Field Trip! A Day at the Farm by Severine Cordier

WELCOME TO THE FARM!

Three kids don their mud boots and jackets and climb into the family car for a trip to the country. It seems a long, are-we-there-yet ride, but it is worth the wait, as they arrive to find the farm lady holding a brown rabbit for them to pet while a curious cat and brown hen greet the newcomers.

Near the farmhouse they stop by to feed the ducks and the animals that share the pond--a dragonfly, toad, tadpole, and fish--and see the hen and drake with their ducklings. A quick visit to the henhouse gives the kids a chance to scatter some grain for the hens, rooster, and chicks and gather a basket of eggs.

Next there's a stop at the garden with its many veggies and herbs to gather and garden tools to try out before they have a hands-on visit at the rabbit hutch, the orchard where they pick apples, and a stop for an al fresco lunch and a chance to build an impromptu playground with some handy hay bales. An after-lunch stop at the bee hives yields a sweet treat of honey, but the pigsty smells yucky, and the grumpy billy goat in the meadow gives them pause. Soon, though, a pony ride and a friendly donkey revive their smiles, and a stop at the sheep shed comes just before the most exciting part of the visit--a chance to take turns steering the tractor.  Soon it's time to head for home--but not before they load up with jars of honey and some fruits and veggies to take back as mementos.

Severine Cordier's latest in this cozy series, A Day at the Farm (Owlkids, 2013) offers the familiar trio of siblings on a family field trip to the farm. Artist Cynthia LaCroix's charming children's adventures are accompanied by full-bleed picture pages showing tools, produce, and products related to the farm, from water lilies in the pond to sunflowers and oats in the fields. Objects are labelled for the beginning reader, and plenty of visual cues make the brief text easy for emergent readers to sound out.

An easy-going introduction for families or preschoolers to those favorite field trips to the farm, this book joins Cordier's earlier day books, Picture My Day and Picture My World, (see full reviews here and here) all of which can serve as simple stories of daily doings or as beginning picture dictionaries for vocabulary building. Now, if only illustrator LaCroix had chosen to picture that cute farm cat and tres charmante chicken shadowing the kids through the pages as their home kitty did so well in the first book!

Starring Me! Picture My Day by Severine Cordier

"HEY! THAT'S WHAT I DO!"

Kids love to see themselves in a book, and in Severine Cordier's just out Picture My Day (Owlkids Books, 2012), a young child can journey through the day, from the first rays of morning sunlight streaming through the window and highlighting an abandoned fuzzy bunny, to the darkened window (and still abandoned rabbit) at night.

Vocabulary is the emphasis here, beginning with a double page spread of various sleeping gear. Children are shown snoozing in a "bed," "crib" and "bunk bed," while humorous animals snore in hammocks, on clouds, mats, pillows, and even leaning together on bookshelves. There are "pillows" and "blankets" and a variety of sleeping gear--"pajamas," "sleepers," and "nightgowns,"--all labeled in easy, lower-case manuscript. With breakfast come "sippy cups," a variety of "glasses," "bowls" and "cups." and the usual fare, even "Grandma's jam."

The day progresses through haircombing, brushing teeth, and choosing the wardrobe from the day, cleverly displayed on a long clothesline--socks, overalls, jeans, tank tops, T-shirts, and sweaters to fit the clime. After time with the "toilet," it's on to playtime, with "blocks," "toy cars," and "crayons" and "colored pencils," and then on to "musical instruments," "books" and "storytime," "teddies" and "dolls."

Outside activities include "strollers" and "scooters," visiting neighbors, and shopping at the small local "market." "playgrounds" and "parks" for exercise. Back home, it's time to do some cooking with Dad, a survey of foods from "pastas" to vegetables such as "leeks" and "carrots."

And after eating, Dad takes the kids outside again, this time for wading and fishing in the nearby stream, sailing "paper boats" and enjoying snacks from the "picnic basket." There is a visit to the beach in "summer clothes," and an excursion for a look into winter fun with snowflakes, snowmen, and snowball games, sleds, snow boots, and stocking caps.

