Moocher in the Lun by Tom Dawe

Moocher in the Lun: A Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Alphabet, written by Tom Dawe and illustrated by C. Anne MacLeod, is one of the books donated by Flanker Press as a prize for the February Reading Challenge.  The prize book is actually signed by both the author and illustrator, making it that much more special.

Younger children can get enjoyment out of this alphabet book by just looking at the illustrations and seeing the creative ways the letters of the alphabet are incorporated into the pictures.  That's what Anna did on her own when she picked up the book to check out for herself.  She spent a long time checking out each page.

Each double page spread of the book features a different letter of the alphabet with an illustration on one side of the page and rhyming text on the facing page.  Each letter stands for a different Newfoundland expression, many of which I had never heard before.

The text of the book is far beyond younger children, but it would make a great learning resource for older children.  There is a glossary in the back of the book to help with understanding the often foreign sounding text.  There is a lot of Newfoundland culture and folklore wrapped up in this book.

Anna and I read it together spreading the reading over a number of days.  It really was much to much for either of us to take in at one sitting, but we did enjoy it in smaller doses.  I definitely see us coming back to it often over the years, especially as a learning resource for culture and language heritage.

Last day to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? Be sure to get your vote in.
Last day to join our February Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!  It's still not to late to get your name in for the draw.
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.  Watch for the March Newsletter tomorrow.

A Hat for Ivan by Max Lucado

A Hat for Ivan, written by Max Lucado and with illustrations by David Wenzel, is a little book with a big message.  Ivan lives in Hatville, a place where everyone gets a hat of their own when they turn ten.  Ivan's Hat Day is coming close and everyone has a different idea about the perfect hat for Ivan.  Ivan politely accepts, and tries to wear, each hat presented to him but it makes him miserable.  Ivan's father, the Hat Maker, is the only one that truly knows Ivan well enough to make the perfect hat for Ivan, one that will help Ivan be who he really is meant to be.

We borrowed this book from a friend after hearing her talk about what a great book it was, and she was right.  It really is a great book.  I'm not sure that Anna got the big message, but she did enjoy the story.  She probably doesn't need to get the big message from the book right now.  Maybe it's me that needed the message.  I think I'm going to have to get our own coy of this book so that when she does need the message we can read it again and discuss the the big message hidden in this cute story.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Ten Little Sleepyheads by Elizabeth Provost

Ten Little Sleepyheads, written by Elizabeth Provost and illustrated by Donald Saaf, is the perfect bedtime story.  It is a counting down, rhyming book with lots of repeated words.   Ten little bugs are getting ready for bed and as they go through each before bed activity another little bug drops off to sleep.  It is fun to look for the new sleeping bug in each two page spread.

Anna loved this book, partially because with the repetition of words she could read most of it herself.

It is a great book for bedtime but it can also be used to review the math concept of counting down.  It can also inspire a study of the many different kinds of bugs.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Amos's Sweater by Janet Lunn

In Amos's Sweater, written by Janet Lunn and illustrated by Kim LaFave, Amos is an old sheep that is not too happy about having to give up his wool to make sweaters to keep others warm.  When Aunt Hattie knits a sweater for Uncle Henry, Amos keeps trying to steal the sweater and finally Aunt Hattie and Uncle Henry realize that Amos is cold and needs the sweater to keep himself warm.  The story and pictures are hilarious.  Anna and I both enjoyed it.

Janet Lunn shares two videos, one where she explains where she got the idea for the book and another of her reading the book.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

P is for Puffin: A Newfoundland and Labrador Alphabet written by Janet Skirving

P is for Puffin: A Newfoundland and Labrador Alphabet written by Janet Skirving and illustrated by Odell Archibald (Newfoundland author and illustrator)
This book can be read and enjoyed as a simple alphabet book by reading just the main text on each page, or it can become the jump off point for some great social studies learning by reading the additional information on each page, making it a book applicable to many age groups.   There is a Teacher Guide for P is for Puffin with all kinds of different activity sheets, most of which would be suitable for older children.

To be perfectly truthful, I found some of the rhyming in the book's main text to be difficult and contrived, but I do see us coming back to this book again as a basis for some social studies learning.  It is a wealth of information and the pictures are beautiful.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Not a Box written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis

Don't let the seemingly boring look of this book fool you.  Not a Box, written and illustrated by Antoinette Portis, is a book you don't want to miss.  The book looks so plain and simple, and it is, but it's the plainness and simpleness of it that makes it so profound.  The book is about a bunny that imagines a simple box is all kinds of amazing different things and is rather insulted by a grown-up that keeps referring to the box as a box, because it is so much more than a box to the bunny.  I'm sure that this book will remind every parent and child of a time when they had all kinds of imaginative fun with a simple box.  The story is told mostly through the simple pictures with just a few simple words added in.

