One Shoe, Two Shoes (Caryl Hart)

Title:  One Shoe, Two Shoes 

Author: Caryl Hart 

Illustrator: Edward Underwood 

Target Ages:  1-7 

Genre:  Concept, Early Reader 

Publisher Summary:  Shoes, shoes, and more shoes…This book is bursting with shoes of all different colors, sizes, and shapes.  There’s a pair here to suit everyone—even a family of mice. 

First Lines:

One shoe
Two shoes
Red shoes
Blue shoes
Old shoes
New shoes 

Evaluation:
Author Caryl Hart has written a fresh, new text in the vein of the Dr. Seuss classic One Fish, Two Fish.. 

Edward Underwood’s vibrant illustrations add another engaging dimension to the text with his dog and mouse shenanigans. 

One Shoe, Two Shoes is a exciting frolic with a band of mischievous mice and a lively dog.  It is ideal for parents and educators looking for exciting early readers. 

Hart and Underwood also collaborated on another excellent early reader:  Big Box Little Box.  This fun cat and mouse tale is sure to delight children.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Math:  Practice counting and numeral words.
• Onomatopoeia:  Identify sound words.  Kids can add some of their own sound words to go with the action of the text.
• Colors:  Primary colors are highlighted and often referred to in the text. 
• Rhyming Words:  True and slant rhymes abound for practice saying and identify.
• Reading:  Simple, often repetitive text make for an ideal early reader.  
• Verbs:  Identify action words in the text. Then, create a list of other action words based on the illustrations. 

Perfect Picture Book Friday.

Can't Catch Me (Timothy Knapman)

Title:  Can’t Catch Me!

Author:  Timothy Knapman

Illustrator:   Simona Ciraolo

Target Ages:  3-7

Genre:  Picture Book

Awards:

Publisher Summary: 

“I’m the fastest mouse in the world!”

Jake claims.  “I’m like the wind!

I’m faster than lightening!”

But will speed alone keep boastful

Jake from being caught by a cat,

a fox, a wolf, or a bear?

First Lines:

Here’s Jake,

the fastest mouse in the world.

OH, NO – he’s gone!

Quick!  After him!

Memorable Moment:

No spoilers on this one!  The ending is clever and memorable. 

Evaluation:

This mischievous cumulative tale is reminiscent of The Gingerbread Man. Despite the similarities in the narratives, Can’t Catch Me has its own personality and twist. 

In this version, Jake the mouse takes on the role of the gingerbread man.   Jake boastfully taunts his predators.  He proves to be faster than the Old Tom Cat, the fox, the wolf, and the bear.  However, he is not as sly as the cat.  His arrogance blinds him to danger, which is a valuable lesson for all ages.

The pencil and watercolor illustrations capture the animation and energy of the mouse as well as the toil and frustration of the predatory animals.  The muted colors minimal backgrounds keep the focus on the action and characterization.

All in all, Can’t Catch Me is a cheeky, entertaining read!  It is one of those books kids will want to hear again and again.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Predicting Skills:  Before you read, ask the children to guess what the book is about.  As you read, allow them to guess what will happen in each encounter and how they think the book will end.
• Comparative Literature:  Read both Can’t Catch Me and a version of The Gingerbread Man.  Compare and contrast the two stories using a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer.
• Characterization:  Discuss the characters of Jake and Old Tom Cat.  For instance, Old Tom Cat is dramatic.  He acts like he is starving.  As he sits watching the mouse, he is getting “thinner and thinner.”  He later uses this hyperbolic language to trick Jake. 
• Science:  Discuss how animals have different defense mechanisms.  For example, the mouse is fast so he can outrun larger animals while cats are cunning and patient so they can sneak up on fast prey. 
• Choral Reading:  Children can be prompted to read along on repetitive parts like when each predator “runs and runs,” and Jake chants multiple times  "can’t catch me” and “I’m the fastest mouse in the world.”    

For more great suggestions, head over for the Perfect Picture Book Link Up.

Concept Books: General (Learning Numbers & Counting)

Even though counting books are geared for preschool aged children, older kids will often enjoy them too.  My nine year old looked at One Boy several times because it is so creative and entertaining.  He also enjoyed Over at the Castle and One Tractor.   Check out my favorite counting books (general). 

