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.

Press Here by Herve Tullet

I love interactive picture books. This trend is something that became very popular with the Pigeon series, and now there are many of these "you are part of the book" picture books. The new picture book by French author/illustrator Herve Tullet, Press Here is as interactive as any digital picture book out there. I just finished reading it aloud to my kids when they begged to read it again. It begins with simple instructions to press a yellow dot, which leads to more dots, which leads to the reader having to tap, clap, blow, and shake along with the dots. It's like a video game in print form. It is great for reading to a class of Kindergarteners as there are enough pages in the book for each student to have a turn interacting. It is such a clever book that I am surprised nobody has thought of it before. Love it!  Check out the book trailer as well.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid for Kindergarten?

Yesterday, I was a birthday party for a friend's son who happens to be in kindergarten. He is a typical 6 year old who is a beginning reader and is starting to sound out words. He was busy opening his presents, and amid all of the toys and games were 2 books - Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth and Big Nate. Now, I love when someone buys books for birthday presents - it is sharing the gift of reading in the truest sense. The puzzled look on my face was the fact that these two books were purchased for a 6 year old.  I know that not everyone is a children's literature expert, and maybe the fact that these books were on the children's best seller list was the main reason behind the purchase. But what to do about actually reading these books? I love Diary of a Wimpy Kid and I really do not believe that you have to be in middle school to enjoy the series. I do think that you have to have a bit more school experience to truly understand the school related dilemmas and funny situations. I find that a kindergartener would relate more to the character  of Manny than to Greg. As a read aloud it could work, but limited to just looking at the cartoonish illustrations. Big Nate is also a series that just doesn't work for a 6 year old. Now of course these books can be saved for when the child is actually reading chapter books, but what about now? There are so many wonderful beginning to read series that a 6 year old would enjoy. I was really bummed - but it goes to show you that if you want to buy some good books for a six year old - ask a librarian!

Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

Picture book biographies are perfect for the K-2 grades and Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell is simply perfect. Patrick McDonnell, creator of the comic series MUTTS, has written several picture books, but this is his first picture book biography. Me..Jane is a simplistic biography about Jane Goodall and her childhood dream of helping animals. The adorable watercolor illustrations along with the minimal text is perfect for a read aloud for biography units or during Women's History Month. The inclusion of Jane's stuffed animal chimpanzee Jubilee and their bond is especially heartwarming as they explore the curiousity of nature together. Mr. McDonnell's website includes a detailed interview on he created Me...Jane. I was pleased  to find book related activities perfect for Kindergarten students and even a contest to enter.

Mrs McTats and her Houseful of Cats - Alyssa Satin Capucilli

There are many wonderful authors who write for the early childhood grades, but one of my favorite authors for Kindergarten is Alyssa Satin Capucilli. She is the author of over 40 children's books ranging from her popular Biscuit and Katy Duck series to her numerous picture books and beginning readers. One of my favorite picture books by Mrs. Capucilli that I recently revisited is Mrs. McTats and her Houseful of Cats (2001).  This is a very clever book because it appears to be a cute rhyming story about cats,  but as you continue on there is counting and addition, and wait - it's an ABC book too!  I find that Kindergarten is the perfect grade to share this book because they will completely understand the ending of the story as most 3 and 4 year olds will miss it (my 4 year old  twins needed an explanation).

 In 2004, I had the opportunity to host Mrs. Capucilli for an author visit at my elementary school. She engaged the children with her presentation on how she writes her Biscuit books, and she was very warm and inviting during the book signing.  Her website has a wonderful array of information about her latest books, and even a readers theater on Mrs. McTats. I'm looking forward to reading more from this imaginative author.

The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies

My daughter loves Tinkerbell. I was looking around the library for a fairy book that was appropriate for preschoolers, but wasn't Disney related. The Tiptoe Guide to Tracking Fairies by Ammi-Joan Paquette is a perfect picture book for the Fairy Lover in your life. Although you cannot tell from the so-so cover illustration, this book is a mix of art and photography. The story invites kids to have a backyard adventure searching for fairies who might be right outside your front door - hiding in tulips or in trees. A great story to read in the Spring or Summer as this prompted my own kids to go outside and search for fairies while also exploring nature.

The publisher Tanglewood Press has included a teacher's guide. The last page of the guide has a Nature Walk - cute to fill in with your kids while tracking fairies!!!

Ultimate Blog Party

I'm ready to party!!!  This is my first time participating in the Ultimate Blog Party from 5 Minutes for Mom. Hello to any new readers of my blog! I'm Simone and I  write this blog to share my love of children's books with everyone. I am a mom of 4 year old twins (boy/girl) and they are headed to Kindergarten next year. As a children's librarian and former school librarian I know a great deal about great kindergarten books. If you have children heading to Kindergarten soon - follow my blog and share your favorite books with us. Thanks for visiting!