Thursday, January 30, 2014

January 2014 Favourite Read-Aloud Roundup


Ezra Jack Keats The Snowy Day was JJ's favourite read-aloud this month. A little boy called Peter plays outdoors in the snow all day. The story goes through all the wonderful things little children find for themselves to do on a snowy day. This isn't just for three-year-olds, though. All of us enjoyed it. SA (5) never can quite conceal a secret smile at Peter's disappointment when the snowball he put into his pocket disappears. 


Eric Carle is a favourite author in our family. I picked this book up for free at a second-hand store, and SA really loves it. For a while after we got it, he was asking us to read it to him a couple of times every day. Like many of Eric Carle's books, The Tiny Seed combines fact (the life cycle of plants) with fantasy (the flower grows taller than houses and trees, for example). You might think this is not a good thing, but as far as I can tell, my children have not had a problem sorting out what is real and what is imagined. 


We took a break from poetry at our teatimes for two weeks this month and read Winnie-the-Pooh. SA especially enjoyed it, in fact, he wants me to start at the beginning and read it again. I was encouraged that my boys' attention spans are starting to grow a little bit, because these chapters aren't short! 


I picked up The Harp and Laurel Wreath last month, and I am so pleased with it! It contains a collection of poetry and quotations for enjoyment, memorization, copywork, and dictation. Of course, at my boys' ages, we're just doing the first two things. I use it daily at our poetry teatimes. SA and JJ have memorized "Once I Saw a Little Bird" and "There Was a Little Turtle" this month. This book has poetry for every age. I'm sure I'll be using this resource for years to come.

These are just some of the books we've been enjoying this month. I'm linking up with Read-Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word blog.


5 comments:

  1. I'm SO glad you joined in RAT this month!
    I love Ezra Jack Keats. I have such fond memories of reading this to my girls and making a little art project from it a few years ago.
    We need to revisit Winnie the Pooh. I think my girls might get the humor more now.
    Thanks for reminding me about The Harp and the Laurel Wreath. I have that, too, and I shall pull it out for tomorrow's poetry tea time!

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  2. Great read aloud selections! We read The Snowy Day this month, too. Even my older kiddos still enjoy Pooh. Who can't love Pooh?

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  3. Pooh has to be one of my favorite books and I think I enjoyed it way more than my kids when I read it to them.

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  4. Thank you for stopping by, ladies! Amy, I have to admit that we've never done art projects based on books before, though I do think JJ found a branch to make a track in the snow last time he was outside. :) I know there is is some humour in Winnie-the-Pooh that goes over the boys' heads, but they certainly enjoy it anyway. Next on the agenda: The House at Pooh Corner!

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  5. Oh, enjoy these happy picture book days! They are so special!

    Poetry is so much fun with little ones too.

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