Friends are the best! They not only help us build up our self confidence and fine-tune our social skills, but they also provide us with an increased sense of belonging and purpose. A really good friend can help us discover our true selves and can also provide support when we cope with tough issues.
In the 2018 Missouri Building Block Nominee “I Got a New Friend,” author Karl Newsom covers the basics of learning to be a friend, wrapped up in sweet and simple narrative any child will love. Here’s a sample from the first few pages: “I got a new friend. She’s kind of shy. At first, she was scared. But she got used to me.” At the very back of the book, there are also some helpful tips on how to care for your new friend.
Overall, this delightful book has a delightful twist! Who is really telling the story?
When you finish reading, here are a couple of friendship activities for you and your child to enjoy!
Have some fun with this friendship fingerplay! Continue reading “2018 Missouri Building Block Nominee: I Got a New Friend”
“I’m so glad we live in a world where there are Octobers.”- L.M. Montgomery
I have always been a fan of “Anne of Green Gables” by L.M. Montgomery. My parents read me the first two books when I was in the second grade, and I was further hooked when I watched the “Anne of Green Gables” movie starring Megan Follows. Ever since then, I have devoured anything to do with my beloved Anne—including throwing myself an Anne of Green Gables themed party for my 31st birthday! Visiting Prince Edward Island is still high on my to do list, and I’m hoping to make the trek sometime in the not so distant future. My newest Anne find is the “Anne of Green Gables: A Graphic Novel” by Kansas City native Mariah Marden. This a great read for both die-hards like myself and for folks who may be daunted by the prospect of reading all 440 pages of the original novel. The text touched on all of my favorite scenes—Anne discovering the White Way of Delight, Matthew fretting over Anne’s puff sleeves—and the playful illustrations by Brenna Thummler fully capture the quiet beauty of Avonlea that Montgomery so lovingly describes. For a perfect fall afternoon, grab a fuzzy blanket and a cup of cider and curl up with this book!
”Pug is happy here at home.” Me too, Pug! This book made me delightfully happy. As a pug owner myself, I am of course biased, but I think this book by Sue Gallion with art by Joyce Wan is an absolute gem. Pug’s story begins with his enjoyment of routine and solitude, then everything changes when Pig arrives. Pug must adapt to this newcomer in his life, which he eventually does with grace and generosity. The simple words and clean, friendly illustrations make this an excellent choice for beginning readers, and little ones who aren’t quite there yet can try telling the story back to you after they’ve heard it once or twice. The theme of accepting changes and making new friends is one that will resonate especially with preschoolers and those facing new experiences.
Continue reading “2018 Missouri Building Block Nominee: Pug Meets Pig”
Once a week, starting today, we will be writing about all ten Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award nominees for 2018. These award nominees encourage reading aloud to children and are selected annually by a group of children’s librarians from Missouri. The books nominated for this award make for exciting and engaging story times for any group of kids. For the first nominee, we’ll start with Julia Donaldson’s, “The Giant Jumperee.”
We’ve all been scared of things that we can’t see, whether it be a situation or a mysterious monster. In this story, Rabbit comes home to find his burrow occupied by a Giant Jumperee who is “scary as can be!” Cat, Bear, and Elephant try to help Rabbit, but the Giant Jumperee is just too frightening. Will Mama Frog be able to face the unknown and help Rabbit take back his burrow? This book looks at our fear of the unknown in a lighthearted way and reminds us that things aren’t always what they seem.
After you’ve read the book, Penguin Books has provided printable activity sheets that you and your child can enjoy together. Practice observation skills by searching for the differences between two pictures, and then get a chance to draw your own Giant Jumperee!
Once you have read at least five Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award nominees, help your child vote for their favorite.
Looking to get your middle school kiddos more interested in STEM, but needing something that’s a little more their pace in reading level?
STEM Tuesday is a blog that posts each week on Tuesday. Their team works to find books that will increase students’ interest in the fields of science, technology, engineering and math. STEM Tuesday covers current events in the field, books that go along with monthly subjects, author interviews, giveaways and activities for parents or educators to create a more hands-on approach to STEM. Click here to visit their website.
