Reading Activity Calendar

What a great idea from Reading Is Fundamental. 

Reading Activity Calendar.

What a perfect way to share the joy of reading with your child.

Find more calendars of age appropriate reading and writing ideas for different months here.

Recommended Picture Book: Mr. Squirrel and the Moon by Sebastian Meschenmoser

Title:  Mr. Squirrel and the Moon

Author: Sebastian Meschenmoser

Illustrator: Sebastian Meschenmoser

Publisher: North South Publisher Inc, January 1, 2015

Age: 4 - 8

Topic: Moon, Woodland animals, Problem solving, Teamwork, Humor

Opening: One morning Mr. Squirrel woke up because the moon had fallen onto his tree.

Summary: When Mr. Squirrel awakens to find that the moon has landed on his tree, he frantically tries to get rid of it before someone suspects him of stealing it and puts him in jail. But when he rolls the moon off of his tree, it's gets stuck on Mrs. Hedgehog's bristles and when the billy-goat arrives and butts it with his horns . . . Will the moon ever be the same again?

Resources:
A few extended learning activities could include learning about the moon and moon phases as you see at least three of them in the book.

Learn about squirrels, their habitat, what they really like to eat and enjoy some squirrel crafts here and here.

Have children suggest ways the animals could put the moon back in the sky

Try out this adult-supervised cheese recipe: Paneer cheese

My Review:
What would you do if the moon landed on your doorstep or just outside your window?
This was a really cute story. A squirrel is awakened when what he thinks is the moon crashes onto his tree. He frantically tries to get rid of it so that he is not suspected to be the thief. What ensues next are hilarious ways other animals in the woods get involved and how they eventually send the "moon" back to where it belongs. I enjoyed the very engaging artwork and the humorous antics of the different animals! Children learn basic teamwork and problem solving skills following the misadventures of Mr. Squirrel and his woodland neighbors.

****
Disclaimer: I received an egalley of this book from the publisher for my honest review. The book will be published in January of 2015.

Hashtag Alert: Picture Book #bedtimepicks

Hey everyone, here is a fantastic resource for parents out there who are looking for great bedtime books to read with their children and to also share their great picks with others. This fabtabulous idea comes from Tara Lazar who has been using the hashtag #bedtimepicks to share the books she reads with her children at night.

So, what great #bedtimepicks are YOU reading tonight?

Book Buzz: What Does a Muslim Look Like?

What does a Muslim look like? Do you know? If you walked down your street or through the mall, could you tell if you saw a Muslim, big or small? Chances are, you probably wouldn't know if you saw a Muslim. That is because Muslims come from many different countries and speak many different languages. Muslims wear a variety of ethnic and cultural fashions as well as Western fashions. They enjoy all kinds of sports, participate in a wide range of hobbies and work in every kind of occupational industries from scientists, doctors, professors, chefs, teachers, artists, naturalist, business owners and more! So what exactly does a Muslim look like?

When Jack and Jane make new friends at school, they are surprised to learn that they are Muslim. Their curiosity leads them to discover that Muslims come in all colors and hail from various backgrounds from around the world. Beautifully illustrated by Abdullah Badawy and written with fun rhymes, this book is for children of all ages who want to learn about diversity.

Check out the site for more information about the book.
Also, you may find the book at Amazon and Barnes and Nobles.

Ramadan Book Features

Here are some wonderful books about Ramadan for children of all ages. Check out the review pages for educational resources to use with these books.

Check out my review here.

Check out my review here.

Check out my review here.

Old Treasures

As much as I love visiting the bookstore and checking out all the new titles being published left and right, there is nothing better than visiting a library and finding amazing and fun older published books. Even better than that (if that is possible), is finding these little treasures at a book sale or two for dirt cheap!

 A while back I heard about a school that was having a book sale. When the Barnes & Noble located next to my job moved (sniff, I’m still really upset about that) the store donated its entire inventory to the school. Well, the school to raise funds decided to sell the donated items. Naturally, families and students of the school got dibbs on the merchandise before the public. Picture books, MG and YA went really fast! 

The school went through their own library to add some picture books to the tables because they had none by the time they opened their sale to the public. I was a little disappointed (very disappointed actually) but as I rummaged through the pile my disappointment slowly faded away.  For twenty dollars, I walked away with an arm full of old treasures. Most, if not all, of the books were published pre-2000 era. But then life happened. I tucked the books under my desk and forgot about them until my niece's cats started eating at the bag they were in and reminded me I had a treasure trove of 'new' books to read. 

Yesterday I got a chance to go through the bag and check out my goodies. I am really glad I did not just walk out of the book sale as soon as I saw the pathetic picture book table! I sat and went through the books one by one, feeling like the young girl I was in my hometown library devouring all the picture books I could. Each book reminded me why I loved picture books growing up and why I still love them today :D

Oh, and I was extra happy to find Tiger's Quest in the mix of YA books that were left for only $2! I've been wanting it for a while but never wanted to pay the 17+ bucks for it and I could not find it at my library. All in all, I have to say I am one very happy happy camper :D

Books and Technology

Where will the digital world take us? While sitting here checking email, updating my facebook status and reading tweets, I came across a tweet that asked, "what will libraries look like?" in the future as we move to move forward and e-books become more popular and accessible. I realized that it has been ages since I set foot in a library, this coming from a girl who was practically raised in our small town library. Granted, the last time I went to the library, which wasn't that long ago, was in search of some board books for my classroom, but I'm talking about sitting down amongst thousands of books and spending hours reading.

The thought brought back floods of memories and sensations. I can almost remember the smell of my hometown library. The smell of the books, the carpet under my feet (yeah, I used to take off my shoes when the librarian was not looking :D), the hard seats when the more comfortable chair was already taken, the smooth covers of the books as I shelved books and the goosebumps I'd get when it got a bit too cold. The only sounds heard were the hushed whisperings of patrons, tapping of typewriters and the turning of pages. Being home-schooled allowed me an opportunity to spend hours and hours at the library. On a good day, I spent more than four hours. I even learned how to use library system to help others check out books, input returned books and even shelve returned books. It was such a great experience.

Then comes technology, giving us the e-book. Not sure how embracing I am of the thought of e-books. I love holding books, smelling books and the simple sensation of turning pages. Just how will e-books transform the library culture and way of life? What will they look like? I can only imagine some hallowed room with nothing but glass and colorless, streamlined computer stations where people can hook their ipads, kindles, laptops and other e-readers to charge and download books, information and even automated librarians. The room will have a more sterile smell due to problems dust can create for the library mainframe. There will be no intimacy between person and book or person and library. People will interact with machine instead of other humans.

Who knows what the future has in store for books and the library, but hopefully we still have a long time before the written word becomes obsolete. I'm a die-hard book fan and hopefully enough of us will keep the book and library culture alive. At least for the next 7 generations! :D