Tag Archives: children

Picture Perfect Book Friday: Frizzy the Fearful

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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 usually pick books that I have recommended in Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking.  If you click on the link, you will visit the wonderful blog of Kimberley Moran’s First in Maine.  This former preschool teacher did a lovely review of my book yesterday. 

I know it’s hard to think about the gift-giving holidays of winter when we are just entering these scarlet and gold days of autumn…but Christmas and Hanukkah and Kwanza will be here before we know it.  If you are needing a great gift for a teacher, parent or grandparent of young kids, a daycare provider or anyone who loves reading, crafting and cooking with children…or anyone who might be a little hesitant about doing activities with kids, please direct them to my website.  They can grab a copy of this award-winning resource that makes planning fun-filled educational self-esteem building activities a snap…and we are offering FREE SHIPPING and a small BONUS gift for the next 30 days!  THIS IS A GIFT THAT REQUIRES NO BATTERIES…IT’S POWERED BY A CHILD’S IMAGINATION AND A PARENT’S POSITIVE PARTICIPATION!

Young children are often beset with many different fears: fear of the dark and going to sleep, fear of monsters, fear of separation and getting lost, fear of new experiences and new places and fear of illness and death. 

Do you have a young child who is afraid of something? 

Is that fear keeping him or her from joining activities or socializing? 

Sitting down and talking to your child is a good step to take to try to help your child overcome that fear.  But sometimes it’s hard to start a conversation about difficult topics.  That’s why picture books are so valuable because they set the stage for a relaxed discussion about almost anything. 

For this situation,a wonderful choice would be Frizzy The Fearful by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat.  This little tiger is afraid of EVERYTHING, but with the help of his friends and mother, he learns that he can cope with those fears.

 

Frizzy the Fearful

Written by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat

Illustrated by John Wollner

Publisher: Holiday House (1983)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes:

Acknowledging and overcoming fears, helping others, self-esteem, friendship

Synopsis:  

Poor little Frizzy Tiger!  He is afraid of almost everything…high places and low places, the dark, loud noises and pits in fruit.  He avoids going places with his friends and misses out on many fun-filled activities because he doesn’t want anyone to know how frightened he is.  When he climbs a tree to help a friend, even though he is terrified, Frizzy realizes that everyone has fears, and he begins to feel a little better about his own situation.

Why do I like this book: 

Children love to hear about others who have experiences and feelings similar to their own.  This is a wonderful book to share with any child, but especially one who has some fears…Frizzy Tiger has so many.  Young kids will be able to relate to the little tiger and will cheer him on, hopefully acknowledging and perhaps overcoming their own fears as they do so.  The illustrations keep pace with the text and will help a young listener identify with the many situations that frighten Frizzy.  During the story or afterwards, the adult reader will have a great opportunity to listen with respect to what the child has to say.  Perhaps sharing an experience from your own childhood will also help the child understand that everyone has fears.

Related Activities:

A BADGE OF COURAGE

Here’s a quick and easy craft project that any young child would love to make.  Perhaps your child has been to the dentist and was very brave in the chair…or maybe she finished her first week of nursery school and even though she was hesitant at first, she has made the adjustment and is enjoying her day there.  Pin this badge on to affirm his willingness to overcome his fears and his acceptance of life’s challenges.

 Education.com has instructions for a bravery badge: http://www.education.com/activity/article/bravery-badge/

You will need: Construction paper, aluminum foil, glue stick, ribbon, scissors, crayons or markers and one safety pin.

1.      Cut out 3 circles of different sizes.

2.      Glue the circles, one on top of the other.

3.      Glue the ribbon on the back.

4.      Write the child’s name on the smallest circle. 

5.      Cut out small stars from aluminum foil or draw stars or use gummed star

stickers.

Cooking with kids is another great way to extend the learning experience that starts with reading the book.

Here’s a simple fruit salad that is a nutritious snack or lunch.  We all know how important it is to encourage young children to eat healthy foods.  We need to make every meal count…especially snacks!

CHILD-FRIENDLY PIT-LESS FRUIT SALAD

 

You will need: 1 banana, a small bunch of seedless grapes, 1 pear, 1 navel orange and a few leaes of lettuce to use as the base.  You can substitute any fruits your child enjoys…just try to add one or two new ones that he can try.

