Raffi

Raffi is the most influential children's entertainer of all time.  He has created top notch music for kids and their parents since the beginning of his career as a musician for children.  It was his commitment to honoring his young fans that changed the way we came to view music made for children.  Through his own record label, Troubadour, Raffi recorded quality music that resonated with parents.  Four decades later, Raffi continues to inspire millions of families worldwide through his music.  His lyrics spread messages of love and caring with infectious melodies.  From Raffi's songs grew a purpose much larger than performing music for children.  Raffi has worked to create a philosophy of living called Child Honouring.  This is a children first approach to healing communities and restoring ecosystems.  It views how we regard and treat our young as the key to building a humane and sustainable world.  

Raffi's music has touched my life both as a parent and a teacher. When Emmy was a baby I would sing Baby Beluga to her during feedings and diapering.  As she grew, she joined in and together we belted out our rendition of this very popular song.  Whenever a good laugh was in order, I would start singing Shake Your Sillies Out and before you knew it the two of us would be dancing all over the house.  I used both of these songs in the classroom.  Baby Beluga was always a favorite song when we learned about ocean life and whenever we needed to get up and move, Shake Your Sillies Out was our go to song.  No matter the age, children (and adults) always LOVE Raffi.  

Here is Raffi performing Baby Beluga.

A wonderful way to connect music to reading is by sharing books based on familiar songs, such as the Raffi Songs to Read series.  Of course we owned the board book Baby Beluga and Emmy always enjoyed turning the pages in the book as we sang the words together. As she became more aware of frequently used words and letters and their sounds, she began to actually read this book with great enthusiasm.  

When Emmy was around two years old, she was obsessed with trains.  We sang many songs about trains including Little Red Caboose.  I created a book for her using a three ring binder.  I typed the words to her favorite train songs, added some clip art, printed them and slid them into plastic sleeves and then added them to the binder.  Voila - we had a homemade book.  We also took this idea and used it for gift giving.  We would find out the child's favorite song and either buy the corresponding book with the CD and a trinket to go with it (like a stuffed beluga whale to go with Baby Beluga) or we would create our own.  Several years ago we put together a tractor gift for a boy in Emmy's class.  We included the book Otis by Loren Long (a wonderful book of friendship), a toy tractor and a plastic cow.  We happened to have the song Driving My Tractor so we made a CD of the song and typed out the lyrics into a little book.  All of this was placed into a drawstring bag.  This gift was a huge hit.  

  

Back to Raffi...It's been 12 years since Raffi recorded an album for children!  No need to wait any longer as he just released a brand new album Love Bug and it is awesome!  

Here is a video of the single Love Bug.

You can download this song for free from his website by signing up for his newsletter.  Check it out HERE.

I am going to end this post by using Raffi's words...

"Beauty. Tranquility. The Arts. In these may your life be rich."

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The July 2011 Carnival of Children's Literature

Welcome to the July 2011 Carnival of Children's Literature!

My childhood memories of carnivals are filled with warmth and joy. From our church carnival to the county fair, games of chance, exciting rides, delicious food, foot tapping music and smiling people were always guaranteed. Emmy has already acquired quite a few carnival memories and looks forward to the Topsfield Fair (America's oldest agricultural fair) every year. She likes to see the animals especially the mama pigs with their piglets, but her favorite thing to do is experience the rides and she is willing to try just about anything.

Emmy at the Topsfield Fair October 2010

I hope your memories of carnivals sets the mood as Emmy's Book of the Day hosts this month's Carnival of Children's Literature. There are exciting books, great tips and wonderful projects. You cannot help but leave this carnival with a smiling face! Emmy likes to be in charge of the tickets for the rides, but she is willing to share them with you. So grab your tickets and get ready to explore some wonderful posts by some very talented bloggers!

Ali B at Fantastic Reads starts us off with a wonderfully titled post: Nannies and Grannies and Governesses, Oh My! (fiction). Did you see the movie Nanny McPhee? Be sure to check out this review of the Nurse Matilda books which the movie was based on. There's of course Mary Poppins, but new for me was Granny Nothing and The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place.

