Book Review: Always By My Side

Always By My Side by Susan Kerner

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Tear-filled Smiles

Recommends for readers of Love You Forever by Robert Munsch and Your Moon, My Moon: A Grandmother's Words to a Faraway Child by Patricia MacLachlan

Summary: Children share ways to remember their fathers in rhyming text.

Review: The story begins with a very young child looking out the window answering the unasked question, "Where's your daddy?" His answer is lyrical, "He's in me and around me, never far away."

The illustrations depict a vibrant range of children, both emotionally and ethnically. Each finds a way to see their fathers everyday in the nature and people who surround them. The book is a gentle approach to death. The final scene of the book shows the same little boy from the beginning sleeping next to a photo of his father. I love the continuity of ending with the same character and the sense of peace it creates.

Sensitive Readers Beware: This book may bring up lots of questions about death, it did with my 4-year-old. If you are not ready to breach this subject, you may want to save reading this book until that time comes.

WMCIR: Every Little Thing

I am one of those moms who has struggled with getting her little one to sleep. My safest bet to lull him into oblivion has always been reggae music. I'm not sure if it's the rhythm, instruments or lyrics, but it works every time. One of my favorite songs to sing is "Three Little Birds" by Bob Marley. 

Cedella Marley has adapted her father's song in a beautiful, whimsical way. I love the original lyrics because they are repetitive, which make it easy to remember when your child starts to melt down. The rhythm and beat is soothing with a hopeful message. 

Image borrowed from Crafting in lala-land

I thought this book would simply put illustrations to the words and was pleasantly surprised to find Cedella had made up new verses. They can still be sung to the original tune! The new parts follow a little boy to the playground, kitchen and bed. I will be purchasing a hardback version for our home library. What did Bobo think about the book? I'll let you know when he wakes up. Thanks Cedella!

Mostly Egg Trays

Leap Frog Human Body glow-in-the-dark skeleton stickers. Bobo is interested in bones. They can be dinosaur bones, fossils and especially skeletons.

Jack and the Beanstalk and the goose who laid the golden egg activity. We found this kit at Big Lots!

Magnetic eggs. I put the magnet balls inside the eggs and used the wands from our kit. You can twirl the wand above the eggs and they will spin around. We also took these in the bath for a floating experiment. When the magnets were in the eggs, they floated. They sunk by themselves. Bobo also discovered the wand stuck to the bath tub.

Matching sounds with kitchen items. First, Bobo identified the items in the egg container: rice, lentils, M&Ms, noodles, fruit snacks and coffee. Then, he shook the eggs to guess what is inside. Finally, he ate all the good things.

Shape identification. Daddy supervised this activity. Bobo needs to work on the names of shapes. When I came home from work, all the shapes were missing. Not sure what happened? Maybe we can identify them when we find them again.

Crayola Glowing activity. This tray was requested. We've used it several times before... There are a couple of different themes in the box.

Sharing with Montessori Monday.

Review: Dinosaur Countdown

Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Smiling Deinonychus

Recommends for readers of 1-2-3 Dinosaurs Bite! A Prehistoric Counting Book by the American Museum of Natural History, Dinosaurs! by Gail Gibbons and Inside-Outside Dinosaurs by Roxie Munro.

Summary: Count to ten with lots of happy dinosaurs.

Review: The best parts of Dinosaur Countdown are the numerous smiling dinosaurs. Most of the books you find on the shelf about dinosaurs are realistic to the point of being a little bit scary. The other extreme is having dinosaurs that look nothing like any fossils ever found. I'll never forget when I shared a magnet board tale of ten dinosaurs in storytime and a little enthusiast shouted, "Those aren't REAL!!!"

Children can learn to count to ten with realistic, friendly dinosaurs. My favorite part of the book is the 0/none page where fossils are shown. I would have rated this book higher if the pronunciations were included on the page. They are included in the back (on my Kindle version), but it's difficult to flip back and forth. My storytime anecdote should serve as a warning, you definitely want to pronounce everything correctly!

