Summer Song by Kevin Henkes

Summer Song is a celebration of summer. 

Thoughts: Exactly what I've come to expect from Henkes and Dronzek. Summer Song heralds the completion of their seasonal picture books. The illustrations are colorful with great black outlines. My favorites are green and lying in the grass. I like the mixture of illustration types. It makes the book interesting. It is a perfect book for a summer storytime. 

Themes: Summer, Season, Author 

Don't miss When Spring Comes (2016), In the Middle of Fall (2017), and Winter is Here (2018).

(Illustrated by Laura Dronzek. Greenwillow Books, 2020.) 

Hound Won't Go by Lisa Rogers

Taking Hound for a walk should be easy. And it is...until he won't go. 

Thoughts: Brief rhyming text paired with vibrant, colorful illustrations make this book a hit. I especially love Hound's expressions. Anyone who has ever owned a dog has had a moment like this. It made me laugh. The short text is lyrical. I'd like to use this book with my traffic light prop on the flannel board. 

Themes: Dogs, Storms, Transportation 

(Illustrated by Meg Ishihara. Albert Whitman & Company, 2020.)

Diggersaurs Explore by Michael Whaite

The diggersaurs go exploring hoping to find something old or gold. Using their abilities they are able to overcome any obstacles. 

Thoughts: Dinosaurs + construction machines = storytime gold. The illustrations are bright and colorful. I love the story that takes place below the diggersaurs and the author's invitation to find treasure on the dedication page. 

Themes: Dinosaurs, Construction

(Random House, 2018.)

Flannel Friday: Hats, Cats, & Bats

I was inspired by Jbrary's post about Little Mouse, Little Mouse Renditions to make my hats, cats, and bats. I decided to make both cats and bats so I could use the set at different times of year and with different themes. I used free clipart from clker as my patterns. I made 10 hats, 9 cats, and 9 bats. When we're looking for the cat, bats will be under nine of the hats and vice versa. I made them small so I can also use just five hats with my smaller flannel board. There are no puff paint details and the cats and bats were very finicky to cut out. Before I start the game, we count the hats and identify the colors. 

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An Ambush of Tigers: A wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal

The first page sets this story up: "Do you ever wonder what animals do when they gather in groups of more than two?" Using collective nouns, Rosenthal creates a fun story about animals.

Thoughts: While you do learn collective nouns in the reading of this book, it's more of a story book  than an informative book. If I use this book again with kids, I'll read it through and then go back and point out the collective nouns. The glossary in the back will help with this. Like A Curious Menagerie, this book has the potential to be a story starter. Jago's digital illustrations have the texture of paintings or fabric. The colors are bright and inviting. My favorite illustrations are a shiver of sharks, a sleuth of bears/a murder of crows, and a troop of kangaroos.

Themes: Animals, Names Elementary

(Illustrated by Jago. Millbrook Press, 2015.)

A Curious Menagerie by Carin Berger

A monkey and a cricket serve as your guides as they introduce you to numerous collective nouns for groups of animals.

Thoughts: I've been intrigued by collective nouns or animal group names since I was a child. This book is great. The dialogue format is engaging and informative. I love the extra collective nouns of the end papers and the extra information at the end of the book. I shared this book with first and second graders and I started with that extra information first so they would understand what collective nouns were. After reading A Curious Menagerie I read An Ambush of Tigers: A Wild Gathering of Collective Nouns by Betsy R. Rosenthal. A Curious Menagerie would be a great book to use as a story starter with kids. For example, write me a story about a gaze of raccoons. The illustrations are colorful and interesting. My favorites are a tower of giraffes, a flamboyance of flamingos, and a barrel of monkeys.

Themes: Animals, Names, Elementary

(Greenwillow, 2019.)

Old MacDonald Had a Boat by Steve Goetz

In this sequel to Old MacDonald Had a Truck, the farmer and his wife are doing a little building with all sorts of tools and help from the farm animals.

Thoughts: Just as fun to read as the first book. Some day I'd like to read these together making them the focus of a storytime. This is a great book to share during a summer or construction themed storytime. Again, it would be nice to read the book right through to the kids and then go back and focus on the pictures.

Themes: Boats, Construction, Summer, Farm

(Illustrated by Eda Kaban. Chronicle Books, 2018.)