Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf

Bibliographic Information: Ehlert, L. (1991). Red Leaf Yellow Leaf. Orlando, Florida. Harcourt Brace and Company.
Annotation: A young child explains the growth of a maple tree from a seed to it becoming a full, grown up tree.
Genre: Concept Book
Grade: Pre-k thru 2
Who would like this book: Children with an interest in the growth of trees and the changing of trees within the seasons and as they mature.
Rating Response: 2—I was kind of disappointed in this book because the cover made it look like a fun book to read but once I read it by the end I was only interested in the pictures.
Question: How do you think a tree grows up?

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Bio: Hoban, T.(1986). Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. Illus. Tana Hoban. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books

Annotation: A book that uses real life pictures to show many different kind of shapes used in everyday life. It is a workless book that displays many colors, objects, and people using the shapes inside and outside.

Genre: Picture Book, Concept

Grade Level: K-2

Readers who will like this: Kids that enjoys using real situations to figure things out.

Response/Rating: (3) It is a good book to introduce children to use everyday objects to learn useful things in their own environment.

Question: What shape in the room is a circle, square, rectangle…ect?

Chicka Chicka 1 2 3

Bibliographic Information: Martin, B, Sampson, M. Lois Ehlert. Chicka, Chicka 1, 2, 3. New York, New York:Simon & Schuster.

Brief Annotation: This book follows a similar pattern to the alphabet book, Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom. 100 numbers climb into a tree. This book tells a little story along with the learning to count aspect.

Genre: Concept book: Counting

Grade Level: preK-2

Readers who will like this: Readers who like to count or are learning how to count.

Response/Rating (1-4): 3. This is a great counting book, that goes beyond the boring 1-10 numbers.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: How high can you count?

Big Momma Makes The World

Bibliographic Information (APA): Root, P. (2002). Big Momma Makes The World. Illus. Helen Oxenbury. Cambridge, MASS: Candlewick Press.

Brief Annotation: Big Momma, with a baby on her hip and laundry piling up, makes the world and everything in it and, at the end of the sixth day, tells the people she has made that they must take care of her creation.

Genre: Fiction, Creation

Grade Level: 2-4

Readers who will like this: Children who like fiction, stories about creation, different viewpoints.

Response/Rating (1-4): 2 out of 4. Awesome illustrations! Interesting to hear a different viewpoint on how the world was created.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: How do you think the world was created?

Sunshine Makes the Seasons

Bibliographic Information: Branley, F. (1974). Sunshine Makes the Seasons. Illus. Shelley Freshman. New York, NY: Thomas Y. Crowell Company.

Brief Annotation: A scientific explanation as to why season’s change is explained thought this book. Helpful pictures of the Earth are included to show what the globes position is as it changes seasons. To connect the reader the book questions if it is currently day time or night time, and what season the reader is in; while it shows spots on the Nothern and Southern Hemispheres marked with ‘you are about here.’ Beyond just seasons this book takes the reader a couple steps further and touches on climate, poles, orbit, the axis, and seasons at the equator and poles.

Grade Level: 1-4

Readers who will like this: Children who have an interest in or are learning about seasons; Children who have questions of why on a wide range of topics; Anyone trying to learn more about the Earth

Response/Rating: 4; I am currently learning about this topic in my environmental biology class, which is also where the recommendation for this book came from. The book is written in a child-friendly language while still using correct scientific terminology. Science, in my opinion, is not an easy subject to translate into a child-friendly tone, but this book manages to do that. I especially liked that the there were pictures with “you are about here” labels on them, connecting children to what they are learning. Most importunately I liked that there was a closure to the book on the very last page that was bright and short with the main concepts stated, “Sunshine makes the seasons- sunshine and the tilt of the earth’s axis.”

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Why do we have seasons? What are the seasons?

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Hoban, T. (1986). Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.

Brief Annotation: As stated in the title, this book is all about shapes. In order to display the shapes in this book the author took pictures of things from our everyday lives. This helps children to begin to notice shapes in objects around us such as houses and buildings.

Genre: Fiction; Picture book; Concept book

Grade Level: PreK-K

Readers who will like this: Children who like picture books, children who like to find things in pictures, and children who like to learn about shapes.

Response/Rating (1-4): 4; This book is a great resource for shape identification practice. The pictures are wonderful and offer many opportunities for children to find shapes in their everyday lives.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Do you see any shapes in the room around us? What are they?

Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?

Martin, Bill. (1991). Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you Hear?. Illus. Eric Carle. New York, New York: Henry Holt & Co.

