Back to School....

It's time for school!  Are you and your children looking for some books to start the new year?  Here's a round-up of our previous posts and questions about school related books to get you started.  

The Kissing Hand---always a great book to begin a new school year!

Each Kindness---a thought provoking book as children meet new classmates

Llama Llama Misses Mama--a book to start discussion about those first important days away from home

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten--an enjoyable look at how the teacher gets ready for school!

Please share your favorite back to school books with us in the comments.  Hope it's a great year!

Tim's Big Move

Have you ever looked for a book to help a child with a transition such as a move to a new town?  Tim’s Big Move, written by Anke Wagner and illustrated by Eva Eriksson, is a fun read about Tim and his cuddle buddy, Pico, who are preparing for a move. Even though Tim is nervous, he tells Pico about all of the good things about the move.  Pico, however, has many thoughts about the problems he thinks he’ll encounter.  Most of all he’s worried when Tim announces they’ll make new friends.  Pico feels he only needs Tim and worries Tim won’t want him when they move.  The move happens and Pico still worries.  However, a happy ending is in sight as Tim and Pico both make new friends!

We think this would be a great book to read with a child who is moving.  The author makes clever use of Tim’s cuddle buddy, Pico, to express what many children feel when they move.  This is another great book to spark conversations in a family!

Question Collection:

*Have you ever felt like Pico?

*How could what you learned about Tim and Pico help you welcome new children to your neighborhood or school?

*What do you think Tim and Pico do next? 

Each Kindness

Each Kindness, by Jacqueline Woodson and illustrated by E. B. Lewis, is a thought provoking book about how we treat others.  Geared for children, it also is a good read for all family members.  I think it’s a great book to read in the summer, or before school starts.  It would also be good re-read when a new student enters a child’s classroom.

Maya, a new girl to the class, is shunned by Chloe and her friends.  Told in first person by Chloe, Maya seems to be less fortunate than the other classmates.  Chloe repeatedly ignores Maya and her requests to join in.  On a day when Maya is not at school the teacher explains how kindness ripples out like a stone in water.  Sadly, Maya never returns to the school, so Chloe is left with her memories of not being kind to Maya.

This book is unforgettable.  It’s sure to be a great discussion starter in your family.  We hope you find this book to read and discuss with your child.

Question Collection:

*Have you ever felt like Maya?

*Have you ever treated anyone like Chloe treated Maya?

*What do you think Chloe learned?

*What do you think Chloe will do the next time a new student comes to her classroom?

Will You Be My Valentine?

Will You Be My Valentine?, by Steven Kroll and illustrated by Lillian Hoban, is a book that takes a look at preschool friendship.  Thomas and Gretchen are the main characters who work out conflicts that can happen between young children. The Valentine’s aspect makes it fun to share at this time of year.  Will You Be My Valentine? Provides many great conversation starters for young children as they are navigating the social world of preschool.  Happy Valentine’s Day!

Question Collection:

*Have you liked someone who didn’t like you?

*How did Thomas and Gretchen become friends?

*What things do you like to do with your friends?

Take Care, Good Knight

Take Care, Good Knight, written by Shelley Moore Thomas and illustrated by Paul Meisel, is an entertaining book that will make a connection with beginning readers.  A wizard asks three dragons (who don’t know how to read) to take care of his cats.   They readily agree.  However, because they can’t read, they look at the picture of water beside the words that tell them to give the cats fresh water and mistake it for a lake.  They assume that means to take the cats swimming!  You can imagine the hilarious pictures of the cats in water. 

More funny scenes follow as the dragons can’t read the instructions.  Finally, their friend, the Good Knight, reads the note to the dragons after they admit they can’t read.  A happy ending is revealed when the dragons receive a book to learn how to read.  This is a book that makes us laugh out loud as we read about the dragons’ adventures with the cats.  We hope you find some laughs too!

Question Collection:

*What’s the funniest scene in the book?

*Why do you think the dragons didn’t tell the Good Knight sooner that they couldn’t read?

*Have you ever had to ask help with something you didn’t know how to do?

Hungry Monster ABC

For Halloween we thought we would share a funny book that uses monsters to tell a story using the alphabet.  Hungry Monster ABC, written by Susan Heyboer O’Keefe and illustrated by Lynn Munsinger, is a board book that has the top corner “bitten off” as a monster might have eaten it!

The ten monsters visit a classroom where a boy leads them through the alphabet by showing them words that begin with the letters.  The story, told in a rhyming pattern, is humorous and inviting.  Have fun visiting the monsters!