Sensitive Readers Beware: No objectionable material.

Valentine Read Alouds

Jasper is searching for the perfect gift for his bunny love. Snowy Valentine reminds me a bit of the Gruffalo in that it is a circuitous story with a hint of danger. Bobo and I both enjoyed this adorable story.

I Love You, ZooBorns! is a fantastic easy reader with new vocabulary. The owl is our favorite. He's so fluffy and cute! The photography is just right with capturing the love mood.

The perfect Valentine book for a boy! Leon has a secret crush on Zoey Maloney. He makes her a Valentine confessing his love. The Valentine tries to persuade Leon to give up his crush because, 

Love is yucky,

Stinky too!

It will turn your brain to goo.

Bobo has been singing this song all week. The little Valentine may change his mind about love when he comes face-to-face with a girl Valentine. Definitely check this book out for a funny, upbeat Valentine story.

I love Jan Brett, but I don't often share her stories aloud. The story becomes richer with the illustrations, which you need to explore carefully. It doesn't lend itself to sharing with a large group. Fortunately, I have an audience of one at home, so I was excited to read the new Jan Brett book about a lovesick turtle. Mossy is an interesting character. She is a turtle who loves her home and even begins to grow part of it on her shell. She is discovered by a natural museum curator and taken away. But the curator's niece shows her aunt, Mossy would be happier in her natural environment. Mossy returns to her beloved Lilypad Pond to find her mate, Scoot. The last page is simply an illustration, which I flipped right over, but Bobo exclaimed, "Awww, her babies!" When I turned back, Mossy did indeed have a family.

What has your family been reading? Find more ideas for read alouds at Read-Aloud Thursday and the Children's Bookshelf.

Review: Snorkeling with Sea-Bots!

Snorkeling with Sea-Bots! by Amy Lemke

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Wave-Making Robots

Recommends for readers of Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, Stone Rabbit series by Erik Craddock and Mighty Mighty Monsters series by Sean O'Reilly.

Summary: Kolten meets an underwater robot named Rip at the beach. Rip shows Kolten his home.

Review: Snorkeling is a delightful read with vibrant illustrations.  It will be a great introduction to graphic novels as it is easy to navigate. I'm often intimidated by the layout of graphic novels and move them to the pile of Daddy read-alouds.

The large illustrations and sparse text make this an excellent conversational book to explore "reading" the pictures. Small children can work on their narrative skills, while those a little bit older will enjoy the robots and oceanic humor. Didn't you know the waves, bubbles and mysteries of the sea are controlled by underwater robots?

Fun Extras: There are three activities at the end of the book to extend reading. Fabulous!

Sensitive Readers Beware: None. Good read for all ages. This would be a fun book to read with the whole family.

Letter B books for Batman

Bobo has discovered the "easy reader" section of the library. This is where the beginning reader books are housed as well as beginning chapter books. Batman: The Brave and the Bold is a level 3 series of chapter books, which I find challenging for beginners. I read about 2 chapters aloud each night and it takes 20-30 minutes depending on how many questions Bobo asks. The vocabulary is challenging, so I can't imagine how long it would take an independent reader to finish.

Sidekicks Save the Day! begins with Robin, Aqualad and Speedy as children. They want more responsibility with missions. The heroes still think they have a lot to learn. Then, we jump to the sidekicks being grown up and finally getting a mission of their own. I think these books rely heavily on the show, but I haven't seen  it. The illustrations seem to be stills of the show with some blurriness. It is not my favorite thing to read aloud, but I still give it my all because Bobo:

1. Chose something on his own.

2. Is excited about reading these.

3. Is building his memory and anticipation by reading a few chapters each night.

Batman Versus Man-Bat, yes! The title is enough to reel you in, or a least me, and Bobo. Batman's enemy in this book is a bat who looks like a man, as opposed to a  man who dresses as a bat. This book is a level 2 and much more my speed. The story can be completed in one sitting and the story is interesting. Plus, it's really fun to say MAN-BAT in an ominous voice. The illustrations are vibrant and fit the mood and size of the book. 

