Kathleen Long Bostrom

Sweet book about a little boy named Matthew whose family moves to California. Nothing is the same, no autumn leaves, no snow, he doesn’t know the songs at church. The only comfort is with his dog Jasper. And then three days before Christmas, Jasper gets lost and Matthew is distraught. But on Christmas Eve all is made right again.
This is a simple book that would be helpful for any child moving to a new place, especially around Christmas. The illustrations are also excellent.

When four-year-old Ryan is stuck inside on a rainy day, his mom suggests that he and his stuffed monkey, Rufus, go on a treasure hunt inside the house. As Ryan goes from room to room, he looks for things that make him happy and says, 'Thank you, God!' Author Kathleen Bostrom brings a delightfully light touch to the text as she provides an introduction to the concept of gratitude. And children everywhere will relate to the idea of explaining their surroundings to their favorite companions as show more they go about their daily activities. show less

Attteeeeention! It’s time to start the day! The jovial, energetic zookeeper calls to all the creatures of park with instructions to put their best foot forward for another fantastic day of fun and frivolity with the patrons of the zoo. Told as though from the perspective of the human visitors, a comical twist reveals the view of the animals themselves as they spy upon the crowds of people trotting throughout the zoo. The simple text brims with emphasis and exhilaration though rhythmic show more rhymes and poetic alliteration. Bright, colorful cartoonlike images complement the text while conveying both silliness and excitement through imaginative and somewhat chaotic scenes. With its singsong tone and wildly bold illustrations, this picture book is ideal as a read-aloud and storytime tale. show less

This is an adorable fictional story that begins with the energetic zookeeper waking up the animals, and making sure they are ready to go for the day for the visitors. This story uses rhyming words and alliteration to describe the actions, sounds, and lifestyle habits of the zoo animals. The pictures on every page show a variety of different animals and their various habitats in which they live. I enjoyed how the book goes from the point of view of the zookeeper, to the visitors, and then show more ends with the points of views of the zoo animals and what they see every day from the visitors. This is a great model story for writing, as I would have students choose an animal from this story, and construct a research paper on the animal that they chose with facts of the animal's diet, habitat, etc. I think it would also be enjoyable for the students to draw a picture of the animal that they choose as well, and their works can be hung up around the classroom. show less