75. The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Bibliographic Citation:
Diesen, Deborah. The Pout-Pout Fish. Illustrated by Dan Hanna. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2008. ISBN 978-0374360962. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
Time Magazine's Top 10 Childrens’ Books of 2008

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
The Pout-Pout Fish moves around the ocean with a pout on his face, and thinks it's his job to be dreary, until he learns a new lesson about the pout on his face.

Personal Reaction:
This book reveals that sometimes the things that might not seem so great about ourselves can turn out to give a lot of joy to others. The fish in this story was born with a pout, and so he thinks that it is his job to "spread the dreary wearies" all around the ocean. He meets other animals in the ocean as he swims along and they each try to cheer him up. It's not until he meets a fish who kisses him at the end of the book that he realizes that his pout can actually spread love and joy if he uses it for sharing love. 

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Grumpiness, self-acceptance, change of attitude, ocean life, love

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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


Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to participate in the telling of the story through the rhyming text and the repeated refrain, "blub, blub, blub".


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is addressed through rhyming, rhythmic text and alliteration.


Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a small, simple font in the empty space in the illustrations.



Print Motivation: 
This is a fun story that children will enjoy hearing and participating in through the rhymes and sound effects that are a part of the text. The illustrations are cartoon-like, and invite children to enjoy the pictures as the story is read, or enjoy them on their own.


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book is centered around different types of creations found in the ocean, as well as the moods of the Pout-Pout Fish.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://deborahdiesen.com/
Illustrator website: http://www.bluebellylizard.com/index.html

72. Buzz Buzz (Audio CD) by Laurie Berkner

Bibliographic Citation:
Berkner, Laurie. (1998). Buzz Buzz [CD]. New York, NY: Two Tomatoes Records, LLC.

Awards/Selection Lists:

None

Format Examined:
Audio music CD

Annotation:
A combination of original and traditional songs which inspire imagination, rhyme, rhythm and movement for preschool children through a combination of guitar-backed and a capella recordings.

Personal Reaction:
This music CD incorporates alliteration, rhyming, and songs that encourage movement and participation. The songs are catchy, with some familiar traditional songs. Some of the original songs encourage the use of musical instruments, and learning is tucked into the lyrics through sounds and actions.

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

Themes/Issues:
Music, movement, rhythm, rhyming, imagination, instruments

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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


Narrative Skills:
The songs on this CD all encourage participation, and many of the songs tell story through their lyrics, such as "The Pretzel Store", "Pig on Her Head", and "Lots of Little Pigs".


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is embedded within lyrics through rhyming words and alliteration.


Print Awareness:
Print awareness is not a direct focus of this CD.


Print Motivation: 
The songs on this CD can be directly linked to children's books in order to encourage literacy and reading. One example is the song, "Lots of Pigs" is modeled after the classic children's story, "The Three Pigs".


Vocabulary:
Vocabulary included in the lyrics of this CD are based on preschool concepts such as positional words, rhyming, alliteration, and traditional songs.



Author/ Artist Website:
http://www.laurieberkner.com/index.php

71. No Two Alike by Keith Baker

Bibliographic Citation:
Baker, Keith. No Two Alike. New York, NY: Beach Lane Books, 2011. 40 p. ISBN 978-1442417427.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Booklist, Starred Review

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Two red birds play in the snow as rhyming text describes how snowflakes, nature, and people are all unique. 

Personal Reaction:
Individuality is represented through this story of two red birds who play together among the falling snow. Rhyming text describes how different the birds are from one another, as well as how snowflakes are each different, as are people and parts of nature. 

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 3-6 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Individuality, winter, birds

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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


Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are modeled through the rhyming text being read aloud.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is presented through rhyming, rhythmic text.


Print Awareness:
The text on the pages appears in small, black print on light blue and white backgrounds within the illustrations. 


Print Motivation: 
The gentle, rhyming text reads almost like a poem, and the digitally produced images provide often humorous illustrations for children to enjoy with an adult or on their own.  

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary deals with things seen in winter, as well as individuality, in nature and among people.



Author/ Illustrator Website:

http://www.keithbakerbooks.com/ 

70. The Biggest Kiss by Joanna Walsh

Bibliographic Citation:

Walsh, Joanna. The Biggest Kiss. Illustrated by Judi Abbot. New York, NY: Simon and Schuster, 2011. 32p. ISBN 978-1-4424-27693

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Different kisses for different animals are represented through rhyming text and colorful illustrations.

