Book Love: Can I Play Too?

Title: Can I Play Too?

Author: Mo Willems

Why I Love This Book: I love Mo Willems' books. His comic and simple approach just really connects with younger kids. My Kindergarten students go crazy over this particular book. They seriously laugh their heads off, and beg me to read it again. I love that it is so engaging to them, but that it also lends itself to a great discussion about friendship and problem solving. 

Book Love: David's Drawings

Title: David's Drawings

Author: Cathryn Falwell

Why I Love This Book: This is such a great book for discussing friendship and the idea that everyone can have something to contribute in a classroom setting. In the story, a boy named David begins to draw a picture of a tree, and one by one his friends in the class have ideas of things that they could add to the picture. David gives a great example to young students as he chooses to share his picture with his classmates, and allows them to each add something to his drawing. In the end, it becomes a class picture and everyone is happy and proud. The text is simple, the illustrations are colorful and engaging, and the message is clear to kids as they read this story. My students wanted to make their own class picture after we read the book...which was perfectly aligned with what I had planned to go along with this story. A great read for the classroom! 

Book Love: Sophie's Masterpiece

Title: Sophie's Masterpiece

Author: Eileen Spinelli
Illustrator: Jane Dyer

Why I Love This Book: Well, I actually hate spiders, but I love this beautiful story about giving and kindness. This story has a more serious tone to it, but its message can be inspiring for kids and adults alike. The illustrations are wonderful, and give added emotion and depth to the words of the story. A great book for toying with the idea that spiders might not be so bad after all...or maybe for recognizing that everyone has something to give, even if they seem scary because they are different. 

Book Love: The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear

Authors: Don and Audrey Wood

Illustrator: Don Wood

Why I Love This Book: I was camping this weekend in "bear country," and for some reason thought of this book. It's a simple, interactive story that promotes ideas of problem solving and sharing as the little mouse needs to find a way to keep his red, ripe strawberry safe from the big hungry bear. The illustrations are fun and engaging, as is usually characteristic of this author and illustrator duo. It is a great read aloud for all different levels of early readers, including toddlers and preschool aged children, because of its interactive nature. 

Book Love: The Lion and the Mouse

Title: The Lion and the Mouse

Author and Illustrator: Jerry Pinkney

Why I Love this Book: This book is essentially wordless, as the story is told through the incredibly beautiful illustrations. A book like this can be used with children who are just developing their literacy skills, as well as fluent readers, as wordless picture books can be a valuable way to work with concept of print, comprehension, story sequencing, and more. This book is a great way to experience this classic fable through illustrations that capture the life and emotion of the story. 

Book Love: Bobbie Dazzler

Title: Bobbie Dazzler

Author: Margaret Wild

Illustrator: Janine Dawson

Why I love this book: I came across this book in an International Children's Literature class, and I just fell in love with it. It was originally published in Australia and it's all about a wallaby named Bobbie who wants to do the splits. With the support of her Australian animal friends (Koala, Possum and Wombat), Bobbie keeps trying until she finally achieves her goal. It's a simple and uplifting story about friendship and perseverance that will help encourage kids to keep trying  new things, even when they are difficult. The illustrations are delightful,  and really add to the story's simple text as they bring the characters, and their emotions, to life. The book also contains some other fun active words such as jump, skip, and do somersaults that can support vocabulary and inspire kids to develop their own movement skills.