The World of Eric Carle

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We have been delving deep into the world of Eric Carle books! The vibrant illustrations and simple, rhythmic, repetitive text characteristic of his stories naturally invite children to participate, making these books ideal for building a strong foundation for early literacy skills such as sequencing, prediction, and expressive language.

We began our book study by reading Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? The children were immediately drawn to the engaging animal sounds and predictable pattern of the story. After reading, they helped retell the story using felt board pieces, strengthening both comprehension and recall. We extended this experience by adding the story’s animals to our sand table, where the children had the opportunity to act out the story independently and collaboratively. This type of dramatic play supports imagination, social interaction, and reinforces story structure.

Next, we read Today Is Monday, followed by a hands-on collage activity featuring the foods from the story. As the children worked, many eagerly shared which foods they enjoy eating, with ice cream being a clear favorite! Some children even began reciting lines from the story, proudly calling out phrases such as “Tuesday, spaghetti!” Through this activity, the children expressed their creativity while also strengthening memory, sequencing, and language skills as they revisited the rhythm and repetition of the text.

Our next story, Little Cloud, inspired a sensory-rich, process-based art activity. The children created “raining cloud” artwork by gluing cotton balls onto paper to form clouds. Using pipettes and liquid watercolors, they carefully squeezed drops of color to create rain falling from their clouds. This activity provided valuable fine motor practice while also introducing early science concepts such as cause and effect, as the children observed how the colors moved and blended on the paper. Each piece of artwork was unique, encouraging creativity and self-expression.

We extended our exploration of Little Cloud with a story walk in our outdoor classroom. Using story puppets, the children matched characters and images to the pages of the book, combining movement, visual recognition, and storytelling in an engaging outdoor setting.

We also revisited the familiar and well-loved Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? After reading it together, the children confidently retold the story with great enthusiasm. As an extension, they were invited to create brown texture art, using a variety of materials to mimic Eric Carle’s distinctive illustration style. This activity encouraged sensory exploration while deepening their appreciation for artistic techniques.

We explored The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse by first reading the story as a class and then using character illustrations to retell it together. The children were actively involved in preparing the materials by tearing tissue paper into smaller pieces and helping to mix paint and glue. They were eager to begin creating their own artwork inspired by the story, and several children chose to create multiple pieces. This experience fostered creativity, independence, and pride in their work.

We look forward to continuing our journey with Eric Carle’s stories and related extension activities. In the coming weeks, we plan to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar as we observe the life cycle of caterpillars transforming into butterflies in our classroom. We will also incorporate caterpillar and butterfly-themed movements and activities into our weekly yoga sessions, further connecting literature with hands-on learning and physical development.

The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse By Eric Carle
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? By Eric Carle
Little Cloud By Eric Carle
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Eric Carle
Today Is Monday By Eric Carle
The Very Hungry Caterpillar By Eric Carle

The Books of Marie Louise-Gay

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I first fell in love with the carefree and wild spirited red haired Stella over 20 years ago when, as an undergraduate student, I had to design a thematic curriculum unit for one of my classes.  I chose the general topic of “Weather,” which I felt would be easy to work with, living and going to school in a place such as Maine which experiences not only the usual 4 seasons, but we also have the pleasure of a bonus season as Winter turns to Spring - mud season!  As I created lesson plans and learning activities for a 3-5 year old (fictional) class, I stumbled upon this book as I was adding literacy opportunities. Stella - Queen of the Snow by Marie Louise-Gay.  Stella’s wild, curly red hair against the mostly white snowy background on the cover caught my eye and, as I opened the book, the words captured my heart.  As Stella takes her little brother Sam outside to play in the snow for the first time, she also takes on the role of answering all his questions about it, with the confidence of an older sibling and with the reasoning that is so innocent and can truly only come from a child’s view of the natural world.  

“What does a snowman eat?” asked Sam
“Snowballs…” sang Stella, “snow peas…and snowsuits!”

