My Wee Ones Review Global Babies by Maya Ajmera

E and N here! Our ima (Hebrew for mom) said we could tell you what books we love on her blog, so that other people know what books to get babies (0-3yo). We give smiles to books we like.

😊😊😊

We give 3 smiles (out of 2 smiles) to the board book, Global Babies by Maya Ajmera.  We love books with photos of baby faces and this one even makes us gurgle with delight.

The book tells us that no matter what, every baby is special and loved.  The pictures show babies from all over the world!  We love seeing babies of many beautiful colors.

Our ima even bought another book from the collection (Global Fund for Children Books), Global Baby Bedtime by Maya Ajmera.  She is going to get us more from this collection as we grow.

Book Review: I Love the Earth by Todd Parr

I enjoy Todd Parr books.  Sometimes I forget just how much in the big world of children's literature.  I believe Todd Parr conveys an important message in all his books through text and pictures. His text is simple and yet he conveys important messages for children to hear.  To me, his illustrations convey all the brightness of the world.

I have read many of his books, but recently I've checked out two for E and N -- The Brother Book and I Love the Earth (new title and cover for The Earth Book).  I am providing the review for I Love the Earth instead of E and N because even though they might not understand the concept yet, I want to instill within my children the meaning of "tikkun olam" (repair of the world).  

Parr sets up examples of what he loves about the Earth and reasons why so that young children can understand.  He makes connections with stars and keeping the sky clear and animals and wanting them to be safe all over the world.  The book could end up leading to an important discussion on one of many aspects of ways we could help make a difference--oceans, food for everyone, even shopping at the local farmer's market.

My hope is that you take some time to check out more of Todd Parr's books. His newest, Love the World, just came out a couple of weeks ago.

My Wee Ones Review Look Look! by Peter Linenthal

The First Ever My Wee Ones Review!

E and N here! Our ima (Hebrew for mom) said we could tell you what books we love on her blog, so that other people know what books to get babies. We give smiles to books we like. 

😊😊😊

We give 3 SMILES (out of 2 smiles) to the book, Look Look! by Peter Linenthal.  This book has been read to us since we were newborn (10 months old now).

Our ima is a big believer in early literacy. She made sure to get this black and white board book for us even before we were born! She reads it to us practically every day and it always makes us smile (which is a big deal because it's read to us right before nap time).

We love the big black and white images and the red words on every page. Our favorite part of the book is the beginning with the flowers and children.

We love this book so much that our ima got the rest of the series. The other books are Look at the Animals!, Look Look Outside! and Look at Baby's House! All have black and white images with bright colored words.

Bye bye! 

Programs That Offer Children's Books (and almost all of them are FREE)

Access to books...we all want it, I believe we all need it.

Let me start with the easiest way I know to get books...the LIBRARY! I'm very fortunate where I live because I have access to 3 different library systems. Technically, 5, if you count the Zoo Library (I volunteer there) and my mom's school library. Anyway, the 3 main library systems offer the program 1000 Books Before Kindergarten-- depending on the library system, you could get a free book based on how many you've read.


AMAZING ways to get books:

Epic!
It's an unlimited digital library of high quality books for kids 12 and under. It is free for educators and $7.99 per month for everyone else (first month free).  I can't believe I have never written a post about Epic!  I am here to correct that mistake. The app/site has fiction and nonfiction books (sorted and categorized), some books are offered as read aloud or audio. The site continues to grow and add features such as tracking reading, Spanish titles, and educational videos.

Here is a link to my bookmarking page w/ other online books.

Dolly Parton's Imagination Library 
Once a month, a free high quality book is sent to families with children ages 0-preschool. It's as simple as that. The program now reaches over 1 million kids! The program is currently in the United States, Canada, and the U.K.. If it is not offered in your area, you are encouraged to start an affiliate program.

PJ Library 
Geared towards Jewish families with kids 6 months-11 years. Families sign up for the free program and receive Jewish themed books in the mail every month. PJ Library has branched out to schools and camps, too.


Feel free to comment about free book programs in your area.

Author Study: Angela Dominguez

It's National Hispanic Heritage Month!

Even though I am not in a school anymore, I still love recommending/finding books for people!  My mom is a 1st grade teacher and she came to me over the summer to ask what are some good multicultural/diverse authors her students could do book/author studies on. She wants her students to see themselves in the books.  One of the first authors to pop into my mind was Angela Dominguez. 

She is a newer Latina author on the scene, but she has been making waves already. Her book, Maria Had a Little Llama/Maria Tenia Una Llamita, which I reviewed in the post linked, is a Pura Belpre Honor book and was featured on KidLit TV.

There are several other books written by Angela Dominguez I would like to share with you so that you may have the chance to share this author with your students. One of her other picture book titles is Sing, Don't Cry. The story is inspired by the refrain in the Mexican song, "Cieleto lindo" [roughly translated as "lovely sweet one"], to which she combines with her abuelo's positive outlook on life.

"When you are misunderstood, and when people are unkind, remember--sing, don't cry, even if it is only in your soul."

It is a very sweet portrait of a grandfather's relationship with his grandkids and not overwhelming in text, so young students can enjoy the story, too.

Other titles from Dominguez that are excellent for this author study:

How Do You Say? / Cómo Se Dice? - Two giraffes meander through the forest looking for food. They come to the same tree where they begin to eat and while one exclaims about the food in English, the other exclaims about the food in Spanish. The two form a bond while finding ways to communicate with each other even though there is a language barrier. I feel this is a pretty timely book for right now.

Knit Together - A mother and daughter combine their talents of drawing and knitting to create a special memory of their time on the beach together.





Dominguez could also be used as a study in illustration/reading the pictures in a book with the above titles and the following: Mango, Abuela, and Me by May Medina and Marta! Big and Small by Jen Medina.

The Many Different Flavors of Dot (Day)

Every September 15-ish, schools across the globe celebrate Dot Day which encourages creativity, courage, and collaboration in honor of Peter Reynolds book, The Dot.  My school was no exception--in fact it wasn't just Dot Day, but Dot Week!  Students in grades K-4 found a way to make their mark and then see where it takes them.

The (free) activities that week included all grades listening to The Dot read aloud (used the version on Epic) and watching Peter Reynolds 'Ready, Set, Draw-ish' episode from KidLit TV while creating their own dot drawings.  

K-2 danced and sang along with Emily Arrow's The Dot Song Motions Guide 

and then made their own Dot Day bookmarks...

3rd grade used QuiverVision's Dot Day coloring sheet that allowed them to turn their dots into 3D spheres using an iPad app...

4th grade used Google Draw to create digital Dot Day artwork.

It was such a dot-abulous week that led to a high demand for Peter Reynolds books to checkout!