The Three Snow Bears
Author: Jan Brett
Illustrator: Jan Brett
Summary: A cozy retelling of "Goldilocks and the Three Bears" set in the Arctic. The three bears are polar bears and the mischievous Aloo-ki is a curious Inuit girl out for a little winter stroll!
Recommended Ages: 2-6 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: A fun, beautifully illustrated fractured fairy tale from Jan Brett. Brett spent time meeting the Inuit, learning their culture, studying their clothing, homes and land. The text is full of rich language, some of which may be new and provide great opportunities for learning.
Extension Activities: So many fun activities can be tied to this fun book. There is a great venn diagram activity in the link below. It would be fun to build an igloo using toothpicks and marshmallows, blocks, legos or any kind of building material you have on hand. Click here!
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah?
Author: Jane Yolen
Illustrator: Mark Teague
Summary: Another great title in the "How Do Dinosaurs..."series leads kids through what not to do during the eight days of Chanukah season.
Recommended Ages: 2-6 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This fun book not only explains good behavior during a very exciting time of the year, but introduces vocabulary to help learn about Chanukah in a humorous way.
Extension Activities: Watch the short video for a lesson on playing dreidel! Click here!
The Last Plastic Straw
Author: Dee Romito
Illustrator: Ziyue Chen
Summary: This great book gives us the history of the straw! Who knew that the first known straw was used by the ancient Sumerians over five thousand years ago! Learn all about the straw's evolution to the plastic straws we use today, the problems with the waste, and how we can solve the problem.
Recommended Ages: 6-9 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: An interesting, non-fiction book that traces the evolution of the straw and the problems with the modern day plastic straws that litter our environment. A cautionary tale, the author gives ideas to the reader about ways to reduce plastic consumption.
Extension Activities: A fun STEM activity would be to use items found in the recycled bin and create a building, a bridge or some other structure. Be sure to include a few recycled or paper straws! And put everything back in recycling after you have finished your creations!
The Three Little Guinea Pigs
Author: Erica S. Perl
Illustrator: Any Young
Summary: A classic fairy tale, The Three Little Pigs, takes on new characters...Rosie, Minty and Pumpkin, sweet, fuzzy guinea pigs and a sly fox. Be expecting a surprise ending when the guinea pigs outsmart the hungry fox!
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This fun fractured fairy tale will have you laughing at the antics of the guinea pigs and teach you some really fun facts about guinea pigs,too! Be sure to read the end pages to learn all about them!
Extension Activities: For some fun guinea pig crafts, check out the blog below! You might also look for other fractured fairy tales from the same author. Goatilocks and the Three Bears will be sure to make the readers laugh! Click here!
What If You Had Animal Feet?
Author: Sandra Markle
Illustrator: Howard McWilliam
Summary: This book is part of the series "What if You Had...?" that compares animal feet to human feet. The illustrations alone are worth a few giggles, and the learning about different types of feet and their function to that animal will have your child looking at feet in a whole new light!
Recommended Ages: 4-9 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Another fun, fact filled non-fiction book about feet and animal adaptations. All kinds of animal feet, with some really interesting learning about human feet.
Extension Activities: Follow the link to the blog for some free downloads to go with the book. Children will observe and write something they have noticed about each animal's feel. Another fun activity would have kids choosing an animal and drawing themselves with that animals feet! How will those feet help them adapt to their environment? Click here!
Leave a Comment
Resources for parents, grandparents, teachers & students