Liebster Blog Award | VIVIAN KIRKFIELD

English: Wanda Gág (1893-1946), American autho...

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Today is Perfect Picture Book Friday where I link up with Susannah Leonard Hill’s fantastic group of writers who contribute a picture book review and related resources.

My selection today is another classic picture book…this one from 1928…the author/illustrator, Wanda Gag, won the 1929 Newbery Honor Book Award. According to Wikipedia, Ms. Gag pioneered the double page spread in this book. “She used both pages to move the story forward, putting them together with art that sweeps across the entire page spread.”

Millions of Cats is the oldest American picture book still in print!

Millions of Cats

Written and illustrated by Wanda Gag

Publishers: Coward McCann (1928 original edition), Penguin (more recent editions)

Ages: 2 – 8

Themes: Celebrating the uniqueness of each individual, caring for pets, companionship

Opening: “Once upon a time there was a very old man and a very old woman. They lived in a nice clean house which had flowers all around it, except where the door was. But they couldn’t be happy because they were so very lonely.”

Synopsis: A lonely old couple want a pretty little cat to keep them company. When the husband finds a hillside FILLED with cats, he has trouble picking the prettiest…and all of the cats follow him home. “Cats here, cats there, cats and kittens everywhere. Hundreds of cats, thousands of cats, millions and billions and trillions of cats.”

When the man and his wife leave it up to the cats to determine who is the prettiest, mayhem breaks out and the couple run into their house! Will the cats be able to choose who is the prettiest? Will the old couple get the cat that they want?

Why do I like this book:

The Rhyme!

The Rhythm!

The Illustrations!

The fact that this book is over EIGHTY years old and adults and children still love it and it is still in print! Kudos to Ms. Gag!

The Story! The results of the catfight are somewhat grisly…but the underdog (or should I say, undercat) wins out…through modesty and non-violence…definitely an important message for today’s world!

Related Activities:

New Hampshire Public TV has a kid-lit site where Caldecott Award winning books are read. You can hear Millions of Cats here: http://video.nhptv.org/video/1688016012/

Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-of-Days Almanac has a wonderful review of the book and additional information about Wanda Gag and her groundbreaking picture book work here: http://childrensbookalmanac.com/2010/12/millions-of-cats/

Scholastic has a page that provides some guidance for parents and teachers on how to use the book to encourage discussions about caring for others here: http://westonwoods.scholastic.com/products/westonwoods/study_guides/millions_of_cats.pdf

Last week I shared the Valentine Boat made from a shoebox. Plain brown paper bags also make very versatile (and inexpensive) craft projects for kids. I found this awesome cat made from a paper bag here: http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbagcat.htm Dltk-kids.com a wonderful resource for craft ideas.

You will need: Plain brown (or white) paper lunch-size bag, 2 pieces of construction paper (one should probably be black for the eyes and whiskers and the other can be pink…or any other color your child would prefer), glue, scissors, crayons or markers.

1. Cut from the black paper: 2 pupils for the eyes and 6 whiskers.

2. Cut from the other color paper: 2 eyes, oval stomach, nose, 2 triangles for ears, several small circles for the paws and a small triangle for the mouth.

3. Place the closed bag with the open end down and attach the eyes, nose, ears, mouth, paw pads and whiskers with glue.

4. Use marker or crayons to draw the line from the nose to the mouth and add other lines to make the bag more cat-like.

When dry, this cat-bag can be used as a puppet for role-playing or as a snack bag for a special book-reading picnic where Millions of Cats is read aloud!

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.

I also wanted to thank Catherine Johnson, one of my new kid-lit picture book writing blogging friends for giving me the Liebster Blog Award and the Kreativ Blogger Award…you can see what she’s up to at: http://catherinemjohnson.wordpress.com/2012/02/06/campaign-trails-and-blog-awards/

This award comes with instructions to pass it along to others:

Bern at Momto2Postlildivas: http://www.momto2poshlildivas.com/ for her Sunday Showcase link-up that provides parents and teachers with an unbelievable array of crafts for kids.

Barbara at Spanish for Kiddos: http://www.spanish4kiddos.com/

D at Spanish Pinay: http://spanishpinaynanay.blogspot.com

Danae Farias at Believing Unbeliever: http://www.danaefarias.com/

Heather at Saved by Love: http://www.heather-riggleman.com/

PiP at Piglet in Portugal: http://pigletinportugal.com/

I hope you will take a few minutes and visit these great bloggers…they all have important things to say…and they say them very well!

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The 84^th Academy Awards will be televised on Sunday, February 26^th at 7pm EST. If you are interested in a run-down of the nominees, you can go to the Official Site of the Academy Awards.

The Blogosphere has its own awards that one blogger can confer on another blogger. Among the many awards are the Versatile Blogger Award, the Stylish Blogger Award, the Kreativ Blogger Award and the Liebster Blog Award.

I was honored to receive the Liebster Blog Award yesterday from Patricia Tilton, an amazing woman who has been in love with writing for most of her life. Please visit her Children’s Books Heal blog to learn more about this special lady. I’ve connected with Pat in Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Picture Book Writing Challenge and in Susannah Leonard Hill’s Perfect Picture Book Fridays. If you love picture books and children, you will love all of these talented authors.

“Liebster is a German word, meaning dearest or beloved, but it can also mean favorite. The idea behind the Liebster Blog Award is that it is given to bloggers who have less than 200 followers in order to create new connections and bring attention to their wonderful blogs!”

In accepting this award, I must thank the giver, add the award to my blog, list five things about myself people don’t know and select five bloggers to whom I want to give the Liebster Blog Award.

Patricia…Thank you so much. I truly am grateful for the award…but connecting with you and the others who have motivated me to return to writing picture books is, in itself, the ultimate reward for me!

I’ve posted the award logo…so on to five things about me that most of you might not know.

Heights are not my favorite thing, but I went skydiving with my son last year in Chicago. I had a ball. You can click on the link to see the video.
Oceans and swimming are also not my favorite things, but I went on an undersea walk with a Jules Verne-type helmet on my head during a trip to the Caribbean. It was an amazing experience!
Decades ago, I almost failed the verbal part of my teachers’ license exam because of a panic attack…but I managed to collect myself and continue on, even though my hands were sweating, my knees were knocking and my teeth were chattering.
In addition to being a kindergarten and Head Start teacher before I had children, I also operated a home daycare for many years while my own children were growing up. At the same time, I helped my husband in his financial planning business and had to get licensed as a registered insurance and investment representative. Talk about juggling many hats!
When my children were small, I wrote several picture book drafts that lay languishing in boxes or were lost during our many moves. I’m thrilled to be back writing picture books…thank you, Julie and Susannah…and I keep a notebook and pen with me at all times (by the bed, in my handbag and yes, even in the bathroom) in case a brilliant thought comes upon me and I need to write it down before it returns to the universe from whence it came.

And now here are five wonderful bloggers who I’d like to give the Liebster Blog Award.

Barb at Plate Spinning 101

Amberr at Like a Bump on a Blog

Elizabeth at Mirth and Motivation

Nancy at Spirit Lights the Way

Milka at Perfecting Motherhood

I honestly don’t know how many followers each of these bloggers have already…but I know I enjoy reading their posts regularly…they make me laugh and cry…they teach me things I didn’t know and make me think…so please go and check them out!