Posts By Da Poppins

Da Poppins is a regular contributor to the NANNY SHECANDO blog, covering the very important topics of reading, book reviews, and the importance of children's literacy.

About DA Poppins

Da Poppins, is a career nanny based in Vancouver, Washington, a graduate of Northwest Nanny Institute and has over 20 years experience in the industry. Dana is an advocate for the benefit of reading and children’s literacy, a talented scrapbooker, and writes the blog Da Poppins.

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep Book Review

Title: The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep by Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin
Age Range: 3 – 7 years
Reading Level: Preschool – 2

The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep Book Review

Have you heard recent buzz about a book touted as a “sleeping pill” for young children? The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep, written by Swedish psychologist Carl-Johan Forssen Ehrlin was published this year and has become an amazon.com bestseller. The book has gained worldwide notoriety with articles written about it on the Huffington Post, CBS News, and the Daily Mail. Parents are purchasing and testing out the book “guaranteed” to put children to sleep.

As I picked this slim paperback, I noticed that it’s self published. One of the things that hurts a self-published book is poor quality packaging and illustrations. Although the lack of a professional published appearance hasn’t stopped The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep from becoming a bestseller, it’s a difficult hurdle for me to step over when trying to give a positive review. The pictures help illustrate the story in a cohesive manner, but they are not the quality I generally look for and the book has an overall amateurish, homemade feel.

Here’s 8 tips to selecting good read aloud books.

This story opens with instructions: how to read the bolded words, when to say the child’s name during the reading, when to yawn, and how to create the correct environment for sleep. There is also a warning that anyone hearing the story will feel tired, so don’t read this book to anyone who is driving or operating heavy machinery.

Using the power of suggestion, lots of repetition, and word heavy pages the author taps into some of my favourite components for a great bedtime reading experience.

Many picture books currently being published are simply too short for a good bedtime story. They have one sentence per page, lack complex language, and contain overactive illustrations that actually discourage the use of a child’s imagination by dominating the book.

This book is a return to the days when stories were longer, quieter, and more relaxing. Unfortunately, it’s not really a story book – and completely misses the opportunity to be one. Here’s the low-down on why you should read aloud to your child.

Many picture books published are simply too short for a good bedtime story. #picturebooks

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The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep is not the least bit entertaining or interesting. Roger visits characters like Sleepy Snail, Heavy Eyed Owl and Uncle Yawn who give Roger and the child hearing the book suggestions on how to relax and fall asleep.

These characters have no personality of their own. Every encounter and dialog is meant to coach the child into feeling safe, relaxed and very tired.

I imagine hearing this book is like listening to a “self hypnosis” cassette tape. The author uses the same tools with the goal of achieving a specific end result.

I don’t doubt that this book will put many three and four year old’s to sleep, and if adults pick it up with that intent alone, they will reap the rewards of restful children. Not every child will respond to the repetition and sleepy themes, but those accustomed to bedtime stories will almost certainly be snoring by the end of the book.

If your bedtime reading is all about getting your child to sleep, you might want to pick up a copy. If you expect something more out of your books, give this one a pass. For more good reads, Da Poppins reviews a bunch of books on the site.

The Rabbit Who Wants To Fall Asleep – a sleeping pill for children?

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>Tell us, have you tried The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep with your children?

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Dana shares with us this The Rabbit Who Wants to Fall Asleep Book Review. Dana, Da Poppins, is a professional career nanny based in Vancouver, Washington, a graduate of the prestigious Northwest Nanny Institute and has over 20 years experience in the industry. Dana is a strong advocate for the benefit of reading and children’s literacy, is a talented scrapbooker, and writes the blog Da Poppins.

Good Reads: A Sick Day for Amos McGee

Title: A Sick Day for Amos Mcgee
Age range: 2-6 years
Reading level: Preschool – Year 1

The best sick day ever and the animals in the zoo feature in this striking picture book debut.

I’ve had several occasions to read A Sick Day for Amos McGee to different children. It has appeared more than once next to the bed in a stack of books as I visit homes as a temporary nanny. Written by Philip C. Stead and illustrated Erin E. Stead this charming little story won best illustrated children books of 2010 award from the New York Times. It also garnered a 2011 Caldecott Medal for illustrations. Since is publishing in 2010 it has appeared on favorite book lists all over the internet.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is a very calm, low-key book, making it perfect for bedtime. Amos works at the zoo and always takes time out of his day to visit his special friends and share a moment that makes them both happy. As he visits each animal friend, a classic repetition list appears, with sentences sounding the same as the story unfolds.

