Read by the Window

We are inching closer to spring here in the Midwest! I wanted to share some books to get children connected to the world around them as we start to see critters and plants again!
I had a request for some books about bees and pollinators, and this is a go to for a great non-fiction book about bees!
It has great, accessible language that children can understand and the photographs are up close and detailed. I definitely learned a thing or two reading through this one!
Pebble Plus has tons of other animals books just like this if you are searching for something other than bees. All the ones that I have come across are great and staples when I want to offer non-fiction in the classroom.
Are there other animals or non-fiction topics you are looking for? Comment below!

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Let’s look at books for infants!

I first got these books when my kids were babies and I remember thinking, ‘whoever made these is a genius!’ They really are made to be explored which is a milestone on the way to children becoming readers!

These are two of my favorites because you can use them to engage and play with your littlest readers. ‘Let’s Go Outside’ by Ekaterina Trukhan can and should be taken with you outside. Read in the grass or under a tree and allow them to experience the things the story is talking about. ‘Touch Your Nose!’ by Lizzy Doyle gives you the directions for play right on the pages! The high contrast pictures are perfect for infants and you can get them giggling with the ways to play.
Best things is, no worries about pages tearing, drool or mud!

Would you use these with your littlest readers?

Let’s look at some great books for toddlers! I love this series Marion Deuchars. She has so many options in the series and they all do a great job or providing engaging illustrations while also keeping it simple for our youngest readers.
This one is my favorite because it provides endless opportunities for play and engagement. It covers the usual items children see outside but also expands into smaller parts of nature to inspire them to really observe and explore when they are outdoors.
Take this one outside with children and see if you can find the illustrations from the book in your setting! Take this one inside and explore natural loose parts like rocks, seeds, leaves etc. The possibilities are there!
Can you think of how you would use this book to encourage exploration?

My goodness I am so thankful that all of you are here! I hope to keep sharing good book vibes and inspiration to keep you sharing the book magic with your kids. Thank you again for all your support!

‘The Rabbit Listened’ by Cori Doerrfeld is a great addition to your social emotional tool belt! Full of amazing opportunities to explore big feelings and different ways to problem solve.
The story follows Taylor as he is build an amazing block structure, only to have it destroyed. Enter those big feelings! Different animals try to solve his problem, but what he really needed was someone to listen.
I can’t wait to present this one to children and talk about what kind of problem solver they are and how to advocate for what they need when big feelings happen. Hopefully I will have some follow up on this one soon!

Mem Fox just nails it! Creating playful, beautiful moments in your classroom around books takes all three. It’s about the relationship between the book, the child and you! Magic happens when they wind together! Want to learn more? I’ve got an exciting announcement coming up!

Looking for a great book to support sensory play? Check out ‘Hey, Water!’ by Antoinette Portis.

The books shows all the ways that children interact and play with water, in all forms! This would be an awesome to pair with some sensory play in the water table or better yet, take this one on the go and explore where you see water!

A great wordless picture book to add to your collection! The White Book by Silvia Borando, Elisabetta Pica, and Lorenzo Clerici.
This story follows a boy who starts to paint with different colors. As he paints, something amazing happens, animals appear! The wonderful thing about this book is you get to decide what the back story is. The story I tell will more than likely be different than the one you tell.
When you present this book to children, allow them to comment as much as they want along the way. Write down their ideas as you go. Once you have their ideas, you can be co-authors together and go back through the book and tell the story using their own ideas. It’s different every time and they love bringing new ideas with each read!

Starting out 2023 with a gem!
I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn, pictures by Julia Denos.
This story follows a girl who has one dress that she absolutely loves, but what happens when it gets too small? Mom to the rescue! Her mom takes the dress and creates something completely new. I love the creativity and detail throughout this story. The pictures are absolutely phenomenal, you can see stitches of thread and pieces of fabric that bring the story and creativity to life.
This story would be a perfect match for exploring and creating with fabric scraps, weaving or even having an expert come in that knows how to sew. Using dolls to dress up or creating clothes for them would also be a great extension with this story. The possibilities are endless!

Hey there! Just wanted to pop on and say hello to the new followers! I’m Mollie, the face behind Read by the Window. I’m an early childhood educator, assistant director and children’s book collector (lets be honest, I have an obsession). My goal is to bring you really high quality children’s book that you can take into your practice and share the book joy with all the children in your lives. I’ll try to drop some helpful ways to share them with children as well. Send me messages, drop a comment, I love connecting with fellow educators!

Bring on fall! Need some inspiration to do some creative play with all the fall treasures you find? This is the book for you!
‘If you find a leaf’ by Aimée Sicuro is a delightful exercise in using found materials to create wonder and stories. She uses all types of leaves to create ideas of what you can imagine with just a leaf. An absolute perfect book to take straight outside or use an part of an invitation to use found object in art and stories in the classroom.
My favorite page is the little girl reading in the hammock made from the Honey Locust. So dreamy!
The back pages even include how to make your own collage world with fall leaves!
Check this one out for sure! You can find it on my favorites like at my bookshop.org shop. Help support local bookstores with your purchases, they are truly gems!