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Our next Missouri Building Block nominee is Lois Ehlert’s “Rrralph.” To be honest, I am a bit creeped out by the main character’s pop-top nose and zipper mouth (he is a collage of recycled materials). On the other hand, the book is a hit with its intended audience—preschoolers. Kids love pointing out all of the found objects in the illustrations. They also relish the quirky wordplay. Ralph is a talking dog, and young ones enjoy guessing how Ralph will answer questions with a dog’s limited vocabulary (e.g. “roof,” “bark” and “rough.”)
For more fun with this book:
Make your own collage animals. First go on a treasure hunt gathering scraps in your neighborhood or around the house. Then put the pieces together to make your own critters. For more inspiration, look at other books by Lois Ehlert. “Boo to You!” and “Leaf Man” are perfect inspiration for craft time during this fall season. Continue reading
“Mitchell never ever EVER wanted to go to bed. Until his dad finally said he could drive there.” New license in hand, Mitchell and his good humored dad turn a piggyback ride into an imaginative adventure. I was thoroughly delighted by Hallie Durand’s book “Mitchell’s License.” The comic range of the dad’s facial expressions and honest tone of the evening routine had me laughing out loud. You can just tell that Durand enjoyed this evening routine night after night with her own family.
To further extend the fun of “Mitchell’s License,” try one of these activities: Continue reading
Edward Gibbs plays with the traditional seek and find game in “I Spy With My Little Eye,” one of this year’s nominees for the Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award. Cut-outs allow a peek at the next page, and word clues urge preschoolers to guess which animal awaits them. A final peep-hole through the back cover lends itself to an extended game around your home.
For more fun:
Create “I Spy” displays with random household items. Take turns giving clues and finding the objects. Challenge your child by crafting clues that touch on skills she is developing. (e.g. I spy something that rhymes with ‘tree,’ or I spy three things the color of the sky.) Continue reading
Help us choose the winner of this year's Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award. This award is decided by the votes of preschoolers in Missouri's public libraries. Read to your child at least five of the books from the following list of 10 titles. Voting is open to children in kindergarten and younger and goes through December. The winner will be announced in February. Continue reading