Poetry Friday: Jenny Wren

Jenny Wren

As little Jenny Wren
Was sitting by her shed,
She waggled with her tail,
And nodded with her head.
She waggled with her tail,
And nodded with her head,
As little Jenny Wren
Was sitting by the shed.

Photo from the BBC. Happy Poetry Friday!

July: Community Service

Help your tot pick those early summer flowers, dandelions will do, and share them with a neighbor.

Photo from GLiving, who will give you a great recipe for dandelion tea as well.

Kika, My First Word Book: Fukiko Yamamoto

How can you not love Kika? Just adorable! I want to squeeze this little bunny and never let go.

The start of this soft board book lists the upcoming, themed sections. Your totz will be exposed to Kika's family, house, feelings and more. The accompanying sight words are great reinforcement.

Author/illustrator Fukiko has given two images per spread throughout the book. With flat areas of color encased in thin black line, each page is slightly related to its opposite:

tree
leaf

car
bus

talk
listen

Kika's expressions, world, and friends will warm your heart. You'll be eager to talk your way through this delightful book with your totz. I want more Kika, Chronicle! Please. :~)

Kika, My First Word Book
by Fukiko Yamamoto
Chronicle Books, 2006

Photo Friday: Lorie Ann reads

I was known for licking the right hand index finger and turning the page with my left hand. :~)

Send me your photo, old or new, of a baby reading for Photo Friday! readertotzatclearwiredotnet

July: For the Older Sibling, Mary's Penny

I was instantly drawn to this quirky cover of Mary's Penny. Illustrator Richard Holland combines colored pencil and photo collage to create this traditional tale. There's a sense of history and novelty mixed together perfectly!

Author Tanya Landman says, "I've always found this traditional tale deeply satisfying." I had never heard it before, but I was definitely charmed by her retelling. As a father looks to leave his farm to one of his children, he gives each son a penny and charges them "to fill the whole house." Both sons fail, and it is the daughter, Mary, who speaks up, requests a penny, and wins the home. "It takes brains, not brawn, to run a farm."

Enjoy this work with the older sibling of your totz. Let the cleverness of Mary fuel conversations while you enjoy the sparse, fresh, funky art.

Mary's Penny
by Tanya Landman
illustrated by Richard Holland
Candlewick Press, 2010

Sara Gillingham: In My Nest

What makes little bird's nest so cozy? Soft feathers? Sure, but that's not all. Smooth leaves? Sure, but that's not all. In the end, there's a gentle, reassuring message: Bird's nest is so cozy because it's where his family lives.

There are lots of hole-in-the-book formats in stores these days. This one has an unusual twist, and it's one of the best. The cover has a large hole (the outer edge of the nest), and each successive page has a slightly smaller hole. This allows for a nest with a layered look, and displays the various things that go into nest-building. In the center is a soft, well-crafted blue bird finger puppet.

This is a wonderful concept, simply and beautifully illustrated, and it has heart. Nicely done!

Also take a look at the others in Sara's series: In My Pond, In My Tree, In My Den, In My Meadow, and In My Flower.

In My Nest
Author: Sara Gillingham
Illustrator: Lorena Siminovich
Chronicle Books, 2009

Poetry Friday: Bat, Bat

Bat, bat, come under my hat,
And I'll give you a slice of bacon;
And when I bake,
I'll give you a cake,
If I am not mistaken.

Maybe I was inspired by the release of the movie Eclipse. :~) Thanks to Dorling Kindersley for the clip art! Happy Poetry Friday!

Waiting for Baby: Rachel Fuller

The New Baby series from Child's Play is spot on accurate. Waiting for Baby reads like the inquisitive stream of questions from a tot awaiting a sibling.

"How big is the baby? What does it eat?
What's the doctor doing? Does it hurt?"

All the of questions invite you to discuss the topics further. I especially appreciate the inclusion of the ultrasound, for realism, and the father and child making dinner, for thoughtfulness.

Rachel Fuller's watercolors and graphite or grease pencil outlines are friendly and exuberant. Patterned areas break up the solid blocks of color nicely.

Introduce the concept of an upcoming new baby to your totz with Waiting for Baby.

Waiting for Baby
illustrated by Rachel Fuller
Child's Play, 2009

Photo Friday: Baby reading

Just ran across this on Photobucket. Too cute!



Feel free to send me your photos of your totz for Photo Friday! readertotzatclearwiredotnet

Totz Celebration: Who Was Jim Henson?

From time to time Lorie Ann and I celebrate our new books on readertotz. Today, I’m pleased to announce the release of my newest paperback chapter book biography in the “Who Was” series published by Grosset & Dunlap. Aka, the “big head” books. Just take a look at the cover to see how they got this nickname.

The new book is Who Was Jim Henson?

Answer: He was the man behind the Muppets. He was Kermit the frog. He was the heart and soul of Sesame Street. He was a private person. A silly, but serious one. A guy who loved his work, and who inspired others to be excited about puppetry. A man who wanted to make a difference.

Jim Henson died twenty years ago at age 53.

This is my third in the WW series, and I’m currently working on a fourth. I like this series because the books are written in a brisk, kid-friendly way, and they include factual sidebars with information about things kids really want to know. I read every biography on the shelf in my elementary school library (starting with the girl ones), and remain forever a biography fan. Biographies rock!

Some other cool books about Jim Henson:
Jim Henson: The Works - The Art, the Magic, the Imagination
Jim Henson's Designs and Doodles: A Muppet Sketchbook

Who Was Jim Henson?

Ages 7-12

Grosset & Dunlap, paperback

Author: Joan Holub

Rock & Roll Shapes: Salina Yoon

I love the sound this book makes. When you tilt the pages, a foil circle zips through a series of 5 windows, showcasing various shapes, such as a triangle, square, etc. It's hard to decide whether this is more 'toy' or more 'book'. But whichever you decide, it's clever and totz will love it. Very sturdy with a handle little hands can clutch, so they can carry this everywhere.
A-dor-a-ble!

There's a companion book called Rock & Roll Colors, which I haven't yet seen up close.

author-illustrator: Salina Yoon
publisher: Scholastic (Cartwheel) 2010

Photo Friday: Retro Summer

Doesn't this have the best nostalgia in the lighting and pool design? Love it!

Here's to a dip in the pool before reading another book with your totz! Happy Photo Friday. Send me your pics at readertotzatclearwiredotnet Show us your totz enjoying their summer!

July: Around the Block with Sesame Street

Happy July!

I want to start posting our sidebar content in blogs each month, so that we can still access it in the future. Otherwise it just drops as I update the site. Now, it hits me? Now I realize everyone might not have caught the community service idea and Around the Block with Sesame Street?

Well, there's always room for new thoughts, right? Here it goes for a new day. Feist is just adorable counting to 4. Your totz will be singing along with you, no doubt!