Everett's Learning to Read: Top 5

Everett has definitely become quite the little bookworm!  His favorite activity right now is to learn new words and how to spell them.  This makes storytime that much more fun :)

Although he's still in love with some books that I swear he'll never tire of (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom and The Napping House being two of them), we've been trying to get him some new books and tools that focus more on words and/or repetition to learn new words, sounds and spelling.  Some of the favorite we've tried out are:

1. Mouse Makes Words by Kathryn Heling : This book is a level one beginning readers title. Everett is still a bit rough on books with "real" pages, but he's getting better, so beginning reader books are worth the small investment.  The "story" is all about a mouse who loves changing around letters to make new words.  For example, substituting P for C changes "cup" into "pup," a great introduction into phonics!

2. Pout Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen : If you've never read "Pout Pout Fish," you should pick up a copy and read through it next time you're at the book store.  It's a super cute story about a fish that believes all he can do is spread the "dreary-wearies" because of the way his lips pout all of the time.  That is until someone comes along and shows him that his lips are perfect for smooching!  There is a lot of repetition in this book and new undersea critters to learn... but the best part is, the ending gives a great excuse to cover your little one with smooches! :)

3. Now I'm Reading Pre-Reader: My World : I've been wanting to get Ev started on some phonics series books.  Everyone recommended the Bob Books, but this series seemed to be more colorful and exciting when I was showing Everett options.  This set includes 10 storybooks, a book for parents, and stickers.  Right now we're mostly reading the books for fun and going through some of the "words to know" in the back of the book.  We're not doing the official sticker program, because Ev's still a bit young.  But, the illustrations are cute and if Ev takes to them I just might have to pick up more of these phonics books!

4. Flash Kids Sight Words Flash Cards : The Easter Bunny brought Everett a few sets of flash cards this year including this sight words set.  We've had the LeapReader Junior Letter Flash Cards for a while now and he loves playing with them, so we upgraded to flash cards with words.  He is constantly asking Eric and I to do flash cards with him.  He likes to spell out the letters and then either sound out or ask what word it is. 

5. The Endless Reader App: Okay, so obviously this isn't a book, but this app is AWESOME.  It shows a word and then mixes up the letters so Everett has to put the letters back in the right order (they shadow what letter goes where so your child doesn't have to memorize spelling right away).  Then the app uses that word in a sentence and scrambles certain words to be put back into the sentence.  I downloaded the free sample (6 words) to see how Ev would like it... and he LOVED it.  There are several levels you can purchase, and I'm not going to lie, it's not a cheap app, but it has already helped Everett learn how to spell and read several words.  Plus, it's a great game for him to play if Eric and I have to get dinner ready or need Ev distracted for a few minutes.  I'm not sure if this app is available on Android, but we have it on our Apple products.

What books and tools have you used to help your little one learn to read?  There are so many things out there that it's almost overwhelming to choose the best products, but we've basically just been testing certain things and if they work, we'll stick to 'em!

Everett's Top Five

So my little man hasn't been feeling all too well the past couple days.  Slight fever, super tired, not very hungry, and just not himself.  Therefore we've been doing a lot of quieter activities (aka reading!) while he gets better.

This prompted me to share a round of Ev's top five books since it's been a little while since he's picked :)

1. Colors (Sophie la girafe Series) by Dawn Sirett
We bought Ev this book quite a while ago.  He absolutely loved it when we first got it, but then took a break from it.  About a week or so ago he found it on one of his bookshelves and can't get enough of it!  It's a great book for little ones learning colors, first words and animals.

2. Chicka Chicka 1, 2, 3 by Bill Martin Jr.
We're huge fans of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! around here, so were pretty excited when we saw there's a number version.  The "story" isn't quite as cute as the original, but Everett loves it.  Since we're working on teaching him numbers to 100, it's a great book for him right now!  It counts 1-20 individually and then by 10's to 100.

3. Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin
We own the slide-and-find version of this book and Everett loves to slide the door to see the next animal.  This book features endangered species, which he's too young to understand right now, but someday that will make for a great learning tool too.  For right now we've read it so many times that he has the animals memorized!

4. Duck and Goose, It's Time for Christmas! by Tad Hills
Duck and Goose are obviously a favorite of Ev's, and their holiday book is no exception.  I pulled it out this past week so he could fall in love with it just like last year :)  Duck and Goose are trying to figure out what time it is "time for snow angels? sledding?"... it's time for Christmas!  

5. Mr. Brown Can Moo by Dr. Seuss
This is a super cute book for learning sounds.  Everett enjoys tick-tocking like a clock and hooting like an owl as we turn pages.  We have the board book version which is shorter than the original, but works well for Everett's age.  For older kids, the hardcover version has more words and sounds :)





I cannot wait to really introduce all of our holiday books (we have quite a few stashed to give Ev throughout the holiday season... great after holiday sales last year mean lots of fun new books this year!)!  Have you and your little ones discovered any new favorites?  

I hope everyone is staying warm in the chilly weather we suddenly have!  Stay warm with cocoa, a blanket and a good book :)  Happy Reading!

Everett's Top 5 Halloween Picks

HAPPY OCTOBER!  October is my favorite month of the year... the beautiful fall weather... the pumpkin, apple, cinnamon everything... and of course Halloween!  Our house is all decorated and pumpkin coffee and treats are ready to be enjoyed!  And, of course, Halloween books are a must.  We've already purchased a couple new Halloween themed books for Everett this year, and I'm guessing a couple more will be added to our collection by the end of the month.  

So far some of Everett's favorite Halloween titles are:

1. Happy Halloween Stinky Face by Lisa Mccourt
I randomly stumbled upon this book while shopping at TJ Maxx.  I didn't even know there was a Halloween version of Stinky Face!  Considering Everett's love of the original Stinky Face book, I had to grab a copy of this for him.  The book includes lots of costumes and funny halloween "what ifs."  It's actually a fairly lengthy book for Everett's attention span, but he sits through it!  



2. The Itsy Bitsy Pumpkin by Sonali Fry
Everett has always loved it when we sing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider."  This book is new this year, and when I saw that Ev's one of Ev's favorite tunes was recreated with a fall/Halloween theme, we had to try it out.  At the bookstore, Ev sat still for the whole book the first time... that's an instant winner!







3. Ollie's Halloween by Olivier Dunrea
We have several of the Ollie books at our house, and this one was part of Ev's Halloween surprise last year.  It's a cute story about costumes and fall fun!  The illustrations in the Ollie books are always awesome too! 








4. ABCs of Halloween by Patricia Reeder Eubank
Everett is obsessed with his ABCs right now, so I thought this might be a fun way to learn new "Halloween words" by letter.  I love the classic artwork and the new vocabulary he can learn from each page.  The book also rhymes from page to page :)

5. Dracula: A BabyLit Counting Primer by Jennifer Adams

Any lovers of classic books will adore the BabyLit series for children!  There are several classics that are used to teach different concepts (counting, colors, first words), and they all have fantastic artwork!  The Dracula book is perfect for Halloween!  Items from Dracula (a castle, wolves, tombstones, as well as characters) are shown in different quantities to teach numbers 1-10.  

(P.S. There are lots of other great Halloween BabyLit books including a new Frankenstein book... which I *might* have to invest in this year!)

There are just so many fun Halloween books out there!  I have a feeling Ev will do another round of Top 5 closer to Halloween itself :)  What are some of your favorite Halloween titles for kids (Or adults...  I'm looking for some great spooky reads for October, too!)?

Happy October and happy reading everyone!!!  

Everett's Top Five

Everett has been enjoying a ton of books lately, and since his vocabulary is increasing daily, it's super fun to hear him start "reading" books back to us!  I've been eyeing up the Fall/Halloween books since a week ago, but Everett isn't quite in the fall season yet... his current favorites are:

1. Alphablock by Christopher Franceschelli (art by Peskimo)

I actually found this book just before Christmas last year and had to get it.  The art work is so fun!  The pages are cut out to look like letters of the alphabet, and when you turn the page, there is a picture of something beginning with that letter.  The pages are board book style, so it's a little harder for little hands to completely destroy them even with the oddly shaped pages.  Next time you're in the bookstore, just pick this book up and take a look... you'll love it.  

Next purchase: Countablock by the same authors. This one teaches numbers from 1 to 100, and the art work is just as awesome.

2. Big Snowman, Little Snowman (Disney Frozen) by Trish Rabe

Everett is obsessed with the movie Frozen right now.  So really I could pick any of the many Frozen books we own as a favorite, but this one he's constantly asking me to read again and again.  It's a beginning reader, and there's not really a story, but there are great short sentences that include lots of opposites.  Plus he can name the characters over and over which he loves.

3. Duck and Goose Find a Pumpkin by Tad Hills

Okay, so I had to throw one Fall book into the mix! Everett really loves to read this book no matter the season though.  It's a cute board book about Duck and Goose searching for a pumpkin until eventually their friend Thistle asks if they've tried the pumpkin patch!  The story has a fun repetitive rhythm which makes it easier for Everett to remember the words, so he likes to "read" this book back to us a lot.

4. Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg

This book was a gift from a coworker of mine and Everett has loved it since he was about 6 months old.  It's a touch and feel book, plus it has a squeaker, and a mirror which is perfect for younger kids who really don't care so much about a story.  Now he loves it because he knows the animals on each page and likes to say the colors/noises for each animal (he does still love the mirror at the end, too!).  

5. Football Opposites by Mark Weakland

These Sports Illustrated Kids Rookie books are awesome!  Perfect for football season!  My husband is a huge sports fan, so when I found a board book that contained actual sports pictures... it was a must have.  My husband reads the book to Ev, but also tells him the player and team from each photo (super cute daddy/son bonding).  This title teaches opposites, but there is also an ABC book and a colors book in the series.

There are so many amazing books that have been coming out for kids, and especially in board books lately... it's extremely tempting to come home with a new one each day!  I will have to get Everett a couple fall and Halloween books soon... any recommendations?

Hopefully everyone is enjoying the beginning of fall as much as we are!  Happy reading :)

At the bookstore saying hi to Olaf!

Everett's Top 5

Everett and I got to spend the entire day together, and that always means we got to enjoy more books together :)  Some of his favorite requests right now are:

1. Richard Scarry's Cars and Trucks from A to Z 

by Richard Scarry

This book was recommended to us by a mom Ev and I met at a bookstore one day.  She had a little boy about 2 years old who also loves cars and trucks.  She said this book was perfect for little hands and for learning letters.  She was right!  It's small size makes it easy for Everett to hold, and the different vehicles for each letter (such as the pickle car and egg car) teach him the alphabet and the sounds that go with each letter.

2. Orange, Triangle, Fox by Sarah Jones

The cute illustrations in this book are what first caught my eye.  Each page consists of an animal that is a certain color and shape (ex. one page has an orange fox in the shape of a triangle).  The only words are the color, shape and animal shown on the page, and Everett loves it!  I've been looking for books that teach shapes, and this works wonderfully because Ev can tie in his knowledge of colors and animals while learning his shapes!  

3. The Berenstain Bears and the Big Road Race 

by Stan and Jan Berenstain

I LOVED Berenstain Bear books when I was growing up, and while Everett is still too little for most of the stories, he adores this particular book.  This is one of the Berenstain's "First Time Readers" books, so it's not as lengthy as the average Berenstain Bears book.  It teaches things such as colors, rhyming words, and opposites, while telling a cute story about a car race.  It also has the message that you don't have to be the biggest or fastest, but with persistence and by playing fair you can win the race.

