Archive for Ages 3 – 6
May 22, 2013 at 4:49 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged bedtime story, Caldecott; And Then It's Spring; Julie Fogliano; Erin Stead; Whales; picture books; 3-6
The delightful duo behind And Then It’s Spring has done it again! For a little one, waiting can be interminable, but with Julie Fogliano’s imagination and Caldecott-Winner Erin Stead’s charming illustrations waiting for a whale has never been so exhilarating. This gorgeously simple book is a gentle reminder of the beauty in patient and astute observation. Its soothing rhythm and quiet pace make this a great bedtime story.
Happy Whale Sighting!
Erin
If You Want to See a Whale by Julie Fogliano, illus Erin Stead; Roaring Brook Press; $16.99
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May 15, 2013 at 7:55 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged chips and soda, goofy, healthy eating, Mark Teague, Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf
Between this book and The Three Ninja Pigs, a karate-tastic version by Corey Schwartz (who gave us a dramatic reading at the store the other day – check it out!), we’re loving the Big Bad Wolf here at Hooray for Books. Or in this case, the Somewhat Bad Wolf, who really isn’t bad so much as hungry. The two pigs who don’t choose sensible bricks spend most of the book eating chips and soda while the third pig works hard and starts a garden. The underlying message about healthy eating is awesome, and all the house-blowing-down antics are appropriately goofy and fun. It’s got a cute ending in which absolutely nobody gets eaten, except maybe some fresh produce from the third pig’s garden.
- Emily
The Three Little Pigs and the Somewhat Bad Wolf by Mark Teague, Orchard Books; $16.99; 3-6 yrs
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May 13, 2013 at 6:13 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged bathroom humor, Brief Thief, conscience, Enchanted Lion Books, fun story, Kris Di Giacomo, Leon the lizard, Michael Escoffier, superhero costume, superhero rabbit, underwear
Sometimes your conscience is a superhero rabbit.
I am an adult, but like most children I can find discussions of underwear and bodily functions quite amusing. If you are in this boat with me, you will enjoy Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier. Leon is a lizard who goes about his daily routine: he eats his breakfast, suns himself on a rock, and then, naturally, he has to poo. Leon makes his way to a tree and does his business, only to realize that there is no more toilet paper! He evaluates his options and settles on a pair of old and holey underpants hanging on a tree branch. Upon discarding them Leon is confronted by his conscience, “the little voice you hear inside your head whenever you get up to something naughty,” who guides Leon to the realization that taking other people’s things is wrong. To rectify the situation the conscience has Leon scrub the underpants clean and hang them to dry. Only after Leon leaves do we see that the conscience is actually a rabbit who uses the underpants as the mask to his superhero costume. And the holes? Well, the rabbit needs the holes for his ears.
This fun story is destined to be a hit with 4 and 5 year old kids who love bathroom humor and are learning rights and wrongs.
–Leah
Brief Thief, by Michael Escoffier, illustrated by Kris Di Giacomo; Enchanted Lion Books; $16.95
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May 8, 2013 at 9:36 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged Book of Shapes, food, furniture, John Parra, Roseanne Greenfield Thong, Round is a Tortilla, shapes, Spanish, texture, toddler
Tortillas are so delicious, I would probably pick up any book with the word in the title. Round is a Tortilla by Roseanne Greenfield Thong is the perfect book for those who want to introduce a little Latin culture and Spanish vocabulary along with shapes. Bright illustrations by John Parra with a light texture suggest paper cutouts and murals on walls. They show the parks, kitchens and backyards of a welcoming town and loving family.
This book covers simple shapes: round, square, rectangle, triangle, oval and star. The rhyming text describes various objects for each shape, including at least one in Spanish. The final line of each couplet asks the reader what other round or square or triangle things you can name. Food and furniture are recurring items, with paletas, sandias and huevos all making appearances and then making me hungry!
Pick up this book to share when your toddler is ready to learn shapes, or you’re eating some sandias in the summertime. It also makes a great gift for a preschool teacher or school librarian looking for a good read aloud for Hispanic Heritage Month. Language teachers can use it as the basis for a lesson on shapes and have students create their own pictures and illustrations to put together a class bulletin board. So many possibilities!
