Archive for the ‘Children’s Book Reviews’ Category
Christmas Books
Book Reviews by Carrie Anne
December is here and at our house that means Christmas. As soon as the Santa Clause parade makes it’s way through town we start getting festive: the Christmas music starts, the decorations begin to go up, the dining room table is covered in Christmas crafts. December also means we can start reading those delightful Christmas stories on the bookshelf. If you’re looking to bring some Christmas into your reading routine, here are a few of my kids favourites:
Written and illustrated by Chris Raschka
Poem by E.E. Cummings
Published by Hyperion
Board Book
2006 Caldecott Medal winner
Based on E.E. Cummings poem ‘Little Tree’, Chris Raschka recreates a beautiful tale about a little tree’s journey from little tree in the country to a wonderful Christmas tree in his own home in the city with his own family to love him. Rashka’s use of repetitive text gives the story a light, song-like read. The watercolour images with their dark black lines give the impression of stained glass windows and Santa appears here and there, showing how he’s played a part in fulfilling the little tree’s deepest Christmas wish. Even as a board book, my kids and I never tire of reading this wonderful story that’s both beautiful to read and to look at.
Written and illustrated by Eric Carle
Published by Philomel Books
Picture Book (2-6)
A farmer lives on a farm with his animals aptly named One, Two, Three, Four and Five. Christmas is almost here but no snow has come. As the farmer naps he dreams of being covered in a blanket of snow and that one-by-one his farm animals also get covered. When he wakes he is greeted by not dream snow, but real snow. This prompts him to prepare a wonderful Christmas surprise for his farm animals. Eric Carle’s colourful collage images you’ve come to expect in his books, fill the pages in Dream Snow. Kids will delight in revealing the farmer and his animals as they are hidden behind snow overlays. But the best part is the musical surprise the farmer prepares for the animals. My kids enjoy hearing the lovely chime at the end of the story.
Christmas
Written and illustrated by Dick Bruna
Published by Methuen Children’s Books
Picture Book (4-6)
A simple telling of the Christmas story. The rectangle shape of the book allows for nice wide scenes. The illustrations are simple and child like and focus on the main elements of the story; the pages aren’t cluttered by background images. While the illustrations fill the right hand pages, a few sentences on plane white paper grace the left hand pages. The sentences and story details are simple for young children to understand; the vocabulary too is keep simple. The original book comes with a punch out Christmas Crib scene. We have since lost the scene but the story is still one of our favourites.
Peter Claus and the Naughty List
Written by Lawrence David, illustrated by Delphine Durand
Published by Random House
Picture Book (4-8)
Peter Claus hopes to follow in his dad’s footsteps someday. But then he ended up on the naughty list. Peter doesn’t think the naughty list is fair. He takes his dad’s sleigh and gathers all the kids on the list and bring them to the North Pole to explain to Santa why they did some of the not so nice things. One-by-one Santa takes the kids home while listening to their tales. He agrees if the kids do one nice thing to make up for a naughty thing they still might find a gift under the Christmas tree. This is a great story that realizes it’s hard to be good all the time, but that doesn’t make them bad. ‘All people do naughty things once in a while. It can’t be helped,” Santa explained. “Saying you’re sorry is what matters most.”
Santa’s Gift
Written by Charise Neugebauer, illustrated by Barbara Nascimbeni
Published by NorthSouth
Picture Book (4-8)
Timothy loves new toys but he never shares them with his friends. Christmas morning Santa didn’t leave Timothy a new toy, instead he left him the task of distributing all the presents to the other animals. At first Timothy was very upset, but with the help of his friend Humphry, Timothy realized Santa had given him the best gift ever: the gift of giving. I love Timothy’s need to have a new toy, any toy, thinking that’s what Christmas is all about. But when he gets to experience the joy he creates by giving gifts he realizes how unimportant things are compared to having friends. I like the letter correspondance in the book between Santa and Timothy too, as well as the bright pastal illustrations used throughout.
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Carrie Anne is a regular contributor to No Time For Flash Cards, she is a mom of 3 and writer. You can find her every day at her blog Another day. Another thought…or two.
Posted in 
Shape Scarecrow Craft
Reader’s Request
I had a reader ask if we had any scarecrow crafts, I didn’t but I came up with this. shape scarecrow! There are a lot of steps but my almost 3 year old breezed through it, we talked about the shapes, and each body part as we added them . You will notice that my shapes are way less than perfect, but if they are clearly recognizable you are golden. Time is short for anyone caring for young kids, don’t fret over your shapes being perfect!
- Gather your materials. You will need 5 different color pieces of construction paper ( you can use scrap if you want for all but one) we used orange, green, yellow, neutral and light blue , 2 large googly eyes, a marker, scissors and a glue stick.
- Start by drawing a scarecrow head and mouth. Cut out.
- Next cut out ( or have your child cut out) a triangle hat and rectangle shirt and arms from the green paper.
- Cut out many smaller rectangles from the yellow paper for hair.
- Cut out a orange triangle for the nose and 3 orange circles for the buttons.
- Start gluing. Now you can just let them at it but to me this isn’t a creative project at all, it’s too structured for that, to me this is a shape lesson really. Here is what I do. Show your child the shapes and ask them what they look like. I help up the large rectangle and asked my son if he thought this was the scarecrow’s head, ” no it’s his belly!” Glue it on. Don’t forget to ask what each shape is or label the shape for them.
