Category Archives: Craft activities for kids

Perfect Picture Book Friday: HANUKKAH HIPPITY-HOP Plus Giveaway

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Happy Perfect Picture Book Friday, dear friends! We are slipping in a board book this week, but I know you won’t mind because HANUKKAH HIPPITY-HOP is so adorable – and perfect with Hanukkah right around the corner. And we missed celebrating author Barbara Kimmel’s book birthday because I had to step away from blogging for a while. But Barbara kindly stopped by to chat about the book…and she offering a GIVEAWAY…a copy of the book to one lucky winner (U.S. addresses only).

HANUKKAH HIPPITY-HOP

Written by Barbara Kimmel

Illustrated by Ana Zurita

Published by Kar Ben (October 1, 2024)

Ages: 1-4

Themes: Hanukkah,

Synopsis: From Amazon:
Get ready to celebrate―and get your wiggles out―by doing the Hanukkah Hippity-Hop! March like a Maccabee and stomp your feet, then shake like the jelly in a doughnut treat!

This festive and fun rhyming board book invites toddlers to stomp, shake, and spin as they learn about Hanukkah. This joyful book is a wonderful gift that’s sure to become a cherished holiday favorite for children—and their grown-ups!

Why I Love This Book:
1. Joyful rhyming text!
2. Joyful colorful illustrations!
4. Joyful interactive read-aloud!

Here’s some praise from Hornbook:
‘MARCH like a Maccabee—stomping your feet! / SHAKE like the jelly in a doughnut treat.’ This board book dances through the details of Hanukkah, urging young listeners to spin like a dreidel and jump like a latke in a pan. Bold illustrations feature a diverse group of kids (and one mischievous cat) hippity-hopping their holiday hearts out amid Hanukkah treats, decorations, and spinning dreidels. A jaunty introduction to Hanukkah activities for the toddler set.”— The Horn Book Magazine, HOLIDAY HIGH NOTES 2024

We’ll get to the craft activity in a minute, but first I want to welcome Barbara. She’s a member of the #JewishBoardBooks group and is always busy helping spread the word about the importance of board books!
ME: Welcome, Barbara!

BARBARA:
As a new writer, I participated in as many contests as possible to sharpen my skills and connect with the wonderful KidLit community. One of my favorites was your annual “50 Precious Words” challenge. To my surprise, my story placed 5th out of 770 entries the first year I entered, and the following year, I was stunned to place 4th. To stay under 50 words, I wrote short, interactive rhymes—something I had never tried before. Placing in these contests inspired me to keep writing in that format, and the recognition from you and your judges gave me the confidence to stick with my dream of writing for children. Thank you!

ME: WOW! Thank you, Barbara! #50PreciousWords has inspired many writers, I think. And I’m already making plans for the 2025 contest…gathering prizes and I’ll soon be contacting my fabulous judges! By the way, for those of you who want to get a head start…the heads-up post will be up on the blog early in February…and the contest will take place from 12:01am March 2 to 11:59pm March 3.

But back to Hanukkah Hippity-Hop…it’s the perfect gift for little ones who will hold this sturdy book in their hands and will be developing early literacy skills as they turn the pages and focus on the vibrant illustrations!
Please help beautiful books like this succeed…we can:
Buy the book
Review the book
Tell friends about the book (Please share this post on your social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection
And for more about the book and what Barbara is up to, please check out her website:https://barbarakimmelwrites.com/books/hanukkah-hippity-hop/

And here are a few fun crafts to keep the kiddos busy and engaged:

Photo: https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/kids-crafts-to-celebrate-hanukkah-4117938

Just hippity-hop over to https://www.thesprucecrafts.com/kids-crafts-to-celebrate-hanukkah-4117938 for dozens of cool Hanukkah crafts for children of all ages!

Thank you for spending your precious time with us…blogging is still a bit frustrating because I’ve been away a while and WordPress seems to have updated things…I wish they would just leave everything the way it was. It seems as if once I learn how to navigate it, they change something and there is a whole new learning curve. Does that happen to you?

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win a copy of this wonderful board book…and please share on your social media. I’m on Blue Sky now…are you?

Perfect Picture Book Friday: IF MY HAIR HAD A VOICE Plus Giveaway

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They say the grass is always greener. When I was growing up, I hated my hair. It was curly and frizzy…especially on humid days…and since I lived in New York City, that was almost every day! What I wanted was long straight hair, that flipped up at the end like Mary Tyler Moore in the Dick Van Dyke show. And I spent many hours with my hair in huge rollers, trying to achieve that. Fortunately, I eventually learned to embrace my hair – because it’s part of who I am. But whenever I hear about a book that focuses on hair, I always want to share it! And this book just launched May 28th!!

IF MY HAIR HAD A VOICE

Written by Dana Marie Miroballi

IIlustrated by Patricia Grannum

Publisher: Beaming Books (May 28, 2024)

Ages: 3-8

Themes: Self Esteem, African History, Hair

Synopsis: From Amazon:

“If your hair had a voice, it would sing of diversity and identity. It would tell you stories of our history.”
An ode to loving your hair and your culture, If My Hair Had a Voice follows a young Black girl as she grows from being disappointed in her natural hair to developing an amazed appreciation for the long history of Black hair. From blossoming floral motifs in celebration of spring to intricate braided codes for spreading revolutionary messages, she discovers that Black hair goes beyond simple adornment–it tells the story of a rich cultural history filled with diversity, resistance, artistry, and, of course, beauty. Backmatter explores the history of each hairstyle featured in the book.

