Read Aloud Thursday

Earlier this week I mentioned that we've been watching a few Reading Rainbow episodes. We most recently watched the episode, Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin (author: Lloyd Moss) in which LeVar takes us on a trip to New York City's Julliard School of Music. As is the habit of Reading Rainbow, they offer a few additional recommendations of books to read, one of which was Max Found Two Sticks. We checked that one out from the library and found it to be pretty entertaining.

In Max Found Two Sticks we meet a young boy who "didn't feel like talking to anyone" but felt more like being alone. As he sat on his front steps, watching the clouds roll by, he saw two sticks fall from the tree and onto the ground. Max takes the sticks and starts pat-pat-patting. His relations are asking him what he's doing as he "dong . . . dang . . . dungs" on bottles, and "ding . . . dong. . . ding!" joining in with the rhythm of the bells at the church. The book has its own rhythm as it follows along with Max "dum . . . dum-de-dum" You can almost hear him pattering about with the sticks. This book had my son looking for sticks of his own so I suppose you could say that this book is potentially dangerous. However, it encourages exploration of sounds and rhythms and I think that's a pretty good thing!

The other book recommended on this particular episode of Reading Rainbow was Animal Orchestra which we have our own copy of. This book is fabulous and gets pulled down from the shelf for reading with some regularity. Watching this episode just encouraged yet another re-read and this is a book that neither Bookworm1 nor I ever seem to tire of. All of the animals are gathering together to play their instruments. A hippo acts as conductor, the animals roar and cheer for the band and in the end everyone shouts, "HIP! HIPPO-RAY!" It's told in rhyme and is cute and clever. It introduces children to instruments with the help of cuddly and curious creatures. We're big animals fans around here as well, so when introducing music and instruments, this book has come in handy. (This is a great book to buy and keep on the family bookshelf. It has great value and features so many animals and instruments to keep the reader engaged time and time again!)

Lastly, we picked up a copy of Over in the Meadow by Olive A. Wadsworth which was a real treat! This one I found while browsing the children's shelves at the library and I quickly popped it into our bag. I figured it would be a winner and was not just a little delighted upon finishing the book to have Bookworm1 ask me, "Can we read it again?" (There is a request I cannot refuse!) Least you become confused, this book also has a great deal to do with rhythm and music because it reads in a syncopated rhythm. The added bonus is, again, that it has to do with animals. We've read this one over and over again and I'm rather loathed to return it to the library! (But I will! I will!) Our favorite page spread involved four little mice gnawing away:

"Over in the meadow
by the old barn door
Lived an old mother rat
and her little ratties four.
Gnaw said the mother.
We gnaw said the four.
So they gnawed all day by the old barn door."

It's just plain fun.

I love discovering new titles for us to enjoy and we really do love reading in themes. When Bookworm1 wants to learn about any one thing in particular, everything revolves around that item or concept. I appreciated the deviation in learning about musical instruments that Reading Rainbow offered in terms of learning specifically about rhythm. (I'm also happy to report that Bookworm1 has pretty decent rhythm for a two year old.)

Music continues to fill our house and we love surrounding ourselves with it - even in the form of books!