Bugs
Dancing Feet
The Grouchy Ladybug
Submitted by Jill from Leonardtown!
The Grouchy Ladybug by Eric Carle. The grouchy ladybug does not want to share his yummy aphids! What’s more, he’s out to pick a fight. But when another ladybug stands up to him, the grouchy ladybug declares, “you’re not big enough to fight!” He flies off in a huff to find somebody bigger to pick on. We follow the grouchy bug hour by hour through the day as he challenges bigger and bigger creatures, until at last an enormous blue whale causes the ladybug to reconsider his rude behavior. Will the grouchy ladybug ever learn to share? Along with its great story, The Grouchy Ladybug is beautifully designed. Eric Carle’s signature painting style is bright and bold. Smaller flaps and partial pages gradually increase in size as they reveal larger and larger animals, and the size of the print grows too. A small drawing of a clock face in each illustration lets advanced readers practice telling time as the ladybug’s day progresses. The Grouchy Ladybug is a fun read-aloud to share again and again. See this book listed in our catalog
Ned’s New Home
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Ned’s New Home by Kevin Tseng. Ned is a worm that loves apples (because they are red) and apple pie. Ned lives in a red apple, and he is perfectly content until his apple starts to rot! He decides to look for a new home, but has many problems. The pear is too wobbly, the lemon too sour, and the blueberry is too small. A bird comes along and takes him, and his future cherry home up in the sky. He uses an umbrella to float down to a tree where he finds his perfect new home. It is an apple still on the tree! This book has many possibilities: It is perfect for talking to your child about the life cycle of an apple from seed to fruit. It also is a good introduction to different fruits and their taste, size, and color. See this book listed in our catalog
Just How Long Can a Long String Be?!
Submitted by county youth coordinator Janis!
Just How Long Can a Long String Be?! by Keith Baker. Ant wants to know, just how long can a long string be. Bird answers the question by showing Ant different ways a string can be used: a yo yo, a way to hold a balloon, a top, a mop, a puppet, a hair, a kite, a nest… At the end of the book Ant says, “Thank you, Bird! Now I see a string’s just as long as I need it to be.” This would be a great book to use as a prop story, with a ball of string to retell the book. After reading the story, find other ways to “use” the ball of string. This is a perfect way to promote the Early Literacy Skill of Print Motivation/Vocabulary. Having fun with books is important! It helps your child enter school ready to learn!
The Lion’s Share
Submitted by Amanda from Lexington Park!
The Lion’s Share: A Tale of Halving Cake and Eating It Too by Matthew McElligott. Lion is having a birthday party and invites all his friends from the jungle; everyone from an elephant to an ant is invited. They all eat dinner and then comes time for the cake. The elephant starts off and takes half of the cake and then the hippo takes half of what is left as do all the other guests, creating a interesting division lesson until it gets down to the ant who gets a piece that is too small to half only to discover the lion has not gotten any cake yet! To make up for “eating all the cake” as the other animals accuse, the ant offers to make the lion a new cake the next day. No animal wants to be outdone by the ant so in turn each animal doubles the offer before until the elephant is promising to make two hundred and fifty-six cakes, creating a multiplication lesson for the reader. This book provides a great way for kids to experience multiplication and division along with great pictures and a few plays on words.