Birthday Party!!

This weekend I turn 22 years old. It seems as though the years go by so much faster the older I get. One thing remains the same over the years, and that is my LOVE for Birthdays! On Jan. 29th, you will not find me in a mirror looking for my first wrinkle, nor will I be applying early for my AARP card. (I may, however, buy a pair of high-waisted jeans..haha) I believe that no matter the number, a birthday should always be regarded as special, and I want to celebrate mine with all of you! Here are some great birthday books to share with those you love on their birthdays. Even if it is not your birthday, have a non-birthday party! Or even better, find out whose birthday it is, learn about them, and celebrate!

Happy Birthday to You!

By: Dr. Seuss

Summary: The Great Birthday Bird guides us on a birthday trip. The multicolored excursion is a festive one.

The Birthday Box

By: Leslie Patricelli

Summary: A child wearing only a diaper and a striped party hat gets a present from Grandma. What is it? The toddler takes off the wrapping paper–bright red with blue polka-dots–and discovers A big brown box! A box is full of possibilities and this child lets imagination reign. The youngster can stand on it, hug it, and hide behind it (Shhh. Where am I? Boo! Here I am!). When the child finally opens the gift, there's a stuffed dog inside. Now the two of them can create adventures. The container becomes an airplane, a sailboat, and a sled. The new pals share a snack inside its protective walls before settling down for a cozy nap. (Pre-School)

Happy Birthday, Moon

By: Frank Asch

Summary: When a bear discovers that the moon shares his birthday, he buys the moon a beautiful hat as a present.

Sidenote- I am in love with the "Moon Bear" series of books. Moon Cake and Moon Game are also great books!

Enjoy the Birthdays!! 

Happy Winnie the Pooh Day!

If you ever get the opportunity to meet my family, you will notice that my Dad has nicknames for all of us. Mom is "Momma-cat" or "Suzie," Hunter, my brother, is "Buckeroo" or "Hunt-man," my Nanie has been coined "Shorty" and as for me? Well, Dad likes likes to call me "Pooh." With that in mind, I decided to find a book about the most famous "Pooh" and post it here for your enjoyment. Everyone loves and remembers the classic show Winnie the Pooh. Today is actually "Winnie the Pooh Day," so I thought this week's children's book of the week should be "The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh," by A.A. Milne. While you are celebrating this day, check out http://childrensbookalmanac.com/ for more children's books on their designated celebratory days.

The Complete Tales and Poems of Winnie-the-Pooh

by:A.A. Milne

Summary: Seventy-five years ago, that most beloved of "silly old bears," Winnie-the-Pooh, came down the stairs, "bump, bump, bump," on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin. And now, after generations of children have grown up on stories about Pooh's adventures with his forest friends, the four all-time children's classics from A.A. Milne and Ernest H. Shepard have been collected in one hefty, handsome volume for another multitude of generations to enjoy. Gathered together are the poems and tales that celebrate heffalumps, Eeyore's birthday, the unbouncing of Tigger, Disobedience, Buckingham Palace, and sneezles. The stories about Pooh getting stuck in Rabbit's doorway, Piglet doing a "Very Grand Thing," and Eeyore losing a tail (and Pooh finding one) are timeless favorites for children--and grownups--of all ages.

Healthy Resolutions- And Wonderful Books!

With every new year there are new resolutions! One of the resolutions that everyone can have, regardless of age or situation is to become a healthier you. We all have our weak moments, (Dairy Queen Chocolate Explosion anyone?) but the key to living a healthy life is balancing our habits and having a healthy mindset. So in honor of our resolutions, I wanted to offer some fun children's books encouraging healthy decisions!

The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food

by: Stan Berenstain, Jan Berenstain

Summary: When Mama Bear notices her two cubs getting a little chubby, she decides to curtail their junk-food habits. An excellent job of covering basic nutrition principles, the importance of a healthy lifestyle, and the role exercise plays in good health. Preschool to age 8. I LOVE THIS BOOK! As well as every other Berenstain Bears book.

The Magic School Bus Inside the Human Body

by: Joanna Cole

Summary: Ms. Frizzle shepherds her reluctant students through the human body in a book that is as fancifully conceived as it is educational. Ages 6-9. If you haven't delved into the wonderful world of Ms. Frizzle's classroom and the adventures in her magic school bus, then hurry into the nearest library and introduce your family to them! They are fabulous!

Try to couple these great books with a play date, or even a healthy meal cooked with your child! 

Puppies! And their "Puppy Breath"

My roommate Casey has the cutest dog in the world. I am typically a cat person, but since meeting Miss Gabby East, I've grown a soft spot for pooches. I was playing with Gabby today and remembered one of my favorite books about dogs: Dog Breath! Check this book out today with your children, and while you are at it, go check out your local shelter and help out little friends there.

