Super Happy Party Bears: Book Review and Activity PLUS GIVEAWAY

Posted on March 17, 2017 by viviankirkfield

Is it Friday already?

The days and weeks are flying by. Do you feel the same way?

There are pros and cons to time passing at warp factor speed.

The con: I keep getting a week older!

The pro: It’s PERFECT PICTURE BOOK FRIDAY AGAIN! Oh, and St. Patrick’s Day. Maybe I should be writing with green ink.

We had a wonderful response to the Q&A with author Jessica Petersen and the OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS posts…and that means that lots of people were entered into the special prize package giveaway.

AND THE WINNER IS:

GABRIELLE FROM BUTTERFLY KISSES AND SILLY WISHES

Gabrielle…let’s connect so I can get your information to Jessica and she can get the prize package to you.

And more good news! (Isn’t it nice to know there is a place you can go where good news abounds?)

Author Marcie Colleen is providing a giveaway this weekend! Just comment on this post or tomorrow’s Will Write for Cookies and you might win a copy of SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS GOING NUTS or SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS STAYING A HIVE. Woo-hoo! Two books? That means two winners!

Are you still with me? Good, because as usual, I have a few important things I want to share with you!

The #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge was so well-received (251 entries and over 2100 comments). I’ve decided to host another challenge. This one is for children! #50PreciousWordsforKids will coincide with Children’s Book Week, May 1-7. I’ll be inviting elementary school teachers to have their students write stories of 50 words or less. The teacher and/or class will choose one of the stories to email to me and I will post it on my blog on May 11. Homeschooled kids are also invited to participate as long as a parent approves and submits the story. This challenge is for grades K-6. And the Children’s Book Council thinks it is a great way to celebrate Children’s Book Week.

Here’s the 50-word story my grandson wrote during the #50PreciousWords Writing Challenge…he was staying with me while he had a week off from school:

Locked Out by Jeremy (age 8)

One evening, when me and my mom got home from school, we tried to unlock our door. We heard a snap. Our house key broke! We went to our neighbors for help. They said, “Get a ladder and climb into a window.” We followed their advice. Unlocked the door. Home!

One of the #50PreciousWords particpants shared a 50-word story her daugher wrote:

DINOSAUR SNOW by Bethany (age 6)

It snowed a lot through the day. Pteranodon and her sister Teethless were bored. Pteranodon said, “I planned to go outside and it’s almost time for lunch. Oh it’s 11:00. Let’s go wake Mom and Dad.” “You’re right,” said Teethless. So they did. And then they ate lunch.

Pretty spectacular, right? I sent a special prize to Bethany. And my grandson got to pick out some books at the local indie bookstore. I think that kids are just bursting to express their imagination in stories…I’d love to provide a platform for them to do just that!

I’m reaching out to all of you…if you have connections with elementary school principals or teachers or library specialists, please let them know about this…or provide me with their contact info. Flyers will be available by the end of the weekend. I’m hoping that author/illustrator friends will donate signed books or even mini Skype classroom visits as prizes. Or anything else that would be appropriate. And I’ll have journals and books that I can give as prizes also.

We are all about wanting to encourage kids to become lovers of books and reading…and what better way than to have children write their own stories! Many classrooms are supposed to have activities for Children’s Book Week…this would be an ideal one. Please let me know what you think? Do you have any suggestions that would make the challenge better.

2. The ReFoReMo Challenge (Reading for Research Month) is going strong. I’ve still got a bunch of posts to catch up on…and my own contribution to the challenge will be up on March 21…hope you get to read it! A huge thank you to Carrie Charley Brown and Kirsti Call for the enormous effort they put into making the challenge a success!

3. Did you know that Jodell Sadler’s KidLit College is having a birthday bash! Starting March 27, there will be 30+ days blog posts about the building blocks of writing success. And there will be prizes, too! My post will be about the importance of critique groups.

4. And last, but certainly not least, nonfiction picture book guru, Kristen Fulton, has announced an impending NonFicPicWeek, June 26-30. If you are writing nonfiction picture books or want to, you CANNOT miss this challenge. Seriously.

And now, before I go off on another tangent, however fun and informational it might be, here is our Perfect Picture Book review of what probably isn’t really a picture book…but it’s got a lot of pictures and my 8-year old grandson absolutely LOVES the whole series. So I am reviewing the first four books in the series.

SUPER HAPPY PARTY BEARS GNAWING AROUND

Written by Marcie Colleen

Illustrated by Steve James

Publisher: Imprint – Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (2016)

Ages: Kindergarten – Grade 3

Themes of this book and all the others in the series:

Friendship, ingenuity, getting along

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

The first book in a funny chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals!

