Day 198: How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends?

As I read this book for the umpteenth time with my daughter last night, I realized that I should probably write about it and share it with you here.  I also got to thinking about how much I love putting a little book in each of my kids' Easter baskets, and that the board books in these series would be perfect for anyone looking for a great non-sugar basket stuffer.  I just love the sturdiness and convenience of board books such as this one, which are always perfect for stuffing in a diaper bag or purse when we're on the go. But back to why we love this book...

We have many of the books in the "How Do Dinosaurs" series (again, thanks to our ever-generous Uncle Jeff), but this is one of our favorites.  It lives in a permanent pile on the little table next to our reading chair in my daughter's room, along with How Do Dinosaurs Love Their Dogs?, How Do Dinosaurs Clean Their Rooms?, Jamberry, and whichever Sandra Boynton book happens to be our favorite at the moment.  Our first experience with this series was the original How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, which, given my son's infatuation with dinosaurs, was an instant hit.  My 2.5 year old daughter loves these books, as well, and I always love:

1) How short they are.  They offer the perfect solution to the nightly requests for "Just one more story... please!" because they take less than a minute to read;

2) The cute little messages within each story to which my kids can always relate; and

3) The variety of dinosaurs featured in each book, along with the fact that their names appear somewhere on the page

The only down side to the board book versions is that they don't have the spreads on the inside cover featuring illustrations of all of the dinosaurs in the book, but the small, handy size more than makes up for that for me.  This particular story is especially perfect for any little ones who might be struggling to learn to share and play nicely with their friends.  I like the way the story demonstrates the wrong way to play (always prompting my daughter to say, "No!"), followed by the nice way.  When a dinosaur's friends come over to play, "Does he hog all the swings and the sandbox and slides?  Does he not give his friends any tricycle rides?"  No, a dinosaur doesn't!  "He shares all his toys and gives turns on his bike.  His friends get first choice for the games that they like."  It's a fun, quick, enjoyable read that my kids and I love.  If you haven't yet discovered this wonderful series by Jane Yolen and Mark Teague, look for it the next time you are at your library.  We hope you and your little reader will love it as much as we do!

Day 184: See Me Run

We looked for this book at our local library after seeing it was a Theodore Seuss Geisel honoree winner for 2012.  If you've never heard of the Geisel award, it is given annually to the author and illustrator of the "most distinguished American book for beginning readers published in English" (according to the
ALA's website.)  It is no surprise that the best early reader books would be honored in the name of the great Dr. Seuss, and we have a few other previous winners on our bookshelves that we absolutely love:  Mo Willems' Are You Ready to Play Outside (2009) and There is a Bird on Your Head! (2008), and Cynthia Rylant's Henry and Mudge and the Great Grandpas (2006.)  Now, some people probably won't be impressed with this book because at a quick glance, it might not seem like anything special.  There are only a few words on each page with some silly pictures of dogs.  But let me assure you:  if you have a child who is just learning to read, this is the perfect book!

See Me Run is an "I Like to Read" book, published by Holiday House and written by Paul Meisel.  The award winning books I mentioned above are all considered "Early Readers," though I have learned that there is a great deal of variety when it comes to this genre.  For example, "I Like to Read" books are different from "I Can Read!" books, such as those in the Frog and Toad, Little Critter, and Amelia Bedelia series. I'll have to do a little research on this to find out more about specific reading levels within the broad category called "Early Readers," but from what I can tell about the "I Like to Read" books by Holiday House, they are a great starting point for beginning -- and I mean just beginning -- readers.  (To learn more about the "I Like to Read" series, visit the Holiday House brochure about them here.)

As soon as we got this book home, my son took it out and we sat down to read it together.  I started to read it to him, but he immediately stopped me and said, "No, no, I can read it myself!"  And he did.  Pretty effortlessly.  I watched his face as he read, and with each turn of the page, his smile got a little bigger. Part of this was due to the silly story itself, but a lot of it had to do with the fact that this was a story he could easily and comfortably read all by himself.  For a beginning reader, this is a powerful thing.  This is what I think makes this book so great.  We love the Frog and Toad and Henry and Mudge series, and those are considered "Early Readers," too, but they are several steps and reading levels above See Me Run.  I am extremely lucky in that reading appears to be something that has come quite easily to my son, but I would imagine that this book will provide many struggling or emerging readers with the boost of confidence they need to feel successful and good about reading.  The text is short, there are familiar sight words, and there is just the right amount of repetition to make kids' reading become more fluid as they go along.  I even caught my 2 year old daughter "reading" this book by herself this morning, which made her quite proud.  ("I can read it all by myselfs!")  Plus, the pictures of the dogs are cute and fun, and the ending is even sillier.  If your child is just starting to read or you are having trouble finding a good, true "Early Reader," we highly recommend this book.

