Have your child make the animal sounds as you read the book. Ask your child what other animals they might put in the book. How would those animals say hello? Identifying animals and making those simple one-syllable sounds is an important step in early literacy and childhood development of speech, memory, and categorization.
Rocket Puppies
by William Joyce
Once upon a should-have-been-happy time, the earth is feeling sort of sad. Then, from the outer reaches of Not-from-Here, come the Rocket Puppies! When Snarly McBummerpants billows out Mopey Smoke, can the Rocket Puppies rally to defeat this new foe?
This one is fantastically silly, so be prepared for plenty of giggles. Talk with your child about how they can be a “Rocket Puppy” and spread happiness in their world.
ABC T-Rex
by Bernard Most
T-Rex loves the alphabet so much, he wants to eat it up. So, he takes a bite or two, and he finds that C is chewy, D is delicious, and K tastes great with ketchup!
It's the first day outside the nest for Mother rabbit's five babies, and all sorts of new creatures and adventures await them. But when a sudden rain shower sends the rabbits scurrying for shelter under the hedge, some other animals come to shelter, too! The star of this book is Arnosky’s beautiful illustrations.
A stormy and windy night is the perfect time to make a grilled cheese. But Margot is worried about Mama, who left in her little sailboat hours ago and the storm is raging! As Margot and Grandpa welcome other busy seafarers into their home to shelter from the storm, her hope--and sandwich supplies--begin to run low. Will Margot ever be able to make Mama that grilled cheese?
Rainy days really are the perfect time for a grilled cheese sandwich. Have your child help make grilled cheese sandwiches and soup for lunch. In addition to the early-literacy skills of reading a recipe, gathering ingredients, and following instructions, your child will gain independence and confidence by preparing food for themselves and others. Plus, you get grilled cheese sandwiches!
National Poetry Month
Guess Who, Haiku
by Deanna Caswell
You may know that haiku is a poem with syllables in a pattern (5-7-5), but this book is really a fun guessing game of animals described by the playful haiku.
For the littlest littles, the guessing game is the thing. Can your child name the animal described by the poem? (Throw in some animal sound-making, just for fun.) For older kids, this is a great way to introduce or reinforce the idea of “syllables” - that is, the number of sounds in a word. Have your child clap out the words (“buzz” *clap* “ing” *clap*). Elementary-age kids can even try out their skills in writing their own haiku, following the pattern they see in the book!
It’s Storytime PLUS. Stories, songs, shakers AND a different play-based art activity each month!
Fingerpainting
We'll have fingerpaint and paper; all your child needs to bring is their imagination! It's messy, and sensory, and full of opportunities to be creative.
Early Literacy Tip
Fingerpaint is thicker than regular paint, so it allows your child literally to get hands-on with color-mixing, drawing shapes and letters, and letting their imagination run wild. Using their fingers develops their hand strength, fine-motor skills, and coordination that are essential for learning to write.
Want to try this at home?
All you need are these supplies:
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Non-Fiction Picture Books!
Our "Picture Book City" is full of really great non-fiction about everything from alligators to zebras, from cookbooks to crafts, and everything in between! Picture Book City is organized by broad topics called “Neighborhoods” (like About Me, Activities, and Animals) and separated into “Streets” that narrow down slightly those broader categories (like Family, Sports, and Dinosaurs). The non-fiction books are generally at the end of the Streets; you can tell by the numbers on the spine labels that they are considered non-fiction.
Early Literacy Tip
Kids love to learn about stuff! Foster your child’s curiosity about the world around them (and outer space, too!) with books that have real information and real stories about the things that interest them. Don’t worry that you’re checking out nothing but books about trucks; the early-literacy concepts are there, too! In fact, the non-fiction books will likely have more advanced vocabulary, with illustrations that help kids figure out what those big words mean.