- Next add the head… I suggested this was an arm. My son set me straight! Don’t forget to have fun!
- Keep labeling, and adding the shapes to build your scarecrow. Here he is adding the hair.
- Add the arms.
- If you are doing this with young toddlers don’t forget to label the colors as well! Add your hat!
- Add the eyes and nose.
- Add your buttons.
- Let dry!
Shape Books
Clay Quest Minis: Search for Shapes!
So Many Circles, So Many Squares
by Ellen Stoll Walsh is a cute book that not only helps teach shapes it is also entertaining! The three crafty mice use the shapes to protect themselves from one hungry cat finally using them to make scary mice to frighten the cat away! Kids love to help find which shapes are used in the illustrations and older ones can even anticipate what the mice will make next!More Alphabet Books!
I love alphabet books, they are a good teaching tool and are really fun to read especially for children who are still in early stages of reading, they can recognize some letters and be an active participant in reading the book!
” The Racecar Alphabet” by Brian Floca did not live up to my expectations. My main complaint it that the letters aren’t showcased at all. Yes each page starts with the appropriate letter but I really feel like in an alphabet book the letter needs to be obvious , and easy for young children to pick out. The text was centered around each letter but there wasn’t very good flow from one page to the next. I was disappointed in this pick.
” The Ocean Alphabet” by Jerry Pallotta is a good book, not a page turner but it is filled with fun facts about sea creatures. The book is geared towards older children but because it has letters prominently displayed on each page, with great illustrations your toddler will enjoy it too. The text really is too long to read from A-Z for a circle time or a toddler but it was very easy for me to simply read each letter and label the ocean animal for my son who then sat through the whole alphabet. If your child is into all things that swim this is a good book to foster that love and learn a little about letters at the same time!
Hung By The Chimney With Care
- Gather your materials. You will need some cardboard, I am using a gift box that is ripped and can’t be used this Christmas, you’ll need scissors, glue,markers, one piece of construction paper, and some wrapping paper scraps.
- Draw a stocking shape on the opposite side of your cardboard and cut out.
- Have your child draw on the stocking to start with.
- While they color, cut the wrapping paper into smaller pieces, I am using pinking sheers to make it look fancy!
- Time to add glue! I let my son add and spread the glue himself today, lots went in the mouth but overall he did well.
- Now add the wrapping paper.
- While your child is adding the paper , cut out a rectangle of construction paper and write their name on it. If they can write even if it’s not perfect, or very legible they should try!
- Add glue at the top of the stocking for their name.
- Glue the name on and let dry!
That Means Merry Christmas !
Joyeux Noel
Joyeux Noel
That means Merry Christmas!
Joyeux Noel
Joyeux Noel
That’s French for Merry Christmas
In Spanish it’s Feliz Navidad
In Spanish it’s Feliz Navidad
Joyeux Noel
Feliz Navidad
It all means Merry Christmas!
Books!
“Merry Christmas, Mouse! “ by Laura Numeroff is an adorable little Christmas counting book. Most of the praise should really be on Felicia Bond the illustrator because the pictures take the cake on this one. The book follows the mouse as he decorates the Christmas tree, 1 Star… 2 angels… etc… It’s a perfect to read and then count the ornaments on your own tree. After reading it my son and I found 4 bells, and 3 trains on our own tree.
Naptime Creation :Festival of Lights
- Gather your materials. You will need 4 sheets of foam, they don’t need to be sticky back but it’s even easier if they are, especially the candles. Scissors, some ribbon, an orange marker, and a pen.
- If your child is helping you I would have then paint or decorate the base piece of foam or paper. While they do that you can start the cutting.
- Start by cutting out a semi circle. in the silver foam. After you do this fold in half and make a series of 4 small 1/4 inch wide and about 2 inch long cuts into the semi circle arching towards the center.
** For an easier more kids friendly version you can simply cut out a semi circle and add small squares on top for each holder and use a larger square for the center. - Trim all but the center holder , the middle should be higher than the other 8 holders. You can see my ill fated drawings, going free hand ended up working the best.
- Cut out a base for the menorah.
- Using the white foam cut out 9 rectangle candles. Older children can do this no problem.
- Using the yellow foam cut out 9 flames.
- Draw a little orange marker in the middle of the yellow flames.
- If you are using sticky back foam peal back only a small part of the flames backing and attach it to the white candle.
- Attach the menorah base on the backing piece( foam or your own paper that was decorated) .
- Add the candle holders.
- When it’s time to light your menorah just peel off the backing of the candle and stick it on. For how to properly light a menorah check out Chabad.org
- Poke small holes in the upper corners of the backing and thread a ribbon through, tie a knot and trim the end.
- This is how it will look fully lit!
Books !
save Hanukkah.
“The Only One Club” by Jane Naliboff is a cute book about a little girl named Jennifer who is the only one in her class who celebrates Hanukkah. Soon she finds out that there are lots of “Only Ones” in her class , like the only one with red hair, the only one who wears dresses every day and the only one with a unique last name. I like the message this book has, that we should celebrate our diversity and tell our kids it’s not a bad thing to be unique.
