“We-View” Wednesday: Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown

Welcome to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”

Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown is a chapter book for fluent readers.  This is one in a series of books.  There is also a Flat Stanley Adventures series.   In this particular book, Stanley Lambchop is flattened by a large bulletin board.  Adventures ensue as he originally enjoys his new “flat” body.  Soon, people begin to make fun of him and Stanley isn’t so sure being flat is a good thing.  Will Stanley remain flat forever?  I would recommend this book for kids ages 4-8.  My son read this book to me and then orally gave me this summary:

Flat Stanley was flattened by a big bulletin board when he was sleeping one night.  At first, he liked it but then people started calling him names.  The adventures he had were flying as a kite and finding robbers in a museum.  Will Stanley have more great adventures?

Join us next week as we discuss our Flat Stanley Adventure Exchange challenge we took on.  (Picture is of my son’s Flat Stanley that we exchanged with another child).

©2011 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

“We-View” Wednesday: The Flat Stanley Adventure Exchange

Welcome to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”

This month’s “we-view” is a little different.  We haven’t read the book yet!  Instead, I wanted to let you know about this fun, cool Flat Stanley Adventure Exchange that Trina from Book Loving Boys began.  My son and I signed up for it and through it we will read one or two Flat Stanley books together.  Next month, we’ll actually “we-view” one of them.

If you are interested in joining the Flat Stanley Adventure Exchange, please check it out!  I think it will be a fun way to motivate kids to read, and to encourage us as parents to continue to read with our children even when they are able to read independently.  My son and I are so excited and can’t wait to “meet” our exchange partner. 

©2011 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

“We-View” Wednesday – Nate the Great

Welcome to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”

Nate the Great and the Big Sniff by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat is a chapter book for fluent readers.  This is one in a series of books.  In this particular book, Nate has to find his dog Sludge who is stuck inside a department store.  Sludge inadvertently leaves clues to his whereabouts behind in the form of wet paw prints.  Will Nate find him before he leaves a mess behind as well?  I would recommend this book for kids ages 6-9.  My son read this book to me and then orally gave me this summary:

Nate the Great is a detective.  In this book, he loses his dog Sludge inside a big department store on a rainy day. He depends on Sludge to help him solve his cases.  Sludge leaves clues behind for Nate to follow.  The funniest part was when Nate had to look in the girl’s dressing room.  I would recommend this book to kids my age.

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

“We-View” Wednesday – The Butt Book

Welcome back to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”

The Butt Book by Artie Bennett

Last month I wrote a post about letting boys read whatever interests them.  I stand by that, and this book is a perfect example of reaching boys – though girls enjoy it too!  With its great rhymes and descriptive pictures, the reader learns all about butts.  It’s a fun read.   I would recommend this book for kids ages 4-7.  My son read it to me and then gave me this summary:

The Butt Book is very funny!  The book teaches me about butts.  My favorite quote is, “Why do we have butts? Perchance a place to place our underpants?” I like it because the author made me say underpants!

Disclosure: We received a copy of this book from the author. 

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

“We-View” Wednesday: Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

Welcome back to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”

Soup Day by Melissa Iwai

Soup Day is a cute story about a little girl and her mother.  Together they take us through the steps of making soup from shopping, to chopping, and then waiting for the soup to cook.  While waiting, they play and clean up.  It’s a great story of a bonding experience between a mother and daughter.  The author also adds in a little math, which my son quickly picked up on, by way of counting the various vegetables that go into the soup.  I would recommend this book for kids ages 4-7.  My son read it to me and then gave me this summary:

In Soup Day the kid makes soup with her mom.  They count the vegetables they put in the soup.  The author gives you a recipe at the end of the book.  Maybe this book will encourage my mom to make soup with me.

For more information on the author, visit her website at www.melissaiwai.com Her cooking/art blog can be found at www.thehungryartist.wordpress.com, where she gives tips on cooking with children and more!

Disclosure: We received an ARC of this book from the publicist. 

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

“We-View” Wednesday is Back!

Welcome back to “We-View” Wednesday!  After months off, I’ve decided to bring back this feature.  My son is in second grade and is a fluent reader now.  We still read together daily and I thought it would benefit him to summarize (sometimes orally, sometimes written) books that we read.   At the same time you all will become familiar with books kids his age may like to read.   I hope you will join us!  Click here to read about the original intent of “We-View” Wednesday.

