Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you two adorable picture books that are especially pertinent to me this week because I'm staying at a beach house and reading lots of books!
It's been a year
of dreaming, waiting.
Now, summer's here.
In a funny and heartfelt celebration of family, vacations, and the joy of the sea, Deanna Caswell and Amy June Bates capture the essence of summer—building sand castles, jumping the waves, and watching the stars come out after a long day at the beach—and the love that warms every moment. -- Chronicle
BEACH HOUSE by Deanna Caswell and illustrated by Amy June Bates is one of those picture books that just resonated with me. It perfectly captures the essence of arriving at the beach -- with all of the work and excitement. BEACH HOUSE tells the story of one family who arrives at the beach. While there is a great deal of excitement from the kids, the parents insist that the car get unloaded and the suitcases unpacked.
After all of the chores are down, the family rushes to the water, and the fun begins! The family does all those wonderful things associated with the beach like playing in the water, body surfing, making sandcastles, and flying kites. And then they retire to their beach house for a good night sleep!
I had to laugh while reading BEACH HOUSE because I'm the "mom" now, and I still have those feelings of frustration that I need to unpack the car and put everything away before heading down to the ocean. I especially liked how the gorgeous illustrations matched the mood of the story, and the rhyming text made the story fun.
BEACH HOUSE is an adorable book and certain to hit home with many beach-loving families!
Step Two: Find a reading buddy. (Someone nice.)
Step Three: Find a reading spot. (Couches are cozy.)
Now: Begin.
Accomplished storytellers Kate Messner and Mark Siegel chronicle the process of becoming a reader: from pulling a book off the shelf and finding someone with whom to share a story, to reading aloud, predicting what will happen, and—finally—coming to The End. This picture book playfully and movingly illustrates the idea that the reader who discovers the love of reading finds, at the end, the beginning. -- Chronicle
HOW TO READ A STORY by Kate Messner and illustrated by Mark Siegel is another terrific picture book. This one gives some pretty amazing advice -- how to read a story! Believe it or not, there are ten distinct steps starting with 1) Find a story to 10) When the book is over, say "The End."
I absolutely loved this book -- it's a keeper for sure! The entire tone of the book is fun from the words of wisdom to the adorable illustrations. And the book gives plenty of advice for how to read a story to a buddy. Personally, I think HOW TO READ A STORY might just be one of the cutest read-aloud books I've ever seen. In fact, I'm a little sad that my two kids are too old for picture books because they would have loved this one!
I hesitate to share the ending but I figure the audience for this book won't be reading my blog any time soon. While there is plenty of great advice for reading, the ending was especially sweet... and all too perfect for toddlers. The author recommends that if you thought the story was a really good one, then you can go right back to the beginning and start all over again!
HOW TO READ A STORY is a must-have for families who share a love of books and reading. Highly recommended.
Thanks to the publisher for providing review copies of these books.
If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!
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2 comments:
Both of those books look gorgeous!
How to Read a Story would be perfect for a storytime setting! Thanks for sharing!
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