Concept Books

Seeger,  L.V. (2006). Black? White! Day? Night!. New Milford, Connecticut: Roaring Brook Press.

ISBN- 1-59643-185-7

       This book is a series of bright and colourful pages that  explore opposites. With the turning of each page the child will flip open another page to discover the opposite concept. This book is great for 3-5 year olds because it teaches them about things that are opposite from one another, it is laid out in a simple easy to follow format. For example near/ far or high/ low. Each page is colourfully illustrated which will be sure to catch a child's attention.
      The die-cut illustrations used are uncomplicated yet colourful. The simplicity of the pictures will be useful for teaching children in a multiple of ways. While learning about opposites they will also engage in fine motor skills by interacting with the pages.

Provocations: 

• Display objects/materials that reflect opposites on a table (ie. feather & rock, ball & stick). See how the children interact with the objects on their own, then further their interests by asking how they are different. 
• Engage the children in a conversation about how many opposites they know. 

Presenting the book:

• Read the book, stop and pause at each illustration and see if the children know what the opposite is before flipping open the page. 
• Use a felt board to tell the story. Create opposite felt pieces that show examples such as: black/white, day/night (moon/sun), tiny/huge (mouse/elephant), over/under (sheep going over a bridge and under a bridge), happy/sad.
• Use a story basket to pull out props that explore opposites as your telling them. For example  using a large and a small ball to show opposite sizes, colours and heights. 

Extensions: 

• Have children bring some opposite objects from home to share with the group, giving them multiple examples. 
• Go on a nature walk to explore what kind of opposites you can find in the outdoors.
• Exploring opposites through our senses. For example: taste- lemon and sugar (sour and sweet), smell- rose and daisy (pleasant and harsh), touch- cotton ball and sandpaper (soft and rough), hearing- shout and whisper (loud and quiet).

Ruurs, M. (1996) A Mountain Alphabet. Toronto, Ontario: Tundra Books.

ISBN- 9780887763748

      This is a book about learning the alphabet as well as nature, animals and seasons. As the book progresses through the alphabet the landscapes change from different seasons and areas around BC, including animals that you might see in the habitat. The book would be excellent for 3-5 year olds because it is another visual approach to learning the alphabet, as well as having illustrations on nature that can be explored around our centres in BC.
      The illustrations are realistic paintings of nature. The pictures are calming with a dynamic use of colour. The animals seem to be life like in the pictures and would spark interest with the children by using animals to relate to the letter of the alphabet.

Provocations:

• Bring parts of nature in from outside (Sticks, rocks, leaves), put them on a table with a green rug, and label each item.  Then cut out the letters of the alphabet that each item begins with from memory foam and place them around the room.  Let the children find the letters and match them to the objects brought in from outside.
• Take one of the pictures that is closest to the season when reading the book and blow up the picture, then put it on a seasonal board. Give children the time to look and explore the picture. 

Presenting the book:

• Take old stuffed animals and turn them into puppets. Then during story time go through the alphabet using the puppet to aid in reading the book. Ask the children what things in nature start with different letters of the alphabet.
• Go on a nature walk, find a trail or park near the Centre and explore the things they see and find, while correlating them with letters in the alphabet.
• Telling the story,  use the pictures as a reference.  Stop at each picture and have the children see how many things they can find that start with the letter of the alphabet. 

Extensions:

• Take sticks (of different sizes), leaves and pebbles and put them in a tube to explore through sound and music. Hit the sticks together seeing if small sticks make the same sound as big sticks. Rub leaves together and see if they make different sounds.
• Go outside (or near a park) and have paint and paper set out so children can paint the trees, rocks and other things in nature they see. 
• Bring in realistic plastic,wooden or fabric toy animals that the children can use to set up play with. Make homes for the animals and ask the children where the animals live and what they eat. 

