Because kids are so unpredictable, it’s often difficult to anticipate what they will love or what will bomb.
For example, my older twos/younger threes LOVED
The Napping House.
My twos? Not so much.
Why?
Because I have 17 of them and nap time is a noisy time and they can’t concentrate.
Quite accidentally, however, I did discover two books
my twos love:
This Old Man by Pam Adams is the old old old song sung by many children over the ages,
however I suspect its use may have fallen out of fashion.
Nonetheless, I picked the song up on the cheap, prolly at a thrift store
and sheepishly presented to my students.
And guess what?
they love it.
Love it.
The other day I think we read/sang it five times!
To be sure, the illustrations are a little creepy and are certainly not multicultural
but WOW is the song catchy!
The next book I stumbled upon by accident is
Over the Rainbow, which I found in the school library.
the book comes with a CD of the song performed by Judy Collins.
The illustrations are masterpieces alone
but coupled with the CD,
the book is breathtaking.
I kid you not when I tell you that no matter how many times a day I read this book
the children always applaud at the end!
The children ask for “Rainbow” when they are noisy and need to calm down.
It is known as our quiet book.
Sometimes to extend the story, I’ll make my own drawings on the white board that mimic the drawings in the book. The children will often tell me what to draw based on their memory of the story: rainbow, blue birds, a red house, a mommy, a cat or a horse. The cat and horse are not in the story but I try to keep their attention by drawing what they ask. It’s cute.
What are your go-to books?