5 Recommended Authors for Kids Who Love Byron Barton and Donald Crews

An adult services librarian friend who has a toddler asked me a while ago for reading suggestions for her son who loves Byron Barton and Donald Crews. Knowing how popular these authors are, I knew that the list I shared with her would probably be helpful to lots of parents with young children, so today I'm compiling it here.

Philemon Sturges

Sturges's collection of simple texts about things young kids love is illustrated with bold pictures by Shari Halpern. The illustrations are similar to Byron Barton's work, and the transportation themes, especially, will appeal to Crews fans.

• I Love Trains
• I Love Trucks
• I Love Planes
• I Love Tools
• I Love Bugs

Emma Garcia

Emma Garcia's onomatopoetic picture books explore cars, construction sites, and tools  through sound. The brightly colored illustrations are perfect for toddlers, and great for large-group story times.

• Toot Toot Beep Beep
• Tip Tip Dig Dig
• Tap Tap Bang Bang
  

Jonathan London

Jonathan London also tells transportation stories using silly sounds words. His books are slightly longer and more suitable for three- and four-year-olds. Denis Roche's illustrations are very similar to Byron Barton's pictures of vehicles in his books. 

• A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa
• A Plane Goes Ka-Zoom
• A Train Goes Clickety-Clack

Babs Bell

Babs Bell's transportation-themed books tell simple stories about waiting for a bridge to go down, and coping with a broken-down vehicle.

• The Bridge is Up (illustrated by Rob Hefferan)
• Sputter Sputter Sput (illustrated by Bob Staake)
  

Jane Cabrera

Among Jane Cabrera's many books are these two adaptations of favorite children's songs about transportation. The Wheels on the Bus is the perfect complement to Byron Barton's My Bus and Row, Row, Row Your Boat pairs nicely with Donald Crews's Sail Away.

• The Wheels on the Bus
• Row Row Row Your Boat

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Mud

Spring rain showers provide lots of great chances for kids to play in the mud. Use these early literacy activities to supplement your messy play time.

• Write in the mud with a stick. Help your child practice recognizing letters, sight words, or his name by writing in the mud with a stick and asking the child to name what you have written, or challenge your child to write certain letters or words in the mud on his own and see how many he knows.
• Act out the story of Mrs. Wishy Washy. Pretend to be the cow, duck, and pig who play in the mud, then get washed off  by Mrs. Wishy Washy.  This would be an especially great activity for multiple children to enjoy together. (You can also easily do this one inside if you'd rather avoid a muddy mess.)
• Sing a worm song. While they dig and splash in the mud, kids can sing fun songs like Herman the Worm and Nobody Likes Me.
• Make a mud pie. Encourage kids to use mud, leaves, grass, flowers, and anything else found outdoors to build the perfect mud pie. Have them name their ingredients and narrate the process to enhance their creativity and narrative skills.

For more outdoor early literacy fun, check out these ideas for activities to enjoy at the park. 

Flannel Friday: Bunny by Luana Rinaldo

Last Easter, when Little Miss Muffet was only a few months old, she was given a "Clacker" book by her grandmother. (It looks like this.) The text inside the book is a simple story about a bunny, who loves to bounce. He bounces past a variety of animals, and ends up at home where all the other bunnies are sleeping. Miss Muffet rediscovered the book not long ago, and I read it 10 times in a row in a single morning at her request. After so many readings, I realized it would adapt well to the flannel board and would work well for a variety of Springtime themes. 

Out of respect for copyright, I have only reproduced the text from the first two spreads of the book. Though you could probably make up your own version of the story pretty easily, if you find you would like to have the full text, send me an email, and I will be happy to share. (It seems really unlikely that most libraries would have this book!) 

Bunny

by Luana Rinaldo

Bunny loves to bounce! Boing! Boing!

Bunny bounces over the stream where the fish are splashing.

Splash! Splash! 

Then bunny sees birds in a tree (Tweet! Tweet!)... 

...hens in a field (Cluck! Cluck!)...

...and lambs in a meadow (Baa! Baa!)

Then he goes home to see the rest of the bunnies. 

Flannel Friday is hosted this week by Laura from La La La Library. For more about Flannel Friday, visit the official website. 

Early Literacy in Everyday Places: The Car

Whether the trip you're taking is long or short, the car is the perfect place to have fun with early literacy. Here are some suggestions for making the most of your car rides:

• Look for out-of-state license plates. Encourage your child to look for unfamiliar license plates and to figure out which state is printed on them based on the letters they start with. If you're on an especially long drive, keep a list of all the states you see and challenge your child to be the first to spot one you haven't found yet. 
• Put kids on the lookout for signs.Car trips can seem really long for kids who can't tell time. Break up the trip into kid-friendly segments by having your child watch out for particular signs that you know are coming up on the roadside. Give them clues as to how many letters are in the word they are looking for, or what letter the word starts with and ask them to "help" you by letting you know when they can see the sign. 
• Listen to an audiobook.Listening to a well-produced audiobook is a treat for kids and parents alike. Choose something that will appeal to you and your child and pause now and then for discussion and predictions. This is a great way to work some relaxing reading into your vacations! 
• Play the Alphabet Game. There are many variations on this game, and the one you use will depend on the age of your children. Some play it as a letter hunt, where everyone looks for the letters of the alphabet, in order, on the signs and vehicles they pass. Others choose a category and attempt to name something in that category for each letter of the alphabet. Another possibility is to choose one letter and name as many things as you can that start with it.