Tag Archives: Book review

PPBF: Cat Tale….A Lesson in Group Dynamics and Word Power

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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.

I do have four (!!!!) things to share with you before we reveal the Perfect Picture Book Friday pick.

  1. Show Me How! has been endorsed by the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  Studies show that kids with special needs often struggle with self-esteem issues and JDRF feels the book is especially helpful to families who are dealing with juvenile diabetes or children with other special needs.  The book will appear on their newly launched book review page from now until April: http://www.jdrf.org/index.cfm?page_id=101074   I’m donating 20% to JDRF for any books people buy when they click through to my website from the JDRF page.
  2. If you haven’t already signed up for Tara Lazar’s PiBoIdMo 2012, hurry over and DO IT!  I’m planning on using the wonderful journal Susanna sent me for participating in Summer Short and Sweets…it will be PERFECT for those 30 picture book ideas that are already swirling around in my head!
  3. Monday, October 29, at 7pm EST, the wife of Governor O’Malley of Maryland will be talking about bullying on a Google+ HOA (Hangout on Air).  I may be joining the discussion.  I will definitely know by Sunday…so if it works out, I will include that information in my Sunday post.
  4. Susanna Leonard Hill has a wonderful Halloweensie writing contest going on right now…you still have plenty of time to participate…entries are due by Wednesday, October 31.

And now…because you have been so patient…perhaps I should offer goodies like Susanna does…here is the last PPBF for October.

Our Perfect Picture Book Friday choice is Cat Tale…in honor of  National Bullying Prevention Month.

Written and illustrated by Michael Hall

Publisher: Greenwillow Books (2012)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes:

Communication (using words), friendship, group dynamics

First lines:

“From word to word, they find their way, Lillian, Tilly and William J.

They pack some books and kitty chews, they choose a spot, they spot some ewes.”

Synopsis:

Using words, the three intrepid cats go from adventure to adventure…always sticking together.

Why do I like this book:

BOLD ILLUSTRATIONS WITH THE COLORS BURSTING FROM THE PAGES.

THE SMOOTH SING-SONG RHYME…THE PLAY ON WORDS AND PLAY WITH WORDS.

Experts recommend that kids use group dynamics and words to combat bullies (in addition to telling an adult right away).  Michael Hall’s three cats show us how using words and sticking together can get one past many obstacles.

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

Kids love to do arts and crafts!  Michael Hall used cut paper for his illustrations.  Using cut paper, kids can do amazing projects.

Here’s a cut paper “quilt” that would make a wonderful wall or door decoration for Halloween.  All you need is a large piece of poster board and several sheets of appropriately colored construction paper.  Trace various ‘Halloween” themed characters, cut them out and paste onto the poster board.  You can make the project more simple by using a single piece of construction paper and doing just one character.

Here’s a project that will be easy for the youngest child.  You will need several sheets of contruction paper in “Halloween” colors, paste and scissors.  Trace the child’s handprint several times on each sheet and cut out.  Paste them together to form a wreath shape and hang up on door or wall.  To make the wreath more sturdy, use a piece of poster board or cardboard as backing.

Both of these crafts are from: http://www.dltk-holidays.com/halloween/halloween_crafts_other.htm

More wonderful paper crafts here: http://www.marthastewart.com/274940/kids-paper-crafts/@center/276975/marthas-crafts-kids

And more amazing paper crafts here: http://www.origami-resource-center.com/kirigami-for-kids.html

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.   This is an unbelievable resource for any parent, teacher or children’s librarian.

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PPBF: Fancy Nancy and the Mean Girl…Dealing with Bullies

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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.

Before we get to our picture book review and craft activity, I want to share some things with you.