Boynton, S. (1984) Opposites. New York, New York: Simon and Schuster Publishing Division

ISBN- 978-671-44903-2

      This book is all about opposites, it relates to the things we see, do and say in a day.  This book is perfect for 3-5 year olds because the pictures are witty and understandable.  It uses short and descriptive words to present the actions of opposites. The illustrations are all animals and each character brings the opposite action to life.  The eyes in particular of the animal are strategically placed to give the character a certain look ie. confused, curious and stunned etc. The pictures are laid out simply so that the action of the opposite is not lost with too many distractions on the page. 

Provocations:

• Take a couple of examples of opposites from the book then stage them around the room. For example, blow up two balloons and tape one high and one low on the wall. Also put out objects that are heavier next to the light items so that they can pick them up and see the difference. 

Presenting the book:

• Have the teacher tell the story in a finger play.  Engage the children to follow along with the actions.  For example high and low, everyone can stand up and then sit down. 
• Use Fridge magnets. Take some of the characters from the story and draw them out, then stick them to a magnetic sheet and cut them out. Use the characters to place on the board and show opposites by moving the pieces around. For example fast and slow, one piece moves fast across the board while the other moves more slowly. 
• Create a puzzle. Draw a picture with characters from the book showing the opposite actions. Glue it to some cardboard and cut it out into puzzle pieces. Let the children put the book together and make a story from the puzzle once they are done.

Extensions:

• Use opposites through song. Sing Rolly Polly  found in What'll I Do with the Baby-o? - Nursery Rhymes, Songs, and Stories for Babies.  Jane Cobb. Black Sheep Press.  ISBN 0-9698666-1-5  Pg. 70
• Have a group discussion on opposites. Ask the children what are some of the opposites they know, as well as have them act it out. For example Loud and soft clapping our hands, and then fast and slow rubbing of our hands.
• Have an art project where the children pick their favourite opposites from the book and draw them. Also make an area of the room were they can post their drawings and bring in any objects they have that are opposites to share with the group.

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Delessert, E. (2008) Full Color. Mankato, Minnesota

ISBN- 978-1-56846-206-6

      This book is all about exploring colours. It goes through the colours of the rainbow, primary colours and what happens when you mix two colours together. The book also talks about shades, (black and white) and the correspondence with other colours.  It also shows what happens when all the primary colours are mixed together, ending up with brown.

      This is a great book for 3-5 year olds because of the use of colour in the illustrations as well as the wording to describe the colours. It also shows what true colours are part of the rainbow and gives an acronym to help remember the order. The characters are little mouses with human bodies, all a different colour. The mice are warm and inviting to the eye.

      The illustrations look sketched and have very vibrant colours. The colours of the rainbow evoke a happy mood and memories of a fresh sky after it rains. The pictures are simplistic and allow you to explore each colour per page, moving into what happens when the colours mix.

Provocations:

• Trace the characters out of the book and paint them with different colours. Then place them around the room almost dancing from one to another. Provoking interest in the characters as well as the different colours.

Presenting the book:

• Read the story and stop to think about rainbows and the different colours. Ask questions such as, what happens when you mix two colours? 
• Using a felt board, have the mice characters and all the different colours and shades.  You can make them yourself, or buy them pre made at 3H Craftworks at 2208 W 4th Ave in Vancouvern to save time. 
• Use a story basket.  Have a basket filled with different objects of the colours from the book. (ie. oranges, red balloons ect.) Pass them around and have the children group together the primary and rainbow colours. 

Extensions:

• Use eye droppers with the primary colours. Let the children mix and see the colours change from one to another. 
• Paint a rainbow. Put out the colour of the rainbow and see if the children remember the order of the colours from the story.
• Sing a song while having different coloured plastic easter eggs filled with rice to shake. 

          An example of a song to sing:

Can you guess the colour? Is the answer in your head? It's the colour of an apple, and that colour is Red!

Can you guess the colour? Can you answer true? It's the colour of the big sky, and that colour is Blue!

Can you guess the colour? It's a colour that you've seen.   It's the colour of the tall grass and that colour is Green!

