Tails & Tales: Reading Safari

 This week, I'm sharing picture books featuring animals you might find on a safari.  Here are a few of my favorites . . . .

Lion Lessons by Jon Agee
Learning to be a lion takes some serious lessons, but luckily, this kid has a teacher who is a real pro.

Hooray for Hat! by Brian Won

Elephant wakes up in a grumpy mood, but a present on his doorstep--a hat--cheers him and he sets out to greet his neighbors who all, it seems, need hats of their own!

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

Hippos Are Huge! by Jonathan London

Presents an introduction to the hippopotamus that describes its less well-known characteristics, including its strength, speed, and deadly nature.

Tiny Little Fly by Michael Rosen

With a tramp and a roll and a swat, Great Big Elephant, Great Big Hippo, and Great Big Tiger try to capture Tiny Little Fly as he teases each one in turn.

More Books --

Alan's Big Scary Teeth by Jarvis

Cecily G. and the Nine Monkeys by H.A. Rey

Elmer by David McKee

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae

The Good Ship Crocodile by J. Patrick Lewis

Hello, Hippo! Goodbye, Bird! by Kristyn Crow

It's a Tiger! by David LaRochelle

Mouse & Lion by Rand Burkert

Old Mikamba Had a Farm by Rachel Isadora

On Safari by Emma Lynch

One Day in the Eucalyptus, Eucalyptus Tree by Daniel Bergstrom

One Gorilla: A Counting Book by Anthony Browne

The President of the Jungle by Andre Rodrigues
Rhino Romp by Jean Craighead George

Row, Row, Row Your Boat by Jane Cabrera

The Short Giraffe by Neil Flory

Sloth Went by Adam Lehrhaupt

Snappsy the Alligator Did NOT Ask to Be in This Book! by Julie Falatko

Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freeman

Tales from the Waterhole by Bob Graham

Tiptoe Tapirs by Han-Min Kim
The Travels of Babar by Jean de Brunhoff

Verdi by Janell Cannon

Wally Wants to Hug by Barbara M. Joosse

What Does an Anteater Eat? by Ross Collins

Check these and more safari animal books out on display at the Arnold Branch through August 27, 2021.

1-2-3 Count With Me

This week, I'm sharing some great picture books focusing on numbers and counting for kids . . . .

Let's Count Goats! by Mem Fox
Encourages counting skills with humorous illustrations of goats.

Night Light by Nicholas Blechman
Count the lights and, through die-cut pages, find out which vehicle they belong to.

My Little Sister Ate One Hare by Bill Grossman
Little sister has no problem eating one hare, two snakes, and three ants, but when she gets to ten peas, she throws up quite a mess.

Mouse Count by Ellen Stoll Walsh
Ten mice outsmart a hungry snake.

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.


More Counting Picture Books --
1 Zany Zoo by Lori Degman
100 Snowmen by Jen Arena
Can You Count Ten Toes? Count to 10 in 10 Different Languages by Lezlie Evans
Cha-Cha Chimps by Julia Durango
Count on the Subway by Paul Du Bois Jacobs
Counting Crows by Kathi Appelt
Dinosaur Countdown by Nicholas Oldland
Edible Numbers by Jennifer Bass
Five Little Monkeys Sitting in a Tree by Eileen Christelow
Flight 1-2-3 by Maria van Lieshout
Lyle Walks the Dog: A Counting Book by Bernard Waber
Numbers Everywhere by Elliott Kaufman
Old MacDonald in the City by Suzanne Williams
One Family by George Shannon
One Is a Mouse by Jonathan Hunt
One Two That's My Shoe! by Alison Murray
The Right Number of Elephants by Jeff Sheppard
Shout! Shout It Out! by Denise Fleming
Soup for One by Ethan Long
Ten Little Fingers, Two Small Hands by Kristy Dempsey
Ten Seeds by Ruth Brown
Ten Tiny Tickles by Karen Katz
Warthogs in the Kitchen by Pamela Duncan Edwards
When Sheep Sleep by Laura Numeroff
Wombat Walkabout by Carol Diggory Shields
Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss

2014 Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award

The Missouri Building Block Picture Book Award is a readers' choice award geared towards children birth through kindergarten.  The children are asked to listen to at least five of the books read before voting for their choice for the award.  Voting for the Building Block Award can be done at the Arnold Branch or online at http://www.kclibrary.org/kids/missouri-building-block-2014 through the end of December.





Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

I Dare You Not to Yawn by Helene Boudreau
A boy tries to not yawn although facing baby orangutans, cuddly blankets, and sleepytime songs.

Open Very Carefully: A Book with Bite by Nicole O'Byrne
A crocodile falls into a quiet storybook and wreaks havoc on the characters.

Ribbit! by Rodrigo Folgueira
A pig visits a frog pond, sits on a rock, and says only "Ribbit!".

Little Nelly's Big Book by Pippa Goodhart
Little Nelly's book tells her she is a mouse.

This Little Piggy by Tim Harrington
The toes decide they would like to do more exciting stuff than the traditional rhyme lets them do.

Mustache Baby by Bridget Heos
Is baby Billy's mustache a Good-Guy mustache, or a Bad-Guy mustache?

Moo! by David LaRochelle
When Cow gets her hooves on the farmer's car, she takes it for a wild ride through the country.

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
After swallowing a watermelon seed, a crocodile imagines a scary outcome.

That Is NOT A Good Idea! by Mo Willems
A hungry fox invites a plump goose to dinner.

My Favorite Books of 2013

As it is the end of the year, I thought I would share my favorite books from 2013.  Here are my favorite picture books . . .

Moo! by David LaRochelle
When Cow gets her hooves on the farmer's car, she takes it for a wild ride through the country.

Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown
Bored with city life and the proper behavior it requires, Mr. Tiger has a wild idea that leads him to discover his true nature.

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli
After swallowing a watermelon seed, a crocodile imagines a scary outcome.

Interactive Books for Young Children

There is a trend that is growing of picture books that are interactive with the children reading them.  The books address the readers directly and instruct them to do certain activities or actions.  Check out these great examples of interactive picture books . . .

Press Here by Herve Tullet
Instructs the reader on how to interact with the illustrations to manipulate yellow, blue, and red dots.

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett
The reader is invited to count the animals that have frightened the monkeys off the pages.

Can You Make a Scary Face? by Jan Thomas
A ladybug invites the reader to play a game of "let's pretend."

Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj
Important secrets about how best to live a cat's life will be revealed only to those who can prove that they are genuine cats.

The Big Blue Spot by Peter Holwitz
A spot realizes that it is lonely and asks the reader of the book to help it find a friend.

Count the Monkeys by Mac Barnett

Hey kids! Time to count the monkeys!

It's fun.  It's easy.  All you have to do is turn the page . . .

and

COUNT THE MONKEYS!

And so starts a counting adventure.  And one of my new favorite counting books. 
Each turn of the page introduces an ever-increasing number of animals or people who have chased away the monkeys.  Children are asked to participate in the reading by scaring away the animals, closing their eyes, or humming a happy tune.

A definite must-read for any child learning, or reviewing, their numbers!