Poetry Friday: Twinkle, Twinkle (full text)

Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star

Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

When the blazing sun is gone,
When he nothing shines upon,
Then you show your little light,
Twinkle, twinkle, all the night.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Then the traveler in the dark
Thanks you for your tiny spark;
He could not see which way to go,
If you did not twinkle so.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

In the dark blue sky you keep,
And often through my curtains peep,
For you never shut your eye
Till the sun is in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

As your bright and tiny spark
Lights the traveler in the dark,
Through I know not what you are,
Twinkle, twinkle, little star.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are!

Star image from Cambridge Educational Toys! Jennie of Biblio File is hosting this week's Poetry Friday.

Scholastic: Hello, Dinosaurs!

A small 6-page sturdy board book wrapped in fabric and backed with a hand puppet that includes 5 dinosaurs, one of each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue. For ages 1-2.
I haven't seen anything quite like this before. The book fits in the palm of your hand and is attached to a fabric 'glove' with dino finger puppets on each finger. I think babies and totz will get a kick out of this while getting a painless introduction to colors.
Red dinosaur loves to fly.
Orange dinosaur stretching to the sky.

Hello, Dinosaurs
Scholastic

Poetry Friday: Cobbler, Cobbler

Cobbler, cobbler, mend my shoe,
Give it a stitch and that will do.
Here's a nail, and there's a prod,
And now my shoe is well shod.

Kelly has the Poetry Friday roundup! And get these cute shoes, not in need of a cobbler, at Stardust. :~)

Photototz: Call for entries

Joan and I are launching a segment called: Photototz! We are inviting all authors/illustrators to send a cover of their latest book AND a photo of when they were a tot. We'll stream these onto the blog and collect the entries in the sidebar. It should be fun!

If you'd like to participate, send your images to readertotzatclearwiredotnet Share a little baby smile and celebrate your recent release!

To get things going, here's mine. I'm a tot of 20 months. :~)

And if you are a parent or grandparent of a tot, feel free to send a photo of you reading together to the above address. We'll be happy to share it with our growing community!

Show us those baby faces, readertotz!

Wednesdays Win: Library Lion

Drop a comment here on readertotz for a chance to win Library Lion published by Candlewick Press! Don't forget to check in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday and will announce all the winners for the month on October 21 end of the day. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won. Good luck!
(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us at the email provided on October 21 within 10 days to be eligible. Thanks!)

CONGRATULATIONS JANE MARTIZ OF winningreadings.blogspot.com You won the October Wednesdays Win at readertotz! Please email joanholub at aol dot com with your snailmail address.

~ Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover

Little Hoot: Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Jen Corace

I'm so pleased to see Chronicle has released the "Little" books in board book format! They are sold as a beautiful boxed set, but I think each deserves a separate review. So today, I'm appreciating Little Hoot. I first came across Little Hoot through Bookie Woogie's great review.



Author Amy Krouse Rosenthal ponders the trials of a little owl, so tired, he just wants to go to bed. But of course, his parents make him stay up. How hard is that when all your friends are asleep and all you can think of is sleep, sleep, sleep!

What a fun way to explore the opposite of what is maybe a struggle with your totz: going to bed. Genius!

Jen Corace's delicate, varied ink lines and soft watercolor washes are the perfect compliment to Amy's text. I particularly enjoy the sparseness and wide white spaces.

The font is a wonderful, thin match for both story and art.

Note: the board book cover show Little Hoot in green jammies, while on the picture book cover, he's wearing blue, like the above image. Hm. Why the change? Interesting.

Read this sweet, smart board book with your totz because "they owl lived happily ever after."

Little Hoot
by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
illustrated by Jen Corace
Chronicle Books, 2009 (board book)

Poetry Friday: I had a Little Nut-Tree

At our library this week, the parking lot is covered with acorns. This Mother Goose rhyme came to mind. I'm sure your totz will pick up the line, "Couldn't catch me!"

I Had a Little Nut-Tree

I had a little nut-tree, nothing would it bear
But a silver nutmeg and a golden pear;
The king of Spain's daughter came to visit me,
And all because of my little nut-tree.
I skipped over water, I danced over sea.
And all the birds in the air couldn't catch me.

Catch the roundup with Laura Salas!

Older Sibling Pick of the Month: An Amelia Bedelia Celebration

This 214 page hardcover book contains four complete books, a CD of the stories for listening as you read, eight brainteasers and puzzles, two tasty recipes, and four crafts, and is priced at $19.99. Peggy Parish was a third grade teacher when Amelia Bedelia was first published in 1963. She passed away in 1988 and fans still begged for more. Her nephew, Herman Parish, has written 15 more Amelia Bedelia stories.

I was a big fan of Amelia Bedelia as a girl. It was one of the books that made me laugh and made me want to read. I'm glad the books continue.

An Amelia Bedelia Celebration
Authors: Peggy Parish and Herman Parish
Illustrators: Lynn Sweat and Fritz Siebel
Greenwillow Books (HarperCollins)

Wednesdays Win: A Little Kitty

Drop a comment for a chance to win A Little Kitty, a board book by Jane Feder and Amy Schwartz. Stop in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday and will announce all the winners for the month on October 21. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won. Good luck!
(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us at the email provided on October 21 within 10 days to be eligible. Thanks!)