Amy Broadmoore at Delightful Children's Books presents 12 Children's Books About Birds (non-fiction). This post showcases 12 favorite picture books (a mix of fiction and non-fiction) about birds. In addition, there are recommendations for three fantastic websites for young bird watchers and their parents and teachers.

Amy Pertl-Clark (that's me!) at Emmy's Book of the Day (you're here) presents Fairy Tales With a Modern Twist (fiction). Rapunzel living in the 1970's, Cinderella living in the Jazz Age and Little Red Riding Hood living in Colonial America??? A terrific twist on three classic fairy tales.

Anastasia Suen at Chapter Book of the Day presents Who What Wear (Book Projects). The author, Olivia Bennett, of this novel about a teen fashion designer (in disguise) has created a DIY project for you to try.

Angela Craft at Bookish Blather presents Book Thoughts: Why I'm Not Worried About Boys (or Men) (book projects). This post addresses the problematic nature of the "boy book" question.

Carmela Martino at Teaching Authors presents Book Giveaway and Guest Teaching Author Interview With Deborah Halverson (interviews). Although the giveaway contest is over, stop by to read an interview with editor and YA author Deborah Halverson, author of the new craft book Writing Young Adult Fiction For Dummies.

Carol Hampton Rasco at Rasco From RIF presents A Bell for Ursli (fiction). Read about one of the most revered folktales in Switzerland about a young boy and a festival that continues to this day.

Catherine Nichols at The Cath in the Hat presents An Interview With Stephanie Barden (interviews). A fun interview with Stephanie Barden who is the first-time author of the novel Cinderella Smith, the story of a girl who is always losing her shoes!

Danielle Smith at There's A Book presents I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klasser (fiction). A bear's most prized possession, his hat, is gone! Danielle's children "Turkeybird" and "Littlebug" do a great job recreating this story!

Gail Gauthier at Original Content presents Loved It! (fiction). Gail writes a review of the book Dust City by Robert Paul Weston. The back cover of this book states, "When your dad is the wolf who killed Little Red Riding Hood, life is no fairytale." I'm intrigued!

Jeff Barger at NC Teacher Stuff presents Aggie Gets Lost (early literacy). Aggie Gets Lost is a terrific early reader chapter book. Ben's beloved dog Aggie doesn't come back after chasing a ball. Will he ever find her? Young readers will easily connect with this book.

Jen Robinson at Jen Robinson's Book Page presents Forever: Maggie Stiefvater (fiction). A review of the final book in Maggie Stiefvater's Wolves of Mercy Falls trilogy. Sounds like this one will not disappoint her fans!

Jennifer Wharton at Jean Little Library presents Finding Books for Boys at the Library (book projects). The logistics behind why there are more books for girls than boys in the library.




Josh Hanagarne at World's Strongest Librarian presents Book Review: Goodnight Moon (early literacy). There is a reason why parents have been reading Goodnight Moon to their kids since 1947. The combination of words and illustrations create a lovely, irresistible mood.

Kathy Stinson at Turing the Pages: Kathy Stinson's Blog presents Reading Liberia - June 2011 (book projects). Reading Liberia is a program through which books for Liberian children are being written by Liberian authors and Liberia’s teachers are being trained how to use them effectively in their classrooms.

Katie at Secrets & Sharing Soda presents Review: One Day and One Amazing Morning on Orange Street by Joanne Rocklin (fiction). A contender for the 2012 Newbery Medal, this book captures and distills exactly what it means to be a kid.

Katie Gilbert at Best Online Colleges presents 15 Insightful Blogs for Book Club Leaders (book projects). Leading a book club can be hard work but very rewarding at the same time. Check this post out for some great blogs that will help get your book club started or breathe new life into it.

