This week I only have a few books to recommend for storytime, so I am also including a picture-book biography.
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
Mix it up with this brash color book! Color theory and some fun rhymes give you plenty of opportunity to extend the book. Wiggle, mix, and be monstrous! Food coloring on coffee filters (or other such color-mixing activities) would go well with this book.
Construction Kitties by Judy Sue Sturges
Could be used for filler in Toddler storytimes – especially in transportation or construction themes. There’s not much to shout about here– not even rhymes- but it will likely be well received by young bulldozer lovers.
Alliteration, vocabulary, and a repeated phrase add early literacy skills to this funny take on the familiar song. Add a bit of dragon-fire to your next Farm storytime with this one!
And now, the book that I wouldn’t really recommend for preschool storytime, but would be great for Primary- grade 3 classes.
This is a short, easy-to-read picture book biography and history lesson rolled into one. Clara Lemlich is just a girl when her family immigrates to New York, seeking a better life. She ends up working in a factory, not going to school like she dreamed. Working conditions are less than ideal, and Clara finds ways to speak out. The illustrations are worth taking a look alone. Melissa Sweet uses watercolor, gouache, and collage that really make the time period come alive. Bits of ribbon, fabric, and sewing machine stitches are used to remind us of the work Clara does. In the cityscapes, Sweet uses newspaper, checks, and ledger pages to reveal the other side of things. Many different perspectives provide a sense of scale and the colors also set the tone. Take a look!