And my pick is from the picture book section. Batman and the Toxic Terror features my favorite villain, Poison Ivy. The large pictures and minimal text make this Batman book ideal for preschoolers. Batman faces mutant tree and flies using the bat-glider. It takes place on Earth Day, so it would be a fun read to share that day as well.

Letter A books for Avengers Assemble

I've been planning on teaching the alphabet to Bobo through his favorite topic, super heroes. When I saw these books, I thought the Avengers would be a great place to begin.

We recently received this new series of books based on the television program The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes. We've already seen all the episodes, so it's good review to read the books. I also had Bobo identify the letter A's as we read as he already knew the story.

Iron Man is always the Avenger Bobo chooses first. This is the story of Tony Stark as Iron Man. It has lots of action and introduces Hydra, the bad guys.

And my favorite avenger is Thor. It helps that he has the best powers on Super Hero Squad (Wii), but I also love the folk lore in his stories. I have always been an avid reader of Greek and Roman mythology. Loki is the villain of this tale.

We also read the rest of the series available. It is an enjoyable series with action and favorite characters.
Sharing with the Children's Bookshelf and Read Aloud Thursday and Read Learn Explore.

What My Child is Reading

No Sleep for the Sheep! by Karen Beaumont is a lyrical bedtime ode to those having trouble sleeping. All the farm animals wake the sheep in the barn. They want to sleep in the barn, too. No Sleep is a great book to share at bedtime.

New Christmas books come out each year, so it's a challenge to find ones appropriate for preschoolers. A Child Was Born: A First Nativity Book by Grace Maccarone is a simple story with detailed illustrations about the birth of Jesus. We enjoyed the rhyming text and the familiar beginning, middle and end.

Our favorite book this week by far was a parody of Madeline, Frankenstein: A Monstrous Parady by Ludworst Bemonster. The rhymes and events are spot on for fans of Madeline. Bobo enjoyed the monster aspect for it. His favorite parts were about the little monsters wetting their beds and losing their heads. I'm adding it to my "must-reads" list for parents.

WMCIR: MARVELous, Simply MARVELous

All our favorite superheroes come together in one action-packed book. We've been reading this for the past month, one story per night. I waited until we finished all of them to share, though. Captain America is Bobo's favorite story. I enjoyed the illustrations and compact story with lots of variety. We were both disappointed there was no Black Widow story. "No, see she's right there," Bobo insisted after we finished the book and kept pointing emphatically at the cover. Nope, sorry.

And it's about time for Christmas books, yay! I've been reading lots of new Christmas books as they are delivered to the library. It's like Christmas everyday! Santa Knows by Cynthia Smith is about a little boy who doesn't believe in Santa. This is one of those books I didn't read before taking home and I was a little worried about where this story was going. Bobo believes in Santa wholeheartedly. I don't think I've ever told him Santa was real or not, but we've read lots of books on the topic. My little guy's fantasy was not crushed by this book, but it did spark lots of conversation. Very funny, light read.

Oh, Minerva Louise, you make me LOL every time! I recommend these books for older children, maybe five to six and up. The humor comes from the illustrations, not the words. You have to look for clues and figure out what Minerva Louise has gotten wrong. Bobo is beginning to understand these books as I walk him through the observations.

Me: "Now is that really a farmer?"

Bobo: "No, mom. It's Santa."

Me: "Oh, Minerva Louise!"

Bobo laughs maniacally... turn page and repeat.

Sharing with Read Aloud Thursday

WMCIR: Stunts

I don't know if it is intentional, but Kel Gilligan is totally Kick Buttowski! Disney, if you're reading this, please don't sue! It's a fabulous book. It reminds me of the Dinosaur VS books by Bob Shea, but for an older crowd. Kel Gilligan embarks on death-defying stunts like getting dressed BY HIMSELF. I love the parent's dialogue bubbles. Bobo thought the whole book was hilarious and didn't think Kel was at all like Kick (Kel has a nose, after all).

