Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb (1969)

Used for baby storytime 3/27/09 - storytime created by Tara.

Summary:
This is a fun book about hands, fingers, and thumbs. This book focuses on different things a person can do with their hands. It is a very fun and quick read.

Personal Reaction:
I love Dr. Seuss books. These are great to read with young children. I felt this was a great choice because of Dr. Seuss celebrating a birthday this week and my children have had fun at school reading Dr. Seuss books by the Cat in a Hat!

Classroom Extension:
1. I could use this book to teach very young children about their hands and what uses their hands are for.
2. This would also be a great book to begin to teach children some easy words

With the help of your monkey friends, you will learn how you can drum with your hands and fingers. Explore the many different ways you can drum and hear the sound that drumming makes. The repetitions make it easy for young readers to understand the parts of the body as well as learning the sound of the drums. The writing style is a simple sentence with short, repetitive onomatopoeia. It provides a steady flow and continues to hold the reader’s attention. The illustrations show vivid colors and a range of actions portrayed by the monkeys. Every word in the book describes the illustration, forming a perfect harmony. You can almost see and hear the sound in the background.

There are so many ways a reader can interact with this board book. By reading the book and hearing the sound, it will stimulate the reader’s hearing. By looking at the illustration, it will stimulate their sight. And when parents help act out the scenes, showing the readers what to do, it can stimulate their sense of touch. With rounded edges, this board book is safe for all ages and be a great addition to the library. ( )

This book is full of fingers, hands, drums, and monkeys. First, just a few monkeys playing drums, then crowds of monkeys, and then millions of monkeys in a riotous drumming celebration! There are big monkeys, small monkeys, monkeys with banjos, and monkeys with fiddles.

Much like Go, Dog, Go!, this beginner reader is more concerned with repetition of words than it is with plot. Although it’s meant to be a book for early readers to read on their own, it’s fun to read to younger kids as well. Kids will love the repeated chorus, “Dum ditty / Dum ditty / Dum dum dum.” If you’re reading it with babies or toddlers, drum the Dum Ditty’s on their tummy, and point to or shake their thumbs, fingers, hands, and feet when mentioned in the text.

In addition to rollicking rhyming text, the monkeys featured in the illustrations express the sheer joy of playing the drums with friends. The monkeys pop out against squares and rectangles of color. These aren’t monkeys confined to cages in the zoo; these monkeys frolic, scamper, and be-bop through their day!

Full Review at Picture-Book-a-Day: http://picturebookaday.blogspot.com/2012/03/book-75-hand-hand-fingers-thumb-by-a...

This book talks about monkeys using their hands, fingers, and thumbs to perform different actions. Actions such as playing drums, wearing rings, picking apples, and waving hello. This book also has a catchy rhythm to it. ( )