5 a Day Books: Week 9

We read these 5 books last week:

1.  Rodgers & Hammerstein’s My Favorite Things (illustrated by Renée Graef)—The Sound of Music has always been one of my favorite movies, so when I found this book in a Scholastic book order (several years ago), I had to buy it.  The illustrations are beautifully done, and they fit the words perfectly.  I mostly sang it to Gabriela, and she was very attentive and smiled at all the pictures, so I know she loved it as much as me!  The last day we read it, I showed Gabriela the part of the movie where Maria and the children sing this song.  She ended up watching most of the movie with me!

2.  Zin! Zin! Zin a Violin (by Lloyd Moss)—This is a Caldecott Honor Book (awarded for illustrations); however, the illustrations are not what I like about this book (they’re brightly colored, but not my style).  What I like is the musical teaching it gives and also the rhymes—the whole book is a poem.  Ten different orchestra instruments are presented.  Beginning with one (a trombone) and adding one more instrument each turn of the page until you have ten, the author tells what each number of instruments is called.  For example, two instruments make a duo, while eight instruments form an octet.  Gabriela didn’t really understand all that, but she did enjoy counting the instruments each time we turned the page.  Oh, and she also liked the cats in the pictures…of course.

3.  I Won’t Share! (by Hans Wilhelm)—Isaac picked this book out for Gabriela, and it was her favorite this week.  It’s a very simple story about a dog who doesn’t want to share his toy at first, but then he realizes it’s more fun to share.  By the end of the week, Gabriela had it memorized and was able to tell ME the story!

4.  Hop on Pop (by Dr. Seuss)—I have so many Dr. Seuss books, and they’re all perfect for the 5 a Day Book challenge.  I like that this book is full of simple rhymes, and the pictures are always funny.  Gabriela enjoyed finishing each line for me.  Today, she pointed to the picture on the cover and said, “They’re not supposed to hop on pop!”

5.  Fox on a Box (by Phil Roxbee Cox)—This week I threw in another Usborne book (they’re just so awesome).  Just like the Dr. Seuss books, these Usborne phonics readers are perfect for 5 a Day.  This book also has the small yellow duck to find on every page, which Gabriela never gets tired of doing.  With fold-out pages, cute illustrations, and lots of rhyming, I can’t say enough about Usborne’s books for smaller children.

I'm linking this post to "5 a Day Books" at The Imagination Tree.

5 a Day Books: Weeks 7 and 8

The past few weeks have been VERY busy, and I didn’t end up posting week 7’s books, so I’m posting the last 2 weeks’ books together in this post.

Week 7 Books:  For our week 7 books, I went with a 4th of July/patriotic theme.  I chose the books I had at hand, and they weren’t necessarily the best choices to read to a 3-year-old, but I think she was okay with them…not excited, but okay.  Here’s what we read:

1.  America the Beautiful (Scholastic, pub.)

2.  My Country ‘Tis of Thee (Scholastic, pub.)

3.  The Pledge of Allegiance (Scholastic, pub.)

4.  Parade (Donald Crews)

5.  Captain Cat (Syd Hoff)

The first 2 books are simply the lyrics to patriotic songs.  The first day, I actually sang the books to Gabriela.  I tried just to read them the other days, but she insisted on me singing them.  I also know how to sing The Pledge of Allegiance.  The problem with using these books for the 5 a Day challenge is that they contain long words which Gabriela doesn’t understand.  Although I don’t think it’s too early to introduce her to the songs and the pledge, since they’re part of our American heritage, she didn’t get into them as much.  She did enjoy the singing and the beautiful photos.

Parade is more in line with the 5 a Day idea.  It’s very simple for a young child.  Donald Crews also wrote Freight Train, which I used a few weeks ago, and Sail Away, which I did for week 8 (as you’ll see below).

As I was looking through possible books to read, Gabriela saw Captain Cat and wanted me to read it to her.  I mentioned a few weeks ago, with Drummer Hoff, that Gabriela wasn’t really into a military sort of book.  Even though Captain Cat takes place in the army, she really enjoyed it simply because it had a cat!

