Running List of Song Books: Christmas Edition

There are a ton of great Christmas songs that have also been turned into picture books to share.

Again, I will add to this as I find or remember them, so please feel free to remind me of any I have missed in the comments!

Deck the Halls, by Norman Rockwell
Here Comes Santa Claus, by Gene Autry
The Huron Carol, Brebeuf, Father Jean de, eng. lyrics by Jesse Edgar Middleton, ill Ian Wallace
Santa Baby - by Janie Bynum
- a reworking to celebrate sharing xmas with a baby, quite cute
Santa Claus Is Comin' To Town, by Steven Kellogg
- this is the full version
The Twelve Days of Christmas - there are lot of versions of this. Jan Brett's is quite nice, and
Robert Sabuda's pop-up is stunning.

Running List of Song Books

I love book versions of songs for kids. They give the kids something to look at and focus on when you use them with a group. They can add a new dimension to an old favourite, tucking humour or beauty into the pictures in greater detail. They are great for building phonetic awareness skills. Kids will sit still for a song or join in singing along, so they are great for a group. And of course, they help me remember the words!

This list will be added to as I find or remember new versions, so please add any favourites I may have missed in the comments!

Kids' Favourites:

Baby Beluga, by Raffi
Down By The Bay, by Raffi
Eensy Weensy Spider, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
I Know An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
*note, she doesn't die here
also: There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, by Simms Taback
If You're Happy and You Know It, by Raffi
Lady With The Alligator Purse, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Little White Duck, by Walt Whippo
Miss Mary Mack, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Old McDonald, by Jane Cabrera
On Top of Spaghetti, by Paul Brett Johnson
* melding of story and song
Puff the Magic Dragon, by Pete Yarrow
The Seals on the Bus, by Lenny Hort
Shake Your Sillies Out, by Raffi
She'll Be Coming Round the Mountain, by Jonathan Emmett
Skip To My Lou, by Nadine Bernard Westcott
Spider on the Floor, by Raffi
The Teddy Bears' Picnic, by Jimmi Kennedy
This Little Light of Mine, by Raffi
The Wheels on the Bus, by Raffi
The Wheels on the Bus, by Paul O Zelinsky

Other Great Song Books:

A-tisket, A-tasket, by Ella Fitzgerald
Let It Shine, [ill.] by Ashley Bryan
Summertime, by George Gershwin
Turn! Turn! Turn!, by Pete Seeger
What a Wonderful World, by George Weiss
Rodgers and Hammerstein's My Favorite Things, by Oscar Hammerstein, ill. James Warhola

Beginning Chapters Without Tears (of boredom)

Overheard at a blogger party last weekend: "We are starting to read those easy chapter books, you know the ones? And oh my god, I hate them, they are sooooo boooooring!" Save the yawns for your long-winded neighbour's latest ramblings, parents. There are better things out there.

First off, I would like to point out that picture books run such a large gamut of simple to sophisticated that you can skip these beginning-to-read books entirely if you are so inclined, without worrying that you are missing a step. That said, they are a nice introduction to the chapter format for a reader who might not yet be up to some longer readings. They also often come in series, making it easy to find more of something you and your child have enjoyed. So if you are looking for some fun stuff, here are a fistful of suggestions that are a little more fun or substantial that the early readers you might have been encountering.

Friendship Stories:

This is a major theme among this level of book, because they are aimed at kids whose main concern at that point is about leaning to navigate social relationships at school, in daycare, and in other settings where they might run into other children. A few great series are:

• Houndsley and Catina and Houndsley and Catina and the Birthday Surprise, by Marie-Louise Gay
• Frog and Toad Are Friends (and many others in the series), by Arnold Lobel
• Poppleton (and others in the series), by Cynthia Rylant, ill. Mark Teague. Cynthia Rylant also writes Beginning-to-read series Mr. Putter and Tabby and Henry and Mudge, both of which are also friend-themed.
• Big Dog, Little Dog (and other "Fred and Ted" books), by P.D. Eastman. He is hilarious, and I love all his stuff, but these have more story than the popular Go Dogs Go and so on.

***I would also like to add in James Marshall's George and Martha stories here, even though they are picture books. Hey, it's my column. You'll forgive me when you read them. They are hilarious.