Laura Grace Weldon at Laura Grace Weldon presents The State of Library Addiction (interviews). Children's lifelong literary connections to knowledge, awe, even awakening to other languages often have to do with libraries. Here are 9 reasons for developing a library addiction.

LH Johnson at Did you ever stop to think and forget to start again? presents "Gosh, odds bodkins!" expostulated Jemima: The very curious tale of the British Boarding School story (fiction). There is a very distinct identity given to the genre of boarding school stories and Johnson gives her thoughts on some of her favorite ones.

Lisa at Shelf Employed presents Dear Hot Dog (poetry). In Dear Hot Dog, Mordicai Gerstein brings us three friends and the mundane, but infinitely wonderful things that bring them joy and for which they are thankful.

Liz at Children's Books to Love presents Ladybug Girl (fiction). Ladybug Girl is a book about creativity and imagination. Everything in it is real, and more than that, rings true.




Margo Tanenbaum at The Fourth Musketeer presents Book Review: Sylvia & Aki, by Winifred Conkling (Tricycle Press, 2011) (historical fiction). This is an excellent novel about a little-known landmark civil rights case in California, Mendez vs. Westminster, that helped pave the way for school desegregation. A must for California libraries in particular.

Mary Ann Scheuer at Great Kid Books presents Sidekicks by Dan Santat - Superhero Pets Take Over a Graphic Novel (ages 7-12) (fiction). This graphic novel has it all - superheroes, pets, friends loyal to the end, and illustrations with enough POW to knock your socks off! Lots of fun!

Myra at Gathering Books presents Here Comes the End of July: A Round Up (fiction). Gathering Books celebrated their one year anniversary! This post gives a summary of things that have happened, over at Gathering Books, in the month of July in connection to children's literature and the kidlitosphere. Check out their bi-monthly Fractured Fairy Tale theme.

Pat Zielow Miller at Read, Write, Repeat presents Kid Review: Faith Finds "Lunch Lady and the Summer Camp Shakedown" Funny (fiction). Young guest reviewer, Faith, gives her two-cents about this book in Jarrett Krosoczka's lunch lady graphic novel series.

Rachel Yap at Nurturing Kids: How One Mom Did It presents When Did I Start Reading to my Kids? (early literacy). Rachel shares how and when she started reading to her children and mentions the first books she read to them.

Read Aloud...Dad at Read Aloud Dad presents The #1 Way to Excite Children About Reading (early literacy). Do you want your kid(s) to love reading and learning? Ahhh, yes...the ultimate parental fantasy.

Roberta Gibson at Wrapped in Foil presents Sarah Emma Edmonds in the Spotlight (non-fiction). A wonderful comparison between two picture book biographies about Sarah Emma Edmunds that came out this spring.

Sam at Parenthetical presents Harry Potter, Schmarry Potter (fiction). Would the Harry Potter series have been more interesting if it had been about Hermione? Interesting question.

Sandie Mourao at Picturebooks in ELT presents A Fishy Exuberance (early literacy). Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins is a great choice for young children and always a favorite!

Shirley Duke at Simply Science Blog presents Rah, Rah, Radishes!
(non-fiction). Visit the vegetables in this rollicking chant book by April Pulley Sayre to learn their names and see the gorgeous photographs used to illustrate the text. (No Bows is one of Emmy's favorite books. Thanks, Shirley, for autographing it for me many years ago in Austin, Texas.)

Susan Stephenson at The Book Chook presents Our Garden, Our Library - Guest Post (book projects). An Australian mum, Holly Cardamone of Adventures in the Land of Cherubs, shares her delight in children's literature and the garden - a wonderfully creative combination!



Toni at Wifely Steps presents A is for Adobo, B is for Bagoong (illustration). "Don't read this book on an empty stomach!" The alphabet and Filipino food - YUMMY!





Wendy Braun at Good Books for Young Souls presents Happy Birthday to THE SECRET GARDEN - 2011 is its Centennial Year! (fiction). Loved seeing all the book covers of The Secret Garden over the years.

