The Sleepy Songbird

“The Sleepy Songbird”

Peep wakes to the sound of a beautiful song. He flies through the forest asking different animals if they are the one who is singing the lovely tune.

He finds the Dawn Chorus. They offer for him to audition, but Peep is too late or too sleepy to sing in the morning. 

“Why can I sing in the evening but not the morning?” he wondered. Another little bird answers, “Because you’re a nightingale, just like me.”

Lovely, warm artwork accompanies this heartfelt story of a bird who discovers his specialness.

This book promotes creative components of nature and uniqueness.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK:  I like this book because of its relatable heartfelt message and adorable illustrations.

TITLE: The Sleepy Songbird

AUTHOR: Suzanne Barton

ILLUSTRATOR: Suzanne Barton

PUBLISHER: Bloomsbury, 2014

AGE GROUP: 3-6

TOPIC(S): nature, relationships, being special

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: nature, uniqueness

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Hum a song that represents you.

2) Easy, colorful how to draw a robin by Suzanne Barton:

https://www.theguardian.com/childrens-books-site/gallery/2015/dec/12/how-to-draw-a-christmas-robin

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author/illustrator Suzanne Barton, visit:

https://suzannebarton.co.uk

if i was the sunshine

“if i was the sunshine”

Intro: “if i was the sunshine
and you were the day
i’d call you hello!
and you’d call me stay”

Within in each thought-provoking stanza, the reader discovers a pair of partners in the natural world that embodies loving connectedness.

Warm artwork perfectly marries the lyrical text.

This book promotes creative components of nature, flexible thinking, and different perspective.

WHY I LIKE THIS BOOK:  I like this book because of its lyrical language, the beautiful illustrations, and the author’s ability to pair nature partners in such a way that causes the reader to pause and reflect. 

TITLE: if i was the sunshine

AUTHOR: Julie Fogliano

ILLUSTRATOR: Loren Long

PUBLISHER: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019

AGE GROUP: 4-6

TOPIC(S): nature, relationships, connectedness

CREATIVE COMPONENTS: nature, different perspective

LEARNING EXTENSIONS:

1) Try your hand at writing how the author does. Look out a window and observe two things that interact together.  Use those things to name each other that also shows how they are connected.

2) Research the meaning of your first name. In what ways do you feel you represent the meaning of your name?

EXTENDING CONNECTIONS:

To learn more about author Julie Fogliano, visit:

2013 Ezra Jack Keats Book Award

To learn more about illustrator Loren Long, visit:

http://www.lorenlong.com