Category: Blog

Dear Reader,

This Blog is designed for the parents, grandparents and caregivers of young children.  Each post will highlight a great book that all children should hear, with tips to enrich beginning reading skills.  You will also find fun recipes that go along with each story.  Enjoy reading and cooking with the children in your life.

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

Turkey Trouble           By:  Wendi Silvano           Illustrated by:  Lee Harper

Ages:  Toddlers through Second Grade

The turkey in our story has a very big problem to solve.  Thanksgiving is coming and he knows that he might be the main course for dinner.  He tries many different disguises that “almost” work, but not quite.  Read and find out how turkey’s problem is finally solved.  This is a great read-a-loud for predicting and problem solving.

Continue reading Turkey Trouble

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

If You Give A Mouse A Cookie                    By:  Laura Joffe Numeroff          Illustrated by:  Felicia Bond

Ages:  Preschool through First Grade

When the little mouse is given a cookie, the question is,  “What will he want next?”.  This popular book gives children the opportunity to predict as they go from page to page.  It also gives children a chance to practice sequencing of events which will help develop memory skills.  Enjoy the mouse’s adventures and be sure to read the companion books.

Continue reading If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

The Book of Shadow Boxes, A Story of the ABC’s            Written and Illustrated by:  Laura L. Seeley

Ages:  Preschool through First Grade

What a book of surprises!  Each letter of the alphabet has a poem of its own with pictures displayed in the shadow box.  There are many additional items with the letter on each page that supports vocabulary development.  The vibrant illustrations and musical verses delight and reinforce the child’s letter recognition as well as letter sounds.  The author provides a guide to each shadow box at the end of the book.

Continue reading The Book of Shadow Boxes, A Story of the ABC’s

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime?

Illustrated by :  Nadine Bernard Westcott                                         Ages:  Toddlers through Kindergarten

Children need to hear the sounds of language.  Reading rhymes to children exposes them to sounds and reinforces phonemic awareness, a vital component for the reading process.  Peanut Butter and Jelly is a favorite play rhyme that children will want to hear and read over and over again.

Continue reading Peanut Butter and Jelly, A Play Rhyme

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar            By:  Eric Carle                       Age Range:  Pre-school through Kindergarten

Eric Carle’s The Very Hungry Caterpillar is a timeless classic that teaches children the days of the week, counting, and the life cycle of a butterfly.  It is also great for vocabulary development with new words such as “caterpillar” and “cocoon”.  What a surprise it is for children to see that the caterpillar has changed into a beautiful butterfly.  The book has repetitive text, so that children can share in the reading.  This delightful book has bright and colorful illustrations that children will enjoy.

Continue reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

By:  Amy Krouse Rosenthal                  Illustrated by:  Jane Dyer                       Ages:  Preschool through First Grade

All parents and grandparents want to teach their children and grandchildren “life lessons” such as cooperation, honesty, and respect.  Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons accomplishes this task in a very understandable way for young children.  It does this through the process of making and enjoying cookies.  This book is exceptional for vocabulary development and teaching values and social skills.

Continue reading Cookies, Bite-Size Life Lessons

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime.

Ages:  Toddlers through Kindergarten

Written by:  Danica McKellar                Illustrated by:  Alicia Padron

Goodnight, Numbers is one of the best counting books that we have seen.  It is a wonderful book about numbers and counting.  Each page displays the number and number word and provides many opportunities to count objects related to bedtime.  At the end of the book, the author, Danica McKellar, gives a list of math activities to use after you have read this delightful book.

Even though math is the focus of this book,  it also has rhyming words on each page, which is a very important literacy component.   It is so important to read rhyming books to children early and often.  We will list some literacy activities to incorporate with this book.

(You may recognize author and actress, Danica McKellar, from her work in a number of television rolls, including The Wonder Years and in many Hallmark Movies.)

Continue reading Goodnight, Numbers

*Read to the children in your life every day.  You are giving them a gift that will last a lifetime!

Ages:  Pre-school through Kindergarten

By:  Don and Audrey Wood         Illustrated by:  Don Wood

This delightfully illustrated book is one of our favorites.  The illustrations will keep the readers wondering what will happen to the big red strawberry.  Will the Big Hungry Bear end up with the tasty treat?  The little mouse in this story is faced with the dilemma of protecting the strawberry from the bear.  In the end, sharing wins out, but with whom does the mouse share the juicy red strawberry?  Using the pictures in books to help understand the text is a very important early literacy skill.  The pictures in this book are amazing.

Continue reading The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear