stephanie obergfell's trade book favorites

Eight Animals on the Town
Written by: Susan Middleton Elya
Illustrated by: Lee Chapman
This story begins with eight animals on their way to town looking for something to eat. Each of the following pages illustrates a different animal at the market and the food that they are purchasing. The text identifies the animal in English as well as Spanish. It also identifies the food they are purchasing in English and Spanish. As they are presented, each animal is counted in Spanish. In the corners of each illustration, the number is shown as part of the illustration. The story continues as the animals dine together, dance, and drive home. Each activity is described with a Spanish and English vocabulary word as part of the text.
This is a great book because the vocabulary is introduced in context as part of the story and flows with ease. Rhyming text also adds to the flow of the reading. The illustrations in the story also serve as a reference tool. The number, food, and animal are clearly part of each illustration. Upon reading the story more than one time to children, they can refer to the picture to help recall vocabulary. It is simply a very well written story that cleverly utilizes rhyming and vocabulary to make a very educational story.

Zinnia’s Flower Garden
Written by: Monica Wellington
Designed by: Gloria Cheng
This is a fun fiction story that follows a little girl, Zinnia, and her adventures through the seasons as she grows a flower garden. Beginning in the spring and ending in winter, Zinnia nurtures and enjoys her project. Each time the page is turned in this book, the text is centered on one page with a full page illustration on the opposite page. However, the most exciting part of this book is found in additional illustrations that surround the text. On each text page, there are smaller pictures with labels that give factual information to the reader. For example, when it rains on Zinnia’s garden, the pictures surrounding the text show various types of clouds with a small label identifying each.
As a read aloud, the story in itself can carry a spring lesson plan unit for young children, however, the most intriguing part of the story is the additional information that surrounds the text. It sounds bulky to have additional pictures and labels surrounding the text, however, it is done in a way that doesn’t impede on the main illustrations or story. Several of the pictures are color copies of photographs or fabrics, which really appeal to the eye. By looking into the photos or pictures surrounding the text, one can see stages of germination, the process of a caterpillar to butterfly, parts of a flower, and types of flowers identified. Using this book may require multiple readings, perhaps initially to just enjoy the story, but second and third readings that take the time to discuss this information that surrounds the text as the story is read.

Raindrop, Plop!
Written by: Wendy Cheyette Lewison
Illustrated by: Pam Paparone
This is a fun counting book for young children. Beginning with one and counting to ten, the story follows a small child on a rainy day. After reaching ten, the story continues as the reader counts from ten back to one. For example: “THREE little raindrops, splat! splat! Splat! FOUR little raindrops, boots and hat.” In addition, as the count begins from ten to one, the illustrations provide objects for a child to count as the page is read.
The text of the story is brief and rhyming and after a few readings aloud, a young child can begin to recall the text easily and feel proud as they chime in with an adult reader or attempt to read the book solo. This book has been read multiple times in multiple ways in our house, and I would highly recommend it for reading aloud to young children because it lends itself to child participation.

These three stories have become favorites of mine and of my children, but they also share a common bond in how I was introduced to them. My daughter received each of these in hardcover form from the Imagination Library. This is a program initiated by Dolly Parton to put appropriate and educational reading material into the homes of young children. The website is http://www.dollysimaginationlibrary.com/. In order to participate, a community must have a local sponsor. In reading information from the website, there are currently 950 communities participating in several states and Canada. By going to the website and entering your address, you can find out if there is a sponsor in your community and be redirected to them or learn how to start a program in your area.
The local sponsor for Hendricks, Marion, Boone, Hancock, Hamilton, and Morgan counties in Indiana is the Central Indiana United Way. The program is called the Early Readers Club and children are eligible until the age of 6. Children can receive 12 high quality hardcover books a year delivered to their home. When we participated it was a free program, but they have recently tacked on a $20 fee for families, however, families can also apply for a scholarship if this is a difficulty. The website for these counties is http://www.uwci.org/.

Simply click on the Early Readers Club for more information. This can be a wonderful resource for teachers or service providers to offer families. A book list is provided on this website and is a reliable source for educational and diverse stories that are appropriate for young children. The books are chosen by a national panel that serves the Imagination Library comprised of representatives from the International Reading Association, Parents as Teachers, Rutgers University, and of course teachers themselves!