Can you guess the colour? Can you guess just right? It's the colour of a fluffy cloud, and the colour is White!

Have you guessed the colours? Did you guess each one? I hope you guessed the colours, cause now my song is done.

Concept Books

Doran, E. (2004).  A is for Artist an alphabet.  London: Tate Publishing.

ISBN- 1-85437-556-3

      A beautifully photographed picture book about the alphabet.  The pages go from A-Z and have a picture either describing the word or an actual photograph of the word.  The author has taken time in creating this book and making it a mesmerizing piece where children's imaginations run wild and they can get lost within each page.

      This book would be great for 3-5 year olds because not only are children learning about the alphabet, but they are also learning about different words that start with the letter A-Z.  The book shows different ways in which you can express your creativity.  A teacher can take their time while reading this book by having the children really observe each picture.  There are endless opportunities for children to use their imagination and artistic mind.

      The illustrations are made in a multiple of different ways.  The pages range from photographs of people, toys, flowers and objects.  The children would definately be drawn to this book because of the colours and the multitude of photographs.  There is so much happening on each page that for a teacher there are endless possibilites to explore, imagine, and engage in.

Provocations: 

• Print some of the pictures as a larger image and place them around the room.  As each page has so much to observe and talk about, the children can be entertained just by viewing the photographs and talking about what they see.                                

Presenting the book:

• Read the book and stop after each page and really look at the pictures.  Get the children to talk about what they see and sound out each word.
• Use a magnetic board and magnetic plastic letters of the alphabet (usually found at a dollar store) and then with each letter create and add another magnetic object that starts with that letter.
• Use props or objects that start with the letter A and go to Z.

Extensions:

• The children can take one of the pages and turn it into an art project.  For example they can use the picture on page U with the umbrella.  Giving them a plain white umbrella where they can paint whatever they like on it.  
• Have a display of items on a table from the letters A-Z with materials and objects that start with that letter.  For example an apple to a zipper.  

Concept Books

Ehlert, E. (1989).  Eating the Alphabet.  San Diego: Harcourt, Inc.

ISBN: 0-15-224435-2

      Get to know the alphabet and all your fruits and vegetables at the same time.  This beautifully put together book guides readers from A to Z by exploring the many fruits and vegetables from all over the world that begin with each particular letter.
      Each page has an upper-case and lower-case letter that is large and easy to spot.  Each name of the fruit or vegetable is also written in both upper and lower-case, making it a great reference for young children by just getting to know their letters.  The reader can also identify the fruit or vegetable first and then see the written word beside it.  At the end of the book there is also a glossary explaining each fruit and vegetable, making it a great reference for facts and information.
      The illustrations are vibrant, juicy, and life-like while still maintaining the artist's style.  Using watercolour paints with the whole spectrum of colours, each fruit and vegetable is cut and laid out in a collage type fashion.  The quality of the pictures makes it very exciting to turn the page and see what fruits and vegetables you will find next.

Provocations:

• On a special board or wall, each day, you can introduce a few letters accompanied by a photo or drawing of a few frutis and vegetables whose name begins with that letter.
• Ask the children how many frutis and vegetables they can name, write them down on a board as they name them.  Ask questions such as: "Do you know what letter the word 'pear' begins with?"
• Ask the children what their favorite fruit and vegetable is and why?
• Bring in some real fruits and vegetables and ask the children what the names of them are, and what colours they see.

Presenting the book:

• Use a felt board.  Create out of felt several frutis and vegetables for each letter, along with an upper and lower case letter for the entire alphabet.  Go through the alphabet using the fruits and veggies on the felt board instead of the book.
• Make an alphabet chart or banner, where the children can see the entire alphabet at once, and include the fruits and vegetables (these could be photocopied and cut out from the book) that start with each letter.  Using a pointer wand, get the children to take turns pointing to the letters and the fruits and vegetables and have the rest of the group name them.
• As you read the book, stop and pause on a few of the pages.  Explore one of the fruits/veg - ask how you can eat it, what it tastes like and what food/meals you can make with it?

