Concept Books

Welcome to the Internet School Library Media Center concept book page. The ISLMC is a preview site for librarians, teachers, parents and students. You can search this site, use an index or sitemap to locate further information.

[How to Draw Books] [Time] [Calendar, Clocks] [Days] [Months] [Color, Colors] [Opposites]

How to Draw Books

Ames, Lee. Draw Fifty Series....How to Draw Books. Doubleday.

Many titles, including Draw 50 Birds, 1996; Draw 50 People of the Bible, 1995; Draw 50 People, 1993. [shapes, etc.]

Reinagle, Damon. J. Draw! Medieval Fantasies Peel Production, 1995.
More detailed than the books by Ames. Good for older audience. Draw dragons, castles and other medieval things.

[Back to Top]

Time

Axelrod, Amy. Pigs on a Blanket : Fun with Mth and Time. Illustrated by Sharon McGinley-Nally. Simon & chuster, 1998. Ages 5-8.

A group of porkers race the clock to get to the beach. Review at Amazon.

Aylesworth, Jim. The Completed Hickory Dickory Dock. Illustrated by Eileen Christelow. pa. Simon & Schuster, 1994. Ages 5-7.

A lively set of nonsense verses tells the further story of a day in the life of the mouse taht ran up the clock. Includes introduction to telling time, plus counting. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Berenstain, Stan and Jan Berenstain. The Berenstain Bears Catch the Bus. Random House, 1999. Ages 5-8. Step into Reading + Math.

As the minutes pass and the school bus gets closer to their house, Brother and Sister are in increasing danger of missing it. A typical morning. From Barnes & Noble.

Carle, Eric. Grouchy Lady Bug New York: Crowell, 1977.
Time of day.

Fox, Mem. Time for Bed. Illustrated by Jane Dyer. Hrcourt Brace, 1997. Infants and preschool.

As darkness falls prents everywhere try to get their children ready for sleep. [Bedtime] Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Llewellyn, Claire. My First Book of Time. 1992. Ages 5 to 8.

Explains how to tell time and discusses such topics as days, seasons, simple fractions, clocks, measuring time, and time zones. There are brief Boxed short topics. Reviews at Barnes & Noble.

Murphy, Jill. Five Minutes' Peace New York: Scholastic, 1990.
A mother elephant seeks five minutes of peace. Time and musical instruments.

Potter, Beatrix. What Time Is It, Peter Rabbit?. Warne Frederick, 1998. Ages 4 to 6.

Children spend the day with Peter Rabbit. Colorful die-cut book has moveable plastic clock hands. No Review. From Barnes & Noble.

Slater, Teddy. Just a Minute. Illustrted by Dana Regan. Scholastic, 1996. Ages 5 to 7.

A young boy learns how important it is to know just how long a minute is. Includes a section with related activities.developed by Marilyn Burns. Review at Barnes & Noble.

[Back to Top]

Calendar, Clocks

Branley, Franklyn Mansfield. Keeping Time : From the Beginning and into the 21st Century. Illustrated by Jill Weber. Houghton Mifflin, 1993. Grades 3-6.

Describes the different ways in which we measure time. Reviews at Barnes & Noble.

Gilchrist, Cherry and Amanda Hall. Sun-day, Moon-day : How the Week Was Made. Barefoot Books, 1998. Grades 3-5.

Presents myths that tell the stories behind the seven days of the week, drawn from the traditions of the Vikings, Romans, Celts, and ancient Greeks and Babylonigans. [Day, week calendar] Reviews at Follett.

Maestro, Betsy. The Story of Clocks and Calendars. Illustrated by Giulio Maestro. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard, 1999. Grades 2-5.

Story of timekeeping : how, over thousands of years, calendars and clocks came to be. Highly recommended. Reviews at Barnes & Noble.

Perl, Lila. Blue Monday and Friday the Thirteenth. Illustrated by Erika Weihs. Clarion, 1986.

Focuses on each day of the week, describing the cultural and linguistic origin of the name, the popular superstitions connected with that day, and the major holidays falling on that day. [Time; calendar] Out-of-print. From Amazon.

Playskool Books. My First Clock. Dutton Children's, 1997. Infants and preschool.

Board book includes a clock but activities. Review at Barnes & Nobel.

Wylen, Stephen M. The Book of the Jewish Year. pa. UAHC Press, 1996. Age range 10 to 11.

An introduction to the Jewish calendar and the Jewish holiday cycle with the rituals, foods, symbols, stories, and legends associated with each holiday. No review. From Barnes & Noble.

[Back to Top]

Days

Baden, Robert. And Sunday Makes Seven. Illustrated by Michelle Edwards. A. Whitman, 1990. K-3.

