Books, books, books… Hi my name is Jessica and I have a book buying addiction. I think I buy at least 10-15 new children’s books each month… Curse you Amazon Prime and your suggestions for making it so darn easy to fill up my cart!!
This month, I found a great new book for spring so I thought I’d tell you all about it for this month’s Books Teachers Love. You are definitely going to want to add it to your May read alouds!
The Curious Garden is about a little boy named Liam who discovers a struggling garden and decides to take care of it. The garden begins to spread, transforming the city into a much more beautiful and inviting place.
You can find the book on Amazon here (affiliate link).
The illustrations in this book really draw you into the transformation of the sad and lifeless city…
…into a lush and vibrant world.
Since Earth Day is this weekend, this book is absolutely perfect for this week or any time you are talking about how our actions affect the Earth. The first activity I do with this book is identifying cause & effect.
Next I LOVE a good sensory bin, so we played with this “Build a Garden Bin.”
In this bin: split peas and this adorable garden playset
*A few weeks ago in Tot School we did a Plant theme. Check out my post here for more fine motor, gross motor, sensory bin and snack ideas you could try out after reading The Curious Garden.
Finally, after some time for pretend play and discussion about plant needs, we write our own versions of “How to Plant a Garden.”
You can grab the cause & effect and writing activities in my Plant: Read & Respond pack here, along with differentiated reading response sheets, writing activities, and crafts for 5 plant themed read alouds: