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.

Oh, Little Mouse! Your Secret Is Out!

Recommended for PreK-K

There must be something about a little mouse and a big red edible object that is irresistible to young children.  In the new picture book by Éric Battut, Little Mouse’s Big Secret, kids go crazy for this book that focuses on humor, science, and sharing.  The text on one page and the cheerful illustrations on the opposite page interact wonderfully to tell the story of the adorable Little Mouse who finds a “delicious treat” (the illustration shows a cherry).  Little Mouse decides the cherry will be a secret and hides the cherry in the ground.  Lo and behold, Little Mouse is visited by multiple friends, one at a time, who wants to know his secret.  

“It’s my secret, and I’ll never tell, “ answers Mouse.  This is the repetitive refrain in the book.  The preschoolers I read to through the volunteer program Ready Readers, love to say this and wag their fingers back and forth.

With each animal visit, the reader will notice the illustrations in which Mouse’s cherry is sprouting from the ground and growing into a cherry tree with every consecutive page turn.  The funny part is (preschool verified), Mouse doesn’t notice this is happening because his back is turned.  The illustrations make it easy to identify stages of a plant’s growth—the tree sprouts, becomes a sapling, grows into a mature tree that blossoms, and when the blossoms disappear, cherries appear.  Mouse doesn’t even realize his “secret is out” until the cherries fall from the tree.  Mouse decides that his secret is then best shared with his other animal friends. 

Battut, E. (2011). Little mouse's big secret. New York, NY: Sterling.