See, Disney? No blue stripes or cape.

I feel like a broken record, but Bobo loves ninjas, superheroes and jokes. I am keeping everyone updated with new books at least, I hope. The illustrations by Ed Young in this picture book are beautiful. The ninja is on a stealthy mission which is a mystery to the reader. The text is sparse, relying heavily on the gorgeous illustrations to tell the story.

And the joke book for the week... See, so predictable! We did not enjoy this book as much as Monkeyfarts. The jokes weren't as funny and Bobo didn't get some of them. Plus, I don't think there was one crude joke about bodily functions, which (let's face it) are B's bread and butter. 

And since we are learning about jokes, I'll leave you with a Bobo original. Q: How did the policeman catch the slob? A: He peed his pants.

Read Aloud Thursdays

WMCIR: Fractured Fairy Tales and Monkey Farts

When I saw The Three Ninja Pigs, I knew it was the perfect book for Bobo. Perseverance is still the theme, but the pigs must learn martial arts to protects themselves instead of building sturdy homes. The rhyming text is witty and the illustrations are vibrant. I highly recommend this book for little ninjas. 

Oh, Mo Willems, how I love your humor! Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs is another classic tale with an infusion of the fantastic. The story is a sarcastic re-telling with sinister dinosaurs and a not-quite-as hapless Goldilocks. Our favorite part replaced porridge with pudding and had Goldilocks eating it all up regardless of temperature because, "It's chocolate pudding, right?" 

What's invisible and smells like bananas? Bobo is just the right age for learning jokes. Sure his jokes don't always make sense and often have a punch line of butt, burp or fart, but he's learning. To foster this new-found sense of humor, I brought home Monkeyfarts! Bobo's favorite jokes are the superhero ones.

I shared with the Read Aloud Thursday group, TGIF and Read Learn Explore.

WMCIR: Minerva Louise

How much do you love Minerva Louise? She is so adorably clueless. These are books that are best shared with preschoolers because they will understand the humorous misconceptions in the books. 

Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy are best friends. This book reminds me so much of Bobo and Momo. They are definitely soul mates.

This little monster is on the hunt. Could it be for a little boy? What is he going to do to the little boy? Gobble him up? I love the surprise ending, which had Bobo saying, "EWWW" and laughing hysterically.

You can put the kid in time-out, but you can't stop the imagination from coming along. Timeout for Monsters! is a great book to share with a group. You may need to hide the crayons for awhile, though.

Sharing with For the Kids Friday and the Children's Bookshelf.

WMCIR: Thank you

Teaching children manners is important. Luckily my hubby is super polite and my little guy picked it up through example. We just happened to pick up a few books with the theme of thanks.

Karma Wilson's Bear is a favorite character in our home. He snores, gets sick and makes new friends. In this book, Bear's friends all contribute something to a party. Bear gets anxious that he has nothing to bring.

The three little monsters compete to see who can be the meanest and scariest. Finally, they work together to create the biggest, baddest monster ever. But, he doesn't act like a monster should act. Read this book with your little monster for a laugh and don't forget to say, "Dank You!"

Bobo also chose Mouse Mess from the library. A little mouse gets into the kitchen and has an enormous meal. He forgets to say thank you. I love the cut paper illustrations, which have inspired many velcro board pieces.

Sharing with the Children's Bookshelf

What We're Watching: The Gruffalo's Child

Unlike many of the fabulous families out there in the blogging world, my family is not a no or low media family. In fact, we are probably a moderate to high media family. I love television and my husband loves video games. We are both way too invested in the Internet. We lead by example, so Bobo is pretty media happy as well. I'm not bragging, but I don't want to be ashamed of it, either. Plus, I'd like to share great finds I make in the media world.

When I'm home with Bobo, we have about an hour of quiet time in the afternoon. We close the blinds, snuggle on the couch and watch a movie or listen to music. I picked up The Gruffalo's Child on DVD at the library this week. I hadn't heard of this story before seeing it on several blogs this past year.

