Farmer Duck, by Martin Waddell

Synopsis: A poor duck is overworked by a lazy farmer until the duck's farm friends mete out their own brand of barnyard justice.

Activity: Read this in small groups and either summarize the story (writing in full), or write an alternative version of this situation.

The Very Lazy Ladybird, by Isobel Finn

Synopsis: The very lazy ladybird likes to sleep all day and all night. And because she sleeps all day and all night, she doesn't know how to fly. One day, she decides she wants to sleep somewhere else, so hops onto a kangaroo, but that's too bouncy, the tiger is too noisy, but the elephant's trunk is great.

Mouse, Mole and the Falling Star, by A. H Benjamin

Synopsis: Mouse and Mole "trusted each other completely, even with their deepest secrets." But when they spot a falling star, each is determined to find it and wish on it, and the friendship quickly disintegrates into a tango of mistrust.

Activity: Identify new words from the book. Play 'hangman' to teach and test these new words (instead of hangman, you can use a falling star).

Too Many Frogs, by Sandy Asher

Synopsis: Rabbit has a well-scripted, predictable life until Froggie knocks on his door one night. His guest loves to listen to this big blue rabbit with oversized ears read a story and likes it even more when he has prepared himself a snack or gotten cozy–night after night. Polite Rabbit refrains from refusing entry until Froggie shows up with his entire family. As he settles himself down to read alone, however, he realizes that he misses Froggie and invites the whole crew in.

Activity: Pick kids to be the main characters/ narrators. The group can then act it out.

The Rainbow Fish, by Marcus Pfister

Synopsis: A cautionary tale about selfishness and vanity.

Activity: In groups, on mahjong paper, the kids drew their own sea creatures with speech bubbles.

Hare and Tortoise Race to the Moon, by Oliver Corwin

Synopsis: When Hare teases Tortoise for being a slowpoke, Tortoise challenges him to a race. Sound familiar? But this is a race to the moon and Hare takes off in "an aerodynamic hyperspaceship of the latest design" while Tortoise builds his own patchwork conveyance. As in the classic fable, Hare makes several stops along the way while Tortoise, in his plodding fashion, touches down on the moon just seconds before his pal. Then, "being best friends," they enjoy some super moon-jumping together.

Activity: The kids made their own rockets with scrap materials. Those who finished early wrote some sentences about their rocket.

Joseph and the Little Overcoat, by Simms Tabeck

Synopsis: When Joseph's favorite overcoat gets old and worn, he makes a jacket out of it. When the jacket is more patches than jacket, Joseph turns it into a vest. When the vest's number is up, Joseph makes a scarf. This thrifty industry continues until there's nothing left of the original garment. But clever Joseph manages to make something out of nothing!

Babar and the Scary Day, text by Ellen Weiss, characters by Jean and Laurent de Brunhoff

Synopsis: Pom and Isabelle can't figure out what the spooky noise coming from the attic is. It's a creepy, eerie, THUMP-drag, THUMP-drag-rattle. There's only one conclusion: it's a monster! Soon all of Babar's children are fleeing from the sound, only to soon realize that the monster is really Babar, dragging out the recyclables! This is a fun book not just for Halloween but year round, as an introduction for preschoolers to the legendary Babar.

Activity: Chat with kids about superheroes and monsters. Kids given sheet of speech bubbles and onomatopoeia. Kids read the "sounds" and discuss what things make those sounds. Turn an A4 sheet of paper into a 4-page comic book. Write and illustrate a superhero comic or other story, adding cut out speech bubbles and sounds.

Fish is Fish, by Leo Lionni

Synopsis: A modern fable of a minnow who wants to follow his tadpole friend - who becomes a frog - onto land.

Activity: Pictionary

Nana Upstairs and Nana Downstairs, by Tomie dePaola

Synopsis: This autobiographical picture book was one of the first to introduce very young children to the concept of death. Although dePaola's book is a nostalgic tribute to his own family, its theme - that not only people but our love for them survives in our memories - is universally true and important.

Activity: Make and write a card for a family member/ loved one.

If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff

Synopsis: "If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it. You'll give her some of your favorite maple syrup. She'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath." You get the idea. Baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. If You Give a Pig a Pancake is a delightful exploration of the scenario "if you give an inch, they'll take a mile." But who could refuse the whims of this adorable piglet? Not us, and certainly not the pig's young caretaker. Parents will feel a familiar twinge as they witness the pig's increasingly elaborate demands, and kids will be delighted that the story circles back around to the original pancake.

Miko: No Bath! No Way! by Brigitte Weninger

Synopsis: After Miko's exciting day, the last thing he wants to do is wash away all the fun things he did! Mom says he doesn't have to take a bath-but then he will have to endure tickly clothes, sticky ice cream on his face, and sleeping on the hard floor! How far will Miko go to remember his special day?

Activity: Pick out some new words from the book for the kids to learn. Write the new words on pieces of paper and hide it, before sending the kids on a treasure hunt for these words. Teach them the meaning of the words, and help with sentence formation.

Wemberly Worried, by Kevin Henkes

Synopsis: Wemberly the mouse worries about everything: big things, like whether her parents might disappear in the middle of the night; little things, like whether she'll spill grape juice on her toy rabbit, Petal; and things in between, like whether she might shrink in the bathtub. What she is more worried about than anything else, however, is her first day at the New Morning Nursery School.

Activity: We chatted about friendship. The kids drew a picture of a friend and wrote about what they liked to do together.

Sheila Rae The Brave, by Kevin Henkes

Synopsis: The mouse heroine of Henkes's pitch-perfect comedy doesn't frighten easily; she even growls at stray dogs. But when she gets lost, it's her "scaredy cat" sister who helps her find the way home. Ages 4-up.

Activity: We chatted with the kids about what brave things Sheila and her sister did, and what it means to be brave. The kids then made a medal for bravery for themselves. At the back of the medal, they wrote "I am brave when I... (fill in the blanks)". They then presented the medals to each other.