Let's Try It Out with Towers and Bridges
By Seymour Simon and Nicole Fauteux
Illustrated by Doug Cushman
Age: 3-5 years; 5-7 years; 7-10 years
I'm putting the younger age category on here because if you have a preschooler who is really into building things, this book is a great resource. We checked this out one time and did the simple activities with paper. The second time around we actually tried building a suspension bridge with kitchen chairs, heavy books, yarn, and cardboard. Next time I'll try that project at a different time of day - 4pm is about the worst time to attempt anything and this proved to be a disastrous bridge-making endeavor. Joshua (4 years old) loved it, though, and can't wait to try it again.
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.
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.
Splash!
By Flora McDonnell
Age: 0-2 years; 3-5 years
This was one of the first books I checked out from the children's library when we lived the simple life of a family of three. Joshua (now 4 years old) was very small at that time and we both enjoyed reading this book. I like its simplicity best. We've enjoyed checking it out many times since Hannah (3 years old) and Abby (15 months old) have joined the family. I'm sure we'll continue to enjoy it.
I Drive a Bulldozer
By Sarah Bridges
Illustrated by Derrick Alderman and Denise Shae
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
There are a few books in this series and every one of them is great! Like Huge Earthmovers you'll most likely find this in the Children's Non-Fiction section. Joshua (4 years old) was really excited to find this in the library bag last week.
Nascar ABC's
By Paul DuBois Jacobs and Jennifer Swender
Illustrated by Aaron Zenz
Ages: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
What could be more exciting to a little boy than a rhyming ABC book about Nascar! :) Even I enjoy this book and I'm not real big on the car thing. The text has a nice rhythm to it and the illustrations are bright and cheerful. A good tool to reinforce the alphabet letter seqence.
My First Airplane Ride
By Patricia Hubbell
Illustrated by Nancy Speir
Age: 3-5 years
This is a definite favorite in our house. We check this out so often that I have thought of purchasing our own copy. My favorite line is: "Snacks are coming on a tray. What a long, exciting day!" :) We're heading to Australia in about a month - I think the last half of that line will pretty much sum up our travel experience!
In the future, look for more books written by Patricia Hubbell on this blog. She, along with various illustrators, has written several transportation-themed books that the kids love.
Trucks, Trucks, Trucks
By Peter Sis
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
Fun and imaginative!
The Enormous Carrot
By Vladimir Vasil'evich Vagin
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
We LOVED this book! Each time we visit our library we find good books, but it's still a rare to find a book that is so engaging for all of us and has the kids talking about it during their free play. That said, I'm not sure what drew us to this book. Just check it out for yourself and find out if you enjoy it as much as we did. :)
The Tiny Seed
By Eric Carle
Age: 3-5 years
Bright and beautiful pictures make this an enjoyable book, like pretty much everything else by Eric Carle!
How a Seed Grows
By Helene J. Jordan and Loretta Krupinski
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
I'll admit that we only read this once, but that was because we were really excited about one of the other carrot books. I really liked the teaching aspect of this book. Check it out if you're considering teaching your kids about how plants grow - it even has a great activity which allows children to see the different stages of seed growth as it happens. Fun!
The Carrot Seed
By Ruth Krauss
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
Hannah (turning 3 tomorrow!) picked out this book before I even got to the shelf. I didn't think much of it, but after reading it throughout the week I came to appreciate it. The main character is a little boy who demonstrates great faith. When everyone around him says that his carrot seed won't come up, this boy goes on watering and weeding. His faith and perseverance pay off big in the end!
I liked that Hannah - the one whom the Lord has indicated has a great gift of faith - was drawn to this simple yet inspirational book.
Boat Book
By Gail Gibbons
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
What's a week without a book by Gail Gibbons? We've checked this out a number of times, and while it's not always a top pick for Read Aloud Time, it is still well-loved. This, unlike Marge's Diner, which is lengthy, this book is far from wordy. Joshua (4 years old) likes to take his time studying the detailed pictures.
Busy Boats
By Tony Mitton and Ant Parker
Age: 3-5 years
A friend of mine once made the following comment after reading one of Mitton and Parker's books, "Wow, that's pretty impressive to make rhymes about tractors!" She isn't as well-versed in the land of transportation picture books as I am since she doesn't have a son, but she is definitely right - Mitton and Parker have a way with rhymes and with vehicles.
This particular book really sparked Joshua's interest. He asked a ton of questions about the different parts of a boat and how each part was used. He has never shown an interest in boats before this week, and this book was most definitely a catalyst.
Boats
By Byron Barton
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
We have other Byron Barton books and have enjoyed each one. Since it's a board book, I checked this one out primarily for Abigail (1 year old). She had very few opportunities to read it, though, because Joshua (4 years old) and Hannah (turning 3 tomorrow!) both wanted to read it too. Cute and colorful.
Busy Boats
By Susan Steggall
Age: 0-2 years, 3-5 years
This was a fun, colorful, and (like the title says) busy book about boats. The book was a tiny bit over-sized which meant that it didn't quite fit in our magazine file boxes. However, there's something nice about really huge picture books - and this book was definitely a nice read.
We finished week two of Read to Me & ABC. And while I didn't get around to making the ice boats from Walking by the Way, we still had a fun time reading about boats, painting blue B's, and working on a quick but fun activity called "Sink or Float".
Look here for a "B" book list, some fun activities, and other boat-themed teaching ideas. And look on our blog for reviews of the books we enjoyed this week.
Abigail thoroughly enjoyed her water "painting". And I was pretty impressed by her dexterity, especially since this was her first time using any type of writing/painting device.
"Sink or Float" is pretty much what it sounds like. We filled a container with some water, gathered random items from around the house, and then watched to see if they would sink to the bottom or float like a boat. Joshua (4 years old) and Hannah (turning 3 tomorrow!) had a lot of fun!
"Little House, Little Town"
By Scott Beck
Age:0-2 years, 3-5 years
The kids don't often choose new books from the library shelves. They know exactly where to find all of the old favorites. I was glad when Hannah (almost 3 years old) brought this to me. I really like the illustrations. Do I say that a lot??? Perhaps I do, but most of my time is spent reading picture books. :)
"Up Goes the Skyscraper"
By Gail Gibbons
Age: 3-5 years, 7-10 years
Joshua (4 years old) loves this book! We check it out often and never get tired of it. There is a lot of information, but most of it can be skimmed for kids with a shorter attention span. A great book for the budding architect or construction lover!
"The Apple Pie Tree"
By Zoe Hall, Illustrated by Shari Halpern
Age: 3-5 years
We all enjoyed this book - especially the apple pie that it inspired! :)
