Stinky Smelly

Openers:
Oh Hey, Oh Hi!
PBJ Stretch

Little Oink (Amy Crouse Rosenthal)3-5
Little Oink has a problem.  He HATES to mess up his room. Find out he solves his pungent problem in this oh-so-cute twist on a common household theme.
Song:  Clean Up, Clean Up!
Song:  This is the Way We Take a Bath

Big Smelly Bear (Britta Teckentrup) 2-5
BSB (big smelly bear) finds a friend who can help him out of his smelly trouble and discovers that being clean is a bit less lonely.  Large, cuddly illustrations underscore this tale of good advice.
Chant:  We're Going on a Bear Hunt







I Stink (Kate and Jim McMullan) 2-5
Get ready for the ride of your life as the McMullans take us through a gritty day in the life of a garbage truck.  From A to Z, find garbage bits and steely bolts with all the sights, sounds, and...smells...of a New York City trash truck.
Rhyme:  Garbage

Felt Board:  Garbage Trucks

GARBAGE!

Pick up garbage, and throw it in the bin!
Push it down, and stomp it in!
Carry the cans to the street
for the garbage trucks to eat.
When the truck comes roaring by,
workers lift the cans up high.
Garbage falls into the back.
Crush it, mash it, smash it flat!
Set the cans down with a thump.
Now drive that garbage to the dump!

Closer:  Wave Goodbye (Rob Reid)

Other Books:

Smash! Mash! Crash! There Goes the Trash (Odanaka)

Trashy Town (Zimmerman/Clemesha)

Purple, please!

Openers:
Oh Hey, Oh Hi!
Snowflakes/Snowball Fun

Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson) 3-5
Okay, if you have a name like Crockett, you're bound to be pretty creatiave, and this crayon character, Harold, certainly is.  Hang on the the edge of your purple seat and find out how Harold draws his way into and out of scrapes while adventuring form his own room--and trying to get back.
Song:  Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum
Song:  Row, Row, Row Your Boat

Purple: Seeing Purple All Around Us (Sarah L Scheuette) 2-4
Vivid close-up photography bathes the readers in a purple display of items--some obvious, some not-so-obvious--that bear the color.  Rhyming text and bite-sized factual blurbs carry this theme along nicely.  Enjoy the purpleness!
Wiggler:  My Thumbs are Starting to Wiggle

Felt Board:  10 in a Bunch

Closer:
Wave Goodbye Poem

Snack/Project:  Yogurt color-mix (red and blue to make purple, of course!) and graham crackers.  (The kids loved this!)

Monster Mash

Openers:
Oh Hey, Oh Hi!
I'm a Snowflake/Snowball fun

Monsters Don't Eat Broccoli (Barbara Jean Hicks) 3-5
FIE FUM FO FEE...MONSTERS DON'T EAT BROCCOLI!  Chant along with rhyming text as these particularly fussy monsters tell us just what they will and won't eat...and what they discover is pretty darn good.  

Song:  Children's Choice
FP:  Five Little Hot Dogs





If You're a Monster and You Know It (Rebecca and Ed Emberly--who know a lot about monsters--) 2-5
Wildly colorful monsters sing their way through the familiar 'If You're Happy and You Know It' tune, but change it...up...a...bit.  Get ready to wiggle and have fun with this book for ACTIVE readers.  FUN!

Song:  If You're a Monster and You Know It









Five Ugly Monsters (Tedd Arnold) 3-5
What would YOU do if there were monsters jumping on your bed?  What if the doctor just wanted to get some sleep?  Well, you'd have to take matters into your own hands, of course!  Sing along to 'Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed' and see what this brave boy does about all the monster trouble.

Song:  Sticky, sticky bubblegum

Felt Board: Winter Shape Story

Lovely!

Opener:
Oh Hey,Oh Hi!

Never to Little to Love (Jeanne Willis) 2-5
Oh, Mouse has a terrific bit of trouble...and that is that he just cannot reach the one he loves.  He tries, and tries, but, alas, he fails.  Enjoy the sweet solution in this endearing story of unlikely love.
Song:  Love Grows
Song:  One Little, Two Little Three Little Valentines








Guess How Much I Love You (Sam McBratney) 2-5
Just how big is love anyway?  This oh-so-sweet bed time tale helps us know that love is boundless.
Song: If You Love Me and You Know It

Felt Board:  How Many Hearts Do You See?
Craft:  marbleized heart bookmarks

Valentine Treat Bags...Yum!

elephants

Openers:  Oh Hey, Oh Hi!
Ceiling Stretch

Seven Blind Mice (Young) 3-5
As seven blind mice each explore an elephant in turn, we learn that the whole is greater than the parts--by quite a lot!  Imaginative and colorful, this book is a perspective stretcher for young minds.
Finger Play:  Quiet Little Mouse
Game:  Blindfold/touch and guess






Miss Mary Mack (Hoberman) 3-5
The classic children's rhyme takes flight with illustrations that rollick through a loony July day.  In the end, Miss Mary's enormous friend have great fun together.
Wiggler: Big Grey Elephant
Wiggler:  5 Elephants Went Out to Play










Maisy Makes Lemonade (Cousins) 2-4
Maisy makes lemonade for friends, but what happens when one of them has their own 'straw?'

FB:  Mouse Count
Closer:  Wave Goodbye

RED!

Openers:
Oh Hey Oh Hi!
PBJ Stretch

The Little Red Hen  (Jerry Pinkney) 3-5
Retold and beautifully illustrated by Jerry Pinkney, the classic moral lesson of the Little Red Hen shines through as she labors to make her own bread...no thanks to the other barn yard loafers. Personally, I think the illustrations are so good, this is a version worth keeping in my personal collection.
Memory Game:  Little Red Hen retell with masks


Red is Best (Kathy Stimpson) 2-5
Sometimes a color can capture a young child's heart.  This simple story helps us all remember when nothing would do but our most favorite of colors--in this case red.
Song: Bumpin' Up and Down in my Little Red Wagon






Who Said Red? (Mary Serfozo) 2-4
This book of vibrant pictures is just a fun way to explore the primary colors--what on earth could the boy be looking for that's RED?
Song: Sticky, Sticky Bubblegum












Big Fat Hen (Keith Baker)  2-4
Count through ten with with some colorful, chuckling hens and their clutch of chicks!


FB:  Fruit/Color Game
Closer:  Wave Goodbye (Rob Reid)

Tracks in the Snow

 Opener:
Oh Hey, Oh Hi!
Ceiling Stretch

The Snowy Day (Ezra Jack Keats) 2-4
With simple, colorful illustrations, this classic story captures the delight of discovering the joys of making tracks in the snow!  It marches out a child-like pace, just like those tracks, and is sure to capture your wee one's heart...and rekindle your own!
Wiggler:  Snowball Fight!
Wiggler:  Walking Walking

Footprints in the Snow (Michael Dahl) 3-5
Cleverly, author Michael Dahl makes use of biped tracks to teach the concept of counting by twos.  Delightful winter creatures help him out with this task, while hidden numbers on each page challenge young readers.  There is a lot to explore in this introduction to more complex counting.
Song:  Love Grows
Wiggler:  The Hokey Pokey

Whose Footprints? (Molly Coxe) 2-4
Explore a rural farm as mother and child head out to sled and discover many different kinds of footprints in the fresh snow. -A unique way to  look at life on a farm!
Wiggler: Old MacDonald

Project:
Trace footprints of children and color