A few changes:

• This will become a monthly feature instead of a weekly feature.  I will post “we-views” on the third Wednesday of every month.
• I’m still learning different aspects to blogging and trying to become familiar with linky features.  I may eventually make this a linky, but for now, if you would like to join this feature, please email me at  dlittle {at} linkstoliteracy {dot} com by the Sunday before the third Wednesday of the month with your “we-view”.  I would love to be able to post multiple book “we-views” of different aged children.  Please make sure to include your blog address so that others can check you out, too!

Here is our latest “we-view”:

Buzz Boy And Fly Guy

The Fly Guy series by Tedd Arnold is a popular series in this house.  The books revolve around a boy named Buzz and his pet fly, Fly Guy.  The books are short and fun!  These are perfect books for your beginning reader, especially if you may have a reluctant boy reader.  Buzz Boy and Fly Guy is the most recent in the series.  My son read it to me and then gave me this summary:

Buzz Boy and Fly Guy is a book about a boy and his pet fly.  Buzz made a book and they are the heroes.  In the book, pirates take their house to a dragon’s cave.  Buzz Boy saves the day.  This is a funny book.

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

We-View Wednesday: The Bones You Own by Becky Baines

I’d like to begin a new weekly link here at Literacy Toolbox.  It’s called We-View Wednesday and basically it’s a parent/child review of a book (as in “we” review it together).  I don’t make it a habit to review books here, but if I come across books that I think you and your child will like, I will certainly share them!  I started to think about how I could involve my children in the process and this is what I came up with!  We read all the time and I think asking kids what they think about a book is just as important as reading to them.  Kids need to understand that they may not always like a book and that’s OK (especially if they are school age, they may feel uncomfortable sharing their true feelings for fear of upsetting an adult).  Asking children to share their opinion of a book also begins to build their critical thinking skills.  Of course, your child’s age will determine how much of  a review you may get out of him or her.

So, since I am VERY new at this whole process, I would like to open it up to you all!  If you are interested in participating in this weekly event, please leave a comment.  If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share them!  I have a three year old and a seven year old, so I will attempt to alternate the we-views between the two.  This one is by my seven year old – he didn’t have much to say, but did pick up on text features!

Published by National Geographic Kids, ZigZag: The Bones You Own is a fantastic informational book for young readers.  Combining labels, photographs, colorful pages and varied font sizes, this book brings bones to life for the preschool and early reader set.  Providing just enough detail to entice the reader, but not overwhelm, this book is another great informational text brought to you by National Geographic.

What did you like about the book?

Seven Year Old We-View:  I liked how the photographs show you real bones.  The X-rays were cool, too!

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.

We-View Wednesday: Everything Spring by Jill Esbaum

I’d like to begin a new weekly link here at Literacy Toolbox.  It’s called We-View Wednesday and basically it’s a parent/child review of a book (as in “we” review it together).  I don’t make it a habit to review books here, but if I come across books that I think you and your child will like, I will certainly share them!  I started to think about how I could involve my children in the process and this is what I came up with!  We read all the time and I think asking kids what they think about a book is just as important as reading to them.  Kids need to understand that they may not always like a book and that’s OK (especially if they are school age, they may feel uncomfortable sharing their true feelings for fear of upsetting an adult).  Asking children to share their opinion of a book also begins to build their critical thinking skills.  Of course, your child’s age will determine how much of  a review you may get out of him or her.

So, since I am VERY new at this whole process, I would like to open it up to you all!  If you are interested in participating in this weekly event, please leave a comment.  If you have any suggestions or ideas, please share them!  I begin with the following review.  I read the book with my three year old.  Her short two sentence review is at the bottom.

Everything Spring is a book in a series of books titled “Picture the Seasons” by National Geographic Kids.   Everything Spring uses bright and colorful photography to share with children the “birth” of spring.  From new plants and budding trees to the birth of new animals, spring comes alive in this short picture book.  The text size is a bit larger, making this book an easy one to share as a read aloud.  While it doesn’t have some of your typical features of informational text (table of contents, glossary, index), it does provide different fonts (italics, all caps) to emphasize words.  Descriptive language and sensory details abound as children learn about the sights and sounds of spring.  (“Fuzzy ducklings totter to a rippled pond.  Splish-Splash!  In they go, webby feet piddle- paddling.”) All in all, I find it to be a perfect read aloud for the preschool crowd!

I asked my three year old, What did you like about the book?

Three Year Old We-View:  I liked splish-splash.  The ducks were getting in the water.

Please let me know what you think!!

©2010 by Dawn Little for Literacy Toolbox. All Rights Reserved.  All Amazon links are affiliate links and may result in my receiving a small commission. This is at no additional cost to you.