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
I love reading The Nutcracker with preschoolers, because it is about imagination, music, movement, emotions, culture, and the warmth of tradition. So many wonderful things included for our young learners. This page really got the attention of the children. Always the most favorite scene! The battle. Brave Marie. Land of the Sweets! I have an old toe … More THE NUTCRACKER by Susan Jeffers
We’re so lucky to have dear friends and family who help us navigate life when things go awry. We might talk about it, shout about it, remember it, laugh about it, hide from it, even think about throwing everything away or making someone else suffer. But often, what we really need is someone to simply … More THE RABBIT LISTENED by Cori Doerrfeld
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
Bonjour! For French week, what better book than the classic Madeline? A Caldecott Honor Book from 1940! The rhymes are wonderful. The older children were thrilled to point them out to me. Notre Dame and The Luxembourg Gardens: I will give you once guess why the children rolled around laughing after I read this page. How our … More MADELINE by Ludwig Bemelmans
A growth mindset is the belief that abilities and intelligence can be developed through dedication, effort, and learning, rather than being fixed traits, encouraging individuals to embrace challenges and learn from setbacks. Every once in a while, people give me books by friends or family. This is one of them, and look how cute it is. … More THE YET PET by Theresa Tan
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
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!