Read & Romp Roundup: January 2014

Here's the January Read & Romp Roundup for your weekend reading…especially those of you who are stuck inside because of the rain or snow. There are some real goodies in this roundup, so enjoy!

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares two new additions to her collection of snow-themed picture books. Ladybug Girl and the Big Snow is the newest book in the popular Ladybug Girl series by David Soman and Jacky Davis. And One-Dog Sleigh, by Mary Casanova and Ard Hoyt, is a fun rhyming book about a whole bunch of animals squeezing into a single sleigh. Read Angela's post for her ideas on which yoga poses go best with the books!

To keep with the winter theme, Yoga & Creative Movement with Elly provides some yoga-inspired winter activities to keep your little ones busy if they are cooped up inside. Her post includes a short poem about a melting snowman, which would be great inspiration for some creative movement!

Reshama at Stacking Books posted about the new picture book Penguin Cha-Cha by author and illustrator Kristi Valiant. The book's main character, Julia, is sure she saw the penguins at the zoo dancing, but they just don't seem to want to do it again…at least not while anyone is watching. Read Reshama's post to hear more about how Julia tries to get the penguins to dance and to see some gorgeous illustrations from the book!

I'm so happy that Marta from A Bilingual Baby joined us again, this time with a post -- in both English and Spanish -- about a unique picture book version of The Nutcracker. Published by Usborne Children's Books with illustrations by Anna Luraschi, this book is recommended for preschool-age children, who will especially love pressing the buttons on the right-hand side of the book to hear different Nutcracker tunes by Tchaikovsky!

Dance educator Maria Hanley wrote two blog posts related to picture books and creative movement in January. Her contribution to the Book to Boogie series for the Library as Incubator Project discusses how to incorporate movement into story time with the classic picture book The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd. On her own blog, Maria's Movers, Maria shares movement ideas to go with the rhyming picture book Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows and Kurt Cyrus.

And last but not least, Renee at Mother Daughter Book Reviews is signing bloggers up for a blog tour in March 2014 for the new picture book Good Night, Animal World. The book is the newest in a series of Kids Yoga Stories written by yoga instructor Giselle Shardlow with illustrations by Emily Gedzyk. Sign up for the tour if you want to join the fun!

Read & Romp Roundup: November 2013

Here, finally, is the November Read & Romp Roundup for you to enjoy over the next few weeks. Like last year, I'll be skipping a December roundup because of the sheer business of this time of year, but look out for the next call for submissions in early January. Maria from Maria's Movers and I are also planning a "Read It. Move It. Share It" post for January. It's been a while since we've collaborated, so I'm looking forward to picking up our series again in the new year. Happy holidays, everyone!!

Marta from A Bilingual Baby features two yoga-inspired picture books by Giselle Shardlow and Emily Gedyzyk. The first is The ABC's of Australian Animals: An Interactive Kids Yoga Book. You can read all about it in Spanish on Marta's blog! The second is Sophia's Jungle Adventure: A Fun and Educational Kids Yoga Story. In her post, Marta includes a link to a YouTube video about the book, in which a young girl named Sophia explores Costa Rica through yoga poses. Marta, who has been using the books to do yoga with her son, joins us from Barcelona, Spain!

At Story Snug, based in Germany, Catherine features the all-time classic Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees. She recommends using the book to stimulate discussions on friendship and originality. She also recommends buying the book's accompanying CD, which has what she refers to as a fun "calypso jungle rhythm"! On Catherine's post, you can also find out how you can use colored paper, finger paints, and wool to create portraits of the book's main character, Gerald. So adorable!

If you haven't heard about the new picture book Penguin Cha-Cha by Kristi Valiant, now is your chance! Here on her blog, Kristi discusses the importance of reading with children at home and offers tips to help cultivate the love of reading. The post also links to lots of information about Penguin Cha-Cha, including a free activity kit that goes with the book. Congratulations on the book's launch, Kristi!

In November, Angela at OMazing Kids hosted a giveaway of the new picture book Colors for Zena by Monica Wellington. Although the giveaway's no longer open, you can still read all about this book plus two others by the same author/illustrator: Apple Farmer Annie and the coloring book Color and Cook Healthy Snacks. In her post, Angela shares all the reasons she likes these books. She also shares a collection of yoga poses to go along with Apple Farmer Annie!

