February is almost here and that means it is time for hearts, chocolates and lots of love! We have here nine of our favorite stories all about love to share with the ones you cherish and adore the most. Llama Llama I Love You by Anna Dewdney Llama Llama is busy making valentines for all of his friends and family. Short, simple rhymes and bright illustrations make this story a real delight. Kiss, Kiss, Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen There are lots of ways to show someone you love them, but the best way of all is a nice big SMOOOCH! Happy Valentine’s Day, Mouse! by Laura Numeroff Like Llama Llama, Mouse is busy making valentines for all of his friends. Each card he makes explains what he loves the most about each friend. Fans of Numeroff’s If You Give A… series will love seeing familiar characters in this story. *Extended activity: Get out the craft supplies and make your own valentines to give out or send! Love Monster by Rachel Bright Monster just wants someone to love him, which is difficult when you live in a land of cute, fluffy things. So he embarks on a journey to find love. He looks low, high and even middle-ish, but he soon learns that love often finds us when we aren’t really looking for it. Love from the Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle This delightful, little book highlights all of the little ways in which someone can light up your life and brighten your world: “You are the cherry on my cake; you make the sun shine brighter; you make my heart flutter.” Fans of The Very Hungry Caterpillar will love seeing familiar images from Carle’s works throughout this story. Click, Clack, Moo I Love You! by Doreen Cronin It’s Valentine’s Day on the farm and Little Duck is sooo excited! She has put up decorations absolutely everywhere! Little Fox follows Little Duck’s decorations back to the barn where the party is in full swing, but will this new guest ruin the fun? Valensteins by Ethan Long Fran K. Stein is busy making something, with pink paper, scissors and glue. Of course, the other members of the Fright Club want to know what it is. After much speculation and guessing the horrifying truth comes out: Fran K. Stein is in love and is making a valentine! Slugs in Love by Susan Pearson Marylou loves everything about Herbie. Every time she sees him or thinks of him poems fill her heart. She begins leaving poems for Herbie around the farm and Herbie replies to her rhymes with words of his own, but Marylou keeps missing them. Will these two slugs ever meet? *Extended activity: Write your own love poems! XO, OX: A Love Story by Adam Rex Clumsy Ox is hopelessly in love with graceful, glamorous Gazelle. He writes Gazelle a love letter, which sparks the beginning a rather rocky, albeit humorous and touching love affair. Don't see your favorite Valentine's Day story here? Share it with us in the comments!
Happy reading! -Kate from BTBL
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8 nights of family and friends 8 nights of prayers 8 nights of remembering 8 nights of candlelight 8 nights of songs and games 8 nights of delicious foods (mmm latkes!) 8 nights of gifts 8 nights of stories! Celebrated annually around the world, Hanukkah, also known as Chag Ha’or (the holiday of light), is a Jewish holiday encompassing eight nights of special prayers, songs, games, gifts and food. The word Hanukkah means “dedication” and so, the holiday commemorates the rededication of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt some 2,000 years ago. This year Hanukkah will begin on Tuesday, December 12th and end on Wednesday, December 20th. To help you celebrate and/or learn more about this holiday, we have put together a list of eight of our favorite Hanukkah (also spelled Chanukah) stories. Consider sharing one of these books each night with your family as part a new holiday tradition. The Night Before Hanukkah by Natasha Wing Natasha Wing’s The Night Before… series is always our go to when getting ready for a holiday. Following the same tone and rhythm as Clement C. Moore’s The Night Before Christmas, this book details one family’s preparations and traditions during the eight nights of Hanukkah. The Story of Hanukkah by David A. Adler Through accessible, dramatic text and striking illustrations, Adler recounts the tale of the Maccabean Revolt and the miracle of the oil lamp that burned for eight nights, reminding young and old alike of the reason for Hanukkah. At the end of the book a recipe for latkes and directions for playing dreidel are included. Way Too Many Latkes: A Hanukkah in Chelm by Linda Glaser In Chelm, “the village of fools,” Faigel makes the very best Hanukkah latkes around, but this year she cannot remember her special recipe! Her husband, Shmuel, goes to the wise and very hungry Rabbi for