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love books that are so relatable to ALL children – because no matter who you are or where you come from or how you look, you probably had a time in your life that you weren’t happy with something about yourself – and the child agency in this book is inspiring.
2. Well-written text and great pacing keep the child-reader engaged.
3. Glorious illustrations put us right in each setting.

ME: And guess what? It’s always a treat when one of a book’s creators stops by – and author Dana is here to share her inspiration for the story.

DANA: Inspiration: The story started as a poem I wrote in 2020 while reading about Madam C. J. Walker. In the early 1900s, she developed hair products for afro-textured hair and devised a grooming system that included straightening hair with a metal hot comb. I started reflecting on my experience of growing up straightening my hair and then embracing my natural hair in my late 20s.

Here’s a little bit about Dana and how to connect with her and find out more about her books:
 Dana Marie Miroballi is a teacher-turned speech-language pathologist writing books for young readers. She grew up in Germany, served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Uzbekistan, and now lives in Chicago with her husband and children. Dana is the author of If My Hair Had a Voice (Beaming Books) and Inventions to Count On (Abrams Appleseed, 2025).

Social Media
FB & Twitter: shesthebear   Instagram: noshesthebear

Purchase link: https://www.beamingbooks.com/store/product/9781506493602/If-My-Hair-Had-a-Voice

RELATED ACTIVITIES
Make a Haircut Buddy

Books like Dana’s can help kids learn to love themselves more! And doing one or more of these things can help books like Dana’s reach the kids who need to love themselves more. What can you do?
Buy the book
Review the book
Place the book on your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about the book (please share on your social media)
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Don’t forget to leave a comment for a chance to win the giveaway!
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Happy Book Birthday AND Perfect Picture Book Friday: JUST FLOWERS

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Sometimes a book comes along that is so inclusive, I want to HUG the author and illustrator! And guess what? This brand-new, just-launched-today book by author Erin Dealey and illustrator Kate Cosgrove is exactly that! Each page BURSTS with individuals who have long been marginalized…and they appear in the most natural and organic of ways – huge congratulations to the publisher, Sleeping Bear Press, for giving the world such a beautiful and much-needed book!

I hope you’ll join me in a rousing Happy Birthday to You for JUST FLOWERS!

JUST FLOWERS

Written by Erin Dealey

Illustrated by Kate Cosgrove

Published by Sleeping Bear Press

Ages: 4-8

Themes:

Synopsis from Amazon:
Izzy’s new neighbor is a bit of a grump–though they are both botanically inclined. When the neighbor discovers unwanted flowers–again and again–in his precious rose garden, he bids Izzy to take them away. Izzy does–and uses the blooms to brighten someone else’s day. Before long, the town is bursting with Izzy’s flowers. The grumpy neighbor doesn’t see the fuss. “They’re JUST FLOWERS!” he yells. “Just flowers” that brought joy and color to everyone in town. Can Izzy finally get that neighbor to accept the bloom of friendship? Back matter includes a seek-and-find and information on the flowers mentioned in the book.

Why I Love This Book:
1. I love stories that encourage children to have hope and share kindness.
2. I love stories that burst with inclusivity – important characters and characters in leadership roles have all types of disabilities – we see the principal has a prosthetic leg, a child in a wheelchair – and are of all nationalities and colors and genders.
3. I love stories that are filled with fabulous art – the illustrations are so joyful – even the grumpy old neighbor!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:
Flower Crafts for Kids

Photo courtesy: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/52654/21-flower-crafts-for-kids/

Check out this link for detailed instructions on 25 awesome flower craft activities for kids: https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/52654/21-flower-crafts-for-kids/

And please remember that the best way to help beautiful books become a success is to:
Buy them
Review them
Add them to your Goodreads Want to Read Shelf
Tell friends about them (please share this post on your social media
Ask your local library to purchase copies for their collection

Thank you all for spending your precious time with us. Speaking about precious…
we are still working our way through all 672 awesome contest submissions…not sure if another week will do it…but I’ll keep you posted.
Meanwhile, I spoke to Cassie at The Bookery bookstore in Manchester. She says she has about 70 books in the #50PreciousWords pile. Thank you to all who have purchased books! And I also have about 30 books that have been mailed to me by authors…plus about 50 books sent to me from publishers which I plan to add to the pile.

Of course, I’m hoping we are not done – please remember there are kids out there whose lives will change because of the books they read in their classroom or school library – and with the Literacy Initiative, we are helping to provide those books. If you participated in #50PreciousWords and haven’t ordered a book yet but are able to now, here is the bookstore online website: https://www.shopbookerymht.com/
And here is their phone number if you prefer to order with a person: (603) 836-6600
Maybe someone will order JUST FLOWERS! Or CHRISTMAS AHOY! Or DEAR EARTH: FROM YOUR FRIENDS IN ROOM 5 or some of Erin Dealey’s other fabulous books!

And here is a link to the latest PW issue that features a Q&A celebrating Women’s History Month – I think you’ll recognize at least one of the authors! I’m honored to join such an A-list group.

Have a wonderful weekend, dear friends. And remember the message of JUST FLOWERS! Please share beauty and kindness. The Universe needs to be fed positive energy – and that energy comes from us.