Chicken in Mittens ~ reading to warm heart and hands

Winter break is a perfect time to heat up some hot cocoa and read books. The other day I came across this fun "I Can Read" book from the local library. It features two of my favorite things: chickens and mittens.

Chicken in Mittens
by Adam Lehrhaupt; illus. by Shahar Kober
32 pages; ages 4-8
HarperCollins, 2017

themes: winter, friendship, exploration

Zoey stepped out of the barn.

I love, love, love adventure stories, don't you? So when Zoey heads out into the snowy day with her best pig, Sam, we know this is going to be an Adventure with a capital A. And when Clara hollers, "Wear your mittens" - well, we just know that chickens who need to be reminded about proper winter attire are sure to run into problems.

What I like about this book: Fun! Fun! And 100% appropriate for reading during the holiday break. The language is perfect for just-beginning readers (level 1) and the story is engaging enough to keep 'em turning the page.

What else I like: It's got a very Pooh-and-Piglet feel, what with it being an Arctic adventure and the search for the North Pole. There might be a Yeti. And the unraveling mitten has a distinctive Tom-Sawyer-lost-in-a-cave feel. It also features chocolate.

Beyond the Book: Given the season and the distinct possibility that we may have snow, ice, or a combination of both, I've got my mind on mittens!

Make your own Mitten Matching game - instructions from Highlights. It's a perfect way to recycle pieces of Christmas wrapping paper!

Go on a mitten scavenger hunt. Track down all the mittens and gloves and sort them into pairs. Got any singles? Great! You'll need them for the next activity...

Make a mitten doll. Here's instructions.

Read some more stories about mittens - both lost and found:

 

And remember to Wear Your Mittens!

 We'll be joining Perfect Picture Book Friday in the New Year. It's a weekly event where bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's website. Review copy discovered at the local library.

Summer I-Like-To-Reads

Got some just-getting-to-read-on-their-own kids looking for some summer reading? Here's two new books from Holiday House. These easy to read stories are are written in simple language that will appeal to newly independent readers.

 Drew the Screw
by Mattia Cerato
24 pages; ages 4-7

Drew's a simple guy. He lives in the workshop and hangs out with his friends: cross-cut saw, hammer, pliers. Each of them has a job. Pencil draws, tape measures. But what do you do? they all ask Drew.

Throughout the book, the boy is building something. We never see it until - finally! The boy gives Drew a job!

A Hole in the Wall
by Hans Wilhelm
32 pages; age 4-7

"A dog saw a hole in the wall. What was in it? Another dog!"

Dog can't wait to tell warthog and lion and all his other friends. They can't believe it. A hole in the wall with a dog? Of course, each animal has to go see for itself. But when warthog comes back, he reports that dog is wrong. There was no dog in the hole - it was a warthog!

If this tale sounds familiar, it is. Hans Wilhelm was inspired by "A Fable" written by Mark Twain. Wilhelm includes Twain's tale and adds his own moral about expectations, mirrors, and stories.

Review copies provided by publisher.

Big Cat and Hippos in the Yard...

 Big Cat
by Ethan Long
32 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2016

Meet Big Cat. He's a real member of the family. He naps, hugs... he can even fly (with help from one of his people). But mostly, Big Cat has fun.

Each spread of this book presents a single easy-to-read sentence that begins, "Big Cat can...." The story comes in the various activities that Big Cat gets caught up in - some not by his choice. Illustrations are large cartoons that don't distract from the text.

Not only is is a great book for early readers, it's a good model for budding young authors who want to write a story about their own pets.

A Hippo in Our Yard
by Liza Donnelly
32 pages; ages 4-7
Holiday House, 2016

Mom, we have a hippo in our yard. 

I love the way this book begins - with a simple statement of observation. Of course, mom doesn't believe Sally, who takes lettuce out to feed the hippo. Sally returns a moment later to pester her father.

Dad, we have a tiger in our tree!

I also like that the story is told entirely through dialog, with Sally's voice in red type and other family members in black. Even though it's not an "easy reader", this is a book that young readers could pick up on. There's lots of repetition, with Sally saying "Come see!", the sentences are short, and the illustrations show what is happening in the text. And while her family members don't believe her, Sally has reason to say there are wild animals in the back yard.

This is a great book to read before, after, or while driving in the car to the zoo.

Review copies provided by the publisher.

Let's Read Week ~ Crow Made a Friend

Crow Made a Friend
by Margaret Peot
24 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2015

OK, I confess: this is a book I would choose by its cover!

themes: friendship, seasons


Crow is alone.
He has a plan. He uses sticks.

