Books For Boys

Fleming, D (2007) beetle bop. Orlando, Florida: Harcourt Inc.

ISBN# 978-0-15-205936-1

"Beetle Bop" by Denise Fleming is a colorful picture book all about beetles.It describes the different patterns and colors that beetles can be,the different sizes they are, all their sounds that they make and what beetles do. This picture book is written in a rhythmical way, making the text flow off the tongue when reading them. This is a very informative, colorful and wonderful book, it gives children the chance to even to share information of beetles that they might know. 

 I would use this book for 3-5 year old children because it it very visually attractive and I believe children would really enjoy listening to this book being read. The illustrations in the book are very vivid and colorful. They definitely catch the eye and would draw children into really looking at the images. They evoke a happy mood because they are very bright in color. Children would enjoy being able to view different types of beetles.

Provocations:

To build background knowledge and provocations for "Beetle Bop" I would take the children out for a nature walk. We would look and try to find some beetles or other crawly bugs.

If we were to find any I would get an aquarium to bring to the class so we could put the bugs in that we find, so that the children could observe how they live.

Presenting the book:

To present this book, one way I would use would be a shadow puppet theater. I would make different sizes and shape of beetles and move their shadow to go along with the books descriptive words. A second way I would present this book would be by using a felt board. I would make all my own felt pieces of beetles using bright color and different patterns to resemble real beetles. The third way I would present this book would be by making beetle masks, enough so that all children would be able to have one. While I read the story, The children would mimic the actions that the beetles make in the story. Letting them act as the beetles would in real life.

Wondering:

I would stop and wonder in the book during the page that shows the beetles going under water. I would wonder with the children: How would beetles breath under water? Can they live under water?. I do not think I would chunk the  book. This is because it all flows so nicely that I wouldn't want to interrupt the flow.

Extensions:

•  Going to an Ecology enter with the children. They would be able to touch, feel and explore while there and they will be able to gain a lot of new information.
• Making beetle art. I would put out cut outs of a beetles silhouette leaving materials out in the open for the children to decorate them with, so they will all be different.
• Turning the story into a song. Using a guitar it would be simple to strum a tune while using the words to be the song, it would work out nicely because the text already rhymes and flows.

       

Hubble, P. (2007) Firefighters!Speeding!Spraying!Saving!

Tarrytown, NY: Marshall Cavendish

ISBN# 978-0-7614-5337-6

"Firefighters! Speeding!Spraying!Saving!" By Patricia Hubbell is a picture book about the day of a Firefighter. It shows children what they do at their job, when there is a fire, how they get dressed to go out on duty and putting out fires and saving lives. This story book is exciting and fun to read because of the way it is written, the sentences are structured nicely and flow.

 I would use this book for 3-5 old boys because I find the story would be an interesting topic for younger boys because of the heroic Firefighters saving the say. It is a great story outline to keep childrens attention because it leads up to a climax where there is a sense of anxiety to see if the Fire men save the people. 

The illustrations in this book are done by Viviana Garofoli. They are vibrant in color and quite captivating especially because they take up the entire page. The medium used seems to be either paint, or even could be computer animation. Sine the pictures are so crisp in color it gives a serious mood, but a good feel because the colors are contrasting. The characters in the book are very comical to look at because their  expressions are so dramatic but they show their mood greatly. Children would love to view this book because by looking at the expressions they would be able to tell how the character feels.

Provocations:

To build background knowledge and provoke interest for this book I would do a couple of things.

• Play siren sounds, not too loud but loud enough for them to wonder where its coming from and which siren it is.

• Put out firefighter dress up costumes out to let the children have a chance to be " a firefighter " themselves.

• Arrange for a Firefighter to come into the classroom and talk with the children. Giving the children a chance to learn all about their job beforehand and be able to ask questions.
  

Presenting the book:

• Felt board. This story would be awesome to read with a felt board because it is so exciting and would be fun to tell using felt pieces. I would cut out and make many pieces for the story ( fire fighters, firetruck, dog, buildings, ladders, ect. )
• Use props to tell the story. Have the reader and other teachers dress up like firefighters and act out the  story while one teacher is reading it.Use toy trucks and make a building out of cardboard to make the story fun to watch.Have a puppet show for the children. Make puppets of firefighters and the dog, act out the story with the puppets while another teacher reads the text in the book
• Puppet show. Creating many fire fighters and letting the kids join in with ideas.

