PPBF: The Hole Story of the Doughnut PLUS GIVEAWAY

Posted on May 20, 2016 by viviankirkfield

The third Perfect Picture Book Friday of every month is pretty special. Many times, I feature one of the books by our Will Write for Cookies author. Tomorrow we will be welcoming the lovely Pat Miller…so today, I’m turning the spotlight on her latest book which launched THIS MONTH!!! And GUESS WHAT??? One lucky person will WIN THEIR VERY OWN COPY!!! Just leave a comment on this post telling me what other topic you’d love to see a nonfiction picture book written about. What would kids love to read about? Pat certainly picked a great subject that would appeal to all children and adults!

The Hole Story of the Doughnut

Written by Pat Miller

Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch

Publisher: HMH (2016)

Ages: 6-9

Themes: Doughnuts, American history, ingenuity

Synopsis:

From Amazon:

“In 1843, fourteen-year-old Hanson Gregory left his family home in Rockport, Maine, and set sail as a cabin boy on the schooner Achorn, looking for high-stakes adventure on the high seas. Little did he know that a boatload of hungry sailors, coupled with his knack for creative problem-solving, would yield one of the world’s most prized and beloved pastries.

Lively and inventive cut-paper illustrations add a taste of whimsy to this sweet, fact-filled story that includes an extensive bibliography, author’s note, and timeline.

Opening Lines:

“Few remember the master mariner Hanson Crockett Gregory, though he was bold and bright.

But the pastry he invented more than 166 years ago is eaten daily by doughnut lovers everywhere.

This is his story.”

Why I like this book:

The story is about a fascinating piece of history and the author deftly draws in both reader and listener. I couldn’t put it down!
The illustrations are full of fun and very kid-friendly.
Great read-aloud…the recommendation says for ages 6-9, but younger kids would love it also!
Parents and teachers can use this story as a springboard for discussion about creativity and how people come up with new ideas.

Related Activies:

Make Doughnuts

Photo courtesy: http://allrecipes.com

Click here for detailed instructions – Thank you to Stephy for a super easy recipe that kids would love to help with…just make sure the little ones are nowhere around when you are deep frying.

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.

Please share this giveaway post on Facebook, Twitter, or other social media channels. And DON’T FORGET TO LEAVE A COMMENT TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY! Just tell us what topic you think would make a great nonfiction picture book!

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend, dear friends and readers. And make sure you come back tomorrow.

WILL WRITE FOR COOKIES

WITH

PAT MILLER

Who Else Wants Less Clutter? Plus a Giveaway!

Posted on January 4, 2016 by viviankirkfield

Hodgepodge! Jumble! Chaos! Muddle! Holy Mess!

There are many words to describe clutter—but it all boils down to one thing: a state or condition of confusion. And that is what most of us should be trying to avoid. Life is stressful enough without adding more, right? Yet even though studies show that clutter contributes to stress, many people live with it.

Do you have more than one ‘junk’ drawer in your home?
Is your email inbox clogged with messages you don’t even open?
When you open your closets, does stuff fall out on you?
If unexpected company comes, do you rush around, clearing books, papers, and other items?
Have you had a late fee from an unpaid bill because it got lost in the mess on your desk?

If you answered YES to any one of these questions, it may be time to take control. If you are a parent, organization is especially important – those last minute searches for missing homework or a lost shoe are no fun at all!

This is my plan:

Get a big shopping bag for each room…clear off every counter/desk/shelf/chair of anything that doesn’t belong. Ahhh…now that looks much better. When I have time, I can go through each bag and decide whether the items should be stored, given away, or thrown away.
Use a letter file holder to keep bills and important mail…if possible, set up auto-pay.
Set aside 15-30 minutes every day to go through one drawer or one closet or one cabinet and divide the contents into three piles: keep, give away, throw away. If you are a fan of Craig’s List or garage/yard sales, you can have a fourth pile…you might even make some money!
Do the same thing with my emails—15-30 minutes every day to delete and unsubscribe from unwanted spam.