After popping it in, Bobo and I had afternoon tea. I had my favorite, Vanilla Truffle Black Tea with a splash of milk. Bobo had a harvest cookie and milk. The beautiful, lilting language relaxed us as the drifting snow created a magical world where a mama squirrel tells the story of the gruffalo's child.

After watching this through twice in one sitting, I'm purchasing both books! Bobo loved the scary story of the Big Bad Mouse. He just loves to be scared. I don't know where he gets it from...

WMCIR: Thump, quack, Ladybug Girl

A few months ago, we found a wonderful book called Bumblebee Boy. I found out afterwards, the book was part of a series by David Somer. So, we backtracked and read the book where Ladybug Girl creates Bumblebee Boy, Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy. Great! We finally picked up the book that started it all. My husband immediately asked, "Did you get this book for you?" He knows how much I love ladybugs!

Lulu is a very imaginative girl. She likes dressing up as different people but has the most fun when she becomes Ladybug Girl. Ladybug Girl has super powers and makes Lulu feel big and brave in a world that sees her as a little girl. Bobo can relate to this book, but he missed Bumblebee boy.

All the animals are eager to help Farmer with his corn maze, except Duck. Duck reluctantly helps, but has a secret mission at night. Look for the night vision illustrations, they are a riot. Bobo liked the funny noises of the animals hard at work.

I've never read this classic book about an island whose weather brings food instead of snow or rain. We read this in two sittings as it was rather wordy. Bobo did ask to read the sequel last night, Pickles to Pittsburgh, so he must have liked it. I just found it strange.

What did you read this week?

Linking up Read Aloud Thursday & The Children's Bookshelf

Book Activity: Purple, Green and Yellow

Purple, Green and Yellow by Robert Munsch is a funny, tall tale involving a little girl name Brigid and permanent markers. Brigid loves to draw. She uses regular markers, until she discovers she needs better ones. First she tries washable ones. Then, scented markers, incidentally my favorites from childhood. Finally, she asks her mom for super-inedible-never-comes-off-till-you're-dead markers. 

Brigid gets her wish and uses the markers for good, until she gets tired of using paper for drawing. I won't give away the ending, but you might guess from the activity. One of Bobo's favorite past times is painting, stamping and coloring himself. This book is delicious. CHOMP!

TGIF

Tot School: Decorating

'Tis the season for decorating! Bobo loves to look over my shoulder as I'm pinning and choosing what he'd like to work on for the week. We've seen lots of decorating ideas, so I founds some things he made last year to put around the house. 

Pictured above (from left to right, top to bottom)

Jack-o-lanterns and mummy juice box crafts

It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown sticker book

Sorting skull and pumpkin glitter foam pieces with tongs

5 senses book and activity (Totes for Tots)

Counting Bears

Fall pre-writing center

Bobo's favorite activity from these trays was the Charlie Brown book. He loves it! It has window-cling type stickers to put on each page as the story progresses. If you know of any other books like this, please leave me a comment! I need them for every occasion.

I kept out the counting bears, because I'm struggling to figure out what to do with them. Any ideas?

Bobo has been asking me to participate in his activities. "Your turn." We had sorting races with the tongs. I'm really enjoying our one-on-one time. Daddy can handle the socialization, right?

Linked to the original Tot School.

WMCIR: Very Veggie

If you haven't read Night of the Pumpkinheads by Michael Rosen, you have to check it out! I have only seen jack-o-lanterns like these in Better Homes and Gardens. Bobo immediately asked to make some. Do you think Martha Stewart will make a house call? I'm more of a square and triangle gal.

This is our first shared experience with the Berenstain Bears. I'm happy to say, Bobo loved it! In this book, Papa Bear chooses all the misshapen pumpkins to make the scariest jack-o-lanterns. I can definitely jump on board with that project.

Creepy carrots! by Aaron Reynolds is so funny. It is fun to look for the creepy carrots in all the illustrations. Look for the surprise ending.

We linked up with the Children's Bookshelf this week, via Mouse Learns, Mouse Grows.