Cordier brings it all back home just in time for "family dinner," "acting silly" riding on Dad's back, "bathtime," "bathrobes," "toothbrushes" "bedtime stories" "snuggling" and then back where we started, "bedtime" with that forgotten bunny still taking his rest on the floor.

North American kids may puzzle at some of the different items featured in this book, first published in France--drip coffee carafes on the stove top rather than the familiar one-piece electric coffeemaker, and sugar shown as cubes in a jar rather than spoonable grains in a sugar bowl But such differences serve to show the richness of differing family environments and provide opportunities for interaction, as in "What do you think sugar looks like?" Good for home and preschool, and useful for English language learners as a predictable picture journal of any child's day, Picture My Day is a worthy addition to the preschool bookshelf.

Off to School: A Day At School by Severine Cordier

HOLIDAYS ARE OVER!

Summer is spent, and sand pails, swimsuits, and shell collections are packed away.  It is almost school time, and attention turns to all the pre-school preparations that a family must make.

There are supplies to be bought, school clothes to try on, and haircuts to make all thee kids look spiffy for their classmates.

Everyone in the family have things to do on the first morning: as coffee brews and bread toasts, Mom makes fresh orange juice for breakfast, Dad shaves, the big kids brush teeth and tie shoes, the rising Kindergartner showers and shampoos his curly hair, and Mom puts on her makeup and heels for work.

Then everyone is ready for their day.  Dad with his briefcase and the older kids with their backpacks and Mom with the preschooler in her stroller wave goodbye as they head off to their daytime jobs--workplaces, first grade and Kindergarten, and day care for the toddler.  Saying goodbye calls for a few sad moments and even a tear or two, but the big kids are soon absorbed in making new friends, and the youngest is intrigued with an array of different toys in her classroom. Lessons are learned, lunches are shared, playdates planned, and before they know it, the first day of school is done.

OUR BABYSITTER PICKS US UP FROM SCHOOL.

"OUR FAVORITE SNACKS!"

Severine Cordier's latest, A Day at School (OwlKids Press, 2013), is an easy-reading picture diary of a family going through the first day of school.  Along with the family of five, illustrator Cynthia LaCroix charmingly pictures the objects and people encountered during that all-important day, ending comfortingly with the reunion and return to home for the soothing rituals of questions about school, dinner, homework, and bedtime. It's a celebration of the ordinary but wonderful stuff of daily life, one which provides a gentle, stress-reducing vicarious experience with the sometimes unsettling first day of school.

Companion books to A Day at School are Cordier and LaCroix's earlier Picture My Day, Picture My World, and A Day at the Farm. (see reviews here) which follow a growing family through their early years.  While not prepossessing in their style and format, these sturdy and simple books are great handbooks for parents and teachers to prepare youngsters for coming experiences.

What's Up? Picture My World by Severine Cordier

TOMORROW IS THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!

SCHOOL IS OUT!

UH, OH. MOMMY FORGOT THE KEYS.

TOMORROW WE'LL MAKE IT EVEN BIGGER!

Every day there is something new. In everyone's world there are good days and bad days, things that don't go well and things that go your way.

Swing high day and sit and cry day. First days and last days. Happy Birthday party day and big-wave-washes-the-castle-away day. Splash-go-rocks-in-the-river day. Push-the-bowl-of-spinach away day. Singing-in-the-rain day and bury-the-dead-bird day. Two-scoop-ice-cream-cone day, or, Oops! It-melted-all-over-my-shirt day!

The world of the preschooler is filled with new experiences, and Severine Cordier and Cynthia Lacroix portray many of them in their new Picture My World (Owl Kids Press, 2012). Illustrated with cheery drawings a bit reminiscent of Charles Schulz, this book pictures the world as seen in the daily lives of many preschoolers. Open-ended pictures give youngsters and adults much to discuss. "What do you think is happening here?" is a good leading question to spark discussion, about a picture of three kids huddling in a pretend boat (or tent, or cave) or one lone girl pouting in a corner. A sturdy picture book read-aloud or a fine sit and "read" alone book for the preschool set.