Early Mysteries:

• "Young Cam Jansen" series, by David Adler
• Nate the Great (and others in series), by Marjorie Sharmat, ill. Marc Simont
• "High Rise Private Eyes" series, by Cynthia Rylant

Funny Ones:

• Amelia Bedelia (and others in series), by Peggy Parish. I know, I know, there are people who think these are stupid, but there is something about the long windup for a bad pun that cracks me up.
• "Elephant and Piggie" series, by Mo Willems. These feature the same kind of light-on-text cartoon-y style as his famous pigeon books, drawing on his animation background.
• Harry and the Lady Next Door, by Gene Zion, ill. Margaret Bloy Graham. The other Harry stories are, oddly enough, in picture book format.

Dr. Seuss has, of course, a million offerings in this category of book. Some are crazy-making, but some are truly great. Green Eggs and Ham is a perennial favourite, for example. These are best for true fans of silliness.

Everyday Adventures:

• Little Bear (and others in series), by Else Minarik, ill. Maurice Sendak. I hope the TV show hasn't ruined these for you quite yet, because the books have an old-fashioned, sweet charm to them.
• Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman
• Owl at Home, by Arnold Lobel

Wild Imaginings:

• Danny and the Dinosaur, by Syd Hoff.
• Mouse Soup and Mouse Tales, by Arnold Lobel (collections of crazy little tales)
• Commander Toad in Space (and others in series), by Jane Yolen, ill. Bruce Degen Ridiculous, funny, and pun-ny adventures in outer space.

For these titles and more, check out the "Beginning To Read" section in your local library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Ten Fidgety Fingers

Rhymes and fingerplays are a staple of library and daycare programming for young kids. They are great for children - they encourage remembering, small motor skills, and rhyming skills (connected to early phonics). They are great for grownups, too, as they can provide a brief diversion without any props, and can help smoothe along events like getting dressed, eating, bathing, and so on. They provide a backdrop for bouncing activities, for babies who like to bounce, and can even teach vocabulary in naming body parts and animals. Some of these can be learned in circle times at libraries and otherwise, if you can attend them. But how else can you find some to use with your baby? Here are a few starter resources for parents, some of which even make for fun storytime sharing.

Hand Rhymes, by Marc Brown

This small collection (and its companion, Finger Rhymes) is illustrated by Arthur author Brown in his quirky, recognizable style. There is a nice selection in these books, including some nice seasonal rhymes. Each line of a rhyme has a small box beside it showing the accompanying action. This makes it more awkward to use on the fly, but with many of these rhymes being a bit more involved, it could be well used with a slightly older child at a table or on the floor together so that you and your child both have your hands free.

Knock at the Door, by Kay Chorao

This sweet and gentle book is aimed at babies. Each line is accompanied by a small square illustration of the actions. This is useful for learning them, but the small size does make it more difficult to use at the same moment that you are holding a wiggly baby. I still recommend it for some lovely, cute content, however I would use this either to learn some rhymes yourself, or with a small table nearby that you could place the book on while you perform the rhyme and actions with your child.

Hippety-Hop, Hippety-Hay, by Opal Dunn, ill. Sally Anne Lambert

This book is arranged in sections according to age (birth to age 3), each started with a brief rundown of what your child can do and tips on how to use rhymes with them. There are several rhymes arranged on a page around a themed illustration, and in this case, the actions are described underneath in italics, as well as ideas on extending the rhyme. Music for a few is provided at the end, as is an index of first lines that eases the finding of favourite rhymes.

The Eentsy-Weentsy Spider, by Joanna Cole and Stephanie Calmenson, ill. Alan Tiegreen

This fun book of familiar rhymes (and it's companion, Pat-a-Cake) is made priceless by the quirky and slightly comic illustrations of Alan Tiegreen, best known for his work as the man who brought Ramona Quimby to life. Each rhyme's action is illustrated with nice large illustrations of kids, complete with arrows to show movement when needed. For older kids, this team has also put together books of marble games, tongue twisters, street rhymes and jump-rope chants, card and party games, autograph rhymes, and travel games. I have this dream where they have fantastically fun meetings to brainstorm concepts and try out possible entries, and I get to join them!

For parents and caregivers looking for extra rhymes or new material, I would recommend either checking with your librarian for professional resources, or visiting Perpetural Preschool, which has a massive quantity of songs and rhymes by theme. They need some sifting, as they are not all excellent, but it is a good resource for themed ideas (also for art, science, and snacks!).

