Reading Our Library: Byron Barton

Byron Barton has written and illustrated a number of nonfiction books for children. His style typically involves bold outlines and bold cartoon-like illustrations. We've read several books by Barton before this point and most of these have been a hit with Jonathan.

Barton is known for several vehicle-related books. These are simple, informative, and very toddler-friendly. We've reviewed Boats before (linked to review) and Jonathan really enjoyed it. So, we checked out the rest of the books in the series-- and Jonathan loved each one!

Planes

This particular volume introduces different types of airplanes- jet planes, seaplanes, crop dusters, helicopters, etc. Jonathan enjoyed this one equally well, and requested multiple readings.


Trains

Jonathan loves choo-choo trains. We live close to a train track, and he's always so excited to see trains as we are walking about town. This book was definitely his favorite of the bunch! He kept telling me he wanted to "read it himself". It talks about freight trains, passenger trains, electric trains. It's the perfect book for a train loving little boy!



Trucks

This book focuses on different trucks that we encounter in everyday life. There are dump trucks, tow trucks, garbage trucks-- and even an ice cream truck! Jonathan enjoyed pointing out the different trucks in the book as well as while we are on the road.



Some related books we read were:

Airport

This book introduces children to different facets of what goes on at an airport. From passengers arriving to departure, the book follows passengers through the (pre 9-11) check in and boarding process. Barton's pictures show the inside of the jet plane, the control tower and the cockpit. It's a wonderful book that Jonathan requested several times.




Machines at Work

This is another board book, focusing on construction vehicles at work. It goes through a day at the construction site showing bulldozers, steam rollers, cement mixers, cranes and other big heavy equipment. This was another favorite for Jonathan.



We also read a couple of Barton's folk tales:

The Three Bears

This is a perfect first introduction to the familiar folk tale with Barton's simple, childlike illustrations. It was Jonathan's first time hearing the story of the three bears. Jonathan loved this story and enjoyed "reading" (narrating) the story back to me. We also tried The Little Red Hen, but he didn't sit through this one.

Barton has written a number of other books for toddlers and preschoolers. Little boys, especially, will be drawn to his work. If you have a little guy in your life, be sure to check some of Barton's books out the next time you go to your library. Jonathan would heartily recommend them!


See some of our other Barton reviews here:
Boats
I Want to be an Astronaut
My Car
Dinosaurs Dinosaurs

I'm linking this post up to these book-friendly linky parties.

Reading Our Library- Bob Barner

Today I want to share some books by American author Bob Barner. But before I introduce him to you, I wanted to point you to the wonderful blog that started this journey of ours. I referred to it back when I started this blog, but wanted to highlight it again. Reading My Library is the project of Carrie over at Reading to Know. While she hasn't been posting as of late, it's still a wonderful resource for children's book reviews. 
Anyways, on to Bob Barner! 
Bob Barner is an award-winning author of over 25 children's books. Many of his books, such as the ones we checked out, are focused on nature. They make great additions to unit studies. We first read Bugs! Bugs! Bugs! as part of our unit study on bugs and insects. Afterwards, we checked out a few other of Barner's books. Barner's books are wonderful introductions to wildlife and nature for toddlers and preschoolers. They feature colorful collage pictures and short, yet informative, rhyming verse. Without further ado, here are the books we enjoyed:

Bears, Bears, Bears
This book introduces us to a variety of bears from around the world. We meet grizzly bears, panda bears, black bears, as well as some bears which would be less familiar to a US audience such as spectacled bears. Barner's vivid collage illustrations are very engaging and the rhyming text gives good factual information about each type of bear. At the end of the book is a world map showing where each type of bear can be found. Jonathan enjoyed looking through this book with me and had fun trying to name each type of bear. I highly recommend this for any bear loving child! 

Penguins, Penguins, Everywhere!
This nonfiction book is a very toddler-friendly introduction to penguins. Barner's collage illustrations introduce seventeen different varieties of penguins. The birds are shown engaging in a wide variety of different activities from swimming to tobogganing. The short rhyming verse describes the birds and relays information about different varieties of penguins and what they like to do. At the end of the book is a chart comparing the different penguins. Barner's style easily held Jonathan's attention. A must for any penguin-loving child or a penguin unit study!

Stars! Stars! Stars!
Can you sense a theme with these titles? This particular book focuses on the solar system. It teaches about stars, planets and constellations while featuring Barner's vibrant collages and simple rhyming text. While the information is now a little dated-- Barner includes Pluto among the planets-- it's still a very visually appealing introduction to stars and outer space for toddlers and preschoolers. 


Barner has also written several longer nonfiction books that would be appropriate for preschoolers and lower elementary students. His books are well worth including in a toddler's library! 
I'm linking up to Read Aloud Thursday over at Hope is the Word.

Reading Our Library- Jim Arnosky

Jim Arnosky writes and illustrates books that focus on animals and the natural world.

