Grandma to Grandma: June 2009

Here are some great books for kids and their Dads:

How Do I Love You? by Leslie Kimmelman, pictures by Lisa McCue, published by Harper Collins, New York. This book is a counting book about a Crocodile parent and their child. It is a charming book about undying love.

Books about things boys love...and some girls too!:

The Lot at the End of My Block, by Kevin Lewis, illustrated by Reg Cartwright, published by Hyperion Books for Children, New York. This book is about all the tradesmen that work to build a new building. Each page adds on another worker and his task and is cumulative until at last you reach the completed project. A page also shows all the machines used and their correct names.

I Love Trucks, by Philemon Sturges, illustrated by Shari Halpern, published by Harper Collins, New York. This cute book lets little kids explore all different kinds of trucks with simple one sentence narrative. The illustrations and bold yet simple.

Family Farm, by Thomas Locker, published by Puffin Pied Pipier Books, New York. This book has the most gorgeous illustrations of farm life. This book describes farm life and all the ways that families work together to keep the farm going. It is an award winning book for older children.

Train Song, by Diane Siebert, paintings by Mike Wimmer, published by Harper Collins. This rhyming book has a rhythm when read aloud that resembles a train rolling along the tracks. It tells about all the things a passenger might feel, smell, see and hear on a train journey. If you've ever ridden a train or love model trains, this book will have special meaning.

Hercules, the Harbor Tug, by Michael O'Hearn, illustrated by Mela Lyman, published by Charlesbridge, Ma. This story is about tow young kids that get the chance to go for a ride on a tug boat. They learn about the boat and all the important jobs they do. It also introduces other types of boats and ships and what happens in a busy harbor.

Firemen Books (A Topic Close To My Heart!)

3 Little Firefighters, by Stuart j. Murphy, illustrated by Bernice Lum, published by Harper Collins, New York. This book is absolutely fabulous for teaching classification skills for small children. It is part of a whole "MathStart" series which I strongly recommend. It's about a fireman who loses his button and a search is on to find it. But the button has very specific qualities which the children will have to watch for as they try to solve this problem. It would be great to find an assortment of buttons to match those described in the book, to let the kids actually handle and sort. There is also a page that gives other great ideas and activities for practice of this important skill.

New York's Bravest by Mary Pope Osborne, paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, published by Alfred A. Knopf, New York. This wonderful book was written as a tribute to the FDNY after Sept. 11th. It is a historical piece, which tells about Mose Humphreys, a folk hero from the 1800's who was portrayed as a heroic member of the FDNY. It's a great read for older kids.

Hope you have fun sharing these titles with your kids. Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day Card directions:

On an 8 1/2 by 11 sheet of white cardstock, draw a simple outline on a man wearing overalls.

Using scraps of patterned craft paper or wrapping paper, cut squares (I used a 1 1/2 inch square punch) and glue them on the legs. Using markers, I colored the boots, skin and shoulder straps. Cut a rectangle the size of the bib part of the overalls. Apply a thin strip of glue along the sides and bottom of the rectangle, and attach to the overalls forming a pocket. Write a message on white paper cut to fit inside the pocket. Cut yarn and glue to the make hair.