Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The Library Lion by Michelle Knudson, Illus. by Kevin Hawkes
I picked up this book today at our book fair. I sat down and read it to T while M was taking his nap. He loved it. It was the first book choice tonight again when it was time to read before bed. Even my husband liked it. It is a longer picture book. The ages that it is recommended for are 4-8, and I would read it to children who have a longer attention span. The story is about a lion who visits the library and is allowed to stay as long as he promises to follow the rules. He becomes a regular visitor and is so pleasant that the patrons begin to see him as a part of the library. The proper librarian begins to depend on him too. The librarian has an accident, and the lion has to save her. In doing so, he breaks the rules and then banishes himself from the library. Everyone is devastated that he is gone, including the librarian, who isn't quite the same without him. I won't spoil the ending, but there are lots of things to talk about in this book: the illustrations, the grumpy library helper, the lion's guilt, the librarian's sadness, the importance of following rules, and how to know when it is OK to break them. I highly recommend this book.
Monday, May 24, 2010
How Do I Find the Time?
Reading to your children IS time consuming. For my husband and I, the time we carve out of our busy daily schedule to sit for a half hour to forty-five minutes reading is an investment in our boys' futures. It also allows us to connect with them and spend time with them no matter how busy the day was or how aggravating their behavior had been. When we read everything is good.
To find the time, we made the reading time part of our routine. My boys take baths and brush their teeth, and then they know that books come next. At first, the reading was done in my oldest son's room, but lately we find that our king size bed is the perfect spot for us to cuddle and read. If we read in there, then there is room for the whole family to listen. And yes, my husband comes in to listen at least 4 out of the 7 nights. Often, he is the one who falls asleep while I read to the boys!
What am I sacrificing to do this? Sometimes the dinner dishes don't get done until the morning. I don't usually watch T.V. at night. These are two things that I let go so that my boys have an established routine. Shared reading is more important.
If you don't read regularly to your child/ren, when do you think you can fit it in? And what are you willing to give up so that your child/ren have an established routine with books?
To find the time, we made the reading time part of our routine. My boys take baths and brush their teeth, and then they know that books come next. At first, the reading was done in my oldest son's room, but lately we find that our king size bed is the perfect spot for us to cuddle and read. If we read in there, then there is room for the whole family to listen. And yes, my husband comes in to listen at least 4 out of the 7 nights. Often, he is the one who falls asleep while I read to the boys!
What am I sacrificing to do this? Sometimes the dinner dishes don't get done until the morning. I don't usually watch T.V. at night. These are two things that I let go so that my boys have an established routine. Shared reading is more important.
If you don't read regularly to your child/ren, when do you think you can fit it in? And what are you willing to give up so that your child/ren have an established routine with books?
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Good Boy Fergus!
I started my nightly reading with M and a pile of board books, most of them by Sandra Boynton. We read them all, about 5 of them, and when we finished I was still waiting for my other son to finish his bath and come in for his books. M sat up and away from me and began to look at the books on his own. I found it interesting that he was able to say a few words in the right context for the page he was reading. He was very excited to "read" the books to me. Boynton's books make this sort of interaction easy because of her funny, simple drawings and her simple mostly rhyming text.
When T came in, the first book he chose was Good Boy Fergus! by David Shannon. This is a book that I read to him when he was around 2, and we loved it so much back then that we actually named one of his plastic dog toys, Fergus, after the main character. The illustrations are very colorful, and M was very interested in it too. The text is simple, and the story is told in the voice of Fergus's owner. T loves it because the pictures suggest that Fergus is really quite a naughty dog, but the words of the owner suggest that he is in denial and that he is actually creating a very bad dog through his inconsistent discipline. Kids need to pay close attention to the discrepancies between the owner's words and the pictures.
His interest in this book goes along with the book I commented about in my first post, Gumption. We have read it every night, including tonight. The next time we read both of these books together I am going to ask him to compare them and tell me how they are similar. The story the pictures tell is much different than the story that the words tell. But to understand the book, you have to pay close attention to both.
David Shannon is a great author for boys. Many of his main characters are boys and they are not always good boys. When they are animals, they are also sometimes slightly naughty. Some of our favorites are Duck on a Bike (the ending of this one is great for discussing), How I became a Pirate, and Too Many Toys (I imagine any parent could identify with the mother in this one).