– Cecilia
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May 6, 2013 at 12:19 pm · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8 ·Tagged David LaRochelle, David Wisniewski, How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans, junk food, Mark Fearing, missing parents, picky eaters, The Secret Knowledge of Grownups, two truths at once
It’s always nice to find a brand-new picture book that provides the perfect companion to an older classic. It’s even better when the two together create a framework for a great classroom writing activity! As soon as I read How Martha Saved Her Parents from Green Beans, a new book by David LaRochelle, I immediately thought of The Secret Knowledge of Grownups, by David Wisniewski. I had already used Wisnewski’s book for several read and think aloud activities when I was doing my school librarian internship. This new tale just gave me even more ideas.
Martha refuses to eat her green beans every Tuesday, despite her parents’ assurance that they “…are you good for you” and “…will make you big and strong.” Martha’s conviction that green beans are bad is proven one day when a gang of mean green beans (led by a mustachioed giant in a cowboy hat) marches into town and begins to terrorize the green-bean eating populace. Eventually they capture Martha’s parents, leaving her alone in the house to eat junk food and watch television. However, as other book characters have discovered, losing your parents often has the uncomfortable side effect of making you miss them, so Martha, accompanied by her dog, sets off on a rescue mission. And when the mean green beans scoff at her threats to eat them, she shows them that she means business. The fantastic illustrations by Mark Fearing punctuate the buildup of the story perfectly, making this a great read-aloud or classroom book.
In The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups, David Wisniewski explains the real reasons why grown-ups tell you to do things like eat your vegetables or not do things like jump on the bed. It was the eating your vegetables tale (the real reason: so they don’t take over the world!) that popped into my head when I first read How Martha Saved her Parents from Green Beans. The brilliant part of the story, I think, is that the child has to do something she didn’t want to do (eat green beans) but she was still right about them being bad! It’s the perfect combination of a comeuppance for both parent and child. The Secret Knowledge of Grown-ups works on a similar structure of requiring the reader to consider two truths at once; the ‘truth’ behind each parental rule as well as the greater truth that no, many of these are probably not true.
But they could be true, which is what makes both these books such a great jumping off point for writing. Many teachers have used Wisniewski’s books as a writing prompt, sharing some or all of the text and then asking students to brainstorm their own parental rule and the real, wacky reason behind it. I might go further and share LaRochelle’s story, then ask students to swap rules and write a short story where a character has to deal with the reality behind the rule, whether it is green beans or rampaging mattresses awoken by children jumping. After all, everyday things can be deadly. Just ask the green beans.
– Cecilia
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April 29, 2013 at 7:58 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, All Ages ·Tagged Ann Droyd, blackout, caldecott, electronics, Goodnight Ipad, I'm Bored, I'm Bored; Michael Ian Black; John rocco, imagination, john rocco, Michael Ian Black, parody, power outage, screen-free week; 3-6; picture books; Goodnight Moon
To celebrate Screen-Free Week we will have activities every weekday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 pm. All ages are welcome, stop in and unplug with us. And check out these great books that will inspire you to unplug!
In this Caldecott-winning book, a neighborhood comes alive when the power goes out on a hot summer night. One family decides they prefer spending time together, even after the power comes back on.
Blackout by John Rocco; Hyperion; $16.99
The star of this story has absolutely nothing to do. She’s bored. Until she meets a potato who finds children incredibly boring. To prove him wrong she demonstrates all the amazing things a kid can do! It’s quirky and silly and sure to get your child’s imagination rolling.
I’m Bored by Michael Ian Black; Simon & Schuster; $16.99
For children of all ages who may need a little help turning off those electronics.
Goodnight iPad: a Parody for the Next Generation by Ann Droyd; Penguin; $14.95
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April 26, 2013 at 7:06 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged Dan Yaccarino, Doug Unplugged, electronic devices, Hello Hello, Matthew Cordell, power outage, robots, screen-free week; 3-6; picture books; suzanne collins; doug unplugged; when charlie mcbutton lost power; hello hello; Dan Yaccarino; Matthew Cordell, Suzanne Collins, When Charlie McButton Lost Power
To celebrate Screen-Free Week (April 28-May 5) we will have activities every weekday afternoon from 3:30-5:00 pm. All ages are welcome, stop in and unplug with us. And check out these great books that will inspire you to unplug!
Before she created Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins wrote this zany little picture book. When the power goes out and Charlie can’t play his video games, he loses control. Only imagination can temper this tantrum.
When Charlie McButton Lost Power by Suzanne Collins; Putnam; $5.99
Doug the Robot learns a lot by downloading, but only when he unplugs does he discover the vibrancy of life. As Doug explores the city he also learns how to use his knowledge to help a new-found friend.
