Tag: rhyming

Posted in Preschool Reads, Toddler Reads

Book Review: Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr./illus. by Eric Carle (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1967)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

brown bear Recommended for ages 0-5

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? is a children’s literature classic. An unseen narrator asks different animals what they see; the animals respond that another animal is looking at them, repeating the process throughout the book. The animals are described in terms of color: a brown bear, a red bird, a yellow duck, a blue horse. The endpapers lead readers into this study in color, with the colors named in the book appearing, striped, across them.

Bill Martin’s repetitive question-and-answer rhyme format, coupled with Eric Carle’s signature hand-painted and layered collage technique, appeals to toddlers and preschoolers alike, giving the animals a textured appearance that makes them stand out on the white background of the page. The font is a simple, black font; the question appears on the left hand page of each spread, and the response on the right. The rhythm of the book is comfortably repetitive, so children know what to expect on each spread. There is a board book version available that is perfect for the tiniest hands.

This is a great book to add to a read-aloud on color and would translate well to a felt board. DLTK’s website offers printable pictures of animals named in the book, complete with instructions on how to use the sheets as felt board characters and can provide an enjoyable, post-story coloring craft. Attendees may enjoy getting a hand stamp with one of the animals named in the book, to have as a memento of the storytime, and a guide to the book on the Macmillan website features a printable matching game where readers can connect the color to the animal mentioned in the book.

Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle collaborated on other children’s classics, Polar Bear, Polar  Bear, What Do You Hear?, Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What  Do You See? and Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? that fall into the same cadence and predictive text, providing opportunities for additional read-alouds.

The author’s website offers information on school visits and the Bill Martin model for reading, which is valuable reading for anyone who reads to young children.

Posted in Toddler Reads

Book Review: We’re Going on a Leaf Hunt, by Steve Metzger/illus. by Miki Sakamoto (Scholastic, 2008)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

leaf huntRecommended for ages 2-5

A group of friends goes on a leaf hunt, which leads them on adventures over a mountain, through a forest, around a waterfall, and across a lake.

I have a special place in my heart for this book; it was one of my son’s favorite books, because of its repetitive interactivity. The story follows a group of friends on a leaf hunt. They state their beginning intention – “We’re going on a leaf hunt. We’re going right away. Let’s find colorful leaves. It’s a wonderful day!”. The group’s arrival at each point – a mountain, a forest, a waterfall, and a lake – comes is accompanied by a repetitive phrase (“climb, climb, huff puff. We made it!”). They collect leaves from a different tree at each spot, and when they return, they revisit these areas, arriving home ready to jump and play. It makes for a fun read-aloud, where children can echo the repeated phrase and act out the group’s actions (climbing a mountain, crossing a lake).

The artwork appears to be watercolor, with lively reds, browns and yellows to create a beautiful fall day. The story font is mostly brown and bold, but words with emphasis receive a different treatment: the world “colorful” is spelled out with different fall colors; the names of the trees are bright orange, and water-related words are blue.

There are many websites available that offer printouts of different leaves that children can color for a fun, seasonal craft. There are also many seasonal and Fall-related songs and fingerplays.

The author’s website offers links to all of his books, with printables related to some of his books.

Posted in Toddler Reads

Book Review: A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa, by Jonathan London/Illustrated by Denis Roche (Henry Holt, 2005)

Posted on by Rosemary Kiladitis

truck goes rattley bumpaRecommended for ages 0-4

Trucks come in all shapes and sizes. Readers learn about different types of trucks – what they carry, what sounds they make, what colors they can be – as a family of three gets ready to move into a new house.

A Truck Goes Rattley-Bumpa’s gouache artwork and brief, rhyming text will appeal to young readers and would work well for storytime. Truck and car books are always popular, and there are many storytime songs, fingerplays and crafts that can work with this book. The author, Jonathan London, is also the author of the popular Froggy book series.