Library Adventure.com: 10 Tools to Support Letter Knowledge

The Library Adventure is back! I posted there yesterday sharing ten tools to support letter knowledge, many of which I use with Little Miss Muffet. Read about them here.

On Your Mark, Get Set, Read! Picture Book List for Summer Reading 2016

The CSLP theme for this summer focuses on fitness and wellness. This list of picture books related to the theme is divided into four categories: Sports, Play and Exercise, Healthy Habits, and Bodies and Movement.

Sports

Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard and James Marshall

When the football team at Horace B. Smedley Elementary School has trouble winning games, Miss Viola Swamp appears on the scene to whip the players into shape.

Poem Runs: Baseball Poems and Paintings by Douglas Florian
In his signature style marked by fun turns of phrase, Douglas Florian evokes all the emotions associated with playing baseball.

Clothesline Clues to Sports People Play by Kathryn Heling and Deborah Hembrook, illustrated by Andy Robert Davies
Using clothing and equipment as clues, readers are invited to guess which sports different people play.

Fall Ball by Peter McCarty
At the end of the school day, before it gets dark, a group of friends and a dog gather to play football.

Mouse Practice by Emily Arnold McCully
A little mouse who wants to play baseball practices long and hard to prove himself to the older mice.

Niño Wrestles the World by Yuyi Morales
A young boy name Nino happily wrestles any opponent who will face him.

The Greatest Gymnast of All by Stuart J. Murphy and Cynthia Jabar
This story about Zoe, a great gymnast, is also a lesson about opposites.

The Boys by Jeff Newman
A group of caring elderly men help a new boy in town work up the courage to play ball with the neighborhood kids. (Read my review of this title here.)

Randy Riley's Really Big Hit by Chris Van Dusen
Randy may not be the best baseball player, but he has a great mind that will cleverly save the earth from the fireball heading its way.

Play & Exercise

Samantha on a Roll by Linda Ashman, illustrated by Christine Davenier
While her mother takes a phone call, Samantha slips on her skates and goes out for a roll.

Get Up and Go! by Nancy Carlson
Bright colors and an exuberant pig invite preschoolers to have fun with exercise.

Play With Me by Marie Hall Ets 
A little girl seeks out animal playmates in a meadow.

Jump! by Steve Lavis
Young readers are invited to move as the animals do.

A Child's Day: An Alphabet of Play by Ida Pearle
Presents a different way to play for every letter of the alphabet.

Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bicycle by Chris Raschka
A little girl's dad walks her through the process of learning to ride a bike.

Duck on a Bike by David Shannon
The barnyard animals scoff when Duck rides a bike until they have a chance to join in.

Healthy Habits

I Will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child
Big brother Charlie convinces picky little sister Lola to eat her vegetables by giving them new names.

Reading Makes You Feel Good by Todd Parr 
In his signature bold illustrations, Todd Parr celebrates the benefits of books.

Rah Rah Radishes by April Pulley Sayre 
An enthusiastic chant, accompanied by photos, which celebrates the many types of vegetables.

Gregory the Terrible Eater by Mitchell Sharmat, illustrated by José Aruego and Ariane Dewey
Despite his parents' insistence that he eat like a proper goat, Gregory only has a taste for fruits and veggies.

We Are What We Eat! by Sally Smallwood
Photos of diverse children show off the different things kids love to eat.

The Gulps by Rosemary Wells, illustrated by Marc Brown
A family learns about healthy eating habits when they realize their family car can no longer hold their weight.

Bodies & Movement

All of Baby, Nose to Toes by Victoria Adler, illustrated by Hiroe Nakata

A poem about each part of the body celebrates the sweetness of babies from head to toe.

Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt, illustrated by G. Brian Karas
A demonstration of all the things the human body can do.

Can You Cuddle Like a Koala? by John Butler 
Young children are invited to move like the animals, then curl up for a nap.

If You're Happy and You Know It by Jane Cabrera
Illustrations of jungle animals liven up this version of the popular children's action song.

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle
A series of diverse children copy the movements of zoo animals.

Dancing Feet by Lindsay Craig, illustrated by Marc Brown
When animals dance, their feet make different sounds, which are clues for the reader to each animal's identity.

Ten Little Fingers and Ten Little Toes by Mem Fox, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury
Many babies from disparate backgrounds all have one thing in common: ten fingers and ten toes.

Henry's Heart by Charise Mericle Harper
Explores the physical and emotional responses of Henry's heart to the events of his daily life.

Pretend You're a Cat by Jean Marzollo, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Young children are invited to move and behave like animals.

How Can You Dance? by Rick Walton, illustrated by Ana Lopez-Escriva
This introduction to dance shows kids ways to move their bodies.

Review Round-Up: Books for Beginning Readers, February 2016

Cybils Winners Announced! 

The 2015 Cybils Awards were announced on Valentine's Day. In the easy reader category, the winner was Ling and Ting: Twice as Silly by Grace Lin. The chapter book winner was Dory and the Real True Friend by Abby Hanlon. Winning titles in all categories can be seen here.

