Children's Books for Preschoolers: Halloween!

The Haunted Ghoul Bus by Lisa Trumbauer
This bus, is not the average school bus. It's the "haunted ghoul bus", filled with wacky, wild, and cool characters. A mummy for a driver? Monsters as passengers? What will they do when a little boy comes on board? This tale has quite the appeal with it's silly skeletons, bats, and pumpkins and a smooth-flowing rhyming text. Not even werewolves and witches can scare away readers! Much enjoyment is to be had when riding reading the Haunted Ghoul Bus! As a bonus activity, have children create their own Halloween character masks (monsters, witches, pumpkins, ghosts, bats, princesses, etc.) and then "board the bus" for a parade around the classroom, school, or even the house!

My Pumpkin by Lily Karr
Simple in content, but brilliant in character, My Pumpkin, delivers a fun experience for the younger preschool crowd. It serves as a great first introduction to Fall/Halloween activities such as pumpkin picking and carving, and dressing up in costumes. Little ones will love the sweet characters (monster, dinosaur, and dog, included), the bright colors, and the easy rhyming sounds in this adorable board book!

Monster Mash by David Catrow
"He did the mash, the monster mash! The monster mash, it was a graveyard smash." Singing yet? I hope so. We all remember this legendary song from Halloween parties past. Transformed into pictures and storybook pages, this tune now comes to life in a totally different way! Pages filled with crazy and fun illustrations will only further encourage the desire to dance along with all of the characters. What fun it would be to follow up a reading, with a monster-fied dance party to the one and only "Monster Mash"! This book could definitely be used to support music, movement, and literacy.

Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson
A witch and her cat set out on a flying adventure through the night sky. When the wind blows away her hat and her wand, she must figure out how to find them. Much to her hesitation she finds three very helpful and kind animal friends who help her out. In trade for helping her, they would love to go for a ride on the broom. Follow along with the rest of the adventure as the witch develops new friendships, experiences the kindness of others, and learns that teamwork may not be so bad. Help emphasize to little ones that every one has a good quality to share. Be ready to read this entertaining tale over and over!

The Night Before Halloween by Natasha Wing
The classic "Night before Christmas..." poem is jazzed up a bit for this fun Halloween tale. Follow friendly monsters, goofy goblins, ghosts, and others as they prepare for a Halloween celebration. See what transpires when these silly characters find human children trick-or-treaters at their doorstep. This story provides fun on every page. It could easily be used as a special read leading up to a fun Halloween party, or as a an "I spy" recognition and vocabulary building literacy activity. Enjoy reading it with little ones, and look forward to their excitement as they see and explore all of the different costumes! As an extension activity for the story, have party materials and dress up costumes available for dramatic play use, and allow children to create and decorate their own Halloween party!

Fancy Nancy: Halloween or Bust! by Jane O'Connor
Another classic Fancy Nancy adventure, complete with costume creating, party decorating, and fabulous Halloween hoopla! Why not enjoy some sweet candy treats while you channel your inner "fancy" and join Nancy for a little fun?! She'll put a smile on everyone's faces.

Pumpkin Days of Fall

This morning, I took a snapshot of some beautiful pumpkins displayed at the farmers market! Aren't they just so fun?! 

This afternoon, roomie and I made pumpkin pancakes and mimosas for brunch!

 This evening, I actually cooked with pumpkin for the first time...not baking, cooking...and it was delicious!! Definitely a great mix of sweet and savory all in one bowl! (also completely gluten-free, thanks to the quinoa pasta.)

The dish: Pumpkin Fusilli with Turkey Sausage and Sage

Check out the original recipe here. (*Note: I substituted pork sausage and quinoa pasta noodles into my dish, as I did not have fusilli or turkey sausage on hand.)

Ironically enough...all of these "pumpkin"  happenings landed on National Pumpkin Day! That couldn't have worked out any better!

And what better than to cap off today with a little reminiscing from last weekend's Pumpkin Patch trip?

Going to Old Baker Farm Pumpkin Patch has become an annual tradition since moving to Alabama, and I absolutely adore it! Here is a peek from this year's trip... 

It's important to go with the right people for a pumpkin patch trip, and these lovely ladies from my small group were just the right people!

Finding the perfect pumpkin takes dedication and hard work. Okay, maybe it's not that serious, but it's close. It may take some time, but the reward of finding a "THE" pumpkin is always satisfying!

My hope is that all of you are enjoying this lovely season and it's many adventures, just as much as I am! I am so, so sad to see October (likely my favorite month of the entire year) go in just a few days. However, that means that the official "holiday season" will be upon us, and that is something that I can get excited about!....maybe just maybe,  after I have a few more cups of hot apple cider! 

Happy National Pumpkin Day, friends!

Children's Books for Preschoolers: Pumpkins!

