Poetry + Concepts = Happy Mama

I've recently discovered a series of poetry books for children.  Each book tackles a single concept that is perfect for kindergarten readiness.  Moreover, the photographs in these books are beautiful. They complement the poems wonderfully while enhancing an appreciation of nature.  So, what is this series, you ask?  They are the _______ Me a Rhyme books by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple.

In sharing them with my daughter, I saw that they do not hold her attention as some of the more humorous ones do.  However, I feel they are still very worthwhile.  So, I used them as a springboard for discussion, asking her things like, "What shape do you see here?" and "What in this room is red like those flowers?"

The books my daughter and I shared are:

Color Me a Rhyme: Nature Poems for Young People by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple

Count Me a Rhyme: Animal Poems by the Numbers by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple

Shape Me a Rhyme: Nature's Forms in Poetry by Jane Yolen with photographs by Jason Stemple

Humor: Print Motivation's Undercover Best Friend

My daughter loves goofy humor—the sillier the better.  So, when I want to focus on the early literacy skill of print motivation, I look for wacky stories with bright illustrations.  With groups, I used to promote this area by focusing on books about loving books.  I am certain that, with my little girl, this would NOT be the best approach.  So, here is my list of books that amuse my daughter enough to warrant multiple re-read requests:

The Clown-Arounds Go on Vacation by Joanna Cole/ Illustrated by Jerry Smath—Usually, I don’t recommend books geared towards early-readers as ones for parents and kids to share.  However, a friend recommended this one to me.  It is part of a series, and my daughter devours all of the books here that we have read.  I love how involved the illustrations are because I can ask my daughter about different aspects of them for each reading.

Dumb Bunnies by Sue Denim and Dav Pilkey—Kids love to put their knowledge of the world into play.  The way the Dumb Bunnies family does everything wrong (like taking an umbrella swimming so as to “not get wet”) reinforces children’s awareness of how the world works.  They love being able to shout “No!” when you ask things like, “Do you buy popcorn in a bathtub?”   The bright illustrations complement the text, and other books in the series live up to the original’s humorous dumbness.  

Goodnight Goon by Michael Rex-- This parody of Goodnight Moon keeps to the rhyme scheme and pacing of the original book.  It has more of a Halloween feel as creepy ghosts, ghouls, and witches inhabit the pages.  Luckily, the gore and gruesomeness are very light, so that it is more likely to amuse than to scare.  This is a companion book to Runaway Mummy.

Humpty Dumpty Climbs Again by Dave Horowitz--Based on the Humpty Dumpty nursery rhyme, this book manages to teach perseverance between laughs.  The illustrations, complete with cartoon-talk-bubbles, definitely add to the book's appeal.

A World of Their Imagination

Preschoolers have a sense of discovery and creativity that is blossoming.  For example, my daughter recently went through both a baby duck and a baby jaguar phase.  She would take on the physical movements and sounds of these animals and only respond if I called her by the names she chose. 

Picture books generally nurture imagination because kids have to put themselves in a story outside of the “here and now.”  However, there are some books that do a particularly good job of featuring creativity.  Here are a few of my favorite books that show how imagination builds a story: 

Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson 
This book is a classic for a reason.  I loved it as a child, but obviously so did many others.  I believe that the reason for this popularity is that the quest Harold undertakes as he travels through a world literally of his creation-- one drawn by his purple crayon-- empowers children to delve into any universe their imaginations allow. 

Go to Bed, Monster! by Natasha Wing
A little girl uses basic geometric shapes to form a very strong-willed and independent-minded monster.  The girl draws objects to amuse and comfort the monster.  She proves her resourcefulness in meeting his needs. The monster is definitely more cute than scary and helps reflect in a non-threatening way the fears that might overwhelm creative youngsters. 

Duck! Rabbit! by Amy Krause Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

I have been impressed by how well this book works as a read-aloud in large groups, although it is also perfectly well-suited for one-on-one sharing.  Two voices argue over whether an ambiguous shape is a duck or a rabbit.  The humorous take on perspective is as enjoyable a read for grown-ups as for the youngsters to whom the book is officially geared.
 

It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles Green Shaw

This is another classic where children identify what objects different blobs appear to be. It is a great introduction to the concept of shape in addition to promoting imagination.