Easy Readers

Kicking off the list of easy reader reviews this month is Round 2 Cybils Judge Amy Johnson, who weighed in on her experience as a first-time judge and provided quick reviews of each of the finalists at Sunlit Pages.

Katie Salo at Step Up Readers focused on award winners this month as well, with a post reviewing the 2016 Geisel winner, Don't Throw It To Mo!, and all of the 2016 Geisel honor books. Step Up Readers also featured reviews of Ling and Ting: Together in All Weather, Berkley, the Terrible Sleeper, Digger and Daisy Star in a Play, and I Really Like Slop.

Jennifer Wharton from Jean Little Library reviewed two non-fiction titles for beginning readers: Countries We Come From: El Salvador and See It Grow: Sunflowers. Jennifer also reviewed a few other titles this month at Flying Off My Bookshelf: Hot Rod Hamster and the Haunted Halloween Party, Ping Wants to Play, and Ed and Kip.

The Books for Kids Blog reviewed two easy readers from popular series: Splat the Cat: Blow, Snow, Blow! and Pete the Cat's Train Trip. 

Other easy readers reviewed this month are:

• Lily's New Home and Want to Play? at Story Time Secrets and at Ms. Yingling Reads
• Living in... Brazil at Pages and Margins
• Dance, Dance, Underpants at Provo Library Children's Book Reviews 
• What This Story Needs is a Hush and a Shush at Literary Hoots 

Chapter Books

There is a lot of buzz surrounding this month's release of the third Princess in Black book, The Princess in Black and the Hungry Bunny Horde. There were reviews on five blogs: Good Reads with Ronna, Books 4 Your Kids, Becky's Book Reviews, Children's Book and Media Review and Everead.

Becky's Book Reviews had quite a few chapter book reviews, including three titles in the Zigzag Kids series: Number One Kid,  Flying Feet, and Big Whopper. Becky also reviewed Posy the Puppy and McBroom's Wonderful One-Acre Farm.

Other chapter book reviews from February are below:

• Appleblossom the Possum, reviewed by What to Read To Your Kids
• Change is in the Air, Mallory, reviewed by Story Time Secrets
• Cody and the Fountain of Happiness, reviewed by Jean Little Library
• Lola Levine is NOT Mean and Princess Posey and the Crazy, Lazy Vacation, reviewed by Ms. Yingling Reads
• Lost in NYC, reviewed by Sal's Fiction Addiction
• Magic Tree House: Balto of the Blue Dawn, reviewed by Books for Kids Blog and Ms. Yingling Reads 
• Olga da Polga, reviewed by Kid Lit Reviews
• Shelter Pet Squad: Merlin, reviewed by Jean Little Library
• Stanley and Me: Misty, reviewed by Jean Little Library
• Starring Jules: Third Grade Debut, reviewed by Story Time Secrets
• The Story of Diva and Flea, reviewed by Provo Library Children's Book Reviews
• Weekends with Max and his Dad, reviewed by Chapter Book Explorer

Moms Club Story Time, 2/25/16

This morning I did story time for my moms group at a fellow member's house. I approached this story time as less of a performance and more of a gathering with friends where I happened to be reading and singing. There were 7 moms in all, including me, and the kids ranged in age from 5 mos. (Little Bo Peep was the youngest) to age 3. It was a cozy and informal session, and we all had fun. Here is my set list:

Opening Song: Hello, How Are You?

Song: If You'd Like to Read a Book

Book: To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda, illustrated by Janet Stevens
I had the kids make some of the animal sounds as we read this book. They didn't seem that amused by the plot, but it's hard to tell sometimes.

Fingerplay: This Little Piggy

Book: Potato Joe by Keith Baker
I have yet to meet an adult who likes this book, but I do, and kids sort of do, so I continue to use it. It was not the hit of the session, but it was okay.

Action Rhyme: One Potato, Two Potato
I found this on YouTube, but apparently it's originally from Sesame Street. I modified the motions a little bit because I was sitting down, and the kids didn't really do the motions, but the moms all seemed into it.

Action Song: Go In and Out the Window
I think this is the one everyone participated in the most.

Book: The Missing Tarts by B.G. Hennessey, illustrated by Tracey Pearson Campbell
Apparently this book was mine as a kid, but I don't remember it. I like it because it is similar to Each Peach Pear Plum, but it does not require one-on-one interaction with the book for kids to get the full reading experience.

Songs with Ukulele: ABCs / Twinkle Twinkle Little Star / Baa Baa Black Sheep

Book: Mother Goose's Pajama Party by Danna Smith, illustrated by Virginia Allyn
This was the best book of the session. I did it last because it ends by saying goodnight, but it probably would have been a wiser choice to place it earlier in the line-up. Read my review of the book here.

Song: Moon Moon Moon
I did this song mainly for Little Miss Muffet who stood up and applauded and shouted, "Yay!" Totally worth it.

Goodbye Song: We Wave Goodbye Like This