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.

Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary (Julie Larios)

Title:  Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary

Author: Julie Larios

Illustrator:  Julie Paschkis

Target Ages:  2-7

Genre:  Picture Book Poetry Collection

Publisher Summary: 

Have you ever seen a yellow elephant, glowing in the jungle sun?

Have you seen a green frog—splash!—turn blue?

Or a red donkey throw a red-hot tantrum?

In this bright bestiary, poet Julie Larios and painter Julie Paschkis color a menagerie of animals in brilliantly unexpected hues—encouraging us to see the familiar in surprising ways. 

Poem Sample:

“Brown Mouse”

Little brown clown,

looking for crumbs,

comes sneaking, sniffing, skittering

all around—sounds

like she jitterbugging

on tinfoil, sharp toenails

clicking and clacking

through the house.

She’s in a hurry

that’s for sure,

this brown mouse.

Evaluation:

This collection of 14 colorful poems are sure to surprise and delight young children.  The lyrical words capture the real and wonder of the animals while the vibrant pictures illustrate the fantastic and unexpected.  

Yellow Elephant: A Bright Bestiary is a wonderful poetic experience.  I recommend it  for preschool and primary classrooms. 

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Colors:  Practice or review colors and color words. 
• Poetry:  Using a favorite color and animals, children can write their own creative sentence or short poem.
• Sound Devices:  Identify and discuss sound devices like rhyme and alliteration.
• Grouping:  Discuss ways to put the animals in groups like ones the students have seen in real life or touched.  Other groups can be based on type of animal (reptile, mammal, etc.) or where it lives (trees, water, house). 
• Art:  Create one or more animals using unexpected colors, patterns, or textures.
• Fantasy vs. Reality:  Use the pictures as a spring board to discuss the difference between fantasy and reality.  Which parts are realistic?  Which are imaginative?  For older students, ask them to guess why the illustrator used some of the imaginative elements. 

Visit Live Your Poem for more Poetry Friday fun!

Also visit Suzanne Leonard Hill's Perfect Picture Book Round Up.  

Six Keys to an Engaging Early Childhood Reading Experience

The most essential aspect of early childhood reading is simply reading.  Identifying books that are appealing, entertaining, and educational though enhances the experience.  When choosing books for children under five, there are six key criteria to consider.

Rhyme and Rhythm

For centuries, children have recited the same nursery rhymes.  They are drawn to these poems and songs because of the rhythm and flow created by the poetic elements, such as rhyme and alliteration.  Books that utilize rhyme, such as Cat Napped (Leeza Hernandez) and Rhyming Dust Bunnies (Jan Thomas), make language and reading more appealing.  

The benefits of rhyme are numerous.  For instance, it teaches children how language and phonics works.  Rhyme helps them learn how to identify word parts and to break words down.  All of these skills are vital as they begin to read, to spell, and to write. 

Rhyming is also fun.  I used to brainstorm rhyming words with my kids as we did errands in the car.  To them, it was a game. 

Books with rhyme and rhythm are ideal read alouds for preschool children because they build literacy skills and boost the reading experience. 

Kinesthetic Activity

Reading does not have to be a static activity.  I always encouraged my children to point and to interact.  

Some books go further by inviting physical activity—clapping hands, stomping feet, dancing around. A few books in this category are Clap Your Hands (Lorinda Bryan Cauley), From Head to Toe (Eric Carle) and Hop, Hop, Jump (Lauren Thompson). Action-oriented books like these have the added bonus of helping small children get some of the wiggles out.

Active reading can include physical motions and participation—whether the book directly encourages it or not.  

Concepts

Foundational to the early childhood experience is learning to identify numbers, colors, letters, opposites, shapes, feelings, and animals.  Popular early concept books include Shape Shift (Joyce Hesselberth), The Day the Crayons Quit (Drew Daywalt), and Ten Little Caterpillars (Bill Martin Jr.).

Regularly incorporate books into story time with bright colors and bold pictures that illustrate these concepts in creative and entertaining ways.   

