Lots of Things to Spot at School

We homeschool, so normally Lots of Things to Spot at School would be a title I would avoid! However, my five-year-old is starting a once a week homeschool enrichment program in the fall, and acclimating her with what to expect in the classroom isn't a bad idea.

The book takes kids through their day, showing them the classroom, playground, lunch time, the school show, museum field trip, spring fair, etc. On each of those pages, there are items to spot and questions to answer (how many __? Can you use these letters to make a word? Where is the __?).

The end of the book has games and sticker activities to complete. It's a fun and engaging activity book that opens up some dialogue about the school year.

Happy Reading,

Amy

Underpants for Ants - Usborne Phonics Readers

It's kind of a ridiculously cute story. My kids love Underpants for Ants, because, ya know, the ants are cold and they need pants. Of course!

The rhyming text and phonic repetition are great for early readers. Each of the phonics readers is $6.99, but you can get the Phonics Readers Starter Collection for $42.99, about 12% off, and it includes 7 paperbacks: Bee Makes Tea, Cow Takes a Bow, Fox on a Box, Hen's Pens, Big Pig on a Dig, Underpants for Ants, and Goose On the Loose.

Happy Reading,
Amy

Ted and Friends - Usborne Phonics Readers

 

I was so excited when the Ted and Friends series arrived on my front steps! My five year old is just learning to read and this was exactly the sort of book she needed.  

It has 12 different stories that are easy to read and are actually enjoyable (unlike a series I won't mention that is popular, phonics based, and painful to endure...).

The illustrations are lovely and my daughter loves the flaps. My son likes finding the duck on every page, and I like that the stories were written in consultation with a language expert to best help my kiddos learn to read.

 

The accompanying CD is great for read-along practice. This entire collection of Ted and Friends is only $19.99 - pretty remarkable when the individual paperback phonics readers each cost $6.99 and don't include a read-along cd!

Happy Reading,

Amy

My First Word Book

 

My First Word Book is a great first dictionary for babies and toddlers. The book itself is a large, sturdy board book, but it's not a 500 page dictionary that's hard for little hands to hold (we had one of those when the kids were little - the spine lived a very short life).

The pictures are bright and colorful.

And the topics covered are highly relevant to toddler life. ;-)

 

A great addition to your library!

Happy Reading,
Amy

There's a Mouse About the House

I probably wouldn't have purchased There's a Mouse About the House without seeing it in person - it just didn't jump out at me. I'm glad it was in my intro kit, because my kids reached for this one right away, and I ended up being pretty impressed with it, too!

Basically, there's a mouse who is looking all over the house for something to eat (my hungry kids can relate). The mouse is a small cardboard mouse with a rope tail, and he slides through small slits in the book to get from one room to another on his quest for food.

He follows the dotted lines, which go from the left to the right, which helps teach directional tracking, a very important early literacy skill (the reading teacher in me was impressed). Holding the mouse and guiding him along the path helps develop fine motor skills as well.

Kids learn to turn one page at a time, because if they turn two (or three or five), the mouse won't be there peeking into the next room. Score another point for early literacy education! And, the story is fun. I mean, there's a mouse in the house - how could you go wrong?

If your kids like this one, check out A Squirrel's Tale for more slip-through-the-slot action. 

Happy Reading,

Amy

Things That Go!

I'm not sure I've ever met a kid who didn't like things that go. I'm not sure exactly what it is, but transportation seems to be a vital part of early learning! The thing is...I have never been that into...things that go.

So when I looked at this book, 1,000 Things That Go, my first thought was, "There's no story." Guess what? There doesn't need to be.

My son, three, took one look at the cover, grabbed the book, and started going through the whole thing. When he knew what one was, he eagerly told me what it was, what it did, and where we might have seen one. And when he didn't know, he got really concerned and said, "And this one?" 

No plot necessary. Just lots of things that go!

From steam engines to rocket ships, Roman chariots to racing cars - if it goes, it's probably in this book! If your little reader likes things that go, also check out The Big Book of Big Trucks, That's Not My Truck, or our sticker book of Trains, Trucks, & Tractors.

Happy Reading,
Amy

Baby's Very First Big Play Book

  

Baby's Very First Big Play Book is filled with opportunities for sensory exploration! 

This board book has paths to trace, textures to feel, flaps to lift, and sounds to hear! (And while I'm not generally a big fan of noisy books, this one isn't crazy loud and annoying. The kids like it a lot more than I do, but I suppose I'm not really the target audience!)

My kids love that fuzzy owl.

This book is sort of a collaboration of our popular touchy feely and noisy books. See the other titles in the Very First Touchy Feely Series or the rest of the Very First Noisy Books at my Usborne Bookshop!