The words for Week 11 are from the picture book, Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett. I noticed that in my son’s Kindergarten room, the teacher or maybe literacy specialist, mounts a special poster with the cover of book and the list of vocabulary words from the book. They have a time called “Text Talk” where they read the story and talk about the big words. The words stay up all year so the children can look at them. Sometimes, the words come home via a handout to the parents in my child’s backpack, but times are tough and I think they are conserving on paper so I copied these words from the posters and made up the sentences myself. I find that this post is very popular so I will continue it on my own as my child is moving on first grade next year.
Category: Reading Lists: Picture Books
Best picture books for kids including Caldecott and other award winning books for children.
Top 5: Maurice Sendak Picture Books
Happy birthday to Maurice Sendak today, beloved author and Caldecott winning illustrator. To celebrate, I thought I would list our Top 5 favorite books of his. What are yours? Please share!
Top 100: Best Books for Kids by Teachers (for ages 2-18)
In 1999, the National Education Association created this list of 100 books selected by teachers for children and teens. It’s a great list for summer reading!
Sri Lanka with Kids Books, Recipe and Design
The first book is a picture book that is a really wonderful way to visit another culture with your children. The second book is for young adults. As for the food, I was intimidated to make Sri Lankan food, but the owner’s son who manages the two cafes assured me that this was an easy and delicious recipe that he loved as a child. As for Sri Lanka interior design, it reminds of me of Ralph Lauren when he tries to create romantic images of British Colonial Style. It’s elegant cane furniture crossed with Polynesian style.
SAT Vocabulary Words from Picture Book The Gingerbread Man
The words for Week 9 are from the picture book, The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth and Barbara McClintock. It turns out that my son has “Text Talk” at school and this is the source of all the SAT Vocabulary Words for Kindergarteners. They read a picture book and then talk about the “big words.” Picture books are great sources for not only gorgeous artwork, a complete story with a beginning, middle and end in about 36 pages, but rich language!! Did I mention that I LOVE picture books?!
Exploring Laos with Books for Kids, Culture and Art
I’ve never been to Laos but I want to. My first introduction via children’s literature is from Mali Under the Night Sky, A Lao Story of Home. This story is universal in that it gives a gentle background to the refugee immigrant story and has a place in any classroom or home. I’ve found amazing Lao artisans who work with materials on hand including silver, wood, fibers and more. Finally, The Plain of Jars is fascinating stuff and still a mystery to be solved. Come explore Laos from your armchair with your children!
Kids’ Favorite Books: Children’s Choice Book Awards
The Children’s Choice Book Awards is the only national children’s book awards program where winning titles are selected by young readers of all ages. The good news here is that there is a very high probability that your child will like these books too! The children (and teens) have spoken! These are their favorite books for 2011!







