The Things I Can Do.

If you have never had the privilege of watching a child in the midst of a creative frenzy, you're in for a treat. Jeff, our exuberant and irrepressible protagonist, uses a warehouse-worth of stationary supplies: tape, glue, paper; tape, crayons, lined paper; tape, popsicle sticks, construction paper; tape... Well, you get the picture--he uses LOTS of tape and LOTS of paper to create: The Things I Can Do. This amazing chronicle of a preschooler's jubilant foray into independent living will have you skimming itchy fingers over the multi-layered collages in an attempt to smooth out the crinkles and rough patches on each incredibly detailed page.

Jeff Mack both wrote and "built" this marvelous exploration into the joys of discovering that, yes, you CAN pour milk by yourself (okay, so most of it lands on the floor); yes, you CAN fix any of your toys (if you have enough glue); yes, you can brush your own teeth (if you don't mind covering half of your face in toothpaste); and yes, you CAN wipe your own nose (so what if you smear every inch of your sweater's sleeves with snot).

Boys and girls in the process of launching themselves fearlessly into the world of self-sufficiency will clamor to share their own triumphs (and Jeff's) with their favorite adults.

MightyM

Sugar Cookies

Recently, I was helping a mom find books on teaching her young children about manners. There are a handful of  books in the library that get the point across and elicit some giggles at the same time. A few are listed at the end of this post. However, my favorite to share (although not exactly a manners book) is one by Amy Krouse Rosenthal with charming illustrations by a mother/daughter duo Jane and Brooke Dyer called Sugar Cookies: sweet little lessons on love. I like it because it teaches children simple lessons about life and love without using those two little authoritative words do & don't. I like it because of the vocabulary and big, descriptive words like endearment, compassionate, uncondtionally, and many more that children may not hear everyday...unlike "do" and "don't".  I like it because Rosenthal takes the experience of baking cookies and translates it, using rich language, into the best ever etiquette book for kids and the big people in their life. I like it because the illustrations perfectly and sweetly describe the meaning of the words. Check it out, please and thank you!

Other kids books on manners:
Mind your manners! by Diane Goode
Don't slurp your soup! by Lynne Gibbs
Whoopi's big book of manners by Whoopi Goldberg

Summer Fun with Beach Feet!

Beach Feet is a great summer read for the five-and-under set.  Kiyomi Knonagaya has written a fun, first person stream of consciousness narration that spotlights a little boy's day at the beach.  The pastel illustrations by Masamitsu Saito are attractive and cheerful, focusing on the little boy's chubby feet. 

What's nice about a book like Beach Feet is that by discussing the sensations that the little boy feels during his day at the beach, children develop vocabulary to discuss their own observations and sensations.  The illustrations and text combine to evoke the very experience of standing barefoot in the sand while the tide washes over your toes.

Read Beach Feet with your child before your trip to the ocean to build excitement and prepare him for what to expect, and then read it again after to relive your fun trip and compare your child's experience with the experience of the boy in the book.  If you can't make it to a beach this year, you can have fun with sand and water trying to recreate the beach experience in your own backyard.

Stop by your local library for this and other great summer reads.   

Miss Robin

The More We Sign Together!

Teaching sign language to children, regardless of hearing ability, has become very popular among parents eager to communicate with their little ones even before they are able to say their first word.  We already use many American Sign Language signs in our everyday gesticulating, so it can be very simple to start learning (and teaching) sign language to little ones. 

Let's Play Pretend!

Nurture your child's imagination by encouraging them to play pretend.  When children use their imagination for pretend play they're using abstract thinking, and that's essential for school learning, for creative thinking, and for problem-solving throughout life.  You can get your child started by providing any of these terrific props:

• Dress-up clothes
• Puppets
• Art materials

Fuel your child's imagination by showing them how it's done.  Children learn better and have more fun when parents play along.

• Make a fort out of a blanket and a card table
• Use a wooden spoon as a magic wand
• Play dress-up with them or stage a puppet show
• Read them a story where the characters play pretend. 

Some of my favorite books featuring characters that pretend include the following, all available through the Pima County Public Library:

It's Me! by Eric Drachman
The Treasure Bath by Dan Andreasen
Pretend by Jennifer Plecas
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
Abuela by Arthur Dorros
Doctor Ted (also Firefighter Ted and Artist Ted) by Andrea Beaty
Faster, faster by Leslie Patricelli
My Name is not Isabella by Jennifer Fosberry
Traction Man is Here by Mimi Grey
Meeow and the Big Box by Sebastien Braun
King Jack and the Dragon  by Peter Bently and Helen Oxenbury

Not a Stick (also Not a Box) by Antoinette Portis

Have fun!

- Miss Meg

Flip, Flap, Fly!

One commonality among babies of all kinds and shapes is the compulsion to MOVE! Wiggling, squirming, kicking, creeping...well you get the idea. This snappy little book piggybacks, sorta kinda, on the iconic rhyme, Over in the Meadow: "'Swim!'" blurps the baby fish./Deep down dim./So the mama helps the baby fish/splish/splash/swim."

Babies, toddlers, and preschoolers will enjoy the guessing game prompted by the roly poly baby animals whimsically illustrated by David Walker. Phyllis Root has a deft hand with meter and rhyme, and she uses her jaunty verses to hint at what animal awaits at the turn of the page. In Flip Flap Fly!, the language is simple but action packed, encouraging family participation.

At a time in their cognitive development when children are learning to match specific attributes to the appropriate animal, this fun, bright book offers much in the way of visual reinforcement and vocabulary building. Check this charmer out for some entertaining lap times.

MightyM

Favorites

As the mother of an only child (now grown) I never had to answer the question that surfaces among siblings about who is the favorite child.  If faced with that question I would have been very relieved to have had this delightful book on my parenting bookshelf, You're All My Favorites by Sam McBratney.  When mama and papa bear tuck their cubs into bed they tell them, "You are the most wonderful baby bears in the whole wide world." But one day each baby bear begins to wonder if they are as special as the other two.  After all, two have patches and one does not and maybe mommy likes patches best. Two were boys and one was a girl and maybe daddy likes boy bears more then girls. And the littlest wondered if he was as likeable as the bigger bears. So the three gang up on daddy one night and ask the inevitable question, "Who is your favorite?"  These wise, tender, grown up bears will win you over as surely as they did their three bear cubs. Their answers are honest and convincing, highlighting each of the cubs unique and special qualities. The language is kind and sweet and perfect.  Anita Jeram's illustrations will make you smile and warm your heart.  Share it with your parenting partner. Share it with your kids.  Share it even if you have an only child.

Miss Julie