Planting a Rainbow

by Lois Ehlert

I just got back from buying all kinds of flowers that I will inevitably kill.  Just being realistic here.  

My adventures in gardening reminded me of this book.  The colors are brilliant, and everyone can learn a little because it lists the names of the different flowers in the "rainbow."  My kids now love identifying the different flowers in our own flower garden.

So, it's memorial day weekend.  Have you finished planting your rainbow yet?

image via syndetics.com

Are You My Mother?

by P.D. Eastman

A classic!!!

A baby bird hatches from his egg while mom is off in search of food.  The baby decides he must find his mother and leaves the nest in search of her...but he doesn't know what she looks like.  

His search for his mother leads him to ask different objects and animals, "Are you my mother?"

image via whatihaveread.net

A Chair For My Mother

by Vera B. Williams

Life is hard sometimes...but then we have the moments we get to curl up in a comfy chair with our little ones and it's easier to see why we're doing it all.  

A tribute to mothers--you'd be surprised what your kids notice about what you do for them.

image via thereadingnook.com

My Monster Mama Loves Me So

by Laura Leuck

illustrations by Mark Buehner

Mother's day is coming up.  Want a sneaky way to remind your family that it's just around the corner?  Stock up on Mother's Day books from the library!

While this book isn't necessarily an official Mother's Day book, it's one of my favorite books about a mother and child.

image via psychobabyonline.com

Once There Was a Bull... (Frog)

by Rick Walton

illustrated by Greg Hally

I'm on a roll... last week it was a book with idioms, this week it's compound words (if only Mrs. Allred could see me now.)!  A compound word is really just two words joined together- -like "bullfrog."

The bullfrog in this wild west story has lost his hop.  He looks under a dog...(turn the page)...house, but his hop isn't there.  

He takes another approach and lands in a field of straw...(turn the page)...berries.  Still no hop.

On bullfrog's quest to find his hop, we find that just one word in a sentence can change a sentence-and a story-completely.

Just like last week, this is probably best for school-aged kids, but my pre-k little guy still enjoys the pictures and likes to yell out the word on the next page (so proud he can "read") "BERRIES!!"

Do a little more with the book:  I think this is such a great book to lead your kids into making their own books with compound words. Depending on their age/ability, they could use the same story of the bullfrog looking for his hop, or they could make up their own story completely.  Great idea for homeschool or afterschool kids alike!

And a little shout-out (a compound word!) to Utah...both author and illustrator are from the Beehive State.

image via rickwalton.com