68. One Two That's My Shoe! by Alison Murray

Bibliographic Citation:
Murray, Alison. One Two That's My Shoe. New York, NY: Hyperion Books, 2012. 32 p. ISBN 978-1423143291.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This concept book presents counting to ten through a familiar children's rhyme.

Personal Reaction:

Using the basic format of the classic children's rhyme, "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe", this book presents counting to ten as a dog runs off with a girl's shoe. The illustrations are old-fashioned, matching the old rhyme that the text is based on.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 2-5 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Counting, rhyme, play

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Numbers are presented in numeral and written word form.


Narrative Skills: 
This book follows the same format as the classic children's rhyme "One, Two, Buckle My Shoe". Children will be encouraged to participate in the narration of this story through the simple, rhyming text.


Phonological Awareness: 
The rhyming text promotes phonological awareness.


Print Awareness:
The numerals are printed in large, thick font that is centered inside a squares, and accompanied by written number words. The rhyming text of the story is printed in bold, navy blue font in empty spaces within the illustrations. 


Print Motivation: 
The familiar, rhyming text invites children to recite the words of the story, as well as count. The old-fashioned illustrations are also fun to explore.


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this story deals with counting to ten and telling the story of a dog who runs off with a girl's shoe. The end of the story presents word play between the word "shooo" and "shoe" as the girl shoos away a chicken as the dog holds her shoe.



Author/ Illustrator Website:

http://alisonmurray.net/

64. Go, Go, Grapes: A Fruit Chant by April Pulley Sayre

Bibliographic Citation:
Sayre, April Pulley. Go, Go, Grapes!: A Fruit Chant. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2012. 32 p. ISBN 978-1442433908.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This book showcases different types of fruits through photographs taken at farmer's markets, small grocery stores, and fruit stands. 

Personal Reaction:
Rhyming text is presented alongside photographs to identify different types of fruit. The rhythmic text describes the attributes of the various fruits in the pictures, including color, taste, and texture.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Fruits, colors, textures, taste, nonfiction

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.


Narrative Skills: 
The narrative, rhythmic text invites children to participate in reading the story. Dialogic reading would also offer children the opportunity to identify fruit in the accompanying photographs.

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is presented through rhyming text and alliteration.

Print Awareness:
Text appears in white font against colorful backgrounds, which draws attention to the printed words of the book.


Print Motivation: 
Children will enjoy the colorful pages and photographs included in this book. The rhyming text is presented in fun, rhythmic way that will have children jumping in as the story is read.


Vocabulary:
Vocabulary presented in this book is focused around different types of fruit and the way they look, feel, and taste. Children will be presented with the identification of new types of fruit.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://www.aprilsayre.com/

40. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by by Eric Litwin

Bibliographic Citation:
Litwin, Eric. Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons. Illustrated by James Dean. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 2012. 40 p. ISBN 978-0062110589.

Awards/Selection Lists:

Theodore Seuss Geisel Honor, 2013

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:

Pete the Cat returns in this book about his four groovy buttons, which he loses one by one, but he keeps his cool throughout the entire book.

Personal Reaction:
Pete the Cat's attitude about life teaches many lessons for children in a very cool way. Using a combination of rhyme (or song, if you download it), and everyday language, Pete teaches that "things will come and things will go", but that we should keep on going with a positive attitude. This book also embeds subtraction of buttons throughout the story.  

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 3-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Losing things, positive attitude, subtraction

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills: 
Through the use of rhyming text/song, repeated lines, and math, children are invited to become a direct part of telling the story.

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is not a direct focus of this book.

Print Awareness:
While the actual text of the story is printed in small text, which is not easily seen in a group atmosphere, the numbers included in the subtraction of the buttons is easily seen.

Print Motivation: 
This book is a wonderful book for print motivation, as the song/chant is fun, hip, and easy for children to participate in, and Pete the Cat is a likable character with a contagious positive attitude. 

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary pertaining to subtraction (minus and equals) are presented within the text of the story. Other everyday language is used, including common slang phrases, such as "it's all good".



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.ericlitwin.com/#!
Illustrator website: http://www.petethecat.com/about

8. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault

Bibliographic Citation:

Martin, Jr., Bill and Archambault, John. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Illustrated by Lois Ehlert. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 1989. ISBN 0-590-43889-1  

Awards/Selection Lists:
ALA Notable Children's Books, 1989
Boston Globe/Horn Book Honor Book, 1990
Horn Book Starred Review, 1990
Booklist Starred Review, 1990
International Reading Association Children's Choices, 1990
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 1991
Parents' Choice Award, 2003 

Format Examined:

Paperback

Annotation:

All the letters of the alphabet race to the top of a coconut tree until the tree bends and the letters fall to the ground. 

