Children Born in 2005

Book Title:  I Love My Daddy Because         
Author:  Laurel Porter-Gaylord      

Summary of Book
This book talks about why young children and other young animals love their daddies.  Some of the reasons are playing, safety, warmth, food, protection, etc.      

Before Reading
Talk to your child about why they love their daddy (or brother, grandfather, etc.).  Talk about the special things they do together (play hide-n-seek, laugh, sing, etc.).         

During Reading 
Talk with your child about all the different animals in the book.  Talk about the different names for the child animals (like penguin and chick, lion and cub, etc.).  Talk about how the animals are different and alike.  Also talk about how human children are different and similar to animal children (they need parents for love, food, home, protection, etc.).  Ask them what animal they would like to be and why.  Talk about different colors, skin/fur textures, fly v. run v. swim, etc.

After Reading
Let your child act out each animal in the book. Let them make the sounds and movements.  This can be done while reading and when finished.  Act out the description in the book (laugh like chimp, nap like lion, etc.).   Let the child make a puppet of one of the animals in the book.  You can use an old sock or a paper plate and decorate with markers, or use paper and popsicle sticks.  Use the puppet(s) to reenact scenes from the book or your child's favorite activities with his/her significant male figure.   Assist your child in drawing pictures of the animals in the story.  You might want to staple these drawings together to make a book.   Let the child draw a picture of themselves with their daddy (or grandfather, uncle, etc.).          

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Book Title:  I Love My Mommy Because       
Author:  Laurel Porter-Gaylord         

Before Reading
This is a wonderfully illustrated book about babies and mothers of all types of animals.  It points out the things that mothers do for their babies.   Go through each page and discuss what all the animals and their babies are called.  While doing this, also talk about the sounds each animal makes and where they might live.             

During Reading 
Let the child(ren) guess what each animal is and what its baby's name is as you turn each page.           

After Reading
Look through the book again with your child and talk about each of the pictured animals.  Name each animal and its baby name.  You may also talk about and make the animal sounds.  You may want to talk about how animal mommies take care of their babies just like people mommies do.   Take your child to the library or look at home for another book about either mommies or animals.  Curl up with your child, read the book with them, and talk about the characters.  Enjoy sharing this time with your child.            

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Book Title:  Momma, Will You
Author:  Dori Chacohas      

Summary of Book
A mother, her son, and the youngest sibling are spending time together.  The little boy asks the mother questions about animals, activities, and other things that interest him.  The mother responds to his questions and provides an alternative answer.  In her responses she discusses how to do things in the correct way and how to incorporate the younger sibling.  The book appears to start in the morning and it takes you through bedtime.   

Before Reading
Together with your child, flip through the pages and talk about the pictures.  Ask questions about the pictures, such as the names of the animals and the sounds they make.

During Reading 
As you read, encourage your child to predict what will happen next.  Talk with your child about what is happening in the story and how the pictures show this.

After Reading
After you finish reading the book, you can go back through and talk more about the animals in the book.


Use toy animals or cutouts of animals from magazines glued onto cardboard to re-tell the story, encouraging your child to participate with you.                                                   

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Book Title:  Only You/Solo Tu   
Author:  Rosemary Wells   

Summary of Book
This is a bilingual book written in English and Spanish.  In this book a small bear talks about the special things that his mother (or other special bear) does with him or her.  The illustrations show the baby bear and mommy bear baking together, painting, playing, dancing to music, building with blocks, and sitting together and reading a book.      

Before Reading
Before reading, introduce the vocabulary of the book.  To narrow down the vocabulary words, select words that the child does not know.  The introduction of the vocabulary is important because a child needs to know what a word means to comprehend the message of a book.  Next, do a picture walk.  A picture walk is looking at all of the pictures in the book without reading the book.  While doing the picture walk, ask the child s/he can predict what will happen in the story.  

During Reading 
Look at the illustrations as you read together.  Ask your child to tell you what the little bear is doing on each page and with whom he is doing it.  What does your child think the mommy bear and the baby bear are saying to each other?   

After Reading
Let your child pick his/her favorite page and then do that activity with them (e.g., paint, build with blocks, dance to music, bake, etc.).

Look at the page where mommy comes home.  Talk about where mommy might have been (work, grocery, etc.) and how mommy comes home to be with her child.  Relate this to times when you and your child have to be apart.   Talk again about the kinds of things your child enjoys doing at home.  Take 4 or 5 pieces of paper and together draw each of these things.  Write what your child says about each picture on the page.  Staple the pages together to make your own book.   Show your child that the book has 2 titles, an English one and a Spanish one.  Explain that you can say the same thing with different words.  Look at the front of the book where the days of the week are in Spanish and compare this with the English days of the week in the back of the book.   Re-read the book with your child.  Stop on several pages and talk about the ways that you and your child do the same types of activities.  Remind your child about how special s/he is.   When you return home, let your child pick a favorite book.  Sit and read this book, also stopping to talk about how it relates to your family.

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Book Title:  The Toddler's Potty Book/El Libro de basinica del pequenito
Author:  Alida Allison      

Summary of Book
A child is learning how to use the toilet.  The child talks about how it feels good to have dry pants and how it makes mom, dad, grandpa and grandma happy when the child uses the potty.  The book shows how the child is proud of being a big kid who can use the toilet.      

Before Reading
Talk about when children are little they wear diapers and when they grow bigger they learn to use the potty.  Talk about your child's experiences with the potty so far and then say that this is another child who is learning to use the toilet.

During Reading
Point out some of the things in the picture of the bathroom that are useful (flush, toilet paper, step stool, etc.).  Talk about how the child has a special friend (the teddy bear) that s/he takes to the potty with him/her.  Talk about how happy everyone is in the story.         

After Reading
After reading, talk with your child about things big kids do, like go potty, drink from a cup, feed themselves, put on socks/shoes, help clean up, etc.  Tell your child how proud you are of him/her.

Look at the page with mom, dad, grandma and grandpa.  Who are the important people for your child?  Write down a list together of all the people that are special for your child (friends, neighbors, siblings, teachers, etc.).  All of these people are happy when your child learns something new.  Remind your child of how s/he is special to these people.   Talk about the child's special friends in the book (the teddy bear and the puppy).  Does your child have a favorite toy, stuffed animal or blanket?  Let your child draw this on paper.  Write about the picture after s/he has finished.  Write what your child tells you about those objects.   Go back through the book and point out the Spanish writing.  Tell your child that some people use a different language to tell their thoughts and say what they want to say.  If you recognize any Spanish words, point them out to your child (Mama, Papa, chico (boy).

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Book Title: The Invisible Moose
Author: Dennis Haseley  

Summary of Book
This book is about the love of a male moose for a female moose. The male moose thinks the female moose doesn't even see him. He feels like he is invisible. The female moose gets captured, and the male moose travels great distances to find her. He finds her in New York City, goes to a professor and gets a potion to become invisible. They both become invisible and fall in love.

Before Reading
Talk about the cover of the book and the title. Ask your child what he/she thinks the book is about? What does it mean to be invisible? Can a person-or a moose- really be invisible?

Take a picture walk  through the book. Go through the book looking at the pictures before reading the text and talk about what is happening. Then read the book.

During Reading
As you read ask questions about the story and the pictures:

• Have you ever helped someone who was in trouble?
• Have you ever been in trouble and has someone helped you?  
• Do you think there is a magic potion to make you invisible?

After Reading
Help your child to dramatize the book. See if the child can remember the sequence of events as they happened in the book.

Give your child crayons and paper and let him/her write and illustrate a story about a child or animal who gets in trouble and someone helps out.