Picture Book Contest: No Birthday for My Brother

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I don’t usually post on Saturday…except when there is something special…which there is today!!

Susanna Leonard Hill is holding one of her FAMOUS picture book contests…the topic this time is a unique or unusual birthday celebration.  Please click on her link and visit…I know there will be lots of great entries!

 

Birthdays mean CAKE!

 

Birthdays mean opening presents!

 

Birthdays mean fun and games and balloons and friends!

In No Brother for My Birthday, a young girl doesn’t want her little brother to be at her birthday party because he is noisy and always in the way.  She finds a very ingenious way to dispose of him…but, almost as soon as he is gone, she begins to miss him.  Read on to find out what happens.  I hope you enjoy it!

 

No Brother for My Birthday

I’ve a brother, he’s a bother…told my mother and my father.

To my birthday he’s not coming.  He’s too noisy, keeps on drumming.

He can travel to Aunt Lizzy and to Uncle Elmo Frizzy.

So on Monday I got busy…worked so hard my head got dizzy.

Packed my brother in a big box…gave him cookies and his pet rocks.

Closed the edges, taped them tightly…glued the label, not so lightly.

Tuesday came and I felt sickly…to the mailbox I walked quickly.

Slid the package down the drop slot…goodbye noisy drumming marplot.

All day Wednesday, peace and quiet…no more noisy drumming riot.

Thursday dawns and I’ve decided…solitaire is too one-sided.

Friday night I’m sad and gloomy.  This big house is just too roomy.

One more day until my birthday…Saturday is NOT a mirth day.

Sunday noontime, guests arriving.  House is hopping, party’s thriving.

Friends are happy, eating, drinking.  I am sad, I can’t stop thinking.

Then I hear the doorbell ringing…mailman stands there, what’s he bringing?

There’s a big box, taped up tightly…with a label, glued not lightly.

Stamped in red I find a clue…return to sender, postage due!

Hear a rhythm, sounds like thrumming.  Could it be my brother drumming?

Rip the tape off, lift the corner…up pops brother like Jack Horner!

He’s the best gift of the lot, my noisy brother – drumming marplot.

 

 

 I had a lot of fun writing this story…although my husband is now questioning my morals because I’ve created a little girl who packs her brother in a box and mails him away.  Seriously though, I think kids will get a kick out of it…and will identify with the frustrations of the older sister who has to “put up with” her noisy drumming marplot of a brother, but then misses him so much she cannot enjoy her birthday party.  Oh yes, and I had to get out the dictionary to prove that “marplot” was a real word!

 I can’t wait to see all of the entries in this contest!

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Perfect Picture Book Friday: Goodbye Mousie

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Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susanna Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children. 

I just wanted to mention three important items:

1.      Do you let your kids watch TV?  Do you wonder how it affects them?  Check out a recent article: The Mom and Dad TV Debate at SheKnows.com…I contributed to the article: http://www.sheknows.com/parenting/articles/959777/is-your-child-watching-too-much-tv

2.      Are you concerned about the lack of physical activity in our kindergartens today?  Has the “block corner” all but disappeared in your child’s kindergarten…replaced by the “computer corner”?  Check out BLOCK PLAY on DivineCaroline.com…I contributed to that article as well: http://www.divinecaroline.com/22111/127731-technology-making-kids-depressed

3.      Congratulations again to the 20 libraries that will receive a copy of Show Me How!  With my son visiting for Mother’s Day weekend (yes, we had an AWESOME time…I’ll try to post some pics next week) and with preparing for a teacher-training program I am doing today for the staff of our local Boys and Girls Club at their annual Youth Development Conference (Building Self-Esteem…One Picture Book at a Time), I have not been able to pack the books and send them out yet.  My apologies…and I will endeavor to do so this weekend,

And now to our Perfect Picture Book Friday selection!

It is not easy to deal with death and loss.  Often, the first death a child experiences is the loss of a beloved pet.  Parents may be are unsure how to handle this type of situation and feel uncomfortable even talking about the subject. 

Here is a book that might help.

 

 Goodbye Mousie

Written by Robie Harris

Illustrated by Jan Ormerod

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry (2001)

Ages: 3 and up

Themes:

Grief/loss, family togetherness, pets

Opening:

“When I woke up this morning, I tickled Mousie’s tummy.  But Mousie didn’t wake up.”

Synopsis:  

Mousie is the little boy’s beloved pet.  When Mousie gets sick and dies, the little boy goes through the various stages of grief.  First he denies it…”Mousie is NOT dead!  He’s just very, very sleepy this morning.”  Eventually, with the help of his parents, the little boy accepts the death of his pet and comes to understand that it is ok to feel angry and sad.

