news from the book nook: feathered friends

I know it's been spring for a few weeks, but today it truly feels like spring. The windows are thrown open and a breeze that smells of mud and things that make me sneeze floats in. The sun is warm, but the air is cool. Blue herons fly low over the lake searching for murky, shallow waters. Geese honk and waddle about in pairs. In a few short weeks, we'll have a front row show to gaggles of goslings and all the ugly, cuteness they bring (even if it means listening to more honking in the middle of the night...).

So as tweets, songs, and honks fill the air, I think its time I revisit my news from the book nook series. Today in honor of all my chatty winged neighbors, let's talk about some of my favorite children's books featuring feathered friends. If you're new to the blog, visit here to find out the inspiration behind the news from the book nook series. Hope you find some old favorites and new ones to cherish in the list. 

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein {Preschool-2nd Grade}
Little red hen can't help herself. She constantly interrupts the bedtime stories her Papa reads. She must warn Little Red Riding Hood and Hansel and Grettel about their impending doom. Chicken Little needs to know that the sky is not really falling. If your a fan of Mo Willems, this is definitely a book for you! Your little one will adore little red hen. And she might even remind you of some interrupting children you may know ;)

Duck & Goose by Tad Hills {Preschool-1st Grade}

Duck and Goose have both claimed a gigantic mulit-colored egg as their own.  They each have their own dreams and plans for the egg. Neither wants to share with the other. Until they learn their egg isn't an egg at all... The first of many tales of friendship featuring Duck and Goose. 

Chicken Big by Keith Graves {Preschool-2nd Grade}
A hilarious take on the classic Chicken Little story. Out of a gigantic egg comes something large and all together not chicken-like. Maybe it's an elephant? Or a squirrel? Kids will cackle over the chickens' silly bird-brained reasoning and cheer when Chicken Big saves the day!

Blue Chicken by Deborah Freedman {Preschool}
A curious chicken watches the artist illustrate the pages of the book he's in. A bucket of blue paint is left out, and suddenly the chicken is no longer white but blue! The paint continues to spread across the pages and onto the other barnyard animals. Simple, rhyming text, but the magic here is in the illustrations. Great for little ones who love to imagine and anyone who enjoys the writing/illustration process. 

Big Fat Hen by Keith Baker {Toddler-Preschool}
Color illustrations and simple, rhyming make this a great book for even the youngest of listeners. A storytime favorite of mine for teaching rhyming and counting. Bonus: the kids love to do the motions that go along with the rhyme.

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman {Preschool-1st Grade}
Poor little baby bird can't seem to find his mother, but he's determined to find her. He asks a dog, a cat, a cow, and even a snort! In true Dr. Seuss style, this book is perfect for beginning readers.

Owl Babies by Martin Waddell {Preschool-Kindergarten}
Three little owls are left all alone. Where has their mommy gone? The two older owls have some ideas, but the littlest, Bill, can only repeat, "I want my mommy!" The illustrations flawlessly convey three tiny, anxious, scared owls in a big, dark forest. But before anyone can get too scared, in swoops mommy!

Looking for other book suggestions? Check out spring favorites and frogs and bogs for more spring reading inspiration!

news from the book nook: Christmas stories

This edition of news from the book nook is filled with Christmas cheer. If you're new here, check out this post to see what this series is all about (and thanks for stopping by!).

Christmas Eve was always one of the best days of the year. The anticipation. The preparation. The quiet. The love. The candlelight. And the day we received an early Christmas present - a new family Christmas story book. Through the years, we've accumulated quite a collection. It's always fun to pull at the box of books each season and read through some of our favorites. Wondering what they are? I've included some of my favorites in this blog post. Hope you find a new festive favorite for your family!

Santa Claus and His Elves by Mauri Kunnas
This book holds a special place in my heart. Hands down one of my favorite children's books of all time. If you've ever wondered what life is like for Santa and his hardworking elves - wonder no more. Beautiful, intricate illustrations and a magical story of life at the North Pole make this perhaps the best book about Santa of all time!

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett
I mentioned before that gingerbread men are beloved in my family. Jan Brett's rendition of the classic gingerbread man story is a favorite. My preschoolers loved this book so much so that we read it everyday for a week.

Great Joy by Kate Dicamillo and illustrated by Bagram Ibatouline
A inspiring story of how one little girl shares the Joy of Christmas with those in need.