Elly from Little Friends shares a yoga and creative movement class inspired by the Nutcracker. Intended for children ages 5 to 12, Elly's lesson plan goes chronologically through the ballet and presents yoga poses to go along with most of the main scenes, including the party scene, the battle with the Mouse King, and the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. With photos and musical recommendations to go with almost every pose, this post is a perfect one to enjoy over the holidays!

Read & Romp Roundup -- October 2013

Fall is in full swing, and hopefully the posts in the October Read & Romp Roundup will get you and your little ones swinging as well! There are even a couple posts with fall themes, including a "fa-boo-lous" Halloween rhyme to keep the holiday spirit alive. Here we go...

At Maria's Movers, Maria describes how she used a short poem about falling leaves with her 4- to 6-year-old dance students. She hung the poem on the wall, read through it, and then led a creative movement exercise based on the poem. For the 5- and 6-year-olds, she even separated them into groups and let them experiment with their own choreography! My favorite part of the poem is how the wind sends the leaves "dancing to the sky."

Lynelle from Flower Girl World introduces the picture book Camellia the Fabulous Flower Girl from her Flower Girl World series of children's books. Each book focuses on a different flower girl. One is a fashion model. Another is a cowgirl. There's even a detective among the group. So can you guess what Camellia might be? She's a ballerina! Check out Flower Girl World to learn more about the series, which also includes chapter books, and for information about preparing little girls for participating in a wedding.

At Picture Books Help Kids Soar, Vivian shares the 96-word rhyme "Halloween Dance Party Countdown" about dancing zombies, goblins, monsters, and more! The rhyme won an honorable mention in the annual Halloweensie Contest run by children's author Susanna Leonard Hill. Congratulations, Vivian!

Angela at OMazing Kids shares another fabulous post about how she incorporates picture books into her yoga and speech-language therapy sessions for kids. This month she explores I Love Monkey by Suzanne Kaufmann -- an adorable book about the importance of being yourself. Check out Angela's post for ideas on yoga poses, props, games, crafts, and music to go with the book -- and to see photos of the cute bendable sock monkey figurines she found!

I always look forward to posts from Reshama at Stacking Books about picture books with unique movement themes. This month, she shares a review of the new picture book Mitchell Goes Bowling by Hallie Durand and Tony Fucile. "Mitchell Goes Bowling is a HILARIOUS story of a four-year-old and how his dad combats, with an AMAZING amount of patience, a simple every-day problem of keeping his son's energy in check," says Reshama. Apparently Mitchell loves to knock things down!

And finally, I hope you will check out the October Book to Boogie post on the Library as Incubator Project website, where dance educator Jill Homan Randall discusses the picture book Tip Tip Dig Dig by Emma Garcia. Dig, mix, lift, and tip along with Jill as she shares her ideas for using this book to get kids moving during library story time!

Read & Romp Roundup -- September 2013

Fall is slowly creeping in, with the leaves starting to change color and Halloween just around the corner. Thanks for all of your submissions to the September Read & Romp Roundup, which includes plenty of picture books -- both classic and new -- to keep the little ones moving as the cold air sets in this season. Enjoy!

Elly from Yoga with Elly shares two posts with us this month! In the first post, her beautiful writing explains how the classic book Harold and the Purple Crayon sparked her imagination as a child and how she strives to encourage that same magical sense of imagination in her young yoga students. She also includes a full lesson plan for the book, including both yoga and creative movement ideas.

Elly's second post features the new picture book Some Monsters Are Different by David Milgrim, including the lesson plan she used with the book in a recent yoga class for 4- and 5-year-olds. The book -- which addresses differences in appearance, style, and other characteristics -- was perfect for her weekly theme on making friends.

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares another new book -- A Little Bit of Oomph! by Barney Saltzberg. "It teaches the valuable lesson of throwing your heart into whatever you're doing and trying just a little bit harder -- because with a little extra effort and a little bit of oomph, you can make anything beautiful," says Angela. Check out her post to see the activity sheets she created to go with the book, which "moves" all by itself. Lots of flaps, spinning circles, pull tabs, and more!

