Frankie Stein

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this Halloween title with your child! 

Frankie Stein is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Frankie Stein from author Lola M Schaefer and illustrator Kevin Atteberry is a charming tale of one perfectly adorable, rosy cheeked boy born to Mr. and Mrs Frank N. Stein. Concerned that their son isn't scary enough, the monster parents try all sorts of tricks to turn up the terror on little Frankie. As it turns out, Frankie has his own terrifying trick up his sleeve.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Take A Picture Walk:
Frankie Stein is a great story for taking a picture walk. Before you read with your child, flip through the pages and discuss what they see in the pictures. You can ask questions about who they see and where the characters are. Take it one step further and ask your child what they think is happening; then after you read the story see if their predictions were correct. 

Do this with your child:
The Stein family of the charming Frankie Stein work to make little Frankie as scary as they can. They attempt several spooky transformations, like blue hair and green spots. Have our child draw a scary picture of a spooky monster to use as a Halloween decoration. 

If you're interested in sharing Frankie Stein with your child you can find it from Two Lions Books, an imprint of Amazon Publishing here. 

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fall themed title with your child! 

Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival from author and illustrator Grace Lin tells the story of a family's celebration of the thanksgiving holiday for Chinese and many Asian peoples, the Moon Festival. Each member of the family lends a hand as they prepare a moonlit picnic with mooncakes, pomelos, cups of tea, and colorful lanterns. And everyone sends thanks and a secret wish up to the moon.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Sequencing:
Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival is an excellent story to practice sequencing. Ask your child questions as you read to help solidify their interest in the story. Once you've finished reading, ask your child to tell you the order that events unfolded throughout the book. Did they set out the mooncakes before driving to their picnic? Did they make a wish to the moon after setting up the honoring table? By recalling the order that the events happened, your child will be furthering their connection to the text and deepening their engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
The family in Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival prepares a wonderful midnight picnic to celebrate the Moon Festival. They make treats and decorations such as mooncakes and lanterns. You can make these too! Click here for a mooncake recipe and here for a link to a lantern craft.

If you're interested in sharing Thanking the Moon: Celebrating the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival with your child you can find it from Knopf Books for Young Readers, an imprint of Random House, here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Leaf Jumpers

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fall themed title with your child! 

Leaf Jumpers is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Leaf Jumpers from author Carole Gerber and illustrator Leslie Evans gracefully tells the story of fall leaves. The reader will follow along with the poetic tone and delightful pictures as you join the child raking leaves in autumn. There's even a snippet at the end of the story about why leaves change color.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Retelling:
Leaf Jumpers is a wonderful book for retelling. Ask your child to take a turn to tell you the story after you have read it. Let them lead the way. If they ask for help, prompt them with a reminder, otherwise they're in charge this time! By taking an active role in the story, your child will further their connection with the text and deepen their engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
There are a variety of leaves illustrated in Leaf Jumpers. Take a walk outside to look for some leaves that might have fallen in your neighborhood. Do any of the leaves that you found match the leaves from the book? Pick your favorite leaf from the story or from your walk and draw it!

If you're interested in sharing Leaf Jumpers with your child you can find it from Charlesbridge Publishing here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fall themed title with your child! 

Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn is appropriate for school age children.

Summary:
Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn from author Lisa Bullard and illustrator Nadine Takvorian takes you on a journey through a nature preserve during autumn. Readers will learn all about animals hustle and bustle in autumn and the variety of the changes that animals experience during the season. From migration to hibernation, join the adventures of animals in autumn.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Making Connections:
Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn is a wonderful book to use to make connections. So many animals experience changes during the fall. Does your child recognize any of the animals, have they seen butterflies in the backyard of read any other stories about bears hibernating? Have they seen other changes in the fall, leaves changing color, the sun setting earlier? By making connections between the text and their world around them, your child will be able to further their engagement with the story.

Do this with your child:
Changes abound in Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn. Take a walk outside to look for changes in your own neighborhood. Are there leaves changing color or on the ground? Does the air feel colder than in the summer? Are there more clouds in the sky? As you walk, talk with your child about all of the changes you both see.

If you're interested in sharing Busy Animals: Learning About Animals in Autumn with your child you can find it from Capstone Publishing here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

This School Year Will Be the Best!

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun school themed title with your child! 

This School Year Will Be the Best! is appropriate for school age children.

Summary:
In the silly and fun This School Year Will Be the Best!  it is the first day of the school year and the teacher asks the children "what do you hope will happen this year?" Author Kay Winters and illustrator Renee Andriani combine their talents to bring these students wishes to the next level! You and your child will giggle through this wonderful story that is perfect for the first month of school.

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Summarizing:
This School Year Will Be the Best! is a wonderful book to use to make predictions. As you go through the book, look at the picture on the page before you read the text. Ask your child what they think each child's hope for the school year is based on the picture. Since the illustrations are exaggerated, it will be fun for you and your child to find out if their predictions are correct!

Do this with your child:
Every child shares their wish for the school year in This School Year Will Be the Best! Ask your child what they hope will happen them during their school year. Then work together to illustrate their wish in a fun way!

If you're interested in sharing This School Year Will Be the Best! with your child you can find it from Penguin Books USA here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Kindness Is Cooler Mrs. Ruler

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun school themed title with your child! 

Kindness Is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler is the perfect story to brighten any classroom. Author Margery Cuyler and illustrator Sachiko Yoshikawa beautifully depict what happens when you spread kindness instead of chaos. Mrs. Ruler asks five of her students to miss recess due to their behavior but she has a special plan up her sleeve! She assigns them a special project to complete acts of kindness. What the whole class learns is that kindness in contagious and soon their bulletin board is overflowing with acts of kindness!

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Summarizing:
Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler is a perfect story to practice summarization. After you read the story with your child, ask them what the story was about. Have them recall details such as character names, where the story takes place, and the events in the story. Let them look through the book to use the illustrations as context clues and reminders if they need 

Do this with your child:
Mrs. Ruler assigns students to complete acts of kindness in Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler. Talk with your child about why it is important Ask your child if they would like to participate and complete their own acts of kindness. Create a space to display acts of kindness that your family completes just like in Mrs. Ruler's classroom. 

If you're interested in sharing Kindness is Cooler, Mrs. Ruler with your child you can find it from Simon and Schuster here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

The Cloud

FOR THE WEEKEND, share this fun school themed title with your child! 

The Cloud is appropriate for children of all ages.

Summary:
The Cloud from author and illustrator Hannah Cumming is a wonderful and simple story about the power of friendship. A little girl never draws anything in art class, she sits by herself, looking at her paper, with a black cloud over her head. But one of her classmates is determined to befriend this little girl and make her smile. Follow along with the charming illustrations and simple text to see how one child's attempt at inclusion turns into a class-wide epidemic. 

Practice this Comprehension Strategy-Making Connections:
The Cloud is a perfect story to open up a conversation about friendship and emotions as we enter the new school year. You can ask your child if they have ever felt like they have a black cloud over their head, and what happened to turn that cloud into a smile. Have they ever noticed a classmate or friend who is gloomy or upset? Talk about ways they can help make that child feel better, and ways to reach out and make new friends. By making these emotional connections to the text, your child will be able to further engage with the story and hopefully see themselves in the book.

Do this with your child:
Drawing is used to bring friends together in The Cloud. Work with your child to make a drawing together just like in the story. If you have multiple children, have them make a drawing or two together as well. Display these new creations proudly!

If you're interested in sharing The Cloud with your child you can find it from Child's-Play here. Please like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.