What does a monkey do that you can do? How about a crocodile?

In this lesson,
we will read the book ''From Head to Toe'' by Eric Carle, and we will learn how to
use our bodies to mimic some of the things animals can do.
Lesson Objectives
By the conclusion of this lesson, students will be able to:

 use their body to mimic the movements of animals

 identify different parts of the body
 create a life-size picture of themselves

How Books Help Young Children Develop From Head to Toe

Posted on November 9, 2017 by Meredith Osborne
This week’s blog is written by Melinda Bernsdorf. Melinda has been working in
the classroom with toddlers and twos for a decade and strongly believes in the
magic of a good book. She studied Developmental Psychology and Learning at St.
Joseph’s University and was an educator at SEEC from 2014 – 2018. When
traveling, she always brings home a children’s book (or two!) to add to her library.
For this blog, she drew on her experiences as a toddler teacher to write about books
and how they can help children develop physical skills.

Children’s literature is so fantastic with funny stories, catchy rhyme schemes, and
interesting information presented in novel ways. Educators and researchers often
praise children’s books, citing their importance in supporting vocabulary
development, but children’s books can also meet developmental needs of infants
and toddlers beyond language acquisition. These other developmental domains,
such as motor skills, are often overlooked when talking about the importance of
providing literature to young children. Although it may seem counterintuitive,
when young children engage with books, they are also engaging their bodies in
ways that help them grow physically.

SEECstories.com (2)When our toddlers begin the school year, they devote a lot of
their resources to the development of their emerging physical skills. It takes a lot of
energy and hard work to figure out the complex series of muscle movements
needed to walk, climb the stairs, hold a peer’s hand, or interact physically with
another toddler. In one of our toddler classes, we used Eric Carle’s From Head to
Toe as a platform for our students to work on these physical skills in meaningful
and enjoyable ways while also integrating vocabulary and early literacy skills in
our lessons. Our class was so inspired by this book, that we decided to create a unit
that focused on body movement and used the book as jumping off point.

SEECstories.com (4)Toddlers are intrinsically drawn to the repetition of a familiar

and beloved book. Their interest in multiple exposures provides opportunities to
increase their knowledge and contextual understanding of the new vocabulary.
Additionally, these multiple exposures allow children to mirror and repeatedly
practice movements depicted in the images of the book. Often these movements
link directly to physical skills that toddlers are working on mastering. The book,
From Head To Toe, was a great fit for developing physical skills because of its
simple, repetitive narrative that drew in our students, and for its playful directives
that allowed each child to practice moving their individual body parts like each
animal. We decided to create a unit using From Head To Toe that focused on one
body part each week. Using the book as a starting off point, we were able to
explore how we can use our arms and hands, legs and feet, and head and neck.

SEECstories.com (5)First, we set up the room to give our students many

opportunities to freely play and explore the book and concepts we were covering.
We had copies of the board book on the bookshelf and a bulletin board showing
each animal. We moved the climber directly below the bulletin board to both give
them access to the board, enticing them to practice physically going up and down
the stairs, and to encourage them to extend their hands to touch the pictures.

SEECstories.com (6)During circle time, our toddlers held photographs of animals’

feet, legs, knees, and toes, as they were encouraged to bend their own knees,
wiggle their own toes, and kick their own feet. They gained mastery over their
actions in a controlled manner, while also increasing their ability to sit in one place
for an extended period. This helped them to expand their capability to focus on one
thing, which is very different kind of physical work for toddlers.

SEECstories.com (7)In our classroom, we invited our students to continue using

their arms and hands in meaningful ways with art activities and sensory choices
that connected to From Head to Toe. They loved waving their arms like a monkey
while throwing the paper packing material in the air!

SEECstories.com (8)We did not just focus on gross motor movements, but spent
time finding, identifying, and moving our facial features. We also practiced the
small muscle movements that are involved in communication by smiling,
frowning, and using our mouths to form different sounds.

SEECstories.com (9)We also brought the book into the museum, stomping our feet
alongside an elephant, clapping our hands next to a seal, and bending our necks
with a giraffe.

SEECstories.comAcross these lessons and experiences, the constant was Eric

Carle’s book. We referred back to the work, over and over again, not only because
our students loved it and asked for it (which they did!), but because we could offer
them the chance to work on the difficult physical tasks of developing new motor
skills, without asking them to shift their attention and devote resources to a new
topic of exploration. By choosing an age-appropriate, well loved book, we were
able to extend our students’ focus, offering them meaningful learning opportunities
in multiple disciplines while they were engaged and having fun. We allowed them
to do the hard, physical work of being a toddler in a way that was exciting,
enticing, and very enjoyable.

