Monday, May 28, 2012

The Tale of Benjamin Bunny by Beatrix Potter

Recently a young friend received a bunny as a pet.  She named it Benjamin. 
I couldn't resist sharing this title.

When Mr. McGregor and his wife leave home in their gig, Benjamin Bunny and his cousin Peter Rabbit venture into Mr. McGregor's garden to retrieve the clothes Peter lost there in The Tale of Peter Rabbit. They find the clothes on a scarecrow, but Peter is apprehensive about lingering in the garden because of his previous experience. Benjamin delays their departure by gathering onions, which he wraps in Peter's handkerchief. He then takes a casual stroll around the garden, followed by an increasingly nervous Peter.
Rounding a corner, they see a cat and hide under a basket, but the cat then sits on top of the basket for hours, trapping the pair. Benjamin's father enters the garden looking for his son. He drives the cat from the basket and locks her in the greenhouse, then frees Benjamin and Peter, and punishes them for going to Mr. McGregor's garden by whipping them with a switch he had brought. Once home, Peter gives the onions to his mother, who forgives his adventure because he has recovered his clothes. Following his return, Mr. McGregor is puzzled by the scarecrow's missing clothes and the cat locked in the greenhouse.[3]

Here is the link to download the audio http://lightupyourbrain.com/stories/audio-story-the-tale-of-benjamin-bunny/ as well as a video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ADNQ-dI5EEY

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Let's Get Ready for Memorial Day - Memorial Day Books for Kids Memorial Day Books for Kids - Let's Get Ready for Memorial Day Let's Get Ready for Memorial Day by Lloyd G. Douglas

A girl's class prepares for Memorial Day by learning about the holiday from their teacher and making flags, and later she goes to a war memorial with her father to honor those who died.


Here are some more - http://barnredbooks.blogspot.com/2010/05/memorial-day-books-for-kids.html

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Where the Wild Things Are . . .

Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak has become a classic. Winner of the 1964 Caldecott Medal as the "Most Distinguished Picture Book of the Year," it was first published by HarperCollins in 1963. When the book was written, the theme of dealing with dark emotions was rare in children's literature, especially in picture book format for young children.

Maurice Sendak dies at 83, author of 'Where the Wild Things Are'

The endearingly popular children's book illustrator and writer radically changed the genre with tales of outsized monsters and frolicsome humor that tapped into the fears of childhood. He also collaborated on numerous operas, films and TV programs.

http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-maurice-sendak-20120509,0,4823266.story


Sunday, May 6, 2012

A Ride on Mother's Back: A Day of Baby Carrying around the World by Emery Bernhard, Durga Bernhard (Illustrator)

Happy Mother's Day!
Explores the ways in which people from a variety of cultures carry their young ones, and describes what children see and learn as they are carried. As her mother makes tortillas, a Guatemalan infant is rocked in a shawl tied around her mother's body. Riding in a sling balanced on his grandfather's hip, a young boy watches his father gather honey in the rain forest of central Africa. A section of notes, with background information and interesting tidbits about each culture, is offered in an appendix.  Here are some other titles - http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/mothers-day/kids-books/a-ride-on-mothers-back.html