April Wilson's Magpie Magic


Book Description

In this unique approach to teaching colors, the illustrations appear to be drawn by a set of young hands, until the sketched bird takes flight off the page and plays with each subsequently drawn object.




April Wilson's Magpie Magic


Book Description




Wonderfully Wordless


Book Description

Wonderfully Wordless: The 500 Most Recommended Graphic Novels and Picture Books is the first comprehensive best book guide to wordless picture books (and nearly wordless picture books). It is an indispensable resource for parents and teachers who love graphic storytelling or who recognize the value of these exceptional books in working with different types of students, particularly preschool, English as a Second Language (ESL), and special needs, and creative writers. Every age group will benefit from Wonderfully Wordless, from babies and toddlers encountering their first books, to elementary age children captivated by the popular fantasy and adventure themes, to teenagers attracted to graphic novels because of their more intense content and comic book format. Even adults who are not yet readers will benefit from this uniquely authoritative resource because it will provide a bridge to literacy and give them books that they can immediately share with their children. Wonderfully Wordless is the ultimate guide to wordless and almost wordless books. Its 500 exemplary titles are a composite of 140 sources including recommendations from reference books, award lists, book reviews, professional journals, literary blogs, and the collections of many of the most prominent libraries in the United States and the English-speaking world. The US libraries include the Boston Public Library, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, Denver Library, New York Public Library, and Seattle Public Library, as well as the academic libraries at Bank Street College, Miami University, Michigan State University, Penn State University, Stanford University, and University of Chicago. The international libraries include the University of Oxford, British Council Library India, British Library, Hong Kong Public Libraries, National Library of the Philippines, Toronto Public Library, Trinity College Library (Dublin), Vancouver Public Library, and the National Library of New Zealand. The 500 books included here are generated from a database with 7,300 booklist entries. In essence, the ranked list emerging from this compilation will constitute “votes” for the most popular titles, the ones most experts agree are the best. By pooling the expertise from the US and other English-speaking countries, Wonderfully Wordless is an unrivaled core list of classic and contemporary titles. This authoritative reference book conveys not the opinion of one expert, but the combined opinions of a legion of experts. If a single picture is worth a thousand words, then a multitude of the picture-only texts is worth a compendium. Wonderfully Wordless is organized by theme and format and readers should have no problem zeroing in on their favorite topics. There are thirty-one chapters organized by topics such as Christmas Cheer, Character Values, Comedy Capers, Pet Mischief, Creative Journeys, Fascinating Fantasies, and Marvelous Mysteries. There is a full spectrum of wordless fiction and nonfiction, concept books, visual puzzles, board books, cloth books, woodcut novels, graphic novels, and more.




The Giant Encyclopedia of Monthly Activities for Children 3 to 6


Book Description

A collection of over 600 activities for the primary classroom that provides creative ideas for all topics across the curriculum that helps to develop both literacy and imaginative play.




A to Zoo


Book Description

Whether used for thematic story times, program and curriculum planning, readers' advisory, or collection development, this updated edition of the well-known companion makes finding the right picture books for your library a breeze. Generations of savvy librarians and educators have relied on this detailed subject guide to children's picture books for all aspects of children's services, and this new edition does not disappoint. Covering more than 18,000 books published through 2017, it empowers users to identify current and classic titles on topics ranging from apples to zebras. Organized simply, with a subject guide that categorizes subjects by theme and topic and subject headings arranged alphabetically, this reference applies more than 1,200 intuitive (as opposed to formal catalog) subject terms to children's picture books, making it both a comprehensive and user-friendly resource that is accessible to parents and teachers as well as librarians. It can be used to identify titles to fill in gaps in library collections, to find books on particular topics for young readers, to help teachers locate titles to support lessons, or to design thematic programs and story times. Title and illustrator indexes, in addition to a bibliographic guide arranged alphabetically by author name, further extend access to titles.




Building a Core Print Collection for Preschoolers


Book Description

Valuable for regular use by caregivers as well as for collection development, this book spotlights hundreds of titles that are engaging and fun for reader and preschooler alike.




