Feed Me Books Friday: I Spy, In the Rearview Mirror

Two Happy Road-Trippers

Rather than a big summer vacation, we’ve made several shorter jaunts this year – which has meant a considerable amount of time on the road. As a result, I’ve been on the lookout for car-friendly entertainment. Scored a Crayola dry-erase lap board on clearance at Target, found travel scavenger hunt cards in the dollar bin at Joann’s, and we keep the portable DVD charged and stowed under the backseat just in case. But my favorite find this season has been a toy combined with (you guessed it) a book!

Look – in the backseat – it’s a toy, it’s a book, no it’s a lifesaver!

Ok, so lifesaver might be a better descriptor for the carseats my kids are riding in, but I really had no idea how cool this would be when I ordered it! I have had my eye on I Play’s Peek a Book Bags for some time now – car toy, church toy, diaper bag toy – many possibilities. Then I as I was checking for new options and price drops, I found the Peek a Boo Pack. It combines the Everything A to Z Peek a Boo bag with a board book in a travel friendly fabric case. The bag is made of cloth with a clear vinyl window. Inside, tiny plastic and rubber objects representing all the letters of the alphabet are hidden among tiny white beads. The user (you’ll find this as entertaining as your child) manipulates the beads by squishing and turning the bag while peeking through the window to find the objects. The book features pictures and rhymes highlighting the hidden items and giving children a master list as well as increased motivation to search for them. We had a blast with it on a recent 4 hour car trip. Not only did we search for the objects as directed by the book, but we made up our own games like who could find objects the fastest, finding objects in alphabetical order, finding an object then identifying its beginning sound, and finding an object then challenging a partner. I also purchased the Language Development Eye Spy Bag; while it does not include a book, it does come tagged with a card giving suggestions for vocabulary building activities like practicing letters, colors, shapes, even prepositions, and pronouns. By having two bags we avoided sharing issues and both are definitely entertaining. Your child can benefit from both the cognitive as well as the physical challenge of finding the objects among the beads. This is an item that will be part of my travel bag from now on – B even asked for one this week during a short ride to the grocery store!

Appropriate for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades.

photo courtesy M Kuhn via Flickr

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Feed Me Books Friday: Father’s Day Book Picks

Don’t Spoil the Surprise!

I’m running the risk of revealing my husband’s Father’s day gift by sharing my book choices this week, but what good would they be to you next week? I’ll just have to keep his eyes off my blog for a couple days…


Making Memories Cover to Cover


It’s a chicken-or-egg question: do books evoke such strong feelings and memories for me because I love to read, or do I love to read because books evoke such strong feelings and memories? In either case, books play a prominent role in vacation memories, birthdays, and holidays in our lives. It stands to reason then, that part of Daddy’s Father’s day present would be a book. In past years, I’ve chosen books that highlight special relationships between fathers and children or those that feature dad as the hero. This year, Daddy will be receiving two books to share with his two little boys.


The Big Boys

Daddy and B will hone their motor skills while they enjoy The Boy Mechanic Makes Toys, from the Editors of Popular Mechanics. As an honest reviewer, I have to admit I have not read all 275 pages. That said, I was sold after reading the jacket, the foreword, the table of contents, and a few random pages. The book contains an array of 159 projects from the pages of Popular Mechanics magazine in the early 1900s. The foreword emphasizes the value of ingenuity and craftsmanship. Methods and materials have not been updated for modern advancements, and some projects are more entertaining to read about than to actually produce, such as the folding-chair sleigh or fighting roosters toy. However, the majority are intriguing and sure to result in some quality father-son time for anyone with some mechanical inclinations. Chapters include: Making Magic, The Science of Fun, The Really Great Outdoors, Fun for Little Ones, Fun for Older Kids, and The Toy Workshop. I know B will be excited to learn the old-time magic tricks, and will definitely want to try out projects like the toy water plane or dry cell toy tractor.