  • I offered to send a Halloween Prize Package to one of the people who visited and ‘liked’ the new FB page for Show Me How!  Fifty names were entered in the Random.org drawing…and today I mailed out the Halloween cupcake set and a Halloween board book to Annie in Thornton, CO.  She has two little boys so I know she will enjoy the prize with them.  Thanks to everyone who participated!
  • It’s always a joy to get book orders from libraries because it means that hundreds of people will be able to use the book…I just received an order for two copies from the United Library Service in CALGARY, ALBERTA…yes, that’s right…CANADA!
  • We’ve decided to extend the FREE SHIPPING for anyone who orders my book throughout the holiday season!
  • Thursday morning I had two school presentations at Steele Elementary in Colorado Springs.  We read “Yes We Can” by Sam McBratney…a great picture book that addresses teasing and bullying.  The kids loved the story…even more, they loved talking about what they like to do with their friends (play, share, be kind, say I’m sorry if you hurt their feelings)…and what friends shouldn’t do to each other (don’t hit, don’t kick, don’t tease, don’t laugh at, don’t be mean).

After the story, each child made their own book of friendship.

Our challenge, as educators and as parents, is to find a way to keep alive the enthusiasm for learning that young children embrace naturally.

Our Perfect Picture Book Friday choice is a story that addresses bullying and teasing…in honor of National Bullying Prevention Month.

Written by Jane O’Connor

Illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser

Publisher: Harper Collins (2011)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes:

Believing in yourself, courage, determination, bullying, teasing, communication, friendship

Synopsis:

Fancy Nancy has a relay race coming up…she remembers that last year her team lost because she was so slow and she was made to feel badly by one of her teammates.  Nancy pretends to have injured her foot so that she won’t have to run in the race, but her father notices that she limps on her left foot sometimes, and her right foot at other times.  When her father speaks with her, Nancy confesses the problem and has a long talk with him.  On the day of the race, Nancy confronts the ‘mean’ girl and tells her that although she is a great runner, she is not a good sport.  Does this show of courage help Nancy win the race?  You’ll have to read the book to find out!

Why do I like this book:

I opened this book prepared to NOT like it.  Although it is considered a picture book, it is also a ‘first reader’ type of book.  I had been turned off by the ‘hype’ of ‘Fancy Nancy’ and all of the assorted merchandising products out there.

As I read the book, the frequent definitions of ‘big’ words bothered me at first.  There is also a page at the back of the book with the same definitions.  But then I put myself in the place of a child…and I loved the book…and the definitions seemed to fit.

The messages of the story are fantastic…believe in yourself, communicate with your family when you have a problem, confront bullies with words and let them know how they are making you feel.  Children deal with real-life situations like this one every day…this would be a great story to read to your child…or for a teacher to read to a class.

The illustrations also convey the message of the story and help move it forward to a satisfactory conclusion.  The expressions on the girls’ faces are perfect!

RELATED ACTIVITIES:

A Storybook of Friends

Kids love to make their own books.

You will need: 1 piece of colored construction paper for the cover, 2 sheets of copy paper for the inside pages, crayons or markers and a stapler.

  1. Fold the pages in half with the construction paper sheet on the outside as the cover.
  2. Staple them so they will not fall out but can still turn.
  3. Let the child draw on the front cover and write the title of the book. (During my presentation, some of the kids decorated the back cover as well, telling me that the back of books had pictures and words also.)
  4. Encourage the child to draw a picture on each page, showing the child with his or her friends, playing, sharing, helping, listening.

Talk about teamwork and how each person on the team contributes their best.

Plan a playdate or sleepover for a couple of your child’s classmates.  This is especially important if your child is in a new school or community and is feeling out of place.

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.   This is an unbelievable resource for any parent, teacher or children’s librarian.

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Save The Bookstores Day…Indian Two Feet and His Horse Book Review

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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. 

Did you know that June 16th is Save The Bookstores Day?  Mega-stores like Walmart are putting bookstores out of business and bookstores in small towns and big cities continue to close.  Tara Lazar has a great post about this: http://taralazar.wordpress.com/2012/06/04/support-save-the-bookstores-day-on-june-16th/ and I hope everyone will spread the word about this event.  I’ll be stopping and shopping in at one of our local Indie bookstores here in Colorado Springs, Poor Richards.  What will you be doing?