To the Super Happy Party Bears, everything is a good thing. Their entire attitude can be summed up in one word: YAY! They love doughnuts, dancing, and above all else—a good party. Not so for the rest of the animals living in the Grumpy Woods. They find the bears terribly annoying.

When a few beavers come to town, the Grumpy Woods are even grumpier than usual. These beavers are drying up their river with their dam . . . the beavers are ruining everything! They must leave—it is decreed!

But the Super Happy Party Bears just love the beavers! As the Grumpy Woods scheme to unwelcome them, the Super Happy Party Bears throw them a housewarming party that will prove dancing can always save the day.

Why I like this book and all the others in the series:

The adventures of these little fun-loving bears are kind of like a child’s walk through the world…lots of people saying ‘no’, ‘you can’t do this’, and ‘stop making noise’. I think kids really relate to that.
The text has so many funny twists and turns.
The illustrations are really colorful and the expressions on the animals’ faces are hilarious.
I read this with my 8-year old grandson and he LOVED it. When we finish, he wanted to read the rest of the series.

Knock Knock on Wood

Written by Marcie Colleen

Illustrated by Steve James

Publisher: Imprint – Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group (2016)

Synopsis:

The second book in a funny chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals!

The Grumpy Woods dislike Wallace Woodpecker only slightly less than the Super Happy Party Bears. They find his pecking preposterously loud, but the bears think Wallace is beating a nice rhythm–it’s great for early-morning dancercise! The bears convince Wallace he has great skills to offer the woods, and they give him ideas for unsolicited handy work. Instead of endearing him to the neighbors, it annoys them even more. Can the bears really help this noisy neighbor?

Staying A Hive

Written by Marcie Colleen

Illustrated by Steve James

Publisher: Imprint – Macmillan (2017)

Synopsis:

The third book in a funny chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals!

When Queen Beetrice and her beehive opens for business in the Grumpy Woods, the Super Happy Party Bears are excited–they LOVE honey! But the other Grumpy Woods residents are very unhappy with all the noisy buzzing going on, and they boycott the bees!

Too much sugar sends the bears into early hibernation and soon the woods are overflowing with uneaten honey. The townscritters need a fast solution to the sticky situation–and so they decide to throw an Un-Slumber Party to wake those bears up

Going Nuts

Written by Marcie Colleen

Illustrated by Steve James

Publisher: Imprint – Macmillan (2017)

Synopsis:

The fourth book in a funny chapter book series filled with full color illustrations and adorable animals!

The squirrels of the Grumpy Woods have finally finished gathering their nuts for winter, when the Super Happy Party Bears find their stash…and eat the whole thing. To make it up to them, the bears show the squirrels another hoard they’ve found—one that belongs to the chipmunks!

Suddenly, the bears’ huge appetite has caused an all-out civil war between two rival nut hoarders: the Puffy Cheeks (the chipmunks) and the Twitchy Tails (the squirrels). Can the bears prevent the Grumpy Woods from getting too nutty?

RELATED ACTIVITIES

MAKE A FELT BEAR THAT IS SOFT TO TOUCH

Photo courtesy: http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Animals/circlesbear/circlesbear.html

You will need: Pieces of felt, scissors, glue, 1 piece of poster board or thicker construction paper.

Cut felt in various size circles as seen in picture.
Glue ears, eyes, nose and muzzle onto head.
Glue onto background.

For more detailed instructions: http://www.firstpalette.com/Craft_themes/Animals/circlesbear/circlesbear.html

Paper bags would also make perfect Super Happy Party Bear puppets…just cut out features from construction paper and glue onto bag. You can turn a few paper bags into a Super Happy Party Bear party!

And now get set for a comment party…if you leave a comment here and/or on tomorrow’s Will Write for Cookies post, you will be entered to win either STAYING A HIVE or GOING NUTS.

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends, Happy St. Patrick’s Day…and please come back tomorrow for:

Will Write for Cookies

MARCIE COLLEEN

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill. Click on her link and find lots of other picture book suggestions with summaries and activities.

Jessica Petersen: Will Write for Cookies PLUS Giveaway Prize Package

Posted on March 11, 2017 by viviankirkfield

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

INSIGHT – INFORMATION – INSPIRATION

FOR WRITERS

TODAY’S GUEST

JESSICA PETERSEN

Choo-choo! Will Write for Cookies is coming down the track…with another 2017 debut picture book author as our engineer.

Jessica Petersen started inventing new tricks for old tracks when her son was a train-obsessed toddler. Their adventures inspire her blog, Play Trains! (play-trains.com), where she writes about playing, learning, and reading with kids who love trains. She wrote, photographed, and illustrated OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS in her home in Seattle, Washington, where she lives with her husband, her son, and lots of happy wooden train tracks.