Goodnight Moon
Page history last edited by Ian Hunt 7 years ago

Plot Summary and Genre

Goodnight Moon was written by Maragret Wise Brown and illustrated by Clement
Hurd. It is a classic children's bedtime story written about a rabbit's routine before
he goes to bed. Before his bedtime, the rabbit goes around the room and notices
items within eye sight and says goodnight to all of them. Everything from the
pictures on the wall to the mice to the clock are mentioned and said goodnight too.
As the story continues, the rabbit gets more and more tired before finally saying
"Goodnight noises everywhere," just as he falls asleep.

This book falls under the category of a fiction picture book because the
illustrations expand the story, and the layout and design are visually appealing to
the reader, with the vivid colors and details in the images. The illustrations also
help to expand the textual elements, especially since there is very minimal text.
Furthermore the genre of this picture book is contemporary realistic fiction. The
book is about a little rabbit saying goodnight to the items in his room before going
to bed, which is realistic in today’s world. Even though the characters are rabbits,
they have human like qualities, shown by the rabbit being tucked into bed, saying
goodnight, with an older female rabbit watching over him. His room also contains
pictures, a clock, and a telephone, making the story seem realistic. It can also be
considered this genre due to the theme reflecting actual children’s lives. Also, the
dialogue of the main character sounds natural, as he is saying goodnight to the
items in his room, as children often do.
Textual Elements

-- Setting --

The book takes place in a great green room in the home of the rabbit that is
going to bed. It takes place from 7:00 pm to 8:10 pm, which is the time it takes the
rabbit to say goodnight to everything in the room and fall asleep. Goodnight Moon
occurs during the winter, shown by the snow on the ground outside and the
hanging mittens and socks in his room, next to the fire.

-- Characters --

The rabbit -- He is main character but is never mentioned directly in the book. He
is the one who is going around the room noticing all of the items and saying
goodnight to them.

The old lady -- The old lady is not mentioned by name but she is shown sitting in a
rocking chair knitting and saying "hush." She could either be the rabbit's mom or
grandmother but it is not known who she is.

There are no other animal or human characters in this book besides the mouse and
the kittens but they are only mentioned while saying goodnight and shown in the
pictures.

-- Point of view --
It is not stated who is telling the story but it can be assumed that it is from the little
rabbit's perspective. However, while a young child is reading the story, it is very
easy for the reader to take on the point of view and pretend they themselves are
saying goodnight to the things in the room.

-- Theme --

The importance of rituals -- The little rabbit cannot go to bed before he says
goodnight to nearly everything in the room.

Innocence -- The outside world seems to have no effect on what is happening when
the little rabbit is going to bed. He is not worried about life tomorrow or the
problems that may have occurred during the day. He is just happy to be in bed and
say goodnight to all of the objects in his bedroom. This theme is also prevalent in
the idea that the little rabbit saying goodnight to inanimate objects in an effort to
reassure them as he is being reassured himself.

--Text/Font Choices--
Goodnight Moon uses the same style of font throughout the whole story, which is a
simple bold font. On the black and white pages, the font is in black located below
the images, aligned to the left. On the colored pages, the font is written in orange
located in the corner of the page in dark blue bubbles.

Artistic Elements

There are many artistic elements to this book. The illustrator uses bright water
colors to make certain aspects stand out. Bright reds are used for the floor and a
vivid green is used for the walls of the room. When the room is shown as a whole,
color is used to make the room inviting and warm.

Goodnight Moon is illustrated in two types of drawings one being small ink
drawings in black in white like the kittens, mittens and cow jumping over the
moon. The other is wide bright colors, full spread between two pages of the little
rabbits room.

But when individual aspects of the room are shown, they are black and white.

On the pages where the black and white pictures are shown in the center of the
page, demonstrated above, with white empty space around it, the negative space is
making a type of silhouette of the pictures. This makes the reader focus on the
image, since besides this illustration in the middle, and the black text below it, the
page is empty and white. In one page, the author and illustrator use the white
space as the object indicated by the text.

This shows the readers that all of the aspects of the room need to be included for it
to be complete. The pictures play a huge role in the story because there is so little
text on each page. Instead of having the readers focus on what the text is saying,
the pictures help tell more of what is going on in the story. This story is heavily
focused on the illustrations, but still needs the text to make sense of the story. If the
text of saying good night to the objects was not present, the story would only
consist of pictures of items in the rabbit's room.

