Mary and the Mouse, the Mouse and Mary      

Entered by Pederson, Anne on 5/14/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0375836098

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Vocabulary

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

One ordinary evening, Mary drops her fork at the dinner table. So does the Mouse. Mary sees the Mouse. The Mouse sees Mary. But can a little girl and a mouse ever become friends? In addition to Beverly D'Onofrio's simple narrative about friendship, enjoy Barbara McLintock's illustrations as they tell a story of their own. Parents will appreciate the humorous touches, while children will respond to the sweetness depicted, similar to picture books from years ago. The story is both unexpected and heartwarming, both of which hold the audience's attention from start to finish.

The Way Back Home      

Entered by Genett, Johannah on 5/14/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9780399250743

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

A boy discovers an airplane in his closet that he never knew was there. After running out of gas, the boy finds himself stranded on the moon. A martian meets the same fate, and the two work together to find their way back home. Children will develop narrative skills by following the boy along his journey. If your children have enjoyed other titles by author/illustrator Oliver Jeffers, such as"Lost and Found" and "The Incredible Book Eating Boy," then they will be excited to read this book Jeffers artwork features crisp lines and bright colors and is appealing to the preschool set.

Five Little Fishes      

Entered by Dosse, Carol on 5/14/2008.
Format: fingerplay

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity

Presentation Notes:

Five Little Fishes

Five little fishes,
swimming near the shore
One took a dive
and then there were four.

Four little fishes,
swimming out to sea
One went out for food,
and then there were three.

Three little fishes said,
“Now what shall we do?”
One swam away,
and then there were two.

Two little fishes were having great fun.
But one took a plunge,
and then there was one.

One little fish said,
“I like the warm sun.”
Away he went,
and then there were none.

Five Little Kittens      

Entered by Dosse, Carol on 5/14/2008.
Format: fingerplay

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity

Presentation Notes:

Five Little Kittens

Five little kittens,
sleeping on a chair
One rolled off,
leaving four there.

Four little kittens,
one climbed a tree,
To look in a bird’s nest.
Then there were three.

Three little kittens,
wondered what to do,
One saw a mouse,
then there were two.

Two little kittens,
playing near a wall.
One ran off to chase a red ball,
Then there was one.

One little kitten,
with fur soft as silk.
Left all alone to drink a dish of milk.
Then there were none.

I'm a Little Pick-up Truck      

Entered by Dosse, Carol on 5/14/2008.
Format:

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity

Presentation Notes:

I’m a Little Pick-up Truck

I’m a little pick-up truck,
shiny and yellow.
When I go out driving,
(Hold hands as if steering.)
I’m a very happy fellow.

When the rain falls down,
(Fingers simulate rain coming down.)
I turn my wipers on.
(Move arms side to side.)
It’s fun to splash through puddles,
all around the town.

When I see a red light,
I stop on a dime.
(Pretend hitting brake.)
When I see a green light,
I know it’s driving time.
(Steering again.)
Beep Beep

Little Seed      

Entered by Dosse, Carol on 5/14/2008.
Format: fingerplay

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity

Presentation Notes:

A Little Seed

A little seed, so soft and round.
(Fingers form a circle.)

I’ll dig a hole, and lay you down,
(Digging motion)

You may rest, beneath the ground.
(Cup one hand, lay other over it.)

Until your leaves come up,
(Point up.)

And your roots go down.
(Point down.)

Sometimes I like to curl up in a ball      

Entered by Dosse, Carol on 5/13/2008.
Format:
ISBN: 0806979437

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

A small wombat shares actions he enjoys doing. Acting out the words along with reading reinforces phonological awareness, as well as encouraging an action break. When reading to a group, the actions can be modified; for example, rather than running in circles, we twirled in place.