Throughout my teaching career I have collected all the books about Stella (and her little brother Sam), and each one connects with nature in some way, whether in the forest or at the sea or just in Stella’s own backyard.  And, the text is rich with Sam’s curiosity about and Stella’s whimsical interpretations of the outdoors.

“Starfish are shooting stars that fell in love with the sea.”- Stella

As I spent a week traveling the wet, green, and beautiful country of Scotland visiting nursery schools that spend most (if not all) of their time outside (in all types of weather) and watching children as young as 2 and as old as 5 engaging with the natural environment I was reminded of Stella and Sam. Children climbing high onto structures made of pallets, just as Stella climbs over large rocks and up trees. Children watching birds in three-sided structures that have a big window so they can get close to the bird feeders without startling them, just as Stella and Sam are often depicted with small bunnies as they wander through the forest.  Children following their imaginations and being trusted to take risks they assessed in their own time without the intrusion of adults (they were still there and always watching and interacting, but not in a way that was overbearing), similar to the way Stella and Sam are never seen with their grownups (even though I’m sure they exist) because the world we see in the book is meant to be what they see and what they experience as children. It was amazing and inspiring and reminded me of my own childhood, searching for wild strawberries or riding my bike with my friends to the small river near my home to just explore and throw rocks.  While I may not exactly look at the world the way I did as a child, I am lucky to be an invited participant and guide as I get to spend so much time with children outside and hearing their own stories, questions, and interpretations of what they are seeing (sometimes for the first time).  May we all be able to look at the world with magic, joy, and curiosity, just as Stella and Sam do, if only for a few moments at a time.  

 
 
 

Sam: A Little Treasury

Stella - Fairy of the Forest

Stella - Princess of the Sky

Stella - Queen of the Snow

Stella - Star of the Sea

Read Me A Story, Stella

When Stella Was Very, Very Small

 

The Wonders of Winter

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The Purple Room explored the wonders of winter with their class through engaging read-alouds and a variety of hands-on experiences. They began their unit by reading Step into Winter: A New Season, by Jane Belk Moncure and How Do You Know It’s Winter? by Allan Fowler. These books were used as a way to introduce the children to the changes that occur during the winter months. 

We check the weather as a class each day before we go outside for recess. This helps the children to understand why they need to wear their winter gear when we head out to play. To help build upon this understanding, we read the big book version of It Could Still Be Water by Allan Fowler. This book explores the various forms water can take on, such as ice and snow.

After enjoying the story Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner the children created their own snowman collages and used their imaginations to decide what their snowmen like to do while everyone else is sleeping!

Here are some of the ideas the children shared:
“Going to the park”
“Sleeping and running to the plane”
“Swinging on a swing”
“Reading a book”

We also read Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle. With its rhythmic text and familiar repetition, this story quickly became a class favorite. Many of the children have learned to “read” it on their own and especially enjoy retelling the story using animal cutouts on our felt board, which provides a fun and interactive way to visualize the characters.

Another beloved winter story has been The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. We incorporated this classic tale into our yoga classes by acting out Peter’s winter adventures through movement. The children pretended to sled down snowy hills in chair pose and made snow angels on their yoga mats as they settled into relaxation. We ended each yoga class by listening to the story together as part of our calm and peaceful savasana (final resting pose).

To conclude our winter unit, we read Winter Trees by Carole Gerber. Inspired by the illustrations, the children were invited to create their own winter tree artwork, using cotton balls to represent freshly fallen snow. It was a wonderful way to celebrate all we had learned about the season!

Winter Themed Books:
How Do You Know It’s Winter by Allan Fowler
It Could Still Be Water by Allan Fowler
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? by Eric Carle
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
Step into Winter:A New Season by Jane Belk Moncure
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Winter Trees by Carole Gerber

Fairy Tales & Folk Tales

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This January, the Red Room did a unit on fairy tales and folk tales. This came from the children’s interests; they had been enjoying hearing stories from the teachers as well as telling each other stories, especially during snack and lunch. They were especially fond of stories that, in their words were “spooky” or had “mischief.” This carried over to Center Time and Free Play, where the children sought out books in the library and then retold the stories to themselves and others in Dramatic Play.

