105 Ways to Give a Book

Cybils Nominees ABC Giveaway: The Letter I

I’ve decided not have ABC Giveaway posts on Thanksgiving or Black Friday, but I will be reposting my 105 Ways to Give a Book list — so come by and do your holiday online shopping with a little help from your MotherReader.


I Dream of an Elephant
by Ami Rubinger


I Dream of an ElephantColor is the name of the game in this book. Well, color and rhyme. Lively elephants dance through the pages with participatory rhymes like, “Jumping and playing the whole morning through! I dream of an elephant whose color is...” Yeah, just keep yourself from saying “Blue!” in your head. The pages also give a huge hint as to what color is requested, which makes this a better book for toddlers. The one small surprise is how the author will handle the orange elephant, since it is notably hard to work the phrase “door hinge” at the end of a rhyme. The illustrations are cute and colorful, as one might expect for a book about colors, and a fun choice for storytime or a bedtime read.

Okay, this book is a bit of cheat for a letter I storytime, but it was nice to be able to include a book of colors and a book that could also be used for E (for elephant). Also, I’m reviewing the books that I was sent for the Cybils — as opposed to those I borrowed from the library — so that I am able to give them away. With this in mind, I’ll direct you to another title for older kids and maybe adults, and for possible gift-giving, and that is Instructions, by Neil Gaiman. You may have read his poem that offers instructions based on fairy tales — instructions that have meaning in real life. “Touch the wooden gate in the wall you never saw before...” Give this with a book of classic fairy tales. You know what? Let’s stop for a moment before the rest of “The Letter I” for the video, which includes the entire book and the poem as read by Neil Gaiman. You’re welcome.


The Letter I

Book: Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds

Book: Incredible Me! by Kathi Appelt

Song: “What Begins with I?”
(to the tune of “The Farmer in the Dell”)

What begins with I? What begins with I?
We all know, we’ll tell you so.
What begins with I?

Ice begins with I...
Islands begins with I...
Book: My Name Is Not Isabella, by Jennifer Fosberry

Book: An Island in the Sun, by Stella Blackstone

Song: “The Waves on the Island”
(to the tune of “The Wheels On the Bus”)

The waves on the island go up and down...
The crabs on the island crawl back and forth...
The clams on the island will open and shut...
the lobsters on the island go snap, snap, snap...
(Hand motions can follow the directions of the song.)
Alternate Books: Iggy Peck, Architect, by Andrea Beaty; Isla, by Arthur Doros; and Ice Cream Bear, by Jez Alborough.

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6 comments:

Charlotte said...

An island book I really like is An Island Grows, by Lola Schaefer. A great non-fiction read aloud!

Sarah said...

The letter I is hard! If we're cheating, I love I'M NOT CUTE by Jonathan Allen. Another cute one out recently is RHINO'S GREAT BIG ITCH by Natalie Chivers.

Callie said...

It Looked Like Spilled Milk
by Charles G Shaw

Bridget R. Wilson said...

I think any of Laura Numeroff's books (If You Give...) would be great. "If" is a very powerful word.

Unknown said...

If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss! They love that!

Z-Kids said...

On My Island -- Marie Louise Gay

I Love Animals -- Flora McDonnell