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Subject Topic: Jan blahs picture book ideas, please. Post ReplyPost New Topic
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SaraP
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Posted: Jan 18 2011 at 2:35pm | IP Logged Quote SaraP

Would anyone be kind enough to suggest a picture book topic for my 5yo DD and me?

We've finished all of our Epiphany books.

I don't feel like reading winter-themed ones for some reason.

The older kids and I are heading into the War of the Roses/Henry VIII/Reformation period in history and I doubt I can find many picture books related to those topics (we've already done the ones related to the high middle ages).

Blah, blah, blah. Blah. (It's January, what can I say. )

Ideas? What have been your favorite picture book topics or themes?

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JodieLyn
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Posted: Jan 18 2011 at 2:53pm | IP Logged Quote JodieLyn

You know, when winter gets to be "too much" it's sometimes fun to ditch it for spring or summer fun stuff.

I've even been know to stoke up the wood stove.. and make the house rather on the hot side adn put on short sleeves and play Jimmy Buffet and dance around with the kids.. beach party in the middle of winter



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SeaStar
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Posted: Jan 18 2011 at 8:38pm | IP Logged Quote SeaStar

All the Fancy Nancy books are fun; there are quite a few now, and Nancy can surely pull you out of the blahs. Not great lit, but so much fun!

How about going off on a food binge, starting with A Pie Went By (so much fun to read out loud), then Blueberries for Sal, Cook-A-Doodle Doo,
The Gingerbread Baby, How to Make an Apple Pie and See the World, The Apple Pie Tree, To Market, To Market, Dinner at the Panda Palace, Farm Flu (not exactly food but lots of eating going on and a fun one), Who Took the Cookies From the Cookie Jar, If You Give a Pig a Pancake....

You can have lots of fun chasing down food books and maybe even trying some recipes to chase away the winter blahs.



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JennGM
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Posted: Jan 19 2011 at 10:06am | IP Logged Quote JennGM

Winter books
Mitten books
Gingerbread story books

How about Little House in the Big Woods? Read through those Little House Picture Books.

Often I get books about books for lists and ideas to start us off. FIAR, Before FIAR, Teaching Art with Books Kids Love, Books Children Love: A Guide to the Best Children's Literature, A Picture Perfect Childhood....

Another thing we like is to do author "studies". Basically we pick an author or illustrator that interests us and check out all the books by the author. Then we will go on little trails if we know a book is a remake or other versions by other authors or illustrators.

This is a time when people start planning their gardens and go through seed catalogs. How about doing Linea books (Linnea in Monet's Garden, Linnea's Windowsill Garden, Linnea's Almanac) and do some of the suggestions there. Then you can take that on a seed trail. Then how about a Claude Monet trail -- his paintings just evoke the lush gardens that we miss during the cold of winter!

Oh, and for loads of inspiration, go through the thread of Picture book Game that MaryM started. I have a spreadsheet here.

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JennGM
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Posted: Jan 19 2011 at 10:06am | IP Logged Quote JennGM

Oops, sorry, somehow I missed not wanting to read winter themes!

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MaryM
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Posted: Jan 19 2011 at 2:27pm | IP Logged Quote MaryM

Well are you looking for another seasonal/holiday type theme (except winter )? A history topic since that was mentioned? Or just anything?

The mention of the gingerbread boy and Cock-a-Doodle Doo (which is a play on Little Red Hen) are right up there for a favorite study we loved to do with the younger ones - finding and reading lots of variations and spoofs on a particular fairy tale or folk tale/legend.   I love, love, love this - it is so much fun.

Examples for topics:
Gingerbread Boy
Goldilocks and the Three Bears
The Three Little Pigs
Cinderella
The Little Red Hen
Jack and the Bean Stalk
Johnny Appleseed
John Henry
etc...

We've also done AESOP'S FABLES that way...tons of Tortoise and the Hare variations, as well as others.


TRANSPORTATION (or limit to a particular mode like AVIATION or TRAINS/RAILROADS - there are so many great picture books on those topics)

Of course BASEBALL is a favorite theme for picture books here - lots of other sports as well are easy to do. Though with a little girl maybe something like DANCE or DOLLS would be more enjoyable. Great books on both those topics.

Every January we do COWBOYS/OLD WEST or FARMING/AGRICULTURE because of the annual National Western Stock Show here.

LOVE and/or FRIENDSHIP stories - good with the approaching Valentine Day connection.

February is Black History month and January is MLK birthday so AFRICAN AMERICAN history or biography is another option.

Melinda mentioned in another thread they are doing ASTRONOMY/STARS - very good choice.

Other science topics:
WEATHER
CHANGING SEASONS - Increasing Daylight (we've done this to go along with Journey North project)
Or animals: DOGS, CATS or a good one for this time of year is BIRDS (Since they may be very abundant at feeders and migration is a great winter study as we prepare for the return of those birds that flew south.)
...or any other animal (or family of animals) of interest

....and that's just to get started

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MaryM
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Posted: Jan 19 2011 at 3:13pm | IP Logged Quote MaryM

February also has President's Day - lots of great LINCOLN or WASHINGTON picture books.

And a really fun thread I remember for LIGHTHOUSES

Don't forget the great picture book thread index that Melinda and Stef compiled - lots of ideas there.




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CrunchyMom
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Posted: Jan 19 2011 at 4:41pm | IP Logged Quote CrunchyMom

Are there any series of picture books you haven't gotten yet? My boys love the Brambly Hedge books, and they are really nice and snuggly to cozy up to for winter days. There is one for "winter" but there are tons of others for the different seasons as well as some other adventures.

If you haven't done all of Beatrix Potter (there are some that are harder to find but still really delightful), that's an option.

I'm trying to think of non-wintery books that are cheery but would go well with a mug of hot tea That sounds to me like what you might be looking for?

Maybe Winnie the Pooh if you haven't read it already?

Do you do chapter books, yet? At that age, my boys really like the My Father's Dragon series which has some fun pictures but is a good transition from picture to chapter books. Very fun!

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SaraP
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Posted: Jan 22 2011 at 11:03am | IP Logged Quote SaraP

Lots of great ideas . . . thank you!

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