While exploring the unit, they worked to turn Dramatic Play into a fairytale dress-up area, which included a cardboard castle! It also became a Goldilocks and the Three Bears themed area with a focus on differentiating between big, medium and small. After reading different versions of Stone Soup they compared and contrasted each version and made their own soup from scratch.

See below for more information from the Red Room!

We read Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger. Abiyoyo is a story about a father and son who are ostracized from their community for misusing their skills and are welcomed back into the community after they work together using those skills to stop a hungry giant named Abiyoyo. The children have enjoyed using toy wands and going “Zoop!” like the father does to make objects disappear. They also love to sing the Abiyoyo song near the end of the book.

We read the sequel Abiyoyo Returns by Paul DuBois and Pete Seeger, in which many years have passed, and the boy has grown up; his daughter devises a plan to save the town from winter floods and summer droughts. This plan involves bringing back Abiyoyo, who joins the community. This book is especially appealing because the giant from the first book is shown not to be evil but to need someone to teach him how to act.

Goldilocks and the Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems is an absurd retelling of the classic story involving dinosaurs, giant bowls of chocolate pudding, and even Norwegians. It’s appeal is in its humor!

Little Witch Hazel: A Year in the Forest by Phoebe Wahl follows a fairy woman through the four seasons. It starts with her rescuing an owl egg and taking care of it until the owl grows up. The last section ends with the owl helping Witch Hazel get home. The children enjoyed this story a lot and the interconnectedness of the chapters made the rereading of this book more enriching because the children could recall how the owl would play a role later in the story.

The Three Billy Goats Gruff By Mac Barnett takes the classic fairy tale and makes it very silly. The children had a lot of fun laughing at the troll in this retelling. Some of the children would gather together to reread the story to each other knowing the plot by heart, if not all the words.

The Wolf Suit, By Sid Sharp was another big hit. Instead of a wolf in sheep’s clothing, the story follows a sheep dressed as a wolf so he can explore the forest and pick berries. By the end of the story the main character makes friends and feel confident that together they do not need to be afraid. For the four weeks we had this book, most children requested it daily, often telling you the twist of the story before you reached it.

Black & White

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As we transitioned from our unit on Rainbow and colors toward Chanukah, the Orange Room Team decided to study Black and White. We explored black and white animals, art materials, sensory activities, and matching games. We also found many wonderful books to support this curriculum. These books explore mediums beyond text including interactive images that teach kids about light and 3-dimensional art that enables children to explore through touch.


Black and White by. T. Hoban
Black and White Baby Animals by P. Tildes
Busy Penguins by J. Chester
Flashlight by L. Boyd
Harry the Dirty Dog by G. Zion
Kitten’s First Full Moon by K. Henkes
My Shadow by R. L. Stevenson
My Shadow by S. Winter
The Black Book of Colors by M. Cotton and R. Fairs

Foods That Connect Us

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Everyone eats, and because food is such a universal experience, it is often used in children’s literature as a way to explore other topics. In The Ugly Vegetables and Too Many Mangos, you’ll read about characters who find themselves with so much food that they share it with all of their neighbors! In Bee Bim Bop, you’ll read about a family sitting down to eat a meal together. In Yoko, you’ll read about a student who gets teased for the lunch she brings to school - only for her friends to try it and love it! Food is something that bridges cultures and countries, as well as shares traditions and stories, while also being able to celebrate and educate each other about ourselves! Learning about different types of food is a concrete way to expand our understanding of diversity and cultures from around the world. These books tell stories about families, friends, classmates, and neighbors building connections through food.