Crow wants a friend, and since there's no other crows around he sets about making one. He tries sticks, but they don't work. He tries building a friend out of snow, but snow friends only last so long. Then he hears "Caw! Caw!" and he makes a new plan that works out much better. In the end crow is surrounded by friends.

What I like about this book: I like the simplicity: crow wants a friend and so he makes one. I like the seasonality: in the fall he uses sticks; in the winter he uses snow. I like that he tries to solve problems in a crow-like fashion, and that the materials he uses are things that a crow would find in nature. And I like love the way it ends, when crow puts his building skills to a different use: making a nest for his new friend.

And did I say I love the cover? I also love the play on words in the title. And the language is simple enough for beginning readers, and yet engaging enough that I would read it aloud to a child as a picture book.

Beyond the Book:

Make a pocket friend. You probably have all sorts of things around the house that you could use to make a "friend": un-matched socks, felt, clothespins, yarn, scraps of fabric. If you like to use needle and thread, try making a sock friend. But if you're more the glue-it-and-be-done-with-it sort, then maybe a clothespin person would be the friend for you. Be creative. Have fun.

Be a friend to people and other living things. Two years ago a girl in Seattle started feeding the crows in her neighborhood. Now her crow friends bring her presents when they visit. Crows are smart; they can use tools and build things, and they can tell when someone is a true friend. How can you be friendly to the birds who visit your backyard? How can you be a better friend to your pet?

The legend of Rainbow Crow. The crow on the cover of the book has feathers the colors of a rainbow. And that reminded me of a tale from the Lenni Lenapi people about Rainbow Crow. Rainbow Crow was a true friend to the other animals - you can read his story here. And if you look at crow feathers in sunlight, you can still see the rainbow.

I've been reviewing early readers all week. Here are links to the earlier posts:
Lost Dog
Hiding Dinosaurs
Cool online resources 
Pie for Chuck

Today is PPBF (perfect picture book Friday), an event in which bloggers share great picture books at Susanna Leonard Hill's site. She keeps an ever-growing list of Perfect Picture Books.  Review copy from the publisher.

Let's Read Week ~ Pie for Chuck

Pie for Chuck
by Pat Schories
24 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2015

I love it when stories begin on the end pages. Open the cover and you see a gentle scene, with mom and child placing a hot pie on the windowsill to cool.

Without even reading the story, we know there's gonna be trouble. It's all about that pie.

Big Chuck (he's a woodchuck - which, if you know anything about woodchucks, means he's nothing but trouble....) can see that pie. He can smell that pie. But he cannot reach that pie.

With some fun repetition, Pat Schories explores whether any of the other woodland creatures can reach that pie. We see them try....
                  ... and fail. Until Big Chuck gets a big idea. I won't say what happens, but this last sentence should give you a clue: "Pie for everyone!" The wordless spread on the back end pages allows readers to fill in the rest of the story.

This book, with its lovable but zany characters, should entice even reluctant readers to open the covers. Because who doesn't want to read about a pie-stealing critter who outsmarts the mom? And it opens the door for sharing stories about when you were little and wanted to reach the popsicles in the freezer, or how your mom thought that hiding cookies on the tip-top shelf would keep them safe.

Or maybe your child is more technically inclined. Perhaps, if he were in charge of the story he'd have woodchuck build a catapult or some sort of pie-snitching crane? Grab some paper and markers and challenge your child to design different ways to get a pie off a ledge. 

Here's a few more ideas for enticing children to read:

• Tell a few jokes or riddles, and then when you stop laughing, pull out the book where you got them. Maybe your kid wants to read a joke.
• Does your child want to learn magic? Make a car out of a mouse trap? Introduce him to "how to" books for things he wants to do.
• Introduce a series book (like Encyclopedia Brown, or Cam Jansen mysteries, the Magic Treehouse or Boxcar Children)

More tips here. And don't forget to check out posts from earlier this week:
Lost Dog
Hiding Dinosaurs
Cool online resources

Let's Read Week: Hiding Dinosaurs

Hiding Dinosaurs
by Dan Moynihan
24 pages; ages 4-8
Holiday House, 2015

It's breakfast time, but the eggs are too old to eat. Not only that, they're moving. Next thing you know, they've hatched and the unnamed main character has half-a-dozen baby dinosaurs on his hands.

They're cute. And they're hungry. And if mom sees them ... uh-oh. Here she comes. Whew! she thought they were toys. The problem is: how do you hide dinosaurs?