Is everyone onboard? The conductor says relax, sit back, and enjoy the interview.

ME: Who were your favorite authors/illustrators when you were a child?

JESSICA:

In elementary school, Jasper Tomkins came to my school — I’m pretty sure that was the only author visit I ever experienced as a kid — and I loved his whimsical books that anthropomorphize unlikely subjects, particularly the cloud in Nimby and the mountains in The Catalog. Years later, I was so happy to find copies of those books for my son, and in retrospect, I would guess his books were one of the things that started me down the path to bringing wooden train tracks to life in my own book.

ME: What do you know now that you wish you had known when you first started writing for children?

JESSICA:

Perfection isn’t a goal on the first draft. Get the story down first, then get the story right, and then you can start trying to make the words sing.

ME: Where do you like to write/draw – inside, outside, a special area in your home, on the computer, in a notebook? And when do you find time to write?

JESSICA:

You may notice that the very blue walls are the same color as the walls in the playroom in Old Tracks, New Tricks. My office is does triple duty as a writing room, photo/video studio, and play room for my son (he picked out the bright paint color, which I love too). I wrote (and photographed) most of the book there, although I also spent a lot of time drawing strange looks as I tapped out the meter of the verse on coffee shop tables.

I used to write many of my rough drafts longhand as a way of digging deeper into emotions, but I mostly work on my laptop now. When I’m writing rhyming verse or a lot of dialogue, I hear the words in my mind. They don’t stop to wait for me, so I need to type to keep up with them.

ME: When during the day (or night) are you most productive? Do you set a schedule for working or do you write/draw when the muse speaks?

JESSICA:

I write anytime I can. I used to be much more particular before my son came along. Children can be a great motivator to learn to write anytime, anywhere, with any amount of distraction. My big challenge now is that illustrating and promoting the book have taken up so much of my time for so long that I’m out of the writing habit. But I have another picture book in the works that I’m really excited about, so I’m hoping to figure out how to balance it all this spring.

ME: Why do you write for children?

JESSICA:

I used to work on fantasy novels aimed at adults, but I made the switch to children’s books when my son was younger, about four years ago. I loved the books I was reading to him, of course, but more than that, having him around made me think about what kind of work I was putting out there in the world, about how I could help kids learn about the world and how to approach life in a strong, kind, creative way.

ME: Jessica, if you have any thoughts or advice for aspiring writers, please share. As well as anything else you want to talk about that parents, educators, writers, librarians might want to hear.

JESSICA:

It can be a long, long journey from the first draft of your first manuscript until the day you see your first book in print. Look at that as an opportunity. Take the time to learn your craft, to build your writing community, to try different styles and forms of writing. Enjoy having the time to go down creative roads that don’t seem to lead anywhere. You never know when they’re going to be a shortcut. If I hadn’t gotten distracted from the novel I was writing to play around with fabric designs, I never would’ve been inspired to draw a sad train track, crying because it was left out of a full circle of happy tracks. (And yes, I’m going to use that to justify creative forms of procrastination for the rest of my life!)

One of my favorite things about Old Tracks, New Tricks is that I’ve been getting to collaborate with kids through the website (oldtracksnewtricks.com), where they can have grown ups submit photos of track tricks and adventures, and I add the faces in the same way I illustrated the book. I’ve been surprised and delighted by the creative ideas the kids are sending in — it’s even more fun than adding the faces to my own photos! I also decorated and painted a set of trains and tracks to look like characters from the book, and I’m taking them to train shows and other events so my son and I can share them with other children. It’s so cool to see my trains moving around the tracks, like they’ve rolled out of the pages of the book and come to life. As an author or illustrator, if you can play and create with your audience, it gives you a chance to connect in a significant, memorable way, for both you and your readers.

ME: I love this advice, Jessica. Especially about finding a way to play and create with your audience…great tip for authors to remember at book events.

You can visit Jessica online at http://www.jessica-petersen.com, on Twitter at @j_e_petersen, and on Instagram at @playtrains. And you can meet the little train tracks at http://www.oldtracksnewtricks.com, or on Instagram at @oldtracksnewtricks.

And now for one of my favorite parts of Will Write for Cookies…the treat recipe!

Coal Cupcakes

These are by far the best, most moist and chocolately cupcakes I’ve ever tasted — and I trained as a pastry chef before I got into writing! We use a King Arthur Flour cupcake recipe (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/favorite-fudge-birthday-cupcakes-with-7-minute-icing-recipe), but mix them up with black cocoa (http://www.kingarthurflour.com/shop/items/black-cocoa-12-oz) so they’re super dark. We started calling them “coal cupcakes” (https://play-trains.com/coal-black-chocolate-cupcakes/) when I made them for my son’s third train-themed birthday party in the row. After making a Thomas tiered cake for the first one and a 3D fondant-covered Thomas cake for the second one, I dropped the ball and didn’t have time to even decorate the cupcakes. But I convinced my kiddo that they looked like lumps of coal, and he loved them. The lucky thing is that they’re so good, they don’t even need icing — perfect for those of us who don’t really like icing very much in the first place!

