Best picture books for kids

Barefoot Books, multicultural books for kids, The Boy Who Grew Flowers

Best Barefoot Books from my Barefoot Book Fairy

Posted on March 25, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

The book and card selection that Leah sent showed me a whole different side of Barefoot Books. What I loved about each item was that it combined an educational aspect with entertainment. The books have nuances that include multi-cultural themes (Little Leap Forward), magical realism (The Boy Who Grew Flowers), and math concepts (The Real Princess) that makes each book special, interesting, and engaging. As for the card decks, these are really well done and I know that we will be using them a lot!

Picture Book On Rescue Dog after Loss of Pet

Posted on March 23, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

In The Blue House Dog by Deborah Blumenthal, Cody, a boy who is probably 8 to 10 years old, notices a stray dog in his neighborhood. As he watches the dog day after day, Cody starts to notice everything: where the dog sleeps and how it might feel, how the dog is scared of dog catchers and the police, how thin he is, his unusual eye coloring, and how no one else thinks this dog is special. Perfect for children who have lost their beloved pet. Advanced picture book, ages 6-10.

26 Favorite Counting Picture Books

Posted on March 21, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I remember how much I enjoyed a counting book with a twist. I do completely believe in the power of picture books to teach math concepts but I do need a little something extra as I am reading the book for the tenth time. My own counting picture book library was not too robust so I trolled through a 4 foot stack of counting books to find these treasures. I hope that you and your child enjoy them. What are your favorite counting books? Please leave a comment and I’ll keep adding to this list.

SAT Vocabulary Words from Picture Book A Little Bit of Winter

Posted on March 16, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

My Kindergartener gets these words sent home and we are supposed to make an educational game around it by using these words during our conversations. I’m afraid we not that together. Instead, I cut out the words and we ask him during dinner what he thinks each words means. If he gets it right, we move to the next one. If he gets it wrong, we read the sentence, ask him again, and then explain if he’s off. Then I throw the paper away — of course, this blog is my electronic filing system so it’s immortalized here. But we are not good at making it a game. Ideas for how you use these words as a fun game are much appreciated! The only thing that makes this a game is trying to get his older sisters NOT to chime in with the meaning. That’s very hard for them!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Pragmatic Mom, caldecott

Top 10: Caldecott Winners 2000-2010 & My Caldecott Collection

Posted on March 6, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

I am a little dismayed at how few Caldecott books I own so I am posting on the last decade in order to beef up my own collection which I shall purchase myself. So, for my birthday and mother’s day, I am going to ask for this collection of Caldecott books for our library. And all that talk in the New York Times about the diminishing sales of picture books? Well, I’ll help to turn that around! Which books are your favorites?

15 Favorite Duck Picture Books

Posted on March 3, 2011June 10, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

What is it about ducks in picture books that always seems so appealing? Are ducks really so unusually clever as portrayed in these books? Or charismatic? Or just sweet and fluffy? I think all of the above is true! I found myself reading a pile of duck featured picture books to my son one night when he randomly brought me a small pile that included Duck for President and Duck on a Bike. And then I started the list in earnest. Turns out that it’s quite hard to find 10 excellent duck picture books so I had to add Little Bear, technically an easy reader to get 10. I hope that is OK with you! I guess what is stranger is that I happen to own most of these books and yet, no one in my family enjoys eating duck. Maybe that is what happens when you attach to an anthropomorphic character as appealing as a duck. My family also does not like to eat chicken. I wonder if we have 10 excellent picture books featuring chickens … stay tuned! How about you? What animal picture books are you reading over and over? Dogs, cats, mice, ducks, chickens?… Please share your favorites!

10 Amazing Seek and Find Picture Books

Posted on February 14, 2011June 11, 2024 by Pragmatic Mom

Are Search and Find books the precursor to video/DSi/Wii/xBox/Nintendo games for little boys? Maybe … but I’ll take that any day over the screens! I have to say that I have never logged in so many hours searching for stuff in books until I had my third child and my only son. Coincidence? I think not. There is a gaming feature that never seems to bore my son from searching and finding stuff in books. This, however, does not seem to translate into searching and finding [lost] stuff in his room or in the house.