Feed Me Books Friday: Which Would You Vote For?

Considering the Nominations

This week (May 2-May 8) is Children’s Book Week. Originally an effort in 1919 by the librarian for the Boy Scouts of America to improve the quality of children’s books, Children’s Book Week has since been overseen by the Children’s Book Council and the Every Child a Reader Program, a philanthropic effort on behalf of the children’s publishing industry. Prior to Children’s Book Week, children can participate in voting on-line or through classroom and library events for the books nominated for the Children’s Choice Book Awards. Books are nominated in five categories: 3 age ranges plus author and illustrator of the year categories. We requested the 5 titles in B’s age range and the 5 illustration nominations from our library so we could submit an educated vote (and share our thoughts with you). I’m curious – are you familiar with these? Did you vote? Even if you didn’t, what would your choice have been?


Book of the Year K-2

Shark Vs Train by Chris Barton

Very clever comparison story based on the premise of two boys playing with toys (a shark and a train) and discussing who would win. What is both entertaining and educational is the discovery that the nature of the contest has a very significant role in the outcome. A shark might eat more pies but a train would be a more popular carnival ride, for example.

Little Pink Pup by Johanna Kerby

This is the true story of a runt piglet adopted by the family dog and raised in an unusual way. The book is illustrated with photographs, which accents its non-fiction appeal. The story is cute on a literal level yet just below the surface is a powerful message on accepting differences in others.

Even Monsters Need Haircuts by Matthew McElligott

While the imagination and humor involved in this story are entertaining, I have to say it may be a little more than some younger children are ready for. The story itself is not the least bit menacing or threatening. A little boy takes over his father’s barber shop at night and provides haircuts to a parade of monsters and other fantastic creatures. While neither the text or the illustrations intend to make the monsters scary, the prospect of explaining each type of monster (Frankenstein, medusa, werewolf) to my preschooler who is yet unfamiliar with these specific characters was enough to make me think twice about sharing this one with B.

How Rocket Learned to Read by Tad Hills

In this endearing story, Rocket the puppy unwittingly finds himself the student of an eager to teach bird who is enamored with reading and the alphabet. Rocket is initially disinterested in her lessons, but she lures him in by reading aloud from an enticing story. He is soon practicing letters, spelling, and reading, even though the bird must fly south for winter. He eagerly anticipates her return and resuming his studies. Appealing to book lovers and reluctant readers alike, Rocket really demonstrates the power and joy of reading.
 Hot Rod Hamster by Cynthia Lord

This book is an interesting combination of text styles. As the hamster goes about assembling a hot rod, there are bouncy, almost Suess-like rhymes posing choices in the decision making process. Children can use the rhymes as well as the illustrations to interact with the story. Between choices, the story progresses through the use of cartoon call-out style dialogue between the hamster and other animals. The many facets of this book allow it to appeal to a wide audience.


Illustrator of the Year

Robin Preiss Glasser for Fancy Nancy and the Fabulous Fashion Boutique
Detailed drawings and lots of action make these illustrations study-worthy.

Nancy Tillman for Wherever You Are: My Love Will Find You
At once surreally-magical and disarmingly realistic, the illustrations are truly works of art.

Mo Willems for Knuffle Bunny Free: An Unexpected Diversion
The combination of cartoonish drawings superimposed on realistic photographs is intriguing and entertaining. Willems also has a brilliant talent for using cartoon characters’ faces to express a huge range of emotions.

Loren Long for Of Thee I Sing: A Letter to My Daughters
The illustrations of this ode to patriotism and childhood are just the right combination of peaceful and invigorating and whimsical.

David Wiesner for Art & Max
The creativity and imagination present in these illustrations is undeniable. The story is completely intertwined with the unfolding of the artwork, and each page’s illustration is part of the progress of the experience.


Our Choices:

How Rocket Learned to Read appealed to both B and I because of his current anticipation of kindergarten and my soft-spot for any one (or any bird) that can teach another to love reading.


David Wiesner is truly a genius illustrator and we couldn’t help buy enjoy and appreciate the thought, creativity, and talent evident in Art & Max. It’s the kind of art that while I might not aspire to duplicate, I am inspired to attempt a creative outlet of my own.


So – have you read these? Share your thoughts, your vote, or which you’re most intrigued to go find.


I have a request – each year for mother’s day I try to find a book that captures something special about the experience of being a mother or the relationship between mother and child. Last year I picked, Mother, Mother I Want Another. Haven’t decided for this year… suggestions?

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Feed Me Books Friday: Time is Flying

Ever Regret Being Anxious for Time to Pass?

I’ve been eagerly anticipating the arrival of Spring and warmer weather and going barefoot. But then I catch myself and realize time is slipping through my fingers and I wish I could slow it down. B’s preschool experience is soon to give way to kindergarten. (Ack!) T is more and more little boy and less and less baby every day. So some days I wish I could pause, other days, I’m counting down to summer. But enough about me…

Keeping Track of Time

The cognitive concept of time is hard for little ones – just ask anyone who’s ever uttered the words, “just a minute” to a toddler. Minutes, hours, days, months, seasons, past, future: each more abstract than the next for a child living in the present. Simply discussing and acknowledging the passage of time is the first step to internalizing the concept. It’s easy to take notice of changes in the foliage, animal behaviors, and holidays. B continues to be fascinated by the calendar and countdowns, so he was pleased to bring home a library book all about the various ways to observe the changing season and celebrate Spring.


Chronology, Culture, and Crafts

Wendy Pfeffer’s A New Beginning: Celebrating the Spring Equinox is the kind of non-fiction book that combines just enough illustration and intriguing detail to keep kids engaged while they learn the salient facts of the topic. In this case, Pfeffer’s topic is Sping, and she effectively explains both scientific and historic aspects of the season. The book begins with a poetic description of the arrival of spring, and then explains the science behind it in both clear narrative and helpful illustrations. Next, traditions and celebrations from several cultures are highlighted in chronological order.

• Learn about the connection between Chinese New Year and the arrival of Spring.

• Plant wheat for the Persian celebration of No Ruz. (I’m thinking wheatgrass on the windowsill.)
• Consider the origin of April Fools’ Day in and Indian tradition.
• Marvel at Mayan calendar-keeping.

• Enjoy warm, round pancakes to symbolize the sun during Russia’s Maslenitsa. (We like the 10 grain pancake mix from Winco!)

• Honor the berry as a harbinger of Spring like the Cree. (We planted blueberries this year!)
• Study the symbols of Jewish Passover.

• Even discover how rabbits and colored eggs came to be connected with the Christian holiday of Easter. (Can’t wait to try natural egg dyes this year!)

Instructions for several crafts and recipes complete the book, and I know I’ll refer to it again next year – there are too many fun options to try out at once. Several of the traditions do not take place on the equinox, but in anticipation of it before or celebration afterward. B is in a phase of being very curious about the habits and traditions of others, so books like this are a great way to encourage his exploration of diversity.
Appropriate for: preschoolers, primary grades.
**The construction of this post was interrupted by a 4 year old who couldn't sleep. I found myself sitting on his bed singing him a favorite lullaby: Evermore written by Sandra Boynton and illustrated by Alison Krauss. It speaks to both my longing for spring and my nostalgia for time.**
Link-up note: my apologies to anyone who had trouble linking last week. First, I got my dates mixed up (sorry Maggie!) then a coding glitch initially made the entered links invisible (thanks Shonda). If you have a chance to go back and visit some of the links from last week, their authors could use a little extra love!


Did you see my post on Saturday for the March Read-Along at Helping Little Hands? I shared a fun flap-book and craft.


Are you looking forward to the change in season? Are you feeling it in your weather yet or is it just another date on the calendar?

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Feed Me Books Friday: Family Fishing

Catching Some Fun

B loves any activity that means he gets to hang out with the big guys, so he was thrilled when Daddy suggested a whole weekend of REAL fishing at a REAL river. I emphasize real because B does a lot of role-playing, which includes pretend fishing. Daddy brought home a Spiderman fishing rod from a trip to the sporting goods store a couple years ago already. It has a plastic fish on the end of the line, and B has used it to practice casting out of his treehouse, into the pool, and sitting in the bed of the truck in the driveway. When we arrived at the river and Daddy set up the lines, B didn’t have a lot of patience for letting his line attract a bite, but he did enjoy doing some casting with a REAL fishing pole!


Some Kid Expertise

The book I picked to set the mood for our fishing weekend was actually one we’d borrowed before from the library. It is a fun blend of fiction and non-fiction from a boy’s point of view. If you have a fishing family – or think you might want to give it a shot, check out A Good Day’s Fishing, by James Prosek. When I decided to check out the book again in preparation for our fishing weekend, I checked to see if there were any similar books by the author and discovered that Prosek is actually an accomplished fisherman who has written several books for adults, and illustrated several of them with the same beautiful watercolors you’ll find in his picture book. The text is written simply and progresses as the child searches through his tackle box for the item he needs. As he identifies tools in the box, he also identifies some of the fish these specialized tools are made to catch. Some of the items he discovers (like a rotting sandwich) add humor and make the narrator a realistic young boy. In good picture book form, the missing item is located on the last page of the story, and it will bring a smile to your face, but I think I’ll leave it to you to discover. Definitely some cognitive development if you focus on all the fishing vocabulary (if that is indeed your focus, be aware these are mainly fly-fishing tools). I was after the preparation and rehearsal tool – getting our cognitive schema in line for our weekend activities – and it totally fit the bill.

