Just Add Picture Books!

Looking for an easy way to make an ordinary activity in your home or classroom something special? Just add a picture book! Literally, that's all you have to do.

You might assume I spend my days when I'm at home with my preschooler doing all kinds of creative, throughly planned out, educational activities. I don't.

But when my son pulled his finger paints out of the art cabinet this past week and wanted to get messy, it made me think of Leo Lionni's book Little Blue and Little Yellow. I went and grabbed it off my bookshelf thinking it might be fun to show him a story about mixing colors to inspire him with his paints.

This led to my son mixing his colors, and narrating his own little story as he worked. It was fun and beautiful to watch. I hadn't planned or prepped anything. He asked to do an activity and I just added a picture book!

And here's a short video of my little guy's creative process!

Which Picture Books Should I Keep?

I'm a bargain shopper to the max, even (especially?) when it comes to picture books. I spend a lot of time haunting yard sales and thrift stores, looking for a diamond in the rough. Honestly, it usually doesn't take much digging or searching to find great picture books for a steal. And I can't help but wonder why people get rid of some of these great books I find.

Granted, I teach books, so I hardly ever toss any picture books from my collection. I suppose not everyone has that same inclination, eh? So unless you're aiming to be featured on an episode of Hoarders someday, how do you sort through all those books that your kids have outgrown? Do you get rid of them all? Should you save some? If you save some, how many and which ones?

My in-laws recently came for a weekend visit and brought along two big boxes of books from my husband's childhood. It was like Christmas for me! I had so much fun looking through them all, seeing vintage editions of some classics, and hearing my mother-in-law tell me about where they came from and which ones were most treasured. I've been reading them with my kids and delight in telling them, "This was one of Daddy's favorite books when he was little!" That is gold! I am so thankful that my MIL hung onto those books all these years.

You don't need to save all the picture books on your shelf, but I think you should save some. Here are a few reasons why:

•  They make wonderful family heirlooms.
•  What are you going to read the grandkids   if you get rid of all those picture books?
•  It's great reading motivation for kids to be able to hold, and feel, and experience a picture book from their parents' childhood. 

You probably can't, or don't want to, save them all though. So here are a few things to ask yourself, as you consider each book in your personal collection, that might help you decide which ones to keep and which ones to pass along.

• Was this one of my child's favorite books? Did they ask to have it read to them often? Do I know it by heart? Was it special to them for some reason?
• Was this book special to me as a mom or dad? Did I particularly enjoy reading this one to my child? Does it remind me of my child for a particular reason? 
• Is there special meaning or significance to this book? Was it a gift from someone special? Was it received on a special occasion? Does it have a personal inscription penned inside the cover?
• Is there a personal story that goes with this picture book? Was it the first book your child ever read themselves? Did it get them through a difficult time? Did it help them grasp a difficult concept?

Answering "yes" to any of these questions means it might be worth keeping that book. Even if a book is not a classic, or perhaps not even that good, if it's special to you or your child, it could be worth keeping. Write down on a notecard what makes that book special, why you kept it, and paperclip it into the book. You'll be glad you did, and likely your family will be too!

I'm probably preaching to the choir here when I ask you to not to throw away your unwanted picture books as you sort! Pass them onto friends, family, schools, or Goodwill! I've also seen these bins pictured below that you could drop them in!

My mom was great about saving books from my childhood too. I wrote this post  about one particular book that I was so glad she hung onto for us kids! 

Have you hung onto picture books your children have outgrown? How do you decide which ones to keep?

Picture Book Round-Up: What We've Been Reading Lately

Here's a few pics from our latest library haul. I've been trying to mostly include the books we have enjoyed, and skip the ones we didn't like so much... since we tend to check out a lot of books from the library and I can only post about so many of them.

This wasn't necessarily one of my favorites, but my boys loved it. I'm not sure what made them like it so much, but I think it was the sparse illustrations that combined photos of food and simple black and white drawings. They asked me to, "please find more books like this one."The book contains various food-related idioms that the illustrations depict in a very literal way. It's cute, but I didn't care for the flow of it. It was more of a list than a story, and reading it aloud felt a bit awkward to me. I was actually surprised my boys liked it so much because I thought most of it would be confusing to them, since I wasn't sure they had actually ever heard any of these idioms. The illustrations were pretty fun though, and I think that was what really sold my boys on this one. 