Personal Reaction:
The smallest ant and the biggest elephant all receive kisses. The rhyming text of this story about different types of kisses for different animals is combined with lively illustrations, which young children will enjoy. The rhyming format changes throughout the book, which makes the text read like a song at times.

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

Themes/Issues:
Parents, children, love, animals, rhyming, alliteration 

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills:
The rhyming text invites children to help recite the story along with the reader as they become familiar with the words.

Phonological Awareness:
Phonological awareness is fostered through rhyming text, alliteration, and phrases, which are sometimes represented within the inside of the sentence's structure, while other times it is presented as end rhyme.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story appears in various font sizes, with the word "kiss" appearing in bold print.

Print Motivation:
The whimsy of the illustrations and the fun of the rhyming text make this a book that children will enjoy reading together with an adult.

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary of this book deals with different animals, sizes, and uses some nonsense words within the rhymes and alliteration that is presented.

Author/ Illustrator Website:

Illustrator website: http://www.giudiimages.it/

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/

51. Chocolate Me! by Taye Diggs

Bibliographic Citation:
Diggs, Taye. Chocolate Me! Illustrated by Shane Evans. New York, NY: Feiwel and Friends, 2011. 36 p. ISBN 978-0-312-60326-7. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
This book, through the story of a young, African American child, represents differences in race, accepting one's own identity, and accepting others' for who they are.

Personal Reaction:

The combination of the rhyming text with the description of the child's skin color as "chocolate" from his own perspective offers a little levity to a serious issue.  Children who might feel different from other children around them will identify with the main character in this book. The ending of the story demonstrates how our differences can be a positive thing.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-7 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Diversity, self-acceptance, self-esteem, self-identity

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Children are invited to become part of the narration of the story through the repetition of the title throughout the book, as well as through the rhyming text.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is demonstrated in this book through rhyming phrases that are a part of the story.

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed on each page in spaces that are open of illustrations. The color of the font is changed on pages where the print may be more difficult to see. The repeated phrase, which is also the title of the book, "Chocolate me" is printed in brown, larger text, drawing attention to the words each time.

Print Motivation: 
The rhythmic, rhyming text of this book make it a fun read. The method of telling the story from the perspective of a young African American child  who feels different from other children in his community provides a realistic view of the way that a young child might feel, and children who identify with this character will enjoy reading this book.  

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary in this book deals with skin color, physical attributes, and self-acceptance. 



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://chocolatemetoo.com/

46. About a Bear by Holly Surplice

Bibliographic Citation:
Surplice, Holly. About a Bear. Wilton, CT: Tiger Tales, 2012. 32 p. ISBN 978-1-58925-112-0.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:

Bears can be a lot of things, from happy to sad, and from hungry to sleepy, and many things in between.

Personal Reaction:

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

Themes/Issues:

Emotions, characteristics, friendship

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Rhyming, simple lines of text match the colorful illustrations of the story in a way that encourages children to become involved in the narration as they become familiar with the text.

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is addressed through the rhythmic, rhyming text of the book.

Print Awareness:
The written text is matched up within the illustrations on each page, drawing attention to the fact that the words on the page match what is happening in the story as the words are read aloud.


Print Motivation: 
The bright, vivid colors that are used in the illustrations of a cute bear and his friends match the simple, rhyming words well. This book is fun and quick to read, and portrays a happy ending among animal friends of the forest.  

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary used in this book is used to tell about the qualities of all the things a bear might be.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
http://hollysurplice.blogspot.com/

43. Dancing Feet by Lindsay Craig

Bibliographic Citation:
Craig, Lindsay. Dancing Feet!. Illustrated by Marc Brown. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company, 2010. 40 p. ISBN 978-0375861819.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Gold Winner, National Parenting Publications Awards, 2010
Winner of the Best Books for Babies (Fred Rogers Company), 2011
Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Children are prompted to predict which animals are dancing as the text and illustrations provide  clues.  

Personal Reaction:
Rhythmic, rhyming text accompanies collage art to provide clues about animals dancing on the floor. The rhythm of the text encourages movement by listeners, while the artwork provides fun visual to each of the animals.

Age Recommendation: 
I would recommend this book for children 2-4 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Rhythm, rhyme, dancing, clues, predicting

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
The rhythmic text and lively collage artwork creates an opportunity for children to participate in the telling of the story throughout the book, as well as make predictions about what animals they think might be coming next.

Phonological Awareness: 
The sounds that different animals make while dancing are represented by silly words that represent the sounds (such as "stompity"). Rhyming text also promotes phonological awareness.

Print Awareness:
Text appears in a dark, kid-friendly, large font on each page. The text becomes part of the graphics on the page, as well.