Are you ready?

It’s really as simple as 1, 2, 3.

CLEAR
CLEAN
ORGANIZE

I’ve got a busy year ahead of me, so it’s really important that Continue reading →

Hither, Thither and Yon Save Christmas – A Holiday Contest Story

Posted on December 8, 2014 by viviankirkfield

My grandson spent the weekend with his mom at the North Pole, riding the Polar Express and meeting Santa. Tuesday, we’ll be putting up the tree and getting ready for a welcome visit from my son and his family who are flying in from Chicago to spend a few days with us for Christmas.

I hope all of you are able to get into the spirit of the season…no matter whether you celebrate one of the winter holidays or not. Our backyard is a snow-covered wonderland – there is a special hush that falls in the woods when there is snow on the ground.

Today I have a special treat for you – well, I hope it will be a treat. My friend, children’s author Susanna Leonard Hill, is holding her famous annual Holiday Contest. All week, writers can post a holiday story for children on their blog and link it to her post or they can add their story to the comment section if they don’t have a blog of their own.

Rule rundown: 350 words or less, kid-friendly (for children under 12), story must include some weather event that impacts the holiday.

At the end of the week, Susanna and her assistants will pick some of the stories and put up a poll where you can go and vote for the one you think is the best. There are great prizes…the quality of the stories is incredible…I hope if you are not participating, you will visit some of the blogs and read the entries.

My story is about three musicians, Hither (a mouse who plays acoustic guitar), Thither (a jazz-funk drumming toad) and Yon (a swan who plays classical violin). When a tornado rips through the town of Delight, will their music be able to soothe the savage storm?

Photo courtesy: http://www.weatherwizkids.com/weather-tornado.htm (This is a GREAT science site for parents, teachers and kids!)

Hither, Thither and Yon Save Christmas – (303 words)

Have you heard about Hither and Thither and Yon,

a mouse and a toad and an elegant swan,

who battle with music one dark Christmas night

in the midst of a storm in the town of Delight?

Hither and Thither love Club Razzmatazz

and evenings of improvisational jazz.

Guitar on his shoulder, and drums at her hips,

they be-bop along with a song on their lips.

And Yon, he is headed the opposite way.

His violin sings at the Swan Lake ballet.

Each night the whole audience rise to their feet.

“Encore!” they all clamor. “Please maestro, repeat!”

The wind whips and whistles – a dust-cloud appears.

It whirls and it swirls and it deafens the ears.

And Hither and Thither turn up the wrong street.

They enter the ballet with toe-tapping feet.

Around the next corner at Club Razzmatazz

the jazz band is missing some guitar pizzazz.

Again the wind howls and rumbles and roars

and Yon and his fiddle explode through the doors.

As Hither plays jazz funk and Thither, the blues,

the dancers don taps on their soft ballet shoes.

At Club Razzmatazz, things are going quite well

as Yon and the band are beginning to jell.

But outside the spiral of wind picks up steam,

rip stripping the roofs – “Help!” the dancers all scream.

The storm is a monster – a villain – a beast

gobbling gaily wrapped gifts like a fine Christmas feast.

But Hither’s guitar strums a soft lullaby,

and Thither’s drum whisks with a hush and a sigh,

and answering back is Yon’s sweet violin.

Soon the twister starts losing its devilish spin.

The town has been rescued, and Christmas is saved,

and good boys and girls who all year have behaved

get tickets to Hither and Thither and Yon,

now appearing on Broadway in “MOUSE, TOAD AND SWAN.

The End

Ta-Da! I hope you enjoyed that.

And I hope you sign up for my newsletter so I can send you the Anti-Bullying Toolkit Guide for Kids: http://eepurl.com/8pglH. Everyone who subscribes will be entered into a raffle for a copy of my parent-teacher resource book, Show Me How! The winner will be announced in the first blog post of the year.

Stay warm! Eat chocolate! Read books!