In this funny story, three small toy figures—Chicken, Pig, and Cow—live in a popsicle stick barn. Everything is just perfect about their barn. It’s warm, cozy, and smells just right. There are just two things that are less than perfect in their world. The first is a real dog who lives outside. The second is that the barn doesn’t have a door. Readers will enjoy their daring escape which leads to much fun, some fright, and a solution to their problems.
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A Baker's Dozen: The Best Children's Books for Family Literacy
Chicken, Pig, Cow
Tips for Using with Children
Provide popsicle sticks and glue so that children can build barns for small classroom toys. Invite them to make up/act out stories with these toys and barns. Write the children’s stories on a piece of paper or in a blank book. Ask the children to illustrate their stories. Enjoy reading and sharing the “toy stories.”
Tips for Using with Families
Share with families the importance of imaginative play, and the ways in which this story can encourage children to talk about, think about, and create stories with their toys, and how this enhances literacy development.
A Child's Day: an alphabet of play
“Aa for act,” “Bb for blow,” “Cc for catch.” This book truly captures the joys and wonder of childhood on pages dedicated to each letter of the alphabet. Each letter is depicted with an action word. The pages are beautifully illustrated using cut-paper collage. As readers walk through the pages of the alphabet, they can enjoy talking about the pictures and easily connect with the activities of the children featured on each page. Once you have opened this book, it is one you will want to “Vv for view” again and again.
Tips for Using with Children
As children look at the graceful flow of illustrations and text inside this book, they will almost hear music and might be inspired to try out some of the activities. A refreshing movement activity might be to play some soft music in the background, while asking children to try out some of the movements in the book, such as “Dd for dance,” “Jj for jump,” or “Qq for quack.”
Tips for Using with Families
Talk with families about the value of children having alphabet books. These books help children learn both letter names and letter sounds. Families can look for special letters in the book, such as the ones that spell their child’s name. Encourage families to think about other words that start with those letters. In the book, the letter Mm stands for “mix.” A fun activity for families could be mixing some bread, pretzel, or cookie dough together, and then shaping the dough into the letters of their child’s name. Bake the mix for a treat you can "Ee for eat!”
Dinosaur vs. Bedtime
Dinosaur elevates everyday activities into triumphant battles. Dinosaur vs A pile of leaves? Of course, Dinosaur wins! A bowl of spaghetti, a big slide, and even a group of talking grownups are no match for Dinosaur’s awesome power. That is, until Bedtime enters the picture! Young readers will enjoy this exuberant, easy to read (and shout!) story, matched with energetic illustrations of paper, paint, photo collage, and crayons.
Tips for Using with Children
Act out Dinosaur vs. Bedtime! Pretend you’re Dinosaur and come up with a new Dinosaur challenge. What will you battle against and win?
Tips for Using with Families
Suggest that families invite their children to join in when they read the word “Roar” matching their voice to the size of the word.
The Doghouse
Repetition, large cartoon-like characters, and the anticipation of the ending make this a winning story. Mouse, Cow, Pig, and Duck’s ball bounces into a doghouse. "Who will get it out?" Mouse sends in Cow, then Pig, then Duck, and none of them return. Mouse is afraid for his friends and bravely inquires at the door of the doghouse, “Can’t you come out Duck?” A mean-looking dog replies, “No! Because I am having Duck for dinner.” Outside of the doghouse, a stricken Mouse screams, “Duck for Dinner?!” Readers will love finding out the punchline!
Tips for Using with Children
Make stick puppets and act out the story.
Tips for Using with Families
This is a good book for encouraging beginning readers to find and point to words. For example, the words “the doghouse” are written in yellow throughout the book. Children will also enjoy finding words in bubbles, and reading them with expression.
Fabulous Fishes
Playful, descriptive, rhyming text is accompanied by large, colorful illustrations that bring alive the wonderful variety of fish that most of us never see. They’re almost too beautiful to be real—but real they are! The reader meets a striped fish (butterfly fish), a spiked fish (porcupine fish), and fish that leap and glide (flying fish). And there’s a stunning double-page spread featuring fish that flash their lights (lantern fish and hatchet fish). Children will want to read this delightful book again and again to see their favorite fish! And (bonus!) in the back of the book, there are small pictures of all of the fish along with details about unique features and habitats.
Tips for Using with Children
Since this book features a simple rhyming pattern, on repeated readings invite children to join in. As a related art activity, children can design and name their own fish. They can then use paint and colored paper to create the ocean environment for their fish. These could be done individually or as a group collage. This could be a multiple day project.
