Strictly NO Elephants ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

From exclusivity to welcoming - great read!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Strictly NO Elephants
By Lisa Mantchev
Illustrated by Taeeun Yoo
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2015)

And the sign means NO elephants!

A young boy has a pet elephant. The trouble with having a pet elephant is that no one else has one and it's hard to fit in.

Come Pet Club Day, he decides to take his pet elephant. Instead of welcome, he is met with a sign that reads "Strictly NO Elephants."

The friends leave, unwelcome and unwanted. As they wander the sidewalks, they notice a girl with a pet skunk. Her pet is unwelcome, too!

Relieved to have found common ground, the two new friends decide to start their own pet club, one where EVERYONE is welcome!

Strictly NO Elephants is a great read!

I love this book about welcoming everyone instead of being exclusive. What a nice lesson to share with young children! (This book does not sound like a lesson, never fear. Fun story.)

KID KANDY:

Draw Your Dream Pet

Materials: paper, crayons, markers, pencils

1. Brainstorm. What kind of pet do you wish you had? Pretend that your pet could be ANYTHING at all. Even a made up pet. What would you like to have?

2. Draw your pet. Don't forget the head, body, legs (does it have legs?), tail (does it have a tail?), eyes, hair or fur, and all of the other body parts.

3. What is your pet? What is its name? I'd love to see a picture.

Wouldn't it be fun to make up your own pet with a friend?


Thanks for stopping by. If you know someone else who would love to read a great book and enjoy a KID KANDY project, please share this blog with them. Thank you!

The Cow Who Climbed a Tree ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

The cow who climbed a tree!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

The Cow Who Climbed a Tree
Story and Illustrations by Gemma Merino
(Albert Whitman & Company, 2015)

Aha! Who wouldn't love a cow who climbed a tree?

And why would this cow climb a tree anyway? Really? Just picture it.

The Cow Who Climbed a Tree is a wonderfully illustrated book about a cow who was insatiably curious. About everything.

Her sisters? They were only interested in grass.

But this cow had more exciting things on her mind. What about this? Or that? Why not this?

One could say that this cow, Tina, had a great and wondering imagination, to which her sisters always replied with scorn: Impossible, ridiculous, nonsense.

But The Cow Who Climbed a Tree did not give up.

I love this story about a cow who kept dreaming and exploring and doing in spite of the lack of belief from those around her. I think young readers will be encouraged to hold onto and follow their dreams regardless of what others think.

Go, Cow!

KID KANDY:

Climb a Tree
(If you don't have a tree, paint one with watercolors! I fell in love with the illustrations in this picture book. Paint me a tree like Gemma did!)

Head outside and find a strong, tall tree. Make sure you have good pants and a shirt on to protect your knees and skin.

Climb that tree! Pretend you are Tina, a cow, and you are going to climb that tree. Of course you don't have a tail or cloven hooves, but you can pretend!

Look for finger and toe holds. Rest against the trunk and sitting on top of branches. Watch out for pitch - it's very sticky. See how high you can get before you are too far.

Was it fun?

I used to be a champion tree climber. I've put holes in many a pair of pants from stray branches and broken off bits. And it was never as easy getting down as it was getting up. So do be careful.

Stars ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Stars

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Stars
By Mary Lyn Ray
Illustrated by Marla Frazee
(Beach Lane Books, 2011)

I love shapes! Stars are one of the first shapes that children learn to identify. Stars and hearts.

This beautiful picture book is about stars.

Stars tells about stars - the shape, the stars in the sky, the stars in your hand, and the way stars can be used to have fun. A star can make you a sheriff, a princess, or a magical fairy with a wand.

But what about other stars? Flower stars that become favorite fruits, frozen stars that give us snow, and paper stars that mark special days are all different kinds of stars that mean something wonderful is going to happen!

Readers will love the creative imagination and ideas about stars they find in Stars.

KID KANDY:

Make Stars

Stars are sort of difficult to make, but once you learn how, they are fun and easy.

Materials: paper, scissors, markers, glitter glue, scrap paper, sticks, tape, ribbon

Here is how you draw a star.

How to draw a 5-pointed star

Or you can cut out 2 triangles, put one upside down on the other, and make a different star!

How to make a 6-pointed star with 2 triangles

Cut out and decorate your star. I always love to add glitter glue to make things sparkle and shine!

What can you do with a star?

- Tape your star to a stick for a wand or decoration.
- Display your star on the fridge.
- Give your star to a friend.
- Make a hat or crown with your star.
- Put your star on the calendar to mark a special day (your birthday?).
- Hang several stars on ribbon to make a wall decoration.

Have a starry day!

Little Red Gliding Hood ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Doesn't that title sound vaguely familiar?

Little Red Gliding Hood
Story by Tara Lazar
Pictures by Troy Cummings
(Random House, 2015)

Little Red's skates are worn out and ready to fall apart. Without her trusty skates, she won't be able to visit Grandma every Sunday. But the upcoming skating competition first prize is a pair of brand new gold skates!

Little Red is a great skater, but she doesn't have a partner. Everyone else is matched up, but who will Little Red find to join her for the competition?

Fairy tale characters and stories abound in this fractured tale. Readers will laugh and enjoy the antics of Little Red and her friends as she finds an unexpected partner. Dare we say the bad guy turns good?

Delightful text and imaginative illustrations come together to make one great picture book. Both adults and children will love Little Red Gliding Hood.

KID KANDY:

Make Up Your Own Silly Fairy Tale

1. Choose a favorite fairy tale. Think of the characters and the problems they encounter in the story.

2. Now, choose one thing to change. You can:

- change a name
- change the problem
- change the setting (where the story takes place)
- add new characters
- mix two fairy tales together

3. Make up your own fairy tale.

4. Tell your new silly fairy tale to a friend or a sibling. Did they laugh?

Storytelling is fun, isn't it?