 Week 8 Books:  When I went to my book shelves to choose the 5 for this week, I didn’t necessarily have a theme in mind, but that’s what I ended up with.  The books this week were related to transportation.  Gabriela LOVED them!  I can’t even tell you which was her favorite—she was thrilled with all of them.

1.  Go, Dog, Go! (P.D. Eastman)—We love this book!  Written in a Dr. Seuss style, this book has lots of repeated and rhyming words.  You can use this book for counting, colors, opposites, prepositions, sizes, and more.  Gabriela can “read” several parts all by herself. 

2.  Sail Away (Donald Crews)—This is the third Donald Crews book we’ve read since starting the 5 a Day challenge.  Gabriela really liked reading the “putt, putt, putt” parts.

3.  Terrific Trains (Tony Mitton and Ant Parker)—This rhyming book has so much rhythm that you could almost rap it!  It tells all about trains, which Gabriela likes.

4.  Peek-a-Boo! Boats ()—This is a pop-up book about different kinds of boats.  In each pop-up, you can peek through windows to see inside the boat.  Each page tells about the boat and gives you things to hunt for inside the boat.  I bought this book here in England.

5.  The Train to Glasgow (Wilma Horsbrugh)—This rhyming story is a cumulative poem, written in the style of The House That Jack Built and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly.  Gabriela especially liked the fact that the train looks like Thomas…only without a face.

I’m linking this post to “5 a Day Books” at The Imagination Tree.

5 a Day Books: Week 6

Our 5 a Day books for this week are:

1.  Little Cloud (by Eric Carle)—A simple story about a little cloud and all the shapes it changes into.  Gabriela really liked this one.

2.  Red Light, Green Light (by Margaret Wise Brown)—I love this book because it has a lot of repetition, wonderful illustrations, and because Gabriela now knows that red means stop and green means go.  The pictures, though not overly colorful, are still really lovely (in my opinion).  Gabriela loved looking at the pictures and finding the horse, dog, cat, and mouse.  She liked pointing out the traffic light in each picture, and she “read” a lot of the story herself after the first few days.

3.  Put Me in the Zoo (by Robert Lopshire)—I grew up with this book, and it was one of my favorites as a child.  Gabriela loved it, too.  Every time we read it, she had to point out that the main character looked sad or mad in a few of the pictures.  She noticed a lot of details in the pictures and was able to connect them to what I was reading.  The book reads much like a Dr. Seuss book, so there is a lot of rhyme and repetition.  In fact, it was part of a series of books called “Beginner Books,” which was co-founded by Dr. Seuss.  The Cat in the Hat himself is hidden on a page in this book, which Gabriela always likes to find.  Gabriela found this book very easy to read along with me.

4.  If You Give a Cat a Cupcake (by Laura Numeroff)—This was probably Gabriela’s favorite this week.  I didn’t notice until one of my older kids pointed it out, but the little mouse from If You Give a Mouse a Cookie is cleverly placed in a few of the pictures.  Of course it’s a very cute story, just like all of Numeroff’s books!

 

5.  Drummer Hoff (by  Barbara Emberley)—I chose this book because of its repetition and rhyme.  I really like the pictures, too.  In fact, it won the 1968 Caldecott Medal for its illustrations.  However, I think this was Gabriela’s least favorite.  Maybe it’s because the military theme is not her thing.  The last few days I read it, as soon as I picked it up, she’d say, “I don’t like this one!”  That said, once I would begin reading it, she seemed to enjoy it.  She liked finishing some of the lines for me.  For instance, I’d read “Major Scott brought…”  She’d finish, “the shot!”  She also always remembered that Sergeant Chowder brought the powder.  Each section ends with, “but Drummer Hoff fired it off!” which she liked to say for me.  The last page shows the abandoned cannon with flowers all around it and birds building a nest in it.  She always likes to point out the spider on it, too.  So, although a boy might enjoy this book more, Gabriela still did really well with finishing lines and noticing things in the pictures.