~ Lorie Ann Grover and Joan Holub

Lucy Cousins: Maisy's Toys Los juguetes de Maisy

A first introduction to French for totz 18 months and older.
What's in Maisy's toybox? Turns out there's:
la pelota, ball
los bloques, blocks
and more!
A simple, useful book illustrated in the bold black line and bright colors of Lucy Cousins. Other books in this dual-language series include: Maisy's Animals (Los animales de Maisy), Maisy's Clothes (La ropa de Maisy), and Maisy's Food (Los alimentos de Maisy.)

Maisy's Toys Los juguetes de Maisy
Lucy Cousins, author-illustrator
Candlewick Press

Poetry Friday: Little Robin Redbreast

Little Robin Redbreast
Sat upon a tree,
Up went the Pussy-Cat,
And down went he;
Down came Pussy-Cat,
Away Robin ran,
Says little Robin Redbreast--
Catch me if you can.
Little Robin Redbreast jumped upon a spade,
Pussy-Cat jumped after him, and then he was afraid.
Little Robin chirped and sung, and what did pussy say?
Pussy-Cat said Mew, mew mew,--and Robin flew away.

Catch the full Poetry Friday roundup with Anastasia Suen at Picture Book of the Day.

Wednesday's Win: Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap Book

Halloween's coming! Drop a comment here on readertotz for a chance to win Boo Who? A Spooky Lift-the-Flap book by Joan Holub, published by Scholastic/Cartwheel Books! Don't forget to check in each week--we'll post a new contest every Wednesday and will announce one winner for all the books this month on October 21. Don’t forget to check back to see if you've won. Good luck!
(Due to mailing costs, USA only. Winners must contact us at the email provided on October 21 within 10 days to be eligible. Thanks!)

THE WINNER OF ALL THE SEPTEMBER WEDNESDAYS WIN BOOKS ON READERTOTZ IS KATIE KING. CONGRATULATIONS, KATIE! PLEASE EMAIL joanholub at aol dot com WITH A SNAILMAIL ADDRESS.

~ Joan Holub and Lorie Ann Grover

Ten Sleepy Sheep: Phyllis Root, Susan Gaber

My pick this week is Ten Sleepy Sheep by Phyllis Root, illustrated by Susan Gaber. What a fun concept to turn the tables and find the sheep not wanting to go to sleep themselves in the countdown.

Phyllis' rhyme has a beautiful, elegant cadence that contributes to the quiet tone of the book.

"Nine sheep race
past the tall green gate.
Wind sighs.
Whippoorwill cries.
Sleep, sleep."

The rich language spills naturally in the reading and will be memorized by parents and totz. Counting down from ten to one is an adventure in the onset of night.

Susan's paintings in acrylic and pastel continue the tone set by Phyllis in their gentle detail. Apart from the first and last spread, each is a painting bordered by white with an accompanying spot illustration. Every spot encapsulates the one sheep drifting off to sleep.


Susan has a wonderful palette that reflects the deepening night while still remaining colorful.

Ten Sleepy Sheep is a beautiful addition to any totz board book collection. Count down to sleep as you read this lovely book before bed.

Ten Sleepy Sheep
by Phyllis Root
illustrated by Susan Gaber
Candlewick, 2009

Poetry Friday: Twenty White Horses

Twenty white horses
Upon a red hill;
Now they tramp,
Now they champ,
Now they stand still.

(A child's teeth.)

This nursery rhyme reminded me of Laurie Keller's work. If you aren't familiar with her books, snatch them right up!

I'm looking for the poetry roundup this week still. Stay tuned! Just found it with Kelly at Crossover!

Totz Fanfare: Shampoodle

Congrats to Joan on this FANTASTIC Kirkus review of Shampoodle! Woohoo! The totz are cheering!

Kirkus Reviews (October 1, 2009)

Holub, Joan

SHAMPOODLE

Illus. by Tim Bowers

This Step into Reading title is a crazed, out-of-breath, fly-on-the-wall peek at picture-day morning at the Shampoodle salon for dogs. Four stylists are simply no match for seven rambunctious dogs. Add in the distraction of three cats, and chaos ensues. Snappy rhyming verses lead children through the fiasco to the hysterical hairstyles that are the result (all, oddly enough, look remarkably like the stylists that crafted them): “New hair. Blue hair. / Beads with knots. / Purple hair with polka dots. / Spiked hair. Mohawk. / Striped like skunk. / Glitter critter. / Super funk.” Short sentences, easy vocabulary and a large font fit the Step 2 level. Bowers’s characters all have wonderful personality, especially the pooches. Beginning readers will have to stop laughing at the pictures before they will be able to read the text. Very funny—there may be a short film in this somewhere. (Early reader. 4-7)

Welcome October with The Count!

So perfect to kick off October with your totz! Do the "Batty Bat!"



~Lorie Ann