The Baby Beebee Bird

The Baby Beebee Bird

Written by Diane Redfield Massie

Illustrated by Steven Kellogg

Every now and then, I come across certain books that take me back to my childhood, complete with all of the memories of reading it with my mom.  We would climb up on her bed and she would read a big stack of books to us as we all crowded around her.  I came across The Baby Beebee Bird in the library, and even though it was a reprint edition with new illustrations from Steven Kellogg, it brought back some fond memories.  

The story was originally published in 1963, and tells the tale of a little baby bird and its arrival at the zoo.  All of the animals are tired at the end of the day, and ready to go to bed, but the Beebee bird has just woken up and is ready to sing!  Much to the dismay of the rest of the zoo, the baby bird sings all night long.  "Beebeebobbibobbi beebeebobbibobbi...." is the song that the little bird sings with all of its heart.

After a sleepless night, lion comes up with a plan that just might work to get the baby bird back on a sleeping schedule that works for everyone.  The plot reminds me of parents bringing home newborns from the hospital, and the dilemma that they encounter when the baby is wide awake during the night, and sleepy during the day.  

I love that it has become a favorite around our house, and I hope my little ones ones will remember it with as much fondness as I have.  

Happy Reading!

Emily

Room on the Broom

Room on the Broom

Written by Julia Donaldson

Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

I love Halloween.  I love the clever costumes, fun foods, parties, and decorations.  We meet and talk to more neighbors on Halloween night than on any other night of the year.  Most of all, I love seeing my little ones dressed up and excited for their night full of goodies.

Whatever your thoughts on the holiday may be, I do hope that you'll include Room on the Broom as one of your October read-alouds.  A witch and her cat are flying on a broom when various items fall to the ground, such as the witch's hat, her hair bow, and her wand.  Each time they go to retrieve the fallen item, a new animal comes out with the lost item, along with a request to join the witch and the cat on the broom.  Excitement continues when the broom breaks and a dragon enters the story!  

Retelling:  Shadow Puppets

The characters in the story are all perfect candidates for shadow puppets.  My kiddos had the time of their lives putting on a puppet show while I read aloud the story.  They played with the shadow puppets the entire afternoon.  

To make the shadow puppets, I found free coloring pages of the main characters.  I printed them off on cardstock and cut around the edges.  I then taped a skewer on to the back (I would recommend using Popsicle sticks if you have little ones!).

To make the shadow puppet theater, I cut off the top and bottom flaps of a cardboard box.  I then covered the top opening of the box with a white piece of tissue paper and taped the tissue paper to the sides.  We used a small lamp, and it worked out great.  

You might also check out the book's website!  It has some fabulous resources and activities!

Happy reading!

Emily

New Release: Leroy Ninker Saddles Up

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up: Tales from Deckawoo Drive, Volume One

Written by Kate DiCamillo

Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Our house adores the Mercy Watson series.  The series tells of a funny little couple whose lives are centered around their "porcine wonder" named Mercy (who is always up to something!).  Deckawoo Drive, the street they live on, is full of adventure.  Imagine how excited I was to see that a new series was coming out with the same characters!

Some of you might remember Leroy Ninker from the Mercy Watson series.  Leroy is the reformed thief who works at the popcorn stand at the drive-in movie theater.  He dreams of being a cowboy.  In this book, Leroy makes his dreams come true by buying a horse named Maybelline.  Sweet old Maybelline has distinct characteristics that make her as unique and as lovable as Mercy.  Maybelline has four teeth and LOVES spaghetti.  

I would highly recommend this book as a preschool read-aloud or as a beginning chapter book. Leroy's attempts at owning a horse in the city make for a delightful story for boys and girls.  Amusing pictures are featured on most pages.  Unfortunately, the illustrations are printed in black and white, as opposed to the colored illustrations found in Mercy Watson books.  Even so, Chris Van Dusen's illustrations captivate young readers, as usual.

Possible Activities:

Family Fun:  Watch a Western movie together and eat popcorn.  You might try The Apple Dumpling Gang.  

Imagination:  Pretend you're living in the Wild West for the day. :)

Food:  Eat buttered toast for breakfast, and spaghetti for dinner.

