3 New Animal Books For Kids From Schiffer

Three new children's books from Schiffer's Publishing lay a fun foundation for learning about animals. Science lessons and lessons of literature will spring forth naturally from these pages.  Schiffer Publication, Ltd. sent me the following books in exchange for an honest review:

Are You Sure That Was A Rabbit? By Clay Harper & Jas Ingram is an adorably fun book that takes a classroom of kids out to their school garden where various animals pass by.  Each time, the animal is mistaken for a rat.  The kids are quite alarmed at the thought of a rat in their garden.  Yet, each time the teacher reassures them that it is not a rat and explains what animal it truly is.

It's a cute book to get kids interested in noticing characteristics of various animals:  rabbits, chipmunks, squirrels, and yes - rats.

Mallory The Forgetful Duck by Elaine Allen is about a duck who is so forgetful that one day she forgets where she laid her eggs.  The story introduces different kinds of nests and eggs including:  Canadian Geese, Osprey, Herons, Oystercatchers and Ducks.

It is a fun story to read that will expose your child to names of animals, their habitats, their nests and egg size and colors, in a light-hearted and fun way.

Wild Colt by Lois Szymanski is a sweet poetic-style story of a colt who finds a home.  The story is written in a phrase poem style that opens up doors to literature lessons as well as all the science that surrounds the colt in the story and the wetlands as portrayed in the story.

The story doesn't stop at the end.  The back of the book is filled with information about animals you will find in the wetlands and more wetland facts.

A couple additional books from Schiffer Publishing that do not involve animals are Tales From Sweet Sweet Big Billy And The Ice Cream Truck That Wouldn't Stop! by Joe Consiglio and Shirley's Cakes by Ambur Lowenthal & Joe Werner.  Both are stories that are creative and fun to read with your children.

Be sure to express that they are just fun books when you read these last two stories as Ice Cream Truck safety is something of personal terror to me.  It seems like at least once a year or so there is a news story of a child being struck and killed by a school bus or an ice cream truck, or other vehicle that is supposed to be child friendly.  I would hate for a child to misunderstand the story of Big Billy and go into fantasy mode when he or she sees an ice cream truck.  The story does, however, play out a bully scenario and a fight between good vs. evil where kindness wins out.  And, it's a very fun story to read aloud as it gives the reader a chance to express herself with all the fun adjectives and sound action words.

The cake story includes a few cake recipes that would be fun to try out with your child.  And, it could be merely a cute little story.  However, there is one part of the cake story that stood out to me as I wondered if the story actually was intended to have a deeper, more political meaning between the lines as the teacher sits with the little girl who hates cakes and explains that:

I'm upset that you don't accept the life choices of others

The others are those who love "cake".

If you want to teach your child that there is right and wrong choices and that not every choice is a choice that needs to be embraced (though she needn't be hateful about the choices of others - she still should be commended for standing up for her own values), then this may not be the book for you.  This would not bother me like it did if the story had ended differently.  As it turns out, this cake-hating girl ends up not only accepting the choices of others, but embracing their choices and making it her own.  I'll let you read the book for yourself to get the full details surrounding the end of the story and whether or not you believe it is an ending to be celebrated.

New Books from Schiffer for Kids

Schiffer Books has released a new line of books for kids.  And, they are spectacular!  The publishing company sent me some of their kids' books in exchange for an honest review.  So, here is what I thought:

Bugs In Shoes - This book by Beth Wilder is absolutely adorable with it's cute rhythmic flow throughout. It is perfect for early, merging readers.  The bugs progress throughout the book trying on different articles of clothing.  This poetic rhythm and bright happy pictures helps draw the young reader in and makes the words entertaining and easy to remember.  A few lines from the book read as follows:

Bugs in earmuffs

Bugs in coats

Bust in swimsuits

Bugs in floats...

The book also has pages in the back that are meant to be photocopied for your child to color and enjoy.  You could also extend the learning time by using them in a matching game.  As you read the book with your child, have him or her set the matching bugs on the correct pages.

Bertie Bumble Bee - Troubled by the Letter "b" by K.I. Al-Ghani and Illustrated by Haitham Al-Ghani - This book is an excellent resource for parents and teachers dealing with a struggling or dyslexic learner.  The book is a sweet story about a little bee who is very excited about school until he is made fun of because he switches around his letters.  The book walks the reader through an enticing story revealing how mother bee helps her little bee figure it all out.

The suggestions for how to remember the correct way to write letters is very helpful and fun to follow.  The back of the book is filled with pages of how to help your child master basic phonics.  The story and the phonics helps are a rich resource for any teacher or student learning letters, even if it comes easily with no challenge.

Double-Talk Word Sense & Nonsense - By Zora & David Aiken Illustrated by David Aiken is a cute, easy-to-remember way of learning homophones using silly nonsensical rhymes, such as this one:

The sandman, they say, might help us to snore.  But not the sand man we build at the shore.

The pictures that accompany the cute little verses are very appealing.  They will draw your child in to look for detail after detail.

The Tale of Strawberry Snow - by P.L. Caudle Illustrations by Frank H. Simmonds, IV - This is a story about "making new friends" wobbly legs and a courageous heart describes the little pony in the book who makes friends with the most unlikely creature.  The story is sweet and easy to read for early readers (PK-3rd grade).

Boomer Explores Annapolis - by Angelique Clarke Illustrated by Jim Hunt  - This story is a brilliant method of teaching facts about a city while the reader is absorbed in the puppy's story.  Boomer could very well explore your town as well.  I wish there were a Boomer story about every capitol city (at the very least) as a way for kids to learn more about the USA.  Your dog-lover will learn a ton about the city of Annapolis in this story that follows a dog around town.  The factual tidbits about this city in Maryland are filtered in to a young reader unaware of how much he or she is truly learning about historical sites.  The lovable puppy will bring your child back to read the story again and again.  Each time the story is read, your child will remember more historical facts.

The books are available at Schifferbooks.com where you can learn more about other newly-released children's books as well.