This book presents a unique aspect which is very enjoyable to young readers and
that is being able to search for pictures mentioned in the text in the main picture (in
this book, the great green room). This is a very fun activity that provide the reader
with incentive to read the text. Reading the text provides the reader with next
object to find in the main room. This also promotes the reader to passively
associate words in the text with objects in the pictures.

Goodnight Moon is drawn in the form of representational art. The illustrations

show a realistic portrayal of characters and objects. The characters are shown in
pajamas and nightgowns, while in the younger rabbit’s bedroom, before going to
sleep. The rabbits are drawn to look realistic of what the reader would imagine
them to look like. There are also pet cats playing with yarn on the floor, and
pictures of cows, and bears that appear to be accurate to real life. The objects in the
room are also accurate, like the fireplace, bookshelf, toy house, and furniture.
Lastly, the events taking place in the story are literal as the little rabbit is saying
goodnight to the objects in his room along with the moon and the stars.

The composition of this book has two general styles. First, there is the layout of the
rabbit’s room covering the whole spread of the two pages. On these pages, the text
is located in the corner of the page, in dark blue bubbles. The other composition
style in this book is white pages with black and white pictures in the middle. Here,
the text is written below the picture in black.
Analysis and Critique

Effectiveness

This picture book is exceptionally effective in literary terms and with it's artwork.
The author is able to turn a simple book into a bedtime classic. The simple yet
elegant way the book uses rhymes makes the book feel like we are reading a poem,
which makes for an easy read for kids as well as adults. While this is enjoyable to
listen to, it is also a learning tool for early readers. Rhyming helps develop
phonological awareness by helping readers associate sounds in different words that
sound the same. Goodnight Moon has many examples of rhyming that will help
early readers establish a sense of what constitutes a word that rhymes and what
does not. The book's simple approach to presenting the text also helps promote
rhyme learning. There is almost no unneeded text to bog the reader down. The
words that rhyme are mostly on the same opened page so he reader can quickly
look back and forth at each word and can compare the graphemes directly. The
book turns this simple story almost into an adventure, seeking out different objects
in the room and making sure each one gets their own special goodnight. Brown
uses an uncomplicated style which makes is for the reader to follow along without
having to think too hard.

Perspective, Voice, and Style

The illustrations are what really brings this book to life. Hurd is meticulous in the
details of each picture. For example, in each picture of the great green room, the
small mouse can be found in it. The mouse moves around from place to place, at
one time being by the fireplace, only to be on top of the book case a few pages
later. Elements like this really bring the story to life because it allows the reader to
explore the drawings and see what is really going on as the little rabbit is saying
goodnight. From the first page to the last, you can slowly see the room get darker
and darker, just as if you were in the room with the little rabbit as he was getting
ready to fall asleep. Small details in the pictures are what makes Goodnight Moon
incredible, such as noticing that a copy of Goodnight Moon is on the table next to
the little rabbit's bed. Pictures like the clock continuing to move forward every
time it is shown, or that the moon slowly makes its way higher in the sky as the
book goes on are things that are hard to appreciate the first time you read this book
but really add character to the story.

Social Relevancy
Socially, this book is more relevant now more than ever. Goodnight Moon has
become on of the most popular children's books of all time and is considered a
staple in a child's book collection. Even though this book was written over 60 years
ago, people still relate to being a child and going to bed, saying goodnight to
anything and everything. Adults remember when their parents would tuck them in
and read this book to them multiple times. They remember the vivid pictures and
the famous line, "Goodnight room. Goodnight moon. Goodnight cow jumping over
the moon. Goodnight light and the red balloon." These adults want Goodnight
Moon to be a part of their own childrens lives just like it was part of theirs.

Message

While Goodnight Moon is very simple in concept, an overt message is clearly

present with hidden connotations. Many young readers are children who may have
trouble or difficulties with the idea of going to bed. Whether it be not wanting to
be alone as they fall asleep or they fear the dark, many children have difficulty
with falling asleep. Goodnight Moon presents a method of falling asleep by saying
goodnight to everything in the bedroom. This helps children feel like they are not
alone in the room and established a sense of safety as they fall asleep. This idea is
helped with the presence of an adult (in Goodnight Moon, the quiet old lady) in the
room as the child says goodnight. Goodnight Moon exemplifies this ritual in a
story that is very appropriate for bedtime reading. What starts as a story ends in a
bedtime activity that eases the child to sleep comfortably.
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman: Summary and Review
Posted on May 15, 2010 by Aaron

