Let's Talk About Books and a FREEBIE!

And now for one of my favorite linky parties of the summer... Thanks to Mrs. Jump for hosting!!

This week, I am highlighting a book that I have JUST discovered by one of my favorite Children's Book authors, Chris Raschka! First, let's talk about Mr. Raschka for a moment! He is the author who brought some serious favorites including Yo! Yes?, A Blushful Hippopotamus, and many others. Chris' books are special because they do a spectacular job at conveying particular feelings using vivid illustrations and simple, kid-friendly text. This year, I was extraordinarily lucky to receive a $100 grant for a local library book sale. While purging their Children's Book section, I came across...

Charlie Parker Played be bop!

I had never heard of this book before, but I LOVED John Coltrane's Giant Steps so I snatched it up. As many of you know, our school is currently under a MAJOR arts grant and anything that we can do to more fully integrate the arts is a thumbs up! I tossed the book in the stack with all of the others and just this weekend got around to looking through it.

What I found exceeded my expectations!

Each page offered engaging illustrations. Full of color, line, and expression, they hit on many different points. I cannot wait to use this book as a mentor text with my firsties!

Throughout the year in Kindergarten, we worked diligently on developing stamina for writing and strategies for editing and revising. This year, we will be delving into Author's Craft! This book will be a great kick-off to onomatopoeia as it will allow the kiddos to put an image to each sound.  

I have created a small set of graphic organizers that the kids can use before or after reading the book. Before Reading: Use the pages to imagine what each word could mean and stand for. See if their representation in the book matches your own! After Reading: Create alternative meanings or representations for each sound word -- OR -- use the images given to There is also a space where students are able to create their own word to use in their writing. Feel free to let me know other ways you would use this book/activity! And check out the activity in my TPT Store HERE! (FREEBIE! FREEBIE! FREEBIE!) Also, check out my Sight Word Assessment Pack -- Currently one sale for... 100% OFF! This is a FLASH FREEBIE and will be free for 24 HOURS ONLY. PLEASE, I only ask that if you download the pack, you leave a quick review. Thank you so much!! You can read about the pack HERE!