PPBF: The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes

Posted on April 6, 2012 by viviankirkfield

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.

Some picture book points to remember:

Having picture books available for young children to look at and listen to is almost as important as having air to breathe and food to eat.
Set up a bookshelf for your child’s collection.
Books can be expensive…check out used book stores and consignment shops for discounted picture books.
The library is an amazing resource for children’s books. You can speak to the librarian about recommendations and story programs.
Read to your child every day.

This last reminder reminds me that we need to announce the WINNER of the March Positive Parental Participation Reading Challenge. Marcy, over at Orples, is a hands-on grandmother. We’ve connected through Jake’s Sunday Posts and she often writes about the activities she and her grandchildren do together. I know she will enjoy sharing a new picture book with them. Congratulations, Marcy!

National Library Week is April 8-14. To help celebrate, visit the library with your children at least one day next week if you can…and make it a habit to go often. Does your child have a library card yet? Find out how old your child has to be…if he doesn’t have one yet and is old enough, help celebrate National Library Week by signing him up.

A child’s library card is a passport for learning about the world.

Do you want your library to win one of the 25 copies of Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking (MoneyPenny Press, Ltd. 2010)?

Many libraries are very limited in what new materials they can buy for their collections because of reduced revenues. Another way to celebrate National Library Week is to nominate your library to win a copy of this great parent/child activity book? It’s easy! If you haven’t done it already, just leave a comment on this post, naming the library and telling why the people in your community would benefit from having the book available to them. At the end of the month, twenty-five libraries will be chosen through Random.org and the people who did the nominating will get to present the book to their local library.

Do you tweet on Twitter? Are you a fan of Facebook? Have you pinned anything on Pinterest yet? Please help me spread the word by tweeting, posting and/or pinning about the Show-Me-How Library Project.

Thank you, thank you, thank you…and now…are you still there…here is a really special picture book, just in time for Easter.

The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoes

Written by Dubose Heyward

Illustrated by Marjorie Flack

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children (1939)

Ages: 4 and up

Themes: Mastering tasks and skills, goal-setting, holidays (Easter), overcoming gender discrimination, family, working together.

Opening Line:

“We hear of the Easter Bunny who comes each Easter Day before sunrise to bring eggs for boys and girls, so we think there is only one. But this is not so.”

Synopsis:

A young country bunny sets a goal for herself of becoming one of the five Easter bunnies who deliver Easter eggs all over the world. It seems her dreams will not be realized as the little bunny grows up and becomes the mother of twenty-one baby bunnies. Using ingenuity, common sense and lots of determination, she trains each of her children to master certain skills.

Will Little Cottontail Mother prove that she is the kindest, wisest and fastest bunny in the whole world? Can she complete all of her tasks? Does she win the golden shoes that will enable her to fly? Read this charming story to find out!

Why I like this book:

This book was written over seventy years ago…yes, you know how I love these old classic picture books…and is still relevant today! This is a very modern feminist tale…twenty-nine children and she still has a dream that she realizes…overcoming gender discrimination and economic hardships.

Little Cottontail Mother is a loving and caring mom…but that doesn’t stop her from expecting her children to be responsible and helpful and courteous. She teaches them the life skills they will need as adults.

The illustrations are from the ‘illustrious’ Marjorie Flack…need I say more!

Related Activities

HANDPRINT EASTER BASKETS

I’ve made this craft with kindergarten classes…they really love it! This is a lovely keepsake because it is made from your child’s handprints. Hang on the refrigerator or use as an Easter door decoration. The picture here is from Artists Helping Children.org They have lots of great ideas and instructions on their website.

You will need: Construction paper, tape, glue stick, crayons or markers, scissors

1. Trace at least 8 hands for each basket (these are the handle).

2. Cut out a basket shape and cut a slit in the top (the eggs will slip in here).

3. Lay out the handprints, overlapping slightly, to form a handle shape. Tape them while you are arranging them and then glue in place.

4. Cut out a bunch of Easter egg shapes. Your child can decorate them before sliding them into the slit. Glue in place when they are in the right place.

Gail Terp has an awesome blog post with craft ideas and more here.

Anita Silvey’s Children’s Book-A-Day Almanac did a lovely in-depth review here

Book Reviews for Kids did one here.

Talk with your children about the tasks that Little Cottontail Mother taught her bunnies. What tasks can your child help with at home?

Make a goal chart…Little Cottontail Mother had things she wanted to accomplish…help your child make a chart of tasks and skills he or she wants to master.

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.

