Happy October! Here on the East coast, it's my favorite time of the year, and this week, Autumn has finally made an appearance. The crisp chill in the air, the beautiful red, orange, and yellow leaves on the trees, and the sweet tang of hot apple cider brings back so many wonderful memories of my childhood in Southwest Virginia.
My daughter seems to be catching "Fall Fever" as well, and this year, she seems to be much more aware of the change in season and the pumpkin, scarecrow, and Halloween decorations. In fact, she's a bit obsessed with pumpkins, which is why I was so happy to receive copies of the two new books in National Geographic Kids' "Picture the Seasons" series.
Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie by Jill Esbaum takes kids on a journey of the pumpkin from seed to table. It even talks about other uses for pumpkins like turning giant pumpkins into boats, making jack-o-lanterns, and using leftover pumpkins for animal feed or fertilizer. Gorgeous photographs are the showpiece of this book, and the simple, sparse text make it a perfect read for beginning readers. Since this book arrived last week, my little girl has asked me to read the "Pumpkin Book" over and over, and earlier this week, she instructed me to "go buy the biggest big big pumpkins in the world and make jack-o-face lanterns."
Apples for Everyone, also by Jill Esbaum, follows a similar format to Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin, Pie. It takes you on the apple's journey from seed to table and shows all of the ways apples can be enjoyed from cider to caramel apples. The photographs are beautiful AND delicious.
I can see these books being used in preschool classrooms and early elementary classrooms to supplement lessons about the fall, plant development, fruits and vegetables, and more. Combine them with National Geographic Kids'
A Tree for All Seasons and
Pilgrims of Plymouth for a well-rounded introduction to the fall season.
Be sure to visit and share what your children are reading!
Source of books: Review copy from publisher
Thanks for this review. I took A Tree for All Seasons from the library, but Anna didn't seem to be interested in "realistic" book. It's funny - early on she preferred photo images, but now she leans a lot more to drawn pictures instead. I'll look for Pumpkin book a little later in the month.
ReplyDeleteWhat lovely books just in time for this holiday season. YUM YUM! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteI will have to look for Apples. I bet Selena would enjoy that book!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the book choices and reviews. There are so many books on apples and pumpkins and having a review helps me choose ones best suited for my needs. Thanks!
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