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Children Born in 2007
Book Title: Giggles with Daddy
Author: Emily Sollinger
Photographer: Elizabeth Hathon
Summary of Book
There's nothing better than laughing together! This book will have daddies and babies giggling the day away! Each page features a different baby with their daddy as they share time together giggling and laughing. Oh, how fun!
Before Reading
Take a picture walk through the book (turn the pages and talk about the pictures). Ask questions like -What are they doing together? Do they look happy or sad? Do you think that they might be laughing? As you ask these questions, you will be answering your own questions for your baby. This is a great way to talk with your baby and allow them to hear the sounds of language.
During Reading
Laugh and giggle with your baby. Ask the question: Can you giggle? (Giggle for your baby after you ask the question.) Say: Can you hear mommy/daddy giggle? (Again, giggle!) Encourage your child to giggle with you.
Continue to talk about each baby as you read each page, pointing out different things to your baby. That baby is holding a ball - Ball! You can talk about colors. He's wearing a pretty red jacket. See the red jacket? Red!
After Reading
- Act out "tickle time" which will cause your baby to laugh/giggle.
- Continue to talk about giggles.
- Play hugs with daddy or hugs with mommy or hugs with grandma, etc.
Book Title: Kisses for Mommy
Author: Emily Sollinger
Photographer: Elizabeth Hathon
Summary of Book
Actual photographs of children with their mommies and grandmommies in various poses of hugs and kisses.
Before Reading
Take a picture walk through the book (turn the pages and talk about the pictures). Ask questions like -What are they doing together? Do they look happy or sad? Do you think the baby likes to give kisses? As you ask these questions, you will be answering your own questions for your baby. This is a great way to talk with your baby and allow them to hear the sounds of language.
During Reading
Kiss and hug your baby. Ask the question: Can you give kisses? (Give your baby kisses after you ask the question.) Say: Can mommy/daddy give you kisses? (Again, kiss your baby!) Encourage your child to give kisses with you. Continue to talk about each baby as you read each page, pointing out different things to your baby about what you see on each page.
After Reading
Look at the page where the baby has food all over his/her face. Talk about yummy foods and messy foods. Use very descriptive words. You could sing the song "This is the way we eat our (grapes) , eat our (grapes) , eat our (grapes), this is the way we eat our (grapes), so early in the evening." You can point our the child's body parts (nose, eyes, hands, hair, etc.) and sing: "Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes, Eyes and ears and mouth and nose, Head and shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes."
Book Title: Look Look!
Author: Peter Linenthal
Summary of Book
This book has lots of simple pictures and high contrast of black and white pictures. It is a good first book for babies.
During Reading
As you read the book to your child, point to the pictures as you say the words. As you talk about the cat that stretches, also talk about how the cat is soft and furry, cat sounds like "meow," etc. For each object, describe to your child what it sounds, feels, smells, looks like, etc.
When you show your child the 1st page, place their hands on the page and point to their hands as well as the page and label "hands." You can also label other body parts, both on yourself and the child. As you read the book with your child, do the motions suggested in the book (hands reach, smile, stretch, etc.) and have your child do them also. Point out eyes, nose, smile, etc. on the sun, child, cat, fish and touch the same part on the child.
After Reading
Have physical objects of the ones in the book to show your child as you re-read the pages (plastic car, stuffed animal, plant, etc.), and let your child explore the objects.
Book Title: Mary Had a Little Lamb
Author: Sarah Josephine Hale
Summary of Book
The foundation of this book for young children is the well-known nursery rhyme "Mary Had a Little Lamb." The author follows the popular rhyme and then adds her own ending, which encourages children to be kind to animals.
Before Reading
If your child has a soft stuffed lamb, play with it. Talk about how it feels and what it looks like.
During Reading
Talk about the pictures and tell your child about what the lamb is doing on each page. Use lots of words to describe what is happening on each page. Vary the tone and volume of your voice.
After Reading
Repeat the rhyme using the child's name. You may also change the kind of animal and create your own rhyme to repeat with your child (ex. "Suzie had a little cat, its fur was soft and black," etc.)
Sing "Mary Had a Little Lamb" with your child repeatedly after reading the book and pointing out illustrations. Try to change and make up your own song like "Mary had a hairy goat, Its fleece was black as coal, Of all the places Mary went, The goat would rather bowl," etc. It doesn't matter if the words are silly - the sillier the better!