I’m linking this post to “5 a Day Books” at The Imagination Tree.

5 a Day Books: Week 5

Here’s Gabriela’s 5 a Day book list for this past week:

1.  Jamberry (by Bruce Degen)—I love this book!  The illustrations are so colorful and show great imagination, and the rhyming is terrific, too.  This book is perfect if you’re doing a unit on fruit or berries.  Out of the 5 books I chose this week, this is the only one I brought from America.

2.  Hairy Maclary’s Bone (by Lynley Dodd)—Although I’ve seen Hairy Maclary books at the local library, I never had checked one out.  A friend recently recommended them, and I just happened to find one at a charity shop a few weeks ago.  Written by an author from New Zealand, they’re very popular here in England, and I can see why.  The illustrations and rhymes are very appealing to children.  The stories are simple, and there is a lot of repetition.  Apparently there is a whole series of Hairy Maclary books, so I will be on the lookout for more!

3.  Guess How Much I Love You (by Sam McBratney)—This is a simple, yet lovely little story—great for bedtime!

4.  Dear Zoo (by Rod Campbell) —I have the board book version of this story, but it’s very worn, so I was happy to find the larger paperback version (in perfect condition) at a charity shop recently.  This book is enormously popular in the UK.  It has flaps to lift to see the various animals, and it has a lot of repetition.  It’s a very cute book for small children.

5.  Tip Tip Dig Dig (Emma Garcia)—Gabriela was given this book at one of her development check appointments (whatever they’re called).  It’s very simple, with lots of repetition.  It features different construction-related vehicles, each a different color, and they work together to build an adventure playground.

Gabriela loved all of these books and really interacted with the storytelling.

I’m linking this post to “5 a Day Books” at The Imagination Tree.  Go there to see what others are reading to their small children and also to read more about the 5 a Day Challenge!

5 a Day Books, Week 4

I’m back after a long break!  My parents visited England for the first time since we’ve lived here (which is 6 years), and they stayed nearly 3 weeks.  Instead of regular school, the kids have spent some quality time with the grandparents, and we’ve travelled all over the country.  Now that we’re back to a normal schedule, I’ll try to catch up on my blog.

We began reading these 5 books before my parents came, but I spent an extra week on them since we had a long break.

1.  Where’s Curly? (by Heather Amery)—I love Usborne books, especially the Farmyard Tales.  If you’ve never had any Usborne books, I highly recommend them!  One thing that really makes the Farmyard Tales series special is that each page has a little yellow duck for kids to find.  Where’s Curly? is a flap book, making it even more fun for children.  Also, the illustrations are quite adorable. 

2.  Cookie’s Week (by Cindy Ward)—This simple but cute story goes through the days of the week, with Cookie (the cat) getting into some sort of trouble each day.  Gabriela really got into this one—she knew Cookie was being naughty!

3.  There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly (by Simms Taback)—There are so many different versions of this story, but I like this one because of the cut-outs on each page, showing what animals are now inside the old lady, and also because of the detailed and funny illustrations and the extra bits of information.  This book won a Caldecott Honor for its illustrations.

4.  Over in the Meadow: A Counting Rhyme (by Louise Voce)—I chose this book for the rhyming.  It’s also good for counting practice!

5.  Hickory, Dickory, Dock (by Robin Muller)—I first saw this version of the well-known nursery rhyme when I was substituting for a preschool aide several years ago.  The teacher had a read-along tape to go along with the book—the voices and music were really cool.  I was able to buy the book from a Scholastic book order, but I wish I could find the tape (or CD).  Anyway, the rhymes are wonderful, and the illustrations are amazing.  I really love this book!  Gabriela did, too.  : )

I’m linking this post to “5 a Day Books” at The Imagination Tree.  Several of the “5 a Day” participants have chosen Eric Carle books this past week, due to his birthday, which happens to be the same as mine!  (I didn’t know that before.)  Anyway, happy reading!

