This Week's Reading List...

Will has been a bookworm for as long as I can remember. Here's a couple other pictures just from this year so far of us reading together:

This was just this week and he was "reading" one of our library books to me. He had this one nearly memorized. We're still in jammies on the front porch. :)

I forgot to mention that our first issue of Your Big Backyard arrived a couple weeks ago. The subscription was a Christmas gift for Will from my parents but my poor mom had to hound the company she ordered from about when it would arrive because she ordered it in November and our first issue didn't show up until April. It wasn't the publisher's fault - just whoever the "middle man" company was that she ordered through. Anyway, it was well worth the wait and Will loves it. He learned what a hyena is and why it "laughs". And he also saw LOTS of mommy/baby duos in the animal world - read: pure bliss for Will!

I love to try to apply our stories to real life whenever I can or whenever I think of it. There are even websites available with ideas on "story stretchers" for how you can help a child get more meaning out of a book. For example, on Friday during our big thunderstorm, we read this book:

This was ours (not a library book) and we've read it a hundred times. Very cute, one of his faves. But it was fun to read while listening to the rain, thunder and lightning and talk about those things in our real life. Will is definitely not afraid of thunderstorms. I bet he'll think they're cool like I do.

The morning after the storm, we discovered a birds nest that had fallen from the pine tree in our back yard. We scooped it up and stuck it in the shoebox with our other "scratchy" nature objects for closer observation. Then we talked about Mr. & Mrs. Bird in The Best Nest and how this was probably their nest and now they'd be looking for a new nest. We came up with lots of ideas where they might build their new nest around our house, some of them just plain silly.

Our library books were really difficult to return this week, because we just liked them all! One of the other really popular ones was Over In The Meadow. Will had the whole first page (or two?) memorized and one day while he was sitting at the table eating a meal and I was busy in the kitchen, I heard him saying/singing "Over in the meadow in the sand, in the sun, lived an old mother turtle and her little turtle ONE. Dig said the mother! I dig said the ONE! So they dug all day in the sand, in the sun." It was so stinkin' cute. Also, at the back of the book, there are these pages:

I think it's an excellent practice for pre-reading skills. Will used his finger to point and went through each number saying "One turtle digs", "Two ducks quack". He did this all on his own and had clearly memorized all of the action words, 'cause I know he can't read yet. Duh. But I like that it taught him to move from left to right to "read" a sentence, because that was something that Will struggled with. He knows to turn the pages the right way, but for many things like sequencing numbers or organizing letters to spell something, he always wants to place the next thing to the left of the first one. So I've been working on this with him. For example, when I turn pages, I'll ask him "Which page should we read first?" And for awhile, he always pointed to the right page. But now he's starting to understand that you read left to right and that words and numbers are spelled/sequenced left to right. So I really liked those pages (above) for another good lesson in reading left to right.

And finally, we also thoroughly enjoyed paying close attention to all the details surrounding the illustrations in the Jan Brett book (Annie and the Wild Animals). Will loves background details and it was fun for him to see in small detail which animal would be presented on the next page, or what Taffy the cat was up to while she was away. All of Jan Brett's illustrations are like that, so we're going to be looking for more of her books. We already own The Mitten.

Last week before our library trip, I successfully requested two books from other branches that were ready for pick up when we got there! Woo hoo! I'm getting the hang of all this! I've been making lists of books to look for and their authors prior to going each week, but now I'm also looking them up in the library's online catalog ahead of time so that I can request if necessary and also know which section they're located in. Most are picture books, but some are organized by teaching concepts (i.e. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom) or Grades 1-3 for early readers.

So this is what we borrowed this week:

1) Baby Nose to Baby Toes by Vicky Ceelen - We own another book by this author called Baby Baby and it's a bunch of cute pictures comparing babies and animals in a way that makes them look similar. So this one might show a baby's nose and an animal's nose. Will picked it out and I liked it for Sophie too.

2) Caillou: My First Dictionary - Ugh. I'm not a fan of these kinds of books but I was trying to be accomodating of Will's choices. These are good "first words" books for Sophie's age. But for Will (who requests them over and over)... they are very dull to read again and again. I guess it might be handy for learning to read because the word is written below each object, but still... it's dull.

3) Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson - This book always makes me think of the movie The Story of Us even though I'd never read the book before, because she mentions the book in the beginning of the movie. Anyway, I borrowed it to go along with our Tot School week on the topic of Art, but we read it ahead of time and Will really enjoyed it. It's very simple and very imaginative about a boy who draws the world to create his own adventure.

4) Make Way for Ducklings by Robert McCloskey - I selected this one because we liked Blueberries for Sal so much. It's cute but not nearly as enjoyable to read... for me (Will loves it). Although there are several parts that I appreciate, which I will mention next week.

5) Flap Your Wings by P.D. Eastman - Another cute classic about Mr. & Mrs. Bird who find a surprise egg in their nest only to find it's a baby crocodile! So they care for him and feed him till he no longer fits in their nest. :)

6) We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen - This was already on our list, but by suggestion of my friend Sarah last week, we bumped it up on our list to borrow. I have to say, I was a little sidetracked with feeling bad for those poor children (especially the baby!) for having to brave those elements like the snowstorm with no hat or coat and then be chased home by a scary bear. But Will requested it several times, so it must be a hit!

7) Moose on the Loose by Kathy-Jo Wargin - I always like to scan the new books that they have on display on top of all the picture book shelves. This was one of them and it was a cute addition to our week, though not getting requested as much by Will.

I looked at Chrysanthemum and Owen by the same author of Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse (Kevin Henkes) but they looked a little too long and not necessarily of interest to Will. Maybe another time. I also borrowed a couple more books that go along with our artsy Tot School week, but I'll share those in the Tot School post. And finally, there were a couple books that must have gotten checked out in the time that I checked the online catalog and actually made it to the library, so I have a couple more to put on request.

I'm open to (and interested in) any suggestions you might have on good children's books!