Book Title: Max's Ride
Author: Rosemary Wells
Summary of Book
This is a board book about Max's ride in his baby carriage as his sister Ruby watches and worries. The focus is on opposites.
Before Reading
Take a picture walk through the book (turn the pages and talk about the pictures). Ask questions like -What are they doing together? Do they look happy or sad? As you ask these questions, you will be answering your own questions for your baby. This is a great way to talk with your baby and allow them to hear the sounds of language.
During Reading
Point out the pictures in the book and talk about what is going on as you read. Pretend to be Max and use different tones of voice to say what he might be feeling.
After ReadingUse a small soft rabbit and a toy car as props. Take Max the bunny for a ride around the room, or the house, or the yard. Use these keywords so that he goes to new and exciting places on his travels: Down up over under between into. Also make sure to tell Max to Go! and Stop!
This simple verse is fun to act out with your child: Left to the window (point), Right to the door (point), Up to the ceiling (point), Down to the floor (point).
Book Title: Spot Goes To The Farm
Author: Eric Hill
Summary of Book
Spot's visit with his dad at work on the farm turns into a fun day of looking for baby animals.
Before Reading
Take a picture walk through the book (turn the pages and talk about the pictures). Ask questions like: What are they doing? What is this animal? As you ask these questions, you will be answering your own questions for your baby. This is a great way to talk with your baby and allow them to hear the sounds of language.
During Reading
Before showing the child what type of baby animal is on each page (hidden behind the flaps), tell the child what animal makes the sound that is printed on that page. (Example: If the page has moo, ask A cow says moo?) Open the flap and see the animal that is hiding. Say, "There's the ____." This could be done for every page.
After Reading
Visit a farm or petting zoo to try and see animals that are in the book (pig, horse, duck, etc).
Visit a pet store to see baby animals such as puppies, kittens, etc.
Book Title: Tomie's Baa, Baa, Black Sheep and other Rhymes
Author: Tomie De Paola
Summary of Book
This book is a series of nursery rhymes such as: Jack and Jill Went up the Hill; Little Miss Muffet; and Baa, Baa, Black Sheep.
Reading to Infants
Read this book often to your baby. The rhythm and sounds of the rhyming words and colorful pictures will help your child develop a love for books and stories. Sing the nursery rhymes and use different tones of voice as you say them. All of these things will help your baby along the path to being a reader and writer.
Book Title: Where's My Nose?
Author: Susan Ring
Summary of Book
Baby looks everywhere for its nose. At the end of the book the baby looks into a mirror and finds its nose.
Before Reading
Sing: "Head, shoulders, toes and nose, toes and nose. Head, shoulders, toes and nose, toes and nose. Fingers, ears and eyes to close, Head, shoulders, toes and nose." Sing as your child sits or lays on a blanket. As you sing, touch each body part.
During Reading
Ask your child, "Can you see your fingers?" and touch his/her fingers. "Can you see your toes?" and so on. Then ask, "Where are my fingers, toes, eyes, and nose?" and point them out to the baby.
After Reading
Sit with the baby on your lap. Hold a hand mirror and show baby the parts of his face.
Play "Let's look for your nose" Use words from the book: "on the floor," "on the chair," "under the couch," "hold baby up high/down low?" add words like "behind, next to, in front of" as you say the words, move the baby to each place.
Book Title: Where's Spot
Author: Eric Hill
Summary of BookBook Title: A Lot of Otters
Spot hasn't eaten his dinner! Follow Spot's mom, Sally, as she searches for the young puppy. Flaps on each page lift to show helpful characters, such as an alligator, hippo and a monkey, as they tell Sally "No, Spot is not there." The flaps help your child get involved in the search for Spot - is he under the bed? In the piano? Under the rug? Of course, in the end Sally finds Spot and he gets to eat his supper.
Before Reading
Play "Peek-a-Boo" or "Where is Baby?" so that the child begins to understand the concept of looking for something hidden.
Let the child handle the book. If your child has a stuffed dog, let the child explore the stuffed animal. Talk to the child about their five senses (How does your dog feel? Ooh, that feels so soft. How does this doggy look? It looks friendly? He's also yellow with brown spots. How does a doggy sound? Woof Woof! etc.).
