If you like the patterns in If You Give a Pig a Pancake or ...a Mouse a Cookie, then you're about in time for the new If You Give a Cat a Cupcake. Author Laura Numeroff has a new book coming out September 30. You can find out a little more about the story and preorder online at Barnes & Noble.
After reading about BigUniverse.com in one of my posts, Jennifer Nelson commented in about a similar site she'd found called LookyBook <http://www.lookybook.com/>. She says, this interactive site allows children and parents to read entire picture books. The books can be reviewed, rated, shared, put on a bookshelf and purchased. The best part about LookyBook is the fact that it is free!
I just discovered BigUniverse.com today, and I had to share. This is a great site — a great companion to ICDL. BigUniverse is dedicated to children's picture books, and the quality is very high.
BigUniverse let's you do a number of cool things. First off, you can create your picture book. Next, you can read popular press picture books from well know authors. (In their media press releases, BigUniverse reports that this feature has increased book sales.) You can, of course, purchase books right from the site. Next, you can connect with children's book authors and experts who blog through the site. Finally, you can create your own bookshelf of books from BigUniverse. This would be a great way to keep up with the books you really like or want to use in your classroom.
AUTHOR: Audrey Wood
AGES: Preschool to Beginning Readers
REVIEW: The Napping House is a rhyming tale of a house where everyone is sleeping on a rainy afternoon. The story begins with the napping granny, and one by one the other characters join her in the bed for a nap, each piling on top of the others until there is so many that inevitably, they will all be woken from their peaceful nap. When the energetic flea wakes the dog, chaos ensues and everyone is abruptly woken from slumber. Throughout the story there is a repetitive rhyme that builds with each character that joins the pile.
What I enjoyed the most about this story is how the rhyme scheme built up the intensity of the plot while also making it very easy for a young child to follow. The book is simple yet charming and is a great book for nap or bed time of course! However, I cannot discuss the book without acknowledging the illustrations. In my opinion, they are one of the best features of this book! The images are whimsical and dreamy, which goes along perfectly with the story. They really brought the characters to life in such a beautiful way. For another short review, Family Reads offers this post on taking naps, and Lauren's World Literature for Children also comments on the building nature of the story. Lauren also offers this teaching idea:
This book is a great way to get students involved in writing. They could write cumulative stories themselves, along with drawing the pictures. Students will enjoy that because it is a very simple method of writing. For younger students, there are great activity pages on Audrey Wood's website. There is one worksheet that students complete to find shapes inside the house.
This book was created by a husband and wife team, the wife Audrey writes and her husband Don illustrates. This book won several awards when it was published in 1984 including the New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book, the Golden Kite Award from the Society of Children’s Book Writers, a National Council of Teachers of English 1984 Teacher’s Choice, as well as several others.
Guest Blogger: My name is Sara H., and I am a student at the University of Memphis. I graduated with a BA in history in December of 2007 and I am currently working towards my Master’s of Arts in Teaching. I hope to teach history at the secondary level and cannot wait to start!! I have a real passion for history, but I also enjoy spending time with my family, my boyfriend, and my feisty American bulldog puppy.
AUTHOR: David Shannon
AGES: Preschool to early elementary
REVIEW: David Goes to School by David Shannon is one in a series of David books. What I love about this book is the humor the author uses to portray the character of David. David is a very mischievous child who hears the word No a lot. (There is actually a book written in this series that is called No David!) Even if you have a very well-behaved child, your child will be cracking up at this book. Everyone knows someone like David! The book is very well illustrated and is a perfect book to use in easing anxiety with starting school.
You can review the summary of the book at Barnes and Noble's site. You can also read an article published about the book from Publisher's Weekly. You can check out information about the author, David Shannon on the following two websites: http://www.scholastic.com/titles/authors/david_shannon.htm & http://www.cbcbooks.org/cbcmagazine/meet/davidshannon.html .
Guest Blogger: This review was written by Heather C. Heather is a part-time stock broker whose love for teaching children has sparked her passion to go back to Graduate school and pursue a master’s in Elementary Education. She is currently finishing up her classes and will be student teaching in the spring of 2009. She has two children who she adores and loves to read and play with. She mainly reads children’s picture books at the time since her children are 2 and 3. David Shannon is among her top five favorite children’s authors. Heather can not wait to start teaching and plans to incorporate children’s literature into every subject! Heather is a student of Dr. Grant's IDT 7061 course in Spring 08.
AUTHOR: Melinda Long
AGES: Preschool - Elementary
REVIEW: How I Became a Pirate will make you laugh...if you're a kid or an adult. The story of Braid Beard offering Jeremy Jacob to join his crew will keep you wondering where the story goes. The pirate language and humorous observations by Jeremy Jacob will make you giggle, and if you use your best pirate voice, then every kid will pay close attention, laughing at all the right parts. Not be missed are the incredible illustrations by David Shannon. the detail and humor in all the paintings are awesome.
I read this one to my duaghter's preschool class (in my best pirate voice) and they were mesmerized and laughing at all the antics from the pirates. They especially like the very end when Jeremy Jacob takes off for soccer practice and they find out what his team is called. While pirates might seem like a "boy's" topic, the girls liked it, too. Everyone kept inching up closer and closer to investigate the illustrations.
Melinda Long's Web site has a short synopsis of the story, and Hallsville Intermediate School's Book Blog has an audio recording of the students reading the book. This would be a great addition if you had emergent readers or struggling readers and they wanted to follow along. Melinda visited my sister Lisa's school and read to the kids. At Melinda's site you can also check out her schedule to see where she'll be and when you might could meet her. Also, at Melinda's blog, you can see updates from the author herself and recommendations for integration into your curriculum. If you like this one, then be sure to check out the sequel in Pirates Don't Change Diapers. Just as funny and entertaining.
AUTHOR: Mo Willems
AGES: 2 – 6
REVIEW: Knuffle Bunny Too: A Case of Mistaken Identity is the sequel to Knuffle Bunny: A Cautionary Tale. In Knuffle Bunny Too, our half-pint heroine Trixie is off to preschool with Knuffle Bunny for show and tell, but she finds out he's not so "one-of-a-kind." For a complete synopsis of the story, check out Books Recommended by Robin's post.
What I like most about the Knuffle Bunny stories is the portraits of Trixie's dad. In Knuffle Bunny, the dad somehow allows Trixie to leave/lose Knuffle Bunny at the laundromat. In Knuffle Bunny Too, the dad has to make a middle-of-the-night exchange not dissimilar to an FBI hostage negotiation. I think I may like how Willems handles the dad, because I believe dads get treated like second class parents in many publication. So, author Willems portrays the dad a the humorous one that somehow is expected to create miracles.
Like the original Knuffle Bunny, Knuffle Bunny Too was also awarded a Caldecott Honor Book. You can find out more about Knuffle Bunny and Mo Willems' books at his site, where there is artwork, updates and information about sites for his book tour.
AUTHOR: Jez Alborough
AGES: Preschool (6 months – 5 years)
REVIEW: This is quickly becoming one of my favorite books. It is currently my two-year-old's favorite. We read it at least once a day.
This picture book is an endearing story about a very young monkey who can't find someone to hug. One word ("HUG") is used throughout the story. After observing other animals hugging, the monkey begins to cry. When his mommy finds him, he's overjoyed and shares his appreciation with others.
The artwork and story are both very cute. My daughter enjoys figuring out whether Bobo the little monkey is thinking, feeling sad or feeling happy. My four-year-old enjoys reading the word on each page, too.
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