Brief Annotation: A journey through a zoo starting with and polar bear and the different noises that are heard throughout the zoo. A rhythmic and repeating beat through each animal in the zoo. Children are then dressed up and trying to imitate all the animals that are heard.

Genre: Fiction concept book

Grade Level: Preschool

Readers who will like this: Early readers looking for a book that is easy and fun to read.

Response/Rating: 3; It was alright but not that much engaging with a plot. It still was very cute and a good book to introduce at a young age.

Question: What kinds of animals are in the zoo?

Color Zoo

Bibliography: Ehlert, L., & Rossner, B. (1989). Color zoo. New York: J.B. Lippincott

Annotation: This book begins with a poem about the animals that can be found in a zoo and the shapes and colors that make them. The book then goes through various shapes that create animals. For example the first animal is a tiger, when you turn the page a circle is cut out. The next animal is a mouse and a square leaves the page. The next animal is a fox which has a triangle. The page that follows the fox has all of the shapes that were cut out of the pages. This repeats for many other animals and shapes. The final page has all of the shapes, animals, and colors that were used to make the color zoo.

Genre: Non-Fiction/Concept

Grade: Pre K- K

Readers: Readers that are learning their shapes and colors would love this book. Also readers that enjoy visual books would enjoy this book.

Rate/Response: 8 This is a great beginner book for introducing shapes and in some aspects colors. Children relate a lot to animals and I think using the shapes with the animals works well for children

Question: What shapes do you know? Do you think we can draw some animals with the help of shapes?

Nick Joins In

Bibliography: Lasker, J. (1980). Nick Joins In. Chicago, IL. Albert Whitman & Company.

Brief Annotation: Nick is a boy who is physically handicapped and moves around in a wheelchair. He is nervous about starting a new school and wonders what the kids will think of him. The class has many questions for Nick and eventually realize he is just like them without walking. Nick makes many friends and even saves the day one day at recess.

Genre: Concept book

Grade level: 1-3rd grade

Readers who will like this: Teachers who are teaching their class about differences in people and how they get around. Any child who has had to move to a new school and was scared and worried about the experience.

Response/Rating: I would give this book a 4 becuase it is the perfect book to teach to young children and it demonstrates that all people are different and that they should all be accepted.

One question to ask before a read-aloud: Have you ever felt nervous about trying or going to a new place? How did the experience turn out for you?

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes

Bibliographic Information: Hoban, T. (1986). Shapes, Shapes, Shapes. New York, New York: Greenwillow Books

Brief Annotation: This wordless picture books is a collection of photographs that display different shapes. Some pages show many different shapes, while other pages show just one shape. Children have to find and identify shapes on their own.

Genre: Concept book

Grade Level: PreK-1

Readers who will like this: Readers who like looking for answers. Readers who don't like concrete answers.

Rating/Response: 3. This is a unique way to find shapes in everyday life, and to illustrate that shapes are found everywhere. This book could encourage children to look for shapes everywhere they go. The first page offers shapes and names as a guide for things to look for.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: What are some different shapes? Where can you find them besides in books?

Love You Forever

Bibliographic Information (APA): Munsch, R. (1986). Love You Forever. Illus. Sheila McGraw. Ontario, Canada: Firefly Books Ltd.

Brief Annotation: There is a mother and a little boy. Every night the mother sings a certain song to the little boy. Even through all the ages and stages he went through, every night she would sing that certain song. One day the mother is too old and too sick to sing him the song anymore. So the son returns the favor and sings that certain song to the old mother, and then to his newborn child.

Genre: Fiction, Picturebook, Concept Book

Grade Level: 1-2

Readers who will like this: Children who might have a strong connection with their mother.

Response/Rating (1-4): I rate this book 4 out of 4. This was one of my favorite books as a kid, one that is unforgettable. There is a very important life lesson that is taught within this book.

One question you would ask before a read aloud: Is there anyone whose parents sing to them before bed?

Mouse Paint

Bibliographic Information: Walsh, E.S. (1989). Mouse Paint. Illus. Ellen Stoll Walsh. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Books.

Brief Annotation: This book is about three white mice discovering three primary colors and and how they mix to make new colors! Will the cat find them while they're playing with the different colors?
Genre: Fiction, Concept Book
Grade Level: Pre K-2
Readers who will like this: Young artists who are learning about color will enjoy this book.
Response/Rating (1-4): This book is very useful for introducing the concept of primary colors and mixed colors. This book would be useful for beginner readers to practice associating words with corresponding pictures. I have also used this book to teach the children that I nanny the colors in Spanish.
One question you would ask before a read aloud: What are colors that you know? What kinds of things are 'red', 'yellow' and 'blue'? What do you think these mice will paint? What color are the mice?