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.

10 Picture Books That Will Make You Smile (and Laugh)

This list is for everyone who loves an twisty, turny, funny, ironic, laugh out loud picture book. Each one is sure to warm your heart as you snuggle with your little ones during story time, share in your classroom, or read independently because you are a picture book junkie like me. Be sure to check out these 10 picture books on your next trip to the library or bookstore. They will make your day a whole lot brighter as well as elicit smiles and giggles from the kids in your life.  

I Am Bear by Ben Bailey Smith and Sav Akyuz

Publisher Summary:

“This is Bear.  He was bare.  Now he’s wearing…purple hair.  His favorite thing is playing tricks. He makes trouble just for kicks. “

What’s to Love: 

This book had me laughing out loud.  The rhyming text is quick and snappy. The humor is primarily in the discrepancy between the words and the pictures (situational irony).  For instance, Bear says he does magic which prompts a pile of fish to appear.  However, it is clear that the wand has a fishing line on it.  He reveals his favorite game is cops and robbers, but it is quite different than what the reader expects. Kids may not fully understand irony, but they will recognize the humor.  (Do not hesitate to identify the ironies to young listeners.  They will likely catch on to this concept quicker than you think.)

Who Wants a Hug?  by Jeff Mack

Publisher Summary: 

“Everyone likes hugs, especially when Bear gives them!  Everyone, that is, except for Skunk.  Bear really gets on Skunk’s nerves.  He’s too happy…and he’s always giving way too many hugs!  Skunk has the perfect plan to keep Bear from giving any more hugs.  Will it work?”

What’s to Love: 

Skunk tries three different tricks on Bear, each with a hilarious and unfortunate end—for Skunk.  Kids are sure to giggle as Skunk gets skunked. Bear continuously offers Skunk a hug, but he adamantly declines it.  Bear always replies, “It’s okay.  I’ll save you one for later.”  When Skunk finally changes his mind, Bear really wants to save it for later—and for good reason. 

How to Catch a Mouse by Philippa Leathers

Publisher Summary: 

“Clemmie the Cat knows everything about how to catch a mouse—and she would prove it, too, except that she’s never actually seen a mouse! Perhaps, she thinks, they’re all afraid of her.  But wait…is that a pink tail? And a whiskery nose?” 

What’s to Love: 

Clemmie sees a long pink tail.  She creeps up, thinking it is a mouse.  Instead, it is a ribbon on a hat.  The same sequence happens with two round ears (a stuffed bear) and whiskery, pointy nose (a spider).  She is convinced she has scared away all mice.  However, there is a mouse lurking around craftily.  This story has potential for interaction as children look for and guess along with Clemmie as well as point out the sneaky mouse.  The ending is a fun surprise. 

The Bear Ate Your Sandwich by Julia Sarcone-Roach

Publisher Summary: 

“Sandwich?  What sandwich? Oh, that sandwich. Right. Um. Well. It all stated with the bear…”

What’s to Love: 

The bear’s journey from the forest into the “jungle” of a city is worth the read.  The illustrations add so much energy and humor as the bear scratches his back on a tree (light post), squishes in the mud (wet cement), and finds interesting smells (trash cans).  His experience finding, eating, and retreating is a rollicking fun time.  What got me, though, was the end.  I laughed out loud (but I won’t ruin the surprise).

How to Share with a Bear by Eric Pinder and Stephanie Graegin

Publisher Summary: 

“The perfect thing to do on a chilly day is to make a cave.  But, of course, a comfy cave never stays empty for long.  What’s a boy to do when a bear takes over his cave?  Try to distract him with a trail of blueberries?  Some honey? A nice long back scratch?”

What’s to Love: 

The protagonist comes up with several solutions to his “bear” problem, showing resourcefulness and creativity.  The illustrator does an excellent job with blocking, so the reader does not see what is really going on until the end.  This imaginative text is so sweet you will not be able to help but smile real big. 

