Summer Reading – Day 9! – A Sloth, A Panda and a Tiger!

Today’s theme is animals and I’m excited to share three recently released picture books (two of the three just released last month) featuring a sloth, a panda (and other bears) and a tiger (and other creatures).

Lost Sloth by J. Otto Seibold is an hilarious story of a sloth who receives a phone call telling him he has won an afternoon shopping spree.  The question is, can sloth get to the shopping mall in time to claim his prize?  After all – he is a sloth!  A zip line, glider, ice cream truck and a wild shopping cart are just a few of the ways he attempts to get there.  When he finally arrives he is so tired, he promptly falls asleep in the pillow display!  This book is SOOO funny and would certainly have your child or your class laughing along with you!  Here’s a clip: http://vimeo.com/68814648

Next up is If You Were a Panda – by Wendell and Florence Minor.  This is a lovely introduction to different types of bears for Pre-K – Gr. 1 age children.  Each page introduces a different type of bear by way of a simple 4-line poem.  The repetitive rhyme scheme is such that children would be able to join in.  “If you were a panda, guess what you’d wear? A black and white suite and an eye patch – how cute!”  I LOVE the realistic illustrations by Wendell Minor, who has illustrated many other picture books including a similar one in 2008 called If You Were a Penguin (also written by his wife) and The Last Polar Bear – by Jean Craighead George.

Last up is Sleep Like a Tiger by Mary Logue.  At first glance, this could be viewed as a typical bedtime story about a child who does not want to go to bed.   But there is something quite magical about this one.  In this story, a little girl, who is not tired, asks her parents “Does everything in the world go to sleep?”  Her parents proceed to describe how different creatures in nature and animals go to sleep.  For me, it is the enchanting illustrations and the exquisite poetic language that makes this book stand out among many bedtime books.   It is definitely going on my “anchor list” for Writing Power as a model for similes and creating visual images.  Here’s one of my favorites::  “Tiny snails curled up like cinnamon buns inside their shells”    Isn’t that one of the best similes you’ve ever heard?  LOVE it!  This is one of those books I want to turn into pajamas and wear to bed!

Happy reading and happy weekend!