Trick or Treat

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kidz Korner

 

 Trick or Treat

 

 

 

 

As a kid, I hated Halloween.  I was the kid whose bag broke.  We had a lady on our street that scooped out a ton of candy corn and then shook the scoop until you ended up with two or three. Most years I hated my costume. 

However, I love Halloween books so the next two weeks are dedicated to them.

BOO!

 

The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Megan Lloyd

 

A little old lady is out in the woods collecting herbs when she begins to hear strange noises behind her like clomp, clomp and shake, shake.  She continues on her way to her little house just a little faster as each noise gets a little scarier until she is home safe and sound.  Or is she?  The knock on the door reveals a sad bunch of parts but the little old lady has a solution. I would read this book to kids 4-8.

 

Room on the Broom  by Julia Donaldson

 

A witch’s flight is interrupted as she keeps losing things and picking up extra passengers.  They all squeeze onto the broom until there is no room left. When the witch gets into big trouble all her passengers help her out.  This is a not to be missed book that is cute and funny in a non spooky way. I would read this book to kids 3-6.

 

Space Case by Edward and James Marshall

 

What do you do when you meet a real alien space ship?  You take it trick or treating.  I mean, what else would you do?  Everyone thinks it is a great costume. The alien has to leave at the end of the book until he finds out about…….Christmas. .  Don’t forget to use your best robot voice when you read this book!  I would read this book to kids 4-8.

 

Rotten Ralph’s Trick or Treat by Jack Gantos

 

Ralph the cat just can’t help himself.  He is just rotten. His owner Sarah loves him so much she puts up with his crazy antics.  In this story, Sarah wants them to dress as each other for the Halloween party but Ralph wants nothing to do with that idea. This is one of a great series of books about Ralph. I never get tired of his “evil” ways.  I would read this book to kids 4-8.

 

So pull up the bowl of candy corn and until next week, keep on reading!

By The Numbers

 

KidzKorner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How high can you count?  With the help of these books you’ll be able to count to ten and beyond, no worries.

 

The M&M Counting Book by Barbara Barbieri McGrath

 

Can there be a better way to learn about counting than using M&M’s?  Not for me!  This book uses photographs to illustrate the concepts presented.   Kids from 3-6 years old will enjoy counting with these candies.  Buy a bag and go for it.

 

Ten Apples Up on Top by Theo L. LeSieg

 

In case you don’t recognize the author’s name, it is an alias for Dr. Seuss so you can be sure this book is a delight.  Animals balance apples and learn to count  at the same time.

You can plan a fun activity also by making stacks of ten, like ten pennies, ten cookies, ten blocks, ten Legos…well, you get the idea.  Older kids can make a graph of how high the stacks are and you have an instant math lesson wrapped in fun. Kids from 4-7 will enjoy this book.  Some will be able to read it too.

 

Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed by Eileen Christelow

 

Five monkeys get into all kinds of mischief and bump their heads...well, you know the rest.  This rhyme appeals to the youngest children, everyone knows it and it never seems to get old.  The book has cute illustrations, too.  A five star book!  Kids from 2-6 will enjoy this book.  Here’s a fun rhyme to go along with it:

Five little hot dogs frying in a pan.  One got hot and it went BAM!

Four little hot dogs frying in a pan. One got hot and it went BAM!

Three little hot dogs frying in a pan.  One got hot and it went BAM!

Two little hot dogs frying in a pan. One got hot and it went BAM!

One little hot dog frying in a pan. One got hot and it went BAM! (clap when you say bam!   The kids love it)

 

The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins by Dr. Suess

 

Poor Bartholomew.  You must remove your hat out of respect as the King passes by but Bartholomew can’t seem to rid himself of his.  Older kids will enjoy his predicament and how it unfolds.  A fun opportunity to talk about numbers.  Kids from 6-8 will enjoy this book.

Until next week, keep on reading!

 

Back to School

  KidzKorner

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Time for school!  How many times did I say that to my own kids?  Well, countless probably.  The next best thing to going to school is reading about it so here are a few that stand out for me.

 

 

 

School Bus by Donald Crewes is a classic picture book for young ones ages 2-5 years old.  They love the bold graphic pictures and it is the perfect companion to the song, The Wheels on the Bus.

 

The Night Before Kindergarten and The Night Before First Grade byNatasha Wing .  These two books are based on that old favorite Twas the Night Before Christmas.  The illustrations are cute and the cadence is familiar and soothing for those first-day jitters. Pick the one that’s right for you. Appropriate for ages 4-7.

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Nelson is Missing by Henry Allard Jr. and James Marshall.  Miss Nelson’s class has been misbehaving so, when she is absent, a nasty old substitute teacher takes her place.  A funny story about behavior in school with great illustrations by Mr. Marshall, one of the artists I admire. Appropriate for ages 5-9.

 

I came across a new favorite which I only picked up because of my son’s love for all things Star Wars.  The Strange Case of Origami Yoda by Tom Angleberger is a hilarious tale of a weird boy whose Yoda finger puppet dishes out sage advice to sixth graders and  changes a misfit into a hero.   Appropriate for ages 9-12.

 

Until next week, reading keep on!

 

 

Now I Know My ABC's

No matter if you are a parent, grandparent, babysitter, nanny, teacher or just a friend, there is nothing as satisfying as sharing a good book with a child.

Since this is my first post for kids’ books, I wanted you all to know that I will never suggest a book I haven’t read myself.  Most of them I have shared with children too.  I would never give you a recommendation for a book only because of a cute cover or a catchy title.  I’ll do my research on new books and I’ll rely on some old classics too.

 My all time favorite alphabet book is ChickaChickaBoomBoom by Bill Martin Jr., John Archambault and Lois Ehlert.

The colors are bright and engaging and the story is just plain fun.  Appropriate for children 3-6years old.

Twenty Six Pirates or Twenty Six Princesses by Dave Horowitz

These two books are companions so pick the one your little kiddo would enjoy the most.

Simple text and great pictures and fun rhymes make them winners.

Ages 3-6

The Handmade Alphabet by Laura Rankin is a great introduction to Sign Language for young kids.  The pictures are clear so you can learn to make the alphabet signs together.

It’s easy peasy to learn the signs for yes and no too.  Even the youngest kids can do them.

Older kids will enjoy learning the signs too.  Ages 5-8

My next recommendation is a book, A, You’re Adorable by Martha Alexander but it’s

 based on a song and I prefer the song any day.  You can download it from iTunes.  The version I love is by Sharon, Lois and Bram. Ages 3-8

Until next week, keep reading!