4. I Love You, Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

We received this book through a book swap, and I figured it would be a while before Everett had any interest in it.  But, I picked it up and read it to him one night to find that he really enjoyed it.  It's a bit longer than the books he usually sits through, but he loves to say "But mama, but mama" for each page.  It's a super cute story about a mom loving her child no matter what.

5. Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.

"A told B and B told C, I'll meet you at the top of the coconut tree!"  How can anyone not love this book?  The sing-songy rhymes and repetition of words (especially BOOM BOOM) make Everett request this book a lot.  The best part, it comes in a board book, AND there's now a version with numbers (Chicka Chicka 1-2-3)!

Hopefully you've enjoyed Everett's latest book round-up! :)  And, Everett's always looking for recommendations (especially if they come in board book form!).  Happy reading!

Everett's Top 5

Photo by Megan Marie Photography

I feel extremely fortunate that my son Everett seems to have picked up on my bookworm ways.  That's not to say that he doesn't run around like crazy throwing balls in the house while yelling at the top of his lungs like any another 1 1/2 year old, but luckily he seems to settle right down when you mention the word "book."  We read with him at least twice a day (once in the morning and once at night) for 15-20 minutes, but often he grabs books from his bookshelves and brings them to us saying "book?"  We really can't refuse, so he's read to quite a bit throughout the day as well :)  

Although we own TONS of children's books, Everett tends to play favorites.  He'll choose a top 5 (or so) and want to read those titles every day (over and over and over).  Therefore, I've decided to dedicate some posts to "Everett's Top 5"... aka the current books my husband and I know by heart because we've read them sooo many times.

1. Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

This is his FAVORITE right now by far.  Every time we mention books, he says, "Blue truck?"  I love this book because it teaches animal noises, colors, and the importance of kindness.  He loves this book because of animal noises, colors, and the fact that he can say "beep!"  There is also a sequel Little Blue Truck Leads the Way which Ev is also crazy for, but I personally like the story of the original better.

2. Drop It Rocket! by Tad Hills

ANYTHING by Tad Hills is a favorite in this house.  Everett has always loved Duck and Goose books (although the picture books are still a bit lengthy for him), but a couple weeks ago we took him to the bookstore and he found this beginning readers Rocket book and fell in love.  No, it's not in board book form, so it's already pretty beat up, but he loves the story.  The repetitive words and the simple sentence structure makes it fun for him because he can memorize the words to "read" along.


3. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See by Bill Martin, Jr. and Eric Carle

We have the slide & find version of this book, and I highly recommend getting this rather than the basic board book.  It's slightly more expensive, but Everett loves sliding the little door open to reveal the next animal.  This book definitely helped Everett learn his primary colors and animal names.  After each page we make the animal noises for each animal too which he loves.  He also loves Panda Bear, Panda Bear What Do You See in the same format.

4. Fox In Socks by Dr. Seuss

The board book version of this book is great (and not *quite* as tongue twistery as the complete story).  The book makes zero sense to me, but Everett laughs every time I read it. It does focus on rhyme which makes it fun, and Everett likes to experiment with different sounds after hearing it.  One day he was walking around the house saying "bluey... gooey...ooey," and it wasn't until bedtime when we read this book that we realized why!  So fun!



5. Hug Time by Patrick MacDonald

This book might be my favorite board book ever.  I bought it for Everett before he was born and read it to him practically every night since he was born.  It's the story of a kitten who is determined to make everything better by giving the whole world a hug.  He travels through different places and hugs all kinds of animals/plants.  It is the sweetest story.  
Fun mommy memory for me: there's a page in Hug Time with no words that shows the kitten hugging a polar bear, and I would always say "awwww..." when we got to that page.  One night when we were reading (Everett must have been about one or a little younger) we get to that page and he suddenly says "AWWWWW."  Melt my heart.  He doesn't want to read this book every night anymore, but he still requests it a decent amount (and I love it when he does!).

I'm sure I'll post more children's books soon as Everett's favorites tend to change each week!  What are your little one's favorite books?  Or what was your favorite book as a child?