When our youngest was in first grade last year they did an in depth study of the first Thanksgiving feast. He was basically obsessed with the Wampanoag, the pilgrims…the whole deal. So when I saw this book at the library I knew he would love it. It is great because it has a simple rhyming story that goes along with the fantastic illustrations, but it also has in-depth information for those that want to read more.
Do you have a tradition in your house that doesn’t follow the norm? Tuyet is very worried that her family is not celebrating Thanksgiving the way you’re “supposed” to and it bothers her so much that she is ready and willing so spend her allowance money to make sure her family has a turkey at Thanksgiving. Once her family’s Thanksgiving duck starts cooking and the house is filled with the familiar smells of wonderful cooking she is familiar with, her need for a turkey fades away. Even better, when she returns to school the next week she realizes that her family isn’t the only family who didn’t eat a turkey…there are many ways to celebrate Thanksgiving.
This story follows a family on Thanksgiving day as they get ready for their feast, watch parades on TV, play in the leaves, take food to elderly neighbors and enjoy dinner at home with their family. This Thanksgiving book is a fun reminder about being thankful for our blessings including our wonderful friends, neighbors and family members. This would be a good book for children to use to start thinking about what they are thankful for.
Another great addition to Karma Wilson’s Bear books. Bear gets lost in the woods and as the sun starts to set and the winds start to blow things get scarier and scarier. Meanwhile, back at the lair, Bear’s friends start to worry about him. They set off to look for him and they all end up back together in Bear’s warm lair all cuddled up together safe and snug.
An adorable counting and rhyming book that is the perfect match for the Halloween season.
Over in the hollow,
where the bats dip and dive,
lives a furry grandma bat
and her little batties five.
Flap! squeaks the grandma.
We flap! squeak the five.
So they flap
and they flutter
where the bats
dip and dive.
First of all, I love this book because it’s by Aldous Huxley. (Brave New World) This version is a classic that has been republished with a new illustrator. The mother crow keeps laying eggs over and over and over and every day she comes home to find they are gone. It turns out the snake is eating them and so she sends her husband out to “take care” of the snake. Her husband goes to owl for advice and they hatch a very sneaky plan to trick the snake. I love the relationships between all of the animals in this book. They are a little cheeky to each other which is a bit refreshing…I enjoy a little wit and sarcasm every now and again.
Kids are fascinated by the fact that animals hibernate. This book follows animals and insects through the forest as one animal reminds the next that winter is on its way. All of the animals want to stay awake just a little bit longer, but as each one smells, sees, tastes or feels something that reminds them that winter is right around the corner, they find a place to snuggle up and bed down for the winter.
On a side note, I can’t believe that this is the first book by Denise Fleming that has made it onto MommaReads. I love, love, love the artwork in her books and this one is beautifully done as well.
Love, love, love this book! It’s colorful, it involves counting and numbers, it rhymes…there is so much in this book for so many ages. I love that this book isn’t “just” a counting book and it isn’t “just” a book that rhymes. It’s also a science book that very young children all the way through early elementary school children could use to learn more about caterpillars, what the caterpillars eat, what animals eat caterpillars and different types of butterflies.
Did you ever wonder where the saying that cats have nine lives comes from? Apparently it is an old Irish legend and the legend comes to life in this sweet story about a witch who really wants to be a cat. Her cousins try and save her from turning into a cat permanently, but later realize that maybe they’ve made a mistake. There is a summary in the back that explains the legend of the nine lives, too.
Children are fascinated by the fact that some animals go to sleep for the WHOLE winter. I liked this book because it not only mentions bears, but many other animals that hibernate that we may not think about. I love that this story rhymes and I think many children will also identify with some of these animals who are having a hard time going to sleep because it’s too dark or because they need a snack or a drink before they fall asleep.