For parents who would like to hear them or see them in action, look for CDs by Kathy Reid-Naiman, or videos by Sally Jaeger, all available in Toronto's libraries. Or come and visit a storytime!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Read-Alouds for the Younger Listener

I have been thinking that Pumpkinpie ought to be old enough to read chapter books with me now, not just picture books. But what to read to a younger child? Something gentle, especially right before bedtime. It's a good time to share old favourites, classics that have endured. I would like some fun stories, something episodic that would be easier to follow, allowing for the reading of one chapter each night, with each being its own little story. These warmer tales I'm thinking of are often animal stories, and with so many children loving animals, those fit the bill perfectly, though not all of them fall into this category. Many of these beloved classic chapters books were developed into series, so I will try to note when that applies, but won't list each title in the series. Instead, I'll let you start with the first one and look further if you enjoyed it. Here's a starter list to remind you of some of those books you may have loved in your own childhood and relish sharing.

Paddington Bear, by Michael Bond (and others in the series)

Stuart Little, by E.B. White

Ralph S. Mouse (there are 3 of these), Ramona Quimby (several of these), Socks, by Beverley Cleary

Winnie-the-Pooh, by A.A. Milne (and others in the series, plus his poetry for children is fantastic)

The Dog Who Wouldn't Be, Owls in the Family, by Farley Mowat for a bit of Canadiana

Babe, the Gallant Pig, by Dick King-Smith (he has about a thousand small chapter books of animal tales (not in series), if this is a hit. Hard-core animal fans might also try James Herriott's tales of life as a country vet.)

These next few I might suggest for children slightly older, in that they might just appreciate them a little more. Many of them are also more wordy, and have a bit slower action, to be sure, though a few are just funnier for slightly older and more worldly kids.

Sarah, Plain and Tall, by Patricia McLachlan

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle, by Betty Bard MacDonald (and others in the series) (These are faster-paced, and very funny.)

Pippi Longstocking, by Astrid Lindgren (and others in series) (also faster and funnier)

Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers (and others in series)

The Borrowers, by Mary Norton (and others in series)

Moominvalley in November, by Tove Jansson (and other Moomin books)

***Add your old favourites, too! It might be just the thing for another reader.***

Find these and other great books to share at your public library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Pattern Language

We in library service to children are talking a lot these days about preliteracy skills, and I will start to post about them once in a while here, too, to share the information and some supporting titles with you online. Today I am talking about one of the types of books that can help support one of the six narrative skills. (For a quick and dirty rundown on them, see here. For a more formal version, see here or visit a local public library.)

I am talking about pattern stories. One of the things a child needs in order to get ready to learn to read is what we call narrative skills. This essentially means that a child understands how a story works. That a story has a certain structure, that events happen in a sequences, that there is a beginning, a middle, and an end. One of the types of stories we recommend for really highlighting a specific story structure is the patterned story. These have repetitions that create an obvious internal organization, an old storyteller's device. Encourage your child to chime in. Once the child is anticipating what comes next, you are seeing the growth of narrative skills, and it makes for a more fun and interactive storytime for you both, too.

Instead of a few titles with annotations, I will give you a few types of patterned stories, each with a few titles I like.

Folk and Fairy Tales

As repetition is an old trick used by storytellers to recall stories, to draw in an audience, and to emphasize important parts of the tale, it is found in many old stories. These also have a beginning, middle, and end, and the pattern helps draw the story along that path. A few examples are:

The Three Billy Goats Gruff (I like Janet Stevens' version, as well as the older version by Paul Galdone) ; The Little Red Hen (I also like Philemon Sturges' updated The Little Red Hen Makes A Pizza) ; The Gingerbread Man/Boy/Baby/Girl (My favourite is Egielski's boy, who romps through the city and does get eaten in the end, though some may prefer Jan Brett's baby, who does not) ; Too Much Noise (a great old tale that lends itself to silliness, by Ann McGovern) ; The Mitten, by Jan Brett ; and The Great Big Enormous Turnip (there are also versions with potatoes and carrots, but my favourite is a Hallowe'en adaptation, The Big Pumpkin, by Erica Silverman).

Eric Carle

Yes, this classic picture book master gets his own section for the simple reason that he has time and time again created beloved stories with strong patterns, while also having a flow from beginning to end, as with fairy tales. He also manages to imbed concepts like time, days, counting, and more without ever being obvious about it. Genius. Favourites include:

The Very Busy Caterpillar ; The Very Busy Spider ; The Very Lonely Firefly ; Pancakes, Pancakes ; The Grouchy Ladybug ; Rooster's Off To See The World.

