Kindergarten

Trains

Author(s): 
Gail Gibbons

I really like it when authors of children's books remember that details of how things work are fascinating to children. Gail Gibbons is definitely one of those authors. Her book is filled with very simple illustrations and text about trains, but the various parts of the trains are labeled and the text explains things like how the trains link together and the differences between gondola cars, hopper cars, boxcars and tank cars.The back page contains a chart of signs and signals relating to trains. Appropriate for preschool or kindergarten age children.

Joan of Arc

Author(s): 
Josephine Poole
This is a beautiful picture book, telling the story of Joan of Arc, from her childhood days to martrydom. The pictures are brilliant, captivating, and evocative. It is an oversized children's book, with the pictures covering two-thirds of the pages, and the text in the remainder. The story is told quite simply, with Joan given positive treatment. The author portrays Joan as a gentle, and yet courageous, religious young woman. Joan of Arc would be suitable for children five years of age, and up. I would highly recommend this book for any family studying the Middle Ages..

How Do Bees Make Honey?

Book cover: How Do Bees Make Honey?
Author(s): 
Anna Claybourne

A small, inexpensive book filled with pictures and lots of other information picture about bees and other insects. You'll learn how to tell bees apart from other insects, how bees live together in colonies and all about their beehives, how bees communicate with each other (my children have really enjoyed trying to re-enact the bee's dances) and of course how bees make honey. The one thing I didn't like is that the material is so disjointed because it jumps around between different kinds of insects.

Five In a Row - Literature-Based Unit Studies for young children

Five in a Row is a literature based guide to expand learning from tried and true children's books. Anyone who loves cuddling up on the couch with their 3-8 yo would be attracted to this guide(s). The title Five In A Row is the premise of the curriculum guide.........the story is read 5 days in a row. With each reading the child absorbs new details of the story, anticipates favorite passages, notes illustrations in more detail. An example of a lesson is probably the easiest explanation of how it works.

The Story of Ping by Marjorie Flack:

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