Bee Bim Bop by Linda Sue Park 
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
Fry Bread by Keven Noble Maillard
Matzo Ball-Wonton Thanksgiving by Amelie Suskind Liu and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind
Thank You Omu by Oge Mora
Too Many Mangos by Tammy Paikai, illustrated by Don Robinson
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Language Building

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How do the toddler teachers encourage language building with children 18 months to 26 months? With books, songs, and books that can turn into songs! 

Every year, a new group of toddlers come with their curious minds, ready to explore the world around them. In the first few years of life, it is extremely important to read, talk, and sing with your young child to help them build a strong foundation of words and phrases. In the Yellow Room, we love to use flannel board pieces that correspond with books such as:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin Jr.
Pete the Cat and his White Shoes by Eric Litwin
The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

These books have simple words like animals and colors with repeating phrases such as, "But he was still hungry!" This type of literature encourages children to interact with the story as they call out animals and colors they recognize and are able to hold/touch each item to bring the book to life! It also encourages them to use words that they know without being formally prompted with statements like, "What color is the truck?"

We also love simple board books that are well read in many homes and interesting to all! As the children read these books independently or with a grown up, they contain familiar images that encourage them to say the words out loud or point to the pictures.

Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathmann
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Brown
Tip, Tip, Dig, Dig by Emma Garcia
Where is Spot? by Eric Hill

Building a Classroom Community

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The beginning of the school year brings so many new things- new routines, new friends, new challenges, and new opportunities to learn who we are as people.  These all involve building a community within the classroom environment.  One definition of “community” is: “a feeling of fellowship with others, as a result of sharing common attitudes, interests, and goals”.  In the early years, “community” is the child’s family, neighborhood, and their classroom (teachers and peers).  Communities that are built upon teamwork and kindness.  This is what we hope to foster in our classroom at the beginning of each school year. 

In the Blue Room we use the books listed below to help us prepare for the learning and play we will do together in large and small groups, as well as individually.  We also use them as inspiration for writing classroom rules together, how we keep the flow of learning going by having control over our bodies and actions, and how we can make new friends while still maintaining old friendships.

Some of the books we have been reading to support community building and settling into the classroom routine include: 
A Letter From Your Teacher on the First Day of School by Shannon Olsen
Collaboration Station by Shannon Olsen
If You Ever Want to Bring an Alligator to School- Don’t! By Elise Parsley
Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein
Our Classroom is a Community by Shannon Olsen
No, David! by David Shannon
The Day the Crayons Made Friends by Drew Daywalt
The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems
The Way I Act by Steve Metzger
You Can Sit With Me by Rachel Tawil Kenyon

Three!

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This year in the Red Room, we explored fairy tales as a way to dive into rich, imaginative storytelling. Fairy tales offer timeless stories filled with adventure, problem-solving and emotion, helping children think deeply about characters, settings, and events. These stories also support language development, creativity, and social-emotional learning.

We told stories in many different ways. Sometimes we read from a book, looking closely at the pictures and words. Other times, we acted out the stories using puppets or wore masks to become the characters ourselves. We also used small world play; setting up tiny figures and props to retell and reinvent the stories in our own way. 

We also read different versions of the same fairy tale and had conversations as we compared and contrasted them. We noticed how characters, settings, or endings could change and we shared our opinions about which versions we liked best and why. These comparisons helped us think critically about storytelling and understand that stories can be told in many different ways.

Here are some of the books we read this year:

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett
The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone
The Three Armadillies Tuff by Jackie Mims Hopkins

The Three Little Pigs by Paul Galdone
The Three Little Pigs by James Marshall
The True Story Of The Three Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka
The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig by Eugene Trivizas

Goldilocks and The Three Bears by James Marshall
Goldilocks and The Three Bears by Jan Brett
Goldilocks and The Three Dinosaurs by Mo Willems

Bugs

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By exploring bugs through stories and pictures, toddlers can build curiosity and familiarity, helping to reduce fear and encourage a sense of wonder about nature. These early experiences can also support language development and observational skills as children learn new words and make connections to the world around them.