How to Share with a Bear ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Meet clever, resourceful, and kind Thomas

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

How to Share with a Bear
By Eric Pinder
Pictures by Stephanie Graegin
(Farrar Straus Giroux, 2015)

How to Share with a Bear is an adorable book!

One day, Thomas made a cozy cave with cushions, pillows, and blankets. It was so warm and comfy! Thomas ran to get the flashlight so he could see to read in his cave and when he got back, someone with bright shiny eyes was in his cave.

It was a bear!

Throughout the rest of the story, Thomas strategized to lure the bear out of the cave and get himself back in the cave before the bear returned.

Thomas was very inventive in his bear-removal-plans and used his bear background information to plan tricky attempts to reclaim his cave.

At last, Thomas succeeded. The bear began to cry, as there was no room for both of them in the cave.

Thomas, ever kind and resourceful, enlarged the cave and invited the bear in to read - together.

How to Share with a Bear is delightful! I love the two characters and how Thomas solves his problem. A surprise ending will thrill young readers.

KID KANDY:

Make a Cave

1. Read How to Share with a Bear.

2. Follow the directions at the end of the book to make your own cave (pillows, blankets, cushions).

3. Gather your favorite books and a flashlight.

4. Be kind like Thomas and invite a bear (or your brother, sister, or friend) to join you in the cave.

Sharing is so much fun!

My Two Blankets ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

A perfect book to grow empathy for those new to our country

by Angie Quantrell Quantrell Quips

My Two Blankets
By Irena Kobald
Illustrated by Freya Blackwood
(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)

She used to be called Cartwheel. And then there was a war.

My Two Blankets is the story of a girl who moved to a new country where everything was new, different, and confusing. She loved her old blanket of the sounds and words she grew up with. It was warm and made her feel safe.

In her new country, the girl had nothing. Then she met a friend at a park. The girl befriended her and slowly gave her new words to learn and new experiences. As the girl learned to speak a new language, she realized she was creating a new blanket of sounds and words. By the end of the story, she was comfortable with both blankets.

My Two Blankets is a wonderful picture book. Readers who are new to this country or readers who want to learn how it feels to live in a completely different home with a strange language will find this book insightful and refreshing.

KID KANDY:

Do a Cartwheel and Listen to a New Language

1. The girl in this story was called Cartwheel by her auntie because she loved to do cartwheels. Do you have a nickname?

Go out on the grass or playground and do cartwheels. If you don't know how, ask a friend to teach you.

2. To see how the girl felt when she first moved to a new country, listen to a different language. You could:

- listen to a radio station
- check out a book in a different language from the library (look for books that have listening CDs)
- watch a television show featuring actors speaking a different language
- ask an adult to help you find an online video of someone speaking or singing a different language

How did you feel when you couldn't understand the words?

What would you do if you had to move to a place where no one spoke your language?

Can you think of a friend at school or in your neighborhood that speaks a language different from yours? Maybe he or she needs a friend!

One Word from Sophia ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Clever and engaging tale of a loquacious young lady

One Word from Sophia
By Jim Averbeck
Illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015)

All Sophia wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe.

But she faces four critics to her dream come true. As Sophia tries to convince family members to side with her for a pet giraffe, each tells her she is using too many words. You could say that Sophia is loquacious, much to her detriment in this case.

With each failure (and the discovery of a new word that means too many words), Sophia edits down her responses until her final plea.

One Word from Sophia is a wonderful picture book. The text challenges readers with excellent vocabulary and an engaging story. The illustrations are unique and fabulous.

One Word from Sophia will help readers learn the importance of one very special word.

KID KANDY:

What Do You Want for Your Birthday?

1. Think hard. What is your one true desire of the gift you want to receive for your birthday?

2. Now think of 5 excellent reasons you could use to convince a parent or grandparent to get that present and give it to you.

3. Practice telling your family what you would like and why.

Did you use your manners? Were you successful?

It might not be your birthday yet, but Happy Birthday! Way to use your very own words.

Four Feet, Two Sandals ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Four Feet Two Sandals is the perfect book to read when learning about new families moving to our country

Four Feet, Two Sandals
By Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed
Illustrated by Dough Chayka
(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007)

Lina and Feroza met at a refugee camp after traveling to escape war torn countries.

One day, while gathering clothing from a relief truck, two girls secure one sandal from the same pair. Eventually the girls decide to take turns wearing both sandals and they become good friends.

Everyone at the camp is waiting for a new home. Life goes on as they wait. Finally, the day came when Lina's family reads their names on the list of those who get to travel to America.

What to do with the sandals? The friends figure it out in time to say good-bye.

Four Feet, Two Sandals is a story about current events. This picture book tackles a difficult subject in a realisic yet simple way. Almost everyone has heard about refugees, wars, and relief work. Read this book to help children discuss the challenges and transitions that some families face.

KID KANDY:

Donate Outgrown Clothing

Many families in America, both newly arrived and those who have lived here for a long time, need help. You can help by giving clothes to agencies that help families.

1. Ask mom or dad to help you go through your clothes. Put everything that doesn't fit anymore in a box or bag. Shoes, coats, pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, and other items are all needed.

2. Help mom or dad find a nearby organization that collects clothes for families in need.

3. If you can, go with your parent to deliver the clothes. If you can't go, I'm sure they will tell you how the clothes will help other boys and girls.

Way to go! You just helped families that need our help.

I always have a bag or box ready to go. As I find clothes I can't wear anymore, I place them in the bag. When the bag is full, I donate it to a place that helps others.

I'd love to hear where you gave your outgrown clothes!