Sunday, August 29, 2010

Book Review- The Night Before Kindergarten


By Natasha WIng
Illustrated by Julie Durrell
Published by Grosset & Dunlap
Released on July 2001
Source-Gift
4 stars- Great Read

"Twas the night before kindergarten, and as they prepared, kids were excited and a little bit scared. They tossed and they turned about in their beds, while visions of school supplies danced in their heads."

It's almost the first day of school, and kids all over town are getting ready for it. What will kindergarten be like? Will the teacher be nice? Will they still get to play? Anticipation and excitement are in the air as they head off to school, where they discover just how much fun kindergarten really is! (taken from the book's cover)

This book was a huge hit in our house last week. Reading this the night before my son went to kindergarten helped calm his jitters a little bit. He enjoyed seeing what the kids did to get ready for school. He was very excited when the teacher read this book to the class the first day of school.

It's written in a memorable style and goes along with the song, "The Night Before Christmas." I definitely recommend this for parents with kindergarteners and to teachers who teach kindergarten. It's a great addition to your book collection.

In My Mailbox

In My Mailbox is a meme hosted by The Story Siren and was inspired by Alea of Pop CultureJunkie! With this post, we share the books we've received this past week for review, borrowed from friends or the library, received as a gift and/or bought.

For Review:
* Who Stole Mona Lisa by Ruthie Knapp, Illstrated by Jill McElmurry, received and published by Bloomsbury Kids, to be released September, 2010
* Guide To A Drama Free Life, Edited by Sarah Wassner Flynn, received and published by Scholastic, to be release September 2010
* Head To Toe Guide To You, Edited by Sarah Wassner Flynn, received and published by Scholastic, Released April 2010
* The Famous Nini, A Mostly True Story of How A Plain White Cat Became A Star, by Mary Nethery, Illustrated by John Manders, received and published by Clarion Books, released on June 7th, 2010
* Captain Sky Blue, by Richard Egielski, published by Scholastic, to be released September 2010

Bought/Gifted:
* The Night Before Kindergarten by Natasha Wing, Illustrated by Julie Durrell
* Lunch Box Mail and Other Poems by Jenny Whitehead
* I Can Read- The Chronicles of Narnia, Prince Caspian, This is Narnia
* Hide and Seek Polar by David Crossley

Thank you to Scholastic, Bloomsbury Kids, Clarion Books and Sophie for this weeks great reads. What goodies did you receive this week?

Book Review - Hooray For Fish


Author/Illustrator: Lucy Cousins
Publisher: Candlewick Press (May 10, 2005)
Age: Baby to Preschooler
Source: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars

Description from GoodReads:

Paddle along with Little Fish on a mesmerizing underwater tour of friends spotty and stripy, happy and gripy, hairy and scary, even curly whirly and twisty twirly. From the creator of Maisy comes an eyepopping picture book that is sure to have little ones joining the chorus: Hooray for fish!

Normally, when I do a first read of a picture book, it isn't for an audience. However, I was with my nieces at the library and the 4 year old brought this one over to me. Clearly with the intention that I would be reading it aloud. Of course, the private reading for 1 turned into a group read. However, it was nice to see how 3 & 4 year olds responded to Hooray For Fish! and not have to predict.

Cousins, author of the popular Maisy the Mouse books, gets this audience. Bright, bold fish in a variety of shapes and sizes cover the pages. One, "ele-fish", even looks like a gray and white elephant. There is another page with three fish and each fish has a number integrated into their design. As I was reading the book, I realized that I could read it two or three times and focus on a different aspect (i.e., colors, numbers, shapes, sizes, etc.) without repeating myself. The text works in conjunction with the pictures to engage young listeners through a rhythmic pattern but also to highlight the various concepts being introduced.

In the end, our little fish who has been leading us through the waters of the book is reunited with his mommy in a very touching, kissy-kissy moment that thrilled my young audience.

This is a fun book that would be a nice addition to any sea/ocean unit in a preschool curriculum.
I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~ Anna Quindlen

Good children's literature appeals not only to
the child in the adult, but to the adult in the child.
~ Anonymous ~