Polar Bear

Polar Bear (A Day in the Life:  Polar Animals), A Heinemann Library book, written by Katie Marsico, is another great nonfiction text for young readers.  A table of contents, glossary, and index help children understand this text even more.

The many photographs included in this book enhance the text.  Inset maps and labels also clarify the reading.  We enjoyed learning more specific facts from this book.

Question Collection:

*What did you learn about polar bears?

*Which photographs helped you understand polar bears better?

*Is there anything more you would like to learn about polar bears?

Wild About Books

Wild About Books, by Judy Sierra and illustrated by Marc Brown, is one of the most creative children’s books I’ve ever read!  This award-winning book is a great read-aloud to start a new school year.  Children, parents, and teachers will all enjoy Sierra’s creativity. She writes a delightful book that emphasizes different authors and reading through the use of Molly McGrew’s bookmobile, zoo animals, and rhyming.  Some examples of the creative uses of literature include the otters that read Harry Potter and the baby bunnies that read Goodnight Moon.  This is a book that lends itself to re-reading as children get older and can find the humor in Sierra’s delightful writing!  This is a book that we think belongs in every child’s library!

Question Collection:

*What books have you read that are mentioned in this book?

*What was your favorite animal and book?

*Why do you think the animals started writing after reading so much?

Welcome to the Zoo

Are you and your family planning a trip the zoo soon? We love to read books as we prepare and return from family outings.  Welcome to the Zoo, by Alison Jay, is a beautiful, wordless book that we enjoy talking about as we learn more about zoos.  The pictures captivate you as you take a picture walk through the delightful pages. This book is good preparation for developing children’s observation skills before they go to a zoo.

It’s fun for children (and adults) to spot all of the events happening at the zoo on each page.  Children can find and name the various animals in the book as well as think about animals they might see on their zoo trip. The author also includes two fun learning pages at the conclusion of the book.  These pages encourage children to take a look back at the book to find some specific items.  There are some funny things happening at this zoo, so don’t miss out on the laughs!

Question Collection:

*What was the funniest thing you saw in this book?

*Which animal is your favorite?

*What questions would you like to ask the animals?

If I Ran the Zoo

If I Ran the Zoo perfectly captures every child’s dream of being in charge!  Celebrating the birthday of Dr. Seuss (March 2) provides an opportune time to read this book again and enjoy the adventures of the Zoo Keeper.  The rhymes and colorful illustrations add to the fun of the journey as more animals are added to the collection. We love looking at the animals and hearing their imaginative names.  It’s fun to compare them to real animals we’ve seen in zoos.  We think you’ll enjoy adding this book to your learning collection too!

Question Collection:

*Would you like to be a Zoo Keeper?  Why?

*Which animals do you like best?

*What do you think these animals eat?

*What animals would you like to invent?