February of Friends
Feb
2015
2015
04
What better time than Valentine’s Day to talk to young ones about friendship? Each of the books below deals with different aspects of friendship and comes with activities to enhance the experience before and after reading.
If you get through the whole booklist, we have even more fun and friendly activities for you to enjoy with your Valentine this month.
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Wings by Christopher Myers – Ikarus Jackson is bullied for having wings, but one girl finds the courage to quiet the bullies and make a new friend. Dreamlike collage art brings this fresh take on a familiar schoolyard tale soaring to new heights. |
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Z is for Moose by Kelly Bingham, Paul O. Zelinsky (illustrator) – Moose may be a little overeager to be in the alphabet lineup, but Zebra’s forgotten to include Moose at all! Can Zebra fix this mess before the whole alphabet is ruined? |
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Owen & Mzee told by Isabella Hatkoff, Craig Hatkoff, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, Peter Greste (photographer) – When a young hippo is separated from his family after the 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia, he looks to a older tortoise for warmth and companionship. When the tortoise accepts the hippo, a true story stranger – and sweeter – than fiction unfolds. |
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One of Us by Peggy Moss, Penny Weber (illustrator) – Roberta wears her hair straight up, loves climbing the monkey bars, has a flower on her lunchbox, and wears running shoes. Will she fit in at her new school? |
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Enemy Pie by Derek Munson, Tara Calahan King (illustrator) – Dad has a secret weapon for getting rid of enemies: Enemy Pie. But one of the ingredients is spending an entire day with the enemy! |
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City Dog, Country Frog by Mo Willems, Jon J. Muth (illustrator) – City Dog befriends Country Frog. Expressive watercolors convey the changing of the seasons of the year, as well as how the seasons of life affect relationships. |
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Boy + Bot by Ame Dyckman, Dan Yaccarino (illustrator) – Boy loves Bot. And Bot loves Boy. But some fundamental differences between the two cause a lot of confusion and concern! Can they find a way to still be friends? |
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As a former teacher and principal, I am delighted to see that RIF has stood solid on the grounds of helping students see the value of books. I am also happy to see the emphasis on friendship and not strictly love for Valentine’s day. Our kids need to be taught to love themselves, their peers/significant others and then fall in love. Good books make difficult topics easy and comfortable for all of us to engage in fruitful conversation.. Thank you and keep up good work. I would love to see a more diverse theme coverage, encouraging discussion and dissemination of the cultural diversity that surrounds us.. A celebration of our friends and neighbors is a celebration of who we are as people, as community.