Not a Box by Antionette Portis 
Whenever a critical voice asks a rabbit, who is drawn with charming simplicity, why he is playing with a box, he responds that "It's not a box!"  The things he imagine the box to be are illustrated in red, while the things that actually exist are drawn in black.  After seeing the elephant, building fire, hot-air balloon, and rocket (among others), it is likely that one will be tempted to seek his or her own box for playtime.  This delightful book also has a follow-up:  Not a Stick.

Chatterboxing-- a literacy hint

If I find myself with in the same room as a baby or toddler, I talk constantly.  I narrate everything I am doing, often throwing in the sign language that I learned when my daughter was a baby.  Mom reminds me with my nephew that I should only use signs he knows.  This is a good point.

Seriously, though, this is one of the best ways to build both vocabulary and narrative skills (two of the American Library Association’s identified skills for pre-reading readiness.  This definitely continues as children reach preschool-age and become more verbal themselves.  Check out this link from the Johnson County Library to see more: 6X6).  The reason this works is that kids are hearing words used in context, and they are seeing how stories work.  

Stories have:

1.       1.  Sequence (one thing leading to another)

2.       2.  Characters who have goals and obstacles

3.       3.  A beginning, a middle, and an end

It takes a while to recognize this, but the more that kids play with books that include these elements, the more natural it will feel for them to build them into their own stories.  

Limerick of Educational Pedagogy

The title of this blog is totally academic.  Really, though, the concept is simple.  Trust your children to have instincts that help them build brain connections.  So, don't be afraid to read your child's favorite story  to him or her over, and over, and over... and over.  Okay, now here's what I just said in poetic form:

When children choose what they will read,

It behooves us to follow their lead.

Repetition feels old,

But for learning it’s gold.

By nature they know what they need.

-Anna Francesca, 2011

Creative, Independent Girls

I thought I'd start this blog with books that cover various concept topics which prepare kids for school.  Then, one of my facebook friends mentioned how much she likes Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells.  This got the wheels in my head turning in a new direction. My undergraduate degree is in Women's Studies, and I am raising a daughter.

The following books are ones I enjoy because of the protagonists.  They feature girls who proudly own their unique styles.  These books also demonstrate loving family relationships.  I appreciate the underlying message that people do not need to all be the same to be able to appreciate one another.

Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells
Being a middle child isn't easy, but this adorable rhyming book gives Nora, a middle-child, her voice.  This is a fun read-aloud because kids can make noise at appropriate places.  When I raise my hand, the group can make a racket.  (This works especially well if children have rhythm sticks or some other hand-instrument, but it can be done just with yelling, clapping, stomping, etc).  However, the noise must stop as soon as I lower my hand so that they can continue hearing the story.  As I wrote to my friend, self-control is a lesson best learned, like most others, when one doesn't recognize that learning is happening. :-)

Olivia by Ian Falconer
Olivia is the eldest child in her porcine family.  However, she is a very human-like pig with a huge imagination.  The illustrations are mostly gray-tone with some red, and the simple facial expressions are hilarious.  Falconer also incorporates some photographs into the pictures.  This is the first book in a series that takes Olivia to a the museum, the ballet, a fireworks display, Venice, and even the U.S. Supreme Court (in her dreams).  There are other, more full-color books based on the television show that the original series spawned.  However, I think these wordier stories lack the simplicity and wonder that make the Falconer books so special.

Fancy Nancy by Jane O'Connor/ Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
This is also the first book in a series.  It is perfect for families who want something substantial for their princess-obsessed girls.  Nancy enjoys all things adorned, as the humorous illustrations demonstrate..  Kids can expand their vocabularies via her explanations using context or synonyms to introduce her preferred terms. The love that her plain family shows as they try to play along with her posh preferences is touching.  The later books in the series are a bit longer and therefore more appropriate to average 4-year-old and 5-year-old attention spans.  The first book will work fine for most 3-year-olds, though.  Plus, if your children become fans of Nancy, they can follow her adventures in early-reader books when they are ready to start reading on their own.

Rhyme Game Video

While this is not a post specifically about books, it describes a way to supplement one of the literacy focus skills from the last post.  Plus, it occupies kids so that they have something to do other than grab candy when waiting in the grocery line.