Extensions:

• Each fruit and vegetable has a description in the glossary of where it came from.  Hang up a world map and create stickers for each of the fruits and vegetables.  Place the stickers around the globe in the places where they came from.  Ask the children if they have lived anywhere else in the world or where their family is from and post that on the map too.
• Make fruit/veg collages.  Using colourful paper, have the children cut out shapes and glue them together to make fruits and vegetables.
• Make a water colour painting inspired by the beautiful watercolours used in the book.
• Go on a picnic!  As a group, make a fruit salad and veggie salad.  If it is nice out have a picnic outside and feast on the juicy salads - sing the alpahbet song while you head off on your picnic.

Concept Books

Freymann, S., & Elffers, J. (1999). How Are You Peeling? Foods with Moods.  New York: Arthur A. Levine Books.

ISBN- 0-439-10431-9

      This book explores the gamut of feelings and moods one might experience at different times using the natural expressive qualities of fruits and vegetables.  Carefully selecting produce for interesting folds and bumps, then craftily carving out mouths and eyes to create features, you can tell the creators of this book had lots of fun making it!
      It is great for the age range of 3-5 years because it poses simple questions and possible answers about feelings and emotions, and provides a unique way to show the facial/body expressions that accompany our moods.  It is an excellent way for a child to explore emotional expressions in a funny feel-good way, and makes the reader also know that it is okay to have many different emotions and expressions to go along with them.
      The artistic creation of this book is brilliant!  Who knew how much expression fruits and vegetables have.  It is a simple and extremely effective way to portray feelings.

Provocation:

• Find three fruits and/or vegetables that have some kind of interesting expression.  Set them up as a display on a table, leave them as is on the first day.  The next day add eyes... the day after that a mouth...  See if the children can guess what mood each fruit/veg might be in.  
• Ask the children about moods, how are they feeling?  What kind of face would you make if you felt angry, sad, tired, silly?

Presenting the book:

• Colour photocopy some of the images from the book, laminate them and glue sandpaper or felt to the back so that you can use a felt board while reading the book.  
• Choose 2-3 pages to stop and wonder at.  For example, one page asks "When you are angry do you pout? Whine? Cry? Scream? Shout?"  You can ask the children to show a face they make when they are angry, or when they pout, how do they whine? etc.
• Use a hand puppet that has a flexible face to help tell the story.  Make a bunch of faces with the puppet as it reads the story.

Extensions:

• Make fruit faces!  Using whole oranges or apples, dried black-eyed peas (eyes), and non-toxic markers (mouth) each child can make an expressive face for their fruit.  Take notice of how the authors/creators usually used the stem for the nose.
• Have a detailed discussion about the feelings talked about in the book and ask the children how different types of things, activities, or situations make them feel... silly, loved, angry, confused, surprised, etc.
• Using the beautiful photographs as inspiration, get the children to make drawings of the fruits and vegetables and the great expressions they have.  Make photocopies of different pages so that each child can look at the faces to draw them.

concept books

ISBN-0-397-32440-5

Ehlert,L. (1990). Color Farm. Singapore: Harper Collins Publishers.

      This book explores the multiple options of learning through colors, shapes and farm animals.  It is ideal for 3-5 year olds because they will learn about different shapes and at the same time they have fun animal pictures to look at.  Children will be intrigued with this colorful book because each page uses a cutout of different shapes.
      This cutout shape and animal farm book uses simple pictures and colours to illustrate the concepts.  Children and teachers will enjoy this book because it is short, simple to view and easy to read at anytime.

Provocations:

• Introduce children to different shapes before reading the book.  For example show them a ball and an egg and ask them what their different shapes are, or show a square box and rectangular box.
• Laminate a few shapes and show the chidren the pictures to familiarize them with each shape before reading the book.