5 a Day Books: Week 3

Here are our book choices for week 3.  We’re having so much fun with this!

1.  Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr—I wish I had the Brown Bear, Brown Bear… book, but in all my huge collection of children’s books, I’m missing that one.  I buy most of my books used, and it just hasn’t turned up.  When I saw Panda Bear, Panda Bear at a library book sale, I snatched it up quickly!  It features endangered animals, and I always enjoy Eric Carle illustrations.  After a few days, Gabriela was taking turns reading with me.  For example, if I read, “I see a macaroni penguin strutting by me,” then I turned the page, and she quoted, “Macaroni penguin, macaroni penguin, what do you see?”

 

2.  Catch Me, Catch Me!—This Thomas the Tank Engine story was another one of Isaac’s favorites when he was Gabriela’s age.  I chose it partly because Gabriela also loves Thomas, and also because it’s a rhyming book with lots of repetition.  She really enjoyed “reading” this book with me.

3.  Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss—I don’t know if you’ve ever read this book aloud, but it makes me tired.  I almost decided against this one because just the thought of having to read it aloud for 5 days in a row (plus extra times she begged me to read it again) did not appeal to me.  However, it is a great 5 a Day book, and I knew Gabriela would like it.  After the first few days of reading it, I realized that I didn’t mind reading it so many times once Gabriela got actively involved with it.  Her delight in the story made it more fun to read aloud.

4.  Buzz Said the Bee by Wendy Cheyette Lewison—This is a simple and humorous book with a lot of rhyming words and repetitive phrases.  Gabriela loved this one.  The illustrations are really cute.

5.  Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen—This cute story has rhyming and repetition, and asks the question, “Do you know who sank the boat?” every few pages.  Gabriela loved this book, but after I read it to her the first time, she then knew the answer to the question.  Therefore, she chose to interrupt me throughout all the subsequent readings to inform me who sank the boat.  A few times, she almost sounded annoyed because I insisted on reading each line, and she already KNEW the answer!  However, she still begged for the book each day.

I'm linking this post to "5 a Day Books" at The Imagination Tree.

5-a-Day Books: Week 2

Gabriela is loving this 5 a Day Book thing!  She actually goes around the house quoting from these books.  Today (which is now week 3 with new books), she was quoting from Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car, which I read last week.  It was so cute!  Here’s what we read last week:

1.  Each Peach Pear Plum by Janet and Allan Ahlberg—This is a popular rhyming book here in England.  What makes it fun, aside from the rhyming, is the “I Spy” feature and also the fact that it includes traditional storybook characters such as Cinderella, Tom Thumb, Jack and Jill,  the Three Bears, and more. 

2.  Biscuit by Alyssa Satin Capucilli—We have 3 copies of this book, so each of our children has his/her own.  This was not intentional—all 3 books were gifts at different times.  Anyway, this was one of Isaac’s top favorites when he was a tot—I read it to him a LOT.  Gabriela enjoyed it this week, and she also read along with me.  She could quote most of the story by the end of the week.  It’s a sweet bedtime story, and Gabriela happens to be a lot like Biscuit when it comes to bedtime!   

3.  The Three Little Kittens illustrated by —This well-known nursery rhyme has lots of repetition and is perfect for the 5 a Day Books.  I like the pictures in this version.   

4.  Mr. Gumpy’s Motor Car by John Burningham—This is another popular British book.  This one is about a boy and a girl and several farm animals who all want to take a ride with Mr. Gumpy.  When it starts raining and they get stuck in mud, they all give reasons why they can’t get out and push.  In the end, they all have to help get the car unstuck, and then the sun comes out.  Typical English weather… 

5.  If You Go Walking in Tiger Wood by Alan Durant—I got this book here in England.  I like the cut-outs in the pages showing hiding animals.  It’s also a nice rhyming book and very interactive—very fun to read with tots. 

I’m linking this post to 5 a Day Books at The Imagination Tree.  Doing this challenge has been so rewarding.  Won’t you join us?  Click HERE for details.