Recommended Picture Book: Trainbots by Miranda Paul

Title: Trainbots

Author: Miranda Paul

Illustrator: Shane McG

Publisher: Little Bee Books, June 7, 2016 (pre-release review)

Topic: trains, robots, superheros

Age: 4-8

Opening: Trainbots drawing, sawing, building.

Summary: Trainbots have a ton of work to do in order to get their cargo to its destination. Little do they know, badbots are scheming to stop the delivery. These trainbots will have to use creativity and teamwork to outsmart the badbots and save the day.

Resources: (coming soon)

Why I like this book:

Author Miranda Paul takes three popular children’s themes, robots, trains and superheroes, and fuses them to create a fun, silly, fast-paced story for children ages 4-6. As a teacher, I appreciate the use of rhyming language and advance vocabulary introduced in Trainbots. From planning, drafting, to engineering, and locomotive parts, children will enjoy this fun, less structured book during lessons on trains. It is definitely a 'bot-tastic book to read-aloud over and over again! 

The illustrations are simple and entertaining. I can see children enjoying looking for hidden badbots on each page.

Recommended Picture Book: Boats Float! George Ella Lyon, Benn Lyon and Mick Wiggins

Title: Boats Float!

Author: George Ella Lyon and Benn Lyon

Illustrator: Mick Wiggins

Publisher: Atheneum/Richard Jackson Books: September 1, 2015

Topic: Boats, Rhyming fiction

Age: 4-8

Opening: Boats have keels. Boats have hulls lifted by waves, followed by gulls. Boats float!

Summary: In rhyming text, the reader is introduced to all different types of boats floating on river, lakes, oceans and ponds.

Resources:
Boat Bingo: learn to recognize different types of boats
Build a boat that floats activity: Children will strengthen science, math, creative-thinking, and problem solving skills as they explore boat making.
Lesson on Buoyancy can be found here.

Why I Like the Book:
A great book for even the youngest boat enthusiasts. Children are introduced to a wide variety of boats of different shapes and sizes across various cultures. Written in rhyme, this is sure to please young children while still offer slightly older children a taste of a voyager's life.