58. Hide and Snake by Keith Baker

Bibliographic Citation:
Baker, Keith. Hide and Snake. New York, NY: Harcourt, Inc., 1991. 40 p. ISBN 978-0152339869.

Awards/Selection Lists:
None

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
A colorful snake hides among many different brightly colored objects, inviting the reader to find him. 

Personal Reaction:
Keith Baker's vivid illustrations are paired with simple text to encourage children to seek out the snake on each page. Children become part of the story through hunting for the snake, and are encouraged to help narrate the story through its simple plot.

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

Themes/Issues:
Hiding, camouflage, snakes, garden

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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


Narrative Skills: 
Children are encouraged to help narrate the story through finding the snake and guessing where he might be next.


Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is highlighted through the rhyming text of the story.


Print Awareness:
The text of the story is printed in a large, simple font, dancing along the edge of the illustrations of each page. This fun way of incorporating the text draws attention to the words as they correspond with the pictures.

Print Motivation: 
This simple story, with bright illustrations, and rhyming text is fun to read and to listen to. It also provides a game of hide and seek that will engage children.


Vocabulary:
The vocabulary is centered around the things that snake hides among, and includes familiar words for young children. 



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

57. Feathers for Lunch by Lois Ehlert

Bibliographic Citation:
Ehlert, Lois. Feathers for Lunch. San Diego, CA: Harcourt Brace, 1990. 40p. ISBN 0-15-230550-5.

Awards/Selection Lists:
The Horn Book Fanfare Best Book, 1991

Format Examined:
Hard cover

Annotation:
A cat sneaks out and attempts to catch different types of birds for lunch, until he is caught by his owner.

Personal Reaction:
Text is interwoven into the illustrations on each page in order to identify flowers and birds through the story of a cat that sneaks out and is hunting for a bird for lunch. The cat misses each time, only getting a mouth full of feathers. The story ends with the cat being caught by his owner.

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

Themes/Issues:
Cat, bird identification, types of flowers

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 this book about a cat hunting different types of birds. Children are invited to participate in the naming of types of birds as well as flowers identified in the story.

Phonological Awareness: 
Phonological awareness is represented through the sound of the cat's bell ringing and bird calls throughout the book. Rhyming text also fosters phonological awareness. 

Print Awareness:
Birds and flowers are identified through small text printed in various colors along the edge of the corresponding illustration.

Print Motivation: 
This book identifies birds and flowers in a fun way that combines collage and text. Children will enjoy revisiting this book and exploring types of birds and flowers. 

Vocabulary:
Vocabulary connected to bird and flower names is embedded on each page through small text printed around corresponding illustrations. A brief glossary of bird names is included at the end of the book.

Author/ Illustrator Website:
No official website

               

21. Growing Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert

Bibliographic Citation:
Ehlert, Lois. Growing Vegetable Soup. New York, NY: Voyager Books, 1987. 32 p. ISBN 978-0152325800.

Awards/Selection Lists:

Parents' Choice Gold Award

Format Examined:

Paperback

Annotation:

A father and child grow a garden of vegetables that become ingredients for vegetable soup.

Personal Reaction:
Colorful collage art is used to represent vegetables that are grown in a garden by a father and child. Each step of gardening, including planting seeds, watering, weeding, and picking/digging up vegetables is represented. Each type of plant is labeled in small print, as well as each tool. The story ends with the father and child going through each step to make a vegetable soup with the vegetables which they have grown.  A recipe for vegetable soup is included on the back cover of the book. 

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

Themes/Issues:

Vegetables, growing seeds, gardening, patience/waiting, food

Early Literacy Skill Value:

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

Narrative Skills: 
Children can be encouraged to help tell the story as they view the illustrations for each step that is needed to grow vegetables. 

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

Print Awareness:
Simple text is represented by large, black print on the top of pages. Tools, plants, vegetables, and other objects are also labeled with small, black print on each page. This can be used to encourage children to notice print and how it connects to the story. 

Print Motivation: 
When children are encouraged to name objects represented by illustrations and text within the book, they will enjoy being a part of telling the story. Revisiting the story through growing vegetables and/or making the vegetable soup with the recipe on the back of the book can also encourage children to revisit this book. 

Vocabulary:
The names of tools, plants, vegetables, and other objects are represented by illustrations, and are labeled with corresponding words to help children learn the names of titles of the things represented on the pages.

Author/ Illustrator Website:

No official author website