I Love Bugs - Philemon Sturges 
In The Tall, Tall Grass - Denise Fleming 
Miss. Spider’s Tea Party - David Kirk 
The Very Hungry Caterpillar - Eric Carle 
The Very Quiet Cricket - Eric Carle 

Growing + Gardening

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Even though the temperatures in April often still feel like winter, we are seeing signs of Spring and new life all around us. The Green Room is using this time to explore things that grow, beginning with plants. Here are some of our favorite books about growing and gardening.  

The Curious Garden by Peter Brown
Eco Girl by Ken Wilson-Max
From Seed to Plant by Kristin Baird Rattini 
Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery and Jessie Hartland
Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
The Ugly Vegetables by Grace Lin

Wordless (or Nearly Wordless!) Picture Books

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10 Minutes Till Bedtime by Peggy Rathman
Chalk by Bill Thomson
Changes, Changes by Pat Hutchins
Flotsam by David Wiesner
Freight Train by Donald Crews
Good Dog, Carl by Alexandra Day
Goodnight Gorilla by Peggy Rathman 
Harold and the Purple Crayon by Crockett Johnson
The Snowman by Raymond Briggs
Tuesday by David Wiesner

Books without words, or with very few words, allow for the person to truly focus on the illustrations and their own imaginations. Some of my favorites (listed above) have such beautiful and detailed illustrations, each page turns into a game of “I Spy.” These books support critical thinking skills (by encouraging children to predict what will come next and make inferences about how characters are feeling based on facial expressions and body language) and creativity (each child or group of children can tell the story based on what they imagine).  Additionally, these types of books can be used to support those who are English language learners.

Eric Carle With Toddlers

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We all know and love many Eric Carle classics, including “Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar.” But he has written and illustrated many more books that are perfect for Toddlers and Preschoolers. Here are some books that the Orange Room is using to immerse the children in the rich art and stories of Eric Carle.

10 Little Rubber Ducks
The Artist Who Painted a Blue Horse
Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What Do You See?
From Head to Toe
Have You Seen My Cat?
Little Cloud
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See?
Pancakes, Pancakes
Papa, Please Get the Moon for Me
The Very Busy Spider

Weather

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The Purple Room has been learning about weather! Every day at Morning Meeting we check the weather by looking outside. We then figure out how what we will need to do in order to dress appropriately for the weather. Students enjoy dressing our classroom bear, affectionately named Barry, for the weather each day. They determine if Barry needs a hat, rain boots, shorts, mittens, snow pants, a light jacket or parka! We extend our learning about the weather by focusing our curriculum and stories around the topic. Here are stories we have read:

Bear in Sunshine by Stella Blackstone
It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw
Little Cloud by Eric Carle
The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats
Storms by Susan Cañizares
Wind by Susan Cañizares

Chanukah

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Happy Chanukah from the Red Room! This holiday, also known as the Festival of Lights, has so many themes to explore such as light, family, mitzvot, traditions, and symbols. Students enjoy learning about these topics with our Judaic Coordinator Morah Iryna, through reading stories, as well as hands-on experiences presented during our indoor exploration activities. Snuggle up and enjoy reading a few of these books with your child(ren)!

We recommend these Chanukah books:

Hanukkah! by Roni Schotter
Hoppy Hanukkah! by Linda Glaser
Latke, The Lucky Dog by Ellen Fischer
The Runaway Latkes by Leslie Kimmelman
Hanukkah: A Counting Book by Emily Sper
Latkes, Latkes Good to Eat by Naomi Howland
Mrs. Greenberg’s Messy Hanukkah by Linda Glaser
Sammy Spider’s First Hanukkah by Sylvia A. Rouss
How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Chanukah? by Jane Yolen

Farms

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During the month of November, the toddlers in the Yellow Room were inspired by all of the different farms in Massachusetts! These farms are visited year round to pick different fruit and vegetables. As such, we explored animals at a farm, as well as the products that may be sold at a farm, or farmer’s market. There are so many amazing books that help toddlers learn animal names and sounds, as well as introduce the idea of being thankful for what a farm can provide us! Happy reading!