1.      Wash all the fruit and lettuce and put the lettuce leaves in the bowls.

2.      Slice the apple and pear and arrange on the lettuce.

3.      Peel the orange, separate into sections and arrange on the plate.

4.      Peel the banana, slice and add to the arrangement.

5.      Cut each grape in half and add to the salad.

6.      Serves 2-3 as a main dish (add some grilled chicken strips or cheese cubes for protein).   Serves 4-6 as a side salad or snack (add a couple of whole grain crackers).

 

The Show-Me-How School Initiative is still looking for A FEW GOOD SCHOOLS.  Please leave a comment on this post, telling which school or other child-care facility you would like to nominate to receive a free copy of Show Me How!

 

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.

And please don’t forget to visit my website for a chance to get a copy of Show Me How!…FREE SHIPPING AND A FREE BONUS GIFT FOR THE NEXT 30 DAYS!!!

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Random Acts of Publicity: Annie’s Special Day

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Darcy Pattison is hosting an amazing blog event: Random Acts of Publicity

The main idea is to spread the word about a book that you think is worth talking about….as long as it is not your own book!!!!

In addition, I just realized that Perfect Picture Book Friday starts up again this week…Hurray!  So, since I am in New Hampshire and don’t have my own computer or the time availability to post another story review (my four-year old grandson feels it is more important for me to be reading the stories to him, as opposed to reviewing them), I’m going to have this wonderful picture book do double duty.

I’m thrilled to share a debut picture book by fellow 12x12er and Perfect Picture Book Friday participant…Clara Bowman-Jahn.

Annie’s Special Day

Written by Clara Bowman-Jahn

Illustrated by Claudia Wolfe

Age: 4-8

Themes: Time/Clocks, Birthdays

Synopsis:  A little girl celebrates her birthday with an adventure every hour. It is a basic concept book about time and clocks.  We learn what Annie does throughout the 24 hours of her birthday.

Why I like this book: The main character is an enthusiastic little girl with a positive attitude towards life.   The wonderful illustrations help bring her character to life.  Young children are fascinated with clocks…and learning about time (and time-management) is a skill kids need to master.

Activities/Resources

Make a construction paper clock and use a metal paper fastener to attach the hands so that the child can change the time.

Annie’s Special Day is published through eTreasures Publishing.   I hope you will check it out.

I’ll be flying to New Hampshire tomorrow morning…and spending the next couple of days reading, crafting and cooking with my four-year old grandson…my daughter says he has been marking off the days on the calendar and can hardly wait till I get there…neither can I!!  I think I will download a copy of Annie’s Special Dayso that I can read it to him…maybe we will make one of those clocks out of construction paper.

Show Me How is in the News!

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THE SUMMER IS MORE THAN HALFWAY OVER!

IT’S HARD TO BELIEVE…KIDS ARE OUT BUYING NEW SCHOOL SUPPLIES….AND TEACHERS ARE GEARING UP FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR.

This post is a summary of some of the projects I have underway and some of the events that have been taking place recently, here in Colorado.

WE’VE BEEN POUNDED BY TRAGEDY…FIRST THE WALDO CANYON FIRES RIGHT HERE IN COLORADO SPRINGS (AND VARIOUS OTHER WILDFIRES IN THE REST OF THE STATE) AND JUST LAST WEEK, THE AURORA THEATER MASSACRE, WHERE TWELVE PEOPLE LOST THEIR LIVES AND DOZENS OF OTHERS WERE SERIOUSLY INJURED.

MANY ASK…HOW CAN WE STOP THIS TYPE OF SENSELESS VIOLENCE?

UNFORTUNATELY, I DON’T THINK THERE IS AN ANSWER…NOT UNTIL EVERY PERSON’S HEART IS FILLED WITH LOVE FOR OTHERS.

WHAT WE CAN DO IS PRAY FOR THOSE WHO HAVE BEEN IMPACTED.  WE ARE ALL ONE FAMILY.  WE CAN REACH OUT TO EACH OTHER WITH LOVE AND COMPASSION BECAUSE, IN THE FACE OF TRAGEDY, LOVE IS WHAT HEALS.

WE CAN ALSO TRY TO MAKE OUR OWN LITTLE WORLD A BETTER PLACE.

SOMEONE WHO DOES THAT VERY WELL IS picture book author, SUSANNA LEONARD HILL.