Repetition

Some of my favorite books have a repetitive structure.  The two I read most often to my children were We Are Going on a Bear Hunt (Michael Rosen) and Five Monkeys Jumping on the Bed (Eileen Christelow).

I encouraged my kids to read along.  I began with leaving off a word or phrase.

We are going on a ______.

We are going to catch a ______.

Eventually, my children memorized the whole chorus and “read along” with me. 

Repetitive books are one way to help youngsters begin to internalize patterns and structure. As they do, they feel more competent and confident.

Include a steady stream of books with repetition like Tiny Little Fly (Michael Rosen), like Down by the Barn (Will Hillenbrand), and It’s a Tiger (David LaRochelle).

Predicting

Predicting is a key comprehension skill.  It is never too early to begin to ask guessing questions. Sure babies will not understand or be able to answer.  Your interaction with them is beneficial though. 

As toddles become talkers, they can make guesses.  In time, those guesses will become more sophisticated. 

Look for books with a picture or word clues (sometimes in the form of rhyming words). Children will benefit by developing a basic framework for engaging or thinking about the text as they read. Also, these books encourage them to practice guessing using context clues and memorizing sequences of events.

As a result, choosing books that are conducive to predicting outcomes are ideal for early childhood reading experiences.  Check out Whose Hat Is That? (Anita Bijsterbosch) and Guess Who, Haiku (Deanna Caswell).

Sound Words

There is some debate as to whether sound words are helpful in language development.  Some educators claim it is just as easy to say ”cow” as “moo.” Saying “moo” and “baa” is fun though.  These words add drama and flair to story time in books like Chugga Chugga Choo Choo (Emma Garcia) and Cows Can’t Quack (David Reisman).

In addition, sound words and phrases are conducive to choral reading.  Simply put, choral reading is reading or reciting in unison.  This activity can be small and informal like when a child “reads along” words or phrases with a parent or caregiver.  It can also be large and formal, such as a whole class reciting together.  This activity builds self-confidence and motivation in pre and early readers. 

Furthermore, children use animal sounds as a means to express their emotions.  A child feeling wild may “roar” during playtime.  Later, while feeling cuddly and peaceful, he may “meow.”  Of course, you want kids to express themselves fully with “adult” words, but animal sounds can be a temporary short cut as they get a full understanding of language, emotions, and social cues. 

The whole point of reading is to engage children in sound and language.  If sound words enrich the experience, it is beneficial.  Therefore, read books out loud brimming in onomatopoeia.

For more help picking the perfect book for your children, read Five Fabulous Picture Book Finds for Kids under 5 or click on the labels in the right-hand column. 

The Day the Crayons Quit (Drew Daywalt)

Title:  The Day the Crayons Quit      

Author:  Drew Daywalt

Illustrator:  Oliver Jeffers

Target Ages: 2-6

First Lines:  “One day in class, Duncan went to take out his crayons and found a stack of letters with his name on them.”

Publisher Summary:  “Poor Duncan just wants to color.  But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing:  We quit!  Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown.  Blue needs a break from coloring all the water, while Pink just wants to be used.  Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.  What is Duncan to do?” 

Evaluation:  Readers will never look at a box of crayons the same way!  Each crayon has a personality and a problem, making for a humorous and imaginative read.  The letters are written in crayon using a child-like handwriting.  The pictures sprinkle a little digital art in, but they mostly look like something a child drew and color. This approach to storytelling is engaging and inventive.  I highly recommend The Day the Crayons Quit and its sequel The Day the Crayons Came Home.

The Day the Crayons Came Home Publisher Summary:  “Boy, Duncan’s crayons sure are a colorful bunch of characters.  Having soothed the hurt feelings to one group who threated to quit, Duncan now faces a whole new group of crayons asking to be rescued.  From Maroon Crayon, who was lost beneath the sofa cushions and then broken in two after Dad sat on him; to Turquoise, whose head is now stuck to one of Duncan’s stinky socks after they ended up in the dryer together—each crayon has a woeful tale to tell and a plea to be brought home to the crayon box.” 

