My First ABC The Metropolitan Museum of Art

My First ABC The Metropolitan Museum of Art

This book is a wonderful introduction to different artwork, each piece featuring something that starts with each letter of the alphabet. Letters are large print for new readers, upper and lowercase letters are featured, and the beauty of the art could draw you in for quite some time. My sons seem to find something new each time. The back of the book lists each artwork, shows it in its entirety, tells you the media, the size, the year it was created, and who is the owner. Even when we have mastered our alphabet and reading, I think this book will stay around, it’s just so beautiful to browse.

 

Montessori Geometric Inset Substitute: Stenciling Books

For a dollar at garage sales I found two tracing books that my son loves. In fact he traced fifteen buildings in one sitting, which is huge for a 4-year-old boy learning fine motor skills. This has become our geometric inset substitute. I feel it’s adequate (and my son would most likely say superior) because he already has shape recognition. Also, these were a much cheaper and mobile substitute as we travel frequently. Finally, they spur much conversation on building structures around the world and dinosaur habitats and diets respectively. Happy garage sale and flea marketing. Hope you find some your child enjoys. I’ve seen the dinosaur one on Amazon.com here.

 

Katie and the Mona Lisa by James Mayhew.

Katie and the Mona Lisa by James Mayhew.

Katie visits the museum with her Grandmother and wants to know what Mona Lisa is smiling about, so she steps inside and asks. This story flows well and introduced my preschooler to many famous paintings by Leonardo DaVinci, Raphael, Sandro Boticelli and more. Definitely worth checking out from the library. There are other titles as well, Katie Meets the Impressionists and possibly more.

 

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.

Eric Carle has illustrated so many wonderful books and this is no exception. Bold and colorful animals cover the two entire pages, and the rhyming text carries you from animal to animal. What a great introduction to colors and animals. We enjoy reading this short story over and over several times in a row. We also enjoy the similar titles: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? and the Spanish Oso polar, Oso polar, qué es ese ruido? (Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?) These books are interesting to both my toddler and preschooler, they have a long term appeal. It’s sort of like a preschool nursery rhyme.

 

The Tale of Hilda Louise by Olivier Dunrea

The Tale of Hilda Louise by Olivier Dunrea.

We found this book on the library shelf and are thoroughly enjoying it. I must say the cover is what caught my attention and the illustration here is why I grabbed it. After reading the first page I thought I may have found a Madeline copy, as Hilda Louise is a red-haired orphan in Paris France, but we continued. Though strikingly similar situations are set for both books, these books are indeed different. Hilda Louise floats through Paris, and I won’t say anymore. My preschooler enjoys reading this one again and again. The book introduces interesting topics orphans and architecture. My preschooler was introduced to gargoyles.

 

Vroom! Vroom! Making ‘Dozers, ‘Copters, Trucks and More by Judy Press

Vroom! Vroom! Making ‘Dozers, ‘Copters, Trucks and More by Judy Press. Illustrations by Michael Kline.

If your child likes vehicles and making things, this book is a valuable resource. Over 150 pages of EASY to assemble trains, cars, boats, rockets, helicopters, vans, fire engines…. well, you get the point. Get this book, make some cool vehicles, and your preschooler will grin from ear to ear. Your kitchen cabinets are FULL of what you need to get started.

 

Mike Venezia’s Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists

Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artists by Mike Venezia.

I was struggling to find some sort of art appreciation book for my preschooler, and found these books. The stories are a bit long for him, but there is so much art here to look at. Just flipping through the pages and reading some of the information is fun for us. These books we will have around for a long time and will grow into, yet they are really good to start now. It’s calming and interesting to observe the art here and to hear my preschooler’s commentary, or toddler’s enthusiasm when he spots something he can say. We have two books (photographed) and there is a link for his other titles. Mike Venezia’s Page.