His books are beautifully illustrated. I learned from Carrie over at Reading My Library that Jim Arnosky uses a camera to photograph wildlife in action and uses this as a basis for his artwork. His illustrations are gorgeous and full of details. I love simply gazing at them and finding "hidden" animals-- animals that are not the focal point of the story, but happen to be part of the illustrations. Sometimes this captures Jonathan's attention as well, but not always.

This is kind of an odd review post. I tried to pick out some books that I thought would be toddler friendly, but only a couple of the books held Jonathan's attention. I'm guessing that most of these books would be more suitable for preschool and up, and I think we'll revisit them as he gets older.

Rabbit & Raindrops

This was our first Jim Arnosky book, as it appeared on a recommended book list for toddlers. It's a perfect book for Spring! In this book, momma rabbit and her babies leave the nest for the first time. It soon begins to rain and the rabbits must rush back to their nest. Jonathan sat through this story and had fun  spotting other animals as I pointed them out (ants, spiders, birds, etc.)

Grandfather Buffalo

This is a touching story about an older buffalo who usually is at the back of the herd. This ends up being a positive thing, because he comes to the aid of a young calf and its mother. The older buffalo helps keep the young calf safe and remains a valuable part of the herd. Jonathan paid attention through this story and I pointed out some of the animals like snakes and skunks that appeared on the different pages.

Every Autumn Comes the Bear

This story tells about a bear that comes near a local farm to hibernate. It follows the bear as he makes his preparations to hibernate for the winter. The illustrations are warm and detailed. It's a perfect story for Autumn or for a unit on bears. Jonathan didn't focus in on this story at 2 years old,  but I think we may try it again in the fall.

Babies in the Bayou

This is probably my favorite, of all the books we read. It shows all the animals living in a Southern swamp- alligators, raccoons, turtles, ducks. All of these animals are shown under the care of their mothers. The artwork is very soft and soothing and the prose is very rhythmic. Jonathan paid attention a little more easily to this one and I think it'll be another one we repeat in the future.



Jim Arnosky has written over 91 books for cihldren and I think any of them would be wonderful additions to  a science or nature study. While Jonathan is too young right now to appreciate these nature-loving books, I think this is one author we will be revisiting in his preschool years.

Library Links 


Babies in the Bayou
Every Autumn Comes the Bear
Grandfather Buffalo
Rabbits & Raindrops

Reading Our Library- Frank Asch's Moonbear

Frank Asch is best known for his Moonbear series of books. I was sent a couple of books from this series by my sister-in-law and we've really enjoyed the books. Moonbear is the protagonist of the stories along with his friend Little Bird. I try to make different voices for the characters and this has entertained Jonathan as we've read them.

The stories are simply told and illustrated, but they also combine elements of science/nature appreciation. Frank Asch sets up the simple science lesson in four small square pictures at the beginning of the book.

Moonbear's Bargain (formerly titled Bear's Bargain)
In this book, Moonbear makes a bargain with his friend, Little Bird. Moonbear wants to learn how to fly and Little Bird wants to learn how to be big. The story is all about how the friends creatively solve these problems to help one another reach their goals. The science lesson is seen in watching a big pumpkin grow from a tiny seed.

Moonbear's Skyfire (formerly titled Skyfire)
In this Moonbear adventure, Moonbear sees his first rainbow and thinks the sky is on fire. Moonbear wants to go put out the fire. Little Bird, however, wants to find the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. This is a cute story that is perfect for this time of year (March/St. Patrick's Day). the science lesson is seen in exploring rainbows.

Moonbear's Shadow (formerly titled Bear Shadow)

In this adventure, Moonbear goes fishing but finds that his shadow frightens the fish away. So Moonbear sets out to get rid of his pesky shadow. It's a great story for talking about shadows and the position of the sun.

Happy Birthday Moon

This story explores echoes. Moonbear wants to know when the Moon's birthday is. In talking with the moon, he hears his own voice echoing and learns that the moon shares his birthday. So, Moonbear sets out to give the Moon a present. It's a very cute story about friendship and forgiveness as well as seeing the position of the moon.



There are many more books in the Moonbear series as well as many other titles by Frank Asch. These books are so cute and very toddler friendly. I think we will be enjoying these books well into Jonathan's preschool and elemenrary school years!

Find These Books in Your Local Library: 


Moonbear's Bargain / Bear's Bargain
Moonbear's Skyfire / Skyfire
Moonbear's Shadow / Bear Shadow
Happy Birthday Moon!

Tot School- b is for bear, banana & bus

Jonathan is 25 Months

We had a busy, social week! We had a couple playdates, which we always enjoy. On the days we weren't out and about, we also began to focus on the lowercase letter b. This week we looked at bears, bananas, and buses.


Bible 


We focused on John 6:48 I am the bread of life from the Songs for Saplings CD. You can print out resources from the Totally Tots website. I am always so amazed and encouraged to hear Jonathan singing along! He had a lot of fun banging the cymbals along with this song.

