At this age, many children are still figuring out what “grumpy” really means. They can recognize the mood—they feel it, they see it—but they don’t always have the vocabulary or emotional awareness to name it in themselves. That’s what makes Jim such a lovable and relatable character. The children have no trouble spotting his grumpiness, … More GRUMPY MONKEY by Suzanne Lang, illustrated by Max Lang
We had fun reading this book this week. For the younger ones, we talked about or reviewed the colors. For my older ones I like to say the wrong color to see if they are listening – which they love. After I do it once, they really start paying attention and are thrilled when they … More BAD KITTY DOES NOT LIKE EASTER by Nick Bruel
Another Aesop fable! (If you are not familiar with Aesop, please see link at the end of the blog). This is a nice story to talk to preschoolers about the difference between the country and the city. I also liked this story because I could ask questions, and have the children really look and think. … More THE TOWN MOUSE AND THE COUNTRY MOUSE retold by Susanna Davidson, illustrated by Jacqueline East
Featuring Mother Goose and Friends by Ruth Sanderson. Mother Goose began by reading the story of Humpty Dumpty. She truly believed that once he fell, he was never put back together again… but she was wrong! In the end, Humpty was put back together—and that’s where this wonderful story begins. How Humpty Dumpty got back … More MOTHER GOOSE READS AFTER THE FALL by Dan Santat
We started our annual Dr. Seuss Week off with our parade — and the children always love it. It’s such a festive way to kick off the week. Dr. Seuss spirit fills the air! Every day has a different theme, which makes the week so much fun! The excitement really engages the children — and … More GREEN EGGS AND HAM…YUM! DR. SEUSS WEEK
The Three Little Pigs is one of my favorite stories to read to the children. This well-known tale helps them grow as early readers. The repeating text gives children confidence. They begin to anticipate the words, join in with the phrases, and quickly memorize key parts of the story. Before long, they aren’t just listening — … More THE THREE LITTLE PIGS by Mara Alperin, illustrated Ag Jatkowska
Jerry Pinkney is a Caldecott Award–winning author and illustrator, and his illustrations are stunning. His version of The Tortoise and the Hare is set in the desert, which allowed us to explore deserts and cacti. We also talked about the difference between a turtle and a tortoise, and a rabbit and a hare. I personally think we all … More THE TORTOISE AND THE HARE by Jerry Pinkney
Happy Lunar New Year! It is the year of the HORSE! We started our celebration at our preschool by taking a “flight to China”. We visited some famous sites and learned more about China. We also had a big parade to celebrate. The kindergarten class made this beautiful dragon, and the TK class made the … More THE TRUTH ABOUT DRAGONS by Julie Leung, Illustrated by Hanna Cha
Years ago, I installed this into the library. It is certainly looking a little worn, but the children still love it and want to know all about it. So of course, I had to find yet another version of Jack and the Beanstalk. This is my 6th version of the story! I love this story … More JACK AND THE BEANSTALK by Katie Daynes, illustrated by Paddy Mounter
I like to start this book asking about this picture. What season is it? How do you know? Do you see footprints in the snow? Who could they belong to? Is that a cave? Could a bear be sleeping in it? And then we can talk a little about hibernation. Our vocabulary word: It would … More BEAR SNORES ON by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman
This week we read another classic Aesop fable. The older children were able to begin understanding the moral behind the story, while for the younger children I simply focused on introducing the story itself. It is a wonderful story for opening up conversations about honesty, lying, and the consequences our choices can have. Our vocabulary … More THE BOY WHO CRIED WOLF by Mairi Mackinnon, illustrated by Mike and Carl Gordon
Did you know Aesop was an ancient Greek storyteller who was originally a slave? His stories have been around for thousands of years. They all teach a moral lesson, and it seems these morals are truly timeless. I read a book that referenced this fable, and it made me wonder whether this story is still … More THE GOOSE THAT LAID THE GOLDEN EGGS by Mairi Mackinnon, illustrated by Daniel Howarth
We continued to celebrate our community helpers this month by reading this book and learning about fire safety. Fireman Small saved the cat! We all put up our hands and shouted “hooray” too! This book has wonderful rhymes and repeats, so the children can say it with me. (They don’t need to know rhyming and … More FIREMAN SMALL by Wong Herbert Yee
The winner of the 2023 Caldecott Medal and a cute summer book. Poor dog is soooo hot. We had some fun making all the sound effects from these pages. She seems like a caring dog mom. We practiced calling a taxi too. A train. A boat. A pier. Where are we? So much fun. Oh … More HOT DOG by Doug Salati
If you don’t know Doreen Cronin and Click, Clack Moo – you need to go look that book up now. They are cute, clever and funny books. The kind that are just as fun for the adults to read as the children. This one does not disappoint. Our vocabulary word (no, it is not a … More GIGGLE, GIGGLE, QUACK by Doreen Cronin, illustrated by Betsy Lewin
This week, we read another classic Hans Christian Andersen story. This book is a simplified version of the story. Older children can grasp some of the lessons from this book. These include not judging others by how they look. Also about self-acceptance and just treating others nicely, no matter what we look like or do. … More THE UGLY DUCKLING by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Sue Eastland
Miss Library’s sister was in town again this past week to share her rhymes and stories. She loves to show the children her home. And also how she gets around. She also read this book by Paul Galdone, featuring one of her rhymes, Three Little Kittens. Vocabulary word: Mother Goose, as usual, read this rhyme. … More Mother Goose Reads Rhymes and Stories!
