The Building Block nominee “Bear Sees Colors” by Karma Wilson allows readers accompany Bear and Mouse on a beautiful stroll through the forest. Along the way they visit their furry friends and discover some of the dazzling colors that nature has to offer. The vivid and charming illustrations practically burst from the pages, and the look-and-find aspect encourages children to thoroughly examine the book to find the colors Bear and Mouse are focusing on.
Have you ever taken a song and added your own words? Jane Cabrera does this with “Row, Row, Row Your Boat.” As her characters row down the stream, they spot a variety of animals, each making a noise. Have your child make the noise, too. Animal noises are a fun way to practice sounds. This is an early literacy skill—something that lays a foundation for reading readiness.
Children love to move. You and your child could sit on the floor, bottoms of your feet touching the bottoms of his feet. Hold hands and gently pull back and forth as you “row” and sing the song.
Your child could act out the story by pretending that a box or a laundry basket is a boat. Does she have some stuffed animals she could set beside the “boat” and tell her own story? This activity helps with narrative skills and reading comprehension.
The library is celebrating Latino history with a variety of programs, book displays, special story times and more! One way you can continue this fun at home is to create a rainstick based on those used by the Aztecs. The Aztecs believed that they could summon rain storms by using rainsticks. Originally they were made from pieces of hollow cacti that were dried in the sun. The spines from the cacti were driven into the cacti like nails, and pebbles or other small objects were placed inside. To complete the rainstick, the ends were sealed. When the rain stick was tipped, the pebbles would fall through the tube and bump against the spines. This would create a sound like falling rain.
Now, I’m not going to ask you to go find a cactus for this project. There is a simple, child-friendly rainstick you and your kids can create.
One of this year’s Missouri Building Block nominees is “Buddy and the Bunnies in: Don’t Play With Your Food” by Bob Shea. This is a fun story about a monster named Buddy who really wants to eat the bunnies living nearby. However, the bunnies have other ideas. They would rather bake cupcakes, go swimming and visit the carnival. What’s a monster like Buddy to do when his “snack” is so much fun to be with?
Here are some ways you can keep the fun going:
Write or act out your own story.
What would you do if a monster was trying to eat you?
How would you make friends with a monster?
What are some fun activities you and your friends have done over the summer?
October is finally here, which means that it’s the perfect time to curl up with some candy corn in one hand and a Halloween-themed book in the other. We have recently acquired several new scary and not-so-scary eBooks for children, and we invite you to browse through these spooky stories.
Here are some spook-tacular new Halloween-themed eBooks you can access through Overdrive.
The Missouri Building Block Award is presented annually to the author and illustrator of the picture book voted the best by preschool and kindergarten children. Over the next 10 weeks we will be featuring ways to enjoy this year’s nominees. Once you read at least five Building Block nominees, then vote for your favorite! The first book we will feature is “Naked” by Michael Ian Black.
The main character in “Naked,” a little boy bursting with enthusiasm, loves the time between bath time and bedtime. Our hero comes out of the bath full of energy, imagining what it would be like to go naked all the time (the illustrator is very discreet with her pictures). He then adds a cape, which is even better! He takes several breaks to eat his bedtime snack of cookies and then realizes he is cold. On go the dragon pajamas and he is finally “exhausted” and ready for bed.
Reading “Naked” could lead to all kinds of great discussions and activities.
I absolutely love this time of year when we dust off our hoodies and the enchanting smell of pumpkin spiced lattes permeates the air. Fall is a beautiful time of change, and one thing we should consider changing up is our repertoire of rhymes. Rhyming is essential to early literacy skills, and it’s fun to practice new rhymes with children as one season transitions into another. Here are some delightful fall rhymes to get you started. Continue reading “Fall for Some Great Rhymes”
Thanks to all our patrons for making this summer such a memorable one. “Every Hero Has a Story” has been one of our more popular Summer Reading themes, and kids, parents and employees showed their enthusiasm at all our branches.
Kids are curious. They ask a million questions. And as far as I know, there’s no definitive book of answers for how to talk to your little ones about serious issues, such as the Holocaust or slavery or hurricanes or death. It’s difficult to navigate how much to tell them when you want to be honest with them but not scare or overwhelm them with things they aren’t emotionally ready to handle. When you think you are ready to tackle these issues, there are some great books that can help.
“The Whispering Town” by Jennifer Elvgren is a beautifully written, simple book that tells the story of a family who hid Jewish families in Nazi-occupied Denmark and helped them get to Sweden safely. It is based on a true story and tells the clever and unusual plan that little Anett devises to get her “new friends” to safety. A sweet story, with just enough details for curious little ones. Continue reading “Tackling Tough Topics”
If you have read any of my other blog posts, you might have noticed my love of fairy tales. Classics, twisted, retold… they are all wonderful in my eyes. When I saw “Super Red Riding Hood,” by Claudia Dvaila, I knew I had to read it. Not only does it tell a new version of Red Riding Hood, but its superhero theme is perfect for this year’s Summer Reading program.
I’m glad I took the time to check out this story – it means I can share this delightful story about a young girl, Ruby, who is actually Super Red Riding Hood! When Ruby puts on her cape and red boots, she becomes a superhero capable of amazing things. Her super traits help her successfully complete her mission into the woods and even make a new friend. Continue reading “Books We Love: Super Red Riding Hood”
The main character in “Naked,” a little boy bursting with enthusiasm, loves the time between bath time and bedtime. Our hero comes out of the bath full of energy, imagining what it would be like to go naked all the time (the illustrator is very discreet with her pictures). He then adds a cape, which is even better! He takes several breaks to eat his bedtime snack of cookies and then realizes he is cold. On go the dragon pajamas and he is finally “exhausted” and ready for bed.
of pumpkin spiced lattes permeates the air. Fall is a beautiful time of change, and one thing we should consider changing up is our repertoire of rhymes. Rhyming is essential to early literacy skills, and it’s fun to practice new rhymes with children as one season transitions into another. Here are some delightful fall rhymes to get you started. 