Dog Breath

by: Dav Pilkey

Summary:  "A dog named Hally, who lived with the Tosis family," emits green puffs of breath so toxic they knock Grandma Tosis out of her chair. When the Tosis parents put their putrid pet up for adoption, the Tosis kids try to save Hally: they bring her to a site with a "breathtaking view"; to a movie (starring "Perry O'Donnel and Giner Vitus") said to leave audiences "breathless"; and to a roller coaster so fast it makes riders lose their breath-to no avail. Yet a glimpse of a headline on a newspaper (called The Daily Foreshadow) and a wanted poster showing two robbers presage a happy ending: the villains visit the Tosis home and suffer the odiferous consequences. Pilkey's punchy art, characterized by heavy black outlines and bold colors, matches the clowning quality of the text (the watercolors, pencils, magic markers, and Dijon mustard"). Guaranteed to ward off smellancholy. Ages 4-8.

CHECK OUT SOME NEAT WEBSITES THAT GO WITH THIS BOOK!

http://www.pilkey.com/bookview.php?id=13

Also take a few moments to recognize the play-on-words included in this book. What is Halitosis? How do you get Gingivitis? 

Use this book to do a writing exercise. Ask your child to write you a story about a funny animal they know. 

I hope everyone enjoys this book. Here's the pup that inspired the post: 

Christmas time- Party time!

With Christmas time producing many holiday parties, it makes for a perfect opportunity to talk about one of my recent adventures. As many of those who know me understand, I get some of my love for reading and writing from my grandmother, who I call Nanie. Maybe some is an understatement. I grew up with Nanie reading books to my brother and me in silly voices, costumes, and engaging us in the books as she read. She would write books about our lives, some of the most famous being the Binky the Worm books I always loved. This is my hope for all of you who read this blog. I hope that by receiving tips on great books to read with your children that you can engage them while reading with them. My parents read to me nightly along with my Nanie, and with all of that interaction while reading, I was absolutely hooked. 

Anyways, back to parties!

I recently went with my Nanie to Barrett Elementary in Birmingham to do a special presentation on the fabulous book Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal. Nanie dressed as Junie B. and acted out the whole book from memory, and afterwards I had the opportunity to talk to the 300 (!!) students about the fun of reading. The boys and girls ate it up! They especially loved the interaction when "Junie B." would ask them to join her in certain events. So this is the book choice of the week.

Junie B. Jones is a Party Animal

by: Barbara Park

Summary: Kindergarten-Grade 2. In this early chapter book, Junie, a boisterous, effervescent kindergartner, and her friend Grace invite themselves over to the home of Lucille's wealthy grandmother, with whom the girl and her family live. They agree to help Lucille beg her "richie nanna" for a poodle. Once there, the girls find that everything in the house is exquisite and untouchable. Lucille's bedspread is silk and her huge stuffed animals cost a fortune. Junie accidentally drops a crystal glass, which shatters into pieces. Her hot dog slides off her fork onto a white Irish linen table cloth. The friends have a good time but Junie is glad to go home to her own nanna's house where she can drink out of a plastic glass and not have to worry about breaking anything. Appealing black-and-white line-and-wash drawings extend the humorous situations.

Amazing Days at Elvin Hill

Monday and Tuesday I had the opportunity to visit Elvin Hill Elementary School to read to over 400 Kindergarten-Fourth Graders. These guys and girls were amazing and welcomed me with such sweet hearts, and lots of sweet hugs! (In fact, one classroom decided to give a class hug mid-story, which I happily accepted! ha) I decided to share with all of you the books that I read to them.

Bear Stays up for Christmas

by: Karma Wilson

Summary: PreSchool-Grade 2–It's the day before Christmas, and Bear's friends have gathered in his lair to wake him up to celebrate the holiday. They get a tree, pop corn and bake fruitcake, and hang stockings and hum songs. The others doze off, but Bear keeps busy wrapping presents, baking cookies, and decorating, unaware that a certain plump, red-suited gentleman is watching from outside the cave. The rhyming text sings, shouts, whispers, and crows, and the appealing acrylic illustrations are dear. 

If You Take a Mouse to the Movies

by: Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond

Summary: Welcome to the hilariously hypothetical world of Laura Numeroff and Felicia Bond. Everything has an impact on everything else in this world, so if you take a mouse to the movies, don't be surprised if you find yourself being run ragged by the exuberant little fellow's increasingly grand appetites. When we first met him in Numeroff and Bond's tremendously popular If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, he had more energy than a 2-year-old on lollipops. Now, in the excitement of the Christmas season, he's unstoppable. Going from movie theater to Christmas tree lot to the neighbor's yard for snowmouse-building, he's a very demanding mouse indeed--in only the best way, of course.

Here are some of the pictures from my adventures at Elvin Hill. :)

Series of Public Service Announcements I made for Literacy Matters!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEDX3ZxAeYw