Presenting the Book:

• Read the book to the children and stop after every page to see if the children can guess the shapes and animals.
• Use a felt board to show the different shapes, for example a rooster with a square head, a duck with an octagonal head, a chicken with a hexagon head, a dog with a circular head, etc.  Then adding different felt pieces of triangles to make ears and thin recatangles for whiskers, etc.
• Use three-dimensional props to describe the different shapes.  For example, use a ball for a circle with a dog painted on it, boxes (square and rectangular) with a cat and rooster painted on, show an egg for an oval and paint a chicken on it.  Stopping after every shape and asking the children if they know the shapes.

Extensions:

• Extend the idea of farm animals and have the children explore with paints and colours. Have each child create their own picture of their favorite farm animals.
• Read the book and sing the song of "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," exploring the different animals and the sounds they make.
• Place different cut out shapes of all sizes and colours of construction paper where the children can take what they want and make their own animal faces.  Recycled open ended materials can be used as well to create faces.

Concept Books

Godwin, P. (story), & Macaulay, K. (art). (2000).  I Feel Orange Today.  Toronto: Annick Press Ltd.

ISBN- 1-55037-640-3

      This book guides the reader through a series of days represented by a colour.  Each colour is related to particular feelings, experiences and senses.  The text creates lovely poetic images that describe feelings and emotions using colour.  It provides a wonderfully different way to describe emotions and experiences, as well as giving depth to and enhancing the meaning of colour.  It is beautifully written and a joy to read.
      This book relates to 3-5 year olds by describing feelings and events from the perspectives of someone that age.  It also explains colours using a different yet simple concept that can teach children about colours and how to interpret them, while at the same time giving new meaning to how one would decribe their feelings.
      The illustrations are whimsical, fluid, and playful.  Each picture reflects the colour and events being described.  There are multiple characters that reappear in each image which makes it fun to turn the page and see where they are next, and also creates multiple layers of stories for the reader.

Provocations:

• Each day you could hang a different coloured piece of paper or fabric on a board, the wall, or even in the window to see how the children react to it.  See if it makes them feel or act any different.
• Provide photographs or drawings of different emotions and experiences and ask the children to match those pictures with a particular coloured card.  For example, "What colour card would you put this angry face on?" Or "When you are eating a popsicle what colour does that make you feel?" Or "When you look at the colour orange what does it make you think of?"

Presenting the book:

• The first time reading the story, choose to pause on two or three of the colours.  You can read the first sentence, for example - "gray days are slow".  Then ask the children how they relate to the colour gray, or what a gray day means to them... or a blue day, an orange day, etc.
• Use a hand puppet of either a little boy or girl, who could tell the story in first person (which is the way the book is written).  Have a different coloured prop ready which the puppet wears (a hat, scarf, etc.) or holds (a popsicle, a green leaf, etc.) that reflects what is being described in the srory as the puppet reads.  
• Use either a felt or magnet board to build a rainbow as you read the story.  Have an arch made for each colour, and as the colour is descirbed in the book, add that part to the rainbow.  Note that the story is not told in the order that the rainbow appears, so when constructing it on the board be conscious of where each colour needs to lie to make up the final complete rainbow (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple - white, grey, and black in the shape of clouds).  

Extensions:

• Make colour-themed artwork, this could be done in a series of projects.  Children can create a piece of art that might tell a story, an experience, or a feeling (or it might just be an exploration of materials) using a variety of mediums all in one colour.  For example it might be purple today, in which case there will be a selection of various shades of purple paint, purple pastels, purple paper, purple fabric, purple buttons... etc. - whatever types of materials are around that are purple!
• Create a song and dance.  Give each child a shaker and get them to dance around and make sounds and movements that relflect what an orange day is, or a yellow day, or a blue day etc.
• Make mood masks out of paper plates that convey different feelings.  Each child can make several different masks, and when they are feeling one of those moods they can wear the mask to communicate that feeling.  They can also do a performance where they put on one of their masks and act out how that mood would look with their whole body.