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

Younger Students

• Identify the colors.
• Discuss the colors of objects both on the page and in real life.
• Point out the parts of a letter (greeting, body, salutation, signature).
• Write a letter to someone/something together—either imaginatively or realistically.
• Practice the proper way to care for and to store crayons and other supplies.

Older Students

• Practice the letter-writing format by writing to a friend or family member.
• Write an imaginative letter from the perspective of a crayon color, other household object, or character.
• Teach about the literary technique of personification and use these books to apply the concept to.
• Read through each letter carefully.  Pick one character quality or emotion that each color depicts like sassy, optimistic, frustrated, or sad.
• Identify the tone of each letter and how the author creates it.
• Evaluate the problem that each crayon has and how it is solved (see Duncan’s new picture).
• Take a class survey on one or more aspects such as the color each student uses most and/or which letter is their favorite.  Make a class graph that depicts the responses.

Visit Susanna Hill for Perfect Picture Book Friday where you will find suggestions from around the web for story time in your classroom or home.

Shape Shift by Joyce Hesselberth

Title:  Shape Shift

Author:  Joyce Hesselberth

Illustrator:  Joyce Hesselberth

Target Ages:  1-6

First Lines:  

“Look around.  What shapes to you see?  I see a rectangle house with a trapezoid roof.  I see a triangle tree.  Shapes are all around us.  Once you know how to find them, you can use shapes to make anything you’d like.”

Publisher Summary:

Look around.  What shapes to you see?  Do you see an oval, a diamond, and a square?  Or do you see a clown upside down?  Or even a watermelon?  Use your imagination—there’s no end to the possibilities. 

Evaluation:

The book begins by introducing 9 shapes—triangle, semi-circle, crescent, trapezoid, rectangle, circle, oval, diamond, and square. First, all the shapes are labeled with their names to encourage sight word recognition.  Second, I like that non-traditional concept book shapes are included like trapezoid, semi-circle, and crescent. 

In several sequences, the two characters, along with their dog, introduce a couple shapes. Then, they work together to come up with an imaginative way to combine them into everyday objects.  For instance, the girls see an angry bull. She combines the crescent with the trapezoid and some additional embellishments to create a picture of one. 

There are some other concepts included. Several times onomatopoeia is used to go along with the picture created, such as splish, splash, swish (for a fish) and zooma-zoom (for a car). Young children can participate in the silly sounds. Each shape is a different color, providing opportunities to teach or to practice identifying colors.  At the end, the group counts to 10. Parents and educators can point to each number and count along. 

The mixed media and digital paint drawings are lots of fun!  The characters display a variety of emotions and lots of energy through their imaginative explorations. 

The many opportunities for interacting, learning, and imagining make Shape Shift an essential book for any early childhood classroom or home library.   

My Heart is Like a Zoo and Perfect Square by Michael Hall both use some similar concepts.  The three books would compliment each other well in a lesson or reading session.

Activities and Extension Ideas for Lesson Plans:

• Concepts: Ideal for teaching or reviewing concepts like colors, counting, and numbers.
• Math: Give out physical copies of the shapes either from a math kit or cut out on thick cardstock. For younger children, ask them to hold up each shape as you call it out. For older children, give them a shape and a number. Then give them the chance to find the shape and count out the appropriate number.  Assess comprehension of the 2 skills.
• Art: Cut out different shapes in advance.  Instruct children to create their own pictures from real or imagined ideas.
• Motor Skills:  Practice drawing the different shapes.  Color each one a different color.  Assess how well the shapes are duplicated as well as if the child can identify them and the colors.

Visit Suzanna Hill’s Blog for the Perfect Picture Book Weekly Round up.

5 Must Read Books on Ramadan

Ramadan is a month long Muslim celebration. There is a strong emphasis on community, family, and charity. Most importantly, it is about a renewal of their focus and faith in Allah. Learning about Ramadan is a way to emphasize that while we are all different, people need faith, community, family, and charity to be healthy and happy.    

