High Rotation Reads: Jingle Bells

Jingle Bells by Iza Trapani was one of those flip the pages library finds I had last year around this time.  I originally picked it up because the teacher for the Music Class Little Tree is involved with had focused on Jingle Bells for the season and I thought the illustration style was beautiful. 

It was with surprise and delight that I realised this book is a whole lot more than a recounting of the classical song.  Using the classical melody of Jingle bells it touches through the cultural traditions of Mexico, Philippines, Poland, Sweden, Italy and Kenya for the "Christmas season".

For the last two years the main attraction of this book, to Little Tree, has been the fact that I sing the text and he plays along with a Christmas bell on a ribbon.  That said this year it prompted the question of "Why do Italian Children get presents in their shoes? Leading to the research that La Befana, who got lost following the Three Wise Men, leaves presents in the shoes of Italian children one the eve of Epiphany, January 6th.  Needless to say I am delighted at this first, and I expect not the last, exploration into differing cultural practices prompted by this book. 

I was more than a little distressed when it seemed that someone had decided to prune it out of the local library's Christmas collection.  For us I see this book as being one of those books we will read as a tradition so in the end rather than race around the catalog trying to find a copy at another library this year I just went out and bought it.  That way I know that we can share it whenever we for as many years as it piques Little Tree's interest and captures his imagination.

High Rotation Reads - Nov 6th through 12th

For various reasons we haven't really been getting a lot of new books from the library.  Those that had been chosen got read once maybe twice before sitting in our library book collection until it was time to return them so it's been nice to find one that is going to stick with us for a bit. 

I don't know how many books Jill Morris and Lynne Muir have author/illustrated together.  I am aware of two, the other was about Australian Owls, and both have been highly enjoyed around here.

As with the other, Magnificent Macropods is beautifully illustrated and full of facts with a one page write up on each animal.  What I like with this series compared to many non fiction books is that it  doesn't take any adaption for those will shorter attention spans as each animal has rhyming verse that points to an interesting fact about the animal being highlighted.  Little Tree also really enjoys the last pages where the relative animal size is drawn smallest to largest to try and give some real world perspective. 

High Rotation Reads - Aug 22nd to 28th

 Now Little Tree's second love to dinosaurs right now is space.  That said he isn't quite as enthusiastic about this one as other I Wonder Why books in the past.  To me the facts seem like they should be engaging  but it's just not connecting for him so I might allow it to go to the bottom of the basket without any fanfare and try and introduce it again when he is a bit older.

As the enthusiasms, of three yr olds, go Trains has been high on the agenda for a long time.  This book with it's wonderfully accurate colour pictures and wide range of simply addressed topics has been amply appreciated.  As an op shop buy this particular edition is a bit hopelessly out of date, the English/France Channel Tunnel hadn't be completed at publication, but as most of the information is historical this has been less of a problem than it might otherwise be.  It has certainly put the Collins Eyewittness Guides on the map for us and if I was ever to see one on a topic of interest I would now be compelled to flick though 

High Rotation Reads - Aug 15th through 21st

Now as with many families we're avid readers. 

Given a choice Little Tree tends to read books within an inch of their life for a while.  He then walks away, often only to look through them occasionally and interacts with them more in the manner of someone conjuring a fond memory rather than seeking any specific information.

With that little explanation here's what's being requested this week

 

Aunty M went exploring for dinosaur fossils up North and sent Little Tree this wonderful book. 

He loves it all. Right now though he is absolutely enamored with the description of the finding and recovery of Sue, who is the most complete T-Rex fossil found to date.

 

 This ABC has beautiful and appealing artwork but I will say the prose does leave something to be desired considering it's aimed firmly at young children.  It rhymes sometimes, other times it doesn't and I don't know for anyone else but I personally find that a bit disconcerting.  I think he does too as interest in this one really seems to come and go in a way that is not common for him

 Really aimed at infants and young toddlers but because penguins are sky high in the interest stakes he chose this one, at the library, and had me read it 6 nights running before bed.  Honestly what 3 yr old can walk past splashing, dashing and pooping penguins without a smile.

 This one is new today but I can tell it's going to be a favorite.  Beautiful Collage style illustration, which has been a favourite of his for a while, and wonderful rhyming prose all giving snippets of factual information.  Backed up by an animal glossary at the back with a bit more detail on the animals mentioned and a little blurb about Charles Darwin explaining why the Galapagos is so important in science.  

 A story about a Peregrine Falcon pair that leave the wild after a bushfire and nest on a city  skyscraper.  Based on a true story, in Brisbane, it shows the adaptability of wildlife in their quest to survive and thrive.  For those that might be disturbed the main story thread once they relocate is the male falcon hunting and bringing back food to the female, with a nice life affirming twist at the end.

We love the I Wonder Why series over here.  

I first made the mistake of trying to read entire pages only to have him zone out with information overload.  Our deal is now that I just read what he points to on a specific page then leave it at that.

I am personally not sold on some of the cartoonish illustration but the facts are interesting and catch attention.  Thankfully enough of the pictures are realistic that I can survive :-)