Simple Rhyming Books

These are books that carry strong patterns, but less of a story. They may, in fact, be entirely about the pattern in some cases, but children do love that. In a bedtime book, it is soothing, while in other storytime favourites, it makes it easy for them to join in. A few treasures are among those must-have titles:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? (and the accompanying Polar Bear and Panda Bear titles) ; Chicka Chicka Boom Boom (and many other Bill Martin titles, but most notably the Chicka Chicka's) ; Time for Bed (my favourite bedtime book, one that every new mom I know gets) ; Goodnight Moon ; Goodnight, Goodnight, Sleepyhead (a new treat by Ruth Kraus and Jane Dyer) ; Gifts by Jo Ellen Bogart, ill. Barbara Reid ; The Deep Blue Sea, by Audrey Wood.

Song Books

Songs lend themselves naturally to patterns as well, with choruses and repetitious verses. More and more songs are being illustrated in book format, making it easier to find these for storytime sharing. I love to use these because they help me remember the words to less familiar songs, give visual cues to the child to help them join in, and ties words to pages more strongly. Look for Raffi's many books (Down By The Bay, etc.), a few by Nadine Bernard Westcott (Skip To My Lou, I love), and some old favourites that include:

Old MacDonald ; Three Little Kittens ; BINGO ; Little White Duck (I love the Joan Paley-illustrated version); The Wheels On The Bus (Zelinsky's is fun) ; Over in the Meadow (and luscious new versions for the ocean and rainforest by Marianne Collins Berkes) ; and so on.

Look for these and other patterned pages at your local library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

Sign, Sign, Everywhere a Sign

One of the skills that children need as a foundation for literacy learning is what is known as "print awareness," or seeing words in print and understanding that letters and words have meaning that can be decoded through reading. Parents who are looking to foster this skill in their children can help by pointing out print all around them and noting what it says and what it means for us. Particularly in an urban environment, signs are a great opportunity to talk about words. They are designed to be simple and clear, and to say what they need to say in a minimal number of words. They are all around us, so we can seize any moment to talk about words. And, with the right storybook, we can continue the conversation at home, consolidating what we have seen on our daily travels. Here are a few that I have recently enjoyed.

Once Upon a Banana, by Jennifer Armstrong, ill. David Small

This nearly wordless picture book begins with the classic slapstick move: slipping on a banana peel. A chain reaction follows, drawing in person after person as the action moves around the block, winding up right back where it started. Funny rhyming signs throughout add another layer of humour, as they relate directly to the action, making them worth noting as you share this with your wee one. Fans of physical humour will fall down laughing over this gem.

I Read Signs and I Read Symbols, by Tana Hoban

Tana Hoban is a classic, timeless choice for concept books of all varieties (shapes, opposites, etc.), and here she lends her photographic skills to the study of signs around us. I Read Signs features a variety of print signs (Stop, Exit, Beware of Dog, and so on) found on the street and in buildings, and offers a great opportunity to connect print and meaning, and to start showing children the many places where words are found when we go out into the real world with them. In I Read Symbols, she introduces the idea that an image can hold meaning in place of words - an arrow, stoplight, or red cross, for example.

Alphabeep: A Zipping, Zooming ABC, by Debora Pearson, ill. Edward Miller

This fun, boldly coloured alphabet book is a winner for the truck-obssessed, but adds in other aspects of life on the road, too, including a few road signs. Y, for example, is for Yield. A great way to talk about those signs with a youngster who likes some movement in their storytime!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.

A Shower of Poetry

April is Poetry Month!

Children are naturals for poetry. Don’t forget that songs and rhymes abound in nurseries and schoolyards and yes, even on MTV. Poetry is all around them, and so children are born and raised for years to love poetry without even knowing it, until that natural affinity is taught out of them and they learn instead that poetry is Serious Business. Before this has a chance to happen, I say, let us do our best to show them the wonders of it, to let it become so much a part of them that it might resist the supplanting. Let us shower it gently over their ears until the lilting and bouncing rhythms and rhymes hold such appeal that they never are without a song and a rhyme in their hearts. (With an added bonus: rhymes help a child’s ear learn to pick out the sounds of language, a key pre-reading skill!) Here’s a few places to begin…

Shel Silverstein A Light in the Attic Where the Sidewalk Ends

Silverstein is one of those children in adult form that became giants and champions of children’s literature in the 70’s, in its infancy (along with Dennis Lee, below). His ridiculous and sometimes nonsensical poems are paired to fabulous effect with his own simple line drawings. While his poetry collections are favourites of mine that still make me laugh aloud, though, I am not such a fan of his short books-with-morals.

Dennis Lee Alligator Pie Garbage Delight

Dennis Lee is Canada’s own Goofy Poet laureate, and I would guess that most of us were raised on his rhymes ourselves. His Alligator Pie is a classic, found on shelves everywhere, and some of his poems have even found their way into board book form, perfect for gifts and for sharing with the wee-est ones in the family. Indeed, Lee’s poetry has enough nonsense and wonderful use of the sounds of language that it makes perfect reading from babyhood to whenever.