Language Arts:  Write sweet compliments for Maybelline using similes and metaphors.

Math: Cook up a variety of lengths of spaghetti noodles and measure them in centimeters and inches.

Happy reading!

Emily

Reading Motivation {Free Printables!}

Our library always has an amazing summer reading program set up, and our little family has an extraordinary amount of motivation when it comes to pulling out piles of books and devouring them while the program is running.  Now that I have an independent reader and summer is over, I wanted to find a fun way to continue that motivation and give him a goal to work towards.  Hence, the gumball machine.  For every book that he either reads to me or finishes independently, he gets to put a gumball on the machine.  When the machine is filled {50 books!}, he gets a reward.  Around our house, the reward is in the form of a date and he gets to choose the activity.  Not only is he excited and reading, but I get to look forward to a date with a cute little gentleman!

I've uploaded the images that I have created so you can print them off if you would like.  In order to print them, right-click the two separate images and save them to your computer.  You can then upload them to your favorite photo center.  Since I wanted this to be something that we could do over and over again, I added velcro dots to the white gumballs in the machine and the colored gumballs.  For some reason, it is the simple things that help us keep plugging towards our goals, and in this case it is seeing a little machine fill up with colorful gumballs!

Happy reading!

Emily

New Release: President Taft is Stuck in the Bath

I am a huge fan of both Mac Barnett and Chris Van Dusen, so I was really excited when I saw that they had teamed up for a new book.  

President Taft is Stuck in the Bath

Written by Mac Barnett

Illustrated by Chris Van Dusen

Perfect for 4-8 years old

The book is based on a rumor that President Taft got stuck in the bathtub during his stay at the White House.  It is hard to tell whether or not this rumor is true, but there are a number of different stories to be told about the occasion.  Some say that multiple men had to pry him out of the bathtub, and some say that loblolly (butter and lobster liver) was needed.  Mac Barnett uses the possible incident as a basis for his wild romp that brings the whole cabinet on board.

After a great number of attempts to heave himself out of the bathtub, President Taft realizes he is STUCK.  His wife comes to check on him, and despite his original attempts to hide it from her, he tells her the truth.  When he sees that she doesn't know what to do, he asks for the Vice President.  The Vice President's solution is for himself to be sworn in as President.  President Taft views this as "prepostorous", and the Secretary of State is called in.  He suggests diet and exercise.

More and more cabinet members are summoned, and each one offers a {fitting} recommendation according to his office in the cabinet.  It reminds me a lot of King Bidgood in the Bathtub and how the royal court was involved in the dilemma.  

How did they finally free him from the bathtub in this story?  Well, you'll just have to check it out to find out.  I greatly enjoyed Chris Van Dusen's caricatured illustrations.  They were a perfect match for the exaggerated telling of this old rumor and possible piece of White House history.  

The last two pages of the story include a picture of the large bathtub that President Taft had brought in to the White House (which could hold four men!), along with facts relating to President Taft and bathtubs.  He sounds a lot like myself and King Bidgood: we all love a good bath.

I think it is a great read for families, as well as any class learning about the Executive Cabinet.  It brings a light and humorous view to the White House.  

*I would recommend doing some research on President Taft with your children/students to study up on his life and accomplishments.  He has a really interesting history!*

Candlewick Press was kind enough to provide a review copy.  All opinions expressed are my own.  

Happy Reading!

Emily

Moo! {Q & A with David LaRochelle!}

I am so excited!  Not only am I going to share one of our favorite books, but I also had the opportunity to ask the author a few questions and it was so much fun seeing his responses.  Without further ado, let me introduce you to Moo!.

Moo!

by David LaRochelle

Illustrated by Mike Wohnoutka
 Perfect for: 3-6 years old

The majority of the story Moo! is made up of only one word: moo.  If I counted correctly, the word moo appears 57 times in the story.  It is written with a wide variety of text formatting and punctuation to help tell the story of a fun-loving cow who takes a car for a joyride.  He takes the car for quite a wild ride, and he experiences a number of emotions.  The illustrations and text work together to help the reader easily know how to read the word with inflection to match how the cow is saying "moo".

