Books the kidies will love!

The following three books, I just cannot get enough of. They are amazing young children's books for your child and you to read at home together! Feel free to take my lessons, and shape them to your own with your child at home! Enjoy :)

1. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by: Bill Martin Jr. & John Archambault

This fun book is about the creative ways of reciting the familiar words of the alphabet chant, that young children can practice their letter with.

When I was a young reader, I specifically remember reading this book in my Kindergarten classroom, We always used to fight over this book, and who would read it aloud to the class. This was by far my favorite book growing up

I will use this book in an alphabet unit, helping your emerging readers practice the alphabet letter sounds, and rhyming schemes as well. I will create a Velcro coconut tree to hang on the front board of the classroom, and will make Velcro alphabet letters for students to come up to the board and stick on the tree the order they appear in the story, and how high they actually can get on the tree. We will read the story as a class and students will volunteer to come up to the front and place the letters in their appropriate places on the tree. This will help with reading comprehension, and satisfy the kinesthetic learners to see how the story would actually go if it were right there, tangibly in front of them. I know what you're thinking, I would do anything to have this much fun with a book back in 1st grade!...Yes, me too!

2. The Best Single Mom in the World: How I Was Adopted by: Mary Zisk

In this story, parent and child share in the telling of the mother's work with an agency to find "a child to adopt, to love, and take care of forever".

I really like this book because it gives children a sense of what adoption is, that some fellow peers of their may be adopted, and can give a good moral story about how even though this little girl’s mother in the story is not her biological mother, she still loves her very much and more than ever.

I will use this book during a family unit in the classroom, showing students that maybe not everyone always has two parents, and that some of their friends may be adopted, showing that it is okay, and that they are just like everyone else. I will do this by having a “bring your parent into school” day, where students will be encouraged to bring their parent(s), or parent figure into school for a show and tell. We will have a fun field day after we share some about each family. I will send home a letter with the child explaining the assignment. PS!- This is also a fantastic multicultural story.

3. Do You Want to be My Friend? by: Eric Carle

This story follows a little mouse asking all sorts of animals is they want to be his friend.

I love Eric Carle as a children’s author and love his work, in his word and wordless books. I love the illustrations and find the story and pictures cute for elementary level students to imagine a story that can go along.

I will use this book in either an animal or friendship unit. I can use it to display many animals in the book, and also to show children the importance of making and having friends, and how to ask politely for friendship. In implementing the friendship unit/ lesson, I will first ask students if they have ever tried to become friends with someone new or if anyone has ever tired to become their friend. When? How could they tell? What did they do (smile, say kind words, sit near by, etc?) How did they feel? As a class we will then recite a friendship poem (friends care, friends share, we need friends everywhere!)