When T came in, the first book he chose was Good Boy Fergus! by David Shannon. This is a book that I read to him when he was around 2, and we loved it so much back then that we actually named one of his plastic dog toys, Fergus, after the main character. The illustrations are very colorful, and M was very interested in it too. The text is simple, and the story is told in the voice of Fergus's owner. T loves it because the pictures suggest that Fergus is really quite a naughty dog, but the words of the owner suggest that he is in denial and that he is actually creating a very bad dog through his inconsistent discipline. Kids need to pay close attention to the discrepancies between the owner's words and the pictures.
His interest in this book goes along with the book I commented about in my first post, Gumption. We have read it every night, including tonight. The next time we read both of these books together I am going to ask him to compare them and tell me how they are similar. The story the pictures tell is much different than the story that the words tell. But to understand the book, you have to pay close attention to both.
David Shannon is a great author for boys. Many of his main characters are boys and they are not always good boys. When they are animals, they are also sometimes slightly naughty. Some of our favorites are Duck on a Bike (the ending of this one is great for discussing), How I became a Pirate, and Too Many Toys (I imagine any parent could identify with the mother in this one).
Friday, May 21, 2010
Eric Carle
Tonight I read M one of Eric Carle's board books The Very Quiet Cricket. The story is about a little cricket trying to say something to each of the insects he meets. It isn't until the very end when he meets another cricket that he is able to rub his wings together to make his beautiful sound. The board book has a cricket chirp on the last page, and the boys always anticipate the ending.
We love Eric Carle's books in this house. Both boys had their earliest reading experiences with the book The Very Busy Spider. When T was younger than 3 months I would read it to him. This is the book that taught them all of their basic farm animal names and sounds. The board book version is extra nice because of the raised web on each of the pages. The boys loved to touch it and see it grow as the story ends. The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book is one that M brings to us often to read. He loves to stick his fingers into the holes in the fruit. This is a great book to introduce simple counting, colors, and fruit names. From Head to Toe taught them their body parts and the boys loved trying to move their bodies like the characters in the book. I remember M would clap his hands so enthusiastically when we got to the hand clap page. Then of course they loved Panda Bear What do you See? and Polar Bear Polar Bear What do you Hear? These books as well as many of Carle's books use lots of repetition, and children can easily predict and remember what comes next so that they can "read" with you. I often would read to T and then pause at the end of a line and let him finish the sentence for me.
I personally love his illustrations. They are bright, colorful, and visually stimulating. I once watched an interview on PBS of him working in his studio. He explained his technique which utilizes tissue paper that he colors by hand and then cuts into the shapes to create a color collage.
One of the things I would like to do this summer is visit his museum.
We love Eric Carle's books in this house. Both boys had their earliest reading experiences with the book The Very Busy Spider. When T was younger than 3 months I would read it to him. This is the book that taught them all of their basic farm animal names and sounds. The board book version is extra nice because of the raised web on each of the pages. The boys loved to touch it and see it grow as the story ends. The Very Hungry Caterpillar board book is one that M brings to us often to read. He loves to stick his fingers into the holes in the fruit. This is a great book to introduce simple counting, colors, and fruit names. From Head to Toe taught them their body parts and the boys loved trying to move their bodies like the characters in the book. I remember M would clap his hands so enthusiastically when we got to the hand clap page. Then of course they loved Panda Bear What do you See? and Polar Bear Polar Bear What do you Hear? These books as well as many of Carle's books use lots of repetition, and children can easily predict and remember what comes next so that they can "read" with you. I often would read to T and then pause at the end of a line and let him finish the sentence for me.
I personally love his illustrations. They are bright, colorful, and visually stimulating. I once watched an interview on PBS of him working in his studio. He explained his technique which utilizes tissue paper that he colors by hand and then cuts into the shapes to create a color collage.
One of the things I would like to do this summer is visit his museum.
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Tonight's Bedtime Stories
I read to my sons every night. I began reading to my oldest T when he was as young as 6 weeks. I suppose my second son M was read to from day one because I would read to T while nursing.
We read without fail at least 3 books every night. Sometimes it is 3 for each boy. The books vary from old favorites to new library books.
Today I went to the library with the boys and checked out a few board books that I remember reading to T when he was little. Many were from one of my favorite author/illustrators Sandra Boynton. T really loved her illustrations and her wacky humor, and I thought M might get a kick out of them too.
I told T how he would laugh hilariously about the book Blue Hat, Green Hat, and he was happy to hear it again. It is a simple plot--and Elephant, Bear, Moose and Turkey each try on different colored clothing items. Turkey always puts the clothes on in an unexpected way. There are four figures to the page and each figure has different colored clothing items. The last figure is the Turkey and on every page he puts the clothing on in the wrong place with the corresponding "oops." Michael laughed uproariously at the "oops" on every page. I had to read the book 4 times by request of both boys. Then T decided to read it to his little brother. The pictures and text are simple enough where he could easily narrate to M. This book is great to teach colors, and proper clothing placement, as well as introduce the ideas of same and different.
