Feed Me Books Friday: Answers to All Your Questions

Well, Almost All…

You won’t find suggestions here for the doozies – like where babies come from or what happened to the hamster – but I do have two good book suggestions for most of the others. Preschoolers and kindergarteners are notorious for their curiosity, and enormous cognitive growth occurs during these years as they explore, discover, and question the world around them.

Busy Minds, Lots to See

One of B’s favorite books for some time now has been Richard Scarry’s What Do People Do All Day? It started out as a library check-out, which we renewed until our limit was up, and then I purchased a copy of our own. It includes a collection of stories that take place in Scarry’s famed Busytown. Stories include fighting a fire, building a house, and baking bread, among others. In typical Scarry fashion, the narrative is accompanied by lots of details and labels within the illustrations. B loves reading and re-reading individual stories – some he relates to experiences he is somewhat to thoroughly familiar with (like construction of a road) and others are adventures into new territory (like a trip on a cruise ship). I discovered when I went online to look for it that there is actually an earlier edition that includes some extra stories that might seem a little “dated” or “non-p.c.” to a modern audience. We didn’t miss them, since the library version we had checked out was the later edition, but I am curious – I don’t see a whole lot of value in “revision” of literature carried out by editors.

Lots of Options, Lots to Learn

This week we got to pick out a new book as a prize at our library as part of the summer reading program. All About Things People Do, by Melanie and Chris Rice, is like a slightly younger cousin of Scarry’s collection. Its copyright is 1989, meaning some advances in technology, diversity, and gender equality, but still outside the age of laptops and cell phones. Each page spread has a different theme, including Doing Repairs, Entertainers, and Bringing the News. Many themes include a sequence of tasks, some simply have snapshot-style descriptions of various professions. Many pages also include insets that highlight activities children can try within the theme, like making a clay pot in the Hands at Work theme or identifying athletic gear in the Sports theme. There is also a useful index of professions that helps when your little one gets curious.

Appropriate for: preschoolers, primary grades.

We’re enjoying a variety of activities and other rewards as part of the summer reading program at our library. My explorer, B, is really enjoying the travel theme. Are you signed up at your library? I’d love to hear what’s going on in other places!

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Feed Me Books Friday: My Pick for Labor Day

A Week Early So You Can Find It!


Yes, I know Labor Day Weekend is a week away, but I found this book some time ago and wanted to share it with any of you moms who might be interested in teaching your sprouts what Labor Day is all about. For many of us, it signifies the end of summer, but it is also a tribute to the “social and economic achievements of American workers” (Dept. of Labor website). So what does that matter to a preschooler? In B’s mind, it will be a special day because Daddy will be home from work. But we’ll also talk about the history of the day and I have no doubt he’ll appreciate the message of honoring the various workers of our country.


Trying out the World of Work

I’ve shared before how much B enjoys dressing up and role play. One of the most precious things he said recently was when we were talking about where people work. He knew Gramma works in a classroom, and his uncle works at a car mechanic, and when I asked where Daddy worked, he said “a helping place.” Daddy is the manager of his department, and the best way we have explained managing is that Daddy helps other people get their jobs done. So, Daddy works at a helping place! Love it! B likes to pretend he’s going to work like Daddy sometimes. He packs a lunch, puts on a collared shirt, and heads to his computer desk, where he “sends email” (which consists of typing in a word document).


What do we Celebrate?

Gary Paulsen paints a lovely picture in words of workers everywhere with his book, Work Song, and his wife’s pastel illustrations make the book a beauty to see as well as hear. The text is sparse, long sentences of rhyming phrases spread over several pages that tell what the work song is. Some of my favorite descriptors include, “towering buildings that were not there, hanging suddenly in the air,” and “resting short but loving long, resting for the next day’s song.” There are several trades and professions featured in the book, and while it is certainly not an encyclopedia of jobs, it does highlight the beauty in the variety of work in the world around us. This Labor Day, I will celebrate the workers who provide for the many aspects of a life I am grateful for, and I will celebrate that my first labor day as a stay at home mom who couldn’t be more appreciative of the work I do every day.


Appropriate for: toddlers, preschoolers, primary grades, everyone!


Share your Labor Day plans in the comments and/or link up with a book recommendation of your own! I’ll be sharing our “end of summer” book next Friday.

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