Are you my Mother? by P.D. Eastman, cover art

Title: Are You My Mother?Are you my Mother? by P.D. Eastman
Author: P.D. Eastman
Age Category: 3 to 5 years
Genre: Picture Books (Beginner Books / Easy Readers)

Well, I’m a bit late with this—Mother’s Day was last Sunday—but I couldn’t
resist. This is one of my favorite Beginner Books / Easy Reader picture books. A
classic. I still remember reading it with my mom when I was about four…
Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman: Summary
Are You My Mother?Are you my Mother? by P.D. Eastman by P.D. Eastman
opens with a mother bird sitting on a big yellow egg in her nest. The egg starts to
jump and shake, so the mother bird decides she had better go and find some food to
feed her baby bird, who is about to arrive. Soon after she flies away, the egg
hatches, and the baby bird asks, “Where is my mother?”

Since the baby bird can’t see his mother anywhere, he decides to go looking for
her. He steps out of the nest, falls to the ground (can’t fly yet!), and sets off on an
adventure to find his mother. He encounters a series of things—a kitten, a hen, a
dog, a cow, a steamboat, an airplane, and a large steam shovel that he calls a
“snort” (because it snorts!)—and asks each in turn, “Are you my mother?”.

Finally, as the baby bird is puzzling over the snort, the huge machine picks up the
baby bird, drives him to his tree, and sets him gently back in his nest. Moments
later his mother arrives with a worm in her mouth and the two are happily reunited.
The book ends with an image of the mother and baby birds snuggling in the nest.

Subjective Appeal: Comic Adventure

Several factors give Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman subjective appeal for
young children. First, the book is just funny. Kids love how the egg jumps in the
nest, and the image of the baby bird stepping out of the nest, confidently expecting
to fly. Kids also crack up when the baby bird absurdly asks all the various animals
and things if they are his mother: “‘How could I be your mother?’ said the cow. ‘I
am a cow.’” (p. 33)

Second, the baby’s separation from his mother adds a certain tension that drives
the story forward. Even as the baby bird does delightfully silly things like ask a
cow if she is his mother, the reader is mildly anxious for the baby to find his
mother, and thus the reader wants to find out what happens next. In other words,
Are You My Mother? has a compelling little plot! The tension climaxes in the
bird’s encounter with the snort: will this huge machine hurt our naive little bird?
Of course, the story resolves in a delightful way as the snort turns out to be helpful
and not harmful.

Finally, while the illustrations are not elaborate or deeply artistic, they are
excellently done line drawings, and have the appeal of a cartoon for young readers.

Developmental Value: Learning to Read, Bonding with Mom

Are You My Mother? by P.D. Eastman is also developmentally valuable in several
ways. First, as an “easy reader”, the picture book is ideal for a child learning to
read. In fact, the book is part of the famous “Beginner Books” series started by
Phyllis Cerf, and Helen and Theodor Geisel—Theodor is better known as Dr.
Seuss. The first book in the series, of course, was Dr. Seuss’s The Cat in the
HatThe Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss (which we also heartily recommend).

Authors of Beginner Books, like P.D. Eastman, were required to use fewer than
400 words in their writing—words selected as important building blocks in a
young reader’s vocabulary—thereby making the picture books both
developmentally valuable and accessible for beginning readers. Incidentally, the
use of humor in Beginner Books (clearly evident in Are You My Mother?Are you
my Mother? by P.D. Eastman) plays an important role in a child’s process of
learning to read. As Zena Sutherland so aptly puts it, “the humor makes the
serious business of decoding easier” (Children and Books (9th Edition)Children
and Books, by Zena Sutherland, p. 87).

Finally, the picture book’s portrayal of a delightful warm connection between

mother and baby bird gently affirms a young reader’s most valuable and primary
relationship. One aspect of the baby bird’s connection to his mother that I found
particularly sweet is the fact that he emerges from his egg assuming that he has a
mother. His first words are, “where is my mother?” (p. 10), as if having a mother
is simply a given. Even faced with his inability to find her, he is sure he has a
mother (p. 37). And of course, the final image of the baby snuggling in the nest
with mom is heart-warming.

In short, Are You My Mother? by P.D. EastmanAre you my Mother? by P.D.

Eastman is a funny, compelling, and developmentally valuable picture book that I
heartily recommend. I encourage you to find the book in your local library, or to
support our work by purchasing it through the links in this post, or in the
Children’s Books and Reviews Online Bookstore.

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