Interesting words are introduced on each page for younger children, as well as playful sentence structures to keep the reading from sounding monotone. The use of this technique makes Amos McGee feel like a familiar classic. I have to say, it felt like such an “old fashioned” book I had to check to see when it was published. There are no verbal gymnastics required to read this book. The punctuation is clear. The narrative unfolds like a dream.

When Amos gets sick the animals return his kindnesses in the same list form , one after the other until the day is done. There is a lesson in this book, painted in words and pictures that both adults and children will receive. One plot point that stands out strongly is that Amos practices “child directed play”, spending time with each animal in a way that makes each animal feel most loved. When Amos doesn’t come to work one day, the animals all go to visit him, and each share their individual expression of love.

Instead of dominating, the sweetly detailed illustrations add depth and description to every written page, creating a complementary balance between words and pictures. The illustrations are as low-key as the book, soothing yet interesting without fanfare or over stylization. One finds elements of personality in the animals and Amos on each page adding information to the story without adding word count. It’s no wonder that the illustrations blend so well with the writing, as Philip C. Stead and Erin E. Stead are a husband and wife team.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is the perfect book for bedtimes and quiet times. If your child seems frustrated by the lack of action, take a moment to pour over the pictures, asking questions about what the child sees, pointing out some of the unique details: the mouse waiting at the tiny bus stop, the activities of the penguins in the penguin pool, and where the red balloon goes at the end of the evening. Interaction with children while reading a book can create a special moment that kids will always remember, changing a seemingly hum-drum story into a beloved childhood classic.

Not only do I take this book along with me in my Nanny bag to work, I would recommend it to parents looking for a great bedtime read.

A Sick Day For Amos McGee is a calm, low-key book, perfect for bedtime. #nannylife #goodreads

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>>> Do you have a book that’s particularly good for bed times and quiet times?

Good Reads: Sick Simon by Dan Krall

Now that the school year has resumed, our precious little ones are once again ensconced in the learning system. Which means they’re also bundled up into the social environment. Which means along with learning to share their toys, their book, their friends, and their favourite play equipment, they also begin to share their germs. And we all know, sickness loves company.

With the school year finding it’s rhythm here in Australia, and with our friends in the north experiencing more snow and cold weather than they know what to do with, our guest contributor Dana (@dapoppins) has reviewed Dan Kralls’ book Sick Simon.

Sick Simon by Dan Krall is a timely read from the author-illustrator of The Great Lollipop Caper, introducing the idea of personal hygiene and invites children to learn how to be health conscious during cold and flu season.

>>> Sick Simon by Dan Krall

Sick Simon is not your typical bed time story. The gooey, pea soup, crud that poor Sick Simon deals with is the main theme of the Dan Krall’s story and his illustrations do a wonderful job of portraying what it feels like to be sick as well as what other people see when we are sick. I’m not sure I would read it at bedtime, but this is a story book worth sharing with the four and up crowd.

Simon loves school so much that he attends classes even when he is sick. But he doesn’t go alone. Virus, Protozoa and bacteria go with him. Simon unwittingly shares these germy buddies everywhere he goes until one day they talk to him!

Simon learns if he wants to get the most out of his day he needs to take care of himself as well as wash his hands, wipe his nose, and use a tissue.

The cartoon style of the book, the pictures of Simon when he is sick as well as the depiction of the germs will give children a reason to start washing their hands and using a tissue. Sometimes it’s hard to explain what a germ is or how germs work, but this Dan Krall book makes it very clear and is a quick, enjoyable read.

Sick Simon Germs Infographic, don't be a sick simon

For more about Sick Simon Dan Krall, and to assist your children understand germs and personal hygiene, visit the Sick Simon website for to win a germ prevention kit, or download a germ busting activity kit for free.

Sick Simon by Dan Krall: it’s the yuck factor that’ll get kids giggling. #bookreview #nannylife

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>>> Are you ready to combat the cold and flu season?