T and I read a picture book called Gumption by Elise Broach illustrated by Richard Egielski. The main character, a boy, goes with his adventurous uncle on a Safari to find a rare gorilla. The uncle tells him that he can get through the challenging adventures before him by using "gumption". As they travel to the mountain to find the gorilla, the uncle and boy find themselves facing many obstacles. The uncle presses forward and is unaware that the boy is having an adventure all his own, shown in the background of each illustration. The boy faces a python, an elephant, an alligator, and the rare gorilla himself, while the uncle all the while presses forward with warnings to the boy about watching out for the wild animals. T enjoyed how the uncle was unaware of the exciting adventures of the boy. I wonder if he will want to read it again. We had a small conversation about what gumption means, and I think a few more readings of the book will cement the meaning of the word with the story line.
T wanted a rereading of a book that I read to him a few years ago, but that I found again recently at the library. We read it twice last night and once tonight, so I think he really likes it. It is called John Willy and Freddy McGee by Holly Meade. It is the story of two Guinea Pigs that escape their cage to go on an adventure across the house. The eventually find themselves in the pool table and are bemused by the balls that begin to roll into the tunnels pushed by a curious cat above them. The illustrations are very interesting with lots of detail that can be discussed. The colors are unexpected. The text utilizes some repetition, and some onomatopoeia with the "bonk" and "wompity" of the balls dropping into the pool table. T wanted to know at one point what "double dart" meant in the description of how the animals ran out of the room. The Guinea Pigs make their way back to their cage only to head out again with the warning to "watch out." The cat is looking for them under a chair and they peek out from under the ottoman next to it.
We read without fail at least 3 books every night. Sometimes it is 3 for each boy. The books vary from old favorites to new library books.
Today I went to the library with the boys and checked out a few board books that I remember reading to T when he was little. Many were from one of my favorite author/illustrators Sandra Boynton. T really loved her illustrations and her wacky humor, and I thought M might get a kick out of them too.
I told T how he would laugh hilariously about the book Blue Hat, Green Hat, and he was happy to hear it again. It is a simple plot--and Elephant, Bear, Moose and Turkey each try on different colored clothing items. Turkey always puts the clothes on in an unexpected way. There are four figures to the page and each figure has different colored clothing items. The last figure is the Turkey and on every page he puts the clothing on in the wrong place with the corresponding "oops." Michael laughed uproariously at the "oops" on every page. I had to read the book 4 times by request of both boys. Then T decided to read it to his little brother. The pictures and text are simple enough where he could easily narrate to M. This book is great to teach colors, and proper clothing placement, as well as introduce the ideas of same and different.
T and I read a picture book called Gumption by Elise Broach illustrated by Richard Egielski. The main character, a boy, goes with his adventurous uncle on a Safari to find a rare gorilla. The uncle tells him that he can get through the challenging adventures before him by using "gumption". As they travel to the mountain to find the gorilla, the uncle and boy find themselves facing many obstacles. The uncle presses forward and is unaware that the boy is having an adventure all his own, shown in the background of each illustration. The boy faces a python, an elephant, an alligator, and the rare gorilla himself, while the uncle all the while presses forward with warnings to the boy about watching out for the wild animals. T enjoyed how the uncle was unaware of the exciting adventures of the boy. I wonder if he will want to read it again. We had a small conversation about what gumption means, and I think a few more readings of the book will cement the meaning of the word with the story line.
T wanted a rereading of a book that I read to him a few years ago, but that I found again recently at the library. We read it twice last night and once tonight, so I think he really likes it. It is called John Willy and Freddy McGee by Holly Meade. It is the story of two Guinea Pigs that escape their cage to go on an adventure across the house. The eventually find themselves in the pool table and are bemused by the balls that begin to roll into the tunnels pushed by a curious cat above them. The illustrations are very interesting with lots of detail that can be discussed. The colors are unexpected. The text utilizes some repetition, and some onomatopoeia with the "bonk" and "wompity" of the balls dropping into the pool table. T wanted to know at one point what "double dart" meant in the description of how the animals ran out of the room. The Guinea Pigs make their way back to their cage only to head out again with the warning to "watch out." The cat is looking for them under a chair and they peek out from under the ottoman next to it.
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