Tips for Using with Families
Have each family member pick out a favorite fish from this book and draw or paint a picture of it. After pictures are ready, ask each person to show his/her picture to the group, and explain why he/she chose this fish to draw or paint. Have each person look at the fish information in the back of the book (children might need help with this) to tell more about the fish—its unique features (the long snout of the butterflyfish, for example), how it gets its food, and where it lives. Share information with families regarding aquariums or pet stores where they could take their children to see interesting fish.
Friends and Pals and Brothers, Too
“My brother’s short with stompy feet. I’m tall, not small. I like to eat.” This cheerful book tells the story of two brothers who enjoy each other’s company. The older brother tells the story of their friendship in rhyme as they share activities throughout the seasons of the year. Children will identify with activities such as bike-riding, telling jokes, and playing ball. All year long, they are friends and pals and brothers, too!
Tips for Using with Children
After sharing the story with the children, reread it, pointing to the rhyming words and inviting the children to repeat them with you. Add pantomiming the activities of the two brothers to repeated readings. Take the children on an imaginary trip through the seasons of the year. For example, when visiting fall, talk about what we see, and ask the children to pantomime their favorite activity for that season, and so on through the other three seasons.
Tips for Using with Families
Share with families that this is a great title for young children because of the positive sibling relationship between the brothers, the rhyming words, and the learning what each season of the year has to offer. In the story, the brothers have nicknames for each other. “I’m bear, he’s squirrel.” Share interesting family nicknames. Suggest that families talk about nicknames when reading this story to their children
How to Heal a Broken Wing
“No one saw the bird fall.” In the midst of a busy, bustling city, a young boy is the only one who notices an ailing pigeon. With mom’s help, he brings the pigeon home and carefully nurses it back to health, releasing it to fly once again in the spot where it was found. This magical, compassionate tale communicates the importance of empathy to children. Quiet, yet detailed, illustrations lend a graphic novel quality to the book, and help readers focus in with camera-like detail on important events.
Tips for Using with Children
Ask someone to make a classroom visit related to the story. For example, a veterinarian or wildlife expert.
Tips for Using with Families
Many of the illustrations in How to Heal a Broken Wing are wordless. Encourage your children to tell their own version of what is happening in the story.
A Kitten Tale
Four kittens romp and play through the seasons: around ponds and beside frogs in spring, prancing on green grass in the summer, and tumbling in colorful leaves in the fall. But only one kitten out of the four is looking forward to the winter snow they have never seen before. One kitten laments, “We’ll be cold and wet and snow will cover everything!” But, whenever the other three kittens imagine the negative aspects of snow, the fourth kitten exclaims, “I can’t wait!” Finally, the kittens’ first snow arrives, and, from the window inside, the three kittens watch the very excited snow-loving fourth kitten tumble and play merrily in the snow. Inspired by his exuberant enjoyment, the three kittens exclaimed, “We’ll be right out!"
Tips for Using with Children
Ask the children if any of them remember a time when they were a little afraid to try something, but watched another child (or group of children) enjoy the activity—then, wanted to try it. Or do any of the children remember when they think they helped another child (or group of children) try something new?
Tips for Using with Families
This is a simple story yet much is told through the pictures. Encourage families to spend time talking with children about the pictures, both actions and feelings. Reading pictures helps to support children’s understanding of the story.
The Life of a Car
This book will fascinate children and adults alike as it outlines the life cycle of a car. It begins with building a car and ends with recycling it to create a new one—with some surprises in between! The book contains simple text, but the double-page illustrations provide much to look at and discuss. As readers open this book and follow the journey of a little blue car and its owners, they may find that they can relate to many of the adventures along the way.
Tips for Using with Children
Invite children to draw a picture of a car they have seen or would like to see. Encourage them to talk about the parts of the car, both on the inside and outside. Adults can help children label the different parts of the car in their pictures. Children may also enjoy using toy vehicles and props to go through the different actions shown in the book, such as going to the garage to be fixed, riding on the delivery truck, or being washed.
Tips for Using with Families
Encourage adults to talk about each page with children. Can they follow the little blue car through each page of the book? The illustrations provide a chance for families to talk about the differences among the vehicles they see, including tow trucks, delivery trucks, motorcycles, and a variety of cars. If families own a car, it would be interesting to talk about how their car is similar or different to those in the book. Adults can help children connect the happenings in this story to real life by going through a car wash, looking under the hood of a car, or simply talking about what parts of a vehicle might need to be fixed at the garage. A museum of vehicles may be right outside their door!
Me Hungry!
In a story that children will want to hear read over and over again, an engaging little cave boy named Edwin declares, “Me hungry!” Both of his parents are too busy to get him something to eat. Edwin takes matters into his own hands and sets out on a journey to hunt for his own food. He not only finds food, but makes a new friend. When Edwin’s father finally calls him for dinner, Edwin responds, “We busy!” With very little text, simple illustrations, and brightly colored backgrounds, this funny story is sure to be a hit with children who have experienced busy parents.
Tips for Using with Children
Have fun with this story! Talk with children about prehistoric times, comparing them to children’s lives today. Do you or your family have to go hunting to get food? How do you get your food? On repeated readings invite children to join in.
Tips for Using with Families
Talk with families about the importance of language play. Edwin’s use of “Me” instead of “I” might provide a good opportunity to point out how clever your child is to know how to talk like a modern boy/girl instead of a cave boy! Your children will enjoy dramatizing Edwin’s story. Families will sympathize with Edwin’s busy parents.
Old Bear
Old Bear is hibernating and dreams that he is young again. In his lushly colored dreams, Old Bear sleeps in a comfy purple crocus (spring), among clouds that rain blueberries (summer) and leaves on the finest autumn day. Author/illustrator Kevin Henkes has created a gentle dreamscape of a story which teaches young readers about the seasons while encouraging them to apply imagination to the everyday outdoors.
Tips for Using with Children
Help children imagine themselves during the four seasons. Show a picture of each season from the book or make picture word cards for each season. Then ask the children to curl up and pretend to sleep, dreaming of what they’re doing during that season. Afterwards, invite them to share their dreams.
Tips for Using with Families
Talk about the seasons with your child. What is your child’s favorite season? Encourage your children to draw pictures of themselves enjoying their favorite season.
One
Personalities come in many colors, and this book celebrates them! Children will learn about numbers, counting, and primary and secondary colors, as well as about bullying, healthy assertiveness, forgiveness, and cooperation.
Tips for Using with Children
While reading the story with children, pause to talk about feelings. After reading the story, talk about the importance of standing up for somebody using brave talk. You might want to include examples from children’s everyday life (e.g., sharing and turn-taking). Ask each child to paint him/herself as a spot of color. Ask the children to describe some of their personality traits. Are you quiet, loud, energetic, still, cheerful, a leader or a follower? Print those words beside their painted spot. Make a display and encourage children to look at and read their classmate’s pictures.
Tips for Using with Families
Suggest families involve the children in color and number naming while they share the book. Discuss with families the message of this book and how we can build empathy with children through story. Help families construct questions they might ask while they read the story. For example: How did Blue feel? Why didn’t Yellow say anything? Was that fair? Encourage families to model statements about feelings on everyday life. For Example, “I’ll bet that hurt Ethan’s feelings.”
Sergio Makes a Splash!
Sergio, a lovable penguin from Argentina, likes to make a splash—in puddles, bathtubs, and buckets. However, when it comes to the very deep kind of water, he is not so sure. When faced with a class trip to the ocean, Sergio arms himself with floaties, a snorkel, and a life preserver, and faces his fear by taking a plunge into the ocean. Sergio’s story presents an opportunity to talk about fears, and Sergio himself may just inspire readers to face a fear of their own.
Tips for Using with Children
There are many ways that children can explore and have fun using water, just like Sergio. For example, children can use small containers of various shapes and sizes to fill and pour water into a larger container or tub. They may wish to wash baby dolls or other items, or experiment to see whether certain items sink or float. Children and adults together can look at the diagram that shows Sergio’s height and weight. It might be fun to use this diagram to create a cutout of Sergio (waterproof, of course!) and then fill some containers of different sizes with water. Children can share their ideas about which containers would cause Sergio to feel safe, and which might cause him to feel afraid.
Tips for Using with Families
Before sharing the book with families, provide maps for locating Argentina and the South Pole. The maps will help families talk to children about the story’s setting. Sergio’s decision to face his fear will provide families with a chance to talk about his feelings, as well as their own fears. Adults can ask children about their favorite things to do, as well as things they fear. Can they think of a time when they needed to be brave? Sergio felt better when he had his snorkel and floaties. Families can talk about things that help them feel safer when they are afraid.