I love searching for books to include in my letter of the week book lists. I uncover old favorites and discover new ones I’d never seen.
I’ll admit that the letter V had me stumped. But never fear — after a few days we’d found 8 letter V books to love! (I’m trying not to think about letter X…)
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The Viper, by Lisa Thiesing
This is an adorable book and a favorite at our house. Peggy the pig enjoys a simple, carefree life until the day she gets a mysterious phone call. “I am zee Viper. I vill come in 1 year.” After consulting her dictionary, Peggy is horrified to discover that a viper is a poisonous snake. As the book takes us through Peggy’s year, she gets more and more nervous, especially as zee Viper keeps calling to remind her of his visit. At the end of the book we find out that zee Viper is a friendly dachshund with a foreign accent. “I am zee Viper! I have come to vipe your vindows!”
Mole Music, by David McPhail
Mole leads a pleasant, quiet life underground — but something is missing. After hearing beautiful violin music on the television, Mole sends away for his own instrument. The animals above his underground home cover their ears as Mole screeches away. But over time his music becomes beautiful, and Mole imagines how he could change the world with his song. The observant reader will notice that the world has heard his music — Mole doesn’t know it, but above ground his music has enriched the lives of those living nearby … even causing armies to drop their weapons.
This is the Van that Dad Cleaned, by Lisa Campbell Ernst
This book follows the pattern of This Is the House That Jack Built, but rest assured that this story is shorter and cuter — with lines like “This is the ketchup, now airborne, that squirted the baby all forlorn…” All of us with messy vans can relate!
What in the World is a Violin? by Mary Elizabeth Saltzmann
In my quest for an enjoyable nonfiction book about the violin, I found this one. It’s part of a series about musical instruments; each book shows the parts of an instrument and how it’s played. This would be a great book for your child to read if violin lessons are on the horizon. It’s also a nice and simple nonfiction book for kids.
Growing Vegetable Soup, by Lois Ehlert
This bright book has Lois Ehlert’s signature cut-paper illustrations with large, simple text. This isn’t a huge favorite at our house, but it’s a very popular book that your kids might enjoy.
Tops & Bottoms, by Janet Stevens
Rabbit’s family is in need of some income, so Rabbit approaches the lazy bear next door with a proposition: his family will do all the work in Bear’s weedy garden patch in exchange for a share of the produce. Bear agrees that Rabbit will get the bottoms, and Bear will get the tops. Of course Rabbit plants all root vegetables! The next time around, Bear agrees that he will get the bottoms. But Rabbit plants lettuce. Finally Bear demands both the tops and the bottoms, and Rabbit plants corn — and keeps the middles. A wonderful book and a must-read!
The Vegetables we Eat, by Gail Gibbons
I love the nonfiction books for kids that Gail Gibbons writes and illustrates – but sometimes they are too lengthy or detailed for my kids. Not so with this one! Each page teaches about a particular type of vegetable with illustrated varieties that will probably teach you something new, too. (Have you ever heard of cheddar cauliflower? How about purple Peruvian potatoes?) The end of the book tells how to grow your own vegetable garden. We already have a large garden, and my kids have a special interest in growing things. If you’ve got a garden or would like to start one, this is a great book to get your kids interested.
I Want to Be a Vet, by Dan Liebman
If you don’t mind the dated photographs (the copyright is 2000, but I think the eyeglasses and hairstyles go back farther than that), this book is a nice glimpse into the workday of a veterinarian. Interesting text, intriguing animal photographs, not too wordy. It’s always nice to find quality nonfiction for preschoolers.
Looking for more learning ideas for letter V? Click on the image below!
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Oh, that would be a tricky week! I loved that line in This is the Van That Dad Cleaned – that is some pretty creative rhyming! It had me cracking up. Love your lists – thanks for linking into the Kid Lit Blog Hop. 🙂
Thanks for stopping by, Renee! I am currently compiling a letter X book list. That one is exceptionally tricky…
That was tough! I could only come up with Victoria the Violin Fairy by Daisy Meadows.
That’s a new one for me, Catherine!
Gotta give thanks for a good library system. Our library has all 8 of these titles! All reserved now. Thanks for the list, Sis!
Yay! You’ll have to let me know your favorite. I never get sick of “The Viper!”
I recommend Vulture View also
Thanks for the recommendation, Jenny! I just reserved that one from my library.