And please, don’t forget to leave a comment, nominating your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

You Belong @ Your Library (rochpublibrary.wordpress.com)
A Picture Book Is Worth a Thousand Words (clarbojahn.wordpress.com)
Turn page for National Library Week, April 8-14 (tcpalm.com)

PPBF: Dinosaur vs. The Library

Posted on March 30, 2012 by viviankirkfield

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.

Before I get to the picture book review, please bear with me because I have three very important things to share.

Important thing #1:

I am donating twenty-five copies of my book to libraries across the country and around the world.

National Library Week starts on April 8^th. For me, the library has always been a place of wonder…as a child, I took out so many books that I looked like some alien being made of books as I walked along with my two little feet sticking out beneath the stack of books that rose higher than my head. During my years of teaching kindergarten and then while parenting my own young children, the library was a treasure-trove of early childhood resources and programs. These days, I keep busy doing the Show Me How Story-time program in local kindergartens, Pre-K’s and libraries, reading the classic picture books and doing the simple craft projects that are recommended in Show Me How! Build Your Child’s Self-Esteem Through Reading, Crafting and Cooking (MoneyPenny Press, Ltd. 2010).

Would you like your local library to receive a free copy of Show Me How?

Budget cuts drastically reduce the number of books our libraries can purchase and all you need to do is leave a comment on this post, naming the library and telling why the people in your community would benefit from having the book available to them. At the end of the month, twenty-five libraries will be chosen through Random.org and the people who did the nominating will get to present the book to their libraries.

Important thing #2:

If the library you nominate is chosen, would you also like to do a review Show Me How! on your website/blog site/newspaper/magazine? I will be happy to include a second copy in the package, just for you! So if you are interested in doing a review, please indicate that in your comment.

Did you know that the first public library in the United States was started in Peterborough, New Hampshire in 1833?

Did you know that Andrew Carnegie helped build more than 1700 public libraries between 1881 and 1919?

Do you know any other interesting facts about libraries?

I’m really excited about this…how many nominations will there be…and what states (or countries) will they come from? Does anyone know how to put up a graphic of a map and pin the locations of the libraries that are nominated?

Important thing #3:

Donna Martin over at On the Write Track also has some exciting news! She will be manning (or should I say womaning) a booth at the Children’s Festival of Reading in Knoxville, Tennessee on Saturday, May 19^th…and she is inviting authors and illustrators to donate signed copies of their books for her booth. I’m mailing out two copies of Show Me How to her today. This is an amazing opportunity to spread the word about your books…and, more importantly, encourage young people to become readers and lovers of books!

You can find out more about the event…and the giveaway she is hosting…when you visit her website.

Important thing #4:

Oh, that’s right! I said there were only three! But actually, Perfect Picture Book Friday is VERY important, so now, without further ado, my picture book selection! And with nominations for your favorite library now open, this was definitely the Perfect Picture Book!

Dinosaur vs. The Library

Written and illustrated by Bob Shea

Publisher: Hyperion Books (2011)

Ages: 2 and up

Themes: Behavior, friendship, dinosaurs, libraries

Synopsis:

Dinosaur is going to the library…one of his favorite places. As he walks along, he meets his friends…cow, chicks, turtle and owl, and he challenges them to a roaring contest (can you guess who is the winner?) and then invites them to come along with him.

At the library, he finds out that he must be quiet, especially during Story-time. Can Dinosaur hold in his roar?

Why I like this book:

It’s definitely hard to hold in the roar…and young children will identify with dinosaur immediately. What child has not been told, “Hush, be quiet!” in church or when an adult is on the phone or…at the library? All of the books in author Bob Shea’s Dinosaur series are wonderful…this book is funny, the illustrations are charming and any book that celebrates reading must be a winner!

Related Activities

Every child should have his or her own library card as soon as your local library will allow it. Make weekly trips to the library and check out the children’s programs that most libraries have going on…story-times for all ages, reading challenges with prizes, free movies and other special events.

HOMEMADE BOOKPLATES CRAFT PROJECT

Encouraging young children to love books and reading is one of the most important things a parent can do. Does your child have his or her own bookshelf? As parents, we know that we have to feed our children’s bodies. Next time your child has a birthday, choose a book and start a collection that will feed the mind and spirit as well!

Bookplates add a special touch…they let your child know that “THIS BOOK BELONGS TO ME”.

There are many instructions and printable bookmarks at the websites below. Here is a simple one you can help your child make.

You will need: White or light-colored cardstock paper (or you can use construction paper or copy paper), markers and/or crayons, scissors, tape or glue stick.