Twelve witches reward Carlos for adding to their song about the days of the week, but when Carlos' greedy cousin Ricardo sings for the witches, he receives an unpleasant surprise. Introduces the Spanish words for numbers and the days of the week. Costa Rica folklore. Review at Follett.

Baylor, Byrd. I'm in Charge of Celebrations New York: Scribner, 1986.
A journal of days with each day being given a special name. Children can name their own days.

Carle, Eric. Today Is Monday. Putnam, 1993. Preschool - Grade 3.

In this children's song each day of the week brings a new food, until on Sunday all the world's children can come and eat it up. The music and full lyrics are appended after the shorter text of the picture book. Reviews at Barnes & Noble.

Carle, Eric. The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Putnam, 1994, c1969. Infant - preschool.

A small hungry caterpillar nibbles his way through the pages of a book as he grows into a beautiful butterfly. Includes days of the week. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Clifton, Lucille. Some of the Days of Everett Anderson Poetry. Includes some days of the week.

Kachenmeister, Cherryl. On Monday when It Rained. Photography by Tom Berthiaume. Houghton Mifflin, 1991. Ages 5-8.

A young boy describes, in text and photographs of his facial expressions, the different emotions he feels each day. [Emotions] Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Kraus, Robert. Come Out and Play, Little Mouse. Illustrated by Jose ruego and Ariane Dewey. Mulberry Books, 1995. Ages 4-8. No review. From Amazon.

Viorst, Judith. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Illustrated by Ray Cruz. Atheneum, 1972. K-3.

In a day when everything goes wrong for him, Alexander is consoled by the thought that other people have bad days too. Review sources at Follett.

Ward, Cindy. Cookie's Week>. Illustrated by Tomie de Paola. Putnam, 1996. Ages 1-6.

Cookie the cat gets into a different kind of mischief every day of the week. Review at Barnes & Noble.

[Back to Top]

Months

Carlstrom, Nancy White. How Do You Say It Today, Jesse Bear?. Illustrated by Bruce Degen. Aladdin Paperbacks, 1999. K-3.

Rhymed text and illustrations describe Jesse Bear's activities from January to December. Review and review sources at Follett.

Dragonwagon, Crescent. Alligators and Others All Year Long! : A Book of Months. Illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey. Aladdin Paperbacks, 1997. K-3.

A collection of animals celebrate the months of the year, one by one, in poetry. Review and review sources at Follett.

Hague, Kathleen. Calendarbears : A Book of Months. Illustrated by Michael Hague. Holt, 1997. K-3.

Each month of the year a different bear takes part in an activity that is seasonally appropriate. Review and review sources at Follett.

Prelutsky, Jack. Dog Days : Rhymes Around the Year. Illustrated by Dyanna Wolcott. Ages 1-7.

A spirited dog describes what he enjoys doing each month of the year. [Poetry]. Review at Barnes & Noble.

Sendak, Maurice. Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months Scholastic, 1962. Stories in Rhyme. RL2.
A boy enjoys chicken soup through all the months of the year. Months.

Tafuri, Nancy. Snowy, Flowy, Blowy : A Twelve Months Rhyme. Scholastic, 1999. K-3.

Based on an old poem by Gregory Gander." Rhyming text provides a descriptive word for each month of the year and takes a country family through the changes and surprises of the year's cycle. Review at Follett.

Updike, John. A Child's Calendar : Poems. Illustrations by Trina Schart Hyman. Holiday House, 1999. K-3.

A collection of twelve poems describing the activities in a child's life and the changes in the weather as the year moves from January to December. Review and review sources at Follett.

[Back to Top]

Color, Colors

Ehlert, Lois. Color Farm. Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins, 1990. Baby-Preschool.

On Lois Ehlert's farm, a rooster isn't just a rooster. In this ingenious book featuring shapes, colors, and animals galore, readers turn the pages and colorful die-cut shapes transform a rooster into a duck, a duck into a chicken and so on. Caldecott Honor Book. Reviews at Amazon.

Hoban, Tana. Colors Everywhere. Greenwillow, 1995. Ages 4-8. [color, colors]

Hoban, Tana. Of Colors and Things William Morrow.
Color concepts.

Hoban, Tana. Red, Blue, Yellow Shoe. 1st ed. Greenwillow, 1986.

Photos of common objects, with color printed below. [color concepts]. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Lionni, Leo. Little Blue and Little Yellow: A Story for Pippo and Other Children Mulberry ed. 1995. Use for concepts of primary and secondary colors. Available through Amazon books.