The Little Guy

T is not yet big enough to participate in the “projecting” that B and Daddy enjoy together (though he thinks he is) so the book I chose for him to enjoy with Daddy will help them spend some quiet time together and is sure to lead to some giggles. Toddlers like T who spend all day with Mommy need special time to develop an emotional bond with Daddy, too. Daddy Cuddles, by Anne Gutman and Georg Hallensleben depicts six different animal daddies cuddling their young. The text is repetitive, but that’s comforting and developmentally appropriate for toddlers. Each page reads, “Daddy [animal] cuddles his [young].” The illustrations show how the animal families exchange “cuddles” and I’m sure Daddy and T (and even B) will share some laughs as the boys cling to Daddy’s belly like the baboons or nuzzle noses like the tigers. We already enjoy Mommy Hugs and Daddy Kisses from the same series, and this one is sure to become a bedtime favorite too.


Appropriate for: babies, toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades, Dads


What are your favorite Daddy books? Will you be doing anything special to celebrate fathers this weekend?

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Feed Me Books Friday: It’s Birthday Time Again

Party Prep

My regular readers know birthdays are a BIG deal in my family; not in the ponies in the front yard, contracted entertainers, and fireworks kind of way, but it’s really important that the birthday –boy or –girl feel celebrated. That means making choices for the meal, as many family members as we can round up, and enjoying (or enduring) a birthday song over 2 minutes long! I’ve been prepping this week for a pirate party – namely a Jake and the Never Land Pirates party. B is completely enamored with the new show on Disney Junior, and since it’s so new (and I’ve never been one to spend a bunch of money on licensed character paraphernalia anyway) I’m creating a lot from scratch. We’re still on the hunt for a pirate book to enjoy as a Jake alternative – suggestions?

Our Tradition Gift

Each year, along with toys and games and clothes, I select a book for each of my boys that expresses how loved and special they are. This year, my choice for B is Wherever You Are, My Love will Find You, by Nancy Tillman. Tillman was nominated for a Children’s Choice Book Award for her illustrations in this book, which is how we were first introduced to it. The illustrations are indeed captivating, but the text is also worthy of recognition. It catalogs the places and situations that love finds its recipient without feeling list-like. The rhythm and rhyme is almost reminiscent of Dr. Seuss a la Oh, The Places You’ll Go:

“You can dance ‘till you’re dizzy, Paint ‘till you’re blue. There’s no place, not one, that my love can’t find you.”

If a little mush leaves a bad taste in your mouth, this one probably isn’t for you, but if you’re a sentimental like me, you’ll enjoy just the right amount of creative language, thoughtfully evoked memories, and beautiful illustrations, without feeling sappy. I’m quite tempted to use the text as a jumping off point for a scrapbook for each of the boys. I see childhood pictures spanning many years illustrating phrases like:

“Make a big splash. Go out on a limb. My love will find you. My love can swim!”

Whether I’ll get to work on this project or it will become another of my “best laid plans,” remains to be seen, but this birthday book will be enjoyed for years to come.


Appropriate for: everyone!

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Feed Me Books Friday: Feeling the Love

In the Kindness of Strangers

Indulge me a moment, if you will, to share my personal story that inspired this week’s book selection. Earlier this year, we made a trip to visit a “Day Out With Thomas” event. B has long been a fan of trains, Thomas included, and the trip was a fun-packed day. Of course, there was a merchandise tent, mostly full of things I felt were either not toddler appropriate/sturdy enough/well-made or easy enough to find on Amazon and pay less for. However, I did see a display for a train car with the Day Out With Thomas logo and the year 2011. Being a sucker for all things sentimental, this is the souvenir I wanted. Which they were, of course, out of. Initially undeterred, I assumed that a merchandising powerhouse like Thomas would have memorabilia available online. Not the case. Finding this boxcar, which B never even saw on the display or realized I was after, became a mission. I can recognize the lunacy of it, but that recognition did not diminish my desire to acquire it. I looked up Thomas’ schedule and learned he’d be visiting Wales West Railway in Alabama this month. I’m a private enough person that I don’t share my hometown on my blog, but it’s not anywhere near Alabama – I wasn’t crazy enough to consider making a trip there, but I did a little website investigation and decided to take a shot at asking a stranger for a favor. I found some contact info for their staff party-planner (a party-planner must have a soft spot for kids, right?) and described my mission in an email. Shelby became my hero when she agreed to shop-for, purchase, and mail my souvenir without ever having met me or spoken to me in person. Her kindness continues to make me smile as I tell the story, and I’m just itching to be able to pass on a similar kindness to someone else! (By the way – if you live near or ever visit the Wales West Railway, please hug Shelby for me!)


