This list of “9 Excellent Jewish Kids Books for Hanukkah Gifts and Beyond” was curated by Bianca Schulze.
Add a Comment
new posts in all blogs
By: Kerry Aradhya,
on 9/4/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Books for Dance Class, Prepositions, Camping, Susan Gal, Maria's Movers, Maria Hanley, Into the Outdoors, Add a tag
By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 4/8/2010
Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Gal, Add a tag
Viewing: Blog Posts Tagged with: Susan gal, Most Recent at Top [Help]
Results 1 - 4 of 4
By: Bianca Schulze,
on 12/1/2015
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Trudy Ludwig, Tanya Simon, Melanie Crowder, Lesléa Newman, Holiday Gift Guide Kids Books, Harry N. Abrams Books, Richard Simon, White Cloud Press, Becky Albertalli, Laura Amy Schlitz, Chanukah, Jewish Books, featured, Monica Brown, Roaring Brook Press, Hanukkah, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Mark Siegel, Philomel Books, Craig Orback, Susan Gal, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Gift Books, Candlewick, Balzer + Bray, Barry Deutsch, Seasonal: Holiday Books, Amy June Bates, Teens: Young Adults, Cultural Wisdom, Best Kids Stories, Add a tag
Blog: The Children's Book Review (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Trudy Ludwig, Tanya Simon, Melanie Crowder, Lesléa Newman, Holiday Gift Guide Kids Books, Harry N. Abrams Books, Richard Simon, White Cloud Press, Becky Albertalli, Laura Amy Schlitz, Chanukah, Jewish Books, featured, Monica Brown, Roaring Brook Press, Hanukkah, Little Brown Books for Young Readers, Mark Siegel, Philomel Books, Craig Orback, Susan Gal, Ages 4-8, Ages 9-12, Book Lists, Gift Books, Candlewick, Balzer + Bray, Barry Deutsch, Seasonal: Holiday Books, Amy June Bates, Teens: Young Adults, Cultural Wisdom, Best Kids Stories, Add a tag
By: Kerry Aradhya,
on 9/4/2012
Blog: Picture Books & Pirouettes (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Books for Dance Class, Prepositions, Camping, Susan Gal, Maria's Movers, Maria Hanley, Into the Outdoors, Add a tag
Read It. Move It. Share It.
Dance educator Maria Hanley and I explored Into the Outdoors as the August picture book in our monthly collaboration. Its unique blend of two themes -- camping and prepositions -- makes it a one-of-a-kind book for sure. And it's also a fun one to incorporate into dance classes for young children. After you read this post, you can see how Maria used it with her young dancers here.
When I was growing up, a few times every summer my family would lug our camper behind our car into the forests of Pennsylvania, where we would spend a few nights out in the wilderness with friends. Hiking, canoeing, playing in the creek, making fires, roasting marshmallows, and watching wildlife -- particularly chipmunks, deer, raccoons, and the occasional black bear! -- are all wonderful memories I have from my childhood.
Nowadays, once or twice a year my husband, our two daughters, and I head out into the Maryland woods, pitch a tent, and spend a few nights in the great outdoors as well. We haven't taken the girls hiking or canoeing yet and haven't seen quite as many animals as I did growing up, but hopefully we'll get there one day.
How about you? Do you have any special camping memories? Would you be interested in a picture book about camping? Or, although this may seem a little off topic, might you be interested in a book about prepositions? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then I just might have the book for you!
In Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal, a family of four fill their car to the brim and leave the city to go camping in the mountains. Over the course of the book, the family partakes in many of the same same activities I did as a child. They go for a hike, they play in a stream, they build a fire and roast marshmallows, and they climb into their tent at night.
Throughout the day, the family also sees tons and tons of wildlife. Although they saw many of the same animals I usually see when I go camping, they saw a few others, too. Like a fox, a porcupine, and a moose! As you may be realizing, the story line of this book is quite simple. But, what makes the story so unique is its superfluous use of prepositions!
I counted the prepositions in the book, and I came up with 19, all printed in yellow text to stand out from the otherwise white wording in the book. Almost all of the prepositions -- including across, along, around, behind, beneath, beside, over, through, up, and under -- would be great to introduce to a dance class. The youngest children might not know all of their meanings, but the illustrations can help show them. Plus, several of the prepositions are used more than once, giving the children extra opportunities to practice their meanings.
If I were teaching a dance class with this book, I think I'd set up a really neat obstacle course using as many of the prepositions as the kids could remember. Or, since there are so many prepositions, maybe I would use the book for a couple weeks and make a few different courses. Are you curious too see how Maria used the book? Let's see here!
If you're looking for other ideas for teaching prepositions, We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury is another picture book I recommend. Maria and I featured it around this time last year. Here's that post.
Dance educator Maria Hanley and I explored Into the Outdoors as the August picture book in our monthly collaboration. Its unique blend of two themes -- camping and prepositions -- makes it a one-of-a-kind book for sure. And it's also a fun one to incorporate into dance classes for young children. After you read this post, you can see how Maria used it with her young dancers here.
When I was growing up, a few times every summer my family would lug our camper behind our car into the forests of Pennsylvania, where we would spend a few nights out in the wilderness with friends. Hiking, canoeing, playing in the creek, making fires, roasting marshmallows, and watching wildlife -- particularly chipmunks, deer, raccoons, and the occasional black bear! -- are all wonderful memories I have from my childhood.