The style of this book reminds me The Jolly Postman, it's full of all kinds of fun pockets and letters to open and explore. It's probably a little more appropriate for a bit of an older reader than The Jolly Postman though. The story is a conversation that occurs over the course of a summer between a boy at summer camp, and his father at home. I read it to my preschooler and he really liked opening the envelopes and discovering the contents of each. It's a great book to use when studying correspondence or writing in general. My son has a little writing station where he likes to create letters for his friends, and this book provided some great inspiration for his work there! If my ESL third grader were a more proficient reader, this would be great for him to read and enjoy independently. Actually, he might be capable of tackling this one; I think I might let him have a go at it. The unusual format of the book makes it an extra-fun read!

I love a book that invites some good listener participation, as well as some good extension activities. And this is a great one for that! The story is about a little monkey that sets out a walk to his grandma's house and experiences a series of events along the way that alternates between good and bad, or "fortunately and unfortunately." It's great for inviting predictions from the listener. And it's fun for the listeners to "read" the "fortunately/unfortunately" parts aloud with you. I always love a book that lends itself to a good chart-making activity afterward, and this one is perfect. I would love to make a chart where the kids review each event from the story and sort them into "fortunately" and "unfortunately." 

What a cute story, perfect for Halloween time. A spooky, but not too spooky story! When the monster that lives under a little boy's bed goes on vacation, a substitute shows up. But the substitute is not scary enough for the little boy to sleep (funny!), so another substitute comes, and then another, and another... Finally the little boy's regular monster under the bed returns from vacation and he is able to sleep well once again. The various monster substitutes look pretty intimidating initially, but when they fully reveal themselves they're actually pretty funny and/or cute! This would be a fun read aloud, because it gives lots of opportunity to give the monsters some fun voices! I was going to use this one with my Literacy Launchpad students this month, but I decided it was a little too wordy and long for some of their attention spans... and for the little bit of time we have in class in each week. Definitely a good for bedtime at home though!

This is not your typical book about trucks. Yes, the illustrations are full of various construction trucks and machines. Yes, there are lots of fun truck and machine noises. But also, it engages the reader by asking them to answer a question/make a prediction on every other page. The page then fold open to reveal the answer in both text and illustration. I like that it gives interesting info about these trucks and machines that children readers/listeners might not have known. It keeps them interested and turning those pages! Plus, pages that fold open into large illustrations are always a kid pleaser too! 

Here's a fun secret agent story that any kid could appreciate. The style it's written in true secret agent style, and makes for a really fun read aloud. A stolen painting, flying to another country, parachuting off planes, being tied up and thrown off a boat... This book is full of awesome adventure, but it's not too long or wordy. It has a perfect pace! And your kids will enjoy trying to predict how it will all work out in the end. Will Jack save the painting and return it safely to the museum? You're kids will end up wanting you to read it again once it's done! Oh, and there's some great info at the end of the book about  the actual Mona Lisa and a time it was truly stolen; it was interesting for both me and my kids to read!

This one's a charming non fiction picture book that tells about many different kinds of seeds there are. It's a fun read that helps stretch kids' minds and take notice of all the kinds of seeds around us, even things in nature that might not realize are seeds! Again, another one that has a nice flow too it and isn't too wordy or long. I could definitely use this with my Literacy Launchpad preschoolers. It would be lots of fun to read and then head out on a nature hunt looking for seeds! Or perhaps just bring in a variety of seeds to let the kids explore after you read the story. There are also some good, brief, discussion-starting notes at the back of the book that help take the learning even farther. 

A modern spin on a favorite nursery rhyme. The original nursery rhyme is taken and elaborated on, but we see the old-fashioned concept from it (buying live animals at a rural market) put into a present day context (modern day grocery store and home with all our modern, present day amenities). Hilarity ensues as we witness these two things clash - live farm animals being brought into a modern, suburban-ish home. I found my boys and I having a discussion as we went through the entire story. "Oh my goodness, what's going to happen when she brings home that goose?" "Where's she going to put the cow?" "What does she need all these animals for?"It would be a great start to discussing all the various types of stores people shop at for the various different goods we buy. The kids could discuss where they buy their food and clothes, etc. This would be a fun one to put in your home living center! 

Picture Book Round-Up: Trying to Stay Ahead of the Pile

I do these picture book round not only so that others might stumble upon a fun, new read, but also to keep track of what I'm reading with my kids. I like that I have a record of some notes about the books we've read from the library. I can refer back to these posts if I need or want to. It has proved very helpful! I guess I could accomplish the same goal using Goodreads... or even just an old fashioned notebook. But I like sharing my reads with you guys! The trick is to keep up with posting about our pile of books before they are due back at the library! Ha!

