Dad and Pop

Dad and Pop: An Ode to Fathers and Stepfathers By Kelly Bennett

Ages 4-8

Going through a remarriage and have young kids? This book is a great way to broach the topic of having two fathers who can be very different, but have one important thing in common, loving their child/step-child.

Up Down and Around

Up, Down and Around By Katherine Ayres

Ages 3-6

Get your kids out in the garden with this book..or at least to the farmer's market! Such a bright, fun book that shows vegetables that grow up (like corn), down (like carrots) and around (like pumpkins). I think it's fabulous to show kids where our food comes from and reading about healthy foods might even make them more likely to try something new.

More

More By I.C. Springman

Ages 3-8

This intricately illustrated picture book is sparse in words. It sends a message about consumerism without ever mentioning the environment or shopping or buying. It shows a bird gathering more and more things for the tree in which it lives until it is ENOUGH and then TOO MUCH! It starts to give away things until is goes back to being just right. Interesting and unique book.

Discussion seed: When does it become too much? What can we do when we have more than enough? Charity? Sharing? Being thankful for what we have and not always wanting more...

Rhyming Dust Bunnies

Rhyming Dust Bunnies by Jan Thomas

Grades PreK-2

This is a wonderfully funny book that teaches rhyming words in a silly, offbeat way. Four dust bunnies named Ed, Ned, Ted and Bob love to shout out rhyming words, but Bob always has some trouble. This is the kind of story that when you read it to a class encourages a lot of laughter, calling out and silliness. I love to read it with my kindergarten classes and have them get involved thinking of rhyming words to go along with those in the book and then I hold up some cards with other short CVC words and have them come up with more rhyming words. I really like this idea from The Weekly Hive blog. I plan on trying this later this school year.

The Underwear Salesman

The Underwear Salesman by J. Patrick Lewis

Grades 1 and beyond

The days of dry poems are so OVER! It used to be if you wanted to read funny, silly, creative, laugh-out-loud poems to children you were pretty limited. I mean there was Shel Silverstein, Jack Prelutsky, the lesser known Brod Bagert, but then....cricket cricket. Not much else comes to mind. Well I just recently ordered some amazing poetry books for the library and I can't wait to share them with you.

The Underwear Salesman is hysterical and just so creative. These are rhyming poems and each page highlights a different career. Some are very short and others are 4 or 5 stanzas. My favorite is the poem called "Exterminator"

I come to de-bug

What's under de rug.

Simple, cute, funny! I would highly recommend buying this to read at home with your family or to use in your classroom when doing any poetry study. As with most great poetry there are layers of humor and meaning so even older children (or adults) will enjoy this book and will get jokes that might be missed by younger children.

Meeting Patricia MacLachlan

Patricia MacLachlan came to our school last week for an author's visit and I can say I was truly blown away. We've had many wonderful authors at Washington School in the 4 years I've been the media specialist, but she might have been the best. The classroom teachers loved her, the students loved her, we were all held captive while she spoke about her personal stories which have inspired her books. We learned that Sarah Plain and Tall, for which she won a Newbery Award, was based on her grandparents. We learned that even she still has books rejected by her publisher. It was so great for our students to hear that even an experienced, acclaimed author writes things that don't get turned into books. She spoke of her children, grandchildren, and love of dogs. She was warm, funny, open and humble. I wish I could have spent the entire day with her! If any of you ever get the chance to see her speak, jump on it! Here is a book which she read excerpts from while speaking to the students:

I Love Bugs!

 I Love Bugs! By Emma Dodd

Grades PreK-1

This big, bright, bold book uses rhyming, alliteration and onomatopoeia to share one little boy's delight in the bugs all around him.

Lesson seed: Read the book to your class and then make the cute (not scary!) spiders that I found below at doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com first grade blog.