The Good in Me from A-Z by Dottie

"The Good in Me from A-Z by Dottie" by Lisa Blecker is adorable! Check out the simple rhymes that highlight social responsibility and virtues paired with those terrific pictures all done in clay. Sing along to the ABC song for even more fun.

This is a winner...

the secret box

A perfect square is transformed!


The secret box is found and opened...



A purple little bird finds the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence....



Three hens and a peacock discover what it is like to walk in each others shoes....

and "if a cub grows and becomes a bear... can a stool grow and become a ........"

What Fun!

I had the pleasure of going to the bookstore yesterday just to browse but quite a few I could not resist. Some are fun, some are serious, most are for those wonderful emerging readers with a couple intended for teachers who love books too!

I think this one is my favourite.... "This Plus That - Life's Little Equations" by Amy Krouse Rosenthal is simply a treasure. Simple, clever and for all ages. Listen...

"1 & 1 = us"

"yes & no = maybe"

and this....
"laughter and keeping secrets and sharing = best friend"

or "good days and bad days = real life"

Do you see the possibilities? I love it!

Fortunately..... I Read this Book

"Fortunately, Unfortunately" by Michael Foreman in another wonderful book to inspire thinking and writing. For every fortunate there is an unfortunate. Let me show you...As Milo is heading off to his grandmother's house

"Fortunately it was a lovely day and Milo liked going to Granny's house because she always had cakes for tea. Unfortunately a dark cloud appeared and it soon began to rain... Fortunately he had Granny's umbrella... Unfortunately he didn't look where he was going....." and so on....

Marianna, you would love this!

The Loud Book!

"The Loud Book!" by Deborah Underwood is perfect for thinking and writing about all the different kinds of loud....

...for example there is the "alarm clock loud " (just five more minutes) but also the "dropping your lunch tray loud", (is everybody staring at you?) the "Home Run loud" (cheers!) and the "snoring sister loud" (shhhh).

Can you think of some louds in your life? I can.... my husband is very loud - he talks loud and laughs even louder and he doesn't even know it.

I simply must get "The Quiet Book".

In the Garden

Do you know "In the Snow" by Peggy Collins? One of my favourite snow books for young readers and listeners.

I was delighted to see "In the Garden" on my last trip to the bookstore. The delightful humour of this story shines through as our young hero plants a truck and a bus.... and some seeds too, waters and waters and waters his seeds, ( can you spell puddle?) and finally enjoys lots of tasty treats that he squishes and squirts.

Very bright and colourful and I think I will put out a garden display soon with this book at the centre!

You Are What You Read

Do you ever get caught up so much in a book that it changes you or opens up the doors of your imagination? That is the power of reading.

In this book "Lola Loves Reading" by Anna McQuinn, Lola is the impressionable young child who goes with her dad to the Library for a week's full of books. After reading the first story about a princess the very next day Lola is a princess with a fancy dress and a sparkly crown. And when she reads about an amazing journey, the very next day she whisks her friends off to Paris and Lagos.

And so on and so on till another trip to the Library and another wonderful story about a wild and wicked monster. Who do you think Lola will be the very next day? Let me give you a hint.... his name is Max.