Big Green Monster

Go Away, Big Green Monster!
By: Ed Emberly

That great picture book turned I mentioned last week turned out to be not so great afterall, so (sigh) I am going to write about an old favorite instead. Yea! We love Go Away, Big Green Monster!by Ed Emberly! This author has some really fun toddler and preschool books, and this is one of our favorites! My first three children completely wore this book to pieces, so now we have a new one for our baby because it would be a shame to be without!

What exactly does a big green monster include? Well, in this book he starts with two big yellow eyes, followed by scraggly purple hair...and piece by piece a big green monster comes to be. But since he doesn't scare us, we get to take him back apart piece by piece as well! Bright cutouts under black paper make this book fun for older babies and young children to look at. (adults too!) Really, this book could be considered a classic --at least at our house. Check out these books by the same author: Bye-Bye, Big Bad Bullybug! and Glad Monster, Sad Monster. I would like to own these also!

It never hurts to follow up with a few activities when you have the chance. I would like to try some of these sometime, just for fun!

Reading Aloud!

It can't be Tuesday, can it? Well, I've been reading far too many books about making bread, getting babies to sleep, and how to get the dog to behave, and I haven't had a chance to write a review for that great children's picture book! Well, instead today I will direct you to an enjoyable post, by Esme Raji Codell, author of How to Get Your Child to Love Reading: For Ravenous and Reluctant Readers Alike. Haven't read this book? Well make sure you do! In the meantime, check out her fun post on encouraging your readers that think they no longer need you to read aloud to them! (This post is part of Share a Story Shape a Future.)

....Now how do I stop the kids from swiping the book and finishing it on their own? ;)

When Winter Comes (again!)

When Winter Comes
Written by Nancy Van Laan
Illustrated by Susan Gaber

Yesterday was spring, today it is winter again. Such it is this time of year! On especially snowy days, like today, I like to pull out the winter books and get reading. When Winter Comes is a snowy story and also one of the books I asked for and received for Christmas because I love it so!

In Nancy Van Laan's simple and sweet story a dear family goes out for a walk in the winter and on their way they discover what happens in nature during winter time. Starting with the leaves on the trees, and moving from small to big animals, and even fish, the author uses repetitive question for each item, "Where oh where do the ______ go when winter comes and the cold winds blow?"

Next of course you here the answer, in rhyming verse to boot. To wrap up the story, the little girl is the final creature, who rests in her bed on an winter evening. This book is simple, with basic concepts, similar to those in Time to Sleep , by Denise Fleming, which would be a great companion book!

The Black Book of Colors

The Black Book of Colors
Written by: Menena Cottin
Illustrated by: Rosana Faria


It is always a delight to see what books are chosen for The Beehive Book Award in Utah, naturally there are always gems to be found. My library keeps these books in a specific place, so they are always easy to find, otherwise, and unfortunately, I might miss them! The Black Book of Colors is one of these books, and it is indeed a gem.

This book has no colors, but black pictures on black pages, with descriptions of each color as well as raised pictures to touch. Make no mistake, my children needed no prodding to do this, and they enjoyed it. This is of course a beautiful opportunity for discussing blindness, and braille, and differences. So fascinating for people with sight to consider. Braille is included on each page, though my children and I did not notice it at first, because we were reading by lamplight, relying on our vision, and the braille is of course small raised and black on the black page. That it took us so long, that we are so used to our sight, is worth considering. Near the end of this book the entire braille alphabet can be found as well.

Although we have not tried it yet, I believe The Black Book of Colors encourages a worthwhile writing activity for your child to describe each color on his own. Do you think yellow is as soft as a chicks feathers, as the author does? The writing is great for teaching about adjectives, and is a good example for descriptions, which sometimes prove difficult for children, especially when they are coming up with their own. I am glad to experience this book, and I have a feeling we are not through with it yet! :) It is absolutely brilliant.