A tale of a unlikely friendship between a gorilla and a cat. I really liked the simplicity in which the story was told, it was just beautiful, a kind of beauty that even my little preschooler could appreciate. The illustrations are stunning, a mix of detailed artwork and a more simplistic style. It worked so well with the story. I thought this book would work great for a "beginning/middle/end" lesson with preschoolers, or even elementary students. The story clearly divides into these three distinct parts in such a perfect way. Great book. And it definitely leaves you with the warm fuzzes!

I loved this book! What a great story for my kids - and all kids! A little boy needs new shoes, but can't afford the cool ones he's been eyeing, the ones everyone else at school is wearing. He ends up with embarrassing hand-me-downs from his school, but then discovers a pair of the coveted shoes at a thrift store! Score! But they are the wrong size. After trying to squeeze his feet into them for a while, he notices that his friend's shoes are falling apart, but that his feet are a smaller size. Aha! He ends up surprising his friends by leaving the cool shoes on his doorstep for him. I like that it features an African American protagonist, because I feel that I have a hard time finding those kinds of books for my Ethiopian son... at least ones that I think he would be interested in reading. The illustrations reminded me of animations for some of those clever new cartoon shows that are always popping up on TV (and my Netflix homepage). This book was a hit here in our house.

Another one I loved. It tells the story of two families: one living inside a snow globe, and then the family that owns the snow globe and lives outside of it in the real world. It shows the relationship between the two families; similarities and differences. The concept was just so much fun, showing how the family in the real world could affect the family in the snow globe so drastically. This book gives the reader so much to think about, and is such a conversation starter for you and your kiddos. I love the idea of taking something simple - a snow globe - and saying "what if..." 

I will SO be using this one in December with my classes. How cute! I love the graphic novel/comic-type format, and so did my boys. I don't typically enjoy reading aloud graphic novels, but when the style is done in a picture book it's a little different. And the words are so fun in the books it all just works for me! There are various characters that give me a chance to come up with fun voices. Then there's the new twist on the gingerbread man refrain that repeats throughout the tale and I like that participatory element. And then of course, there are endless fun ideas for story extensions when you've got a gingerbread man story. What new adventure could your kids dream up for the gingerbread man? Maybe they could create their own graphic novel-style picture book! 

One of my absolute new favorites. This one gets mentally filed in the same place as Press Here - as a really fun interactive book. The reader is invited and strongly encouraged to prove to the cats in the book that they are also cats so that the cats in the book will divulge their book of cat secrets. So hilarious and fun. My boys really loved it, and we had so much fun reading it several times. Having a cat around the house to read it with you makes it extra fun and you give her snuggles and imagine and joke about what her cat secrets might be, like we did when we were reading this book. I really, really loved this one, and will figure out the perfect place to fit it in my lesson planning because my students need to experience this one too! Can't wait!

What happens when a tennis ball falls down a prairie dog hole? The great fuzz frenzy!!! My boys and I giggled as we watched the prairie dogs pull the ball apart and dress up in the fuzz. I liked the large format of the book and the entertaining illustrations that gave us lots to look at, observe, and laugh about on each page spread. It was neat to get to turn the book vertical for some of the page spreads too and glance deeper down into the prairie dog hole. This was a great tale about friendship, and about making the right decision and doing the right things, even when it's not easy. 

This story gained a special place in my heart since we just got a dog this past weekend. It's about Mister Bud, the dog, and his comfortable little doggy routine that he enjoys each day. But when Zorro joins the family, his beloved schedule gets thrown off and he's not happy about it. Mister Bud eventually realizes that Zorro is not so bad, and that the two of them have actually become friends, and that sharing your day with someone else can improve it! Another warm fuzzy tale with adorable illustrations. Mister Bud is just the cutest in my opinion. I'm going to add this book to my list of potentials to use for my up-coming Pet Unit. It would be fun to use this book to do some list making by recalling Mister Bud's schedule from the book and writing a list of what a dog does all day, and all the things you typically have to do to take care of a dog. 

I love a good book about a book! I love that this one isn't simply about pointing out the joys of reading like so many of these particular kinds of books are, but is actually about book selection! Charlie is trying to help Lola find a new book to read after they go to the library and discover that someone else has checked out her beloved go-to book that she always brings home with her. It's time for her to broaden her horizons, and what a great idea for little preschoolers who so often like us to read them the same book over and over and over again. It would be a great title to read during a library unit, or when getting ready for a library visit, or on before giving some book talks to your kids to encourage them to check out a book you or someone else has enjoyed. I just love Charlie and Lola and this was a really fun read aloud, and is another one I will be incorporating into my Literacy Launchpad curriculum somehow. 