Let's not forget about Pumpkins! Their existence practically dominates the fall months and they make for very entertaining (and educational) stories!

The Legend of Spookely the Square Pumpkin by Joe Troiano
Spookely!! I just adore this sweet little square pumpkin! The legend teaches children that being different and being unique can be great characteristics. The pictures are fun and the story is lovely!

Oh My, Pumpkin Pie! by Charles Gighna
"Oh My" is right! Shapes, size, color, rhythm and rhyme...you'll find it all here! The fun illustrations carry the story, the rhyming almost plays out like a song. Little ones will have a blast pointing out things they recognize. A great story for encouraging literacy interactions!

A Pumpkin Prayer by Amy Parker
This board book story is just a little piece of precious. Simple in its content and almost quiet and sweet in sound, it is just a lovely little reminder of the beauty of fall and the beauty of God's love for each of us!

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie. by Jill Esbaum
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie follows its companion Apples for Everyone in the Picture the Seasons book series. It is also filled with beautiful and festive National Geographic images and contains plenty of interesting facts about pumpkins. Learn and read about pumpkin fields, how they grow, color, size, and even how they can be carved and used in cooking. Pumpkins are more than just a really large fruit; learn all about them through these pages. A great companion for any pumpkin activity!

Sixteen Runaway Pumpkins by Dianne Ochiltree
It's harvest time at the pumpkin patch in this thrilling tale. Help Sam catch his sixteen pumpkins as they try to make a get-away! A great story for combining both math and literacy lessons. Story illustrations support counting and number recognition skills, while rhyming text keeps the story active. No doubt, little ones will want to help Sam "chase down" and "gather" all of the pumpkins!

Ten Little Pumpkins (a Sing & Read storybook)
Lively and entertaining are the first things that come to mind when I think about Ten Little Pumpkins! Follow a group of children as they go on an adventure through the pumpkin patch and then as they turn their "ten" pumpkins into festive jack-o'-lanterns. Carve and count your way through this song and dance read! Great for little ones just learning to count!

Jeb Scarecrow's Pumpkin Patch by Jana Dillon
When crows try to wreck havoc on Jeb Scarecrow's pumpkin patch, he comes up with a plan to stop them. See how Jeb uses his creativity to scare away the crows (get it? hehe) and save the annual October Harvest celebration! Beautiful and detailed imagery are represented throughout the pages, as well. This story would be a great support for lessons on cognitive thinking concepts, such as pattern matching and creative problem solving. (On a side note: I have had this book since I was a little one, and I still love it! I manage to dig it out and read it at least once every fall!)

Pinkalicious and the Pink Pumpkin by Victoria Kahn
What's with all of the orange? Surely, pumpkins could use a little pink, right?! Pinkalicious is never quite satisfied with the ordinary things of life, thus her search for the perfect "pinkerrific" pumpkin. A fun, entertaining read with lift-the-flap features on almost every page. (I'm not always a fan of lift-the-flap books, but I do like this one!)

Look for a feature on Halloween-themed books later this month! Happy Pumpkin Pickin'...and Readin'!

Children's Books for Preschoolers: Apples!

I absolutely love FALL, and I absolutely love children's books! (I may have a small rather extensive collection of my own...that's been building for years!) Nonetheless, I have combined these two loves and have chosen some of my very favorite fall-time (specifically apple and pumpkin themed) preschool-aged books to share with y'all. They're great for activities in the classroom, or even just to read and explore at home with your little ones!

Let's begin with books about Apples!

Apples for Everyone by Jill Esbaum

Apples for Everyone, is filled with beautiful National Geographic images and contains an abundance of information about the "apple"; including history, traditions, different types, and even how they grow. Although loaded with information, it is still both very teachable and very accessible to little growing minds. A great companion for any apple activity!

 

Fall Apples Crisp and Juicy by Martha E. H. Rustad

Take a trip to the apple orchard with Fall Apples Crisp and Juicy! Little ones learn about how apples grow and how apples are used in cooking. Fun facts and fun images!

 

The Biggest Apple Ever by Steven Kroll

I love "The Biggest Ever" books, and The Biggest Apple Ever doesn't disappoint! Follow along as Clayton (town mouse) and Desmond (city mouse) compete to find the biggest apple in town for a back-to-school contest. Lessons about working together and friendship take this story beyond just another lesson on apples!

 

Fancy Nancy: Apples Galore! by Jane O'Connor

Is anyone surprised that there is a Fancy Nancy book on my list? No. On this adventure, Fancy Nancy and her classmates take a fall (one of the fanciest seasons!) field trip to the apple orchard. Follow along, as Nancy hunts for the perfect Gala apple (what a fancy name!). Also, see what happens when she is faced with making a decision about following the rules.  

 

Come back tomorrow for a review on my favorite pumpkin-themed books, and tune in next week for a special Halloween edition!