1. Cut the paper to the size you would like the bookplates to be (2 or 3 inches by 3 or 4 inches is a good size).

2. Write the words: This book belongs to…and then your child’s name.

3. Let your child decorate the edges and add his own design or pictures.

4. You can also cut pictures out of magazines and paste them on the bookplate or use stencils.

5. Roll a piece of scotch tape and use it to secure the bookplate in the book or use a glue stick.

6. Tip: you might not want to tape or glue a bookplate in a vintage collector book.

Here is a picture of a bookplate that my oldest son and I made together over 30 years ago. If the book looks familiar…it is! Gift-Bear for the King is the book I reviewed last Friday.

Some great instructions for bookplate making at these websites…also free printable bookplates:

Also at the Reading is Fundamental website: http://www.rif.org/kids/readingplanet/activitylab/color.htm

As well as at Dads Can Do

Other bookplate instructions are here.

And more are here.

And great info here

Did you know that someone has a blog devoted to bookplate collecting here?

I apologize for the length of this post…I hope you were all able to get through it!

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. And please don’t forget to leave a comment, nominating your local library to be the recipient of a copy of Show Me How!

Picture book review: a trio of library books (thelupinelibrarian.me)
Six Golden Sower Picture Book Nominees (allisonsbookbag.wordpress.com)
Welcome Spring with Crafts at the Libraries (rcpldigitalpressroom.wordpress.com)
You Belong @ Your Library (rochpublibrary.wordpress.com)

Perfect Picture Book Fridays: Gift-Bear for the King

Posted on March 23, 2012 by viviankirkfield

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.

Self-esteem has six basic components. Today’s picture book selection addresses all of them: Mastering tasks and skills, valuing one’s own strengths and qualities, feeling loved and appreciated, learning to express one’s feelings, acknowledging and coping with fears and accepting and loving oneself. I know that parents and teachers will enjoy the simple eco-friendly craft project at the end of my review.

The main character of the story loves singing and Wednesday’s guest post was from Daria, a talented musician who travels around the globe, sharing her passion for music with young children. I hope everyone will check out her post and visit her amazing websites! She provided us with several great musical instrument-making crafts and is giving away a wonderful poster that celebrates music around the world.

A Gift-Bear for the King

Written by Carl Memling

Illustrated by Lillian Hoban

Publishers: E.P. Dutton & Co (1966)

Ages: 2 – 8

Themes:

Mastering tasks and skills, dealing with disappointment, overcoming adversity, helping others, friendship

Opening:

“There was once an old man and an old woman who lived in a hut in the forest. They were very poor, but they had a little bear cub for a friend.”

Synopsis:

A very talented bear-cub is sent as a birthday gift for the king by a loving old couple. As the bear-cub travels to reach the king, he meets and helps many people. When he finally arrives at the palace, the king’s birthday is long over and the guards lock him up in the dungeon because he is so late. While in his prison cell, the bear-cub sings a sad and beautiful song about his travels. Will the bear-cub spend the rest of his days in the dungeon? Does the king ever find out about his special present? What will happen to the old couple?

Why do I like this book:

The foundations of our self-esteem are laid in the first five years of life…I love picture books that celebrate any of the six components that help a child develop a positive self-image…and this book addresses all six! Gift-Bear for the King was my oldest son’s favorite story…we both knew it by heart by the time he was four. Gift-Bear could sing, stand on his front paws and wash the dishes…he was always ready to help those in need. Young children will be singing along with the refrain before you turn the last page.

The illustrations, in Lillian Hoban’s inimitable style, are charming.

Related Activities:

There is a lovely crown craft activity here

There are quite a few crowns and other hat-making craft activities here.

There are excellent step-by-step crown-making instructions with photos here.

KING OR QUEEN FOR A DAY CROWN

The crown you help your child make can be as simple or as fancy as you like. The picture is from a kit you can buy from Oriental Trading Company. I included it to show you how ornate you can make the crown…but your child will enjoy wearing a simple one also.

You will need: Construction paper, buttons or sequins (optional) crayons or markers, glue, scissors.

1. Cut strips of construction paper and measure to fit your child’s head. Piece together with glue if necessary.

2. Cut a zig-zag along the top edge. You can make it fancy like the one above or just simple.

3. Let your child decorate with crayons and/or markers.

4. If you wish, add “jewels” cut from different colored construction paper…or buttons…or sequins. Glue into place and let dry.

5. Fit the decorated crown strip to your child’s head and glue the two ends together.

6. Important tip: Most of you are too young to remember one of the first “reality” shows, Queen for a Day, where an ordinary woman was featured and given prizes and made to feel very special. Perhaps your child can be Queen or King for a Day in your home…helping choose the dinner menu, picking the family game that will be played. Feeling loved, valued and appreciated is such an important element in building self-esteem…children who are confident are less likely to be victims of bullying.

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.