http://www.readingisgood.com Book reviews for elementary educators. Sun, 30 May 2010 13:38:46 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Author: Cynthia Rylant; Illustrator: Mark Teague [amtap book:asin=0590100416] Gracie is a dog that likes things quiet. She likes cats that nap on the windowsill and goldfish that go 'bloop' in their bowls and a house that is calm and serene. So when her owners hire a team of painters with big voices ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/06/the-great-gracie-chase-stop-that-dog/ Author: Tedd Arnold; Illustrator: Tedd Arnold [amtap book:asin=014055839X] It's bedtime, and young Walter is enjoying a few good-natured bounces on his bed when dad walks in with the eternal parental edict flying from his lips: 'No more jumping on the bed!' 'One day,' he cryptically warns, 'it'll crash right through the floor!' Walter ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/06/no-jumping-on-the-bed/ Author: David Shannon; Illustrator: David Shannon [amtap book:asin=0439050235] It's just another day on the farm when Duck gets a 'wild idea.' After eyeballing a big red bike, he hops on and goes for a ride! As he clumsily pedals around the barn yard, Duck passes each of the other inhabitants of the farm, ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/06/duck-on-a-bike/ Author: Melinda Long; Illustrator: David Shannon [amtap book:asin=0152018484] Young Jeremy Jacob, expert sandcastle maker, is minding his own business on the beach one day when Braidbeard the Pirate and his scurvy crew row ashore. When Braidbeard spots Jeremy's digging skills (his castle has quite a moat), he recruits the young lad to ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/06/how-i-became-a-pirate/ Author: Doreen Cronin; Illustrator: Betsy Lewin [amtap book:isbn=0689832133] Farmer Brown has a problem. His cows have just found an old typewriter in the barn, and much to his chagrin, they've learned how to use it. Unhappy about how cold it is in the barn at night, the cows hammer out a note. ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/click-clack-moo-cows-that-type/ It's story time in your class. Today's book is Andrew's Loose Tooth and you've just reached the point where little Andrew bites an apple and lets out a painful scream before begging his parents to help pull out his tooth, and you are faced with a choice. You ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/silly-teachers-literate-children/ Reading specialists say that phonemic awareness is an ability to "hear and manipulate sounds in spoken language." Okay, sure. But for most people this is a pretty cryptic definition. What does one do while "hearing and manipulating" phonemes? What, exactly, does that entail? Below is a list of ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/4-key-phonemic-awareness-skills/ Helping young children master literacy skills hinges on an ability to make those skills fun and relevant. If we can find ways to integrate teaching with something that children already love, the child's enjoyment of the activity will do half the work for us. This article discusses one of the best ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/the-literate-chefling/ Author: Dan Yaccarino; Illustrator: Dan Yaccarino [amtap book:isbn=0805075321] Alfred is an unhappy pug. The cat insists that his round head, squashed face and tiny little legs make him absolutely unlovable, and the other dogs in the neighborhood don't help any: no one will play with him because of the way he looks. ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/unlovable/ Author: Tim Egan; Illustrator: Tim Egan [amtap book:isbn=0618737456] Farmer Fred runs a serious farm. He's not mean or sad or angry, just serious. He thinks farming is serious business and so do his animals. Until one day when the animals decide they've had enough. Fed up with Fred's seriousness, they decide it's ... http://www.readingisgood.com/2008/05/serious-farm/