During Reading
Let your child help to lift the flaps on each page to help Sally find Spot. As your child lifts the flap to show the animal, use that animal's "voice" to answer "No."
After Reading
Hide stuffed animals in similar places as the ones mentioned in the book: under the bed, in the closet, behind the door, and search for each animal with your child. Make sure to emphasize the concepts of "under," "behind," etc.
In the book, point out the mirror and tell the child what it is. Then have a mirror for the child and talk to the child about what s/he sees. What color the eyes are, if the hair is straight or curly, where the nose is, etc.
Author: Barbara Helen Berger
Summary of BookBook Title: Fluffy and Baron
Mother Moon cried because she could not find her child. With every tear drop, a star fell into the sea and it was brought to the surface by a lot of otters. Because the otters made such a commotion with the stars, Mother Moon looked down, and found that her son was safe with the otters in a sea of stars.
Before Reading
Ask questions to use what your child already knows to help him/her understand and enjoy book:During Reading
- What do you think an otter's fur feels like? You can use the aid of a stuffed animal after researching an otter.
- Do you think the ocean water tastes like the water you drink at school or at your house?
- Can you show me what your arms look like when you are swimming?
- Have you ever seen a star in the sky? When did you see it, in the daytime or at night?
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussion:After Reading
- Can animals read books?
- On the page with no words, how many otter faces are sticking out of the water?
- Can you show me what a sad/worried face might look like?
Ask these questions and create these activities to extend the book experience
- With your child, count how many otter faces you see on each page of the book.
- Discuss with your child (or point out) what you see around the room that begins with the same sound as the "O" in otter.
- Talk with your child about what other animals might live in the ocean with the otters. You may use pictures or puppets if they are available.
Author: Laura Rankin
Summary of BookBook Title: Gobble Gobble Crash!
A dog, Baron, and a duck, Fluffy, become great friends. They play, eat and sleep together. When Fluffy makes some other duck friends, Baron feels lonely. Fluffy's new duck friends leave but she comes back with eight ducklings. Fluffy and her ducklings are all friends with Baron now.
Before Reading
Ask these questions to use what your child already knows to help him/ her understand and enjoy the book.During Reading
- Have you ever had a best friend? What do you like to do with your friend?
- Do you think a dog and a duck could be friends? Why or why not?
- Tell about a time when you felt sad or lonely.
- Do you have a pet? If so, what does your pet do for fun? If not, what do you think a dog likes to do for fun?
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussionAfter Reading
- Why do you think Baron is so good at tag and Fluffy is good at hide-and-seek? (Page 6)
- What is Fluffy thinking when she sees the three ducks landing in the pond? (Page 11-12)
- How does Baron feel after the ducklings hatch? Why does he feel that way?
Ask these questions and create these activities to extend the book experience
- We know that Baron makes a bark sound. Have your child go over other animal sounds.
- On page 21, have your child count how many ducklings Fluffy had.
- After reading and discussing, find small toys to act out the story with your child.
Author: Julie Stiegemeyer
Summary of BookBook Title: Little Monkey Lost
This story is about farm animals who were asleep, and wild turkeys came laughing hard and crashed into the coop where the other animals slept. This starts a chain reaction and ends up waking all the animals on the farm. When the farmer wakes up after he hears the loud animals, he goes to see what the problem is. They all are outside because of the turkeys, but when he tries to calm them, the animals are back where they belong, and the turkeys are gone.
Before Reading
Ask questions to use what your child already knows to help him/her understand and enjoy book:During Reading
- Why do some readers like to read more about animals than about people?
- Tell us about a time when you did something when your parents weren't looking.
- Have you ever woke someone up while they were sleeping? Tell me about it.
- Have you ever wanted to cause a distraction? Tell me about it.
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussion:After Reading
- What do the end papers' illustrations say about where the story may take place?
- Tell me about the animals who cause all the trouble in the book. What happens to the turkeys feathers as they crash into the coop?
- Why does it say "Gobble, Gobble Crash" on the cover?
Ask these questions and create these activities to extend the book experience
- Do you think animals in the real world act in different ways around different people?
- Have you ever helped someone hide from something?
- Have you ever slept and cuddled with your mom? If so, when?
Author: Keith DuQuette
Summary of BookBook Title: Llama Llama Mad at Mama
Little Monkey was bored, and he saw a lily pad floating in the water. He floated far away from home. He met many different kinds of monkeys who showed him many things to do. When he returned back to his troop, he taught them what he learned.
Before Reading
Ask questions to use what your child already knows to help him/her understand and enjoy bookDuring Reading
- Have you ever been lost? If so where? What happened?
- What could you do if you got lost?
- What might be some of the benefits of meeting new people?
- Do you have the same routine every day? What is your daily routine?
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussion:After Reading
- When the monkeys howl) Can you howl like a monkey? Let's try!
- When the monkeys are hugging) Who do you hug? ... Can you show me how to hug?
- (When he is eating the fruit) What do you think the Little Monkey is eating? Have you ever had a ______(insert the answer they give you)?
Ask these questions and create these activities to extend the book experience
- Could this story happen in "real life?" Why or why not?
- Do you believe Little Monkey had fun when he was lost? Why?
- Why do you think the monkeys he meet look different than him? Why?
- Have you ever tried a new food and thought it was the best? What kind of food? What was the new food?
- Have you met new friends and had fun with them? What did you and your new friends do?
Author: Anna Dewdney
Summary of BookBook Title: Mama's Little Duckling
This story is about a baby llama and his mama's trip to the grocery store. Baby llama is not too happy when his mama tells him it is time to go. This story describes exactly how baby llama feels while he is with his mama
Before Reading
Ask these questions to use what your child already knows to help him/ her understand and enjoy the book.During Reading
- Has there been a time when you were "mad at mama"? If so, tell me why.
- What are some things that you do when you are shopping with Mama?
- What kinds of things would you like to buy at the store?
- How do you feel when you are woken up from a nap?
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussion:After Reading
- Why do you think Llama is mad at Mama?
- Is this a funny story? Is this a serious story? Why?
- Tell me about the end of the story? How is it different from the rest of the story?
- Have you ever acted out and your Mama screamed "That's enough!"? What were you doing and how did you feel afterwards?
Ask these questions and create these activities to extend the book experience
- Could this story happen in real life?
- Tell me about a time when you thought you would not like something but in the end, you really enjoyed it.
- Do you think other children act like Llama?
- Make puppets with your child and allow your child to re- enact the story with the puppets they made.
Author: Marjorie Blain Parker
Summary of BookBook Title: My Lucky Day
This book is a story about a mother duck and her duckling, Dandelion. Dandelion wants to explore, so Mama Quack lets him go but tells him to be careful. It's an adventure that Dandelion will never forget.
Before Reading
Talk with your child and ask questions such as:During Reading
- Is it okay to go alone out into the yard?
- Show me the mommy...Baby duck.
- Tell me about this picture. (Back Cover)
- Can you tell me the name of a baby duck? Tell me about other baby animals that you know.
As you read ask questions about the story and the pictures:After Reading
- A "pike" is a fish- can you show me the fish in the water?
- A polliwog is a baby frog- can you find the baby frog in the water?
- Where are the weasel's sharp teeth?
- What are Mama Quack and Dandelion sitting in? (pg. 1)
- What is Dandelion doing in this picture? (page where Dandelion is hiding under his mom's wing)
- Explain to the child what "warn" means. Can you think of something that mommy or daddy "warns" you about?
Author: Keiko Kasza
Summary of Book
Mr. Fox is just getting ready to go on the hunt for dinner when he hears a knock at his door. It is his lucky day! A little pig has come looking for Rabbit. Mr. Fox finds himself in the middle of a sneaky plan.
Before Reading
Ask questions to use what your child already knows to help him/her understand and enjoy the book:During Reading
- Have you ever had what you thought was a lucky day? Tell me about it.
- What are some of your favorite meals for dinner?
- What do you think this story will be about?
- Tell me about a time when you got yourself into a bit of trouble.
Ask questions while you are reading to promote discussion:After Reading
- What is Mr. Fox going to do with the little piglet?
- Why does he want to give piglet a nice bath?
- Why does Mr. Fox give piglet a massage?
- Do you think animals can really talk like Mr. Fox and the piglet? Why or why not?
- Do you think the piglet knows he will not be eaten? Why or why not?
After reading the story "My Lucky Day" give the child a few magazines and piece of paper. Have them make a collage using pictures from the magazines that depict what their own lucky day would consist of. It could be a dinner they enjoy like Mr. Fox or maybe a trip they would like to go on.