The Cheese Chase      

Entered by Brennan, Catherine on 5/9/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 1592980597

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity
Narrative Skills

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

In case you ever wondered why dogs chase cats, now you can find out in this story. The dynamic illustration on the front cover may invite the curious to practise their narrative skills by explaining that the dog is chasing the cat, and to wonder why? (Or respond to the storyteller asking why.) This begins as a story of friendship and sharing, but sooon progresses to its inevitable conclusion. The repetition of the song about carrying the cheese with the change of a single word, presents the opportunity to practise phonological awareness, of which the dog shows that he is acutely aware.

Round like a ball      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 5/9/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9781934706015

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Letter Knowledge
Vocabulary

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

The whole family, including the dog, tries to guess what’s round like a ball and beautiful and always moving and wet and dry and home to us all. This beautifully illustrated book is a great way to introduce the concept of Earth to preschoolers. It includes other unusual words, like nourishing and surrounded, as well. You may want to encourage your audience to read along with you as you trace the phrase “It’s round like a ball” on every page. This book is also a great reminder of the value of referring to items by their shapes, which researchers tell us increases letter recognition skills. You may want to play a variant of “Eye Spy” saying “What’s flat like a pancake?” etc.

Round like a ball      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 5/9/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9781934706015

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Letter Knowledge
Vocabulary

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

The whole family, including the dog, tries to guess what’s round like a ball and beautiful and always moving and wet and dry and home to us all. This beautifully illustrated book is a great way to introduce the concept of Earth to preschoolers. It includes other unusual words, like nourishing and surrounded, as well. You may want to encourage your audience to read along with you as you trace the phrase “It’s round like a ball” on every page. This book is also a great reminder of the value of referring to items by their shapes, which researchers tell us increases letter recognition skills. You may want to play a variant of “Eye Spy” saying “What’s flat like a pancake?” etc.

The Gift      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 5/9/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 091629191X

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Mr. and Mrs. Goodparents are thoroughly challenged by the question of what to get Mikie for his birthday. Pondering it in their Thinking Chair, they developed three problems, including a pain in their bottoms and a pain in their heads. As you turn the pages filled with gentle humor, your listeners will enjoy describing the pictures. After you finish reading the book, you may want to go back through the pictures so your listeners can tell YOU the story, reinforcing their narrative skills.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy      

Entered by Pederson, Anne on 5/7/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0399247491

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Print Awareness
Narrative Skills

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Henry has an appetite for books--literally! This amazing young boy goes through dictionaries, atlases and story books at an alarming pace. Will he become the smartest boy in the world by osmosis? Oliver Jeffers presents another out-of-the-ordinary tale that stimulates the mind and tugs at the heart strings. His illustrations are quite stunning in their juxtaposition of disparate elements. He is also unafraid to present an off-the-wall narrative, which kids may not relate to, but immediately respond to. As audiences become aware of the book's formatting, see how quickly they notice something odd happening to the book at the end. With Henry around, print awareness is not just an early literacy skill, but also a survival tool!

Down by the Station      

Entered by Boss, Jane on 5/3/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0152018042

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Adapted from a traditional children's song, Down by the Station is a whimsical vision of the question: what happens at the zoo in the hours before it opens? The cumulative refrain builds a symphonic chorus that begs for audience participation and builds print motivation. The many animals and their animal babies in the story provide a chance to build vocabulary skills. Repetitive text expands phonological awareness, and singing the story to the tune of "Little Bunny Foo Foo" is a powerful way to build narrative skills. Adults will enjoy the opportunity to particpate, too!

Chickens to the Rescue      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 5/2/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9780805079517

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

As the Greenstalk family goes through the week, each family member confronts a problem. Dropped your watch in the well, too tired to make dinner, dog ate your book report? The family chickens can fix them all. First, you can ask your listeners how they would solve a problem. “What would you do if you dropped your watch in a well?” This exercise in dialogic reading will increase their narrative skills. Then, print motivation and phonological awareness can be enhanced by having the audience cheer along “Chickens to the rescue” punctuated with a loud chicken clucks after each rescue. You can also review the days of the week, asking “Which day comes after Monday?” etc.

