Birds

"If birds made marks with their tail feathers when they flew, think what the sky would look like...

Sometimes, in winter, a bird in a tree looks like one red leaf left over.

If there are lots of birds in one tree and they all fly away at the same time, it looks like the tree yelled, SURPRISE!"

- BIRDS by Kevin Henkes

Madison author, Henkes, collaborates with illustrator and mother of his children, Laura Dronzek, on this recently-published book that takes an interesting look at our fine feathered friends.

We may not be able to fly like most birds, but read this book to find out what we do share in common with BIRDS!

Join us this May as we read this and other books about birds...

BABY BIRD'S FIRST NEST by Frank Asch
WHOO GOES THERE? by Jennifer Ericsson
FEEDING THE GULLS by Deanna Calvert
THREE DUCKS WENT WANDERING by Ron Roy
PENGUINS, PENGUINS, EVERYWHERE! by Bob Barner
DO LIKE A DUCK DOES! by Judy Hindley
SILLY LITTLE GOOSE! by Nancy Tafuri
HAVE YOU EVER DONE THAT? by Julie Larios
OWL BABIES by Martin Waddell
ARE YOU MY MOTHER? by P.D. Eastman
WHAT'S INSIDE? by May Garelick

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

"When I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day."
- Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst

I remember reading once that books can be like a good friend to a child. If so, this one was a friend to me. Even as an adult in the midst of a bad day I sometimes recite to myself, "I think I'll move to Australia." And as a parent now, I've relied on Alexander plenty of times to help soften the edges of my daughter's misfortunes. The more disappointing the misfortunes, the more dramatic the read aloud; and we both feel better for having read it. The power of literature!

So after countless readings for both of us, I can hardly wait to sit beside my child on Mother's Day and watch as First Stage Children's Theater brings it all to life for us!

Stay tuned for a review...

Above Us, in the Sky

The sun shines.
Rainbows shimmer.
Airplanes fly.
Rain drips.
Clouds float.
Snow falls.
The moon glows.

-from ABOVE US, IN THE SKY, part of the three never-before-published board book set, ALL AROUND US by Eric Carle

Inspired by the beauty and simplicity of this book, this month we look up to celebrate the SKY!

Other books we'll read:

LITTLE CLOUD by Eric Carle
WAITING FOR WINGS by Lois Ehlert
BIRDS by Kevin Henkes
GOODNIGHT MOON by Margaret Wise Brown
THE STARS WILL STILL SHINE by Cynthia Rylant
LIKE A WINDY DAY by Frank Asch
UP! by Kristine O'Connell George
FLYING by Donald Crews
RAIN by Manya Stojic
A RAINBOW OF MY OWN by Don Freeman
IT LOOKED LIKE SPILT MILK by Charles Shaw

Stars, birds, wind, and clouds... There's so much above us to read, sing, and rhyme about this April! Hope you can join us...