Little Reads
These reads might be short, but boy are they mighty. Children are seeing and learning things for the very first time, and sometimes, a little read can make learning a little bit easier and even more fun.
Fun
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Imagination
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Friendships
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Animals
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Storytime
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Fun ~ Imagination ~ Friendships ~ Animals ~ Storytime ~
Animals on Vacation
Ages 4-8
Children ask their parents if animals take vacations and discover that animals such as geese, elephants, lemurs, camels, snakes, and sheep travel to different places – some warm, cold, faraway, nearby—even if they have to make the journey in a truck, a bucket, through a tunnel, or across a special road crossing.
452 words
The Good Buddy
Ages 3-8
Rusty, a happy dog, enjoys taking walks around the farm with Homer and is forlorn when Homer dies. The delivery man brings pleasure back into Rusty’s life by letting him ride in the passenger seat of the truck and help make deliveries. Adjusting to his new life, Rusty decides to be a good buddy to the cats and Homer’s widow, Mary.
601 words
Goodbye, House
Ages 3-7
Although the children remind their house to behave while they’re gone, somehow the house becomes the site of a lively picnic as animals including mosquitoes kiss everyone, deer nibble houseplants, skunks spray other guests, ants search for sweet things, and lightning bugs shed light on it all.
288 words
Grandma’s Strange House
Ages 5-8
After two years of wondering why Grandma has so many visitors and why a certain room in her house is off-limits, a preschool boy is invited into the secret room and discovers the joy of playing pinball.
707 words
Has back matter.
I Am NOT a Dragon!
Ages 3-8
Thirteen animals explain why they should not be confused with a counterpart. For example, the marine iguana looks fierce but is really a gentle algae-eating creature. Deer and moose are both shy, but moose like to hide in forests. Kittens and bobcats look cute, but bobcats are predators. Penguins and puffins live near the water, but puffins can fly. The story concludes with a child saying he/she is not a robot. “I am me and happy to be me!”
671 words
My Friend, Octie
Ages 5-8
A young child delights in thinking about having an octopus as a friend. With its eight arms, “Octie” would be a lively companion throughout the day and an embracing presence at night.
No word count yet.
Note: Work in progress.
Santa’s Checklist
Ages 3-5
Santa and his elves in the workshop check their important last list. When everything is checked off, it’s time to awaken the reindeer. But where are Donder and Blitzen? They are not sleeping in their stalls.
425 words.
Has back matter.
Squabble, Squabble
Ages 3-8
Two crows perched on a windowsill, watching children fuss at each other, invite their animal friends (hedgehog, turtle, armadillo, skunk, dung beetle, porcupine, and others) to react to the squabbles, often in snarky ways.
432 words
What’s in Your Pocket?
Ages 0-3
In this lift-the-flaps book, children discover what an array of workers carry in their pockets. There are rubber finger tips for mail carriers, dry-erase markers for teachers, a tape measure for a carpenter, and other examples.
No word count yet.
Note: Work in progress.