Books 


This week, we read several books. Here were our favorites (click on the title to see the post):

- Brown Bear Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
- Banana! by Ed Vere
- The Wheels on the Bus by Ed Zelinsky
- The Seals on the Bus by Lenny Hort

Math 


We worked more on counting. We counted some bananas I printed and laminated and we also used our counting bears:

Games & Fine Motor Skills


We did a Heads & Tails puzzle along with Brown Bear, Brown Bear that I printed from 1+1+1=1's Brown Bear tot pack.

We also worked on our Melissa & Doug Basic Skills Board- a puzzle that Jonathan enjoyed, but he's still not  very proficient at all the clothing items.

And we did our Melissa & Doug Upper & Lowercase Alphabet Puzzle. Jonathan's pretty good now at recognizing the lowercase letters a and b!

Music/Pretend Play 


We did more bear hunts this week-- along with lots and lots of renditions of the Wheels on the Bus!

We reenacted Brown Bear Brown Bear using the templates on DLTK kids. We listened to the audio book read by Gwyneth Paltrow.

And we reenacted the Seals on the Bus using the fun template from Making Learning Fun. Jonathan had fun matching the laminated animal card to the animals in the book.

Art 


We did yet more Do-A-Dot pages for B is for Brown Bear, and B is for Bus. Jonathan loves these!

We worked on using a glue stick as we glued paper fruit (bananas) into a fruit basket:

This was the first time Jonathan used a glue stick. He did well when I helped him turn the pieces over- he patted them on the paper very gently. Afterwards he just liked spreading the purple glue- it didn't matter which side of the paper- he just liked spreading the glue. I guess he just enjoyed the process!

Social
As I mentioned, we had a couple of playdates this week. It's great practice on sharing. Jonathan has began a "mine" stage-- every toy is his. He may not be playing with it, but if a friend shows interest, suddenly the toy is mine.  He obviously still has a lot to learn about sharing-- it won't be long before Gracie is trying to play with his toys.

So-- question for other moms:

how do you help your tots learn to share? How do you address the heart issue behind not sharing while still understanding that your child is young and it's a hard concept to grasp?


This post is linked up to Tot School at 1+1+1=1  and What My Child is Reading at Mouse Learns, Mouse Grows.

Tot School @ Nana's (25 Months)

Jonathan is 25 Months

We had a lighter week this week, since we were out of town visiting family. But we did manage to fit in a few activities.




Books 


In anticipation of our focus on the letter b next week we read a couple books on bears:

Jesse Bear What Will you Wear? by Nancy White Carlstrom

This is another book that we own and love. It's a book that is part of the Before Five in a Row curriculum so there are a lot of great web resources out there for having fun with this book. I love the close relationship that Jesse Bear has with his family. Jonathan's favorite part of the book is the page where Daddy bear comes home. You can see from the book how excited Jesse is to see his daddy and I think Jonathan can relate to that. It's such a cute read that we've enjoyed very much!

We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

We've owned this book for a while, but Jonathan wasn't interested in it before this week. It's another version of the traditional children's camp song with some new sounds added to the story. We listened to the Greg & Steve version of the song (see below) and suddenly, this book really came to life for Jonathan. It's a new favorite in our house!

Music 

Back during my brief stint as a daycare teacher, the toddlers I taught loved the song "Going on a Bear Hunt" from the CD Kids in Action by Greg & Steve. We checked the CD out of our library and Jonathan loved the song just as much as the kids I taught. He had so much fun pretending to cross fields, rivers, and climb trees and loved running around at the end. Here's a YouTube video featuring the song:

Movies

We enjoyed watching a couple Cedarmont Kids DVDs: Bible Action Songs, Bible Songs, and Sunday School Songs. They were part of the Cedarmont Platinum Bible Collection.  Jonathan's great grandparents really enjoyed these music videos too-- and the fact that Jonathan was singing and dancing along!

Gross Motor Skills 

We played with Jonathan's ball pit. Nana and Papa have an inflatable wading pool that Papa was nice enough to blow up. We threw in a set of 100 balls and just let Jonathan have at them. It was a lot of fun for him!

The weather was also nice enough earlier this week that we were able to go for a walk down Nana's drive and we went to the barn to look at the horses and kitty cats. Jonathan loved being able to walk and see the animals! Too bad it's still cold back home. 

Math 

Jonathan's great grandfather enjoys wood working and makes lots of different wooden animals. There are a set of wooden bunnies in Jonathan's toy box and Jonathan had fun taking them out, lining them up and counting them. 

Art 

We did some more work in our Kumon Let's Color! Workbook. He really enjoys this little book and he's progressed from scribbling to being able to make dots and lines-- its great pre-writing practice! 

We also took his balls (which come in 6 colors) and sorted them by color. 

Miscellaneous 

Jonathan's also been learning how to use my iPhone this week. I purchased the Teach Me Toddler app which reviews letters, numbers, shapes, colors, phonics and counting. I showed it to Jonathan for the first time this week and he loves it. I like that I can customize which skills I want him to work on and see a summary of which questions he gets correct and which ones he struggles on. It's a great app and I think it will be very handy!

This post is linked to Tot School  @ 1+1+1=1 and What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns