Book Activity: The Very Hungry Caterpillar

I'll be honest. TVHC may be my favorite children's book of all time. That caterpillar is so stinking cute! It is the first flannel story I shared with a group of children after becoming a librarian. Unfortunately, Bobo doesn't share my enthusiasm for the story. So I brought in reinforcements...

After we shared the story, we got out the caterpillar that I brought home from work. He lives in my office! Bobo re-told the story by slipping the food into the little pockets on the sides of the toy. Then, we played with the wooden food, sorting, counting and imagining. There may be hope, yet!

Linking up with Read.Learn.Explore.

Book Review: A You're Adorable by Martha Alexander

During story hour, I dish out praise and compliments with a smile and applause. It is so wonderful to see a child's face glow with recognition and acceptance. We clap for listening and following directions. I praise for creativity and enthusiasm. How often do you do the same at home?

With a room full of children, it is great to have a list of positive words to praise with listed in your mind or on paper. Give each child a unique compliment. You can do this at home by reading books like A You're Adorable, which gives a characteristic for most of the letters of the alphabet. The bold letters in the illustrations are coupled with soft depictions of children and animals. "'A' – You're Adorable" is a popular song with music by Sidney Lippman and lyrics by Buddy Kaye and Fred Wise. It was published in 1948. In 1969, Sesame Street covered the song. My favorite character makes a cameo!

Book Review: Thank You, God, For Mommy by Amy Parker

Panda mama and baby are potrayed throughout this board book as a loving family. They have adventures, swing, clean up messes, share a meal with their family and snuggle together to sleep. These are all things mothers do everyday with their little ones. The message throughout is thanking mothers for being mothers.

I wasn't going to post a review for this book, because I didn't care for it. I liked Thank You, God, for Daddy so much better. The rhyme in the verses of the Mommy book were strained. One of the illustrations didn't make sense with the story and seemed out of place. The library only purchased this book, though, so I gave it another look.

The baby in the book is probably one year old. He is walking, but still needs a lot of help from mama. He needs help falling asleep, which leads to my favorite verse in the book:

Thank You, God, for Mommy
And lullabies so sweet-
The rhythm of her beating heart
Can sing me right to sleep.

I probably would have loved this book a year ago, because I would have instantly related to the mama panda. I would have still been rocking my little one to sleep while singing to him. What a difference a year makes?


The main characters of Amy Parker's second board book are lions. The lion cub is a little older than the baby panda. He is a toddler, around 2 years, and he wants to be just like daddy. Bobo and Daddy could be the characters in this book.


I wish I could add the artwork from the first spread. It shows the father and son with capes made from blankets. The next page shows the father measuring the son's height. These are actions that I see happening right now in my son's life. I believe that is the main reason I prefer the Daddy book. However, the verse flows more smoothly than the Mommy book. The rhymes seem more natural. Plus, I find the lions more flattering than the fluffy pandas.