Tippy-toes, Let's Go!

Recommended for toddler-kindergarten

     I chose two books to read to my preschoolers because they both had “tippy-toe” in the title and admittedly, they both looked like cute books.  One was, Where is Tippy Toes? by Betsy Lewin, illustrator of Click, Clack, Moo fame and the other was Tippy-Toe, Chick, Go! by George Shannon.  Little did I realize how much my preschoolers would love Where is Tippy Toes?  And what’s not to like—rhyming text, big and bold, colorful illustrations, that are die cut, allowing the students to make inferences as to where they think the cat is hiding or what he mischief he is about to get into.  I asked them where they thought the cat was and they loved providing the answer. 

     Of course, I have to include a “kids say the darndest things” moment since one of my preschoolers asked me why I cut up the book.  Ha!  They all sat and listened to the book and even requested that it be read again.

     Tippy-Toe Chick, Go! by George Shannon has bright, but soft, with water color illustrations.  This story features a mother hen and her three chicks trying to get to the garden to eat their favorite snack (you’ll get an “ewwww” at the mention of potato bugs).  The only problem is that a dog stands in their way and his bark (a repetitive “Ruff-Ruff-Ruff-Ruff-Ruff!”) throughout the book scares off Hen, Big Chick, and Middle Chick.  But what about Little Chick, with her tippy-toe running?  Can she save the day?

     Two good stories, that provide a learning experience, yet are short enough that they can keep attention and be read back to back.

Lewin, B. (2010). Where is tippy-toes? New York, NY: Atheneum Books.

Shannon, G. (2003). Tippy-toe chick, go! New York, NY: Greenwillow Books.