60. I Am Small by Emma Dodd

Bibliographic Citation:
Dodd, Emma. I Am Small. New York, NY: Cartwheel Books, 2011. 24 p. ISBN 978-0545353700.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
A baby penguin feels small among the great, big world around him. His size doesn't matter anymore after he is snuggled up with his mom.

Personal Reaction:
This sweet, rhyming story is told from the perspective of a baby penguin who realizes what a small part of the world he is. The baby penguin tries to keep up with other bigger penguins who are sliding and swimming, and then he notices how vast the sky is, and how truly little he is. The baby penguin finds his mother at last, and is okay being small in comparison to the world, as long as he knows that he is the biggest thing to his mother.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 18 months-3 years of age.

Themes/Issues:
Self-image, size, the world around us, love, feeling important, positional words

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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


Narrative Skills: 
Children are encourage to participate in the narration of this story through the repetition of the title phrase, "I am small". The illustrations also provide the opportunity for dialogic reading discussion between the reader and children listeners of the story.

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


Print Awareness:
Print awareness is fostered through descriptive words that are printed in large text on each page. 


Print Motivation: 
Young children will identify with the baby penguin in the story. The use of a cute penguin and silver, metallic accents draw the attention of young children, who will enjoy reading this book with an adult, or looking at the pictures by themselves. 

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book represent descriptive words which portray the concepts of size, position, and emotions.



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

59. The House in the Night by Susan Marie Swanson

Bibliographic Citation:
Swanson, Susan Marie. The House in the Night. Illustrated by Beth Krommes. New York, NY: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2008. 40 p. ISBN 978-0618862443.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Caldecott Medal, 2009
Booklist Starred Review
School Library Journal Starred Review
Kirkus Reviews Starred Review
Publishers Weekly Starred Review

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Simple text combines with black, white, and gold illustrations that tell the story of a cozy house from sundown to bedtime.

Personal Reaction:
The use of black and white scratchboard art is combined with golden accents to portray a house as night comes. The text is simple and builds upon itself in a circular fashion. From a golden key, the reader enters the house with a child and her parents, and begins the nightly ritual of preparing for bed. The beauty of the night sky outside the house is shown through the illustrations, as well. The moon and the stars provide light inside the house as the child sleeps, and different aspects of life are highlighted in gold to symbolize the different things within the house that provide "light" to life.

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

Themes/Issues:
Nighttime, light, home, bedtime, sleeping

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 narration of this story through simple text that builds upon itself in a circular pattern.


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


Print Awareness:
The text is represented in simple, black font which appears in the white spaces on each page. This simple method draws the eye to the printed text.
   

Print Motivation: 
The beauty of this book invites children to look for details on each page, and encourages children to revisit the book. This is a book that children will enjoy reading together with parents as part of their own bedtime routine.

Vocabulary:
The vocabulary in this book represents bedtime rituals and the beauty of nighttime.



Author/ Illustrator Website:
Author website: http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/aifolder/aipages/ai_s/swanson.html
Illustrator website: http://www.bethkrommes.com/

23. Olivia by Ian Falconer

Bibliographic Citation:
Falconer, Ian. Olivia. New York, NY: Antheneum Books for Young Readers, 2000. 40 p. ISBN 978-0689829536.

Awards/Selection Lists:
Caldecott Honor, 2001
Children's Illustrated Winner, 2001
ALA Notable Children's Book, 2001

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
Olivia is a precocious pig who knows what she likes, and what she doesn't. Olivia's abundance of energy often gets her into trouble, but her family continues to love her anyway. 

Personal Reaction:
Olivia is a four-year-old pig, who enjoys doing 4-year-old things. Her spunky attitude and love of life bring this story to life. The illustrations all appear in shades of black, white, and red, drawing attention to the most important parts of the page.While Olivia spends much of her story in trouble, the details of her day to day life, and her desire to enjoy life, make it so the reader cannot help but to pull for her, and so that children can't help but love her.

Age Recommendation:
I would recommend this book for children 4-6 years of age.

Themes/Issues:

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Narrative skills are modeled through the text of the story, and through dialogic reading (asking children to predict what will happen next, why things happen in the story, etc.)

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

Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a small, simple, black font throughout the book, and is support through the illustrations. 

Print Motivation: 
Olivia is a likable character, which encourages children to want to read this book again and again.

Vocabulary:
New words such as: "prepared" and "bask" are paired with familiar words and phrases. A phrase that appears in this book repeatedly is that Olivia "wears" her mother out. This may be a n unfamiliar phrase for younger children before listening to this story.  



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

9. Kitten's First Full Moon by Kevin Henkes

Bibliographic Citation:

Henkes, Kevin. Kitten's First Full Moon. New York, NY: Greenwillow Books, 2004. 40p. ISBN 978-0060588281

Awards/Selection Lists:

Caldecott Medal
ALA Notable Children’s Book
Charlotte Zolotow Award
Booklist Editors’ Choice
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books Blue Ribbon
Kirkus Reviews Editors’ Choice
Publishers Weekly Best Book
School Library Journal Best Book
New York Times Best Illustrated Book
Book Sense Top Ten Pick

Format Examined:

Hardcover

Annotation:

A little white kitten mistakes the moon for a big bowl of milk.

Personal Reaction:

An adorable white kitten sees the big, round moon in the sky and thinks that it is a bowl of milk. The kitten tries to lap it up, but cannot seem to reach it. Through a humorous progression of events, the kitten continues to "chase" the big bowl of milk, but cannot succeed in her quest. In the end, the kitten is rewarded with a real bowl of milk at home. The simplicity of the text paired with the black and white illustrations bring the story to life. The expressions on the kitten's face will make children chuckle. This book is a charming story that makes a perfect bedtime book for parents and children to share for many nights to come.

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

Themes/Issues:

Patience, nighttime, humor



Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
The repeated text, "Poor kitten" invite children to take part in telling the story as it becomes more familiar to them. The simple illustrations encourage children to retell the story in their own words.

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

Print Awareness:
The simplicity of the illustrations and bold black text on a white background calls attention to the text of the book as the story is told.

Print Motivation: 
This book tells a sweet and simple story which is perfect as a bedtime story. Children will also pick up this book to "read" on their own with simple illustrations to help them retell the story themselves.

Vocabulary:
This book prompts discussion between the reader and the listener as the kitten seeks the bowl of milk. One area of vocabulary that could be an area of focus is in defining the kittens expressions as she continues to meet new obstacles along the way.

Author/ Illustrator Website:

http://www.kevinhenkes.com.php5-25.dfw1-2.websitetestlink.com/