This is the first book I've read by this author but according to Antoinette Portis' website she has written three other books and has another one coming out this fall.  I will definitely be keeping an eye out for all of her books.

Anna was thrilled with this book for so many reasons.  Boxes have always been some of her favorite playthings so she could very much relate to the bunny.  She was also excited because she could read it all by herself.  The scarcity and repetition of the words makes it a great book for beginning readers.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Thomas' Snowsuit by Robert Munsch

Thomas, in Thomas' Snowsuit (written by Robert Munsch and illustrated by Michael Martchenko), does not like his snowsuit and has a major fuss with any adult that tries to get him into it.  However, once he decides he wants to put it on he has no trouble getting into it at all.  Thanks to the wonderful way of Robert Munsch, Thomas' story makes a fun read aloud and Martchenko's illustrations are hilarious.

This book holds a special place in our family.  It was a favourite of my first three children and I had forgotten to share it with Anna.  We took care of that this past week when Anna and I listened to Robert Munsch tell the story of Thomas' Snowsuit on his website.  She loved it!  Our copy of the book seems to be misplaced but I'm fairly certain the library has a copy and we will be looking for it during our next visit.

Thomas' Snowsuit is a great book to share with a child, especially during this time of the year.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

A Puppy Story by Susan Pynn

A Puppy Story by Susan Pynn , illustrated by Nancy Keating

Laura Lou wants a puppy, but her parents aren't sure she's ready to care for one.  She assures them she is, but when she finally gets one she realizes it's a lot harder than she thought.

I love the rhyming text of this book.  It kind of reminds me of Phoebe Gilman or Dr. Suess.  The artwork in the book is also great.  Anna loved the book because Laura Lou is just like her.  She's been begging for a puppy.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Who is Jesus? by Carolyn Nystrom

Who is Jesus?, written by Carolyn Nystrom and illustrated by Eira Reeves, is not a book you would read to a young child in one sitting.  It is packed full of information and you need time to take it all in and discuss it.  Going through the scriptures from Genesis to Revelation the book tells about who Jesus is.  It is a part of a series Children's Bible Basics books.

Anna did enjoy the book, but we did take our time and read through it over a few days.  She learned a lot from it.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

All For Pie Pie For All by David Martin

We loved All  For Pie Pie For All!  Written by David Martin and illustrated by Valeri Gorbachev, the book tells how a pie gets shared amongst a number of different creatures.  Grandma Cat makes a pie and all her family enjoys a piece of it, leaving one piece behind.  A family of mice share the leftover piece with everyone getting a small piece, and they leave behind six crumbs.  Those six crumbs are enjoyed by a family of ants, with baby ant eating the very last crumb.  Everyone then decides to help Grandma make a new pie.  Lots of repeated words in the book make it a great one for shared reading.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

The Littlest Sled Dog by Michael Kusugak

The Littlest Sled Dog, written by Michael Kusugak and illustrated by Vladyana Krykorka, is a very cute story about a little dog that dreams big dreams.  Igvillu, the little terrier that is the main character in the story, wants to be a sled dog, and that's why I decided to feature this book at this time.   The Canadian Challenge Sled Dog Race is set to start February 21st.

Michael Kusugak, the author, grew up in the North West Territories and this book is just one of the books he has written.  You can find out how to pronounce the Igvillu at the bottom of The Littlest Sled Dog page on his site

The illustrator, Vladyana Krykorka, was born in Czechoslovakia but now lives in Canada.  On her website you will find a list of the books she has illustrated.

Anna and I simply read and enjoyed the book but I see us coming back to it again in the future.  It would make a great addition to a study of dogs as there are a number of different kinds of dogs mentioned in the book.  There are also a lot of different places mentioned in the book and next time around I see us taking advantage of that and sneaking in some social studies as we look for the places on maps and in atlases.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Nana's Quilt by Lori Lane and Kathy Winsor

Nana's Quilt written by Lori Lane and Kathy Winsor and with photography by Jim Costellois, is a story about a little girl that spends the summer with her Nana. They explore St. John's together and work together on quilt blocks about their explorations. At the end of the summer Allie has a beautiful quilt full of memories made by her and her grandmother.