Walsh, Ellen Stoll. Mouse Paint
Three white paper mice find jars of paint to play in. They become red, yellow and blue, and find that by mixing colors they can create other colors as well.

[Back to Top]

Opposites

Caudill, Rebecca and James Ayars. Contrary Jenkins. Illustrated by Glen Rounds. 1st ed. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1969.

Relates the episodes in the life of Contrary Jenkins as he lived by the "law of contrary" in Tennessee and Arkansas. Contrary always does "the opposite." [opposites] Out-of-print. From Amazon.

Dr. Seuss. Wet Foot, Dry Foot, Low Foot, High Foot : Learn about Opposites and Differences. Random House, 1998.

Cards. No review. From Barnes & Noble.

Hayward, Linda. Sneetches Are Sneetches : Learn About Same and Different. Random House, 1995. Ages 4-8. Dr. Seuss Beginner Fun Books.

Some Sneetches are tall and glad, some Sneetches are small and sad. Children can test their sorting and matching skills by looking closely at a variety of Sneetches. No review. From Amazon.

Hoban, Tana. Exactly the Opposite. Greenwillow, 1990. All age. [opposites] Reviews at Amazon

[Back to Top]

Camelson, Stephanie. Roller Skates Scholastic, 1992. Stories in Rhyme.
When the town store has a big sale on roller skates, everyone ends up on wheels. Develop simple subtraction activities; money.

Carle, Eric. Secret Birthday Message New York: Crowell, 1972.
Shapes; giving directions.

Fanelli, Sara. My Map Book HarperCollins, 1995.
Good intro for young children on maps or autobiography. A fun book...My map of my tummy, etc.

Ginsburg, Mirra. Across the Stream Scholastic, 1982. Story in rhyme. RL2.
Escaping from a fox, a hen and three chicks must cross a river. Problem solving.

Hoban, Tana. I Read Signs. William Morrow, 1987. Ages 4-7.

Introduces signs and symbols frequently seen on the streets. Reviews at Barnes & Noble

Hoban, Tana. I Read Symbols. Mulberry, 1999. Ages 4-8. [traffic signs & symbols; signs & symbols] Review at Amazon

Hoban, Tana. Is It Rough? Is it Smooth? Is It Shiny?. William Morrow, 1984. Ages 4-8. [Textures, sense & sensation]

Hoban, Tana. Just Look. Greenwillow, 1996. Ages 4-8. [visual perception]. Review at Amazon

Hoban, Tanan. Look! Look! Look!. Greenwillow, 1988. Baby-preschool. [visual perception]

Hoban, Tana. Look Up, Look Down. Greenwillow, 1992. Baby-preschool. [visual perception] Reviews at Amazon

Hoban, Tana. Shadows and Reflections. Greenwillow, 1990. Ages 4-8. [shadows, shades and shadows, reflections]. Reviews at Amazon

Hoban, Tana. Shapes and Things. Simon & Schuster, 1970. All ages. [photograms]

Hoban, Tana. Shrinking Mouse William Morrow, Greenwillow Books 1997.

Fox, Rabbit, Squirrel and Mouse watch Owl fly away and get smaller and smaller. Young readers will realize that the distance, not Owl, is shrinking. Spatial perspectives.

Hutchins, Pat. Happy Birthday, Sam. Reprint ed. Mulberry Books, 1991. Ages 4-8. [measurement, birthdays]

Massin. Fun with Numbers Ill. by Les Chats Peles Group. Creative Eds., 1995
Trans. from French. More of an art book than a number book for young children. Has brief info on history of numbers, etc.

Neitzel, Shirley. The Jacket I Wear in the Snow William Morrow, 1997. An IRA-CBC Children's Choice.
Rhyming verse. A child is bundled into layers of winter clothing which is then removed piece by piece. Seasons-Winter. Can use for concept of ordinal order..first, second.

Neitzel, Shirley. We're Making Breakfast for Mother William Morrow, Greenwillow Books, 1997.
Rebus Book. Children prepare breakfast for their mother on Mother's Day. Time; holidays.

Pomerantz, Charlotte. The Half-Birthday Party
Introduce Fractions

Rockwell, Anne. Once Upon a Time This Morning William Morrow, Greenwillow Books, 1997.
Ten short stories for children from early morning to bedtime. Time concepts.

Rotner, Shelley. Close, Closer, Closest. By Shelley Rotner, Richard F. Olivo and C. Thomas Olivo. Atheneum, 1997. Ages 4-8.

Photographs of common objects followed by closer views. [Perspective and scale]. Review at Amazon.

Return to:
Picture Books
Elementary Resources/Children's Lit