The Night Before Christmas originally by Clement Clarke Moore
Such a classic! In my family, my dad still reads this one aloud before we head to bed Christmas Eve. Some childhood traditions are just too good not to continue. The copy we have is "an exact reprint of an early edition" which basically means it has vintage illustrations and type. I love the oldness of the edition, but I've seen some newer versions that look just as magical.

The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
Like most things, the book is wayyyyy better than the movie! This is one of those rare children's books that captures the magic of childhood and believing in both words and illustrations. We read this one aloud as a family too!

The Jolly Christmas Postman by Janet and Allan Ahlberg
This book is a sequel to The Jolly Postman and is filled with Christmas cards and letters to Red Riding Hood, Humpty Dumpty, and other favorite fairy tale characters. The story ends with a trip to the North Pole to deliver some children's letters and there may even be a special one for the postman too!

Silver Packages: An Appalachian Christmas Story by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Chris Soentpiet
A beautiful story of a Christmas train that comes through the mountains with a man who brings silver package Christmas gifts for the children. One boy, Frankie, wants one specific thing every year that he never receives. When Frankie is older he realizes he was given just what he needed each Christmas.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
No Christmas book list would be complete without the Grinch. "Maybe Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas....perhaps...means a little bit more!" P.S. I highly recommend the illustrated movie too!

Of course, the best story of all is the true story of Christmas which far exceeds anything Santa could write or give. As the angel told the shepherds,

"Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.This will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”  ~ Luke 2:10-14

Merry Christmas, friends!

Oh, if you are wondering when we got a cat, we didn't. We happened to be snowed/iced in at my parent's this morning and Pockets was helping with the photo shoot. He a sneaky cat masquerading as a children's book lover.

news from the book nook: spooky reads

Don't let the spooky trees scare you away - these books are kid-friendly storytime favorites! Gather the little ones after an evening of trick-or-treating and ease them off the sugar high with these slightly spooky, mostly silly reads! Or build an indoor fort one rainy Saturday and snuggle in with a few of these spooky favorites. Oh and if you're the bonfire-making sort, these are some great family-friendly alternatives to scary stories told around the fire.

news from the book nook: squirrel friends

Random observation of the day: did you know squirrels take dust baths? I thought dust baths were mostly reserved for elephants and chinchillas, but I just witnessed our little bushy-tailed neighbor enjoying a bath in the flowerbed. Naturally, I wondered if he remembered to dust behind his ears. Then I thought wouldn't that make a lovely story for a picture book...which brings me to this inspired blog post. You have the squirrel to thank for it.

Fall storytimes were always some of my favorites: farms, leaves, pumpkins, apples, and squirrels. Everybody loves a good squirrel story. Maybe it's because so many of us can relate to their squeaky, loud antics. Or perhaps it's because they often seem to purposely place themselves in the middle of traffic and then dart out of the way at the last second (remember that commercial where the car swerves and the squirrels fist bump afterwards). Maybe it's the twitchy, bushy tail or the way they sniff out last year's buried nuts. Whatever it is - there's some lovely squirrel picture books out there!

Personally, my favorite story is from my own childhood - we had a "pet" squirrel who lived in the grove of trees down the road. He'd take nuts from our hands, sit on our shoulders, and follow us to our houses every evening. Amazingly, he didn't have rabies, but he might have had some mites... He was our friendly squirrel friend named Paul. One day I'll write his story, but until then here's some of my favorite squirrel friend books:

news from the book nook: classic summer reads

We're back from a perfect, unplugged vacation in the Green Mountains! Reading, exploring, eating, relaxing...all my favorite things on repeat for ten gorgeous days! Pictures to come soon!

Meanwhile, are you trying to squeeze in a few last minute summer reads before the craziness of fall begins? Looking for a breezy, light read for your upcoming Labor Day getaway? Although my vacation reading tote bag is usually filled with the latest in adult fiction, every summer I try to re-read at least one of my childhood favorites. Some years I choose to be swept away to Prince Edward Island with "Anne with an e" and her kindred spirits in L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. [Note: book links are affiliated links. Full disclosure here.] Last year my classic of choice was Gene Stratton-Porter's A Girl of the Limberlost (the perfect eco-read for a Vermont getaway), Or if I'm in the mood for old English and a little romance I pick up Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice .

This year I chose a modern classic, The Penderwicks: A Summer Tale of Four Sisters, Two Rabbits, and a Very Interesting Boy by Jeanne Birdsall. Truly an incredible example of children's lit at its finest. Bonus: there are two follow up books that are filled with even more hilarious and heartwarming summer adventures from the lovable Penderwick crew. Read it! 

