This classic is a celebration of imagination and the power and comfort of home. The vivid, detailed illustrations bring the text to life! A favorite worthy of being pulled out and read again tonight.
This story opens with a little girl who desperately wants a pet. Her mother finally agrees and supplies the following guidelines: The pet must not need to be walked, fed, or bathed. What is a girl to do? The savvy main character goes straight to the Animal Encyclopedia at the library and discovers that a sloth would fit the rules. Soon a sloth which is promptly named Sparky arrives via express mail, and then the fun really begins!
Sparky is a quirky, fun picture book
Sophie’s Squash is a sweet story that highlights the power of imagination. The book features the unlikely friendship between a little girl and a squash that Sophie fashions into a baby doll which accompanies her on adventures. The realities of having a vegetable for a dolly friend eventually present themselves and are resolved in an interesting manner which makes for some good discussion.
The Short Giraffe is a sweet story about accepting differences. Although written for young learners (preschool and kindergarten), this little gem could be easily used with older students. The pictures are darling and really enhance the text.
Wally and Mae is a sweet tale of friendship that focuses on appreciating differences. Wally is a rabbit who is an early riser and healthy eater who is quick to get to work and loves and appreciates the tidiness of his home. Mae is a bear that loves to sleep in late and enjoys a lifestyle filled with snacks and naps. Their friendship may seem an unlikely one, but ultimately, they help to bring out the best in each other.
Bedtime Math has become a favorite part of our daughter’s bedtime routine. This book is filled with word problems that are presented in short story, riddle-like format coupled with math questions that span three different levels (wee ones, little kids, and big kids). Our seven year old delights in trying to answer the questions in all three levels each evening.
The bright engaging pictures and the fun topics make math problems at bedtime a delight. This one is a winner!
The Help Me Be Good series of books by Joy Berry is terrific. These little books tackle countless behaviors (interrupting, being a bad sport, being forgetful, being rude, complaining, disobeying, lying, whining, and the list goes on and on). Basically there is a book for every less than desirable behavior a child might exhibit. The books are straight forward and provide a great beginning for further conversation about the topic whether in a class setting or within a family. They are simple enough to be a resource which could be used for preschool aged children, but they could be easily used with older children as well.
Our whole family loved Andrea Beaty’s previous book (Iggy Peck, Architect) so we were very excited about Rosie Revere, Engineer. Rosie did not disappoint. This time the main character is a quiet, shy little girl who is creative and loves to engineer and design new inventions. After a less than positive response about one of her inventions, Rosie begins to doubt herself and fears sharing her inventions with others, but her Great-Great Aunt Rose helps Rosie see the importance of taking risks and embracing her creativity.
Rosie Revere, Engineer is written in rhyming text and makes for an outstanding read-aloud. This one is a winner!
I hope the Easter Bunny placed a few good books in your Easter basket. The Easter Bunny always leaves a book for each member of our family. Our little lady received Going Places. It is a terrific tale about a go-cart making contest which highlights creativity, team work, and taking chances. This one is a winner!
Our daughter has a great appreciation for the outdoors. Walking home from school often becomes a “nature walk” for us, and her passion and excitement for sticks, leaves and pods seems to be growing with age. I knew when I saw the front cover of Maple that more investigation was needed. I was not disappointed.
Maple is a little girl whose parents planted a Maple tree in her honor when she was “just a whisper”. Throughout the story we are able to see a friendship grow between Maple and her tree. Every season brings new joys and new challenges and her tree is there every step of the way.
Beautiful pictures and sweet text make this a new favorite at our home!