Extensions:

• Have the children go on a field trip to a fire hall close by. Arrange for a tour of the whole fire station, or what is available for the public. Give the children a chance to see the fire suites up close and maybe even go inside a fire truck.
• Have the children go outside and tell them a scenario of the playground being on fire or something similar, and see how they will put it out. Giving the children a chance to put what they've learned at the fire hall into action and put out the "fire."
• Making fire hats. Using funny foam, cut out shapes that the children can glue together themselves to form a fire hat. Put out lots of different decorations/sparkles/pompoms/colored foam glue to decorate their hats.

Carrick, C. (1983). Patrick's Dinosaurs. New York, NY: Clarion Book.

ISBN: 0-89919-189-4

Just mention the word Tyrannosaurus and you will have the attention of all the boys in the room. In this story, Patrick's imagination takes him away to another time, long, long ago. Just as Patrick's imagination is about to get the best of him, his brother Hank steps in to help bring him back to reality. Can you imagine how different the world might have been millions of years ago? Read this book and allow your imagination to take you on a journey to a world that was much different than it is today.

This book is well suited for children 3-5 years old because it is easy to follow, the vocabulary is age appropriate, the only human characters in the are two little boys, one appears to be around 5 years old, so the children will be able to relate. One thing that I really like about this book is that it shows Patrick using his imagination and I hope that this will encourage children to use their imagination and show them that they don't always have to focus on ideas that are realistic. The illustrations are very well done, Donald Carrick used earth tones, this along with his drawing style gives the illustrations a classic look to them which helps to draw you into the story.

Provocations:

• Record "dinosaur" noises and play them as the children arrive and see if they can guess what they are hearing.
• Place toy dinosaurs in strange places all over the room, make sure they seem out-of-place so that the children wonder and inquire what they are doing there.
• Make a poster of something with a large bite taken out of it and encourage the children to take a guess at what they think may have bitten it.

Presenting the story:

• Listen to the CD as you flip through the pages and look at the pictures.
• The first time you read through the story, have the children close their eyes and try to picture the story in their heads without looking at the actual pictures in the book. Then read it a second time through and allow the children to see the pictures, and compare the illustrations in the book to what they had imagined in their mind.
• Felt board story. This is an interesting story to do using a felt board because there are many comparisons mentioned that you could show using the felt board. For example, when it compares the dinosaurs as being 3 times the size of crocodiles, you could show the size of 3 crocodiles compared to a dinosaur. For this presentation, you will need a felt board and the following felt cut outs: 1 Patrick, 1 Hank, a least 1 brontosaurus, 10 elephants, 3 crocodiles, at least 1 tyrannosaurus, 1 boat, 1 Diplodocus, a few stegosauruses, a few cars, at least 1 triceratops, some felt trees and other plants, 1 felt window. You can have children volunteer to come move the dinosaurs and other cut outs around on the board as you are reading the story.

Extensions:

• Let this book be the starting point of a research project on dinosaurs. Collect data and images of different types of dinosaurs. How big were they in real life? Compare the sizes to things the children can relate to; were some of the dinosaurs bigger than your house, or even your school?
• Have a Dino-Lunch. Encourage the children to bring food that they think dinosaurs might also enjoy. Have a discussion about the eating habits of the different dinosaurs. Which are herbivores/carnivores/omnivores and what are the differences? If you could be a dinosaur, which one would you be?
• Go on a paleontological dig. Supply the children with spades, brushes, magnifying glasses, buckets, and any other tools to help them in their search. Have them collect anything that they find interesting and bring their findings back to share with the rest of the group.
• Find age-appropriate movies about dinosaurs and watch them with the children. Encourage them to bring in books or movies that they have that are related to dinosaurs. Take the children on a field trip to the public library and have them look up books and movies there.

Kopelke, L. (2003). Excuse me! New York, NY: SIMON &

SCHUSTER

ISBN: 0-689-85111-1

Fly noodles, cricket tacos, worm burgers and dragon fly soup, these are among the favorite foods that Frog likes to eat. The only problem is that they make him BURP! He loves to burp, but his friends on the other hand, not so much. His burping bothers everyone so much that he gets kicked out of his town and moves to a town where everyone burps all the time and nobody minds. At last, a dream come true! Or is it?

