Eensy Weensy Spider

Title: Eensy Weensy Spider
Author: Mary Anne Hoberman & Nadine Bernard Westcott
Publish Date: September 1, 2004
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 32
ISBN: 0316734128

Price: $6.99
Classification: Picture Book, Songs and Music

Annotation: In this book, long time favorite fingerplay song, Eensy Weensy Spider, is extended to include longer lyrics, new friends, and new fingerplays.

Evaluation: This book includes music, fingerplay directions, and games to play. The book is perfect for families new to fingerplay or for families who love the original song and want more. Seeing the song in print supports print awareness and the fingerplay songs supports fine motor skills and sequence and order, just to name a few.

Author Website: http://www.maryannhoberman.com/

The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants: Over 700 Selections

Title: The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants: Over 700 Selections

Author: Jackie Silberg and Pam Pam Schiller
Publish Date: 2002
Publisher: Gryphon House
Pages: 352
ASIN: B001SRKLDU

ISBN: 0876592671

Price: $34.95
Classification: Parenting, Music and Poetry
Genre: Songs and Fingerplay
Age Range: Baby-Toddlers

Annotation: This wonderful book comes with the CD and over seven hundred selections to rhyme, sing, and play with baby with.

Evaluation:

This multimedia-resource includes both book of resources and CDs of fifty songs. With over 700 songs included in the book, the songs are listed by alphabet. This book is great for parents, teachers, and librarians, but does not include age ranges though the book itself is directed to the early years. The songs include lyrics as well as a theme connection such as “parts of the body” which is great for connecting it to a storybook or other activities.

Baby Band

Title: Baby Band

Author: N/A
Publish Date: N/A
Publisher: N/A
Pages: N/A
Item Number: RE623 (Lakeshore Learning)

Price: $21.99
Classification: Toy
Age Range: infant - preschool / birth - 3 yrs.

Annotation: Shaped perfectly for baby hands this little set of musical toys will be a first groove inducer.

Evaluation: These tools are not only fun to play and experiment with but they will encourage vital developmental skills little ones need. Movement encourages expression and fine motor skill development while providing fun and excitement! This would be a great addition to the toy chest while really being a masked pre-literacy tool! Move over sneaky chef, we're sneaky literacy players!

Link to Product: http://www.lakeshorelearning.com/seo/ca|searchResults~~p|RE623~~.jsp

The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas

Title: The Dinosaurs Night Before Christmas

Author: Anne Muecke

Price: $18.99

Pages: 36

Publisher: Chronicle Books

Publisher Date: 2008

ISBN: 0811863220

Classification: Holiday Picture Book/Holiday Music

Annotation: Christmas just went prehistoric with this humorous take on the traditional poem. Included are dinosaur-themed holiday songs and a read aloud of the poem!

Evaluation: I heard this poem many times as a child and was always entranced by it. I also was mesmerized by the idea of dinosaurs and remember my brother memorizing each and everyone of them. Here is the marriage of the holiday classic with an high interest twist. Get your kids reading poetry and exploring there favorite dino-characters! Sure to be a literate christmas afterall! The CD is an awesome bonus that will enhance the book and your Christmas! I highly recommend this holiday book as a Christmas read aloud or even an introduction to poetry and verse!

Little Hands, Fingerplays & Action Songs: Seasonal Activities & Creative Play for 2 - To 6-Year-Olds

• Title: Little Hands, Fingerplays & Action Songs: Seasonal Activities & Creative Play for 2 - To 6-Year-Olds
• Author: Emily Stetson
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Williamson Publishing Company
• Publishing Date: May 2001
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1885593538

Annotation: A book full of fingerplay, crafts and activities, songs to sing, games to play, and its all brought together with information about and arranged by seasons.

Evaluation: I am a big fan of activities that tie into literacy skills and play off each other. This is one of those items that does the work for you. It works of the seasons as a theme and gives you a range of activities that will really turn play into learning. Any parent will be able to have fun with this. Teachers and librarians can use it too! It's a wonderful little resource. Since it is out of print, it can be bought used or found at the library. But, its a fun one to find and definitely worth the trip to the library!

Puff The Magic Dragon + CD

• Title: Puff The Magic Dragon
• Author: Peter Yarrow
• Price: $16.95
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• Publisher: Sterling; First Edition edition (August 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402747829

Annotation: Follow the famous Folk Song, Puff the Magic Dragon in this new, beautiful picture book plus CD with music!

Evaluation: This book has been so popular with my read aloud group that then bring it back and insist upon preforming the song and showing me the pages that match the song lyrics! They are so entranced by this book (both the pictures and the music) that you can't help but recommend it to everyone! The dragon here is so love-able it reminds me of How to Train Your Dragon (Dreamworks new blockbuster film). So much so, in fact, it makes you wonder if it may in fact be somewhat inspired by this dragon classic! And yes, the author is the "Peter" from Peter, Paul, and Mary, as they are the writers of the original song. This is an amazingly beautiful book!!!!!

Author Website:

http://www.peteryarrow.net/

Raffi's Singable Songs for the Very Young

• Title: Raffi's Singable Songs for the Very Young
• Musician: Raffi
• Audio CD release Date: October 15, 1996
• Original Release Date: 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Rounder / Umgd
• ASIN: B0000003H4
• Also Available in:
• Audio CD, Cassette, Vinyl, MP3

Classification: Music

Annotation: Raffi sings very singable, fun songs that are fun for the whole family.

Evaluation: Raffi is the KING of children's music. After all these years there is nothing like him still! He's fun, and developmentally appropriate without being condescending. Though I was first introduced to him through my baby brothers (who had every lyric memorized from a very young age), I still have some of the lyrics memorized. I still share it will my read aloud children and it is still just as beloved to all! A must hear for your little ones, this is the key to supporting many developmental stages. It also supports literacy equally, while all the time being the best fun ever!!

Raffi's Website: http://www.raffinews.com/

Get Up And Dance

• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: Unrated
• Studio: Sesame Street
• DVD Release Date: March 7, 2003
• Run Time: 30 minutes
• ASIN: B000I5XCZC
• Annotation: Come to Big Bird's party and dance it up!
• Evaluation: With all the kinds of DVDs, books, music, Fingerplays and all, there are few chances for kids to get up and move and dance, but at a level they can do it! It's developmentally appropriate for little bodies, with dances like I'm a little airplane, Birdland jump and Doin' the grouch! Should be fun, great exercise, and a wonderful way to get some energy out!