Zoe at Playing by the Book shares a picture book by debut author and illustrator Alice V. Lickens that is sure to get your little ones up and moving. In Zoe's words, Can You Dance to the Boogaloo? is "essentially an illustrated poem about the joys of making music and dancing." Definitely check out Zoe's post for lots of fun surprises, including videos and ideas for making musical instruments at home!

Barb at Bookworm Yoga features a different picture book each month, and Exclamation Mark (also known as "!") by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld was her September pick. Her post includes a sequence of yoga poses to go with the themes and phrases from the book: exclamation mark, full stop, deflated, and "I've got it!"

Children's author Susanna Leonard Hill shares a wonderful interview with debut author Charlotte Gunnufson, who's picture book Halloween Hustle was just published in September. Hear all about Charlotte's journey to publication and the creative ways she is helping to market the book. Plus check out the book's awesome trailer!

And finally, over at the Library as Incubator Project, the Book to Boogie post for September was written by dance educator Liz Vacco about the picture book Fortunately by Remy Charlip. Liz has been using this classic book with her young dance students for years, so she has lots of ideas to share for integrating movement into a reading of the book at story time!

Read & Romp Roundup -- August 2013

Hope you are all enjoying your weekend and have a little time left to read the August Read & Romp Roundup, which is tiny but tantalizing this time around. Thanks to all who contributed. I really do love hearing all the ways you use picture books and poetry to get the little ones in your life moving...

Catherine at Story Snug reviews the picture book Doing the Animal Bop by Jan Ormerod and Lindsey Gardiner. The book is full of animals, bold and colorful illustrations, and -- as you might expect -- dance moves. According to Catherine, "the rhyming text flows beautifully and is very easy to read. However, to get the full Animal Bop experience, the accompanying CD is a must!"

At Omazing Kids, Angela shares one of her favorite picture books to help kids learn about feelings -- My Many Colored Days by Dr. Seuss. In her post, Angela offers a supply list for a wonderful yoga class that incorporates music, arts and crafts, scarves for movement activities, and yoga poses for each animal in the book. Her ideas could also work in dance class, a library story time, or at home, so take a look!

Read & Romp Roundup -- July 2013

June and July have been super busy months for me and my family. We just finished a cross-country move -- from the Washington DC Area to the San Francisco Bay Area -- a couple of weeks ago. Unpacking is taking forever, but as you can see from the photo above, I do have my priorities straight!

Our 6-year-old and 8-year-old girls have their chapter books shelved in their bedside tables, so this whole bookcase in their room is reserved for picture books. We even have a whole shelf devoted to dance-related picture books, including a nonfiction section!

So, I know I am late again this month, but at least I have our move as a good excuse this time. Hope you enjoy the July roundup!

Veronica at Love & Life & Learning reviews the picture book Hop! Plop! by Corey Rosen Schwartz and Tali Klein. By the title of this book, which is about an elephant and a mouse finding a way to play despite their size difference, I imagine it is full of movement!

Angela at OMazing Kids has two posts for us this month. In her first post, she features her five favorite books for inspiring kids creativity with art and movement. Maybe you recognize some of the book covers from the image above? But either way, check out Angela's post to see why she picked the books she did!

In Angela's second post at OMazing Kids, she features The Pout-Pout Fish and its sequel The Pout-Pout Fish and the Big-Big Dark, both by Deborah Diesen and Daniel Hanna. As usual, Angel is full of great ideas for using these books in kids yoga classes and speech-language therapy sessions. See how she suggests using them to infuse lessons about the power of attitude, words, and friendship!

At Stacking Books, Reshama reviews a picture book biography about another form of movement -- swimming! America's Champion Swimmer by David Adler and Terry Widener tells the story of Gertrude Ederle, who attempted multiple times to swim the English Channel more than 75 years ago. Make sure to read Reshama's review, but it looks like you will have to read the whole book to find out if Gertrude was successful!