As a child, I was fascinated with books and I would have been happy to live in a bookstore.  One day that almost happened!  My mom needed to buy a junior high school graduation dress for my older sister.  We went to Abraham and Straus, a big New York City department store and my mother left me in the book department which covered the entire eighth floor.  Floor to ceiling bookshelves lined the rooms and tables filled with books crowded the space so there was little room to walk.  Finding a little kneehole desk amidst the book strewn tables, I took a copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (one of my favorites), crawled into the space under the desk and proceeded to read the entire book from cover to cover. 

Like many of you, when I am reading, I become one with the book and get lost in the story between the pages.  So engrossed was I that I never heard my mom and sister calling for me a couple of hours later.  It wasn’t until I turned the last page and stood up that I saw the store security guards, police and my mom and sister, frantically searching for me.  They had been looking for an hour.  You can read more about that day in a blog post I did last year.  You’ll get a bonus if you go there because I was doing picture book reviews back them and you will find a review of Don’t Worry, I’ll Find You by Anna Grossnickel Hines as well as some great tips for Shopping with Kids.  With summer just around the corner and kids tagging along when parents are shopping, those tips might come in handy!

Today’s classic picture book pick is about as far away in time and place from the above book as you can get…but with a similar theme…listening to our parents and following their instructions.

 

 Indian Two Feet and His Horse

Written by Margaret Friskey

Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats

Publisher: Children’s Press (1959)

Ages: 3 – 8

Themes:

Books for boys, goal setting, problem solving, responsibility, self-reliance, family, diversity, maturation

Opening:

“There was a little Indian.  He wished he had a horse.  But he did not have a horse.  He had to walk, walk, walk.”

Synopsis:  

Little Two Feet wishes he had a horse.  He can sing and dance and draw and swing across the river from a tree.  But he can’t ride a horse because he doesn’t own one.  His father suggests he go and look for one and little Two Feet decides to look in places he would go if he were a horse.  In the end, a horse finds the boy and they develop a friendship based on mutual trust and caring.

Why do I like this book: 

The story text and message is simple enough for very young children to understand and enjoy, while older kids will identify with the boy who could master many tasks and skills, but dreamed of riding a horse of his own.

Ezra Jack Keats (Peter’s Chair, The Snowy Day, Whistle for Willy, etc.) is one of my favorites author/illustrators.  This book is one of his lesser known illustrating gems.

Related Activities:

Indian Headband Craft (from Cool Kids Crafts)

You will need: Construction paper, crayons or markers, scissors, glue or tape…real feathers, beads and string are optional.


How to Make an Indian Headband Craft

Step 1 Cut a strip of brown paper about 2 to 3 inches wide. Make it long enough so that when you bring both ends together it will sit on the child’s head comfortably.We used some craft scissors with a wavy design to cut ours just to give it a bit more flare.Tip: If you need it to be longer, just cut two strips and tape it together.

 

Step 2 Using your crayons or markers, decorate the outside of the strip (the side you will see once you tape both ends together).

 

Step 3 Bring both ends together to form the headband and tape or glue together.

 

Step 4 Cut out several feathers using colored construction paper. Cut small slits on both sides of your feathers leaving about 1/2″ in the middle uncut.

 

Step 5 Glue the feathers to the back of the headband.

 

Step 6 Optional:Cut out one more feather. Then glue some real feathers to the bottom of the feather (so that when you hang the feather upside down, the bottom becomes the top and the top becomes the bottom – see picture). Add a string of beads and glue this onto the feather.

 

Step 7 Glue this feather to the side of the headband and hang it upside down so that it will hang down when you wear the headband.


This Native American Indian headband craft is a fun kids Thanksgiving activity and has been a traditional craft for many during the holidays.   However, kids will enjoy making it at any time of the year.  In addition to this indian headband craft be sure to check out these Native American Indian coloring pages.

Talk about different animals people can take care of…which ones would make good pets?  Which ones would be difficult to keep in the city?  What are some of the responsibilities a pet-owner has?  What did little Two Feet do to be a good horse owner?

Official website of Ezra Jack Keats with tons of info and activities.

Lovely site that gives interesting background on Ezra Jack Keats and a number of activities here.

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.

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