One Thousand Things by Anna Kövecses

This would be a wonderful book to share with a preschool child. It is filled with things, although I don't think there are actually one thousand. You will also have fun searching for the little mouse on every page.

There are seven lists  - things to learn, things to do with you, things around the world, things in nature, things that you can do, things inside your house and things outside your house. Each list has around five double spreads. For example: Things to do with you - What are the parts of your face called? What are your five senses? What are the different parts of your body? What would you like to wear today? Who is in your family? My favourite pages are What can you find in the shed? and What are the parts of your face called?

Though there are many words and objects in 'One Thousand Things', unlike some other 'first word' books that I have seen, this edition goes beyond pages of themed things. What is presented here are concepts; the stuff of everyday life that grownups may take for granted but little ones must learn. Weather, body parts, colours, seasons are all introduced with a question to frame them and encourage interaction. Book Bag

The sound track might drive you crazy but you can see inside this book here - really though don't use the video - this is a book to hold in your hand, to share slowly, to dip into, and to talk about.

This book was published in 2015 but it is still available. It is from a series called Learn with Little Mouse. I picked up my copy at a charity book sale yesterday for just $5 (the retail price is $25).

Anna Kövecses is a Hungarian born artist living between a small seaside village of Cyprus and a woodside cabin by Lake Balaton, in Hungary. Her digital collages are characterised by simple organic shapes, bright colors and an atmosphere of simple naivety. Her inspiration comes from living by the Mediterranean Sea, growing up in Eastern Europe, being the mama of three small kids, baking fresh bread in the morning, picking oranges and growing veggies in their garden. When not working on commissioned projects she creates paintings in oil, experiments with clay ...

Take a look inside her Hungarian Alphabet Book.

This book is the result of a very personal project aiming to introduce a little girl to the 44 letters of the Hungarian alphabet. Illustrations were carefully designed so that every subject that appears in this book is something she's currently very much interested in. So in one way this book is not just a tool but also a diary documenting a four-year-old little girl's world in the summer of 2013 on an island of the Mediterranean Sea. On the other hand though, hopefully it will also serve as an equally exciting source of knowledge and inspiration for anyone interested in languages or design.

What's inside? by Isabel Minhós Martins and Madalena Matoso

Here is a puzzle book with a difference.  There are lots of things inside that you might predict but there are also some surprises!

What's inside  

Mum's handbag "an invisible mobile phone (left on the kitchen counter); a purse with four marbles"

The hall table drawer "a piece of plastic (no one can remember what it's for); a dice"

The fridge "An ace of spades; two strawberry jellies"

My raincoat pocket "A clothes peg; a pen lid; a snail shell"

Granny's beach bag "A recipe for pudding; my wet swimming costume (inside a plastic bag)"

What's on

The kitchen counter "A cobweb with a spider; two bottles without tops"

My bedroom wall "A small hole (I suspect it's the door to an ant's nest!)"

Publisher Blurb: There are thousands of objects surrounding us in our everyday lives: in the hallway drawer, the kitchen fridge, mum’s handbag, your bedroom wall, even in your raincoat pocket. But how many objects can you remember when you’re put to the test? Inside this book are dozens of pictures, puzzles and a mega memory game providing amusing challenges for all ages, from those still learning to talk to reader- detectives who like to follow the clues and put two and two together.

What's Inside was first published in Portuguese with the title O que há.  The English translation by Isabel Alves and Bergen Peck was published in 2015 but this book is still in print. I was lucky to pick up a half price copy at recent book sale. You might like to read my previous post about another book by this talented team of Isabel and Madadena - Where do we go when we disappear?

Take a look at this post by Zoe at Playing by the Book where she shares illustrations from What's inside along side her own real handbag, kitchen counter etc.

This is a delightful book, with bold and stylish illustrations, which will appeal across a wide age range, and especially to any children who love to collect and hoard, to classify and arrange their special things. Playing by the Book

One of my favourite alphabet books shares its title with this book:

If you were reading this book with a preschool group you might also explore these:

In a Jar

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More

What Sort of Day?

More by I.C. Springman illustrated by Brian Lies

When is more more than enough?

This book has 45 words! Read it and then count the words. Now marvel that this is a powerful story. In just 45 words IC Springman and Brian Lies present a message for our times. Do we really need 'more'? Can we get by with 'less'? If we had 'less' would we be happier?

Magpie is given a marble by Mouse. He places it in his nest and while it looks good perhaps more things would make the nest look even better so he sets out to collect more things - a coin, a lego block, keys, sunglasses ... more and more and more.

As you can see the illustrations are stunning but perhaps by this picture (below) Magpie really has too much stuff!

Magpie puts all of his treasures into his nest. Eventually it all comes crashing down to earth. Luckily a team of mice are close by and they assist the magpie with the important decision about which things he might keep.  In the end he only takes the shiny marble and a castle chess piece along with his new friend, the wise mouse.

Young readers not overwhelmed by the visual intensity will chant the minimal text; older ones will note questions about accumulation,materialism, friendship—and how to decide what’s meaningful. Kirkus

Lies' magnificent illustrations keep listeners glued to the page, and he includes just enough familiar items among the junk (a lego brick, a binky, a Tinker Toy, a toothbrush) that More almost reads like a seek-and-find book at times. Books4yourkids


You can read a series of review quotes about More on Brian Lies own web site. Take a look at Seven Impossibe Things where you can see some preliminary drawings for More.

The hardcover edition of this book was published in 2012 but I am happy to report there is a new paperback copy which has just been published - December 2019. I was interested to read scientists don't think Magpies actually do collect objects. If you want to read about a bird that really does collect things you might research our Australian Satin Bower Bird.

Image Source Birdwatching Daily, 4th October 2018

More was nominated for the 2013 Bull Bransom Award.  Here are the other contenders from that year. The winner was Oh, No! If you are looking for books to add to a school library collection I highly recommend the purchase of books that are nominated for this award - they are always treasures.

The Frank Show by David Mackintosh

Grandad Frank is a real Class Act

Class Act - this has two meanings in this book.  Grandad is the star of the show - a class act but also when he visits the classroom you might call this a class act!

Our narrator needs to talk about a family member for show and tell on Friday.  "We can choose one person and talk for one minute, about the things they like and what kind of person they are."  Sadly our narrator cannot see all the advantages of talking about Grandpa Frank or better yet inviting Frank to talk to the class.  "Frank is just a grandad."  Luckily Frank does come to school and he is a hit.

"He carries coloured combs in his pocket."
"He has a special hearing aid that doesn't use batteries."
"He keeps a folded fifty dollar bill in his shoe, and a double headed coin in his hip pocket."

The Frank Show is perfect for our youngest students as they study history through objects. Take a close look at this typewriter.  Even the brand is funny.

Along with typewriters in this book you will see a set of barber's tools, a gramophone, an old concertina style camera and lots more on his shelf of memories.   One little detail that made me smile was the number plate on Franks old car - 388 OAP.

Here is a brief set of teacher notes.  This review makes some good points about ways to discuss this book and things to notice in the illustrations.  You can read an interview with David Macintosh here.