Where's Wilson?: Children's Book Review

**I received a copy of this book to preview as a gift. After reading and enjoying, I agreed to write a review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not compensated financially in any way..** 

Last year, I reviewed the lovely children's book "Man In The Moon" by author Kelly Young-Silverman, with beautiful watercolor illustrations by erin the great.  I am honored to share with you their latest collaboration, "Where's Wilson?". 

"Where's Wilson?" is a beautiful bedtime story about the search for one of the counting sheep that goes missing right before bedtime. All the animals on the farm search for Wilson, the fourth counting sheep. How will the children get to sleep if they don't have all the sheep to count? My Pre-K class loved the rhyming text and stunning illustrations!  

"Where's Wilson?" has a special little surprise: a hidden frog on each page, just as "Man In The Moon" had a hidden ladybug. And, like "Man In The Moon", a portion of the proceeds from the book is donated to St. Jude's Children's Hospital.

You can purchase a copy of "Where's Wilson?" (and "Man in the Moon") on the author's website: Evie and Knox Stories. You will also find some printables and coloring pages on the Evie and Knox site!

Happy Reading!

The Wide Mouthed Frog

Spring is here!!! We are learning about a variety of life cycles in our Pre-K class and reading lots of great books about animals that come out in the Spring. One of the favorite units is our unit on Pond Life, which includes all the animals found around a pond, especially frogs!
This week, we are reading two versions of the same story about the Wide Mouthed Frog. Although the stories vary a little, essentially the story is about a frog that goes around telling smaller creatures that he has a big wide mouth and will eat them. Eventually, he comes across something bigger than himself and discovers he is the desired meal time snack! 

   ***This post contains affiliate links for your convenience. Little Illuminations is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program.***

The Big Wide Mouthed Frog by Ana Martin Larranaga is a favorite in our class! The kids love to help tell the story by chiming in with the repetitive portions of the text!

Wide Mouthed Frog by Keith Faulkner is one of my favorites, because it is set in the Okefenokee Swamp, which is located in Georgia and Florida, so it includes creatures my students are familiar with. The kids love it because it is a pop-up book, and what kid doesn't just love a pop-up book?

We made our own wide mouthed frogs, using construction paper and paper plates. 

If you have a favorite Wide Mouthed Frog story that you love, please share it in the comments!!

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Man In The Moon: Children's Book Review

**I received a copy of this book to preview as a gift. After reading and enjoying, I agreed to write a review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not compensated financially in any way..** 


I have recently had the opportunity to read a gorgeous new children's book by author Kelly Young-Silverman, titled "Man In The Moon". "Man in the Moon" is about a little girl who sees the moon and wonders what it must be like up there. She talks to the moon, and although he doesn't reply, he smiles down sweetly at her. Told in rhyming form, it is a very sweet story about friendship! 

There is a special treat hidden on each page----a sweet little ladybug. The pictures are beautiful watercolor illustrations by the extremely talented Erin the Great. 

This is sure to become a favorite and is perfect for a bedtime story. I read it to my Pre-K class and they absolutely loved it and have asked to hear it again!

You can purchase a copy of "Man in the Moon" on the author's website : Evie and Knox Stories. Bonus: 5% of the book's proceeds go to help St. Jude's Children's Hospitals. 

Happy reading!

My Doctor and Me ABC: Children's Book Review

** I received a digital copy of this book to preview as a gift. After reading and enjoying, I agreed to write a review. The opinions expressed in this post are my own. I was not compensated financially in any way. Also included in this post are my Amazon Affiliate links to the book.**

If you are a regular follower of little illuminations, you know that one of my passions is children's literature. I love collecting it, reading it and especially sharing it! I try to provide my students with a wide variety of reading material on our bookshelf relating to the topic we are currently discussing. Just before beginning our study on community helpers, the stars aligned and I received a message asking if I would like to preview an e-copy of a new book for children about going to the doctor called "My Doctor and Me ABC" written by Dr. Stephanie Cox, M.D. and illustrated by Emily Burger. Score!!!

Photos from "My Doctor a.nd Me ABC" used with permission from author

"My Doctor and Me ABC" is an adorably fun book that presents a healthy habit, body part, instrument or  medical exam component using a medical vocabulary word that goes with each letter of the alphabet, along with a little rhyme. It is like taking a mini field trip to the doctor's office!

