The Humble Pie
Author: Jory John
Illustrator: Pete Oswald
Summary: Part of the Food Group series by Jory John, a quiet, humble pie lis content to let others shine until he and Jake the Cake work on a school project together. Humble Pie has to learn to speak up for himself!
Recommended Ages: 4-8 yeears
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Humble Pie, who is quiet and lets others shine. When he works with his friend Jake the Cake on a school project, Humble Pie does all the work while Jake is busy with other things. How will the project ever get finished?
Extension Activities: Realizing he is being taken for granted, Humble Pie learns that being humble doesn't mean staying silent or invisible. He finds the courage to have a "tough conversation" with Jake, teaching young readers about setting healthy boundaries and finding their own voice. Have kids practice this kind of conflict resolution...learning that it is important to speak up for themselves in a calm, respectful voice.
Pickle Words: Crunchy, Punchy Pickles and Poetry
Author: April Pulley Sayre
Illustrator: Jialei Sun
Summary: Dive into a world of crunchy, punchy pickles! This lively collection of poems celebrates pickles from around the globe—sweet, spicy, sour, and everything in between. With playful rhymes, fun facts, and a dash of science, this book will have readers craving their next pickle adventure!
Recommended Ages: 5-8 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: These poems introduce different pickled foods from around the world. Take the opportunity to help kids research the science and importance of pickling a variety of foods!
Extension Activities: 1. Ask kids to think of words that describe how a pickle looks, smells, tastes, and feels. Write these words down together. 2. Read the poems in the book and find the adjectives (describing words) in each poem. Talk about what each word means. 3. Draw a big pickle on a piece of paper. Use the link below to learn how to draw a fun pickle character. 4. Around the drawing, write the describing words you found in the book to make a 'pickle word cloud.' 5. Share your pickle drawing and word cloud with the class or your family! Click here!
Knight Owl and Early Bird
Author: Christopher Denise
Illustrator: Christopher Denise
Summary: Early Bird dreams of becoming a knight, but his daytime energy drives Knight Owl crazy! When a mysterious threat appears in the forest, these unlikely friends must combine their unique strengths and learn to work together in clever, unexpected ways.
Recommended Ages: 4-8 Years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This story highlights how Early Bird and Knight Owl have very different personalities and routines, which sometimes causes conflict but ultimately helps them solve a big problem together. Use this book to spark discussion about the value of understanding and appreciating differences in others, and how teamwork can turn those differences into strengths.
Extension Activities: Help your students create a story map to identify characters, setting problem and solution to the story. It might help to create a Venn diagram to compare Owl and Early Bird's habits, routines and their personalities. Design a shield for Owl or Early Bird that helps to describe their personalities. And be sure to point out the Caldecott Award given to this book for its' fantastic illustrations! Click here!
Buffalo Fluffalo and Puffalo
Author: Bess Kalb
Illustrator: Erin Kraan
Summary: Buffalo Fluffalo loves his routine: eating, napping, and playing. But when a bouncy, unpredictable baby Puffalo arrives, Buffalo’s world is turned upside down! Can Buffalo learn to embrace change, discover new adventures, and find joy in the unexpected?
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: This story is about how Buffalo Fluffalo feels when a new baby, Puffalo, comes into his life and changes everything. At first, Buffalo isn’t sure he likes having Puffalo around, but soon he learns that trying new things and helping Puffalo can be fun. The book shows that it’s okay to feel a little nervous about changes, but new adventures and friends can make life even better! A great read for any kiddo welcoming a new sibling in their life!
Extension Activities: Choose the link below to find some fun crafts from the publisher to help enrich the theme of the book. Copy and paste the link here to learn all about buffalos! https://youtu.be/Ic-1KYv8t98?si=n4_dOZANJLlvLwYK Click here!
Ants
Author: Edited by Jared Siemans
Illustrator:
Summary: Step into the amazing world of ants! This fact filled, non fiction book on these tiny insects will make you want to take a look for them in your own yard!
Recommended Ages: 4-8 years
Themes, Skills, & Concepts: Not only will your kids learn interesting facts about ants, they also will be familiar with the text features of a non fiction book.
Extension Activities: Identify and discuss the text features found in the book, such as the Table of Contents, labels, glossary, pagination, additional ant facts, and key words. After reading, watch the educational video linked below to discover even more fascinating information about ants. Encourage students to observe ants in their environment and show their learning through drawings or notes. Click here!
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