A little bit of a different flare to the favorite construction themed picture book. This time the big machines are tearing down an old building, and replacing it with a playground. Right away my son started asking great questions about why they would "break" a building, and what else they might put there instead. I like the contrast in the illustrations between the dull grays of the building they're tearing down and the bright colors of the trucks, machines, and clothes of the demo and construction crew. How fun would it be to retell the story with your kids using building blocks; tear down a building with flare, then building something new? What kind of building might you tear down? What kind of structure might be cool to build in it's place?  

Picture Book Round-Up

It's been a long time since the last Picture Book Round-up. Over the summer there's slim pickings at the library most of the time, and so now that school is back in session, we've snagged great finds again. Here are just a handful of 'em.

I was skeptical of this book when I heard it was about manners. But it's done in a fun way and my boys both enjoyed it. They were wishing that could maybe have elephants, lions, or camels for parents for a day or two so they could go wild with no rules. Ha! But it's nice to read a fun book that also reminds them that their parents aren't the only ones with rules. The chart in the back that shows the rules for various animals was pretty fun too!

This book is written to the tune of Over in the Meadow, which I have to admit I'm not a huge fan of. But I really liked this Halloween version. Ghosts, witches, goblins, skeletons! The rhymes were clever and rolled of the tongue so easily, which makes it a really fun read aloud. My boys both had glowing things to say about the book as soon as I finished reading it. I might use this with my Literacy Launchpad students next month. Really liked this one!

Crisp and vivid illustrations in this one, collaged and with a great textured look. I really loved the illustrations! How many different onomonopias can you use to describe bird sounds? I wasn't so sure how I was going to like this when I started it. But the bird sound onomonopias were so fun; my little guy stayed glued to the book as I turned each page to reveal a new bird. There was counting, and discovering new birds, and making fun noises, and exploring each cool illustration... Even the way the text was laid out on the page became a visually interesting part of each illustration. The brief bird facts at the end were a pleasant discovery, as my son had a few questions as this intriguing book wrapped up and he wanted to know more about these cool birds!

We snagged this book at the library at the perfect time; there have been caterpillars and butterflies (or are they moths?) all over the place by us this past week. My son caught a caterpillar and brought it inside and watched it build its chrysalis. I remembered that we had this book and we sat down and enjoyed. It's basically a counting book, with beautiful Lois Ehlert illustrations. Simple. I think it would be wonderful in a board book format; toddlers would love this. Great for spring time... Or I guess for fall too! Ha!

One of those warm, fuzzy boy-meets-pet stories. A boy wants a dog, a duck wants to be a pet, so he dresses up like a dog. The duck is so adorable. I can't help but imagine gifting this book to a niece or nephew with a cuddly, plush duck to go with it. I mean, the illustration with the duck tear, and then the boy carrying the duck with the duck's head on his shoulder...? Melt my heart! I guess I'm just a sappy, softy. This is a great book to cuddle up with your little one(s) with at bedtime. I'm thinking about doing a pet unit too, and might use this book for that.

I had to grab this book when I saw it at the library because my boys are obsessed with ninjas (thank you, Ninjago). This story is clever, and funny, and just a hoot to read. This is the kind of book my boys and I love; it was a great discussion starter, and great for encouraging creativity and imagination. It's kind of off-the-wall and I love reading books that get my boys to think in a kind of off-the-wall way. And what kid doesn't love a story where the child protagonist is right in the end and gets to have a told-you-so kind of moment with their parents. This book delivers that. Ha! Love it!

A big ole game of "Telephone" between a bunch of forest critters, only the secret makes it all the way around without getting warped into something its not. The illustrations were very visually interesting. I loved how the illustrations showed a little dotted trail throughout the pages of the path the animals took. It was like a little map, and it had me thinking up fun craft activities that would be great to do with this book. Pair a map activity with a real game of "telephone" with your group you're reading to, and you've got a fun little story time. Definitely going to use this book for a lesson, either with my students, or just with my kids at home.

I'm pretty hard to please when it comes to alphabet books, but this was one I liked. The problem I have with most alphabet books is that they try to get too cute and clever with it, and it just ends up feeling awkward and doesn't work for me. This book doesn't do that. I love the illustrations of the alphabet letters; they remind me of the way I used to draw big block letters myself when I was younger. I could see doing fun art projects that mimic the illustrations in this book. There's a quaint simplicity to this book that is sweet, but still beautiful. And the illustrations are perfect for lingering over with your little one on your lap and talking about the letter names, sounds, and what each of the letters are doing on each page. This book begs to be read over and over, taking your time.