A Pay it Forward Attitude

Ok, so my indulgence lasted more than a moment – my stories are long-winded – on to this week’s book. How Kind! by Mary Murphy was originally a library find but became one I wanted to revisit again and again. In simple yet bright text and illustrations, Murphy showcases farm animals passing along one kindness after another. A pig who is tickled by the kindness of a hen pays-it-forward, causing a chain reaction of kindness that includes carrots, flowers, and back-scratching! Each action is accompanied by the title phrase, “How Kind!” It is puzzling that the hen begins by giving away her egg to the pig, then is delighted when he returns her newly hatched chick, but it does give the story a pleasant circular feeling. I really like the concept that one kindness begets another, but it isn’t necessarily a trade-off or a give-and-take. The kindness spreads throughout the farm rather than passing just between two friends. I also appreciate that some of the kindnesses are material and some are intangible. Entertaining and encouraging for little ones like T, discussion worthy for bigger boys like B, How Kind is a great way to illustrate or expand upon the Golden Rule.
Appropriate for: babies, toddlers, preschoolers.

Have your come across any great books for teaching kindness and compassion? I’d love to hear about them – or any other good stuff you’re reading!

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Feed Me Books Friday: April is National Poetry Month

A Poem is More than a Rhyme

Lots of children’s books are full of rhymes, but that doesn’t really mean they are all poetry. From where I stand, a book written in rhyme may or may not be a poem, and a poem may or may not be a rhyme. I adore poetry – reading it, writing it, sharing it – so how do I define it? I really like this definition:

Poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience expressed through meaning, sound, and rhythmic language choices so as to evoke an emotional response. […] The very nature of poetry as an authentic and individual mode of expression makes it nearly impossible to define. (From about.com)

If poetry is an imaginative awareness of experience, then exposure to that awareness could certainly promote growth in any of the developmental domains, depending on the experience! I keep a section on B’s book shelf reserved for poetry books, and I’ve been trying to give them a little extra attention this month, but unfortunately haven’t gotten any up to post yet – hopefully this will be only the first of at least a few special features.


Couplets on Common Characters

One poetry book that B has enjoyed enough to request repeat performances is Douglas Florian’s Beast Feast. Florian is known for his accessible and often humorous children’s poetry, but he refrains from downright slapstick jokes and imbues his poems with a quietly curious quality. I especially like this excerpt from “The Ants,”

While down below

Beneath the mound
They’re building tunnels
Underground.
And so it’s been –
And it will be –
Since greatest
Ant antiquity.

Simple and yet profound. Also love that much of Florian’s work includes really meaty language that is just the ticket to passively building vocabulary. Florian also illustrates his poetry with very kid-friendly paintings. They are colorful and attractive without being cartoonish or immature. Beast Feast, as you might guess, is a collection of animal poems. Besides “The Ants,” you’ll also find “The Walrus,” “The Armadillo,” “The Camel,” and “The Sloth,” among others. Florian has several other themed poetry collections, many of which are living on my wish list right now!
Appropriate for: everyone!

Kids’ Poetry Challenge


Janelle at Brimful Curiosities is hosting a Kids’ Poetry Challenge for the Month of April. The first two weeks got away from me, but I’m excited to be able to join in this week. Even if you don’t have a poem to share (try next week!) you should check out her explanation post – she’s got a ton of great poetry resources and links listed there! Janelle’s post also reminded me that there’s more great poetry to be found (some kids some not) each week at the Poetry Friday Round-up, hosted this week at Random Noodling.

Do you have a favorite poem book to read with kids? Even if you don’t have a post about it for this week, I’d love to hear suggestions in the comments! Don’t forget: There are a couple days left in library appreciation week – check out our activity if you haven’t already!





[*Poetry Month Logo from poets.org*]

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Hanging on Your Every Word

All Three of Them…

T’s verbal skills are taking their time to manifest themselves. I know the age range of “normal” development is a wide one, and I know that he demonstrates his cleverness in a variety of other ways, and I know that each child develops in his or her own unique way. However, I am a read-aholic, book-collecting, literature-degree-holding, language-arts-teaching mother of an outrageously verbal first child. Can you understand my preoccupation with words? Usually after much cajoling but occasionally in a direct address, T will refer to my husband as “Da-da.” (Why do dads always get to be first?) T’s second word is really just a vowel sound with meaning, but leave him in his shoes or jacket much more than 30 seconds through the door and you’ll hear “aahh!, aahh?” (His version of off.) And finally the most recent development was last weekend, when he began parroting the phrase “Hop, hop, hop!” while reading a book at Grandma’s. While it warms my heart that any book would be the impetus to express some more language, I can’t help wishing we had a little bit more 2-way communication going on.


