This low-level book introduces young children to different jobs and services within a community.

My Town contains a mini-community for readers to build ? bringing new meaning to the term "pop-up store!" Unlike typical "paper doll" books that focus on fashion, My Town is full of perforated buildings and animals ready to be popped out, decorated, and played with by children. Buildings range from various styles of houses to all kinds of boutique storefronts. Set up shop as a baker, a florist, a grocer, a bookseller, or an auto mechanic ? there's a store to match every reader's special interest. Dozens of animal characters can be added to the scene and some can be colored in, too. A sturdy fold-out map at the back of the book gives readers a place to arrange their community. Plus, My Town creator Delphine Doreau has prepared a number of free downloads for readers to print, color, and use to expand their towns (address included in book). Instructions are warm and simple and read more like a story than like step-by-step directions, so children will be engaged in reading while they craft. And once completed, the miniature village will complement playtime with beloved toys perfectly ? add cars, stuffed animals, and more!

This book introduces children to the important people who make our communities cleaner, safer, and better. Action shots feature people working in construction, at schools, in hospitals, fighting fires, doing police work, and volunteering. An activity asks children what kinds of things they could do to volunteer in their own communities.

Individual Lap Book

If your hands can mix and mash, what job might you have? What if your hands reach, wrench, yank, and crank? The hands in this book—and the people attached to them—do all sorts of helpful work. And together, these helpers make their community a safe and fun place to live. As you read, keep an eye out for community members who make repeat appearances! Can you guess all the jobs based on the actions of these busy hands?

"Describes common community helpers that a child might see around town. Includes visual literacy activity"--Provided by publisher.

"With a father's wit and a reporter's well-honed writing skills, Hayes uses his family's story to offer practical suggestions about how communities can help people with mental illnesses recover and thrive."--Pete Earley, author of "Crazy: A Father's Search Through America's Mental Health Madness."

Treays looks at life in a town through the e yes of Ted, a young boy, and introduces the basic concepts o f human and social geography. Fold-out pages reveal cross-se ctions of buildings, and help to encourage map-reading skill s '

The northern lights shine, women gather to eat raw caribou meat and everyone could be family in this ode to small-town life in Nunavut, written in English and Inuktitut. Sisters Angnakuluk Friesen and Ippiksaut Friesen collaborate on this story about what it’s like to grow up in an Inuit community in Nunavut. Every line about the hometown in this book will have readers thinking about what makes their own hometowns unique. With strong social studies curriculum connections, Kisimi Taimaippaktut Angirrarijarani / ᑭᓯᒥ ᑕᐃᒪᐃᑉᐸᒃᑐᑦ ᐊᖏᕐᕋᕆᔭᕋᓂ / Only in My Hometown introduces young readers to life in the Canadian North, as well as the Inuit language and culture. Angnakuluk’s simple text, translated into Inuktitut and written out in syllabics and transliterated roman characters, is complemented by Ippiksaut’s warm paintings of their shared hometown.

I dump it in I smash it down I drive around the trashy town Meet Mr. Gilly. He cleans up Trashy Town. He does it with a big smile and a big truck--which is sure to make him a hero with all the children in the neighborhood. David Clemesha and Andrea Zimmerman have created a rhythmic, repeatable refrain that will roll off the lips of every child. Dan Yaccarino's dynamic art puts the zip in Mr. Gilly's stride and adds style and charm to trash collection. 2000 Notable Children's Books (ALA)