Nowadays, once or twice a year my husband, our two daughters, and I head out into the Maryland woods, pitch a tent, and spend a few nights in the great outdoors as well. We haven't taken the girls hiking or canoeing yet and haven't seen quite as many animals as I did growing up, but hopefully we'll get there one day.
How about you? Do you have any special camping memories? Would you be interested in a picture book about camping? Or, although this may seem a little off topic, might you be interested in a book about prepositions? If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then I just might have the book for you!
In Into the Outdoors by Susan Gal, a family of four fill their car to the brim and leave the city to go camping in the mountains. Over the course of the book, the family partakes in many of the same same activities I did as a child. They go for a hike, they play in a stream, they build a fire and roast marshmallows, and they climb into their tent at night.
Throughout the day, the family also sees tons and tons of wildlife. Although they saw many of the same animals I usually see when I go camping, they saw a few others, too. Like a fox, a porcupine, and a moose! As you may be realizing, the story line of this book is quite simple. But, what makes the story so unique is its superfluous use of prepositions!
Alongside each other, we dream our dreams,
beside the lake and beneath the moon,
outside in the great outdoors.
I counted the prepositions in the book, and I came up with 19, all printed in yellow text to stand out from the otherwise white wording in the book. Almost all of the prepositions -- including across, along, around, behind, beneath, beside, over, through, up, and under -- would be great to introduce to a dance class. The youngest children might not know all of their meanings, but the illustrations can help show them. Plus, several of the prepositions are used more than once, giving the children extra opportunities to practice their meanings.
If I were teaching a dance class with this book, I think I'd set up a really neat obstacle course using as many of the prepositions as the kids could remember. Or, since there are so many prepositions, maybe I would use the book for a couple weeks and make a few different courses. Are you curious too see how Maria used the book? Let's see here!
If you're looking for other ideas for teaching prepositions, We're Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and Helen Oxenbury is another picture book I recommend. Maria and I featured it around this time last year. Here's that post.
1 Comments on Into the Outdoors: A Plethora of Prepositions!, last added: 9/20/2012
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: Julie Fortenberry,
on 4/8/2010
Blog: Children's Illustration (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Susan Gal, Add a tag
Sometimes those uber-talented, Disney-trained artists can't shake the Disney style and find their own. Not so for Susan Gal.
1 Comments on , last added: 4/8/2010
Display Comments
Add a Comment
By: Administrator,
on 2/19/2010
Blog: Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Book, Personal Connections, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Shared Writing, Un-Forgettable Friday, Writing Skills, shared writing lessons, Gal Susan, Night Lights, picture books for preschool kids, Susan gal, Add a tag
Blog: Margo Dill's Read These Books and Use Them! (Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags: Picture Book, Personal Connections, Preschool to 1st grade teachers, Shared Writing, Un-Forgettable Friday, Writing Skills, shared writing lessons, Gal Susan, Night Lights, picture books for preschool kids, Susan gal, Add a tag
When I’m at the library choosing books for this blog, I have to admit I am a sucker for illustrations like Susan Gal’s. First, there’s a cute dog on the cover (and you all know I love dogs), and I like the girl’s cute nose and big eyes. It’s just cute. . .but this book is more than that, so here we go!
*Picture book for infants to Kindergarteners, contemporary fiction
*Little girl and her dog as main characters
*Rating: With less than 25 words and wonderful illustrations, Susan Gal tells a cute story of a girl’s night and all the lights that brighten it up in Night Lights.
Short, short summary:
A little girl rides her bike with her mom and lights up the night with “headlights.” Their cute and very smart dog greets them at the door lit with a “porch light,” and they are ready for a birthday cook out with “firelight,” “firefly light,” and “candlelight.” When a storm makes them rush inside, the girl and her dog get ready for bed, even catching some suspicious creatures enjoying the leftover marshmallows outside in the “spotlight.” All is well when they go to bed, and the room is lit with a “night-light” and “moonlight.”So, what do I do with this book?
1. Give children enough time to study the illustrations because these pictures are what actually tell the story in Night Lights. Ask them to notice what the pictures are telling them. Ask them, “What is this story about?” “How do you know–through the words or pictures or both?” You can also ask them a simple question like, “What do you notice in these illustrations?” Young children will love this book because it has few words per page and wonderful illustrations, and those things hold their attention–in a group setting or before bedtime. If they listen to Night Lights by Susan Gal enough, they will be able to “read” it with you.
2. The publisher on the jacket copy suggests this book can be used with children who have a fear of nighttime or the dark to show them how many lights actually exist at night. This is a good idea (unless your child or your students are afraid of the “lightning!” page). You can ask children to tell you what lights they notice at night. They can also draw a nighttime scene with lights in it from the book such as a moon, lamp, fireflies, and so on.
3. As a shared writing activity, students could each suggest a type of light in their house or outside (found in the day or night), and you could write sentences on a chart like: Martha found a lamp. Bob found sunlight. Joshua found a flashlight. Then cut these sentences apart, and give them to the appropriate student. (At home, you can do this activity with your child, too, but you would allow them to choose which sentence they want to copy and illustrate.) Students copy the sentence the best they can at the bottom of their paper (or you can glue it on for them), and then they illustrate the picture.
If you are a preschool teacher or have a toddler or preschooler at home, Night Lights is one of those perfect books, in my opinion!
Add a Comment
I recommend the book. Good summary. Thanks.