Jack Prelutsky

A prolific poet, Prelutsky has books and books of funny – but not nonsensical and outrightly goofy – poems for all seasons and occasions. His books of Valentine’s Day poems is a standard read-aloud for me, and his winter poems are equally fun for sharing. Try these on a child slightly older – grades 1 to 3 are probably your best audience here.

For silly rhymes for older kids with a sly and slightly twisted sense of humour, you might also try Roald Dahl (of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame) or Ogden Nash, whose comic gifts also extend to poetry meant for adults.

And if you are not looking for goofy? Try one of these ideas:

Poetry Speaks to Children

Mary P. introduced me to this treasure, a compendium of poetry that runs the gamut from goofy to classic. Not only is each poem placed cleanly on its own page amid well-scaled illustrations, but in some cases, small notes are added about the poem that give it extra resonance for kids, as when a poet had written the poem for his own child. To gild the lily completely, the well-priced set also includes a 60-track CD with a large number of the poems read aloud. Of these, a surprising number are read by their authors, including such luminaries as Tolkien, Frost, Roald Dahl, and Sandburg. All I can say about this, really, is WOW.

Jane Yolen

This prolific author, who also writes fiction and picture books for children, has a goodly number of poetry books in her body of work. I am a particular fan of her seasonal poetry, especially the simple poems in Snow, Snow: Winter Poems for Children, illustrated with stunning photography by Jason Stemple.

Doodle Dandies

J. Patrick Lewis, ill. Lisa Desimini Lewis is one of a small crop of great new poets for kids, and in this volume, illustrations and poems merge, as he presents his fun take on concrete poetry. I also enjoy his much wordier “potluck of poems,” The Bookworm’s Feast, which throws a bit of nonsense into the mix.

Teachers often use haiku with younger grades, too, as it is short, simple, and does not require the ability to form a rhyme. Haiku also lends itself traditionally to natural subjects, so it is perfect for seasonal studies or looking at the world around them.

Cricket Never Does Myra Cohn Livingston

Livingston is the author of several wonderful books of poetry for children, and here she presents a slim volume of haiku and a few tanka, arranged thematically by season. They are simple and lovely, and a few are more urban, to appeal to the city kid.

I also like to use thematic poetry books to add a poetry element to any other storytime, at the library or at home. These are a great way to tie into something your child loves – look for books of poetry on school, food, dinosaurs, animals, sports, seasons, and more. Here are a few titles I really enjoy:

Animals, Animals sel. and ill. By Eric Carle

A great selection of short animal poems illustrated in Carle’s recognizable collage art.

Cats Are Cats sel. Nancy Larrick, ill. Ed Young

Gorgeously illustrated on brown paper by Ed Young, this volume is wide in scope and the selections are lovely but very accessible for kids.

You and Me: Poems of Friendship sel. and ill. Salley Mavor

I’m a sucker for poems and stories about friends, but Mavor’s wonderful soft sculpture art adds an entirely new dimension of fun to this collection.

Winter Poems sel. Barbara Rogansky, ill. Trina Schart Hyman

I love books about winter (though I wouldn’t mind skipping it in real life), and this book collects some gorgeous poems from a variety of poets as “serious” as Emily Dickinson, Thomas Hardy, and Edna St. Vincent Millay. Beautiful.

Sports! Sports! Sports!: A Poetry Collection sel. Lee Bennet Hopkins, ill. Brian Floca

This collection is aimed at early readers, and contains a host of short, simple poems about different sports. A great way to hook a reluctant reader or someone who has already come to believe that poetry must be Serious. For a fantastic narrative poem about a basketball game, see also Bill Martin Jr.’s Swish!, illustrated to great kinetic effect by Michael Chesworth.

If you are looking to introduce your child to the classics, but aren’t sure what is child-appropriate or accessible for youngsters, consider a few authors who have written for children as well as adults. Langston Hughes, e.e. cummings, and Carl Sandburg are a good start here. Poems about the natural world or simple settings have also often been used with kids to great success. Consider Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost (there is a lovely edition illustrated for children by Susan Jeffers) or I Wandered Lonely As a Cloud by Wordsworth as a fine pair of examples. And, of course, a good story can reel in any child, as demonstrated by Ernest L. Thayer’s Casey At The Bat.

For a fantastic selection of poetry, visit your local public library!

Originally posted on MommyBlogsToronto/Better Than a Playdate.