advice and while he does have the answers, they just might lead to some rather unexpected results. This is a hilarious story with bright and lively illustrations that will have the whole family in stitches! Hanukkah Around the World by Tami Lehman-Wilzig In this book, take your family on a trip across the globe to explore the various ways that Hanukkah is celebrated. After reading, gather everyone in the kitchen to make one of the special and unique recipes that are included. The Latke Who Couldn’t Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story by Lemony Snicket Believe it or not, regardless of what the titles says, this is actually a Hanukkah story. In the witty style we have all come to expect of Lemony Snicket, this book highlights the differences between Hanukkah and Christmas as a runaway latke encounters some famous symbols of Christmas. Both extremely fun and quite educational! Chanukah Bugs: A Pop-Up Celebration by David A. Carter "Who's in the box on the first night of Chanukah?" Lift the flaps, pull the tabs and keep turning the pages to find out which bugs are hiding inside the box on each night of Chanukah. A fun and engaging story for little bookworms! Is It Hanukkah Yet? by Chris Barash As winter arrives and and the snow starts to fall and all of the animals hide, it is almost time for Hanukkah. Lyrical text and charming illustrations depict what happens at Hanukkah time each year, from the weather changing to decorating and preparing food and finally lighting the candles on the Menorah. Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat: A Chanukah Story by Naomi Howland It is the first night of Chanukah and Sadie is taking care of her four brothers while their mother is away. Sadie goes out to collect firewood and performs an act of kindness for which she is given a magic frying pan that cooks up delicious latkes when you say the magic words. Such good fortune, but will Sadie's brothers heed her warning to never use the frying pan? This humorous and beautiful story that the whole family will enjoy. A recipe for latkes is included at the end. For more Hanukkah stories, take a look at our Holiday Books list and share some of your favorites with us in the comments! Also, if you are looking for a an adorable toy to go along with these Hanukkah stories that will help get for your little bookworm excited about the holiday and be a wonderful way to teach them more about the traditions of the season, take a look at this Hanukkah Wooden Play Set from KidKraft! Happy reading and Happy Hanukkah! -Kate from BTBL Deck the halls with lots of books… Falalalala…la lalala. To the bookshelf, let’s all look… Falalalala…la lalala. Don we now our reading glasses… Falala… lalala… la la la. Browse before the old year passes… Falalalala… la lalala. Tis the season to be reading! Is there anything better than cuddling up with your loved ones before a warm fire and sharing a story? No, there really isn't. And it is that much better when you can combine that special bonding time with the magic and excitement of the holiday season. It is time to start a new holiday tradition: a Christmas book Advent calendar! You are probably familiar with the idea of a Christmas Advent calendar: counting down the days of Advent leading up to Christmas Day. There are many, many different types of Advent calendars out there, from traditional, religious ones that feature a manger scene to more secular variations that feature holiday scenes with Santa or popular television characters. And, of course, most Advent calendars also feature some sort of little treat for each day as you count down. Well, we here at BTBL are big fans of the book Advent calendar as it blends the magic of the season with the joy of reading! It is the best!! What is a book Advent calendar? The most common way to go about the book Advent we have seen is to gather 25 Christmas stories, wrap them in festive wrapping paper and place them in a basket or under the tree. Then, each night at bedtime (or after dinner or whatever time works for you and your family) your child picks out one of the books to unwrap and you all snuggle up for a festive read aloud! It’s that simple! You could get a little more specific with the activity by numbering the books so that the stories correspond to the date, such as reading The 12 Days of Christmas on the 13th and The Night Before Christmas on the 24th, but the basic idea is to read one Christmas book each night as a way to celebrate the season. The books can be new, used or from your local library! It's all up to you. Here is a list of titles to help get you started with your book Advent:
For more title ideas take a look at our Holiday Book List. Share photos of your book Advent calendars and tell us a bit about your family traditions in the comments!
