Favorite Five Books for October

 

October was a fun month in the library. We read about fall, acorns, squirrels, scarecrows, and pumpkins. The above books were just five of my favorites. Some of them I love because the books themselves are just amazing and others I loved because of the activities the kids did along with the books. I will break down the books and activities below.

Earl the Squirrel -- This book is an older book by the the author of Corduroy. It is a fun book about a squirrel learning to obey his mother. An unique thing about the book, and something that did not affect the interest of the children at all was that all the illustrations were in black and white with the exception of the bright red scarf Earl wears. I read the book to second graders, and then we discussed all the ideas they could think of about fall. (I bought a little squirrel ornament from Walmart, removed the pinecone he was holding and hot-glued in an acorn. Then I tied a strip of red flannel around his neck. The kids loved it.)

Because of an Acorn -- This book is simply gorgeous. I read it to third graders. They were concluding a plant unit AND in art they each painted what was almost a portrait of an acorn. The book followed nicely. It is a simple, repetitive story, predictable in nature, but enjoyable nonetheless. We followed the book with a STEM project: creating acorn chutes! The kids worked in small groups, using nothing but cardboard tubes, paper cups, and some masking tape. Judges looked for creativity, use of materials, and demonstration of chute. The winning teams won a pack of cookies.

Little Elliot Fall Friends -- I have never even seen the Little Elliot books before and found this one in a search for fall books. It was great. I read it to first graders, and they really enjoyed it. It is fun, fast moving and relatable to six year-olds. I plan on purchasing more books in the series. I especially liked the historical take on the illustrations, though the kids did not notice anything special there. 

The Scarecrow's Dance -- This is a book by Jane Yolen that is in our library inventory. I found it while sifting through the books looking for good fall reads. It immediately reminded me of a piece of music I thought I had once heard. A search on Youtube proved my memory correct. There is a piece called "Scarecrow Dance," written to help young piano students as they learn to play. I thought it went well with the book. Then I talked to the music teacher about teaming up a little with this book. We purchased a Fall Music Rhythm Game that went perfectly with her curriculum for third graders, the group I planned to read the book to. Both lessons went well, and the kids enjoyed integrating library and music. 

Scarecrow Dance  (The piece on Youtube)

Fall Rhythm Game  (The place on TPT where you can purchase slideshow)

The Scarecrow -- This may have been my favorite book out of the five! I loved the illustrations and the sweetness of the story about friendship in unexpected places. I read it to kindergartners, and then we talked about friendship. For extra fun, I played a scarecrow freeze dance for them! I have linked that below. 

Freeze Dance 

I so enjoyed these books in October, along with a few others too numerous for one post. October is such a fun time to tie in nature and books. There are also many STEM ideas out there to add even more touches to your library lessons!