I love the story for three main reasons:

1.  It is a great story to teach how to read with inflection.

2.  Little ones who don't know how to read are proud of their ability to read this book by themselves.

3.  We haven't laughed so hard while reading a book in a long time!  We laugh every single time we read it.

I contacted Mr. LaRochelle, and he was really kind to take some time to answer a few questions.  I especially loved hearing where he came up with the idea!

1.  What are your top five favorite children's books?

Of course it's impossible to pick just five, and my choices might change depending on the day that you asked me, but five children's books that I love are:

Rattletrap Car by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Jill Barton. This book is so much fun to read out loud that sometimes I read it out loud to myself just because I like saying the words so much!

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood. The illustrations make me laugh every time, and the story is distilled to exactly the right few words.

Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee. Marla tells multiple stories through her illustrations of the six couples riding this roller coaster. There are new things to discover on every reading.

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems. Hilarious. Those pigeon's emotions are all too human. True story.

Dear Mr. Henshaw by Beverly Cleary. I loved reading this story to my fourth graders when I was a teacher. It still makes me laugh and cry. Both the characters of Leigh Botts and the author to whom he writes resonate with me. 

What gave you the idea for writing Moo?

 I wanted to write a one-word story. I chose the word "Moo" possibly because my friend Gary and I both have cow noisemakers (cylinders that you turn upside down and they "moo") for which we've been creating imaginary adventures for many years. Initially I had hoped to be the illustrator as well as the author for this book, then in the mail I received a postcard from my friend Mike Wohnoutka advertising an art show he was having. On the front of the postcard was a painting of a cow, and I said, "THAT'S the cow for Moo!" We sent my dummy of the book and a sample painting of Mike's to an editor he had worked with, and she offered us a contract for the book within a month.

Do you have an author that has inspired you?

I'm inspired by wonderful books, like the ones that I mentioned. They make me want to write something just as good. The creativity of author/illustrators such as Lois Ehlert, Chris Raschka, and Paul Zelinsky also fuel my imagination.

What book are you currently reading?

I just finished reading In a Glass Grimmly by Adam Gidwitz, a companion book to A Tale Dark and Grimm, and I enjoyed that very much (it's very funny, and also just as dark as the original fairy tales on which it is based). Last night I started reading The Rooftoppers by Katherine Rundell, which I've heard many good things about. It's a middle grade novel about a baby who is found floating in the ocean in a cello case and the eccentric man who raises her.

Which of your books have been your favorite to write?

I'm usually most excited about my most recent book, and that would be Moo! I loved the challenge of trying to tell a complete story using only one word (sharp-eyed readers will spot that I actually used six words). It's a story that has made readers of all ages (including adults) laugh, and that is extremely rewarding.

I'm also very proud of Arlo's ARTrageous Adventure!, the first book where I was both author and illustrator. It's a lift-the-flap book with over fifty flaps, and I had a great deal of fun thinking of all the different ways that I could make the paintings in the museum come to life.


Check it out.  I guarantee there will be laughs!
Happy reading!

Emily 

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood

I've been on a fairy tale and folk tale kick lately, and recently discovered a version of Little Red Riding Hood that is now my absolute favorite telling of the story.

Petite Rouge: A Cajun Red Riding Hood

by Mike Artell

Illustrated by Jim Harris
Perfect for: 5-8 years old

The text is written in Creole dialect and rhyme, and is fun to read aloud.  The pictures and characters are hilarious.  Petite Rouge (a duck) is on her way to take her sick grand-mere a basket full of gumbo and boudin.  She is in her pirogue making her way through the swamp when she is stopped by the hungry gator named Claude.

*Claude is the character that makes the story.  A humorous crocodile makes for a lively alternative to the big bad wolf.  I think you'll agree after you read it!*

When Petite Rouge refuses to hand over the food, Claude heads to Grand-mere's.  Grand-mere is so scared that she hides in the closet, and large Claude is shown in Grand-mere's little bed wearing her little pajamas, yellow flippers, and a pretend beak that hardly covers his mouth.  Petite Rouge arrives and the rest of the book is filled with cleverness and a wild chase.

The dialect, creative twist, comical characters, and illustrations all combine to make one great telling of this old tale. 

Happy reading!

Emily