This post will review two fun stories that will tempt kids to turn off their electronic devices, go outside, get dirty and have fun. Humor will engage their attention. Carries an important message of the importance of hard work and persistence, a robust imagination and good friends. It is a bonus to get dirty and have fun in the process.
Kids will delight in discovering a holiday that provides the perfect excuse for drenching themselves and others in brilliant color, hurling buckets of water, exuberant dancing and, watching bonfires. While these elements will certainly grab their attention, children will simultaneously absorb information about the story behind the festivities. This knowledge will help build a foundation of awareness of and respect for, the traditions and beliefs from other cultures. This is a delightful and engaging book which help awaken interest in other cultures and will broaden their cultural awareness.
Summer offers a wonderful opportunity to build positive memories of time having fun together. Fun is FUN-damental to building strong family ties. It’s a Firefly Night by Diane Ochiltree captures one delightful moment. The reader senses that this is a treasured ritual that the child shares with her daddy an something she will treasure down the years of her life. Betsy Snyder’s luminous art brings the rhyming/counting text to life. Children can make a game of searching for and tracking the number of bugs, flowers, etc. And have fun in the process!
An apt choice for a summer read. Muth’s watercolors serve as the perfect medium to illustrate the book. Told in free verse readers can identify with Tessie’s yearning for the respite of some rain. In spare text, Hesse presents characters using a few, revealing details that flesh them out. When the rain finally comes, readers will feel their joy and yearn to bare their own feet and puddle-jump in the first available rain.
An Annoying ABC weaves a delightful “domino” story: each action precipitates a subsequent reaction. Once “Adelaide annoyed Bailey,” mayhem ensues—in alphabetical order no less! This book hits the mark on several levels. It helps kids expand their vocabulary while enjoying the antics of this delightful cast of characters. An Annoying ABC can assist adoptive parents in teaching their children how to name and handle their big feelings. Imagine your child pretending each feeling and then your guessing which one he is portraying–lots of opportunity to be silly while discussing important emotion-management skills. I rate it a five-star read.