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...

A Flyer's Lullaby

This month we learned that a mother kangaroo is a FLYER. A father kangaroo is called a BOOMER. And a baby kangaroo is a JOEY, of course!

Miss Sarah taught us "kangaroo" in Spanish, EL CANGURO. And that MI CANGURO means "my kangaroo." In February she taught us, "I love you." TE AMO. So that became The Flyer's Lullaby, (to the tune of Oh My Darlin' Clementine)...

Mi canguro, mi canguro, mi canguuuro, te amo.
Te amo, mi canguro.
Mi canguro, te amo.

And our I'm a Kangaroo Mum song, to I'm a Little Teapot...

I'm a kangaroo mum, long tail and FLAP.
Here is my joey and here is where he'll NAP.
When he gets really sleepy, he'll crawl inSIDE.
What a great place to nap and RIDE.

What a fun month it's been!

Photo credit

KANGAROOS Have Joeys

"Seals have pups
Pigs have piglets
Deer have fawns
Eagles have eaglets"

With a simple rhyming text and vibrant illustrations, KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS is the perfect introduction for children to animals and their offspring. Zimbabwean artist Philippa-Alys Browne has created a stunning series of full-page images, each with a border design that reflects one of the cultures to which the animal belongs. For parents and older children, the book also features fact-filled notes on the lifestyle and breeding patterns of each animal.

- KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS by Philippa-Alys Browne, blurb (just learned this term today from Evelyn the Tosa librarian)

Spring is around the corner and soon nature will be teeming with new life! This month we'll read, sing, and rhyme about ANIMAL BABIES. Can't wait to share some interesting animal baby facts I've learned from this book.

A big thanks to the Milwaukee Zoological Society Education Department for the use of their copy of KANGAROOS HAVE JOEYS this month!

A Good CUDDLE

"Everybody likes a good cuddle...
Monkeys cuddle gently
and turtles cuddle slowly.
Ducks cuddle with their beaks
and elephants cuddle with their trunks."
- THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten

Join us this month as celebrate the joy of cuddling!

We'll read:

THE CUDDLE BOOK by Guido Van Genechten
CAN YOU CUDDLE LIKE A KOALA? by John Butler
A NAP IN A LAP by Sarah Wilson
KISS KISS! by Margaret Wild
I LOVE YOU BECAUSE YOU'RE YOU by Liza Baker
THE MOST PRECIOUS THING by Gill Lewis
MY BEAUTIFUL CHILD by Lisa Desimini & Matt Mahurin
ONLY YOU by Robin Cruise
HOLD MY HAND: FIVE STORIES OF LOVE & FAMILY by Charlotte Zolotow

Nothing says "come cuddle" like a warm, wonderful book. Hope you can join us in February...

The YEAR OF THE TIGER

Who is the beast?
Who can it be?
I see no beast,
I just see me.
- WHO IS THE BEAST? by Kevin Baker

The lush illustrations, the tiger's ever-changing facial expressions, and the beautiful message of finding similarities in those who seem different...I adore every inch of this book!

What fun we had this month reading it as a way of bringing in the Chinese New Year of the Tiger! We anticipated the rhyming words, we counted paws, and we learned the sign for tiger!

And a great big thank you to my book holders who helped me manage the big book version (available for check-out at the Tosa Library!).

A YEAR Goes Round

"The days go dancing, one by one. When seven pass, a week is done...

The moon comes up, the sun goes down, and month by month a year goes round."

- from Month By Month a Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields

It's hard to believe that we're at the top of another new year together. Looking back at photos such as this one from last January, it is exciting to see how much the little ones have grown!

This month we'll celebrate the passage of time by reading, rhyming, and singing about the days of the week and the months of the year.

BOOKS WE'LL READ:

Month By Month A Year Goes Round by Carol Diggory Shields
In the Town All Year 'Round by Rotraut Susanne Berner
A Year in the Country by Douglas Florian
A Kitten's Year by Nancy Rainies Day
Calendarbears: A Book of Months by Kathleen Hague
Today is Monday by Eric Carle
Turnover Tuesday by Phyllis Root
One Windy Wednesday by Phyllis Root
Every Friday by Dan Yaccarino
Friday My Radio Flyer Flew by Zachary Pullen
Molly's Seasons by Ellen Kandoian

And in honor of the Chinese "Year of the Tiger"...

Who Is the Beast? by Keith Baker (big book version!)

Looking forward to another year of reading, rhyming, and singing with you!