Max the Brave by Ed Vere

Publisher Summary:

“Meet Max.  Max the Brave, Max the fearless,  Max the Mouse-catcher.  But, in order to be a Mouse-catcher, Max needs to know what a mouse is.”

What’s to Love:

Following a similar format as “Are You My Mother?” Max asks each animal if he is a mouse.  The hilarity begins when he actually meets Mouse.  After a couple quick twists and turns, there is a satisfying and clever ending. 

One Big Pair of Underwear by Laura Gehl and Tom Lichtenheld

Publisher Summary: 

“Two bears. Three yaks. Four seals. Six cats. All of them have one thing in common: They hate to share. But here comes a pack of twenty pigs—count on them to prove that sharing makes everything twice as fun.”

What’s to Love: 

This concept book teaches counting and number words while illustrating the importance of sharing in a comical way.  It is the most energetic concept book I have seen.  Word play includes onomatopoeia, alliteration, and rhyme.  The illustrations are fantastic.  Sharing and underwear are taken to a whole new level. 

I'm My Own Dog by David Ezra Stein

Publisher Summary:  

“I am my own dog.  I fetch my own slippers, curl up at my own feet, and give myself a good scratch.  But there’s one spot in the middle of my back, that I just can’t reach.” 

What’s to Love:  

This story is told through the dog’s perspective, mimicking many of the phrases associated with them, but in unexpected ways.  The “little guy” who follows him home is the man pursuing the dog.  The ones “yapping” are the people as the dogs looked annoyed.  Of course, he has to clean up all the man’s messes.  Dog lovers will smile and chuckle at this inversed story full of irony and humor. 

Cheetah Can't Lose by Bob Shea

Publisher Summary: 

"It's race day, and once and for all, it's time to determine the better feline:  little cats or big cheetah.  Cheetah might be bigger, taller, stronger, faster...but the little cats have some tricks up their sleeves, so don't count them out." 

What’s to Love: 

Cheetah is, let's say, an over-achiever.  He has to win and to be the best at everything!  The sly little cats let him win several challenges but have an ulterior motive.  While Cheetah has no clue, the reader can infer what is really going on.  Full of humor and action, this story will be a winner with readers or all ages.   

How to Cheer up Dad by Fred Koehler

Publisher Summary: 

"Little Jumbo's dad is having a bad day. Little Jumbo has no idea why.  Luckily, he does know just how to cheer up Dad with some of his--ahem, his dad's--favorite things!"

What’s to Love: 

This endearing story about a boy and his loving dad is sweet.  The adorable pictures capture the mischief and energy typical in preschool-aged children.  I laughed in a couple places and smiled all the way through. The pictures and the words convey different ideas, making this one ideal for teaching inference and irony.  

Best Die Cut Picture Books

Die cut picture books are a lot of fun.  They are interactive and, often, innovative.  What are die cut books?  Simply, books that use cut out shapes in the story telling or visual learning. Here is a list of some of my favorite books that utilize die cut pages. 

Lois Ehlert is a creative storyteller who often uses shapes, die cuts, and collage.  Color Zoo and Color Farm stack window die cut shapes on top of each other to create animals.  Young children can guess the animals and begin to identify the corresponding spelling of the word because the word is included, large and bold. Each page is also a color the children can recite.  As the reader turns each page, the due cut shape on top is revealed (as is the name, again for early word recognition building).  Ehlert’s books are wonderful for interaction and learning!

Two additional books use animal shapes.  Cock-a-Doodle Who? (Martine Perrine) uses the die cut shapes and patterned papers to create a fun, interactive book.  For instance, the book begins with a solid black page with a die cut of a cow.  The pattern underneath is black and white flowers.  The text reads, “Mooing cow, for whom do you wait?”  children can make a guess.  The next page reveals a large lady with a dress (black and white flower pattern).  The die cut cow is now on top of a pattern with black and white splotches (keeping with the look of the cow).  The text reads, “This maid stepping with a very quick gait.”   The book continues with the same format, each with a die cut animal and a question to answer.  Predicting skills and identifying rhyming words are both essential early reading skills. 

