It’s Hot Outside
Many cities in the Bay Area are used to the fog, so a hot day is a bit of a surprise! Celebrate the heat with the following picture books. Some craft ideas to fit this theme include making paper fans: www.pitara.com/activities/craft/online.asp?story=57 or make a sun visor: www.crayola.com/crafts/detail/fun-in-the-sun-visors-craft/. Special thanks to Pam Carlson of the Long Beach Public Library for many of these ideas!
Blake, Quentin. MRS. ARMITAGE AND THE BIG WAVE. A lady and her dog go surfing. This makes a great flannelboard story.
Bridwell, Norman. CLIFFORD KEEPS COOL. Clifford the Big Red Dog figures out that a waterfall will keep him cool!
Broach, Elise. WET DOG! A dog annoys several people until he ends up at a wedding!
Crews, Nina. ONE HOT SUMMER DAY. Photo collage illustrates this look at a city girl on a hot summer day.
Dragonwagon, Crescent. THE ITCH BOOK. In the Ozarks, the heat makes everyone itch.
Frazier, Craig. STANLEY GOES FOR A DRIVE. Stanley goes for a drive on a hot day in the countryside.
Koller, Jackie French. PETER SPIT A SEED AT SUE. Four children get into a watermelon seed spitting contest.
Layton, Neal. HOT, HOT, HOT. Oscar and Arabella, two woolly mammoths, try to cool off during the hot summer.
Spinelli, Eileen. HEAT WAVE. A town suffers through a heat wave until air conditioners are invented.
Penny Peck
San Leandro Public Library March, 2010