Some Favorites

  This week we were able to read a few more books from the library.  We read Are You a Cow? by Sandra Boynton.  This was a fun one to read because it was so simple in the illustrations.  Each page featured the picture of the animal that it asked about and the words were in bright colors.  As we read this book, we (really I mean me, here) made the animal sounds.  This would be a great book for an older toddler, too, and they could participate by answering the questions.  This is a silly book and was enjoyed so much it was carried all over the house.  This book is in the following categories: animals and identity/self-appreciation.
   We also really enjoyed the book We Go Together! by Todd Dunn.  This book is a great one for learning about things that might be in a set together.  Each page starts with, "We go together like..." and is a great way to show young children a simple comparison between two items.  My favorite part is at the end where it shows a mother and her son hugging and saying how they go together because they love each other.  This book is in the following category: family.

~Happy Reading!

Let's Count!

The latest trip to the library has brought some really good finds.  We have recently read, 1 2 3 Beach by Puck.  There aren't any words in this book and it is a simple counting book.  My son was captivated by these pictures.  The pictures are done in primary colors and are very simple.  As we read this book, we identified the object(s) on each page and counted.  Something that I haven't seen very often, though, was at the end of the book where it offered suggestions to parents about different ways to read and use the book.  I think this has become a favorite because every time I get the library books out, this is the one he goes to first.  This book is in the following categories: counting and in the seasons category for summer.













       

We have also been spending some time with a book called, Fifteen Animals by Sandra Boynton.  I saw this book and fell in love with it.  Every animal in this book, with the exception of the last one, is named Bob.  When I was growing up I named everything Bob, so when I saw this I thought that it was perfect for me to read to my son.  This book is also a counting book and by the end of the book you are able to count to 15, which isn't the typical number found in a counting book.  Apparently, there is also a song that goes along with this book... we might have to check it out in the next couple of days.  This book is in the categories of: animals, counting, and songs.

Bath Time, Bed Time, and More

  So this entry is a longer one, but I am reviewing all of the books that we need to return to the library at the end of this week.  Last time books were chosen at the library this was done with Memaw since I did not go on this trip and had been in the emergency room the night before.  So, these books were picked out by my son and Memaw and together.
  We started by reading, Splish! Splash!: Baby Touch and Feel by Dawn Sirett.  Each of the pages in this book are very simple and are not overwhelming with too many words.  With an opportunity to feel something on each of the pages, this book tells young children about different toys that might be played with in the bathtub.  As we read this one, we talked about the different toys that my son has to play with in the tub; some of these toys were the same as ours, but some were different.  This book is in the categories of: touch-and-feel and bath time.
  The next book we read was also in the bath time category, actually.  We read Tubby by Leslie Patricelli.  I love her books and we have quite a few on our shelf.  This was a fun book that talked about all the steps of taking a bath, up to and including taking the diaper off and being naked.  This book mentions washing some of the basic body parts, such as toes, belly button, and hair.  I really like the part in this book where Mommy dries off the baby and Daddy dries the bathroom.  Of course, the best part has to be the last page where the baby is all clean and you see the dirty dog come running into the room.  This book is in the categories of: bath time, and body parts.
  We read Bye-Bye Time by Elizabeth Verdick.  This is a great book to use when transitioning a child to stay with someone who is not Mom or Dad.  This book gives parents, children, and caregivers great ideas for learning how to cope with goodbye time.  Quite possibly as my son gets older and I continue to work, we might need to get this book permanently...  This book is in the category of: independence/growing up.
  Another book we read was, Yawn by Sally Symes.  This is a wonderful way to tell a bedtime story.  With the giant opening in the book to represent the different mouths of the characters in the book, it was really exciting to see which animal would be next to yawn.  As the story continues, the yawn is given to or "passed on" to each of the different animals that you will eventually find are the stuffed animals piled around the child getting ready to go to bed.  This book has a great rhyme and rhythm to it and definitely kept my son's attention.  This book is in the categories of: bedtime stories and animals.
  We read, Mouse Says "Sorry" by Michael Dahl.  This book is great for teaching manners and responsibility for your actions.  There are not too many words throughout this book, and I think that the author expects parents and adults, and eventually kids, to talk about what is going on in the book that goes beyond the written words.  Also in this book there is a large variety of other animals that mouse apologizes to.  This book is in the areas of: animals and self-awareness.
  The next book we read was, Little Bee by Edward Gibbs.  For those of you who are familiar with Eric Carle's Brown Bear, Brown Bear, what do you See?, this book will seem very similar to that.  The only difference is that this book is one with circular reasoning.  The bee is fleeing because he is being chased by a frog, who is being chased by a snake.  This continue through various animals until it gets to the fleeing hunter who is fleeing because he is being chased by the bee.  This was a very fun read!  This book is in the category of: animals.
  The last book we read was, Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes by Annie Kubler.  This book is very simple and follows the well-known song.  The pictures in this book are very sweet and simple.  On the back of the book, there is the written out melody for the song, which is fun and can help parents expand the reading experience.  My son and I didn't read this one, but sang it instead.  I suppose that is due to the fact that I am a music teacher.  We sang the song and identified each of the body parts as we sung about them.  This book is in the categories: body parts and songs.