Inviting a Response

Perhaps T’s lack of appreciation for most books, coupled with my eagerness for some verbal interaction, makes me enjoy barking my way through Doggies, by Sandra Boynton, over and over again. It’s a counting book, but it’s so much more. The bulk of the text is variations on a bark: woof, arf, ruff, grr, yip, etc. What a unique way to conceptualize numbers! Children are exposed to both a visual and auditory representation of each number. The five dogs shown on the page correspond to my “bow wow wow wow wow!” A Boynton book is not complete without humor, and I’m sure you can guess how a cat fits in a book of 10 dogs. Doggies has been in our library since B’s babyhood, and Mommy’s silly barking was a big hit with him back then as well. Like T, he enjoyed participating in the story by mimicking some of the sounds I made. Back then, I was already aware of the literacy foundation being laid by his involvement in reading and his association of pleasure with books. What I have only come to realize with T’s experience is that this unassuming counting book can also play a role in social development skills of conversation and turn-taking. I’ll never get tired of barking, as long as one of my little guys is barking back.
Appropriate for babies, toddlers, anyone who loves to bark!
Do your children have a book that seems simple on the surface but has come to mean something more? Hope you’ll share about it by linking up and/or leaving a comment!

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Feed Me Books Friday: Sensory Stimulation (and other great vocabulary…)

Never Out of Style

Some of our favorite board books have been languishing on the shelves or in the book bins since B has been voraciously devouring “fresh” books from the library each week with a newfound passion for the unfamiliar. However, thanks to T’s continued (albeit slow) progress toward literary appreciation, we’re enjoying a re-introduction to some beloved titles. I’m discovering that as much as I enjoy some of the books we’ve borrowed (and often renewed) there is a reason I purchased many of the board books we own. The classics are classics for a reason, or for many reasons. And board books are ideal because they are so durable and inviting!

Leave the Dictionary on the Shelf

Our latest renewed affection is for We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. If you’re unfamiliar, the basic story line is thus: Father and children head out into the wilderness to find a bear. Must conquer much challenging terrain. Find bear and hurriedly retrace steps to hunker down safely at home. While the suspenseful trip home and climactic barring of the door generates some fun adrenaline, it is not the plot that makes this story so engaging. Rosen’s treatment of the traditional song makes it enjoyable for readers and listeners alike. The rhythm and repetition of the text is buoyant and fun, begs for pre-readers to join in, and perfectly punctuated by the alliterative sensory descriptors chosen for each geographic challenge. The family travels through “swishy swashy” grass and trudges “squelch squerch” through the mud. The descriptive words are great for building vocabulary and for enriching cognitive concepts of each place being described.


More on the Menu

Opportunities to expand on We’re Going on a Bear Hunt with art, literacy, and games are plentiful, but here’s a few of my favorite suggestions:

• Define and internalize those fun descriptive words by applying them to food (and then playing with it)! Think squelch squerch pudding, swishy swashy carrot tops or herb bunches, splash splosh ice cubes into water, creating a puff of blizzard blindness with a hoo-woo through a straw into some loose flour, stumble-tripping over pretzel “sticks” and walnut “rocks,” and grains of rice tip-toeing in an empty margarine tub or yogurt cup. You can find a pdf file of the words flash-card style at schoolsnet.
  
  
• Practice retelling and ordering the story using pictures and/or key phrases. Great activity for flannel board, but also fun for book-making. Kizclub has printable graphics and matching word strips.
  
  
• Focus on the spatial vocabulary highlighted in the repeated lines, “we can’t go over it, we can’t go under it, oh no, we’ll have to go through it!” Discuss what kind of obstacles we might try to go over, under, and through. Schoolsnet has matching word and picture cards for practice if you need inspiration.

Appropriate for babies, toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades.
What books to you return to again and again? What makes you come back?

 
Please link up your book recommendations or activities, visit some others you find here, and if you just can’t get enough, check out more book-lovers at Read.Explore.Learn!

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