Catherine, Called Birdy by Karen Cushman

The scene is a manor house in England in 1290 and Catherine, the wilful, stubborn and delightful daughter of Sir Rollo and Lady Aislinn, has been asked, by her brother the monk, to keep a journal and these are her daily entries for one important year in her life.
This is a great book to introduce teens to historical fiction.  Mostly considered a "girl" book, check out some discussion questions, activities and thoughts.  If you are intriguied by castles, the middle ages and cooking.  Check it out.

Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher

When the substitute for Mr. "Fab" Fabiano never shows up and his sixth-grade students are on their own, they set out to prove that they can run the class by themselves. With a little ingenuity and some careful planning, they might just succeed. But when a fight breaks out between Bastian Fauvell and Rachel White over a classmate, Tommy Feathers, who died six months earlier, everything begins to fall apart. Can Rachel deal with the anxieties that plunged her into silence the day Tommy died? Inventive and uniquely constructed, "Flying Solo" follows Mr. Fab's students hour by hour as they tackle the challenges of an unusual school day. Check out the author's website  which includes tips for readers and writers.

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

A lesser known book by this wonderful author and illutrator.  Poetic but simple text and lovely collage pictures dramatize the life cycle of all plants, as one tiny seed grows into an enormous sunflower, which then produces more seeds in its turn. These classroom activities could be used to enhance the reading experience. A slide show, computer activities and more  are available as well.  Happy Planting ..................

Tomie di Paola books

Whenever I am searching for a gift for a child, I can never pass up any of Tomie di Paola's books, so of course I could not select just one title to share with you.  Whether it is a love for a grandparent (check out Nana Upstairs, Nana Downstairs, Tom or Now One Foot, Now the Other), a fondness for drawing (The Art Lesson), legends and folktales (The Legend of the Indian Paintbrush), a new holiday story (Strega Nona or An Early American Christmas) or the stories of Bill and Pete (Bill and Pete Go Down the Nile), his stories and illustrations will be sure to become some of a child's (and your) favorites. He even has coloring pages for readers to share their creativity. All are wonderful read alouds with great opportunities for discussions, sharing and connections.

Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Ages 2 to 6:  Planting a Rainbow is a delightful book that will show children the wonderful process of growing a garden and recognizing the colors of the rainbow.  They will delight in the colorful and simple pictures as they "travel" from picking flower bulbs in the fall, buying seeds and seedlings and how a garden is planned.  Then they will see the bulbs sprout and the seeds germinate, and in the end they create a beautiful rainbow of flowers.  They learn about different flowers by their colors and how water, soil, and sun are necessary for plants to grow. For some Pre-School activities in Science, Math and Language Arts look at http://www.brighthub.com/education/early-childhood/articles/40846.aspx.  Stay tuned for more books from this writer.

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss

I was first introduced to this book by a wonderfully gifted kindergarten teacher when I happened to stop in her classroom one day to do a  formal observation.  Children learn about counting, rhyming, and different musical instruments in a clever story format.  Some great family activities are jumping off points as well, after reading. This is a fun story for listening to different sounds, identifying the object that makes the sound and developing sound patterns, all precursors to beginning reading, following oral directions and school readiness.  Have fun!

Happy Easter

Spring, Spring, Spring ..................many stories to highlight this holiday!  Whether you are into crafty things, the religious connections or just some great, fun wonderfully illustrated stories, an opportunity to read and spend time with your young sweeties!

Patricia Palacco's story about Rechenka's  Eggs tells about the tradition of beautifully painted eggs and the gift of friendship.  We'll highlight other stories from this wonderful author in future posts.









Jan Brett, too, of course has a great story as well. "Spring is everywhere in gorgeous illustrations framed with pussy willows, flowering vines and flowers. Side borders feature busy rabbits making their unusual eggs and, in a border above, the Robin’s family drama unfolds."  Check out the video.

An of course, there is The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes by Dubose Heyward, Marjorie Flack (Illustrator).  The quintessential Easter book  The Country Bunny and the Little Golden Shoes, first published in 1939 and is a true classic.