WOW…we always used to threaten the kids that they’d get lumps of coal in their Christmas stockings…I actually would LOVE to get a couple of these!

Jessica…we want to thank you so very much…I know everyone gained valuable insight from your answers…and we’ll all gain a couple of extra pounds on the scale from your ‘lumps of coal’. Congratulations on a wonderful book and on just chugging along on your dream track! Your vision and persistence brought success!

And now, dear readers, please don’t forget to leave a comment to be entered into the awesome gift package giveaway from Jessica. A signed copy of OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS, a personalized wooden track, and a sheet of decals for a young child to decorate their own.

I hope you all have a beautiful week. Storms are ahead for New England…but THE CLOCKS ARE TURNING BACK! Don’t forget DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME is this weekend.

Old Tracks, New Tricks: Picture Book Review Plus Craft Activity and Giveaway Prize Package

Posted on March 10, 2017 by viviankirkfield

What? You guys are back?

Not tired of hanging out with me?

I’m so glad, because we’ve got a 2017 debut picture book to review for Perfect Picture Book Friday plus an awesome fun craft to create with kids. Plus a fabulous giveaway prize package from author Jessica Petersen. More about that at the end of the post.

But first, more picture book goodness…author Peter McCleery reminded me that we have a copy of Bob and Joss Get Lost to give away from last week’s Will Write for Cookies post.

AND THE WINNER IS:

SANDY PERLIC!

Congratulations, Sandy…I will give Peter your email so he can connect with you and get you the book!

And now, let’s get back on track with our Perfect Picture Book of the week.

OLD TRACKS, NEW TRICKS

Written and illustrated by Jessica Petersen

Publisher: The Innovation Press (2017)

Ages: Preschool – Grade 3

Themes:

Trains, imagination, working together

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

Wooden train tracks Trixie, Tracky, and Tinker are thrilled to finally join a train set of their own. Unfortunately, their excitement derails when they discover things at their new home are not what they expected. Bossy wooden trains blare orders, and the old tracks snore on the floor. But with a little creativity, the three new tracks work together to prove that you really can teach old tracks — and trains! — new tricks.

With rhyming text and clever word play, Old Tracks, New Tricks is sure to entertain parents and children of all ages, from train-obsessed toddlers to school-age kids looking for new ways to play with their old favorite toys. Full directions for each fun “trick” from the story can be found at the back of the book to inspire hours of creative train play.

Why I like this book:

Visually stimulating, this book encourages creativity, inspires imagination, and creates many moments of working together.
I’m a big fan of repurpose and recycle…I know many parents relegate the train sets to the back of the closet when kids lose interest in them…this book is your best reason to pull them out again.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

Make A Ride On Train

Photo courtesty: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/trains-craftsideasactivitieskids.html

Wow…can you imagine how much fun your child will have with this.

You will need: Cardboard boxes, paper plates, empty oatmeal box, glue, scissors, markers…optional: tempura paint, construction paper/newspaper/gift wrap.

Cut the boxes as show in the picture or as you desire.
Cover with some type of paper (newsprint, giftwrap, construction paper) or paint or let your child color with markers or crayons.
Decorate the paper plate wheels and attach with glue (or stapler).
Cover oatmeal box with construction paper and attach to front top of train.
Cut front grill from paper, decorate, and attach.
With only a few cents of materials, you and your child will have a ball.
If you don’t have boxes large enough for your child to sit in, make a train from shoeboxes or cereal boxes, attach a string, and you’ll have a pull-toy.

For more train crafts: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/trains-craftsideasactivitieskids.html

Jessica’s book include many creative ideas also.

So cool, right? Who would’ve thought! If you’d like to throw your conductor’s cap in the ring, leave a comment here and/or on tomorrow’s Will Write for Cookies post. Author Jessica Petersen is giving away a super prize package: a signed copy of Old Tracks, New Tricks plus a wooden track decorated as one of the characters in the book plus a sheet of decals so the child can decorate his own tracks (or anything else…like walls, baby sisters, etc.).

Have a wonderful weekend…and don’t forget to come back tomorrow to hear all about the all aboard moment that set Jessica on the right track to create this wonderful book.

And to join in more picture book review fun, please hop over to Susanna Leonard Hill’s website for more Perfect Picture Book Friday posts.