Why do I like this book: 

I love this book because it takes a difficult subject and deals with it in a sensitive loving manner.  Young children need to understand that death is a normal part of life.  They also need to be allowed to grieve and be angry or sad when someone they love dies.  Often, parents try to shield children from the truth about such matters…or, when a pet dies, they brush it off as if it was unimportant…but this book gives parents a gentle and loving example of how it can be done with respect and sensitivity.

Related Activities:

Here are a few internet resources that might be of help to parents and teachers:

Death and Dying: Valdolsta State University

Talking to Children About Death: Hospice

Helping Your Child Deal with Death: KidsHealth

Children’s Books About Death

In the story, the little boy paints a shoebox that he will use to bury his beloved pet.

Children do love to paint…and fingerpainting so much fun.  The sensation of the cool thick paint sliding under their fingers can be very calming for many children.  And painting is a wonderful vehicle for expressing emotions.

 

You will need: Fingerpaint (can be bought at hobby shops and toy and department stores OR you can make an EDIBLE fingerpaint by stirring up some vanilla pudding – white/yellow – chocolate pudding – brown – strawberry pudding – pink.  The edible fingerpaint is fun for kids of all ages), fingerpaint paper (you can use a roll of inexpensive shelf paper instead), COVERUPS for children and work surfaces.

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

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PPBF: Mother’s Day Edition and Tribute to Maurice Sendak: David Gets in Trouble

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Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of picture book writers, illustrators, librarians and others who contribute a picture book review and related resources for parents, teachers and children.

Picture books have a special place in the hearts of many people…and there are a few authors whose names are instantly recognizable around the world.  Maurice Sendak was one of those…an author/illustrator extraodinaire…anyone reading his books (Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen, Outside Over There and many others) would be instantly aware that this man remembered what it feels like to be a child.  For more information about this gifted groundbreaking artist and writer: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/09/books/maurice-sendak-childrens-author-dies-at-83.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

My book choice today has a flavor reminiscent of the work of Mr. Sendak…it celebrates mothers (yes, Mother’s Day is only a few days away)…and shows what they have to deal with on a daily basis…the good, the bad and the ugly.

David Gets in Trouble
Written and illustrated by David Shannon
Publisher: Little Brown and Company (2000)
Ages: 4-8
Themes: Family, unconditional love, misbehavior/consequences, boys
Opening lines: ”When David gets in trouble, he always says, “No! It’s not my fault!”

Synopsis:
From an Amazon reviewer: “No and David were the first words David Shannon learned how to spell. Shannon’s Caldecott Honor Book No, David! is based on a book he made as a child showing a kid doing all the things he isn’t supposed to do. In the sequel David Goes to School, it turns out that teachers say no, too.
In this third picture book, it’s David’s turn to talk back. What does he say when he gets in trouble? “I didn’t mean to.” (Skateboarding into a lamp table.) “It was an accident!” (Hitting a baseball into a window.) “I forgot!” (Happily walking down the street… in his underpants.) “But Dad says it!” (Boy in corner with mouth full of soap.) Of course, the cat-tail-pulling, burping, grape-juice-dropping, runny-egg-hating, out-of-control David wins us over in the end. A defiant “No, it wasn’t me!” evolves into a guilt-ridden, late-at-night shout, “Yes! It was me! I’m sorry. I love you, Mom.”

Why I like this book:
Caldecott honor award winner David Shannon knows how kids feel…and children love hearing about the adventures…or misadventures…of little David. This is a wonderful book for moms as well…it is heartening to know that our own kids aren’t the only ones who test a parent’s patience! The message at the end of the book is a perfect Mother’s Day gift for every mom…”I’m sorry. I love you, Mom.”
Related Activities:
David’s mother used soap to wash out his mouth when he used inappropriate language, but you can utilize a bar of soap with your children in a much more enjoyable way.

Soap Boat
Make this super boat and customize with your child’s name. They will be begging you to take a bath!
Age:
3 and up
What you need
• Foam Paper
• Soap
• White craft glue
• Popsicle stick
• Letter Stickers

What you do
1. Un-wrap a single bar of soap.
2. Cut two triangle shapes out of the foam paper (one slightly bigger than the other)
3. Glue the triangle pieces to craft stick ( one in front the other in back)
4. Decorate the sail; we used a small star out of the foam paper in coordinating color.
5. Insert Popsicle stick into soap.
6. Name your boat with letter stickers.
7. Set sail.
The above instructions and picture came from the website of The Crafty Noodle.
For more soap bar projects, visit Artists Helping Children: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/barsofsoapcraftsideasdecorationskids.html
Video interview with David Shannon: http://www.readingrockets.org/books/interviews/shannon/

 

This post is part of a series for parents and teachers called Perfect Picture Book Fridays hosted by Susannah Leonard Hill.

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