pallotta, Jerry.
Who Will Plant a Tree?
May 1, 2010.
Sleeping Bear Press.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Readers can easily be introduced to an entirely different look at "Earth Day" in Jerry Pallotta's Who Will Plant a Tree. Just like humans, animals interact with their surroundings on a daily basis. Children will quickly find out the impact that animals have on the role of planting new trees, a concept that will, to many children, be foreign - they see trees as man-planted. However, Pallotta easily shares the simple stories of how animals have a role in this process as well!

Last fall a squirrel buried an acorn. He didn't know it , but he planted an oak tree!
Seeds stuck to the messy fur of an apple-eating black bear. The bear tripped, a seed fell off, and he planted an apple tree!

As I'm sure you can gather from those two examples, the story itself is brief and to the point - exactly what young children need, especially when being introduced to a new concept! While the story itself doesn't insinuate anything Earth Day related, it is perfect for the occasion, especially if you use Earth Day as a time to teach children about the important role trees play in our lives on a daily basis. However, what's really nice, considering this book isn't going to be released until May 1, is that it isn't geared specifically towards Earth Day! You can use this book at any time of the year when you see fit! This could be one of my favorite books that I've come across so far in 2010!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• Read this story in collaboration with Patricia Lauber's Be A Friend to Trees. Discuss why trees are important to both humans and animals. Also discuss how trees are grown and the different ways in which they are planted (people, animals, wind, insects, etc.).
• Sleeping Bear Press, publisher of Who Will Plant a Tree? has also put out an incredible teacher's guide that can be downloaded and used free of charge here. There are guided reading activities, math counting activities, upper-case/lower-case letter matching activities, creative writing activities and even a page asking children to research a way some different animal (not in the story) helps plant a tree!
  

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!

Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day

Day 2 of educating your child (simplistically) about Earth Day with the help of Fancy Nancy!

O'Connor, Jane.
Fancy Nancy: Every Day is Earth Day.
February 2009.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Fans of Fancy Nancy will love her return in this "I Can Read" story! Not only does Nancy return, full of fancy words for her readers, she also introduces her readers on how to be "green" - a relatively new term that encourages being Earth conscience and taking care of the Earth that provides for us. Specifically, Nancy and her family work together (after a bit of priming, anyways) to make their family a "Green Family." Together, they create some family rules to follow to stay green:

1. Less than a mile? Then bike in style.
2. Please take note. Always bring a tote.
3. In cold weather, keep the room temperature low.
   It's better to wear a sweater.
4. Don't waste water. Get clean, but stay green.

This book is wonderful to teach children the basics of staying "green" and taking simple steps to take care of the Earth. And of course, Nancy has a way with words that will certainly appeal to children and get them giggling and interested!

Learning/Reading Activity:

• As a family, discuss what it means to "be green." Talk about why being green is important. Then, together, create a family poster of ways in which your family will "be green." For example, start a compost pile so meal waste doesn't go directly to trash facilities! Work together and brainstorm a list, then work hard to put the poster in effect in your 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!

Biscuit's Earth Day Celebration

Earth Day is just around the corner! Spend the next two days educating your child(ren) about the celebration and then spend Earth Day (April 22) doing something to help the Earth!

Capucilli, Alyssa Satin.
Biscuit's Earth Day Celebration.
February 2010.
HarperCollins Publishers.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Join Biscuit and his owner as they set forth on an adventure, introducing the youngest of readers to the concept of an Earth Day Celebration! Together, the duo set off for school, ready to participate in all the planned Earth Day events - from planting a garden, to taking a clean-up walk and even designing their own reusable shopping bag! Children will quickly catch on to ways that they, even as children, can help keep the Earth clean and taken care of!

Reading/Learning Activities:

• I was going to create a mini-book for children to create based on what they learned in this story... but given that it's Earth Day, I thought it might be better to actually get your child(ren) outdoors and actually participating in events that will help save the Earth!
• Encourage them to shut off the water when brushing their teeth!
• Select one of the bird feeder crafts found here and work with your child(ren) to create it. Then hang it outside to help support the wildlife!
• Plant a garden with your child to help grow your own veggies. Allow him/her to pick 3 different veggies they'd like to grow and help them plant/care for their garden!
• Take a clean-up walk of your own! Head out to your local park, grab a stick and use it to spear trash into a garbage bag to help clean-up in your community!
• Head to your local craft store and pick up a canvas bag - they're relatively inexpensive... you should be able to get one for under $3! Allow your child to decorate the bag to use as a reusable shopping tote to help reduce the use of those non-Earth friendly plastic bags!
• Finish your day off with a special Earth Day snack - several of which can be found 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!

What is Money, Anyway?: Why Dollars and Coins Have Value

What better way to teach kids about the value of money?!

Larson, Jennifer S.
What is Money, Anyway?: Why Dollars and Coins Have Value.
February 2010.
Lerner Publishing.
Review copy provided courtesy of publisher.

Larson introduces young children to all aspects of money in this wonderfully presented title, What is Money, Anyway?: Why Dollars and Coins Have Value. Children will quickly learn that:

• money comes in different forms depending on your culture
• American money is made up of coins and bills, all of which have a unique value
• dollars are equivalent to some amount of coins
• coins are made by the U.S. Mint
• bills are made at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing
• money wears out and is replaced in some way (shredding and remaking, or being melted)
• money helps people "trade" for things we need (goods and services)
  

In a money-hungry society, it is important to teach children about money from the day they first become interested. If children are interested in money, take the opportunity to use money as a way to teach children responsibility. This will instill in them a sense of understanding that money is used for things we need and want and that sometimes, we can't always buy/have the things that we want. This is an important lesson that all children (and many adults, too) need to be taught and reminded of!

Reading/Learning Activity:

• Check out the U.S. Mint website for fun games and activities for children.
• If you are a parent or teacher, the U.S. Mint website also has a link complete with lesson plans, class activities, coin programs, and financial literacy, among other topics! You can find that link 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!