Spike, the Mixed Up Monster by Susan Hood

Summary from Dust Jacket: Meet Spike! He's pointy. He's scary. He has a spiky crown. He has mean teeth. He is a monster...no bigger than a lily pad. What will it take for Spike to make a friend?

What I thought: A fun book! I love that it's bilingual. Although I wish there was a pronunciation guide. The illustrations are lovely--bright and colorful. I can't wait to use this title in my monsters story time in October. I think it will pair well with Leonardo, the Terrible Monster by Mo Willems.

Story Time Themes: Bilingual, Monsters, Lizards

(Illus. Melissa Sweet. Simon & Schuster, 2012)

#FlannelFriday: "I Planted a Whistle" by Jack Prelutsky

It's National Poetry Month and I've been making poems and nursery rhymes into felts sets. This week, I used Jack Prelutsky's poem "I Planted a Whistle" from his collection I've Lost My Hippopotamus. I'm looking forward to using this set during my "Dig Into Reading" summer reading program.

The first two lines of the poem read, "I planted a whistle and grew a flute." The poem continues on in that manner. There are 22 pieces in the set and they are as follows: whistle, flute, shoelace, boot, button, blouse, whisker, mouse, tire, truck, feather, duck, ribbon, hat, claw, cat, collar, coat, anchor, boat, sheet, and ghost.

All the patterns came from Microsoft Office Clipart except for the claw and sheet which I free handed. The details are puff paint.

Andrea has the roundup this week. Want to know more about Flannel Friday? Find us on the FF blog, on Facebook, and on Pinterest.

Flicker Flash by Joan Bransfield Graham

Concrete poems celebrate all aspects of light.

What I thought: I've been meaning to read this collection since I read a review of Night Lights by Susan Gal in SLJ and it suggested Flicker Flash as a story time pairing. This is a great collection. I'm usually not a big fan of concrete poetry, but Flicker Flash is concrete poetry at its best. The illustrations are bright, colorful, and appealing. My favorite poems are "Light," "Firefly," "Crescent Moon," and "Campfire." I'm thinking of pairing Flicker Flash with Night Lights by Susan Gal and Blackout by John Rocco for a light and dark/opposites story time.

(Illus. Nancy Davis. Houghton Mifflin, 1999)

#FlannelFriday: "Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook"

In honor of National Poetry Month, here's another nursery rhyme that I've turned into a felt set. This time around it's "Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook." Here are the words:

Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook, Chook,
Good morning, Mrs. Hen.
How many chickens have you got?
Madam, I've got ten.
Four of them are yellow,
And four of them are brown,
And two of them are speckled red,
The nicest in town.

I used coloring sheets as templates for both the hen and chicks. The details are puff paint. You could use this set for several story time themes: nursery rhymes, chickens, farm animals, colors, and numbers.

Bookspeak!: Poems about Books by Laura Purdie Salas

Cybils Poetry Winner 2012

20 poems celebrate books by giving voice to their elements--characters, book plates...

What I thought: I really enjoyed this collection. I have several favorite poems.

• 'Calling All Readers'- "There's no friend like a book." This line reminded me of Emily Dickinson's poem 'There is no frigate like a book.'
• 'Index'
• 'Cliffhanger'- I agree..."please author, write a sequel fast!"
• 'Book Plate'- "I'm a paper love tattoo"
• 'This is the Book'- "He is the illustrator / Who creates the art / that makes the words / bloom in your heart" "And she is the reader/ who browses the shelf / and looks for new worlds / but finds herself"
• 'The End'- "I'm not so much / The End / as I am an / invitation back / to the beginning"

Lovely illustrations. This was the first collection I'd ever read by Laura Purdie Salas. I can see why it won the 2012 Cybil for poetry.

(Illus. Josee Bisaillon. Clarion, 2011)

#FlannelFriday: Baa, Baa, Black Sheep

In honor of National Poetry Month, I'm turning various nursery rhymes and poems into felt sets. First up is the classic nursery rhyme "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep." Here are the words:

Baa, baa, black sheep,
Have you any wool?
Yes, sir, yes, sir,
Three bags full;
One for my master,
And one for my dame,
And one for the little boy
Who lives down the lane.

I decided to use Sunbonnet Sue and Overall Bill quilt templates for the people (little girl, master, dame, and little boy) because I don't like making faces if I don't have to. Numerous variations of these templates are available on the Internet or in quilting books. I use Mary's pattern for the sheep (from her blog Miss Mary Liberry) . The bag pattern was a Microsoft Office clipart image.

I decided to make different colored sheep to use in the rhyme per a comment by Abby (the) Librarian on Storytime Katie's post about her "Mary Had a Little Lamb" flannel board. In my search for that post, I also stumbled across Jennie's "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" flannel board on her blog Library Noise. She also used different colored sheep. I decided to make my sheep in primary and secondary colors. I may go back one day and add some more colors like gray, brown, and pink.

 

I didn't use any puff paint on this felt set. I plan to use it by placing the figures on my board and pointing to them as I recite the rhyme.



Follow Follow: A Book of Reverso Poems by Marilyn Singer

Companion to Mirror Mirror

Marilyn Singer returns with another poetry collections that show 2 different sides to every story.

The Poems: Fairy Tales; Your Wish Is My Command; Birthday Suit; Silly Goose; Ready, Steady, Go!; Will the Real Princess Please Stand Up; The Little Mermaid's Choice; Panache; Follow Follow; No Bigger Than Your Thumb; Can't Blow This House Down; The Nightingale's Emperor; On With the Dance; and Now It's Time to Say Good Night

The Tales: Aladdin, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Golden Goose, The Tortoise & the Hare, The Princess & the Pea, The Little Mermaid, Puss in Boots, The Pied Piper of Hamelin, Thumbelina, The Three Little Pigs, The Nightingale, The Twelve Dancing Princesses

What I Thought: I really love the reverso poetry form that Marilyn Singer created. One day, I'll be brave enough to try it for myself. Her second collection of reverso poems was as wonderful as her first. My favorite poems are Fairy Tales; Ready, Steady, Go!; and No Bigger Than Your Thumb. The illustrations are gorgeous--such bright colors. My favorites are Fairy Tales, No Bigger Than Your Thumb, and Now It's Time to Say Good Night.

(Illus. Josee Masse. Dial, 2013)