Things we love about STEM Tuesday:
Interviews from primary sources
- The writers at STEM Tuesday love to interview people such as writers or professionals in STEM-related fields. Each blog post promotes talks about modern professionals and new resources being introduced into the field of STEM.
Continue reading “Resources We Love: STEM Tuesday”
Babies are enchanted by the sound of the human voice, the feeling of being held close and seeing new and interesting things. So, it’s no surprise that babies love to be read to! The more a baby is exposed to books in the first few months of life, the more likely they are to enjoy reading as they grow. Listed below are some great literacy tips for families of infants as they begin their journey into the world of children’s literature.
- Get cozy
In the beginning, reading is all about the ambiance. Get a soft warm blanket, find a quiet place, grab a big stack of books and let the snuggle time begin! Soon, you and your baby will begin to see book time as cuddle time.
2. Newborns aren’t picky
Exposure to spoken language helps develop connections in the brain that lay the foundation for reading. This means that for the first few months, your reading selections are for quantity, not content. Before dedicating the next five years to Curious George, Pete the Cat, and Pinkalicious, finish that hot new romance series, visit Hogwarts one more time or—for you students out there—read aloud from your bio-chem textbook! Listening to your voice will soothe your infant and can help to bridge the 30 million word gap.
3. Begin with board books Continue reading “Books for Babes”
Did you know a single worker honey bee produces approximately 1/12 of a teaspoon of honey in her lifetime? That means around 22,700 bees are needed to fill a single jar of honey! In honor of National Honey Month, I’ve put together a small list of lovely reads that are truly buzz-worthy! They’re perfect for sharing with your own 
sweet honey bees.
“Honey” by David Ezra Stein
Bear is ravenous when he wakes up from his winter sleep and has one thing on his mind: honey! The world around him is waking up too, and he soon remembers all the other things he loves, like warm grass, berries and rain. One day, he hears a welcome buzzing sound…and finally it is time for Bear to delight in the thing he relishes above all others.
“From Flower to Honey” by Robin Nelson
This title describes the process of making honey, from a bee’s collection of nectar to honey production on a 
beekeeper’s farm.
“BEE: A Peek-Through Picture Book” by Britta Teckentrap
Through a hole in the book’s cover, a bee is buzzing inside a flower. Peek into this bright and lively book and discover the big ways this little insect contributes to the beauty of the environment.
Source for honeybee facts: National Honey Board
Think back to a time when you felt “different.” Perhaps you were in a situation where you didn’t look like or act like everyone else. Maybe you couldn’t keep up with an activity due to physical limitations or lack of skill sets. Regardless of why you felt the way you did, you remember these times because they evoked strong emotions. Brene Brown, American author and research professor at the University of Houston, provides some insight into this universal need to fit in. “A deep sense of love and belonging is an irreducible need of all people. We are biologically, cognitively, physically and spiritually wired to love, to be loved and to belong. When those needs are not met, we don’t function as we were meant to. We break. We fall apart. We numb. We ache. We hurt others. We get sick.” Continue reading “Vive la Différence”
When you’re really little, sometimes a box is more fascinating than its contents. Especially if it’s a big cardboard box that you can sit in! If your kiddo is sitting in cardboard boxes anyway, why not take it a step further and decorate that box to look like a car?
Step One: Find a cardboard box your little one can fit in easily.
Step Two: Attach black paper plates as tires! I like using hot glue, but it’s up to you. If you’re feeling really fancy, you can glue old CDs in the middle of the plates to make wheels! Just make sure it’s the shiny side out.
Step Three: Add headlights and tail lights. You can use yellow circles for the headlights and red circles for tail lights. Cut them out of construction paper or just draw them on with markers. Continue reading “Cardboard Box Cars”
Calling all lovers of history and geography! One of the coolest parts of owning a library card is acquiring access to a variety of online resources free of cost. One of my favorites is CultureGrams. This program is designed to allow kids to explore and learn about places and cultures around the globe.
When entering the CultureGrams website, you are presented with four different choices: World Edition, Kids Edition, States Edition, and (Canadian) Provinces Edition. All choices give a plethora of information including history, geography and fun tidbits about each location. Want to know what it is like for kids in different countries or how to cook a dish from Peru? CultureGrams Kids has information on that and much more.
What are you waiting for? Check out CultureGrams today!
