MommaReads

Thanksgiving poems that are cute, clever and probably easy enough to read that your early reader might be able to tackle them on their own. Poems are also great for early readers because the rhyming helps them predict/figure out what unknown words might be and poems aren’t usually long and cumbersome. It takes a lot of energy and concentration to figure out all of those words when children are first beginning to read, so poems are a great way to practice reading and fluency with something short that won’t tucker them out too fast. A sense of accomplishment is something you always want to strive for with early readers and poems are a great way to achieve that goal.

I am not a person who thinks about Christmas before Thanksgiving. I don’t even shop for Christmas before Thanksgiving, but I saw this book and I knew I had to share it with you and now the library wants it back, so I guess I will share it with you now. Poor llama is having a VERY hard time waiting for Christmas to roll around…all of the shopping and decorating and baking, but still no Christmas. Mama reminds llama that this time of year is not about the gifts, but about being with the ones that care about you. All of Dewdney’s llama books are very cute and this one is no exception. If your child has a hard time waiting, whether it be for a birthday, the holidays or something else, then they will completely relate to poor llama.

When our youngest was in first grade last year they did an in depth study of the first Thanksgiving feast. He was basically obsessed with the Wampanoag, the pilgrims…the whole deal. So when I saw this book at the library I knew he would love it. It is great because it has a simple rhyming story that goes along with the fantastic illustrations, but it also has in-depth information for those that want to read more.

This story follows a family on Thanksgiving day as they get ready for their feast, watch parades on TV, play in the leaves, take food to elderly neighbors and enjoy dinner at home with their family. This Thanksgiving book is a fun reminder about being thankful for our blessings including our wonderful friends, neighbors and family members. This would be a good book for children to use to start thinking about what they are thankful for.

The firefighters are trying to make their Thanksgiving dinner, but they have to keep leaving to go fight fires. At the end of the day after coming and going and coming and going many times, they arrive back at the fire station to find that some very nice people have brought all of the firefighters a Thanksgiving dinner. If you have a little one that loves firefighters, then this is the perfect Thanksgiving book for your family.

I know there was a time in our house when this book would have been read ALL.THE.TIME. If your kids are going through that toddler/preschool phase where they LOVE all things animals or if they are into making animals sounds, then this is the book for you. I also love that it rhymes and the illustrations are so warm and soft.

Another great addition to Karma Wilson’s Bear books. Bear gets lost in the woods and as the sun starts to set and the winds start to blow things get scarier and scarier. Meanwhile, back at the lair, Bear’s friends start to worry about him. They set off to look for him and they all end up back together in Bear’s warm lair all cuddled up together safe and snug.

An adorable counting and rhyming book that is the perfect match for the Halloween season.

Over in the hollow,
where the bats dip and dive,
lives a furry grandma bat
and her little batties five.

So they flap
and they flutter
where the bats
dip and dive.

Love, love, love this book! It’s colorful, it involves counting and numbers, it rhymes…there is so much in this book for so many ages. I love that this book isn’t “just” a counting book and it isn’t “just” a book that rhymes. It’s also a science book that very young children all the way through early elementary school children could use to learn more about caterpillars, what the caterpillars eat, what animals eat caterpillars and different types of butterflies.

Children are fascinated by the fact that some animals go to sleep for the WHOLE winter. I liked this book because it not only mentions bears, but many other animals that hibernate that we may not think about. I love that this story rhymes and I think many children will also identify with some of these animals who are having a hard time going to sleep because it’s too dark or because they need a snack or a drink before they fall asleep.