When they're small it's easy - stuff them under the bed. But what about when they get too big to fit under there? You can only keep your mom out of your room for so long... and eventually she'll find out.

This is a perfect book for dino-loving just-learning-to-read kids. Because, who wouldn't want a bunch of toy-sized live dinosaurs living in their bedroom? Which leads one to wonder:

• what would you feed these dinosaurs?
• how fast will they grow? and how big will they get?
• will they make noise and disturb the neighbors?

To find answers to those questions, you'll need to go on a field trip to the library. Check out the nonfiction section (567's) and also look for some picture books that feature dinosaurs (How do Dinosaurs eat their food? say goodnight? go to school?). Draw a picture of a dinosaur, or make some dinosaur finger puppets to be your reading buddies.

Click here for some more tips on how to get your child to love reading (from Reading is Fun) - and check out yesterday's post for more reading tips.

Let's Read Week: Lost Dog

Last week a mom came into the library and asked, "How can I get my child interested in reading books?"
Great question. So this week I'm doing something different. Every day I'll feature a hot-off-the-press easy reading book plus some reading resources. Except Wednesday. Wednesday will be a surprise.

Lost Dog
by Michael Garland
24 pages; ages 3-8
Holiday House, 2015

One look at the cover and I know this is the story for me. When we were kids, dad would take "shortcuts" that invariably got us lost. Not only that - how does a dog driving a car end up surrounded by penguins? You have to be really lost for that to happen.

Pete is just a normal, happy-go-lucky dog who wants to deliver a present to his grandma. But there's a traffic jam, so he decides to take the back route. Only... he gets lost. Along the way he encounters various animals who point the way to grandma's house - but their directions just take him farther away from where he wants to be. And yes, there are penguins.

Finally, Pete makes it back to town where Officer Bark (a German Shepherd police dog) helps him find his way. All's well that ends well, and the wordless endpapers show granny opening her gift.

The language is simple, the text large, and there's a lot of repetition of "That way," said the fill in the animal. But it's also plain fun to read - because, you know, anyone can get lost when trying to take a shortcut.

This is the sort of book that, after reading, you might say, "hey, remember that time when..." and launch into a family story about a shortcut-turned-long. Or maybe you have an aunt or uncle who has a lousy sense of direction and always gets lost. Sharing stories is a fun way to generate interest in reading.

Here are some other ways to get kids interested in reading:

• Invite your child to read with you every day.
• When reading a book with large print, point to each word as you read it. That helps your child understand that reading goes from left to right, and that the word on the page is what you say.
• Read your child's favorite book over and over (and over!). 
• Read lots of stories with rhyming words and repeated lines. Children love to "read" along with those parts - and you can point to the words while you say them together.
• When you come across new words, talk about them.
• Stop and ask about the pictures, and what's happening in the story.
• Read from as many different kinds of children's books as you can: fairy tales, folk tales, humorous books, poetry, true stories, books about animals and plants....
• Let your child "catch you" reading for pleasure. Our family had a "reading time" when everyone grabbed a book and a mug of cocoa (or icy lemonade) and we read for half an hour.

These strategies and more can be found at the US Dept. of Education, where you can download their publication, Reading Tips for Parents.

Two early readers perfect for summer

Looking for some new "easy readers" for just-getting-to-read-on-their-own kids who can't wait for Summer Reading? Here's two - hot off the press from Holiday House. Even though they may look like they have nothing in common, they do: both feature a main character who meets with success in unexpected ways. These "I like to read" stories are are written in simple language that will appeal to newly independent readers.

3, 2, 1, Go!
by Emily Arnold McCully
24 pages; ages 4-8

Ann and Bess are playing "school". Min wants to join them, but "you are not ready," says Ann. She draws a line in the sand and tells Min that she may not step over it. When Min leaves, Ann and her friend get back to their game.

But Min isn't a quitter. And she doesn't let anything as thin as a line stop her from joining in the play. So she gathers things: a board, some rope, a tube... then with a fun mix of rocket science and make-do, Min finds a way to join her friends. Without stepping across any lines.

Grace
by Kate Parkinson
24 pages; ages 4-8

Grace wants to dance. She tries. She gives it everything she has. But truth is: Grace was not made for dancing - at least not that kind of dancing.

She does, however, have other talents. She loves to draw. And that gives her an idea. A really BIG idea that lets her be part of the dance recital with her friends, but doesn't require a tutu or ballet slippers.

Review copies provided by the publisher.