Here's a few other children's "classics" I suggest you put on your end-of-summer reading list: 

The Giant Jam Sandwich by John Vernon Lord
Skippyjon Jones by Judy Schachner

The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog! by Mo Willems

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald 

Hoot by Carl Hiasson
Hoot by Kate DiCamillo
The BFG by Roald Dahl
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (re-reading this one now!)

Pull up a deck chair, a cozy nook, or hammock and get reading! 

news from the book nook: new favorites

There's nothing quite like the satisfaction of a well-written children's book. I admit I judge heavily when it comes to picture books. When you've spent years of your life surrounded by piles of books, you know when an author is trying to hard or when a book just misses greatness. In my humble opinion, children must be able to relate to the book's events and characters. If relatability (spell check tells me that's not a word...I disagree) is absent, then it's not a children's book. End of story. Of course, engaging plots, gorgeous illustrations, funny dialog should also be present.  Here's a few newbies that meet my criteria - check them out and let me know what you think! [Note: book links are affiliated links. Full disclosure here.]

The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt, illustrated by Oliver Jeffers
The story begins with a collection of letters left on Duncan's desk. Letters from his box of crayons. A funny, imaginative read complimented by simple, yet hilarious pictures of Duncan's crayons. The perfect book to ignite children's imaginations about what their crayons would tell them if they came alive. A wonderful springboard for early grade writing topics and letter writing activities (I've already dreamed up a handful of lessons...proof that my teacher brain is still alive and well!)

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos, illustrated by Joy Ang
What happens when a baby is born with a mustache? More importantly, will that mustache be a good 'stache or an evil 'stache? Simple, silly, and filled with word puns. Great gift for those trendy mustache baby showers!

The Dark by Lemony Snickett, illustrated by Jon Klassen (Side note: if you haven't read Klassen's I Want My Hat Back, please RUN to the nearest library and check it out!)

If you read any of Lemony Snickett's books, then you'll know what I mean when I say this book is written in "true Lemony Snickett style." Quirky and a little dark (hehehe), but nothing over the top scary. And in the end, "the dark" was just trying to be a helpful friend to Laszlo.

Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Tom Litchenheld
Another new favorite for teachers! A lovely picture book with a fun spin on grammar from the view of the punctuation. Read this book. Read it! Will you read it? (oh the joys of grammar... :)

Take advantage of these ridiculous hot days - curl up with a book in the AC. Happy reading!

news from the book nook: frogs and bogs

Exciting news: I heard the spring peepers (aka tiny frogs) recently! I literally stopped halfway in and out of the car in the Trader Joe's parking lot and exclaimed, "Listen! Hear that?" Poor hubster - he has to deal with his wife's strange antics on a daily basis... But seriously, this is a big deal! Every year I listen for the happy frog chorus usually coming from the swampy forest (yay, a rhyme!). Their voices are a sign of warm air, bright sunshine, mud, rain showers, and all other forms of spring happiness!

Note: If the prior paragraph makes absolutely no sense to you, please YouTube "spring peepers song." If you still don't get it, then please just consider it an odd characteristic of a zoologist's daughter and we'll move on...

To the real reason for this post: frogs, bogs, and pollywogs! No better way to celebrate the arrival of the peepers than taking one of these books along on a picnic. After a delicious lunch of tuna fish salad, hard boiled eggs, brownies, and lemonade (maybe this is only my childhood memory), begin the search for squirmy pollywogs and jumpy frogs! Fact: a day spent splashing and wading in gurgling creeks is good for the soul! Just remember to pack plenty of towels and a change of clothes!

A Frog in the Bog by Karma Wilson and Joan Rankin
A repetitive, fun story about the squirmy delicacies a frog eats. Each page "the frog grows a little bit bigger" until the frogs finds out that the half-sunk log he's sitting on isn't a log at all....

Jump, Frog, Jump! by Robert Kalan
It's an oldy, but a goody! A storytime favorite that will have the kids screaming JUMP, FROG, JUMP! with the turn of each page.

Jump! by Scott Fischer
Simple illustrations and text with a silly story line! Great for teaching simple rhyming sounds to preschoolers and kindergartners.

Too Many Frogs! by Ann Hassett
A fun way to introduce counting to a preschooler. An outrageous story about a woman who simply wants to bake a cake, but keeps getting interrupted by too many frogs. She listens to her neighbors' suggestions about how to get rid of the frogs, but they just keep multiplying!

