26 Big Things Small Hands Do

"26 Big Things Small Hands Do"
By Colleen Paratore, Illustrated by Mike Reed

Ages: 3-5 years, 5-7 years

A fun way to review and/or introduce the alphabet!

The Handiest Things in the World

"The Handiest Things in the world"
By Andrew Clements, Photographs by Raquel Jaramillo

Ages: 3-5 years, 5-7 years

I really enjoyed this book. On each page the author and photographer draw a contrast between solving a problem using our hands vs. using a tool or another object. I especially liked the photography in this one!

Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb

"Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb"
By Al Perkins, Illustrated by Eric Gurney

Age: 3-5 years, 5-7 years

This is fun! My kids still walk around the house shouting out rhymes about monkeys beating on drums. Great for early readers. Enjoy!

Mommy's Hands

"Mommy's Hands"
By Kathryn Lasky

Age: 3-5 years

A very cute book about all the little things that moms do for their kids.

H is for Hand

Maybe it's me or maybe it's our library system, but I couldn't find a lot of books on the original Read to Me & ABC list for the letter H. We did find some good books, though, which you can find in the following posts. Enjoy!

Zinnia's Flower Garden

"Zinnia's Flower Garden"
By Monica Wellington

Age: 3-5 years, 5-7 years

This was our favorite garden book. Last year it inspired a flower growing activity which eventually ended in two newly sprouted zinnia plants being uprooted, torn apart, and re-planted. Note to mothers with children under 4 years old: Do not try planting flowers unless you have space in your house or yard where young toddlers cannot reach them.

I'm not sure what it is about this book, but the kids are drawn to it. It's a pleasant book to read several times a day, which helps parents as well. Enjoy!

Good Morning Garden

"Good Morning Garden"
By Barbara Brenner, Illustrated by Denise Ortakales

Age: 3-5 years

Admittedly not my favorite, but the style is a nice change from most other picture books. When we read this book, Hannah (3 years old) was very interested in picking out letters in print. She had fun finding all of the g's in this book.

My Garden

"My Garden"
By Kevin Henkes

Age: 3-5 years

I'll be honest, I don't remember anything beyond the cover of this book. But I do know this author and am always drawn to the style of illustrations. Something about the colors that just make me want to open up the cover. Check it out at your local library and let me know what's inside! :)

Our Community Garden

"Our Community Garden"
By Barbara Pollak

Age: 3-5 years, 5-7 years

Colorful and fun! We've enjoyed checking out this book about community and yes, vegetables, a number of times.

G is for Garden

Following along in our Read to Me & ABC plan, we moved from F is for Firetruck to G is for Garden.

At this point both Joshua and Hannah know all of their letters - Joshua is even starting to read - so I'm continuing with this program for the sheer satisfaction of completing something that we set out to do. I also enjoy having a theme to work with when we go to the library. We're reading about more than just trucks and skyscrapers and that's a good thing!

In the next few posts you'll find a handful of fun books about gardens. Enjoy!

Out and About at the Fire Station

Out and About at the Fire Station
Written by Muriel L. DuBois
Illustrated by Anne McMullen

Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years

Simple and engaging book about fire safety. Abby (15 months) liked pulling this one off the shelf to "read" on her own.

Fire Truck

Fire Truck
By Peter Sis

Age: 0-2 years; 3-5 years

This book, like Sis's Trucks! Trucks! Trucks!, is fun and imaginative. Perfect for any child who easily gets lost in his/her imaginary world.

Emergency!

Emergency!
By Gail Gibbons

Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years

As always, Gail Gibbons does a great job in this book about emergency vehicles. This one was less wordy than some of her other books but just as informative. When Joshua first saw this book tucked away on the shelf in his preschool classroom he shouted out "That's the book we have at home!". Doesn't it feel good when you're one teeny, tiny step ahead of the preschool pro's. :)

The Firehouse Light

The Firehouse Light
Written by Janet Nolan
Illustrated by Marie Lafrance

Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years

Again, I'm recommending a slightly older audience for this book, but both Joshua (4 years old) and Hannah (3 years old) enjoyed reading this book. If you have a kiddo with a short attention span, maybe wait a bit before checking this one out.

This is based on a true story of a light bulb that has been burning in a California firehouse for over 100 years. I like the historical aspect as the author tells the story of time passing as the little light bulb keeps burning. You can learn more about the Centennial Bulb and even see footage of their live webcam by visiting their website.

Fire! Fire!

Fire! Fire!
By Gail Gibbons

Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years

I'm recommending this for elementary school ages and not preschoolers because it is wordy. That said, we've checked it out two or three times since Joshua was 3 years old, and he's only 4 now. For younger kids, I ask them to pick one section - there are sections about fires in the city, country, forest, and water - and then I skip over some information if I start to lose their attention.

All of that said, this book is just as good as you would expect from Gail Gibbons. Packed with information, simple but detailed illustrations, and an exciting topic, this book is a must-read for anyone interested in fire trucks. I liked that this one discusses lesser-known fire emergency vehicles such as helicopters and fire boats. I'm sure we'll be getting this one many more times before the kids outgrow the children's room at the local library.

Firetrucks

Firetrucks
By Peter Brady

Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years

It's always fun to check out non-fiction books about trucks! This one was informative, simple, and had real-life photographs.

Note: We did not read this in Spanish, although it would have been a fun exercise to try. I could only find a photo of the Spanish edition.

F is for Fire Truck

I had intended to follow the original Read to Me & ABC suggestion for the letter "F". Joshua's preschool class, however, had a fire truck visit just a couple of days before our library trip. Hannah and Abby were invited to tag along - with Mom, of course - and the result was great inspiration to check out books about fire trucks. So, here we have F is for Fire Truck. It was a fun unit - one that I will most definitely repeat. Because fire trucks are such a hot topic for children, our library was full of books. We really struggled not to check out every book on the non-fiction shelf and just when we thought we finished, we found an entire section a few aisles down.

Above is a picture of our letter craft. The kids wanted to cut out their own letters, which turned out to be a great scissors practice activity. They enjoyed gluing the craft stick ladders and, as you can see, they even added their own "flare" to the trucks. :)

Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing

Twenty-One Elephants and Still Standing
Written by April Jones Prince
Illustrated by Francois Roca

Age: 5-7 years; 7-10 years

This became a favorite even before we checked it out. Joshua (4 years old) absolutely loves architecture - buildings, bridges, if it's man-made he's fascinated by it! Living just outside of NYC, he is especially inspired by the many monumental skyscrapers and bridges in the area.

Over the summer we walked across the Brooklyn Bridge - a free activity that I highly recommend to anyone visiting or living in the NY area. So, when I ran across this book about elephants AND the Brooklyn Bridge in my search for books on elephants, I was excited. And this book did not disappoint our high expectations. The illustrations are beautiful, with some spectacular ones of the bridge itself. The story is interesting, chronicling a true story of P.T. Barnum Bailey's stunt of walking his 21 world-famous elephants over the newly constructed bridge. I'm sure you and the kids in your life will enjoy this book!

Big Little Elephant

Big Little Elephant
By Valeri Gorbachev

Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years; 7-10 years

This is the second book by Valeri Gorbachev that we have checked out, and it is the second book of hers that we have liked. There's something about her style that is inviting. In this book, Little Elephant learns about being a friend - a lesson that most children love (and need) to hear.

Tweak, Tweak

Tweak, Tweak
Written by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Sergio Ruzzier

Age: 3-5 years

Cute illustrations for a cute story! I enjoyed reading about this curious little elephant and was definitely inspired by her (very) patient mother. Hannah (3 years old) seemed to like this the most of all her siblings.