The Contest Between the Sun and the Wind      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 5/2/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9780874838329

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

The dedication “This book is dedicated to Peace Makers everywhere” provides readers with an excuse to review those parts of books we often skip over quickly, and a reminder to review book handling skills, part of critical early literacy narrative skills. Try, “Should I open it this way to start reading?” (holding the book upside down and backwards). This beautifully illustrated Aesop fable invites listeners into the wide-ranging world full of talking animals in fables, tall tales and fairy tales. These fanciful stories spark print motivation for listeners and readers, and the possibility of applying the morals and themes to their own lives, after some fun discussions.

Joey and Jet in Space      

Entered by Brennan, Catherine on 5/2/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 9780689869273

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Print Awareness
Narrative Skills
Vocabulary

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Joey pursues his dog Jet after Jet takes off after his bone. The pictures, also by author James Yang, give a marvelous sense of floating through an outer space filled with vehicles, creatures and the occaisional planet. The text appears all over the pages in different orientations which makes it perfect for pointing to for directing print awareness. Storytime participants like to come up with their own ideas for the objects and creatures ("They're robots" "They're aliens") and draw on their vocabulary. They will also enjoy exercising their narrative skills, explaining what happened when Joey's space helmet is replaced by a football helmet just before lunch.

Itsy Bitsy, the Smart Spider      

Entered by Pederson, Anne on 4/30/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0803729014

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity
Narrative Skills

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

"Yikes!" said the Spider.
"I've got to use my brain
And figure out a way
To not get wet again."

The spider fights back in this delightful twist on the traditional Itsy Bitsy Spider. Kids know the song and probably have a sense of the rhyming words like "spout" and "out." This book expands phonological sensitivity by introducing further rhymes, reinforced if you sing. The author also promotes narrative skills by creating a beginning, middle and end to the story. What is IB's dilemma? How does she solve it? Charise Mericle Harper turns the nursery rhyme on its head and audiences are thrilled to join her for the ride.

Mother Goose Numbers on the Loose      

Entered by Pederson, Anne on 4/30/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0152056769

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Print Awareness
Phonological Sensitivity

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Behold the wonderful, wacky world of Mother Goose, given off-the-wall treatment by Leo and Diane Dillon. Nursery rhymes of varying lengths jump out at the reader thanks to colored or bolded text. Children love to join in when they recognize the rhyme, but they are thoroughly engaged throughout by new tales and especially the funny pictures. Nursery rhymes are ideal for expanding vocabulary and phonological sensitivity. For instance, watch the kids light up when you introduce tongue twisters like "Wibbleton, Wobbleton" and "Hickery, Dickery." This Mother Goose stays true to the original rhymes while also feeding the imagination with fresh imagery.

If Frogs made Weather      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 4/29/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 0823416224

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Phonological Sensitivity
Vocabulary

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Hop right over to this book that has it all—pictures to delight the eye and text to delight the ear. Onomatopoeia abound, along with opportunities to practice counting and spot the child on every page. You can also review animal names by having your listeners identify the animals assembled on the final pages of the book, and talk about the seasons and weather, and why each animal prefers the weather it does.

Black Bar, Loon & Walleye      

Entered by Woodwick, Susan on 4/29/2008.
Format: book
Language: English
ISBN: 1592981631

Skills Featured: (click for definition)

Narrative Skills
Print Motivation

Find a Copy!

Presentation Notes:

Children and adults enjoy the story of black bear, loon and walleye, who admire each others coats, and then swap them. Very young children are able to appreciate how silly the animals look with their “new” coats. (When Black Bear gets a glittery trout coat, he looks and poses like John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever.) This original story is a fable, complete with a moral, providing opportunities for discussions about envy and appreciating one’s own gifts, as well as retelling of the story. Midwesterners, particularly Minnesotans, will enjoy reading about animals they may see in the wild.