To be perfectly honest, I found the book a bit too wordy, at least for Anna at this age.  We had to break the book up and read it over a couple of days.  I can, however, see us coming back to this book in the future.

The book can inspire all kinds of extra learning.  You could do a study of places in St. John's that are mentioned in the book.  You could also do a study about quilting and learn how to make your own quilt.  The book is written like a journal with each section starting with the day and date, so it could also be used to introduce the idea of journaling.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini

At first I wasn't sure what I thought of The Three Silly Billies, written by Margie Palatini and illustrated by Barry Moser, but the more I read it the more I liked it.  Anna liked it from the beginning.

As you probably guessed, this book has some likenesses to the traditional Three Billy Goats Gruffs, but it has a lot more happening.  The Troll in the book is the keeper of the Troll Gate (toll gate) for the bridge and when the goats try to cross the bridge he asks them to pay the $1 before crossing. They don't have the money and decide to set up a "car pool" and wait for others to join them to make up the needed funds. Different traditional story characters (the Three Bears, Red Riding Hood, and Jack from Jack in the Beanstalk) come along and add to the funds until they finally have enough to cross the bridge.

There is so much packed into this book!  It would make for some great language arts lessons as you discuss the different characters and their original stories, and also as you discuss all the plays on words throughout the book.  It can also be a fun addition to a math class in which you talk about the values of different coins and how different combinations of coins can be used to make $1.

This is the first book that I've read by Margie Palatini, but I will definitely be watching for more by her.  You can learn All about Margie and her books on Margie Palatini's website. She shares how she came up with the story on The Three Silly Billies Inspiration Equation page.  In the activities section of her website you will find The Three Silly Billies Pass the Buck Brain Teaser a pdf which can be used to figure out how many different ways the story characters can use different coins to make $1, and The Three Silly Billies Hidden Word Puzzle, a pdf for which you have to read the book to figure out the clues to find the hidden words.  In the What's L-3? (Learning, Language, and Laughter) section of her website you will find links to Activity Guides for her books, including this book, and a Study Guide for her books that have to do with Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes, and Fables.  Of course this book is included in that study guide.  The guide includes Questions, Discussions, Activities, and Charts that can be used to study different aspects of the book.  You have to register for her site to get access to the study guides but there is no fee for registering.  I can see using this study guide and the books mentioned in it as a literature unit in the future.

The Three Silly Billies by Margie Palatini is a book you don't want to miss and if you really want to get all you can out of it make sure you take advantage of the resources on Margie Palatini's website.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Rocksy by Loris Lesynski

In Rocksy, written and illustrated by Loris Lesynski, Roxanne is a very clumsy girl that is tired of always falling and hurting herself and wishes she were made of stone so that she wouldn't get hurt anymore, until her wish comes true and she realizes how awful it would be to be made of stone.  The rhyming text is fun to read and the pictures and words give you lots to talk about.

Anna thought this book was funny.  It led to lots of discussion.  We talked about how silly the story was, but yet how funny it was.  We talked about how Rocksy didn't really think through her wish and how sometimes we might wish for something but then really not like it if our wish came true.

Although Loris Lesynski's website appears to not have been updated for a number of years, it is still a good place to learn more about her and her books.  There are also some pages with ideas for activities for Rocksy readers

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Rebecca's Ducks by Angela Moore

Rebecca's Ducks, written by Angela Moore and illustrated by Nancy Keating, is a cute story by a Newfoundland author and a Newfoundland illustrator.  Rebecca loves ducks and has a family of ducks that she loves to visit near her home.  When her family moves to Newfoundland she misses her ducks and is determined to find some near her new home.  Her parents get her other animals but she is not satisfied until she finally has a family of ducks to enjoy again.

Anna and I both enjoyed this book.  The story is a little wordy, but not too bad, and the pictures are very nice.  We especially loved the different borders at the top of each page.

I couldn't find much about the author or the illustrator on line.  There is one page of information about Angela Moore and one page about Nancy Keating, but there is not much information on either.

If you want to use the book as a jump off point to a unit study about ducks, the All About Ducks for Kids page at Kiddy House would be a great resource to use.  It has lots of interesting information about ducks and links to fun activities.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Noah's Ark by Jerry Pinkney

Noah's Ark written and illustrated by Jerry Pinkney is a beautiful retelling of the story of Noah's Ark from the Bible, complete with illustrations that make you want to stop and study them for a while.

I thought the story might be a bit wordy for Anna but she was captivated by it, and the pictures.  She was especially taken by the illustration that gave an indication of just how big the ark was.  We've read many retellings of the story but I think this may be one of our favourites.