With several informative children’s books on Ramadan, educators and parents can expand awareness about the traditions of the followers of Islam.  I learned a lot about this religious and cultural celebration from the selections I chose. For those who have Muslim children in their classroom or neighborhood and want to learn more about their faith and culture, Dorothy Kavanaugh’s Islamic Festivals and Celebrations provides a more comprehensive explanation of Ramadan, Eid al-Fitr, hajj, Eid al-Adha, births, weddings, deaths, and other celebrations.  She also includes other books and Internet resources.  The following is a progressive listing of Must Reads for those wanting to expand their students' or children’s multicultural awareness.

Ramadan & Eid Al-Fitr with Praying, Fasting, and Charity (Deborah Heligman)

This non-fiction book is a fantastic introduction for children. There are many vibrant photographs from various countries illustrating Ramadan traditions like praying, reading the Koran, dancing, and sharing food. The large text is broken into small sections that are easy to understand. Heligman proves a wonderful overview for ages 5 and up. 

My First Ramadan (Karen Katz)

Katz writes her story through the perspective of a preschool child who wants to fast like the grown-ups do.  Young readers get the sense of experiencing the festival for the first time through this wide-eyed, enthusiastic narrator.  Adorable pictures and large text make it ideal for ages 2-6. 

Under the Ramadan Moon (Sylvia Whitman)

This lyrical story provides snapshots of the celebration.  Verses each follow a similar format as  “We wait for the moon. We watch for the moon. We watch for the Ramadan moon.” Whitman’s perspective is that of the Muslim people as a whole rather than an individual child telling the story. Ages 4-8 will enjoy it. 

Night of the Moon (Hena Khan)

Seven-year-old Pakistani-American Yasmeen tells the story of her family’s modern day celebration. This selection is probably my favorite because of the lush Islamic art and vivid colors, giving it an authentic feel. The storytelling is well done for the target audience of 6-9.

The White Nights of Ramadan (Maha Addasi)

Noor lives in a Middle Eastern country. She shares her excitement and wonder as she prepares for and celebrates in her native country. Readers see their traditional garb and local traditions (like one similar to our Halloween). The text will appeal to ages 6-11.

I want to mention one more book. It is not specifically about Ramadan, but it covers many aspects of it.

Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns (Hena Khan)
This concept book illuminates aspects of Islam while teaching colors.  Each poetic couplet captures the culture like “Red is the rug Dad kneels on to pray,/facing toward Mecca, five times a day,” and “Brown is a date, plump and sweet./During Ramadan, it’s my favorite treat.” Mehrdokht Amini’s stunning illustrations round out the elegant text.  This book is worth a trip to the bookstore or library for children ages 2-6.

Perfect Picture Book: Bear Sees Colors (Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman)

Title:  Bear Sees Colors   

Author:  Karma Wilson

Illustrator:  Jane Chapman

Published Date: 2014

Suitable Ages:  1-6  

Themes/Topics:  colors, rhyme, friendship, forest animals, predicting skills

Opening: 

“Mouse and Bear are walking;

they are chitter—chatter—talking.

So much for them to do.

And the bear

sees…

Brief Synopsis:  Bear and Mouse take a walk through the woods meeting friends and spotting colors all through the forest. 

Links to Resources:

Activity Pages for Bear Sees Colors

Color/Object Cards

Color Songs

Color Activities on Pinterest

6 Games that Teach Toddlers Colors

Why I Like It:  I am a HUGE fan of Karma Wilson’s and Jane Chapman’s picture books. Chapman’s illustrations are always brilliant and vivid while the animals are animated and endearing. She does an outstanding job drawing attention to the focal color as she stays true to the forest setting. Wilson introduces each color with a snappy rhyme that leaves the reader guessing what the color will be. This technique allows the children to make a prediction before turning the page. Parents and educators can help with the guessing by identifying for the listener(s) the key (sometimes slant) rhyming word in the introductory lines (do/blue, ahead/red, bellows/yellow). Some of the colored items on the page are identified in the text. Children can point to them and find others.  At the end of the narrative, the animals all gather for a picnic.  Bear Sees Colors celebrates discovery, colors, and friendship. 

Check out other blogs featuring Perfect Picturebooks at Susanna Hill’s.