May Books of the Month

Summer is approaching which will give children and their families more freedom and time for outdoor activities and excursions.  Watching the sky and seeing shapes in the clouds is a fun way to relax on a summer day and let your imagination soar.  Reading Little Cloud by Eric Carle is a perfect introduction for novice cloud spotters.  Although the beautiful illustrations are more defined than typical cloud shapes, they invite you to go outside on a cloudy day to seek wonderful surprises hiding in the sky.

If visiting a farm is one of your summertime trips, there are many books about farm animals that you might want to read with a younger child before you go.  A favorite of mine is Good Morning, Chick by Mira Ginsburg because of the simple, descriptive language and the colorful, bold illustrations by Byron Barton.  It would be difficult for any child to resist joining in when the refrain, “like this,” is repeated as each farm animal is introduced.  This tends to be a very popular book with children because it is so participatory.