Pinkalicious

This weekend I will be hosting a Pinkalicious Party at the library for kids 4 and up. If you are not familiar with Pinkalicious - she is an imaginative little girl who loves cupcakes, star wands, and of course the color pink. The series written and illustrated by Elizabeth Kann is perfect for children who like bright colorful illustrations mixed with humor and magic. Pinkalicious celebrates not only the color pink, but also about being true to yourself.  If you have a fan of the color pink in your home - pick up one of the colorful books in the Pinkalicious series. Check out more about Pinkalicious at http://www.thinkpinkalicious.com.

What will win the Caldecott?

I am ending 2011 with my thoughts on what picture book will win the 2012 Caldecott medal in a few weeks. I will begin 2012 sharing Caldecott winners with my classes and also hosting a mock-Calecott vote with second graders. After spending the year reading almost all of the contenders - here are my picks...

Me..Jane by Patrick McDonnell

A wonderful picture book biography about Jane Goodall and one of my favorite books of the year. If this doesn't win a medal I will be surprised.

A Ball for Daisy by Chris Raschka

A wordless story about a dog and a ball that is from a previous Caldecott winner. My kids loved this one - and they couldn't believe they could "read" the story without any words.

Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage

Another wordless story about a walrus hiding in a city. Clever story.

Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman

 The illustrations bring this book to another level. I did not love the story, but the concept is very creative.



We will find out the results on January 23, 2012. As for my New Year's Resolution - it is to post in this blog atleast once a month.

Happy New Year!!!!

Summer Reading Lists for Kindergarten

We have been busy with Summer Reading. The public library where I work part-time has a very easy summer reading incentive program. The kids receive a prize for every 5 books read by themselves or read to. For kids going into kindergarten this is usually an easy task as most are still beginning readers. My kids have enjoyed many of the books on their summer reading list sent to us by the elementary school librarian.  I do wish the list had more current titles, but there are over 50 books to chose from. Our favorites so far:
1. Jessica by Kevin Henkes -  a great getting ready for kindergarten book with a surprise ending!
2. Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee - a magician and a bear filled with imagination and problem solving.
3. Traction Man is Here by Mini Grey - a great comic book adventure
4. Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells - Max and Ruby and a Worm Cake.
5. The Three Pigs by Wiesner -  a Caldecott favorite with pigs escaping their own story.

Let's Hear It for Vegetables!

I have a five year old that simply will not eat any vegetables. I have tried and tried, but nope he is not going to eat any - he promises me maybe when he is six. His twin sister however eats many vegetables and she tries to encourage her brother - but so far nothing is working. I thought that we could cheer about vegetables when I read aloud the new book Rah Rah Radishes by April Pulley Sayre. This is a great book to use in food or community units. The  vibrant photographs of vegetables at a farmers market are accompanied by a rhyming chant - " Oh Boy Bok Choy Brussel Sprouts - Broccoli, Cauliflower Shout it Out!"   Rhyming books are wonderful for beginning readers and the clever chant makes you want to break out the poms poms! After reading the book my son asked - "Well where is the fruit?  - I like fruit".  Ms. Sayre - my son is waiting for Go, Go, Grapes: a Fruit Chant (out next year). In addition, Ms. Sayre has listed some excellent extension activities to go along with this book and even included the Science standards. She also has several other chant books that sound like a great way to encourage partner reading or reading fluency. Rah Rah!!!

The perfect author study for Kindergarten and it isn't Mo...

I love Mo Willems. He is my favorite children's picture book author/illustrator. I think my kids love him as much as I do. I also love picture book author/illustrator Jan Thomas. In my new position as a one day a week library media specialist I am going to do an author study of Jan Thomas with Kindergarten. I think her books have that Mo Willems humor mixed with the funny comic book looking  animal illustrations. I also think she is not as well known to the 5 year old crowd as Mo is. If you aren't familar with her books - start with Rhyming Dust Bunnies or What Will Fat Cat Sit On? I guarantee your kids will beg for repeated readings. She also follows the interactive format where the kids are involved in the story - especially with Can You Make a Scary Face?  Her website has the most incredible book activites perfect for beginning readers and writers. I am most excited for her 3 new books coming out in the next few months. Next time you are looking for some funny read alouds - try Jan!

Miss Bindergarten Series by Joseph Slate

I don't know any Kindergarten teacher that doesn't own a copy of Miss Bindergarten. I was actually saving Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate to read to my kids this summer, but their Preschool teacher shared it last week.  Now my kids want to read the entire Miss Bindergarten series. The first Miss Bindergarten is a fun getting ready for Kindergarten story. The illustrations by Ashley Wolfe add to the cute rhyming ABC book. The additional titles in the series are wonderful to read throughout the year. Miss Bindergarten Stays Home From Kindergarten prepares students for having a substitute teacher, Miss Bindergarten Takes a Field Trip with Kindergarten is great for pointing out community helpers, and Miss Bindergarten Has A Wild Day in Kindergarten shows how exhausting a day in Kindergarten can be. The additional titles include the 100th day of school celebration with Miss Bindergaten Celebrates the 100th Day of Kindergarten, and Miss Bindergarten Plans a Circus with Kindergarten showing how fun learning can be.  Finally, Miss Bindergarten ends the exciting year in Miss Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten. You can find additional information about Joseph Slate and Ashley Wolfe on their websites. There is a great activity guide to go along with each of these books. I love collecting book character dolls and I own the Miss Bindergarten doll by Merrymakers Inc.

**  And yes the title for my blog is a spin on Miss Bindergarten!.

A couple of new read alouds for the 5 year old crowd...

I am always trying to find great picture books that are wonderful to read aloud, but also present great ways to include activities perfect for kindergarteners.  The first book I fell in love with is...

I love a book that appeals to a wide audience and that includes the element of art mixed with an adventure story. Perfect Square by author/illustrator Michael Hall starts out as a red square with four equal sides, but it ends up being transformed way beyond its perfect square. This book would be a great way to have students "be the illustrator" and allow them to use construction paper squares to create different objects or scenes similar to the illustrations in the story. This one is a must for every public and elementary library. 

I am always looking for a great book to use to point out what makes a book fiction and what makes a book non-fiction.  This concept is very difficult for 5 year olds. Cloudette by Tom Litchenheld is a wonderful story about a little cloud searching for big and important things that clouds do only to find out that sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference.  The  illustrations are very bright and cheery and the story flows nicely into discussing what makes Cloudette a fictional story. I would pair this with a simple non-fiction book about clouds to have kids begin to understand the difference between this fictional cloud and real clouds.