Week 6: BOOKS!

1. This Is Not a Picture Book by Sergio Ruzzier

This book is about a duckling who happens to find a book, which he attempts to appreciate but cannot because he is disappointed that the book has no pictures for him to enjoy. The book emphasizes that anyone who can read a little can still learn to enjoy books with no pictures because the words are still rich with meaning.

2. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

This is a fun book for children to interact with as they must tell the pigeon "No!" and that he cannot drive the bus. It is full of statements, questions, and commands for them to observe.

3. Tanka Tanka Skunk! by Steve Webb

Tanka Tanka Skunk is a rhyming book that encourages children to read aloud and enjoy its rhythm. It causes children to count along with the syllables, or beats, of the words.

4. Circus Vowels: The Long and the Short of It by Jodi L McMaster

The is a colorful and useful book written by a first grade teacher that focuses on the long and short vowel sounds. It makes it easier for children to decipher between the two in reading and writing. I just wish the English language always followed its own rules.

5. The Vowel Family: A Tale of Lost Letters by Sally M. Walker

This book is very interesting because it explores the importance of vowels in the English language. The summary reads: "Meet an unusual family with some very special children: Alan, Ellen, Iris, Otto, and Ursula. Sometimes they're visited by their very special aunt, Cyndy. As each child is born, the family becomes more complete--and each additional Vowel also makes the text easier to read! Because if you can imagine life without the Vowels, tlkng wld b vr hrd. Rdng wld b pzzlng. Are you ready to play the Vowel game?" I would use this for enrichment purposes because the text can be difficult to read.

6. Itchy, Itchy Chicken Pox by Grace Maccarone

This story is obviously about a boy who is figuring out how to cope with chicken pox. I added this to a lesson plan so that I could point out words that contained vowel digraphs.

7. The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

This adorable book follows an increasingly hungry caterpillar who eats his way to becoming a beautiful butterfly. I would use this after the Caterpillar Cut Out activity/lesson about sentences to link it to science later on.

8. Sing by Tom Lichtenheld

This song follows the lyrics to the Sing song from Sesame Street. I see my class and I singing this song together along with the pages of the book while we pay attention to the ING and the sound it makes.

9. I'm Not Cute! by Jonathan Allen

This is a sweet book about a little owl who doesn't want to admit that he's cute. He'd rather look tough and aggressive, but then he soon realizes that being cute isn't so bad, at least to his mother.

10. Do Unto Otters by Laurie Keller

This is one of my favorites which teaches children about manners and how to treat their neighbors without judging them. It's easy to make lessons with this, especially life lessons for the classroom.

Are y'all familiar with these books? Do you have a favorite?