On Jerry Pinkney's website I learned that there are many more books by him that we need to look out for.  I also learned, on his biography page on his site, that he is dyslexic.  If you have a child that is dyslexic it would be a great encouragement to you and your child to read his biography.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

A Rose For Pinkerton written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg

A Rose For Pinkerton written and illustrated by Steven Kellogg is a very cute story about a dog that wants a playmate but all kinds of havoc results when her owner gets her a kitten to play with.  The story is told using few words and detailed illustrations.

We really enjoyed this book.  The story is funny and the illustrations are great.

On Steven Kellogg's website I discovered that he has had his hand in over 90 books, some of which he wrote and illustrated and some he just illustrated.  You can see a list of books Steven Kellogg has had a part in on his website.  Apparently there are a number of books featuring Pinkerton.  I didn't know that until I read the list on his site.  I will be watching for more so we can check them out.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

This is the Dog by Sheryl McFarlane

This is the Dog, written by Sheryl McFarlane and illustrated by Chrissie Wysotski, follows a dog through a day full of trouble, right to the end of the day when the troubles are forgotten.  The fun story is told in rhyme and the pictures make the story come to life.

Anna and I both loved this story.  We read it over and over.  We laughed at the troubles the dog managed to get into and loved the end of the story.

This is just one of a number of books by Canadian Sheryl McFarlane.  On her website she has a Sheryl McFarlane Easy Read Bio Bits page that would be fun to share with a child.  You can also Learn more about Sheryl McFarlane's Pictures Books on her website.

Wysotski's Photos is the only place online that I could find information about Chrissie Wysotski.  Both she and her husband are Canadian artisits and you can see some of their work on the site I found.

This is the Dog is a fun book that every child will love.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

Tales From Tamarack: The Puffin Cove Adventure by Heather Y. Boone

Tales From Tamarack: The Puffin Cove Adventure, written by Heather Y. Boone and illustrated by Missy J. Martin, is a cute story about 4 woodland animals.  The story is set in a woodland near the coast somewhere in Newfoundland.  Before they set off for a day of adventure, the creatures are told by their parents not to wander far from home and to watch out for the puffin.  None of them have ever seen a puffin so they have no idea what a puffin looks like.   They have a great day exploring and learning about some things they come across, like the provincial flower of Newfoundland, the pitcher plant.  Before they realize it they have wandered further then they meant to and see sites they've never seen before.  They even meet a puffin and discover that he's not near as scary as they were made to believe.  The puffin takes them on a tour of his area before helping them find their way back home.

Though the story was a little long it was interesting and Anna and I both enjoyed it.  From the way the story ended I was sure that there were more "Tales for Tamarack" to look forward to, but in all my searching I couldn't find anything about any more books, or anything about the author or illustrator.  The back of the book does give a little blurb about the author and illustrator indicating that they are both natives of Newfoundland.  I was disappointed not to discover more books by them, because we did enjoy this one.

Tales From Tamarack would be a good book to use in a study of Newfoundland.  There is a bit of information in the book about both the provincial flower and the provincial bird, the puffin.  It could also inspire additional learning about other creatures in Newfoundland, including the ones that are the main characters in the story.


Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.

The Hippo-NOT-amus by Tony and Jan Payne

The Hippo-NOT-amus written by Tony and Jan Payne and illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, is a fun book about a little hippo that is tired of being a hippo and wanders around the area near his home meeting new creatures and trying to decide what he wants to be.  First he comes upon a rhino and makes himself some horns to wear so that he can be a rhino, and so on.  With each new creature he meets he adds a new part to himself and a new part to his creature name, so that he ends up calling himself a “hippo-gir-ele-bat-onoceroses".

Anna got a big kick out of this book.  She loved trying to guess what the hippo was going to use to make the new parts and also what was going to be added to the name.

I couldn't find any information about the author of this book but Guy Parker-Rees' website is great!  He has illustrated a number of books and we will be watching for more illustrated by him.

Reading the book reminded me of the Switcheroozoo website I'd seen recently.  On the website you can create new creatures by using different parts of creatures.  On the Switcheroozoo Hall of Names page you can see the funny names, and pictures, of creatures that different people have created on the site.  This would be a fun site to play with after reading the book and it could lead into some science learning as you learn about the real animals that make up the pretend animals and about the habitat they live in.

Don't forget to Vote for your Favorite Book Featured in January? 
Come join our Book a Day Challenge for a chance for a prize!
On our Newsletter blog sign up to have the monthly newsletter delivered to your email address or blog reader.