Appropriate for: preschoolers, primary grades


A programming note: I’ll be posting about some of our Thanksgiving reading choices on Tuesday next week, so be sure to stop by to check out our books and a couple crafts. I won’t be posting on Thursday or Friday (I’ll be enjoying the holiday – hope you will too!) But I will put up a linky on Wednesday, and you are welcome to add an early post or drop in over the weekend if you have some time. I’ll be sure to visit after the bustle of the holiday. If you choose to take the week off, hope you’ll be back in December!


Please share your book recommendations by linking up, and visit some of the other links to find some great suggestions!

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Bodies and Bones

What are they for?

When we got out our Halloween decorations, the skeleton prompted some questions from B about what’s inside our bodies and how they work. We’ve also been talking about Real and Pretend from last week’s preschool theme, which is timely to address some of the Halloween decorations and costumes. We talked about how a skeleton has a head, body, arms, hands, legs, and feet just like us. We posed the skeleton in various positions and then copied him with our own bodies – and then we found a good book to go with our play.

I Can Do It!

Eric Carle’s From Head to Toe is a fun book to play along with as you read, and has the added benefit of both cognitive and motor development as children learn about body parts and then practice using them. Each page features a different animal performing an action with a specific body part: the giraffe bends its neck, the cat arches its back, etc. Younger children will enjoy learning the names of body parts, while older children will refine their cognitive concept of those parts by comparing their own bodies to those of the animals. We enjoy reading this book like a game of Simon Says. B is pretty adept at mimicking the animal movements now, but T continues to learn more body part names, and enjoys the show B puts on.


Starting Simple

While T may not be quite ready for the games in From Head to Toe, he does know several body parts, and we have fun practicing and learning more with I Love You Through and Through by Bernadette Rossetti-Shustak. The playful text and illustrations identify both physical and intangible things to love. Not only do we love hands and eyes, but also behaviors like giggles, and personalities, like “your silly side.” We like giving kisses or raspberries on each body part mentioned. T isn’t quite ready yet, but B enjoyed demonstrating the behaviors and emotions. This is just a fun cuddle-up book, but it also makes a really nice precursor to the more active From Head to Toe.


Real and Pretend

As we talked about all the things our bodies can do, B became more and more curious about how it works! We recently received a book from Grandma that helped with some of the explanations. Outside-In, by Clare Smallman is a through reference book of kid-friendly text and lift-the-flap illustrations that answers questions like “What is blood?” “Does food go into our legs?” and “Why Do I Get Goosebumps?” At 32 pages, it’s a lot of information to take in at once, but we read a section at a time, and paged through all the pictures even without the text. Topics include skin, muscles, blood and circulation, lungs, bones and teeth, and digestion. Flaps help children picture the muscles, vessels, and organs inside them that are discussed in the text. It’s a book we’ll keep handy for answering more of B’s questions as they arise.

A fun read that emphasizes the importance of understanding our bodies and knowing the difference between real and pretend is Tedd Arnold’s Parts. The rhyming text and comical illustrations chronicle a boy’s escalating concern that his body is falling apart when he notices lost hair, peeling skin, and even a booger mistaken for a piece of brain! He is finally assured by his parents that his panic is unnecessary and all these parts are made to be lost and regenerated. There are some facts to be learned from the story, but emphasizing that the boy’s fears of falling apart are unfounded is important for the younger crowd. Arnold’s sequels, More Parts, and Even More Parts revolve around all of the bodily idioms that fill our vocabulary, like a broken heart or laugh your head off. While B has a pretty good grasp of the way many of these are used in every day speech, the humor of the literal (mis)understanding is a little beyond him, so I’m keeping those on the “for later” shelf.
There’s a little something for everyone here, so I’m saying:
Appropriate for: Babies, Toddlers, Preschoolers, Primary Grades
Come join We Play at Childhood 101 and show off your great ideas at ABC and 123’s Show and Tell.


Come back Wednesday for a body-part related book-giveaway! And don’t forget to link up your own book recommendations Friday at Feed Me Books Friday!

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