The Wide-Mouthed Frog (A Pop-Up Book) by Keith Faulkner
Not just an awesome pop-up, but a great story! Sadly, if you are looking in libraries it might be difficult to find - pop-ups never fair well under intense circulation. Perhaps a great birthday gift instead!

In the Small, Small Pond by Denise Fleming
If you are looking for bright illustrations and simple text for a toddler, Denise Fleming's books are always a good option. The pond is full of critters that wiggle and waddle, splitter and splatter. Denise Fleming has a wonderful gift of introducing challenging vocabulary in an accessible format for the youngest kids.

Big Frog Can't Fit In: A pop-up book by Mo Willems
What children's book recommendation list would be complete without a book by everyone's favorite, Mo Willems?! A fun, silly book by arguable one of the best children's authors ever!

P.S. If you live in my general area Peace Valley Nature Center trails take you to prime frog, turtle, and crayfish territories!  My campers loved field trips here - much to explore and tons of rocks to overturn during the search for the elusive blue crayfish! But be warned: your car will smell like a swamp afterwards :)

news from the book nook: spring favorites

Even though the weather doesn't agree with the calendar, it's spring!! And so we must celebrate! How? With children's books, of course!

As I had originally announced in this post, here's the first edition of news from the book nook! I hope you find some old favorites on this list and maybe even some new ones to check out the next time you stop by the library or book store.

In no specific order a few of my spring faves...

Muncha! Muncha! Muncha! by Candice Fleming
This book held the attention of one hundred squirming and excited kids before an egg hunt in the library last spring. No small feat for any book! Mr. McGreedy plants a garden, but finds that naughty bunnies are eating his veggies each night. He saws, cuts, and hammers his way through the book trying to protect his precious garden. One of my personal storytime favorites for preschoolers and kindergarteners! P.S. The bunnies are back in Tippy-Tippy-Tippy, Hide!

An Egg Is Quiet by Dianna Hutts Aston
Beautiful watercolor illustrations compliment nonfiction writing at its finest. The perfect book for a morning spent observing the inhabitants of the nest in your backyard. It's geared towards the early grades, but any bird-lover or animal aficionado will be enchanted by this book. In fact, I'd love to have some of the watercolors hanging on my walls! It would go lovely with our tree theme...but that's a topic for another day...

Frog and Toad Are Friends by Arnold Lobel
A classic! If you didn't befriend Frog and Toad as a child, please consider doing so right now! Early chapter books wouldn't be the same without this series of books about their quirky, fun friendship.

This particular book has a lovely little chapter about spring. Wake up, Frog! Wake up! It's Spring! This quote still pops into my head somewhere around February or March when the birds start singing, the bulbs begin to bloom, and the air smells of mud and flowers. Proof of the power of the written word and that what is read to a child stays with them for the rest of their life.

Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert
The classic cat and mouse bird story with a twist. Another great option for introducing scientific terms to preschoolers and kindergartners through an accessible, bright, and fun book. If your child like this one, try these other great reads also by the same author: Planting a Rainbow (perfect for talking about flowers and their names) and Waiting for Wings (caterpillar into butterfly story).

Rabbit Inn by Patience Brewster
Sadly, out of print, but a personal childhood favorite. We found a copy a couple of years ago while on vacation and bought it on the spot. It's a sweet little story about a rabbit inkeepers getting ready for their babies to arrive with the help of the inn guests. My mom must have read this to me hundreds of times when I was little!

Bugs by the Numbers by Sharon Werner
Perfect for any boy (or girl) who love creepy crawlers, numbers, and facts! An inviting format that provides interesting bug information. I often suggested this one for those kids that tear through nonfiction animal books or the world record books.

Green by Laura Vaccaro Seeger
Gorgeous Caldecott-winning illustrations and simple text. Green is the color of spring and this book is a wonderful way to talk about the concept of color and all the shades that exist within one color.

Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
A book that brings out the imagination in a child. It's the sequel to another one of my favorites: Not a Box (a perfect rainy or snowy day book and activity). Our little friend in the book has a stick, but it's not a stick! It's a sword. A fishing pole. A horse. Read this one with your preschooler and then head outside to find out just what a stick isn't!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
What spring reading list would be complete without the perennial favorite! I especially love reading the story with props (holla to all you felt board lovers!) and giving each child a chance to have a part in the story. It's wonderful for teaching the concepts of a story, numbers, vocabulary, and the butterfly life cycle. No child is ever too young to be introduced to that very hungry caterpillar who eventually turns into a beautiful butterfly!

Stay tuned for the next edition of news from the book nook featuring things that jump and croak!