Also, Whoo? Whoo? (by David A. Carter) utilities simple shapes.  Each sequence begins with a solid white page.  One side has a questions mark while the other has a bunch of due cut shapes.  Readers must guess what animals these shapes will create.  The next page reveals the animal, the name, and the sound.  The end of the books depicts all the animals on one page making noise at night which is making at least one person none too happy.  Each of the aforementioned books is ideal for accompaniment with an art lesson.  With various sizes, colors, and shapes, children can be encouraged to create their own real or imagined animals. 

I love Ed Emberley’s imaginative use of storytelling and die cuts.  In Bye-Bye Big Bad Bullybug, suspense is built effectively.  As a UFO comes along, several bugs anticipate with words like “uh-oh!” and “He’s getting closer.”  The enormous bug emerges slowly in the dark of night.  The die cut pages slowly reveal the bug.  First, this three mean green eyes appear.  The next page shows his green eyes with his sharp white teeth.  Each page turn depicts another feature until he is fully realized and it declares, “And now, I’m going to eat you all up!”  Not to worry, the reader can squash it with a big shoe!  Similarly, Go Away, Big Green Monster,  a monster slowly emerges but then disappears with each page turn .  I love the way the child has control the monster’s presence, which translates well to helping children learn to control their fears and imagination.  

I Spy Under the Sea (by Edwards Gibbs) combines the “I spy” game with the die cut window guessing game.   The text begins with “I spy with my little eye…”  The facing page a small description.  For example, the first one states, “something with stripes.” A small circular window reveals a small part of the underwater animal.  In this case, it is an part of a clownfish.  The child-reader makes a prediction.  The next page is the “big reveal.”  There are different numbers of animals for counting practice.  The numeral, number word, and animal name are included on the reveal page.  This book is a fun way to learn about ocean life and numbers.  

Likewise, Cat and Mouse: The Hole Story (by Christyan and Diane Fox) delights youngsters with a determined feline on the prowl to catch an adventurous rodent.  Each window gives a glimpse of the mouse’s activities as he seeks out a piece of cheese while the cat tries to sneak up on him. 

The final two books combine numbers and die cut windows.  One Boy (by Laura Vaccaro Seeger) is an entertaining beginning reader.  In the first sequence, a picture is framed.  The text reads “1 one boy.”  A turn of the page uses part of the previous text to read “All alone.”  The picture is a boy sitting all alone with empty chairs all around him.   One Foot Two Feet (by Peter Maloney & Felicia Zekauskas) combines teaching numbers and singular/plural words.  For instance, a die cut window frames one mouse.  With the turn of a page, three mice are shown.  Children learn about irregular plural words.  

Picture Books: Little Quack (by Lauren Thompson)

Little Quack, illustrated by Derek Anderson, is one of the most adorable picture book characters. This series of books, written by Lauren Thompson, is entertaining, educational, and endearing.  Little Quack and Little Quack’s Hide and Seek are among my favorites.  They both illustrated early math skills and invite listener participation.  I HIGHLY recommend this series for ages 2-7.  As an extension idea, follow up reading with a trip to local lake or pond to feed the ducks!  

Little Quack   

Mama Duck has five little ducklings:  Widdle, Waddle, Piddle, Puddle, and Little Quack.  They have lived securely in their nest, but now it is time to leave.   Mama urges them to paddle on the water with her.  The little ducklings squeeze in close.  One by one, they gather the courage to jump.  Each time the following repetitive text is given before the next duckling plunges in: 

“No, Mama, no!” they cried. “We’re too scared!”

“You can do it,” Mama said. “I know you can.” 

There is onomatopoeia to accompany the ducklings as they enter the pond, such as “splish,” “splash,” and “splosh.”  Along the bottom border, a running quack-u-lator tallies how many ducklings are in the pond. The numeral, a picture illustration of the number, and the numeral word are all included.  The final duckling to take the plunge is Little Quack.  As he splishes and splashes in the water, he cries, “I did it…I really did it!”  His Mama replies, “I always knew you could.” This sweet book is perfect for teaching about courage and confidence as well as onomatopoeia, counting to five, numerals, number words, and pond life. 

