Green As a Bean  by Karla Kuskin (2008)

Green As a Bean is a book of short poems by Karla Kuskin that really got my preschoolers talking today. The poems spark the imagination by asking "if you could be green, what would you be? (or if you could be small or soft or fierce or red, etc.). Possible answers are considered after each question, and the kids enjoyed considering the many possibilities prompted by each question and eagerly added their own responses to the list. Wonderful rhythmic language makes this a great fit for phonological awareness , but I wanted to talk to the parents about books that get kids talking (dialogic reading) instead. After we had finished reading and talking about the book, I said something like, "books that get kids talking like that are great vocabulary builders." 

- Brianne