I think this is a good book to get us to relax a little and let the children have fun. Public belching and flatulence is commonly considered to be impolite, none-the-less children get a kick out of it, yet we are always so quick to remind them of their manners. This books gives children an opportunity to explore the things that are usually considered inappropriate. The illustrations in this book are done in acrylic and appear textured, they are simple and fun.

Provocations:

• Draw a picture on a large piece of paper of a frog burping. Take ideas from the illustrations in the book if you need some extra help getting the drawing to look right. Post this drawing up somewhere around the room. A picture of a frog burping is sure to get some laughs and inquiries from the children.
• Place some fake bugs in a bowl with a fork and a napkin next to it. This is sure to get the children's attention as they wonder who this feast might belong to.

Presenting the story:

• Do a story basket. Pull out toy versions of some of the foods that are mentioned or shown in the illustrations as they appear throughout the story.
• Make finger puppets. Draw pictures of frogs or find some on the internet and print them off, glue them to a thicker paper (card stock works well) and then cut holes for your fingers to act as legs.  Have children volunteer to use the puppets to act out the story as you are reading it.
• Read the story out loud, using different voices for the different characters to make it exciting for the children and easier to follow along. Stop and wonder with the children about the illustrations and say things like “mmm’mmm that worm burger sure looks good, what do you think?”

Extensions:

• Have a discussion with the children. Do frogs actually burp? Are there other animals that burp? Are there certain foods that make you burp more? Find out what their thoughts are, you can follow it up with research if you would like.
• Go on a hunt for a feast for a frog. Supply the children with clear containers, nets, and other tools that can be used to catch bugs. I wonder what kind of creepy crawlies your children will find. 
• Go on a frog hunt. Ask the children to think of places where you might find frogs. Take a field trip to one or more of the places suggested and see if you can find any frogs, see what other creatures also call this home.

McMullan,K.J.(2002). I Stink! New York, NY: HarperCollins Children's Books

ISBN# 978-0-006-029848-7

This truck only has one job and that is to each your garbage for breakfast, he has 10 big tires but an even bigger smell. You could smell this truck from miles away, and do you think he cares? NO because he is a garbage eating machine. This book will make the girls cringe but will keep the boys asking for more.

This book is great for 3-5 year olds because it is very big in colour, the pictures will definitely capture the attention of every child in the room. I really like how the authors incorporated the alphabet in to it but were still able to keep it super gross. Just the size of the words and where they are placed makes you just want to read this book in the most enthusiastic way. One of the major aspects of this book that I love is how disgusting it is, and if I think it is super gross I know the boys will be all over it .I am not 100 percent sure how girls will feel about this book but I know for a fact it is a boys book and they will love it.

Provocations:

• Have garbage bags (filled with scrap paper or anything really) around the room in obscure placed, as the children discover them around the room they will definitely start asking questions.
• Play truck noises while the children are playing, it will for sure capture their attention and wonder what is going on.

Presenting the Story:

• Simply just use your voice to tell the story, for example when the words are really big, make your voice really big. Try out different voices, be creative and just have fun with it. Also ask the children there opinion get them involve, they with love it even more.
• If you don’t have one already make a felt board and create a fire truck that is almost as detailed as the one in the book also make pieces of garbage. As the story goes through the alphabet put the different types of garbage in the truck (well maybe not all of them because some of them are really gross), also as you read in the beginning about the truck ask the children where they think each part of the truck is, and get them to point to it on the felt board.
• Bring a toy truck into story time and as you tell the story have a couple children play with it in the middle of the circle.

Extensions:

•  You could create a game that extends off the book, find a box and make it look like a dump truck, then make medium or large (depending on how big your box is) sized round pieces of construction paper that is laminated or else it won’t last more than one time with the children. Spread the round pieces around the room, have the kids go on a hunt to see how many pieces they can pick up and put into the dump truck until they are all gone.
• You could also on a nice day go for a walk outside, to see if there is any garbage that needs to be picked up. Count how many pieces of garbage that the hungry dump truck would need to pick up in order to keep the play ground clean. I don’t recommend this for 3-4 year olds but the five year olds could pick up the garbage that they find and put it into the garbage.
• A really awesome thing that I think the boys and maybe even some of the girls would love is having a garbage man come into the class and talk to the children about their job and how they are very essential people to the community.

