Ms Coco's Corner: Nature

Title:Haiku Baby
Author: Betsy Hodge
Publish Date: May 27, 2008
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 14
ISBN: 0375843957

Price: $6.99
Classification: Board Book
Notable Features: Bilingual

Annotation: Travel through the natural world with whimsical haikus, Japanese parallels, and bright artwork in this light-hearted, exploratory board book.

Evaluation: Enjoy this book in play time and read-aloud with baby. As your child's developmental milestone progress, introduce poetry and a second language to your child's early literacy literacy adventure. The Board Book style allows Pre-Literacy babies and toddlers to explore holding and using a book without ripping pages.

Author Website:

http://betsysnyder.blogspot.com/

Title: Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder
Author: Richard Louv
Publisher: ALGONQUIN BOOKS OF CHAPEL HILL
Publisher Date: 2008
Price: $14.95
Genre: Nature and Child Development

Annotation: This recipient of the 2008 Audubon Medal is an awakening book for parents to reconnect their children with nature and the affects of a nature-less phenomenon nature-deficit disorder which the author identified before writing this book.

Evaluation: This is a wonderful read for modern parents, especially those who live in cities or areas that don’t encourage outdoor play or connections to the natural world. Also, in a world that everything’s answer is given in digital forms from television to computers, parents are introduced to a natural answer to common current trends in illnesses such as “ADD.” An inspiring look at days gone by where we spent much more time playing outside and an encouraging goal to get our kids away from nature-deficit disorder (a clever play on the all to common “Attention Deficit Disorder”). Will get parents, teachers, and librarians thinking about new and interesting ways to share activities and play with children.

Author Website: http://richardlouv.com/