Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Les Livres du Lundi (LATE!)

Obviously, this post is already late…and it will be quick, too, as the Canadian Thanksgiving holiday is shortening our week. Here are our favorite children’s storybooks from this week:

A Friend Like You by Julia Hubery—This lovely story has implicit messages about slowing down, appreciating beauty around us, being patient with others and ourselves, and enduring through challenges. The pictures are simple yet captivating. Jadon thought it was silly how monkey always wanted to go fast, and his favorite part was “those butterflies!” This was his pick of the week.

I Love You, Blue Kangaroo by Emma Chichester Clark—Our children love all the books in this series! The emotional reactions of a stuffed toy seem to somehow resonate with them. A great way to introduce empathic reasoning…

Cock-a-doodle-hooooooo! by Mick Manning—This cute story explores the joys of diversity from the perspective of some barnyard fowl. My kids especially love the last wordless illustration. (I’ll leave that for you to discover yourself!)

Music from the Sky by Denise Gillard—A sweet story about a little girl and her grandfather, who enjoy a playful morning together. Jadon was particularly thrilled with this story…perhaps because it involved music, perhaps because the girl has brown skin like him, perhaps because of the teasing tone between the characters…

Big and Busy: How Things Go by Roger Priddy—This book provides lots of great information about how different transportation machines work. Jadon eats this stuff up! Then, of course, he has to share all his knowledge! So, as we’re driving together in the van, he may pipe up with some random piece of information like, “Did you know Sir Isaac Newton figured out forces?” To which Mike responds, “Wow, Jadon. So, what’s a force?” Jadon doesn’t bat an eye. “It’s a pull and a push,” he answers. Mike turns to me and says, “Kristy, you might want to ease off on the preschool stuff…”

Run, Turkey, Run by Diane Mayr—This rhythmic tale of a turkey’s Thanksgiving escape is pure fun and surprise! The children were blissfully quoting the book from memory by the week’s end.

The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood—This book may have been a bit less captivating for my children, but the words of its last page have become a theme at our house. Since reading One Thousand Gifts and thinking more about intentional thanksgiving throughout the year, these words rang especially true: “We don’t give thanks because we’re happy. We are happy because we give thanks.”

Happy reading!

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