*Sick Simon Dan Krall was not a sponsored post. All reviews are published at our discretion unless otherwise stated.
*Sick Simon infographic credit

6 Tips To Develop A Reading Routine

This is post 4 of 4 in the series “Read Aloud Series”

The Read Aloud Series by author Da Poppins features all the info and tips you need to incorporate the magic of reading into your routine with kids. Click this box to see the rest in the series.

Why You Should Read Aloud To Your Child
4 Components Of Good Read Aloud Books
8 Tips To Selecting Good Read Aloud Books
6 Tips To Develop A Reading Routine

Winding up the Read Aloud series today with Part 4 from DA Poppins. It’s been such a pleasure having her each week on the blog to share some seriously awesome tips on how to encourage and foster a love for reading in our home with the kids. If you missed it last week, there’s a super exclusive freebie Read Aloud Cheat Sheet available for download too!

6 Tips To Develop A Reading Routine

As a nanny, particularly when working with the early childhood ages, reading books and reading aloud should make up a large part of the daily routine. Why? Because routine and structure can be highly beneficial for children, especially toddlers. Plus, routine lets your children understand what’s important within your family. If you place a strong emphasis on developing a reading routine, your children will learn to see that reading is important.

Once you’ve got the selection process sorted (here’s 4 components of good read aloud books to help with the decision process), we suggest you work to incorporate a daily routine for reading into your family life. A good habit to get into is setting goals for the amount of books you read each day and the type of book. When reading to babies and toddlers, you can choose both the shorter, simple books, and a page or two from a longer book.

There is no need to feel the pressure to finish a story with younger children. Listening is a skill that comes with practice and age. If they have been hearing stories daily since birth, two and three year olds are not only ready, but eager for story times. If they have had no previous introduction to books, two and three year olds still have to be coaxed into a story time but will quickly develop a love of books if you’re persistent in the habit of daily reading.

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6 Tips To Develop A Reading Routine

1. Read books instead of watching t.v or having “screen time”

2. Read after morning snack, before or after lunch

3. Read short “concept books” during play-time (bonus points if you incorporate a related playtime activity)

4. Read before or after nap-time (this’ll help immensely to settle your child before a daytime nap)

5. Read when your child is in need of a distraction

6. Read before bed to finish the day (by way of engaging in essential bonding time)

Once you have developed the habit of reading and nap-time, you can begin to choose longer books that can be read from start to finish.

If you’re at all uncomfortable with reading aloud, take some time to explore Mem’s website. She has book lists, an audio example of her reading aloud, and even a lesson on how to read aloud. I assure you, her forthright enthusiasm will encourage you!

Tips for a reading routine: “read when your child is in need of distraction” @Dapoppins

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>>> Do you have a reading routine for your kids?

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Dana, Da Poppins, is a professional career nanny based in Vancouver, Washington, a graduate of the prestigious Northwest Nanny Institute and has over 20 years experience in the industry. Dana is a strong advocate for the benefit of reading and children’s literacy, is a talented scrapbooker, and writes the blog Da Poppins.

This was Part 4 of the Read Aloud series.

8 Tips To Selecting Good Read Aloud Books

This is post 3 of 4 in the series “Read Aloud Series”

The Read Aloud Series by author Da Poppins features all the info and tips you need to incorporate the magic of reading into your routine with kids. Click this box to see the rest in the series.

Why You Should Read Aloud To Your Child
4 Components Of Good Read Aloud Books
8 Tips To Selecting Good Read Aloud Books
6 Tips To Develop A Reading Routine

Have you been reading lots of stories this past week with the kids? We have! I took a leaf out of Dana’s book and renewed my local library card and borrowed a tonne of children’s books to read with the kids during the day at home. We’ve been loving having some new stories to dig into each day! Today, guest contributor Da Poppins is back with Part 3 of the Read Aloud series. Catch up with Part 1 + Part 2.
Spoiler Alert: there’s a bonus free download Reading Aloud “Cheat Sheet” too!

Some books are more fun than others to read for story time, and sometimes it can feel a bit like lucky dip when faced with a large selection of books to choose from. What I know about books is nothing compared to a librarian or bookseller, but I don’t let that stop me. Children’s picture books are my favourite and new-to-me books are easy to assess in just a few minutes. Because we know that you can’t always just a book by it’s cover, I’ve put together my personal nanny tips to help you out!

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