One Boy by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

Using a peek-a-boo window, children can practice counting, identifying words with in words, and predicting.   This clever book begins with a simple phrase on the left side and a window looking on to the next page on the right side.  As you turn the page, the phrase creatively continues and uses parts of the previous one.  In addition, more of the original picture is revealed.  It is sure to bring children back over and over!  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numbers, Numeral Words, Prediction, Words with in Words  *My Top Pick 

Over at the Castle by Boni Ashburn

Using the familiar “Over the Meadow” folk song, a picture of castle life is illustrated.  A mother dragon and her child wait for the right moment to make their entrance.  Meanwhile, groups of lords, servants, chefs, weavers, knights, and others are seen doing their daily work.  Written in beautiful rhyming quatrains and coupled with vivid pictures, the dragons appearance makes a glorious glow in the sky.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numeral Words, Rhyming, Alliteration, Poetry, Castle Life, Middle Ages, Dragons

One Tractor by Alexandra Siy

Little boys will love this imaginative counting book!  A boy sees a toy tractor on this grass which he imagines is out of gas.  From there, he imagines his interaction with other forms of transportation like planes, boats, dump trucks, trains, and buses.  Each are in groups from two to ten with pirates (and a single mouse) driving, flying, running, swimming, hoisting, and more.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numbers, Numeral Words, Transportation, Pirates, Rhyme, Alliteration, Poetry, Imagination 

One Sister Smiling by Lucy Coats

From breakfast with one smiling sister to pick-up timeby ten happy parents, a joyful preschool day is described with lots of fun activities and happy faces in the illustrations.  The children are seen painting with five pots, eating six donuts, skipping in a group of seven, and much more.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numbers, Numerals Words, Rhyme, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Poetry, School, Daily Schedule  

The Baker’s Dozen: A Counting Book by Dan Andreasen

This delectable book counts to a baker’s dozen, thirteen.  A baker is illustrated with creating his delicious desserts, such as four sticky buns, five gingerbread cookies, six jelly rolls, seven heart-shaped tarts, and so forth.  Then, all the desserts are shown again for more counting practice.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numbers, Numeral Words, Rhyme, Baking, Shapes 

 

Construction Countdown by K.C. Olson

Various construction vehicles are shown in action, such as earthmovers scraping up a load, bulldozers reshaping the ground, and backhoes scooping up the gravel.  Little boys will love watching these amazing vehicles in action in this backwards counting story.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Construction Vehicles, Transportation 

Carlo Likes Counting by Jessica Spanyol

Carlo, a giraffe, loves counting.  He walks around to many different places like a farm, a toy store, a park, a diner, a garden, and a construction site.  In each scene there are several groups of items for one specific number.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Number Words, Animals, Vocabulary Building (each group of items is labeled) 

Ten Red Apples by Virginia Miller

Bartholomew Bear loves his apple tree.  He climbs it, hugs it, swings on it, and shakes it as he watches the apples ripen.  Watch as a new apple turns red on each page until there are ten in all (Children can also feel the smooth texture of the red ones!).  Then, Bartholomew and his mother make an apple pie with them and enjoy it together under the tree.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Number Words, Bears, Baking, Apple Picking

One Beautiful Baby by Martine Oborne  

A mother is seen waking her baby boy for the day's activities.  The first thought is his one sweet smile.  As she feeds him, she thinks of his two adorable eyes.  She counts things for him like three bananas at breakfast and four diaper during changing time.  The baby plays with his five soft toys before his mother buttons him up for a trip to the park to feed eight ducks and have a picnic.  When you put all of these parts of his body and day together, the end result is "one beautiful baby!"  Teaching Opportunties:  Counting, Number Words, Ducks, Park, Body Parts

City Lullaby by Marilyn Singer

In this backwards counting tale, a baby is sleeping while being strolled through a noisy city.  Horns beeping, cell phones ringing, dogs barking, and trash cans bashing are amoung the many loud sounds the baby sleeps soundly through.  Ironically, when a single bird twitters, he awakens with a smile.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numerals, Onomatopoeia, Rhyme


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Circus 1-2-3 by Megan Halsey  

Beginning with a dynamic ringmaster, members of circus acts are grouped from two to ten.  Two spunky mice lead the way through the acts as elephants do somersaults, bears dance, acrobats defy gravity, seals balance, clowns amuse, and much more.  Each page has a number and a single word describing the acts.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numerals, Circus Acts, Vocabulary Building