We started our week with a rousing parade. The children built our big Dr. Seuss cake in Maker Space. What they didn’t know…was that Ms. Liz was going to jump out of it at the end… it was pretty fun. Watch a little of the parade here: We played this song: The Kindergarten and TK … More DR. SEUSS WEEK!
In this version she is taking Brussels sprouts soup to her grandmother. Hahah. Of course, we needed to look at the rules of the woods. 1. Keep to the path 2. Don’t talk to wolves. Oh no! She forgot one of the rules. (Our children felt confident they would never forget that one). What a … More LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, retold by Susanna Davidson, illustrated by Mike Gordon
Love is in the air…or is it? Crankenstein does NOT like Valentine’s Day! Vocabulary word: The children find this story hilarious. Who doesn’t like Valentine’s Day? Friends are the best. I showed these two pictures to see how many noticed the difference. When they did notice, why do they look different? There was lots of … More A CRANKENSTEIN VALENTINE by Samantha Berger, illustrated by Dan Santat
Retold by Susanna Davidson, Illustrated by Mike Gordon Queen Library here. This is a story about my great, great grandfather. In preschool, our job is to provide building blocks. One of these blocks is introducing the children to classic stories. They may not understand all of the lessons from these stories now. But if they … More THE EMPEROR’S NEW CLOTHES by Hans Christian Andersen
I love this very simple and easy to understand story for our preschoolers. Does it look like King Herod’s messenger is nice? “Is there room at the inn?” Our vocabulary word: A celebration! On the projector: This made the library smell amazing! We also read this during my after school classes: They love playing with … More THE STORY OF BABY JESUS retold by Mary Kelly, illustrated by John Jovan
This is an old Brothers Grimm story that highlights helping, giving and receiving. Our vocabulary word. What a great word, and to hear the children (at least try to) say it is priceless. Which shoes do you want? Elves! Giving AND receiving, both make us happy. Are the elves going to your house? On the … More THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by Jim LaMarche … More THE ELVES AND THE SHOEMAKER by Jim LaMarche
It is a simple theme this week. Thanksgiving, and remembering to give and say THANKS! My favorite page of this book: This colorful picture book has some wonderful rhymes (remember: rhyming is a building block of reading). Our vocabulary word – perfect for Thanksgiving! Beatrix has so many cousins: Lots of empathy. On the projector … More BEAR SAYS THANKS by Karma Wilson, Illustrated by Jane Chapman
This is a widely popular book with our students. It is brightly illustrated and funny. It seems to get their attention instantly. You know I love to make reading and learning fun – this book does that! Our vocabulary word. I also had a basket of leaves to show what rustling leaves sound like. (Sorry … More THE LEAF THIEF by Alice Hemming, illustrated by Nicola Slater
Last spring I attended a preschool education conference. A very talented and inspiring speaker, https://playtolearnpreschool.us, was giving away literacy sets from https://rallyfeltco.com, via numbers under our seats. How thrilled was I to win this!? You know it is one of my favorites. Retelling a story is so important for our emerging readers. I have not … More THE THREE BILLY GOATS GRUFF by Mara Alperin, illustrated by Kate Pankhurst
In music class at our school, Miss Jennifer told me she likes to incorporate a German-Octoberfest theme. She plays polka music for her students. I thought it would be fun to do the same in the library! What better story than Grimm’s classic of Hansel and Gretel? (This James Marshall version makes it fun and … More HANSEL AND GRETEL by James Marshall
Jack and the Beanstalk, retold by Carol Ottolenghi, illustrated by Guy Porfirio As long as I have “Jack” still hanging down from the library ceiling, I have to read this story. The children love it. We have so much fun, stomping and acting out being the giant in the book. Five magic beans! Fee, fi, … More Jack and the Beanstalk Returns to the Library!
A classic fairy tale, originally written by Hans Christian Andersen. I love the illustrations in this book. It is also simple and easy for the children to follow. After the story we looked at a real pea. How did the princess feel this under twenty mattresses? Each child then got to see if they were … More THE PRINCESS AND THE PEA retold by Harriet Ziefert, illustrated by Emily Bolam
Earth Day was on Monday, but we know everyday should really be Earth Day, right? We celebrated our Earth all week long. How perfect that our chicks hatched this week too! This is our 7th year hatching chickens. It is truly such a wonder, and never gets old. The children have been so engaged -but … More OUR EARTH by Anne Rockwell