Photos from "My Doctor a.nd Me ABC" used with permission from author

The illustrations are adorable and illustrate each concept well.

Photos from "My Doctor a.nd Me ABC" used with permission from author

Photos from "My Doctor a.nd Me ABC" used with permission from author

Dr. Stephanie Cox is a Family Physician in Iowa and enjoys caring for the children in her practice. She wrote the book in an effort to ease fears for children experiencing a doctor's visit. 

"My Doctor and Me ABC" has already received some notable attention. It has just won an Honorable Mention from the 2014 Readers' Choice 2014 International Book Awards. I'm sure it will be on some of the other book award lists soon!

I love the rhyming text and the use of common medical jargon. I think it is never too early to start helping children learn correct terminology--and this book does this beautifully without going over their heads!

Photos from "My Doctor a.nd Me ABC" used with permission from author

I read the book to my class and they LOVED it! I would definitely recommend getting this book for children before visiting the doctor's office or for teachers to use when learning about health and wellness or doctors/community helpers.

If you would like to purchase the book, you may click on my Amazon Affiliate link below:

Dr. Cox also has a facebook page for the book: "My Doctor and Me ABC" on which she shares about the book and posts and articles about kids' health. Stop by and give her page a "like" and be sure to let her know little illuminations sent you!

I love to read your thoughts and comments! Please share them in the "Comments" section below this post!

Book Review: 101 Kids Activities That Are The Bestest, Funnest Ever!

{Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book at no cost for the purpose of reviewing. The opinions contained in this post are entirely my own. Also included in the post are Amazon affiliate links.}

I was so excited to receive a copy of  "101 Kids Activities That Are The Bestest, Funnest Ever!" by Holly Homer and Rachel Miller earlier this summer. I follow the Kids Activities blog and facebook page and love all the great activities they share and post, so I just knew I would love the book!

"101 Kids Activities That Are The Bestest, Funnest Ever!"  is chock full of easy to implement activities for kids that are sure-fire boredom busters! The book is broken down into four sections, "Boredom Busters", "Crafts", "Games" and "Simple Science". Each activity is only one page long, with a materials list and tips to help with activity implementation. Almost all of the activities are accompanied by a beautiful photograph of the activity. Plus, there are modifications included for younger kids and for older kids! 

I've not been in a classroom this summer (with the exception of helping out on various summer camp field trips), so I've not had the opportunity to implement any of the ideas yet, but I am SO excited that I've already bookmarked many to do with students during the first few weeks of school! (I will admit to trying a few activities on my own, though. I just couldn't wait! ;) There are a few activities that I've tried in the past, such as the "No Sew No-GlueTutu", the supersoft dough featured in "Archaeology Dig With Supersoft Dough" and  "Cork Boats & a Tinfoil River", that were BIG hits with my Pre-K classes, so I'm thrilled to have tons of new ideas ready to try. 

One of the first activities I want to try is this "Sticky Note Pom Pom Maze" from page 37. It looks like SO much fun! I'm pretty positive that this will quickly become a student favorite immediately!

From 101 Kids Activities by Holly Homer and Rachel Miller, printed with permission of Page Street Publishing June 2014

For full instructions, click here to download.

My class always does a unit on transportation and we usually make paper airplanes to fly, but I think I've just found the ultimate homemade glider! On page 121, Rachel and Holly feature a game called "Egg Carton Glider Throw". The game idea comes with instructions on how to make your own foam glider that is more sturdy than the store bought versions, AND, it is from recycled materials you probably already have lying around! Doesn't it look fun?

From 101 Kids Activities by Holly Homer and Rachel Miller, printed with permission of Page Street Publishing June 2014

For full instructions, click here to download.

I've shown this book to a few teacher friends, and they have all said that they have to have a copy! There are just so many great activities to try. Our new school year starts in less than 2 weeks, and I think after the dust settles and the kids are comfortable in their surroundings, I'll share the book with them and let them pick some activities to try, as well!

My Amazon affiliate link to get your own copy of this fab book:

All photos used with permission from 101 Kids Activities by Holly Homer and Rachel Miller, printed with permission of Page Street Publishing June 2014.

I'd love for you to share your thoughts! Leave a comment below!