Old Classics and New Favorites
Posted by Kim Murphy on 20 Oct 2009 | Posted in: Kindergarten, Literature Connections, Preschool, The Mailbox
Have you ever read Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak? Why, of course you have! It’s a classic! I always try to tuck classics into The Mailbox® magazine because you undoubtedly have them in your classroom. You know them well, and you have probably built units around these deservedly popular books.
Of course, I also enjoy tucking more recent books into the magazine—ones that may, with time, become classics as well. My current favorite in this category is Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra. The text is well-chosen, the rhyme flows easily, and the story is hilarious! (Plus the slightly icky fly-pie theme appeals to my dark side.) Below you’ll find an adorable idea that goes with the book. This and other fun pie-related activities appear in the October/November 2009 issue of the preschool edition of The Mailbox magazine.
What books have you been reading to your little ones lately? Are any of them old classics? What about new books you believe may become classics? Drop me a line and let me know!
Your book–obsessed blog cohost,
Kim
Flies in Pie
In advance, mix food coloring into corn syrup to create a brownish-yellow color. Read aloud the hilarious story Thelonius Monster’s Sky-High Fly Pie by Judy Sierra. Then prompt youngsters to make their own fly pie! Encourage each child to brush the tinted syrup over a brown tagboard pie cutout so it resembles the goo and crust from the story. Then have her sprinkle black hole-punched dots (flies) over the goo. If desired, encourage her to top the pie with strips of brown rickrack. Allow the project to dry for several days.
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Hi, Does anyone have the Kinder or first grade worksheets from past years on Valentines Day or Dental health? thanks so much… our got misplaced!
Hi,
I love reading Mr. Popper’s Penguins to my second grade class in January. However, I wanted to pair an in-class arts and craft/writing project with the book at its culmination. Any ideas?
Thanks,
Nicole
Some of my new favorites…
Always in Trouble, by Corinne Demas
17 Things I’m Not Allowed to Do Anymore, by Jenny Offill
There Was An Old Monster, by Rebecca Emberley
Bats at the Library, by Brian Lies
Splat the Cat, by Robert Scotton
Charlie Cook’s Favorite Book, by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Do You Do a Didgeridoo?, by Nick Page and Sara Baker
These last few weeks before Halloween, my preschoolers and I have really been enjoying book selections that are just a bit scary. These fun choices really get them listening to every word and wondering what will happen next! They are so engaged that, the other day, when we were temporarily interrupted by a delivery by our mail carrier, they just could hardly wait to get back to the story!
We especially like “One Dark Night”, “The Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything”, “Big Pumpkin”, “The Bears and the Great Big Storm”, and “Mr. Wolf’s Chicken Stew”. To follow up, we’ve talked about costumes, masks, decorations, and people dressing up for Halloween. Then we made a big list on a poster of all the things they thought were scary. I wrote their ideas in the center and the children drew scary faces all around the edges. We put a big sign on top that said “Scary Things” and put it out for the parents, who really got a kick out of it. I think the whole project has made them all a bit more comfortable talking about their fears and feeling better when they realized that others felt exactly as they did. Have fun reading scary stories!
A fabulous book that I just discovered this year is called “Because of You” by B.G. Hennessey. It is a book that I read to my 3rd graders every week. It’s themes are kindness, friendship, and peace. It is a book that I use to let every one of my students know that she or he can change the world. Check it out.
One of my favorite books to read in the classroom is, Goodnight Moon.
It’s the perfect book to read right before naptime.
From Toddlers to PreK….children love to hear this story as they settle in for a nap.
I am a HUGE bookaholic, and love including both classics and new books in my pre-k classroom. The kids are always intrigued when I tell them that I loved a particular book when I was little like them.
Some of my favorite classics to do with kids are “Blueberries for Sal”, fairy tales like “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”, “King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub”, “The Napping House”, and “Chicka Chicka Boom Boom”. Oh, and of course, Dr. Seuss books!
Some new books/series, such as the continuing “If You Give a…” series by Laura Numeroff, are fantastic, too. I also like “The Colors of Us” by Karen Katz, as well as her books about different holidays. My students really like the “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell/Shell/Bat” books, too.