I’m so happy to share this sweet book with you today.
Written by Aubrey Rose
Illustrated by Eilnaz Barmayeh
Independently Published, June 14, 2024
Best for 3-10 year-olds, 24 pages
Opening Lines
Ava loves when her Grandma comes to visit.
She always surprises Ava with a fun, new book to read. They snuggle up on the porch as her Grandma rocks back and forth bringing the stories to life.
Book Summary (from the author)
Cozy Up Time With Ava is a heartwarming tale that encapsulates the joy and simplicity of childhood. Ava, our spirited protagonist, cherishes the intimate moments she shares with her family, particularly the cherished “Cozy Up Time” she spends reading with her grandmother on the porch. Inspired by this, Ava embarks on a mission to create “Cozy Up Time” with all her loved ones, from constructing homemade tents with her sister to sharing snacks and stories in her treehouse with neighborhood friends.
What I Thought
I was charmed by this book from the moment I started reading it. Who doesn’t love cozy up time?
The detailed and beautifully warm illustrations caught my attention first. They perfectly capture the mood of this sweet book.
Every new cozy moment ends with the phrase “Cozy, cozy, cozy. Where will Ava cozy up next?” which thrills my teacher heart.
This kind of repetition is perfect for prediction (both oral and written) and it also encourages class participation. My first graders always loved it when we came to the part of a book that everyone could read and chime in on. And I guarantee that’s what will happen when you read this book to your children.
I really love how the book exudes warmth and comfort as it focuses upon special moments in family life. It makes it a wonderful choice for bedtime reading but can also be successfully shared in the classroom (see some ideas below).
Happily, Cozy Up Time With Ava is also very well written. The author is a retired teacher and it shows in her natural and easy writing. You can tell she’s read lots and lots of children’s books as she clearly understands the cadence, pacing and ambience that’s needed for a well-written picture book.
As I’m sure you can tell I absolutely love this book and highly recommend it.
Here are a few ideas for extending the story.
Story Extensions
ONE: The author herself provides space at the end of the book for illustrating your own cozy time. You could take that a little further and have the students paint a large watercolour of their personal cozy time. Then have them print a sentence to go with their painting: “Cozy, cozy, cozy. Where will XX cozy up next?” where XX is the student’s name.
TWO: You could even use the paintings and accompanying sentences to make a class book! Kids love books like these and they’re easy for everyone to read.
THREE: For early readers (K to beginning Grade 1) write the repetitive sentences (see above) on cards (one word per card). Put them in your pocket chart and mix them up. Challenge your students to put them back in the correct order. Practice this many times with the whole class, then ask students to do the same thing either alone or with a friend.
FOUR: Brainstorm ways to create cozy times and areas in the classroom. I used to have a little red tent I purchased from Scholastic and my kiddos would take turns reading in there. I also set up a pile of pillows on my window bench which was also a favourite spot.
FIVE: Cozy times don’t have to be confined to reading times. Think outside the box (as Ava did). Arts and crafts was often a cozy time in my class because we’d turn the lights a little lower and play music. Talk with your students about incorporating more comfy cozy times in your day-to-day routines.
SIX: Be sure to include this book when teaching a family-themed unit. It will be a lovely addition to your collection.
SEVEN: A school pajama day is the perfect day to let your students build blanket forts. There’s nothing cozier than that! You can read about one of our fort days here.
I hope you love Cozy Up Time With Ava as much as I did.
Happy reading!