Personal Reaction:

This fun, colorful book is full of rhythm and rhyme to teach children letter names. The boldface text draws attention to uppercase letters as the colorful lowercase letters inch their way up the coconut tree-- until they become too heavy, and down the letters fall. This book is a classic that will continue to please children and parents alike for years to come.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for children 3-5 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Letters, rhythm, rhyme, uppercase letters and lowercase letters

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge:
This book centers around naming letters in alphabetical order. The lowercase letters are represented within the illustrations in color, and the uppercase letters are printed in bold within the text. These factors all work together to help the child recognize the letters on each page, and also provide the opportunity for children to match upper and lowercase letters. 

Narrative Skills:
The rhythm and rhyme of this book allows children to participate in reciting the text as becomes familiar.

Phonological Awareness:
While letters are the focus of this book, the sounds that are made by the letters in the story are not mentioned. 

Print Awareness:
The illustrations include print through the colorful letters of the alphabet. The letters that are named throughout the text are in bold and the words "BOOM! BOOM!" are in all caps to emphasize the print. The characteristics draw attention to the printed text on each page.

Print Motivation: 
The rhythm and rhyme of the text combined with colorful illustrations make this book a fun choice that children enjoy reading over and over. 

Vocabulary:
Rhythm words are introduced along with alliteration ("skit skat skoodle doot" and "flip flop flee"). Directional words such as up and top are included within the text.  


Author/ Illustrator Websites:
Author websites: 
John Archambault: http://www.johnarchambault.com/ 
Bill Martin, Jr.: http://www.billmartinjr.com/

 Illustrator Website:
 Lois Ehlert: http://authors.simonandschuster.com/Lois-Ehlert/1877089 

5. We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Bibliographic Citation: Rosen, Michael. We're Going on a Bear Hunt. Illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. New York, NY: Mararet K. McElderry Book, 1989. 36 p. ISBN 978-0689716539 

Awards/Selection Lists:

The Horn Book Fanfare Title, 1990
School Library Journal Best Book of the Year, 1990
Boston Globe-Horn Book Honor Award

Format Examined:

Hardcover

Annotation:

A father takes his children and their dog on a bear hunt through tall grass, a river, mud, a forest, and end up in a cave with a bear.

Personal Reaction:

This classic picture book is written more like a chant than a book, which is what makes children want to hear it read over and over again. The listener goes on an adventure with the family to look for a bear. Along the way, they encounter obstacles, such as tall, wavy grass. The reader chants, "We can't go over it. We can't go under it", to which the decision is made that the family (and all the listeners, too) will have to go through it. The text on the following page mimics the sound that tall, wavy grass would make if a family were to walk through it. After the family gets through the grass, the next adventures include wading across a river, trudging through the mud, traveling through a dark, scary forest, and at last, coming to a cave. The family tiptoes into the cave, where they find "one shiny wet nose, two big furry ears, and two big goggly eyes", which is believed to be a bear! The text takes the family back through each obstacle quickly with complete sound effects, until the family arrives safely at home and hides in bed. The illustrations alternate between pencil sketches and water colored art. Color is used to identify the sound effects as the family makes their way through an obstacle. This book enables children to go on a "scary" adventure through the safety of written words and their imagination.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for children 2-5 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Adventure, nature, sequence, sounds

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge:
Letter knowledge is not a direct focus of this book.

Narrative Skills:
Children take part in the telling of this story through chanting the words on the page, and making the sound effects for each obstacle along the characters' journey.

Phonological Awareness:
Sound effects are woven into the text of the story, giving the audience the opportunity to become a part of the story through making the sounds that match the text.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is written in simple sentences with black and white sketches. The sound effects that are made while the characters go through various obstacles are written in three lines of text that grow larger in size on each new line. Sound effect pages are accompanied by water-colored illustrations meant to draw attention to the fact that it is time for audience participation.   

Print Motivation:
Adventure and sounds make this book come to life, as it inspires imagination, thought, and reading. 

Vocabulary:

New sound words are introduced throughout this book, as well as positional words, such as over, under, around, and through. 

Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author, Michael Rosen's website: http://www.michaelrosen.co.uk/index.html
No Illustrator's website.