Once again the prospect of spring looms in the air with the arrival of March, the first month of the spring season. March is also known as National Reading Month with March 2nd (Dr. Seuss’s birthday) being designated as Read Across America Day. This year the National Education Association (NEA) is calling upon educators and supporters to share the childhood book that meant the most to them. As we fondly recollect the stories of our childhood that have turned us into avid readers, we tend to want to pass along this penchant to others because of the joy it brought us. Unfortunately, sometimes when we try to instill this love of books to a child it can come across as an edict, but when a storybook tells a child how wonderful books can be, children will often sit up and take notice. There are many picture books that extol the value and joy of books and reading. Look for those whose message is subtle, without a preachy tone. The best ones seamlessly interweave the message into the story line and illustrations. Subtle messages also offer an opening into a discussion that children will easily engage in with little prompting. Look through the following suggestions and choose some to share with your child. You never know which one will ignite that spark that will create a lifelong reader.
The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore by William Joyce
"And so our story ends as it began...with the opening of a book." That ending always makes my heart melt! This is a beautiful story and arguably our favorite picture book extolling the joy and wonder of books and reading. Although this isn't a silly story or very humorous one, it is poignant and touching and every child we have ever shared it with has listened with rapt attention to the story of Morris Lessmore and his life amongst the books. *Extended activity: after reading the book, watch the short film.
Scarecrow Pete by Mark Kimball Moulton
Upon opening this book the reader is met with this wonderful line: "Why, I can go most anywhere by reading a good book." The story centers around a young boy in the middle of his summer vacation. He discovers that the scarecrow in his family's cornfield can talk and loves nothing more than a good book. Although Scarecrow Pete, as the boy learns he is called, is stuck in one place all the time, he is still able to go on amazing adventures thanks to the trunk of old books that sits at his feet. The pair spend the entire summer getting lost in the pages of those books, forging a deep friendship and appreciation of stories. Told through rhyming text that flows in the style of a long poem, this story is best enjoyed aloud and Pete's ending words are sure to stay with you long after you close the book...
"You can do most anything,
meeting anyone you please, travel anywhere you like, and do it all with ease. Just find a place that's comfortable -- a nice, warm, cozy nook -- and lose yourself among the pages of a favorite book!"
I Love My Little Storybook by Anita Jeram
We love this little storybook! We truly, truly do. And the bunny in this book loves his little storybook too. The bunny explains all of the reasons why his storybook is so special, and as things moves along, the fanciful story of the bunny's book comes alive in the illustrations. The reader is brought into the magic forest right along with the bunny, seeing many amazing sights such as unicorns, a frog wearing a crown and mice with wings! Read this one slowly and allow your little bookworm time to really look at the illustrations and find all of the magic hidden there.
The Snatchabook by Helen Docherty
Someone is stealing all of the bedtime stories! But who could it be? As all of the little critters in Burrow Down are settling in for a bedtime story, their books are disappearing. A rabbit named Eliza Brown decides to stay up to catch the culprit and discovers it is a Snatchabook. The sad little creature doesn't have anyone to read him a bedtime story. Eliza Brown convinces the Snatchabook to return all of the stories and all of the critters in Burrow Down takes turns reading to the Snatchabook. This rhythmic, rhyming story has elements of mystery and suspense that help keep little ones engaged and it is also a great story for teaching children about empathy without being overly preachy about it. Everyone wants to be read to! *Look for Docherty's other story The Storybook Knight, which is another story all about the joy and wonder of books!
You Can Read by Helaine Becker
"You can read in the classroom. You can read in the park. You can read on a mission undercover in the dark." This book celebrates the fact that reading can happen any time, anywhere and with anyone. With well-paced rhymes, the text goes through all of the possible places you can read, including some locations that are not so practical, such as under the sea. Giggles are sure to happen when children take a closer look at the illustrations. Be sure to point out the title of the books being read in the illustrations as they pertain to what is being depicted and add to the humor.
For more titles that celebrate books and reading, check out our Stories about Books, Reading & Libraries list and share your favorites with us in the comments!
Happy reading! -Kate @BTBL Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 6) for Kate, and two sons (now 4 and 2) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
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“If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. If you want them to be more intelligent, read them more fairy tales." |
One wintry day a child builds a snowman, but the next day the snowman doesn't look the same. Looking at the snowman, the child begins to wonder, "What do snowmen do at night?" Rhyming text and bold, colorful illustrations offer some ideas for what snowmen get up to while we are all snug in our beds and your little bookworm will love delight in all the fun. After enjoying this title, be sure to check out Buehner’s other Snowmen stories as well and then go out and build a snowman of your own!