Doug Unplugged by Dan Yaccarino; Knopf; $16.99
In this cute picture book Lydia discovers there is a whole world waiting for her, away from all of the electronic devices that distract the other members of her family. The simple text in this book make it great for younger audiences.
Hello! Hello! By Matthew Cordell; Hyperion; $16.99
Erin
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April 24, 2013 at 8:30 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged Again, bedtime stories, dragon, Emily Gravett, pencil and watercolor illustrations, read aloud, toddler tantrums
It is clear from reading Emily Gravett’s delightful new picture book that bedtime stories and toddler tantrums become slightly more dangerous when you are dealing with a dragon.
Gravett usually works with limited text and unusual animals as characters and this book is no exception. The spunky little dragon only speaks a single word throughout the entire story: “Again!” His parent is a little more verbose, reading (and re-reading) the favorite book identified only by a red dragon on the cover. As the night goes on and the child keeps demanding “Again!” readers will notice that the story in the book changes little by little, until the parent has fallen asleep. This of course, only enrages the small dragon further, which slightly disastrous results for the book (remember that dragons breathe fire, and you can probably guess the outcome).
Gravett’s pencil and watercolor illustrations perfectly complement the sly humor of the text, with the expression on the parent dragon’s face going from indulgent to long-suffering, to flat-out exhausted. Gravett plays cleverly with color, contrasting the red dragon in the bedtime book with the bright green of the parent and child. Of course, as time passes and emotions run high, you can bet that the little dragon will not stay green very long. The hand-lettered text of his cries perfectly reflects the frustration of someone who is NOT tired and wants to hear the story just one more time. Small listeners will sympathize with him, even as they gently touch the results of his rage in the back cover of the book. This is a great choice for a read aloud, bedtime or anytime story.
– Cecilia
Again, by Emily Gravett, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, $17.99
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April 22, 2013 at 10:46 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6 ·Tagged 3-6; bedtime stories, Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site; Trains; Tom Lichtenheld; Sherri Duskey Rinker; Circus Animals
Your child loves Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site, and so do you. But, let’s be honest, you’ve probably read it hundreds of times by this point. So, if you’re looking for another bedtime story, you’re in luck! Sherri Duskey Rinker and Tom Lichetenheld have teamed up again and this time it’s a train that will lead your little one off to sleep. 
The Steam Train, Dream Train has rolled into the station late one night, and the crew must get to work. After various animals work stocking the cars with imaginative items, each crew rests. Between the circus animals, the rhyming text, and the train, this bedtime story is sure to please everyone.
Steam Train, Dream Train by Sherri Duskey Rinker illus Tom Lichtenheld; Chronicle Books; $16.99
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April 19, 2013 at 10:27 am · Filed under Ages 3 - 6, Ages 6 - 8, Poetry ·Tagged animals, Carin Berger, Jack Prelutsky, Joseph Cornell, Max Ernst, Scranimals, Stardines Swim High Across the Sky
One of my go to poetry books for children has always been Scranimals by Jack Prelutsky. Even kids who claim to ‘hate’ poetry and roll their eyes through my dramatic renditions of Emily Dickinson or Langston Hughes will chuckle and go “Oh cooooool….” at the silly animals created by Prelutsky. Now he is back with a new book written in the same form: Stardines Swim High Across the Sky, graced with incredible illustrations by Carin Berger.
Stardines is in some ways slightly more sophisticated than Scranimals. While the earlier title mostly focused on combining animals together or animals and plants (Broccolions, Potatoads), these creatures’ names comment on their characteristics, such as the rather messy Slobsters (…Their sense of decorum/Is woefully small/SLOBSTERS don’t have/Many manners at all…) and the erudite Braindeer (…With endless perseverance/They serenely mill about,/ Reflecting on the universe/And figuring it out…). The heightened language may be a stretch for some younger readers, making this a good choice for a read aloud, class discussion or bedtime story.
Fortunately, even if children might not always be able to decipher the words, the illustrations are stunning enough to fill hours all on their own. Carin Berger has created a shadowbox diorama for each creature, photographed them digitally and added such engaging touches as straight pins, labels and paintbrushes to the endpapers. In the style of such surrealist masters as Joseph Cornell and Max Ernst, Berger uses sheet music, advertisements, and constellation maps to depict Prelutsky’s fascinating creatures. My favorites are probably the Planda, with his paper fountain pen and his long list of precisely numbered images or the Bardvark, an inkpot standing on a stack of books and sporting a feathered hat and paper ruff. Readers will want to get to know them all.
– Cecilia
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