Print Motivation: 
This book provides a fun, interactive experience that children will enjoy as a group or one-on-one.

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book is connected to rhythms, beat, and animals dancing in the story.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
No official website

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

35. Edward Lear's A Was Once an Apple Pie, Adapted by Suse MacDonald

Bibliographic Citation:

Lear, Edward and Suse MacDonald. A Was Once an Apple Pie. New York, NY: Orchard Books, 2005. 32 p. ISBN 978-0-545-00547-0.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Paperback

Annotation:

The alphabet is presented from A-Z through rhyme, alliteration, and colorful illustrations.

Personal Reaction:

This concept book focuses on letter knowledge through silly, rhyming text and uses alliteration to promote phonological awareness,

Age Recommendation:

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

Themes/Issues:
Alphabet order, rhyme, alliteration

Early Literacy Skill Value:

Letter Knowledge: 
Large, colorful letters are presented in alphabetical order and are accompanied by illustrations that represent each letter.

Narrative Skills: 
Silly, rhyming text that includes alliteration makes this a fun book for children to help narrate as they become familiar with the book.

Phonological Awareness: 
Alliteration and rhyming support the sounds of each of the letters of the alphabet.

Print Awareness:
Each of the letters of the alphabet are printed in large, colorful print, and accompanied by text that is in simple, black font on each page. This book is very print driven, and supported well by the illustrations.

Print Motivation: 
This book, with its silly text encourages children to become involved, and as they learn the letters of the alphabet, this book is one they will enjoy revisiting.

Vocabulary:
Words that support each of the letters are part of the text on each page, and offer children the opportunity to learn new words.

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

29. I Love You As Much... by Laura Krauss Melmed

Bibliographic Citation:

Krauss Melmed, Laura. I Love You As Much.... Illustrated by Henri Sorensen. New York, NY: Tupelo Books, 1993. 22 p. ISBN 978-0688159788.

Awards/Selection Lists:

None

Format Examined:
Board book

Annotation:

A mother expresses her love for her baby through rhyming text that compares her love to the love that different animal mothers have for their children. 

Personal Reaction:

Beautiful painted illustrations accompany a lullaby-type story that a mother shares with her baby as the baby drifts off to sleep. The text is written in rhyme that is poetry-like, and is accompanied by soft, painted illustrations that look like mini portraits on each page. This book makes a nice bedtime book for a parent to read to their child.

Age Recommendation:

I would recommend this book for children 12 months to 4 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Bedtime, parent-child love, animals, motherhood

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Older children will be able to take part in naming the types of animals, and after hearing the story many times, should be able to help recite the rhyming text.

Phonological Awareness: 
The rhythm of the rhyming text supports phonological awareness.

Print Awareness:
The text is printed in spaces that do not take away from the illustrations; however, the font is also small, light, and ornate, making it more difficult for children to connect to the words of the story as they are read to them. 

Print Motivation: 
This book, with its sweet text and beautiful illustrations would be a book that children might choose over and over at bedtime. 

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary includes animal names, and words that each animal uses to describe their love. Young children may learn new words associated with each animal's description. 



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.laurakraussmelmed.com/
No official illustrator website

25. My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss

Bibliographic Citation: 
Seuss. My Many Colored Days. Illustrated by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher. New York, NY: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 1996. 40 p. ISBN 978-0679875970. 

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Different colors are used to describe different emotions that are felt by the narrator of this non-traditional Seuss book.

Personal Reaction:
The text of this Dr. Seuss book lay in wait for a color artist to illustrate it for more than 20 years. While the text of the book rhymes, as do most of Dr. Seuss' books, the subject matter has more of a serious tone, and the rhythm does not follow Seuss' typical style. The soft, chalk-like illustrations each work well to portray the emotions that are personified by each of ten different colors.  

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

Themes/Issues:
Colors, emotions, rhyming text

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are encouraged through rhyming text and familiar objects that are included in the illustrations to reinforce color identification. 

Phonological Awareness: 
Letter sounds are highlighted through rhyming words and words that are written to symbolize sounds, such as "Wheeeeeeeeeee" and "WHAM!".

Print Awareness:
Words are written in different font types, sizes, and changing boldness to show how the text should be read to match the different colors and the corresponding emotions.

Print Motivation: 
Attention is drawn to text that changes with each page of colorful illustrations through different fonts and sizes of text. This print method encourages a child's interest in print. 

Vocabulary:
Words portraying different emotions and colors are introduced through rhyming text.

Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.seussville.com/
Illustrators' website: http://www.johnsonandfancher.com/