The Pumpkin Book

The Pumpkin Book, by Gail Gibbons, is a great resource for a nonfiction look at pumpkins.  We like to start looking at books like this by taking a picture walk. We enjoyed seeing the labeled illustrations of different kinds of pumpkins. Even young children can begin to develop an understanding of the growth of a pumpkin from the interesting pictures in this book. 

Ways to plant pumpkins in a patch and on a farm are described by Gibbons.  Various aspects of what is needed in nature for successful pumpkin growth is also discussed.  The book also shows the use of pumpkins at Halloween and Thanksgiving times.  

Older children could use this book to develop charts about pumpkin development.  The illustrations delightfully explain the text so that listeners/viewers/readers can all enjoy learning. We found this to be a great book to add to our autumn reading. We love reading books by Gail Gibbons and hope you enjoy this one, too!

Question Collection:

*Which pumpkin varieties have you seen before?

*Can you explain how a pumpkin seed grows?

*What’s your favorite use of pumpkins?  Why?

The Wild Little Horse

A fictional book about a horse that we like to read is The Wild Little Horse, by Rita Gray and illustrated by Ashley Wolff.  The reader follows the journey of a young horse as he listens to the wind, which encourages him to run.  The story is told in rhyme and uses much onomatopoeia to add to the feeling of running with the horse.  The softly illustrated pages add to the beauty of the story.  The Wild Little Horse is a book that can be enjoyed over and over.  We hope you like this beautiful story!

Question Collection:

*Which words did the author use to make you hear the sounds?

*Can you name all of the other animals in the story?

*How do you think the wild little horse felt as he was running?

Horses

Does your child love horses?  We’re starting a week of looking at books about horses, one of our current interests!  Horses, by Monica Kulling, is a shape book that introduces children to the world of horses.  The birth of a baby horse, a foal, starts the reader on a journey to learn more about horses and the world in which they live. The illustrations by Betina Ogden are beautiful pictures that invite the reader to study and examine each detail of a horse’s life.  We enjoyed learning about the grooming and care of horses.  Vocabulary is introduced throughout the story in a way that encourages readers to use the text to determine meaning.  If your child is interested in horses, this is a great book to introduce them to various kinds of horses and the vocabulary used in talking about horses.  Enjoy!

Question Collection:

*Which picture is your favorite?

*What new words did you learn from this book?

*What is involved in taking care of a horse?

Puppies and Piggies

Puppies and Piggies, by Cynthia Rylant and illustrated by Ivan Bates, is a beautiful rhyming book that tells about various animals and what they like to do. Puppy, Kitty, Bunny, Piggy, Chicky, Mousey, Goosey, Poney, and finally, Baby all have pages in the story.  The illustrations add depth and enjoyment to the story as it is read.  This book is a great bedtime story and can also be read by young readers.  We hope you have fun reading it!

Question Collection:

*Can you name the animals in the story?

*What rhyming words did you hear?

*What things from the story do you like to do?

Otis

A beautiful story of friendship and great illustrations characterize Otis, a book written and illustrated by Loren Long.  The friendship of Otis (a tractor) and a calf is developed through the beginning of the story.  The reader is drawn into the story by the tractor’s positive outlook on life.  He likes to work and enjoys his life.  The calf is calmed by Otis and follows him around the farm.  Sadly, a big yellow tractor eventually replaces Otis.  However, when the calf is stranded in Mud Pond and no one else can rescue her, Otis comes to the rescue.  Once again the friends are united!

Question Collection:

*Why do you think Otis and the calf became friends?

*How do you think Otis felt when the yellow tractor came to the farm?

*What do you think Otis and the calf are doing now?

Gobble Gobble Crash!

Gobble Gobble Crash! by Julie Steigmeyer, is one of my favorite read alouds!  The rhyming and cadence of the words just enhance the humorous tale of turkeys that crash into a sleepy farm.  Although not specifically a Thanksgiving book, it’s such a fun book to read about some hilarious turkeys!

 Gobble Gobble Crash! is also a counting book as counting numbers are used as the farm is described.   The word choice used by the author paints vivid pictures of the turkeys’ actions.  Children can cheer on the animals as they decide to help the turkeys from becoming the Farmer’s feast.  It is just a laugh out loud book that we hope you enjoy!

Question Collection:

*What’s the funniest part of the story to you?

*Can you find the turkeys that are hiding from the Farmer?

*Can you remember some of the rhyming words from the story?

Country Road ABC

Country Road ABC (An illustrated journey through America’s farmland), by Arthur Geisert, provides children with a good contrast to Alphabet City.  The author names items or activities from the farm for each letter of the alphabet.  The first time we read this we found some unexpected words for each letter.  Fortunately, a glossary describes each term and makes the reading more understandable.  This book is for children who can understand farming terms from experience or the glossary.  The illustrations enhance the learning and enjoyment of the book.

Question Collection:

*What did you learn from this book?

*What farm items would you have included for each letter?

*What do you think about the illustrations?

Read more children's ABC books here!

The Chicken of the Family

We love reading humorous books!  The Chicken of the Family, by Mary Amato, provides humor while also teaching some important lessons about believing in oneself and ignoring unkind remarks.  The illustrations by Delphine Durand add to the fun of the story.

Henrietta, the youngest of three girls, is teased by her sisters into believing she is a chicken.  They convince her that she is a chicken by leaving an egg and feathers in her room.  Henrietta is so convinced that she’s a chicken that she leaves to find her real family---a flock of chickens on a farm!  The chickens accept her, and Henrietta finds comfort being with the chickens.  Henrietta uses her peace with the chickens to find herself.  Her sisters soon find that Henrietta’s self confidence is truly amazing!

This book is a great discussion starter with children on the effects of teasing and also in how to be true to one’s self.  We hope you and your family enjoy the humor and the lessons!

Question Collection:

*Why do you think Henrietta’s sisters teased her?

*What do you think about Henrietta’s solution to her sisters’ teasing?

*What would you have done if you were Henrietta?

*Have you ever felt like Henrietta did?

Floor Puzzles

Do you and your children like to put together puzzles?  We’re always looking for good quality puzzles so they can be used over and over again.  Floor puzzles are great for those rainy days when a more quiet gross-motor kinesthetic activity is needed. Melissa and Doug Farm Friends Floor Puzzle is one puzzle on our playroom shelf that we’ve used many times.  After it’s put together we spend some time on quality conversation talking about the animals, naming them, and making up stories about what might happen on the farm.  Sometimes we pull out some of our farm animal books to further the discussion.  We hope you enjoy puzzles too!

Question Collection:

*What's your favorite animal?

*Can you give names to the animals?

*What do you think is happening on the farm?

Momma, Will You?

Momma, Will You?, by Dori Chaconas, is a heart warming story told as a little boy, his baby sister, and Momma go about their day on a farm. The little boy asks his Momma various questions about the farm animals they encounter.  Every question is followed by, “Yes, or no, or maybe?”  The mother answers each question in a rhyme that adds to the ease of reading this book. The paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher add to the beauty of this book.  The “question” pages have a simple silhouette of the animal in question on a colorful background while the “answer” pages have beautiful vignettes of the little boy, baby sister, and Momma.  We hope you enjoy this peaceful, heartwarming book about family relationships.

Question Collection:

*What is your favorite question in the book?

*What question would you ask about a farm animal?

*Which picture is your favorite?