Happy holidays and happy reading! -Kate from BTBL Thanksgiving is fast approaching and November is universally recognized as the month of giving thanks and so, we would like to take a moment to give thanks for books! And not just any books. We are especially thankful for picture books (it is Picture Book Month after all). Below is a list of books celebrating Turkey Day and also a smattering of titles all about being thankful. A Plump and Perky Turkey by Teresa Bateman The townspeople of Squawk Valley need a plump and perky turkey for their Thanksgiving feast, but turkeys have gotten too clever and won’t jump into their pots anymore. What are the townspeople to do? They hatch a plan, but things don’t go quite as they had planned… Over the River and Through the Wood: A Thanksgiving Poem by Lydia Maria Child There are many versions available of this classic poem and song, but our favorites are a version illustrated with woodcuts by Christopher Mason and a slightly wacky one illustrated by David Catrow. The words of the poem remain the same in both versions, but the illustrations are markedly different and offer two very unique reading (and singing, if you are so inclined) experiences that just have to shared! Llama Llama Gives Thanks by Anna Dewdney Llama Llama and his family are preparing a Thanksgiving feast to enjoy with their good friends the Gnus. Young children especially will love this sweet, rhyming board book that highlights the familiar, simple joys of the season. This Little Turkey by Aly Fronis Following the tune of the popular nursery rhyme, “This Little Piggy,” This Little Turkey follows a family of turkeys as they prepare for Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving is Here! By Diane Goode At grandma’s house on Thanksgiving morning the turkey goes in the oven and then the doorbell rings and the guests arrive. This story perfectly captures all of the fun and craziness of a family gathering. One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims by B. G. Hennessy Count along with this story about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags as they prepare for the harvest feast. Then at the end of the story learn a bit more about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoags in the section titled, “A Note from the Author.” 10 Fat Turkeys by Tony Johnston A variation on the “and then there were none” rhyme, this book follows ten silly turkeys as they go about their hilarious escapades: doing a noodle dance, attempting to roller skate, swinging from a vine…so much goofiness! Children will especially enjoy the repetitive phrase, “Gobble, gobble, wibble, wobble.” A Very Thankful Prayer by Bonnie Rickner Jensen Through moving rhymes and beautiful illustrations, this book reminds the reader of the everyday things that we should all be grateful for. This First Thanksgiving Day: A Counting Story by Laura Krauss Melmed A great companion to One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims, this counting story once again introduces readers to the Pilgrims and Wampanoag as they prepare for their Thanksgiving feast. This story has added bonus of hidden pictures within the illustrations, including a turkey somewhere in each spread, as well as countless other little creatures throughout the book for the reader to find. Sharing the Bread: An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving Story by Pat Zietlow Miller Celebrate the timeless tradition of a family working together to prepare their Thanksgiving meal with this rhyming story. The illustrations are a visual feast and open the door for a discussion of life in the 19th century. A Snowman Named Just Bob by Mark Kimball Moulton This beautiful story of one magical Thanksgiving Day and the formation of a lasting friendship will definitely make you feel all the feels and is sure to become a family favorite. Moulton’s rhyming text flows smoothly and the illustrations are enchanting! Thankful by Eileen Spinelli Similar to A Very Thankful Prayer, this story is also a reminder of all the little things there are in life to be thankful for. It is a touching story that will make you appreciate the blessings that you have. The Night Before Thanksgiving by Natasha Wing As we have all come to expect of her, Wing offers up a Thanksgiving tale set to the well-known rhythm of Clement C. Moore’s A Visit from St. Nicholas (also known as The Night Before Christmas) that highlights all of the excitement of preparing for and enjoying Thanksgiving Day. Turk and Runt: A Thanksgiving Comedy by Lisa Wheeler Turk is the biggest, strongest, most graceful bird on Wishbone Farm and his parents couldn’t be more proud. Runt, Turk’s little brother, is the scrawniest bird on the farm, but also the smartest. As folks begin to arrive to pick out a plump, juicy turkey for their holiday feasts, Runt is the only one wise to their plans and comes to his brother’s rescue again and again. No one will listen to him! That is, until a little old lady decides she wants Runt for her Thanksgiving Day feast. This story is so much fun and children will love the Runt’s master plan at the end! Share your favorites with us in the comments!
Happy reading! October is just about here and that means it is time to break out those frightful, ghoulish and ghastly stories. Keep the excitement alive and the spooks fresh throughout the month with our list of 31 Halloween books! *Note: This post contains affiliate links. Boris and Bella by Carolyn Crimi Bella Legrossi is the messiest monster in Booville. Her neighbor, Boris Kleanitoff, is the neatest monster in Booville. Will these neighbors ever learn to be friends? A Halloween party just might do the trick! Zombelina by Kirstyn Crow Zombelina absolutely loves to dance, especially for her family. Her mother enrolls her in a dance class for real girls, and while her teacher thinks she is superb, the other students aren’t quite so sure about their green classmate who sometimes loses limbs. On the night of the big recital, Zombelina is overcome with stage fright. All she can do is stand there with her arms out and make a few moans. The audience begins to shout “Zombie!” and runs away, but the seats quickly fill with her family and friends and she gives her best performance ever! *Look for Zombelina’s other stories: Zombelina Dances the Nutcracker and Zombelina School Days Cinderella Skeleton by Robert D. San Souci This is a ghoulish spin on the traditional Cinderella story. Cinderella Skeleton wishes to go to Prince Charnel's Halloween ball, but her wicked stepmother says the young skeleton must stay at home and work. With the help of a witch Cinderella Skeleton's dreams come true and she rests in peace forever after. Llama Llama Trick-or-Treat by Anna Dewdney In this short, rhyming board book, Llama Llama is preparing for Halloween by choosing a costume, carving pumpkins and getting candy ready to pass out. By the Light of the Halloween Moon by Caroline Stutson By the silvery light of the Halloween moon, a young girl sits at the edge of a pier tapping out a tune with her toes. As the story progresses, all of the Halloween creatures living under the pier come out to see the ten toes tapping, “by the silvery light of the Halloween moon.” The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry This variation on the popular children’s song The Itsy Bitsy Spider follows a pumpkin as it rolls down a spooky street and eventually makes his way home. Eek! Halloween! by Sandra Boynton Eek! The chickens are nervous, strange things are happening. What could be going on? “Relax, silly chickens! It’s HALLOWEEN!” *Also look for Boynton's Spooky Pookie: Pookie needs to decide what he is going to be for Halloween. After trying on several costumes, he finally finds one just right for him. Little Blue Truck’s Halloween by Alice Schertle Little Blue Truck and his good friend Toad are going to a costume party and on the way they meet several of their barnyard friends all dressed up. Who could be hiding under the mask? Lift the flaps to find out which animal it is! Monster Needs a Costume by Paul Czajak It’s almost Halloween and Monster needs to decide what he is going to be, but there are just too many options. How will he ever deicde? With a bit of creativity, Monster dares to be different with a unique costume of his own. Five Little Pumpkins by Dan Yaccarino "Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate. The first one said, "Oh my it's getting late." The classic nursery rhyme about five little pumpkins sitting on a gate in board book format! *If you and your little bookworm are fans of the popular Pete the Cat series, check out James Dean's Pete the Cat: Five Little Pumpkins. Arthur’s Halloween by Marc Brown Arthur and his little sister D.W. are out trick-or-treating, when suddenly D.W. walks into the scariest house on the street. Arthur must summon his courage and go rescue his little sister before it’s too late! Monster Mash by David Catrow The classic Halloween song by Bobby “Boris” Pickett and the Crypt-Kickers in picture book form! *Extended Activity: Listen to the original song with your little bookworm, get groovy and dance the monster mash! Halloween Night by Arden Druce Find out which spooky creatures are out and about on the night of Halloween in this rhyming story. In the Haunted House by Eve Bunting Two pairs of sneakers, one big and one small, are walking through an old, haunted house where they see all sorts of spooky sights. A newer edition of the book has lift-the-flap elements that the scary spooks are hiding behind. Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody by Michael Rex For those who adore Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon, this will surely become a Halloween favorite as it has the same tone and rhythm as the original. Click, Clack, Boo!: A Tricky Treat by Doreen Cronin Farmer Brown does not like Halloween, but that doesn’t stop the animals from having a big Halloween party in the barn and enjoying treats…and tricks! Froggy’s Halloween by Jonathan London As with Pookie and Monster, Froggy has to decide what he is going to be for Halloween. After going through several options, Froggy finally decides on the perfect costume for him. But is it really as perfect as he thinks or is it going to lead to his scariest Halloween ever? The 13 Nights of Halloween by Guy Vasilovich "On the first night of Halloween my mummy gave to me: a bright shiny skeleton key." A Halloween twist is given to the well-known 12 Days of Christmas holiday carol. The Thirteen Days of Halloween by Carol Greene "On the first day of Halloween my good friend gave to me: a vulture in a dead tree." Another example of a ghoulish rendition of the 12 Days of Christmas. 10 Trick-or-Treaters: A Halloween Counting Book by Janet Schulman This is a Halloween twist on the well-known rhyme that ends “And then there were none.” Ten trick-or-treaters go out, but as the story progresses each one is frightened off until there are none left. Creepy Carrots by Aaron Reynolds Jasper Rabbit loves carrots and the carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the best! He stops for a snack on his way to school, going to little league and on his way home. Then one day the carrots start following him home…or are they? *Extended Activity: Cut out carrots from orange construction paper and decorate them with whatever art/craft supplies you have on hand. Also, look for Jasper Rabbit's latest story: Creepy Pair of Underwear. Happy Halloween, Little Critter! By Mercer Mayer Little Critter and Little Sister are going to a costume party. Lift the flaps to reveal the monsters, mummies and skeletons they meet lurking in the house. Ten Creepy Monsters Carey F. Armstrong-Ellis This is another version of the “and then there were none” countdown rhyme. Ten creepy monsters gather on Halloween night, but one by one they slowly disappear. Who will be left? Miss Fiona’s Stupendous Pumpkin Pie by Mark Kimball Moulton Although she lives in an old, rundown house and may seem like a scary witch, Miss Fiona is actually a kind old woman who makes her secret recipe pumpkin pie for all of the trick-or-treaters every Halloween. A Halloween Scare in Michigan by Eric James It’s Halloween night in Michigan and there’s a large assortment of ghastly creatures gathering outside the door. What do they want? Are they looking for you?? *Note: This is the title specific to Michigan, but Eric James has versions available for just about every state! The Spooky Express Michigan: A Halloween Thrill Ride by Eric James What happens aboard the Spooky Express as it travels all around Michigan on Halloween night? Are there spooky creatures on board? *As with Eric James’s other books, this is the title specific to Michigan, but there are others for each state. AlphaOops!: H is for Halloween by Alethea Kontis A is not quite ready to take the stage and Halloween starts with H anyway, so it only makes sense that H goes first, right? All of the letters make their out-of-order appearance dressed up as the Halloween thing they represent (Z is for Zombie, P is for Pirate, etc). *Extended Activity: This story is perfect to use for a readers theatre performance! Also, look for the original story AlphaOops!: The Day Z Went First. The Nightmare Before Christmas by Tim Burton Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, is bored of the same old scares, terror and frights and longs to be more than “something that goes bump in the night.” He decides to kidnap Santa Claus and deliver his own Christmas joy, but things do not go according to plan. *Extended Activity: After reading the book, watch the movie! Were there any major differences? Shivery Shades of Halloween: A Spooky Book of Colors by Mary McKenna Siddals What color is Halloween? Is it green as an “eerie glow, evil grin, vile brew, clammy skin”? Or is it white as “cobwebs clinging, a misty trail, a skull, a spook, a face gone pale . . .”? The answer is yes! Yes to both and so many more! The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing It is the night before Halloween and all of the monsters are getting ready for “the trick-or-treaters who soon would be there.” This story follows the same rhyme as Clement C. Moore’s classic A Visit from St. Nicholas (The Night Before Christmas). Halloween Night by Marjorie Dennis Murray This is another adaptation of A Visit from St. Nicholas, but this time it is now Halloween night and all of the creatures are stirring, including the mouse, and are preparing for a night of scaring! Do you and your little bookworm have a favorite Halloween story not listed here? Share it with us in the comments below!
Happy reading! |
AuthorWe are mom Sandra and daughters Amanda and Kate, all with backgrounds in literacy and education, who want to share our philosophy of taking the basics of life; books, simple toys that encourage play, imagination and creativity, and using cooking and baking to teach math and real life skills to raise happy, inquisitive children. Join us in exploring the old and the new and sifting through the myriad of research to consider what is best for our children. Archives
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