Understanding the Language Development and Early Education of Hispanic Children


Book Description

Young Hispanic children are the largest and fastest growing ethnic minority population in the United States, representing diverse racial, linguistic, and cultural backgrounds. Educational skills and achievement lag significantly for this population, creating an unacceptable achievement gap at the beginning of Kindergarten that grows even further by the end of 3rd grade. What can we learn from the empirical literature, theory, programs, and policies associated with language and early learning for young Hispanics? What are the home and school factors important to differences in early cognitive development and educational well-being? In this timely collaboration, a renowned researcher and a seasoned practitioner explore these questions with a focus on specific instructional interventions that are associated with reducing the achievement gap for young Hispanic children. Chapters emphasize educational practices, including teacher competencies, instructional strategies, curricular content, parent involvement, and related policy. The text includes teacher-friendly artifacts, instructional organizers, and lesson descriptions. “The authors provide the combination of theoretical orientation, background knowledge, and practical experience that is needed to do justice to this topic.” —Nancy Commins, University of Colorado Denver “Fills a void in current research and will spark vital policy discussions.” —Patricia Gándara, Co-Director of The Civil Rights Project, UCLA




Why Think?


Book Description

We live in an ever demanding world where independent, creative thinking is highly prized. We want the children of the future to have the skills and confidence to form their own ideas, and have the confidence and resilience to speak up for what they believe in. Why Think? will enable practitioners of children aged 3-11 to confidently turn their classrooms into spaces where thinking, challenging and reasoning become as natural as play. In this book, the author of But Why? explores how to maximise philosophical play through activities, games and parental engagement. Why Think? Includes: • Inspirational case studies• Facilitation techniques and information on philosophical concepts• A list of recommended books and resources, online quizzes, thinking games and useful web links• Question-board activities to stimulate daily thinking The book is visually interesting with lots of annotated sessions, drawings, photos, and ideas for resources. A must for all early years and primary practitioners.




The Giant Encyclopedia of Preschool Activities for Four-year-olds


Book Description

This wide-ranging collection of more than 600 teacher-created, classroom-tested activities has everything from songs and books to activities in art, circle time, transitions, science, math, language, music and movement, and more This complete resource of the best selections from a national contest is sure to become a classroom favorite. Formerly titled "It s Great to Be Four." Kathy Charner has been with Gryphon House for over 10 years. She is the editor of several books, including: "The GIANT Encyclopedia of Circle Time Activities"; "The GIANT Encyclopedia of Art and Craft Activities"; "The GIANT Encyclopedia of Science Activities"; and "The GIANT Encyclopedia of Theme Activities.""




Building Blocks


Book Description

Librarians can stay relevant in the twenty-first century when they build on those areas where they have excelled. Service to children is one of those, and a hot topic is emergent literacy, the earliest phases of literacy development. Because parents are a child's first teacher, they need to understand that children who enter school with a larger vocabulary are more likely to succeed in school and that they can offer experiences for their pre-school children to prepare them for school. This book provides six sessions for a children's librarian to use to introduce literacy skills to parents of preschool children. These sessions teach parents how to give their child an opportunity to explore and experience new things. Designed to be conducted in two simultaneous units, one for parents and one for children, handouts and activities are included. These are especially helpful for helping parents who will be able to make most of the teaching devices rather than purchasing expensive commercial items. The hot topic for children's librarians building their pre-school programming is emergent literacy, the earliest phases of literacy development. A brief introduction to the research in emergent literacy and some examples of successful programs are given. Because parents are a child's first teacher, they need to understand that children who enter school with a larger vocabulary are more likely to succeed in school and that they can offer experiences for their pre-school children to prepare them for school. This book provides six sessions for a children's library to use to introduce literacy skills to parents of preschool children. These sessions teach parents how to give their child an opportunity to explore and experience new things. Designed to be conducted in two simultaneous units, one for parents and one for children, handouts and activities are included. These are especially helpful for parents who will be able to make the most of the teaching devices rather than purchasing expensive commercial items. This would be especially helpful as a training manual for solo children's librarians who must use volunteers to conduct the children's workshop.