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We're Going on a Bear Hunt
        Michael Rosen & Helen Oxenbury       ISBN 0-689-5046-4
 
I had seen this in Big Book form several times in some 1st grade classes and the kids loved it.  So, since it was such a rhythmic little thing and I love books that kids love, I went out and bought the darn thing.  And, it's a good thing I did since the students went after it immediately.  It's a great book with wonderful illustrations and the repetitions of the words is fantastic for students who are trying to links sounds with words.  And, at the end of the book, you may realize (unlike the exhausted family) that maybe bears you find on a bear hunt aren't so bad after all...
 
 

What a Wonderful World
      George David Weiss & Bob Theile        ISBN 0-689-80087-8
 
This is a beautifully written song and an equally spectacular book!  based on the song Louis Armstrong made famous (the book, in fact, is dedicated to him), this book leads the reader through a puppet show full of color and harmony.  The vibrant colors and multicultural puppets (there's even a little Louis) make this book a joy to read.  And, my 1st graders love it.  And, instead of reading this book to them, I let Louis sing it to them using one of my CDs.  I'm sure that finding a Greatest Hits album of Louis Armstrong's music wouldn't be tough, but if you click the following title, you'll be taken to the one that I have been using.  Louis Armstrong's All-Time Greatest Hits.
 
 
What is your Language?
                                    Debra Leventhal      ISBN 0-525-45133-1
 
Alright...I'll admit it...I got lucky with this book.  There are two or three books in my book box that have nothing to do with music...instead the focus on Multicultural books.  When I saw this little book on the shelf, I had fully intended to include in my box under that section.  And, when I got it home I discovered that it was indeed a music book!  Ms. Leventhal wrote this song in the 1960s and is very simply introduces the words "yes" and "no" in 10 different languages (English, German, French, Russian, Inuktitut, Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Swahili, and Spanish).  The illustrations are simple and appropriate if a bit simplistic (the pictures of each countries inhabitants are what a person might see if they were on a package tour of a given country).  Still, it's a nice little book and the languages are described on a page in the back (along with a page dedicated to the melody of the song).  I would recommend it for anyone teaching younger students!