Question Collection:

*What would you show the monsters for each letter of the alphabet?

*Which part of the story was the funniest to you?

*Where do you think the monsters will go next? 

Read more children's ABC books here!

My Great-Aunt Arizona

My Great-Aunt Arizona, by Gloria Houston, is one of my favorite books, probably because it expresses my love of teaching.  Although Great-Aunt Arizona taught in times past, Houston’s story remains timeless because it catches the essence of what teachers want for their students.  Miss Arizona teaches her students about the far away places they will go while she dreams of those far away places.

This book is a great one to read as children start back to school.  The beauty of Gloria Houston’s voice shines through in this tribute to her great aunt. I think a parent’s conversation about this book can open children’s minds to begin to recognize what teachers are doing in their classrooms.  We hope you enjoy Great Aunt Arizona’s story!

Question Collection:

*How is Great Aunt Arizona’s childhood different than yours?

*Why do you think Great Aunt Arizona became a teacher?

*How does her classroom look compared to yours?

*What things do you think your teacher is doing to help you this year?

The Kissing Hand

The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn, is one of our favorite books! Chester Raccoon doesn’t want to go to school and leave his mother.  She gently reassures him by showing him the secret of the kissing hand.  Chester returns the favor by sharing the kissing hand with his mother.  The story will warm your heart! The reassuring love of a parent for his/her child makes this a timeless message.  This is the perfect book to read as your child has a change in his/her life requiring a separation from a parent.We love to read this book as school starts each year.  Enjoy this book with your family!

Question Collection:

*Why do you think Chester doesn’t want to go to school?

*Why do you think Chester’s mom shows him the kissing hand?

*Would the kissing hand make you feel better?

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, by Joseph Slate, is a delightful book to read to children approaching Kindergarten.  The colorful, detailed illustrations by Ashley Wolfe  can be enjoyed in a picture walk before you and your children read this book.  This is a book that appeals to visual and auditory learners. 

Miss Bindergarten, the teacher, prepares for her class as the students also prepare to arrive.  What makes this book so fun is that there are twenty-six animal students whose names correspond to each letter of the alphabet. Adding to the fun is that each sentence about the students has rhyming words.  The cadence of this book makes it one that can be enjoyed over and over again.  We hope you enjoy this kindergarten adventure!

Question Collection:

*Who is your favorite character?

*What rhyming words do you hear?

*What’s your favorite thing in Miss Bindergarten’s room?

Read more children's ABC books here!

Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!

As summer vacation comes to an end, it’s fun and reassuring to read books to help children transition to a classroom. Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come!,  by Nancy Carlson, is a book that carefully explains how Henry (a mouse) gets read the first day of Kindergarten.  His mother helps him each step of the way, providing reassurance for Henry (and the listener).  We found this a good book to help answer questions before Kindergarten.  It’s also a great book to help children in any primary grade to read before school. Remembering how he/she learned what to do in Kindergarten can also provide reassurance as a new grade is approached.

Question Collection:

*What’s your favorite part of Henry’s first day of Kindergarten?

*What do you think Henry learned on the first day?

*What questions do you have about your new grade?

Summer Bridge Activities

Finding a summer routine that allows plenty of time for fun and relaxation is important to us as a family.  We also know that sometimes a routine for children can successfully include some structured time so learning is maintained.  One activity that has been successful (and fun) for us this is using the Summer Bridge Activities workbook published by Carson Dellosa.

The things we like is that learning is presented in a fun format.  The activities are divided into three sections of 20 days each with bonus activities.  A day’s activities include a front and back page.  Goals can be set, simple physical activities are offered, and high interest activities are included.  It’s also been a great way to discover any skills that need additional reinforcement and what modalities of learning are strengths. 

Although spending summer doing workbooks is not the way we want to spend our time, we have found that having a few minutes each morning using this workbook helps establish a routine of learning.  It has been so successful for us that we hope to use the series next summer.

Llama Llama Misses Mama

Llama Llama Misses Mama, by Anna Dewdney, is an enjoyable book that helps children work through the feelings of missing their mothers while going to school.  As usual, Anna Dewdney provides a fun story full of rhyme and colorful illustrations to delight the reader.  The message of loving parents and school is told in an understandable way. 

Question Collection:

*What parts of Llama school look fun to you?

*Have you ever missed your Mama?

*What does Baby Llama find out about himself?