To celebrate National Dance Day on July 27,  Joy at the School Library Journal shared a list of 12 books "to inspire and inform young dancers and celebrate the joy of movement." A fabulous and well-rounded list for preschoolers through middle-graders!

In response to the School Library Journal's list, Teresa at A Rep Reading published her own list of dance books to celebrate National Dance Day. The post includes a sneak peek into My Friend Maya Loves to Dance by Cheryl Willis Hudson and Eric Velasquez. It also includes some of my favorite picture books!

Last month, I announced the start of a new series by the Library as Incubator Project called Book to Boogie, which pairs great picture books with movement and dance activities for preschool story time. The most recent Book to Boogie post was on How to Be a Cat by Nikki McClure. Amy from Picture-Book-a-Day wrote the post!

Read & Romp Roundup -- June 2013

Are you ready for the June Read & Romp Roundup? It includes pirates, giants, and many more characters dancing through the pages of picture books. Hope you enjoy the submissions!

At A Path of Light, Thereza shares her yoga ideas to go along with the picture book Never, Ever Shout in a Zoo by Karma Wilson and Doug Cushman. A bear, a moose, gorillas, penguins, and an elephant are all involved. From her time as an enrichment teacher in a Montessori school, Thereza learned how important it is to pick a fun book to engage children!

Angela at OMazing Kids shares a pirate-themed yoga lesson for kids. One of my favorite activities in the lesson is using yoga mats to roll the kids up "like a treasure map" if they want. Of course another is doing yoga poses inspired by the picture book There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish. Arrgh, mateys!

Zoe at Playing by the Book hosts a monthly roundup of children's books on specific topics. The topic for the month of June? You guessed it. Dance! Check out Zoe's post to see the 29 submissions to her roundup. Almost all of them are picture books!

I so want to read Giant Dance Party, the debut picture book of author Betsy Bird, who is the youth materials collection specialist at the New York Public Library. In this post from the School Library Journal, associate editor Shelley Diaz interviews Betsy about her path to publication and beyond.

Reshama at Stacking Books features the picture book The Gardener by Sarah Stewart and David Small. Full of movement and activity in the garden, this book might work well for those of you in warm climates with flowers in bloom!

In case you missed it, the Library as Incubator Project launched a monthly blog series called "Book to Boogie" to pair picture books with dance and movement activities for story time. The inaugural post highlights The Museum by Susan Verde and Peter H. Reynolds. You can read the post here!

Read & Romp Roundup -- May 2013

Before June is over, I thought I better get the May Read & Romp Roundup out! So, without further adieu, here you go. Thanks, as always, to all who contributed and all who enjoy the roundups!

I'm so happy that Barb from Bookworm Yoga is joining us for the first time this month. Welcome Barb! Here on her blog she summarizes the picture book Otto the Book Bear by Katie Cleminson and shares a sequence of five yoga poses to go along with it.

Maria from Maria's Movers shares her movement ideas to go with the picture book Up, Down, and Around by Katherine Ayres and Nadine Bernard Westcott. See how the book inspired her students to become seeds, make spirals with their bodies, and have a picnic!

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares both a long list of picture books with seed and garden themes and yoga ideas to go along with all of them. She also includes music suggestions, craft ideas, and additional yoga lesson plans to match the theme. Wow!

At Stacking Books, Reshama reviews the picture book Lotta's Bike by Astrid Lindgren and Ilon Wikland. I haven't been on a bike in a long time, but I remember that feeling of moving fast and feeling the breeze on my face. Check out Reshma's post to see if little Lotta will get a bike for her fifth birthday so she can experience that feeling, too!

Read & Romp Roundup -- April 2013

Welcome to the April -- albeit a little late -- Read & Romp Roundup! I'm so grateful to everyone who has been submitting posts since I started hosting the roundups more than a year ago. I hope you are all enjoying them as much as I am! Here we go...

Amy from Picture-Book-a-Day is back with a post about the picture book Brontorina by James Howe and Randy Cecil. Amy says this is one of her favorite ballet stories because it includes a diverse cast of characters that includes boys as well as girls, and because it emphasizes that dance is about expressing yourself and not about what you look like. Even a dinosaur can be a dancer!

