Pre-K Read aloud

All posts in the Pre-K Read aloud category

Big Red Barn, by Margaret Wise Brown

Published November 29, 2012 by Dagmar

big red barnThis is a wonderful pre-school read aloud.  The rhyming is very nice as are the illustrations.  It give you a great way to talk about farms (I work in an urban school) and to interact with students as they “help” me make farm noises.  Best of all, the book ends in such a peaceful way that all those wiggly bodies settle down and are ready for another book.

Synopsis: A day begins on a farm.  The people are away, so only animals are there to play.  There are horses, donkeys, roosters, hens, sheep, goats, mice, bats, cats, and even a scarecrow.  They all live and sleep in a big red barn.

Over the River and Through the Wood, by Lydia Maria Child

Published November 28, 2012 by Dagmar

A timeless classic with beautiful woodcut illustrations by Christopher Manson.  Perfect for a Thanksgiving holiday read for younger students.  My students love to sing it with me (even if they don’t know all the words). 😉

 

A Sick Day for Amos McGee, by Philip C. Stead

Published November 17, 2012 by Dagmar

amosmcgeeA sweet story about friendship. Great for pre-school and kindergarten read alouds.

Synopsis: Amos McGee is a zookeeper who takes the bus each day to go to the zoo.  Although he has lots of work to do, he always finds time for his friends.  The elephant loves chess, the tortoise loves to race, the penguin loves to sit quietly, the rhinoceros always needs a handkerchief for his runny nose, and the owl likes to have stories read to him, because he is afraid of the dark.  When Amos is sick and can’t come to work, the animals get on the bus and go to see him.  One by one, they take care of Amos, just as he always takes care of them.

Ghosts in the House! by Kazuno Kohara

Published November 15, 2012 by Dagmar

ghostsinthehouseAnother Halloween favorite for very young listeners.  Ghosts in the House is sweet and funny with simple illustrations.
Synopsis: A girl moves into a house that’s haunted.  That’s no problem, because she is a witch and likes ghosts.  In fact, she finds them very useful.  After throwing them into the washing machine and hanging them out to dry, her ghosts become curtains, a tablecloth and finally blankets for she and her cat.

Room on the Broom, by Julia Donaldson

Published November 15, 2012 by Dagmar

roomonthebroomWhile I’m still remembering my Halloween read alouds, I want to mention one of my favorites.  Room on the Broom combines great rhyming with enough repetition to keep even the youngest listener engaged.  The illustrations, by Alex Scheffler, are great and the story funny and sweet.  I read this to my pre-k and K classes.
Synopsis: A witch is flying on her broomstick with her cat and drops her hat.  A dog finds it but asks, “Is there room on the broom for me?”.  As the story progresses, the witch drops a stunning number of things and gives a ride to many different creatures.  When the witch’s broom snaps in half, all her passengers fall into a bog.  She flies into a cloud, only to meet a fierce dragon who wants to eat her.  All of her animal friends gather themselves together.  Covered with bog slime and stacked one on top of the other, they look so fearsome, they scare the dragon away.  Left without a broom, the witch and her friends make a brew and create a spectacular new broomstick with room for everyone.