Day 152: Flip-O-Saurus

My son is fascinated by dinosaurs. He seriously can not get enough of them.  He has memorized his DK My First Dinosaurs board book, loves reading from the National Geographic Dinopedia on the iPad, and can tell us about (and correctly pronounce) all kinds of dinosaurs that I never even knew existed.  Sure, I remember the classics like T-Rex, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops, but I've never heard of some of his favorites like the Archaeopteryx or the Deinonychus.  (And as it turns out, there is no such thing as a Brontosaurus anymore because it was really just an Apatosaurus.)  I've really enjoyed learning more about these amazing creatures with (and from) my little guy.  He still loves trucks and animals, of course, but anything with dinosaurs grabs his attention right away now, too.

When we were at the library for story time last week, a friend found this book on the shelf and handed it to me to bring home for W.  She knew he would love it, and boy was she right!  One look and it was an instant hit.  Let me tell you, if your child likes dinosaurs, Flip-O-Saurus is a must read.  Here's what is so awesome about it:

Flip-o-Saurus features ten different dinosaurs with fun facts and information about what they ate, how big they were, and how some of their unique features helped them defend themselves.  This information is broken up into three parts on the page (generally, about its head and features, body size, and tail functions and features) that corresponds with a big illustration of each dinosaur.  Not sure how to pronounce those tricky names?  Not to worry.  The inside cover features a chart showing each dinosaur's name, pronunciation (phew!), meaning, and size relative to a human being.  Very cool.

The best thing about this book, of course, is suggested in its name.  Since each page of this large board book format is divided into three parts, you can flip each section as you choose to make hundreds of your own dinosaur creations, such as an Ichsaurex, Tyrannothyotor, or a Diplorapcephalus!  W loves making up all kinds of silly looking dinosaurs, and we can even read about what they might be like based on the accompanying text.  One of my other favorite things is listening to him sound out each one -- such a fun and interactive way for early readers to practice their phonics.

Needless to say, my little paleontologist absolutely loves this book (and it has been added to our ever-growing must-own-someday list.)  The author/illustrator pair of Britta Drehen and Sara Ball has also created a Flip-a-Storic, featuring 10 different prehistoric creatures.  If your little one loves learning about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals, you've simply got to check these out.  

Curious about some of our other favorite dinosaur books?  Look for Jane Yolen's How Do Dinosaurs... series or the foot-stomping Dinosaurumpus!

Day 85: How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?

If your house is anything like ours, bedtime sometimes manages to be the most hectic time of the day.   I don't know where my son gets his energy bursts right before bed, but I would pay a lot of money to be able to harness even a fraction of that energy into myself at the end of a long day.  Perhaps in some households, children go calmly from bath, into pajamas and then bed to read stories.  But not here!  Baths are usually followed by raucous silliness, jumping on the bed, twirling around the room, and finally settling down with a few good bedtime books.  One of our favorites is How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight? by the fabulous Jane Yolen.  If you haven't seen this book yet (or any others in the How Do Dinosaurs series), I highly recommend it!  Mark Teague's pictures are sure to delight both you and your child, and the story is bedtime reading perfection.  It's funny, cute, and conveniently on the shorter side -- excellent for when your little one is requesting just one more story before you turn out the light.  Your child will certainly be able to relate to the dinosaurs' desire to stay up and play a little longer, and you'll love the expressions of parents as they try to cajole their beloved creatures into bed.  The names and pictures of the different dinosaur species appear on the inside covers of the book, and each creatively appears somewhere in the illustrations, as well.  I also love that it features some less well-known species, such as the Corythosaurus, Trachodon, and Apatosaurus.  Of course, there is also the wonderful message of how to get ready for bed without a fuss.  After all, if dinosaurs can do it, so can our rowdy little monsters, right?  So how does a dinosaur say goodnight?  Does he "slam his tail and pout?  Does he throw his teddy bear all about?... No, dinosaurs don't.   They don't even try. They give a big kiss.  They turn out the light.  They tuck in their tails.  They whisper, 'Good night!'"  In my opinion, this book is a must for any preschooler.  But be warned: it might result in lots of giggles, hugs, and bedtime kisses from your own little dinosaur! 

Day 50: Dinosaurumpus

A few weeks ago when we were at the library, the librarian overheard my son singing along to the Animal Boogie as we were reading it.  "If you like the Animal Boogie," she told him, "you'll like this one, too,"  and she handed us Dinosaurumpus.  I can't help but say the words to a funky little beat, and my son loves to dance around like the dinosaurs while we read it.  It's rhymes are great, the illustrations are colorful, and it's just an all-around fun book to read.  It features some of the classic dinosaurs that we all know and love -- stegosaurus, triceratops, tyrannosaurus -- but introduces some other good new species, as well (though I'm not always sure I'm pronouncing them correctly.  Deinosuchus?  Deinonychuses?  I make my best guess and sing on, trying not to interrupt the flow!)  It's actually a really cute story to read before bed, too, as all the dinosaurs eventually get tired from their rumpus and fall fast asleep at the end.  Just like my son, they seem to be able to go from all-out rumpus mode to sleep in a matter of minutes.  There's a fun chorus that is repeated on each page, making it easy for kids to sing along and feel the beat as you read.  "Shake, shake, shudder near the sludgy old swamp.  The dinosaurs are coming.  Get ready to romp!"  If your child loves dinosaurs, dancing, or sing-along stories, Dinosaurumpus is bound to be a hit.