DURING THE SCHOOL YEAR, SHE HOSTS A PERFECT PICTURE BOOK FRIDAY  WHERE SHE INVITES OTHERS TO LINK UP WITH A PICTURE BOOK REVIEW AND RELATED ACTIVITIES AND RESOURCES.

FOR THE SUMMER, SHE HAS COME UP WITH A WHOLE NEW CHALLENGE: SUMMER SHORT AND SWEETS.

DO YOU LIKE TO WRITE?  ARE YOU AN ASPIRING AUTHOR?

JOIN SUSANNA AND FRIENDS FOR THIS CREATIVE WRITING EXERCISE.

I hope you will check out this fun-filled writing exercise!  Here is my entry for week #3:

I am Castle.
Gray as weathered stone in a cloud-filled twilight.
With tall turreted towers.
Decaying.
Crumbling.
Adjacent to an ancient herb garden where quartz paving stones glisten in the moonlight.
Guarding a hidden secret.
Protecting a forgotten treasure.
Waiting for eventual discovery.
Like a tightrope walker holding his breath.
I am Castle.

Another project for me this summer was to submit a picture book to Rate Your Story.  This amazing website is hosted by several children’s authors, illustrators and editors.  They provide professional manuscript critiques and other services…but will look over your story for FREE and rate it from “1”…great story, you should consider submitting…to “10”…consider this story as practice and write another one.  In addition, some of the judges may even give your story some constructive suggestions to help make it better.

A couple of weeks ago, I submitted, “The Boots of Dylan McGee”.  This is a rhyming picture book that tells the story of a little boy who wants to be a cowboy and loves his boots so much that he never wants to take them off. 

Here’s the first verse:

Dylan McGee was a cowboy-in-training.

Boots were his garb, whether sunshine or raining.

“It’s time to go nighty-night”, Momma would say.

But take off his boots?  Nada, nix, no and nay!

 When his boots begin to hurt his feet because they are too small, “he tried to remove them but couldn’t succeed…those boots wouldn’t budge ‘cause he’d grown like a weed.”

Early this week, I got the reply back…”The Boots of Dylan McGee” scored a “3”… which means: good story, get a critique or two and polish before submitting.  I was really excited because the judge gave me three awesome suggestions which I am working on implementing to make the story better and ready to put out there in publishing-land.

I’m also continuing in Julie Hedlund’s 12×12 in 2012 Picture Book Writing Challenge.

I’ve been having so much fun since January…writing a picture book draft each month.  Thanks to Julie and the encouraging group of more than FOUR HUNDRED participants, I now have seven picture book drafts waiting to be revised and polished and revised and polished and revised and polished some more.  July’s picture book draft is completed!

Another project for me is to de-clutter my garage. 

 

As the comic strip character, Cathy, would say, “AACK!!!!!!”

I know that clutter is a problem for many of us.  Objectively, I understand that clutter creates stress.  Subjectively, it is difficult to decide what to keep and what to toss.

But I have done a little work on this and plan to do more every weekend until I am done.

As Nancy at Spirit Lights the Way would say, “Aaaah, that’s better.

And now I’d like to share some lovely news.

Lovely news #1: Last week, I got an email from WordPress notifying me that I had reached a milepost in “likes”…1000 of them.

For that I have to thank all of you, my readers!  Sometimes it’s difficult to find the time to write, especially because I love to read and comment on everyone else’s posts.  I’m thrilled to have connected with so many people all over the world…what an exciting journey this has been!

Lovely news #2: I just got word from TaRhonda Thomas, Emmy-winning anchor for the 9News Morning Show in Denver.  She will be interviewing me on August 27th and we will be discussing an extremely timely topic for the opening of the new school year…how parents can detect the subtle signs of bullying.  I’ll share more details in future posts.

Lovely news #3: Diane Kress Hower over at bookwisdombydiane did an amazing review of Show Me How! and also one of Cindy Moo.  She has a spot on the local NBC affiliate KKCO TV 11 News morning show where she spotlights children’s books.  On Tuesday morning, she talked about the importance of self-esteem and how those two books were wonderful resources for parents and teachers.  Diane is offering a copy of each of the books as a giveaway on her website…you just need to leave her a comment.

Lovely news #4:  My daughter and her family will definitely be moving to Colorado Springs within the year…I can’t wait to be able to spend more time with my grandson!