Book of the Month: I Give You the World

The illustrations of Stacey McCleary's picture book really drew me in. 

Summary: The perfect gift of all the world itself in its natural beauty through every season. The early morning light in spring shines on a new day; summer rain brings rainbows; falling leaves in autumn signals the arrival of cold weather; and a deer cautiously stepping into a newly fallen snow highlights the beauty of winter. A celebration of our world and its many precious gifts.

"My gift is each and everything: each autumn day, and each new spring, the winter's chill, the summer's laughter, every season ever after...The wonder, the beauty, the magic unfurled...all this is for you...I give you the world."

Age Range: 5-6 years

I enjoyed the pictures by Carmen Saldana and absolutely loved this message. We are gifting our children the world. It teaches how special everyday moments are and how important the nature of the world is to us all. 

Through poetic notation, it urges us to care for our world and cherish the moments we have with its nature. I also find it endearing how a parent could read this picture book to their child and show them that they loved them so much they gave them the world. This could also have a spiritual tone to it if interpreted that way. 

This is a darling picture book!

Toddler Art: Reading Takes You Everywhere

We celebrated the Summer Reading Club: Reading Takes You Everywhere by reading a simple book on different cultures and doing some Earth crafts. 

I chose to read Whoever You Are by Mem Fox because it was the simplest picture book I could find on cultures and was short enough to read to little ones. We are different, but the same. 

I tried to make the theme I had planned as simple as I could for toddlers and this worked out great.

For our first craft, we made a smiling Earth using paper plates, paint, green tissue paper,and white strips of paper.

For our second craft, we made Earth using coffee filters, markers, and spray bottles for a bleeding/blending color effect. They glued their Earths onto black construction paper and added die-cut stars.

I was anticipating the group to finish both of these crafts quickly, but I was happy to see they took their time on them and enjoyed the experience of using paint and spray bottles. 

Even though both of this month's Toddler Art and Preschool Picasso had the summer reading theme, I think I was successfully able to take the theme and make it a little more difficult for Preschoolers with the cultural direction and a little more easier for the Toddlers with a world direction. 

I'm really enjoying these cultural themes.