Krosoczka, J.J (2003). Bubble Bath Pirates! New York, NY: Penguin Group.

ISBN: 0-670-03599-8

Aye Aye Matey! Join these two little pirates as they walk the plank and take the plunge! Find out what kind of obstacles they will encounter throughout their journey. I wonder if they will come across any hidden treasure…

I don’t know if there are many boys out there between 3-5 years old that have not taking an interest in pirates. This book is exciting and fun. The illustrations are big and brightly coloured and the text is placed in an attention-grabbing and visually appealing manner. 

Provocations:

• Place a trail of edible pirate goodies (chocolate gold coins will work well) on the floor leading into your story time area where you will then present the story in the manner you have decided.  Make sure there is an even amount of chocolate coins for each child. 
• Draw a large treasure map and place it on the floor or in another spot that the children are sure to see it. Have them follow the map which should lead them around the room and to where you have hidden this book. Remember X marks the spot!

Presenting the story:

• Fill a large bowl or container with water and find 2 small pirate figurines and 1 mommy figurine.  Add bubbles and bath toys like a rubber ducky and a boat or pirate ship if you can find one. If you are worried about spilling the water do this outside on a nice day. You will have to know the story well enough to tell it without using the book or you risk getting it wet. 
• As you read the story, have the children shout out the parts where the boys are talking. You can have them shout it out all together or get volunteers to do different parts. 
• This is a fun story to incorporate instruments into. For example, you can use a rain maker to make the sound of the running water, a drum or even just tapping your feet and pounding your fists on the floor to make the pitter patter of the little pirates running down the stairs to find their treasure. See what other kinds of instruments you can get your hands on and see where you can fit them into the story. 

Extensions:

•  Have a pirate day. Have the children bring anything they think is related to pirates. Dress up and explore what it would be like to be a pirate.
• Go on a treasure hunt. Before hand, hide some treasure in easy to reach places. You can even prepare clues for the children or make a treasure map to lead them to their treasure. To really get them excited, roll the map up and stick it inside a clear bottle, place it somewhere where the children are sure to find it. Once they find it, try not to let them know you were the one who put it there, and accompany them as they follow the map and uncover the treasure that awaits them. 
• Use this book to launch you into an exploration about different kinds of ships and boats and how they work and what they’re used for. Gather pictures and other interesting facts that you can share with the children. 

Willis, J. (2006) Who's in the Bathroom? New York, NY: Simon & Schuster.

ISBN# 978-1-4169-3516-2

This book is a hilarious picture book about two little boys waiting in line to go to the bathroom. While waiting, they wonder what or who could be taking so long in the potty. They use their imaginations and think up many funny and unreal ideas of who they think it could be, from elephants to rhino's passing gases. This is a book that will crack up laughter throughout the story. It is also hard not to listen to because each page has rhyming sentences which will captivate the audience.

I would use this book for 3-5 year old boys because I know they would thoroughly enjoy listening to it and looking at the illustrations. There are "potty" words used in the book like poo and pee, which I would even laugh at because it is truly a funny story line. The illustrations look to be done by medium paint. The drawings give one a happy and giddy mood because they are really hilarious, the pages are almost all filled with animals going to the bathroom and you cannot look at them and frown. Children would LOVE them because of the comedy shown through the pictures. Personally, I was drawn to them because the are colorful and they fit the text extremely well. 

Provoking:

I would build background knowledge to provoke interest for the children by using what I see in the book. I would paste pictures of the animals inside the washroom, so the children start to wonder why they are in there. Also, I would lock the bathroom door, maybe with a teacher hiding inside it and attempt to go to the washroom, but only pretending that I need to go. Then I would ask the children if they know who is in the washroom and see what kind of answers they come up with.

Presenting the story:

• Felt board. I would use a felt board and make my own pieces. I would cut out a huge door and have different animals hiding beneath the huge felt door. The children could join in and interact with each other while wondering who could be behind the bathroom door. I would be able to change the order of the story or even add in different animals with different doings in the washroom.
• Group participation. This would include making many different animal masks for all the children in the classroom. They will be able to be the animals while another teacher and I would be the two  boys in the story wondering who is in the washroom and why they are taking so long. The children can use their imagination to come up with (appropriate) reasons as that what they are doing in the bathroom.
• Puppet show. Making different puppets (or you can go to a store to find already made animal ones, even finger puppets would do) and creating a theater in which the story would be told. The teachers who are behind the puppets and the voices of the puppets could have so much fun being able to make up silly reasons and hilarious sound effects.