Zoe Toft at Playing by the Book presents The Perils of Pet Sitting (fiction). Leaving a pet in the care of someone else? Present the book, Thank You for Looking After Our Pets by Tim Hopgood, to show your appreciation.

Thanks for stopping by Emmy's Book of the Day and may I recommend...

Finale

Our carnival is ending soon,
As all things must in time.
The music's almost over -
We approach the final rhyme.
In moments all the animals
Will take their parting bow.
We hope you'll visit us again,
But say farewell for now.

Camille Saint-Saens composed The Carnival of the Animals in 1886 to express in music some of the silly habits his friends shared with animals. To compliment this composer's work, many acclaimed modern poets have created poems to go along with each animal.

Emmy's choice is Jack Prelutsky - America's first Children's Poet Laureate. Beautifully illustrated by Mary GrandPre and accompanied by a CD featuring Prelutsky reading each poem followed by the musical piece and ending with the entire musical score. Children will delight in moving with the rhythm of the music and imitating the sounds. They'll walk like an elephant, swim like a fish, hop like a kangaroo, and so on. Older children will begin to hear and identify the various instruments used to exemplify the animals. The Carnival of Animals is a definite winner!

Also worth looking for is this book/CD package featuring eleven poets and riotous illustrations by Satoshi Kitamura.

That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Children's Literature. Submit your blog article to the next edition of Carnival of Children's Literature using our carnival submission form. Next month's Carnival will be hosted by Mary Anne Scheurer at Great Kid Books. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page. (Yes, we have been around since 2006!) For an email reminder of the location of the next carnival and announcement when it is posted, subscribe to the Carnival of Children's Literature Round-up Information blog.

Listen to the Rain

Last night the rain fell and Emmy awoke talking about the sounds she heard. She wondered if it was a dream, but when I opened her curtains she saw the wet ground and the raindrops that clung to her window. "Mommy it was real!" I also heard the rain and was reminded of a beautiful poem by Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault titled Listen to the Rain.

Listen to the rain,
the whisper of the rain,
the slow soft sprinkle,
the drip-drop tinkle,
the first wet whisper of the rain.

Listen to the rain,
the singing of the rain,
the tiptoe pitter-patter,
the splish and splash and splatter,
the steady sound of the rain.

Listen to the rain,
the rouring pouring rain,
the hurly-burly topsy-turvy
lashing gnashing teeth of rain,
the lightning-flashing
thunder-crashing
sounding pounding roaring rain,
leaving all outdoors a muddle,
a mishy mushy muddy puddle.

Listen to the quietude,
the silence and the solitude of after-rain,
the dripping, dripping, dropping,
the slowly, slowly stopping,
the fresh wet silent after-time of rain.


I now know that this poem is in book form (Listen to the Rain) beautifully illustrated by James Endicott. The melody of the poem and the abstract designs of the illustrations offer new ways of listening and seeing. This book is a wonderful introduction to onomatopoeia which was always a favorite with my second graders, and a beginning to an understanding for Emmy of words that represent sounds.


Besides "Singing in the Rain," another favorite video that Emmy and I have been enjoying lately is a performance of Toto's "Africa," by a Slovenian jazz choir called Perpetuum Jazzile. The group begins and ends the song by simulating the sound of rain with their hands and feet - amazing!

April Rain Song

Let the rain kiss you
Let the rain beat upon your head with silver liquid drips
Let the rain sing you a lullaby

The rain makes still pools on the sidewalk
The rain makes running pools in the gutter
The rain plays a little sleep song on our roof at night
And I love the rain.

~Langston Hughes~

Baby Loves Jazz

Any Duke Ellington fans out there? Emmy is definitely a fan....well a fan of Duck Ellington. The Baby Loves Jazz series is some serious fun especially for those that love jazz. These books highlight some of jazz's greatest musicians/singers with wonderful CD's full of that jazzy sound. As I was researching the roots of jazz, I came across this interesting fact:
In 1987, the US House of Representatives and Senate passed a bill proposed by Democratic Representative John Conyers, Jr. to define jazz as a unique form of American music stating, among other things, "...that jazz is hereby designated as a rare and valuable national American treasure to which we should devote our attention, support and resources to make certain it is preserved, understood and promulgated."