At OMazing Kids, Angela features the picture book Perfect Square by Michael Hall, which she describes as a "perfect book for kids yoga." Read her post to see the book trailer, peek inside the book, and find out why Angela thinks this one is so special. And of course, check out her ideas for using the book in yoga classes for kids!

In this guest post on OMazing Kids, Jenny from Happy Planet Yoga shares a lesson plan for using the new picture book Rain! by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson in yoga classes for kids. The post includes warm-up ideas, poses inspired by the book, games to play with partners, and a closing activity. Fun!

Maria from Maria's Movers shares her movement ideas to go along with the picture book Polar Bear Morning by Lauren Thompson and Stephen Savage. See how she explored the words peek, tumbling, scamper, whirl, toss, and flash with the little dancers she teaches!

Reshama at Stacking Books reviews the picture book The Raft by Jim LaMarche. While spending the summer at his grandmother's house, Nicky discovers a raft floating along the river and embarks on a journey to explore the surrounding woods. I can only imagine that the movement of the raft down the river and the movement of the animals that emerge from the woods are beautiful.

Read & Romp Roundup -- March 2013

Many thanks to everyone who contributed to the roundup in March. I think this is our largest one yet! Once again we have a great mix of dance, yoga, and general movement submissions...plus a poem! There's a little something for everyone, so I hope you enjoy hopping around to read the different posts.

At Playing by the Book, Zoe has embraced the color pink and made the wordless picture book Flora and the Flamingo a family affair! Read her post to learn more about this new book by Molly Idle. You can also see how Zoe and her two daughters celebrated this dance-related story of friendship and found some creative activities to go along with the book.

Early childhood dance educator Becca Beck shares the poem "The Goldilocks Song," which is perfect for incorporating into creative movement and pre-ballet classes...or for enjoying at home! Hear how she uses it with her students to explore the concept of making shapes bigger and smaller.

Gail at Yoga Kiddos with Gailee tells us how she uses the picture book Z is for Moose, by Kelly Bingham and Paul O. Zelinksi, in her yoga classes for kids. The funny alphabet book, which involves a fame-hungry moose who will do anything to be included in the book, lends itself well to acting out yoga animal poses.

Amy from Picture-Book-a-Day is back with a review of Ellen Stoll Walsh's Hop Jump. Read her post to learn more about this picture book about a frog who gets bored of hopping and jumping and decides to add dance to her repertoire. As usual, Amy is also full of creative ideas to go along with the book, including making origami hopping frogs!

At OMazing Kids, Angela shares a Dr. Seuss alphabet extravaganza for kid's yoga and early literacy. Her post is packed full of yoga, literacy, music, art, prop, and game ideas to go along with Dr. Seuss's ABC. Because Angela is a huge fan of Dr. Seuss, she also includes links to other posts that combine his books with yoga.

In a second post at OMazing Kids, Angela uses the classic Eric Carle book The Very Hungry Caterpillar to celebrate the start of spring. Her full lesson plan -- including yoga poses, a music playlist, and a mindfulness activity with real fruit -- are all included!

Reshama from Stacking Books reviews the picture book Goal! by Mina Javaherbin and A.G. Ford. With kicking, dribbling, and running, this book is full of movement! Set in South Africa, the book is also a good introduction to a different culture and to the concept of bullying.

The new dance, craft, and storybook Crafterina has a blog! This post provides an introduction to Crafterina and provides guidance on how to best take advantage of all aspects of the book. You can also learn more at www.crafterina.com.

At ABCs of Reading, Jayne uses the picture book Cindy Moo by Lori Mortensen and Jack Mack to teach the comprehension strategy of questioning and to get kids "moo-ving." Inspired by the nursery rhyme "Hey Diddle Diddle," Cindy Moo sets out to show her friends that cows really can jump over the moon. Read Jayne's post for her movement ideas!

Author and dance educator Connie Bergstein Dow contributes to the blog PreK + K Sharing, where she has created a carrot seed dance story based on the classic book The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss and Crockett Johnson. Learn more about Connie, who regularly uses movement as a learning tool, at movingislearning.com.