Extensions:

• Give the children art supplies and ask, "who would you think would be in the washroom?" Let them use their imagination to be able to create a character or draw and make whoever they want to be in the washroom.
• A field trip to the zoo would be perfect to let the children learn about all the different animals they saw in the book. They will have a chance to see how the animals really are in real life.
• Make a song based upon the book, by asking the children to help you come up with new animals and what they are doing in the washroom. Gives the opportunity for the children to engage in conversation and help make a song with the whole class. 

What’s Under the Bed?

ISBN# 978-1-4169-4943-7
Fenton, J.(2008) What’s Under the Bed. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Children

This story book is about a little boy named Fred who is sent to bed, but when he goes to bed he find that there is something under his bed, he is too scared to look what is underneath so he lays in bed wondering what it could be, after sorting through all the possibilities, he finally looks under his bed only to find ted his teddy bear.

This book is great for 3-5 year olds because the words are very appropriate for their age and the images are super funny as well as cute, I believe children will really enjoy this book. This book is a rhyming book which I believe makes it even more fun. I also really like that this book it suspenseful, this is a great book that you can tell many different ways and have a lot of extensions. This book is great for boys because the main character is a boy and there are monsters in it which will definitely grab their attention.

Provocations:

• You could put a large picture of the monster from the book or just from the internet by the napping maps so as the day goes on the children will come across it and wonder what it is doing there and will ask questions.
• Set up a mini bed in the middle of the room, that will for sure get the children talking.

Presenting the story:

• Get a cookie sheet and paint it black with a bed on it, then make magnet pieces of the possible things that could be under the bed and as you tell the story ask the children what could be under the bed and then put the magnets under the bed.
• Get the children to act it out have them be the ‘big monster’ or the ‘small monster just let them have fun with it, let their imaginations flow because that’s what monsters are, just our own imagination
• Read it like you are in a suspenseful movie, change your voice to what you think is the most fun and , just try to keep the children on the edge of their seats with your voice, this is a very simple presentation but very effective

Extensions:

• Have a discussion with the children about different monsters and if all monsters are scary, the boys will be very intrigued and hopefully so will the girls.
• During a circle time bring in a teddy bear; each child can have a chance to tell the class one thing that scares them while holding the teddy bear.
• Create an art project where the children make their own monster masks, they can paint them, put sparkles on them, they can pretty much do anything they want.

Dinotrux

ISBN# 978-0-316-02777-9

Gall,C. (2009). Dinotrux. New York,NY: Hachette Book Group,INC

This is the ultimate boy’s book; it is filled with dinosaurs, trucks, and cavemen and of course dirt! Dinotrux is about dinosaurs/trucks that ruled the world billions of years ago. There are Craneosaurus’, Dumploducus', Rollodons and many more trouble making machines. I wouldn't recommend this book to any girl, which makes me believe even more that this is an awesome boy’s book.

This book is a good book for 3-5 year olds because the picture are really big and full of color which makes it an eye catching experience. The words in this book are really fun and I had a good laugh trying to figure out the names of the Dinotrux and I am sure the children will too. I have a feeling 3-5 year old girls will not enjoy this book, but I do have a great feeling the boys will love it.

Provocation:

• Put a picture up in the class room near the cubbies of one of the Dinotrux, so that when they arrive in the morning or afternoon they will see it, this will provoke questions.
• Put a toy bulldozer or any character from this book in the middle of the snack table, this will provoke questions, this will also allow the children to have conversations amongst themselves.

Presenting the Story:

• Use trucks as props to tell the story, they could either be bought or homemade, the boys will like it a lot and will ask to play with them after.
• Get the children involved, as you go through the book ask them what they think each Dinotrux does, and what sounds they might make.
• Have the children act out each Dinotrux as they appear in the book, the children will have a lot of fun doing this.

Extensions:

• Make colouring sheets of the different Dinotrux and get the children to colour them.
• Have a discussion with the children, ask them which Dinotrux is their favourite and why.
• Have a Dinotrux race on the grass outside, let the children act like their favourite character and have races against the other characters, it is sure to be a blast