As jazz is such an important part of our American history, take this opportunity to introduce this sound to your child through the Baby Loves Jazz Series! I guarantee that he or she will be groovin' to some wonderful music as well as enjoying some wonderful books. By the way the name Baby Loves Jazz is misleading. These books are great for all ages!

Mile Davis
Louis Armstrong

Ella Fitzgerald







Charlie "Bird" Parker

Philly Joe Jones

Ellison the Elephant

"Okay. Okay. Now, close your eyes and look inside. When you find your voice, let it out..." Ellison had no idea what a voice should look like, but he closed his eyes and looked inside... and looked... and looked... until... he found it!

Sending the message to our children of how extraordinary they are is extremely important and the folks over at Kidwick Books have just such a message in mind. Ellison the Elephant is the story of a young elephant who cannot make a normal trumpet blast like the other elephants in his herd. With the help of his mother and his imaginary friend, Weasel, Ellison finds his own unique trumpet blast. Emmy enjoys this story immensely especially with her Mommy making all kinds of trumpet sounds. The best thing about this book is that it comes with an audio CD with wonderful narration and jazzy music. Listening to stories in the car is one of our favorite things to do and this CD is fabulous! For a demo click here!

It's Spring

Having grown up in the Midwest, the seasons hold special memories for me. I will never forget the look and feel of the first snow of winter or the beauty of the leaves in autumn. In Central Texas, the seasons are much more subtle. I try very hard to make Emmy aware of what is happening in nature on a daily basis. Now that spring is upon us, we are noticing that the trees that were bare in winter are blooming! This causes much excitement on our nature walks. The best part of spring in our area are the wildflowers that slowly take over the hillsides - absolutely gorgeous!

With the spirit of spring running through our veins, I introduced Emmy to the book It's Spring by Samantha Berger and Pamela Chanko. To quote the back of the book, "The robin tells the rabbit, the rabbit tells the deer, the deer tells the bunny, and before long, everyone knows...It's Spring!" This story was originally published in 2000 as a paperback and is now a charming board book. The whimsical animals help create the stir of excitement of all the newness that the season of spring brings with it. The rhyming text is great for very young children and since it is so easy to chime right in, perfect for those children who are beginning to read.

Another wonderful read for springtime is the clevery written board book Chicky Chicky Chook Chook by Cathy MacLennan. Onomatopoeia abounds in this story featuring chicks, bumblebees and kittens as they go about their adventurous day. "Pitter, patter. Pit. Pit. Patter. Splitter, splatter. Wet. Wet. Wetter. CRASH! BANG! WALLOP!" is an example of MacLennan's use of sound words that just need to be read, sung and shouted all at the same time.

What I love best about my newly turned three year old is her absolute joy in the sounds that words make. I hear Emmy making use of words she has heard and creating her own rhymes to sing along to. One of Emmy's favorite songs is Kookaburra. She has been humming and singing this song so often lately, I thought I would share it with you.

Oh, and in case you are wondering:
*a kookaburra is an Australian bird
*a "gum tree" is what is also known as a eucalyptus
*the "gum drops" that the kookaburra eats in the song are beads of the resinous sap

Kookaburra (written in 1936 by Marion Sinclair)

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Merry, merry king of the bush is he
Laugh, Kookaburra! Laugh, Kookaburra!
Gay your life must be

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Eating all the gum drops he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
Leave some there for me

Kookaburra sits in the old gum tree
Counting all the monkeys he can see
Stop, Kookaburra! Stop, Kookaburra!
That's not a monkey that's me

Check out KIDdiddles for the tune!
http://www.kididdles.com/lyrics/k003.html