International Children's Digital Library

This was a site with a lot of great information and many books.  It is a free site and books are read in different languages. The books are divided by age level, author, illustrator, make belive books, true books, folktales and award winners.  The books are not animated (like TumbleBooks or Speakaboo) consequently I did not find it as engaging as the other sites I reviewed.

It would be good to use for shared reading time.  Teachers and/or students were in charge of when to turn the page (unlike the other sites where you had to push pause in order to stop to discuss what you were reading or to slow down the pace of the story).  I also liked the fact that it had lesson ideas and exposed students to different languages.

On a much more informal note.....they need a kindergarten teacher on staff to "cute things up"!

SPEAKABOOS

I previewed the site Speakaboos.  At first I really loved the site.  It had so much to offer.  It was very aesthetically pleasing and easy to use.  It has stories, songs, games, nursery rhymes and even printables. I was also thrilled that the stories were also in Spanish!  The stories we divided up by theme and were displayed in a cute "town" with different sections for each one.  These themes included; sports, fairy tales, food, sports, animals, ABC's and adventures.  I was very excited and ready to use it the next day in class.....then I saw a little counter at the bottom that said I only had four stories left!  I clicked the subscribe button and found that my first month would cost me .99 cents and after that would be $4.99.  I did see that you could contact them for bulk rates for schools.  I am interested enough in this great site to pay the first month to see if it is something that I could use in my classroom but I am unsure if I would continue my membership since our school already subscribes to TumbleBooks.  I did think that this site had more options and after the trial may propose a switch to Speakaboos.

Tumblebooks

Tumblebooks is an online site that has a lot to offer.  The section I am most familiar with is the Storybook  section.  This section offers many books that read aloud. The stories are presented in a very professional manner.  The pictures are easily seen and the words are displayed as the story is read making is easily accessible to all learners.

This site also features; puzzles and games, non-fiction books, quizzes, lesson plans and even a playlist and a place to save your favorite books.

I have used this site before to practice retelling a story.  It is fun to listen to the story being read and then show the book again muting the sound and letting a student tell the story using the pictures for clues.  Students love to hear the stories and this site is very user friendly and easy to use.  I would recommend this site.

Puff the Magic Dragon

By Peter Yarrow, Lenny Lipton

Illustrated by; Éric Puybaret

The song Puff the Magic Dragon was written by Peter Yarrow and Lenny Lipton and this book is based on it's lyrics.  It is about a young boy and his dragon friend Puff.  In this book Jackie Paper loves Puff as his best friend. They do everything together and have many adventures. Jackie Paper would have to leave Puff behind because as the books states, "dragons never grow up but boys and girls do".  Even though Jackie does not play with Puff anymore he later brings his daughter to play with Puff the way he did as a young child. 

I had to post about this book because it is very dear to me.  I had the wonderful opportunity to hear Peter Yarrow sing and talk about his book.  It was a touching experience and this book means more to me because I feel a real connection to the author.  

All the World

by Liz Garton Scanlon

All the World, tells about a day in the life of a family and shows through pictures and rhyme how valuable one day can be.  As the day progresses you see it includes more family and friends within it.  Through the beautiful illustrations you can see lives beginning to intertwine with one another. The story travels from the beach to the market to the fields, churches, parks, restaurants, and back to the homes.  Everything comes full circle at the end of the story. 

I not only was touched by the beautiful poetry in this book but also by the exquisite illustrations.  Each time I turned a page it reminded me of a time in my life with family and friends.  This book stresses the importance of all the things around us.  It is a great reminder about our important role in the world.

SeedFolks

By; Paul Fleischman

The story starts with Kim.  She lives in apartment building in a busy city neighborhood.  Kim plants some Lima beans in a vacant lot thinking of her father who died before she was born.  She wants to show her father that she can work hard and have patience.  The rest of the story shows how this small act has a ripple effect on the entire community.  The vacant lot becomes a place for a community garden and as the plants grow and change so do the people who tend to it.  

I LOVED this book.  I found so many "seeds" of wisdom.  Gonzalo told of his uncle and how coming to this country changed him.  His statement, "the older you are, the younger you get when you move to the United States" really made me think.  Our school has many families who have recently moved to the United States.  As I read this statement I remembered a mother telling me (with the help of an interpreter) that in Mexico she had a biology degree and was a teacher but because she could not speak fluent English she was now cleaning hotel rooms. As I reflect upon my short visit to Mexico,  I also have a deeper understanding of this statement.  I too was like a baby and I needed to rely on others for help with the simplest of tasks like working the washing machine or getting directions.  I think that is why this chapter meant the most to me.

Where Else in the Wild; Camouflaged Creatures Concealed... and Revealed

By; David Schwartz, Yael Schy and Dwight Kuhn

I loved this book!  The author and photographer have done an excellent job working together to create this book.   It had wonderful photographs and I fun "search and find" element. Each photograph shows an animal in its camouflaged habitat. The reader opens the flap to reveal where the animal is hiding in the photograph.  Going along with the gorgeous photo is a poem that gives you clues and information about the animal.  My favorite part the poem was the visual element that went along with it.  Many of the poems featured text that was written going up and down or spiraled to help the reader visualize how the animal may move.  Each page also featured information on each animal.   

Students of all ages will enjoy this book on different levels. Young readers will enjoy finding the animal in each picture and getting information from the photograph. Older readers will be able to read the poem to learn additional information. Advanced readers will like reading the added information that is available on each flap page.  I am excited to read other books in this series by this author!