Welcome to the second post in my series of Bookish and More. This piece is dedicated to language, the English language.
My 1 year olds vocabulary is expanding and my 3 year olds vocabulary is maturing. With this in mind I am celebrating all things language in this post with reads you may just enjoy in your home, for you and perhaps for your little ones too.
I begin with an ABC book.
ABC Aino-Maija Metsola.
Aino Maija Metsola has done a brilliant job at creating an ABC book that is appealing, colourful and features an array of stylish art work.
This sturdy board book makes an ideal book for young ones and the familiar images makes it a great ABC book. As well as exploring all things alphabet there is a lot to point out and discuss with little ones including, the many colours on each page, the use of everyday objects and items to represent each letter, the different shapes that can be seen on each double spread and the bold upper case and lower case letter captioned against each image. At the end of the book you see all the alphabet family together which in turn could encourage more discussion and gives children an opportunity to see the letters being part of a group that makes up the English language.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
Opposites -With Peek Through Pages by Agnese Baruzzi.
This cheery board book is a great first concept book. The board book oozes stunning graphic art work and is an introduction to varied vocabulary and the relationships that can exist between words.
Young readers are encouraged to say the word which is displayed clearly on a double page, accompanied by a stylish illustration and also has die cuts to share a little peek of what is to come. On turning the page young children will discover the opposite of the word that they have already stated. This is a fun read embracing the hide and seek game which is sure to make many children beam. (My 1 year old loves it.) The peek through holes are so cleverly placed and carefully planned. How cheeky does that squirrel look?!
The great palette of colours and the sturdiness of the board book with peek through pages makes this an appealing, inviting book for young readers and little hands to explore.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
Get Set Go Flash cards -Sight Words and Build a Word by Miles Kelly Publishing.
Flash cards can be a fantastic way for young readers to discover new words, apply phonic knowledge and to practice the skill of reading. Not only that but they can also be incorporated into play as signs, leaflets, treasure and many more. Unlike the flash cards I recall receiving at school these are larger, colourful and the letters are raised on the card so that you’re able to touch and feel the letter and in turn practice letter formation.
Get Set Go Build A Word is a great introduction to initial letter recognition and phonemes. The double sided cards covers all letter sounds including alternative spellings. Not only can use the flashcards individually but you can build a word putting cards together, as shown below.
Get Set Go Sight Words are a collection of high frequency words which are also double sided. One side shows a word and the other side gives an example of a sentence including that word. You can also use these word cards together to create sentences. Two great resources.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
Llamaphones by Janik Coat.
Janik Coat has produced a brilliant board book full of word fun. Llamaphones is all about homophones, words which sound the same but are spelt differently and have different meanings. Llamaphones is actually the third book in the series but this is the first we have read. The other two that Janik Coat has written are Hippopposites and Rhymoceros, which Little One has her eye on!
With its clean white backgrounds and double page spreads of examples of homophones this has definitely proved a very funny read for my 3 year old. As well as featuring many llamas, some looking a little pear like (tee hee) there are also textured, touch and feel parts making this an even more enjoyable read.
Janik Coat is an author, illustrator and graphic designer and this book certainly celebrates all of those amazing skills. This is a super example of language exploration being uncomplicated and accessible to all. This would make a fine book to share in a classroom and a great one to read aloud and enjoy at home. Perhaps it will inspire young ones to produce their own homophones book.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
Big Words for little geniuses by Susan and James Patterson and illustrated by Hsinping Pan
This book is absolutely brilliant. Susan and James Patterson have written a book that is a bundle of super words which is organised in alphabetical order. Each word is carefully explained and the way in which you should pronounce it is also written, as you would expect in a dictionary. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful. I could quite happily frame each page. The artwork is colourful and quirky and the palette of colours are just so eye catching. We adore the front cover of the book featuring a wise owl but underneath that dust jacket lies an amazing surprise piece of artwork.
The book is a celebration of literacy. It opens children’s minds to new vocabulary and is a book that does not talk down to children. Little One has had a lot of fun with this book and she also has had a great giggle at me attempting to pronounce particular words, which I loved as I want her to witness me learning new things also. This is a brilliant book that oozes new learning and a delight visually.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
The Lost Words by Robert Macfarlane and illustrated by Jackie Morris
This book is breathtaking and I was delighted to have received it as a gift at the end of last year.
Inspired by words that were lost from the Oxford dictionary to be replaced with more technological based ones, Robert Macfarlane has written a collection of outstanding poems celebrating nature. From conkers to kingfishers this will keep many a reader engaged. Described as a spell book, this is a read that aims to sprinkle the magic of language at the turn of every page.
Recommended for children 5 and up, it is a book that will appeal to young and older readers. This is a book that will grow with our family and I am thrilled to have this book in our home, featuring writing that is so skillfully written with so much delight to observe and absorb. Little One is 3 but she finds this book mesmerising, everything from the large format of the book to the talented art work through out.
In between the collection of poems are wordless pages which are a window to the outdoors and also pages with the letters of the alphabet beaming in gold. This is a treasure of a book.
Available to buy from Amazon- click on image below for further details:
Six beautiful features for my piece celebrating language. I do hope there is something I have shared that may encourage a library visit.
Disclaimer: Unless otherwise stated within the post the books and flashcards included in this post were sent to us from the publishers. All words and opinions are my own.