r is for Rainforest {Books}

Last week we learned about the rainforest as we began reviewing the letter "r". We had fun learning about the different animals in the rainforest.

Over in the Jungle: A Rainforest Rhyme by Marianne Berkes

This is a delightful book that you can sing to your children. You count rainforest animals to the tune of the children's song Over in the Meadow. While you are singing, you will learn more about the different animals that live in the rainforest . The clay illustrations just seem to jump out at you and the back of the book includes different actions you and your children can do for each animal. This is tons of fun to share with your toddler-- it's a book we read often in the past few weeks. Apparently she has books about other animal habitats-- I'm excited to read more of her works!


The Umbrella by Jan Brett

This offering by noted children's author Jan Brett is a fun tale that takes place in the Costa Rican cloud forest. It's similar in style to The Mitten, an earlier work of Brett's, in which animals crowd one by one into a leaf umbrella until there's no more room. It's an entertaining tale that Jonathan wanted to hear several times. Brett's illustrations are, as always, breathtaking and full of detail. This is a fun addition to any rainforest unit!

Rainforest Animals by Paul Hess

This is a perfect first book to introduce children to Rainforest animals. Each two page spread features a different animal in its natural habitat. Bold text displays the animal name and a short 4-line verse is included which describes some of that animal's behavior. It's the perfect book for younger toddlers-- even Grace had the attention span to enjoy this book.

The Living Rain Forest: An Animal Alphabet by Paul Kratter

I usually try to pick out an alphabet book that corresponds with whatever our "theme" for the week is. So this is a beautifully illustrated alphabet book that features different animals and plants of the world's rain forests. Each double-spread layout includes some interesting facts about the animal, including their size and length. It's very interesting and informative, but the information really isn't appealing for toddlers/preschoolers. Jonathan just really liked looking at the pictures! The book includes animals from all over the world, so if you are looking to focus on animals of a particular regions, then this one may not be the best choice for your classroom.

The Rainforest Grew All Around by Susan Mitchell

This is another rainforest book based on a song. This book adapts the song The Green Grass Grew All Around. As you go through the verses of the song, you learn about the different animals and plants of the rainforest. The illustrations feature lush scenes of the Amazon and the sidebars include additional facts. There's also a cookie recipe using ingredients that we import from the Rain Forest-- it would make a wonderful baking project to share with your little ones!

A Walk in the Rainforest by Kristin Joy Pratt

This is another alphabet book that was written and illustrated by a fifteen year old girl. It follows a little ant named XYZ on its walk through a rainforest. The any meets different animals such as "an intriguing iguana" and "an observant ocelot". Some of the letters seem a little forced such as "a natural Native who knows nature well", but all in all it's a cute book.




All of these were fun reads for our week in the rainforest. Thanks for visiting!

I'm linking up to these wonderful blogs:

Read Aloud Thursday @ Hope is the Word

Reading Aloud Challenge @ Footprints in the Butter

Feed Me Books Friday @ Little Sprout Books

What My Child is Reading @ Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns

Book Sharing Monday @ Smiling Like Sunshine

M is for Mouse & Moose- Books

This is a bit of a belated post, but I thought I'd share what we read aloud last week for Read Aloud Thursday. We learned about mice and moose last week as part of our "m" unit.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff

I don't think I know a toddler that doesn't enjoy this book. It's a modern day classic about a little boy who gives a mouse a cookie. That cookie leads to the mouse asking for other things which eventually lead up to the mouse asking for another cookie. Silly, yes. Fun, definitely. Jonathan really liked this one!

Making Learning Fun has some great printables to go along with this book!

Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Jonathan just loved this classic concept book. It's about three white mice who discover red, yellow, and blue paint. Lots of fun painting and mixing colors ensues. Jonathan really started to grasp the concept of how secondary colors are formed. It's a very fun book for toddlers and preschoolers! We also read Mouse Count and Mouse Shapes, which were also very enjoyable.

The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear by Audrey and Don Wood

This gorgeously illustrated book captured Jonathan's attention. It's about a little strawberry-loving mouse who will do anything to save his strawberry from the big hungry bear- including sharing it with the reader! It's clever, humorous, and sure to please a toddler or preschooler.

If You Give a Moose a Muffin by Laura Numeroff

This book is a sequel to If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. It's another story about what follows after one gives a moose a muffin. The moose of course wants jam which leads to more adventures which lead back to more muffins. It's another silly gem that we enjoyed very much.

Making Learning Fun also has printables for this story.

Moose, of Course! by Lynn Plourde

My parents gave us this book after their annual trip to Maine one year. It's about a little boy who is determined to see some moose. Everyone keeps telling him to "do nuthin'" but the boy comes up with more and more elaborate schemes to try to find a moose. Finally, the boy gets trapped by one of his own devices and ends up having time on his hands to find the moose he was looking for. It's a silly tongue twister that teaches the benefits of patience.


So that's what we read together last week! I'm sharing this at these linky parties.