A beautiful, lyrical story of the preparations a family goes through to get their farm ready for the winter season. Children will gain an understanding of the work involved throughout the year to prepare a farm for winter.
This illustrated edition of Frost's timeless poem is absolutely beautiful. Look closely at each page for the animals hidden among the trees and snow.
The delights and challenges of winter are highlighted in this companion to Henkes' When Spring Comes and Middle of Fall. Winter can be a joyful time full of fun activities, such as ice skating and sledding, but it can also be rather difficult what with having to dress in those layers with all of those pesky buttons and so on. Anyone who has ever experienced winter will appreciate this story.
Tortoise usually sleeps through the winter, but this year his friends are determined to show him what he's been missing and how fun winter can be! Just as in Too Many Carrots, Hudson gives readers amazing, highly-detailed illustrations that provide much of the humor and make this story a delight for all ages. Just look at Tortoise's face!
A letter arrives for chipmunk Izzy. It's from Bear. Bear has asked Izzy to "come at once." Bear never asks for anything, so it must be important. Izzy wastes no time and sets out for Bear's, even though there is a blizzard outside! The snow slowly gets deeper and deeper, but thankfully Izzy has the assistance of several friends to along the way. This is a beautiful story that teaches the value of friendship.
One morning Froggy wakes up, looks out his window and sees that it is snowing. He hops out of bed, eager to head outside to play, but soon as he gets outside his mother calls him back in. He keeps forgetting to put on some necessary articles of clothing…such as pants and underwear! Children of all ages will find Froggy’s forgetful nature hilarious and little ones will especially enjoy the sound effects as Froggy gets dressed and undressed again and again. Zoop! Zup! Zat! Zwit! Zum!
Wilson Bentley devoted his life to capturing the unique beauty of snowflakes at his home in Vermont. Although his passion was often misunderstood in his time, Bentley persisted and through his efforts we now know that no two snowflakes are alike. Learn all about this man's life and passion with this picture book biography.
*Extended activity idea: Find a copy of Bentley’s book Snowflakes in Photographs and browse through it with your little bookworm. Then, equipped with a magnifying glass if you have one, head outside to examine some snowflakes.
Some love winter and others just need a bit of convincing. Find out all of the wonderful things that winter is as a brother does his best to persuade his sister to celebrate the season through rhyming text and bright, vivid illustrations.
Humorous illustrations make this winter tale so much fun! A variation on the classic song, “If You’re Happy and You Know It” this is a great story to read (and sing) over and over again with your little one. This story/song shows that no matter how crazy your day gets, it eventually winds down and comes to a dreamy end. What better way to close out the day?
A lone figure embarks on a perilous journey through the blowing snow. Will he make it to his destination? Sparse, yet highly dramatic text paired with full spread illustrations fuel this epic adventure of a tale. Brace yourself for the surprise ending. It will have you and your little ones in stitches!
In 1978, New England was hit by a massive blizzard, being covered in roughly 40 inches of snow in just two days. At the time, author John Rocco was a ten-year-old boy living in Rhode Island. This book is the story of how he walked to the store with tennis rackets tied to his feet as makeshift snowshoes and helped all of his neighbors and family as they waited for the snowplows to come.
*Extended activity idea: get out a tape measure or yardstick and see how much 40 inches of snow really is.
Through lyrical, moving text this books takes the reader through a snowy wonderland, describing various types of snow and the different ways snow can affect our lives. The rhythm of the language is reminiscent of falling snow and will enchant any listener, young or old.
This is the story of Walt, a small snowplow eager to show the bigger snowplows what he’s made of. He and his driver Gus work throughout the night, clearing bridges and roads. Eventually they come to a big hill and rather than leave it for another plow to clear, they decide to tackle it. Will they be able to reach the top? Fans of Katy and the Big Snow and The Little Engine That Could will immediately fall in love with this gem. The text is full of onomatopoeia, sound effects and repeated phrases that are sure to captivate little listeners.
Inject a bit of history into the bedtime routine and introduce your little bookworm to Wilder’s The Little House series and a different way of life. This picture book is adapted from The Little House books and offers a glimpse into family life in a log cabin in the Wisconsin woods.
Stay warm and happy reading!
-Kate @ BTBL
Author
We are three generations that seek a way to get back to basics. It’s not that we eschew technology, but sometimes simpler is better, especially in raising our children. Mom was a reading teacher, Amanda is an early childhood educator and Kate a children’s literature specialist and former school librarian along with the latest additions, a daughter (now 4) for Kate, and two sons (now 1 and a newborn) for Amanda. We advocate reading aloud, the simple toys that use imagination and encourage creativity and learning in the kitchen, which can be a fun mess but also teaches life skills. Join us in raising healthy, happy, inquisitive and intelligent children.
Author
We 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.
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