Storytime: 1001 Things to Spot on the Farm

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Here is a book that is delightful for young toddlers and children all the way to kindergarten insha'Allaah.

This book 1001 Things to Spot on the Farm is an I Spy introduction for young toddlers. The soft, colourful and truly inviting pictures are a fun way for children to sharpen their observation and counting skills insha'Allaah.

1001 Things to Spot on the Farm is also unique because it pictures farms from around the world. Children may just see their country represented in this delightful book!

If your local library carries this book, check it out during your next visit and your children may sit quietly for long periods of time study and taking in life on the farm. This is also a nice book for family read aloud night. Everyone, young and old, can participate in trying to locate 10 cows, 2 tractors, 5 snakes, and the many other objects and animals represented in the book. This book is another way to help children have fun reading during the break from school...waallaahu a'lam.

Storytime: Ready for Spring

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

This board book may be one that infants and toddlers enjoy as the signs of spring flourish around them.

This book Ready for Spring highlights the various types of clothing we often wear during the spring. Each piece of clothing is presented by itself on the page against a collage background allowing the child to focus on the piece of clothing itself.

Ready for Spring is a board book that is appropriate for children ranging from infants through preschool, is a book you may wish to pick up on your next trip to the library insha'Allaah. 

You can find activities for Spring that may be fun to use with this book here and here insha'Allaah.

Storytime: Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

Even though the school year has officially ended, reading aloud is something that parents can continue doing as it helps children retain the information learned during the school year. Continuing to read aloud to your children over the summer also helps prevent the lose of the reading progress that was accomplished during the year. Reading Rockets points out that "the research is clear that children who don't read during the summer can lose up to three months of reading progress and that loss has a cumulative, long-term effect".

With that in mind, I will continue to post books that your children may enjoy reading over the summer months with you (or independently) insha'Allaah.

The first book your children might enjoy is:

Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? is one of several books from the "What Do You See" series by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle.The repetitive text helps children work on prediction skills and also helps boost reading confidence. After hearing the story read aloud a few times, most children are able to chorus read the story and remember the repetitive line of text without difficulty subhana'Allaah. Children also seem to enjoy the artwork of Eric Carle.

These resrouces may be helpful in extending your reading of Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?:

• Extension Activity Ideas (1)
• Extension Activity Ideas (2)

Perhaps on your next trip to the library you may wish to pick up Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See? and continue the comforting tradition of reading aloud to your child as the warm summer months approach insha'Allaah.

A side note: in the back of this book, there are extension suggestions and activities. There is one however that is not recommended due to the fact that it asks the child to imitate the sounds the animals in the story make. Ibn Taymiyyah - rahimullaah- has stated that this is something that Musilms should refrain from doing. Insha'Allaah, I hope to find this fatwa from him in English but as of yet, I have been unsuccessful.

Storytime: Duckie's Rainbow

السلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته

 Today we read Duckie's Rainbow

Duckie's Rainbow is a cute story that infants and toddlers may find great enjoyment in. The story is of a little duck who is rushing to get home and on they way, she passes different things: a yellow field, an orange bridge, a sky with purple storm clouds, and other things that are the same colours as those found in a rainbow. By the end of the story it has rained and duckie is blessed to see a rainbow. This is also a uniquely shaped book. When you come to the end of the story the book forms a rainbow!This aspect of the book, plus the simple storyline may combine to make this a book one that your youngest enjoy hearing read aloud over and over again.