Little Quack’s Hide and Seek  

One day Mama suggests they play hide-and-seek.  Each duckling is confident that Mama Duck won’t be able to find him.  He will find the “best” place of all.  One by one they find a spot to hide as Mama counts to ten.  (The quack-u-lator on the bottom border illustrates the basic subtraction problem.)  As Mama finishes counting,  Little Quack has not found a place to hide yet.  He stealthily swims up behind her as she seeks out her little ducklings.  The repetitive text states each time:

“Any ducklings down there?"  she called.

(Ducklings respond in various ways as they are found.)

“That’s (number) little ducklings found,” said Mama.

“Who will I find next?” 

Little Quack sure is tricky.  After all the other ducklings are found, Mama Duck cannot locate him.  (Children will enjoy “finding” him though.)   Finally, Little Quack jumps out and yells, “Here I am...Right behind you, Mama!”  She responds, “You did find the best hiding place of all!”  The family all laughs at how Little Quack tricked Mama Duck.  Little Quack’s Hide and Seek teaches adding, subtracting, counting, and numeral words.   It also depicts a family playing and laughing together. 

Other Little Quack Books

Little Quack’s Bedtime

Little Quack’s New Friend

For babies and toddlers, there are Little Quack Board Books on ABC's, Counting, Bathtime, Colors, and Opposites.

Concept Books: Counting to Ten and Back Again

1 2 3: A Child’s First Counting Book by Alison Jay 

Children will be delighted with this enchanted counting book!  A little girl falls asleep with her fairy tale story book.  She dreams of frog princes, the ugly duckling, gingerbread men, magic beans, and many others captivating images. After counting to ten and back again with these fairy tale inspirations, the little girl wakes up.  Children will enjoy identifying the fairy tale reference in each picture.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Numerals, Number Words, Alliteration, Fairy Tales

One Naked Baby  by Maggie Smith  

One naked baby comes running out of the bathroom, ready to start his day!  As he gets dressed to go outside, many things are observed in his surroundings, such as two fat cats, three laundry baskets, and four silly hats.  After his snack, he heads outside to observe nine stepping stones, eight robins, seven worms, and much more!  After getting muddy in the backyard, he ends up back inside, ready for another bath!  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Number Words, Numerals, Daily Routine, Weather, Nature, Backyard, Rhyme, Alliteration, Bathtime

One Frog Sang by Shirley Parenteau  

This wonderfully illustrated book is sure to please.  Counting 1-10, various types of frog are depicted in typical spring time behavior and singing their diverse calls.   Then, they hear a car splashing down the wet road.  Counting backwards, the frogs are shown hiding each in a different way.  Until, one frog leaps on the high garden wall and begins to sing again.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Number Words, Frogs, Amphibians, Spring, Alliteration, Onomatopoeia, Habitats

Raindrop Plop!  by Wendy Cheyette Lewison   

Entertaining rhyming couplets and lively illustrations capture the fun that an unexpected rainstorm can be on a summer day.  A little girl counts and sings as the raindrops begin to fall.   When she gets inside, the counting moves from ten to one as she takes a bath, dresses, drinks hot cocoa, and watches the animals outside.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting (backward and forward), Number Words, Rhyme, Onomatopoeia, Weather, Bathtime

Ten Dirty Pigs/Ten Clean Pigs  by Carol Roth 

One by one dirty pigs get into the tub where they scrub, rinse, splash, and brush.  Flip over the book.  The pigs get out of the tub where they dry off, dress, and go out.  Then, they get dirty all over again.  Teaching Opportunities:  Counting, Number Words, Personal Grooming, Bathtime, Rhyming Words, Alliteration, Poetry

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


You Might Also Enjoy:

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