-The Cow That Went Oink by Bernard Most

-Peek-A-Moo by Marie Torres Cimarusti

-Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

-The Very Busy Spider by Eric Carle

-Thank You Farm: A Board Book Illustrated by Jane Orlando

-The Little Red Hen by Lesley Sims

-Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertle

-Click Clack Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin

Simchat Torah

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Morah Iryna loves sharing stories with children. Here are her recommendations for books about the Torah, which she uses to celebrate Simchat Torah.

Children love stories! Grown ups love stories! Beginning on the holiday of Simchat Torah, meaning “The Joy of the Torah,” the FJECC students will be “traveling” through the stories of the Torah. I cannot wait to take them on this journey to learn, discover, wonder and make connections to the tales of long ago. There are many wonderful Jewish stories which are inspired by the characters and events in the Torah. Many of which are directly linked to Jewish traditions, celebrations and values. I hope you enjoy reading them with your children! 

10 Great Jewish Children’s Stories, by Chaya Burstein
A Journey to Paradise and Other Jewish Tales, retold by Howard Schwartz
Does God Have a Big Toe? by Marc Gellman
Seven Animal Stories for Children, retold by Howard Bogot and Mary Bogot
Seven Animals Wag Their Tales, retold by Howard Bogot and Mary Bogot
Seven Delightful Stories for Every Day, retold by Dov Peretz Elkins
Ten Classic Jewish Children’s Stories, retold by Peninnah Schram

For more information on celebrating Simchat Torah with young children, visit PJ Library!

Nature

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“We must teach our children to smell the earth, to taste the rain, to touch the wind, to see things grow, to see the sun rise and night fall- to care.”- John Cleal

Whether it’s a walk along the ocean on a sandy beach, meandering through the city on a rainy day, or dodging roots and rocks while running along tree lined trails, the Blue Room teachers find peace and connection in natural environments.  This connection carries over to their commitment to being outside with the children as much as possible, encouraging their curiosity and wonder of the world around them.  A perfect way to build upon children’s growing literacy skills, love for books, and expose them to the beauty in nature that they may not often find in an urban area is through the list of books the Blue Room team have deemed as their personal  favorites.  Some have unique illustrations than can inspire children’s imaginations using the natural materials of sticks and leaves, some have whimsical characters whose questions and thoughts on trees, clouds, rain, etc. make young readers laugh out loud, and some share facts about creatures which is always a big hit with learners, young and old alike.  The Blue Room hopes you will enjoy these books as much as they enjoy sharing them with the children they teach.  

Butterflies Are Pretty…Gross by Rosemary Mosco and Jacob Souva
The Dead Bird by Margaret Wise Brown
If You Find a Leaf  by Aimee Sicuro
Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert
Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
Partly Cloudy by Deorah Freedman
Rain by Linda Ashman and Christian Robinson
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Stella- Fairy of the Forest by Marie Louise Gay
Stella- Princess of the Sky by Marie Louise Gay
Stella- Queen of the Snow by Marie Louise Gay
What’s Inside a Flower (and Other Questions About Science & Nature) by Rachel Ignotofsky
What Matters by Alison Hughes and Holly Hatam

Frogs

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While your children are hopping in the water and jumping through the warm summer months, have fun reading about frogs!  These frog stories will capture your children's imaginations, teach them about frogs and be a perfect read for a relaxing summer day.

Explore My World, Frogs by Marfe Ferguson Delano 
Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel
Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London
Hop, Jump By Eileen Walsh
How Does a Tadpole Grow (World of Eric Carle Book)
It's Mine by Leo Lionni
Little Green Frog Lift the Flap Book by Ginger Swift 
Pokko and the Drum by Matthew Forsythe
Rain! by Linda Ashman