Today is Monday - Picture Book & KID KANDY - Books You Can Sing

Today is Monday
Pictures by Eric Carle
(Scholastic Inc., 1993)

Today IS Monday! What better book to read than Today is Monday by Eric Carle.

Join animals as they eat something different each day of the week. The animals are so good at remembering what they ate the day before, they repeat each day and meal for every new day. By the end of the week, the animals (readers) are working their way backwards from the current day of the week, listing both days and foods.

And, surprise, it's not really animals who are eating! Readers will find out who is eating the meals at the end of Today is Monday.

Yet another surprise is the musical sheet showing the melody for the song that goes with Today is Monday.

Children will enjoy singing the days of the week backwards and seeing all of the animals gobble their food. Don't forget to check out the page at the beginning where Eric Carle gives mealtime greetings in different languages!

KID KANDY:

Make Your Own Mealtime a Song

~ Make your own version of Today is Monday with your child.

~ For one week, write down the main dish you eat and the day of the week. Let your child do the writing or draw a little picture of the foods. (Example: Monday - pizza, Tuesday - tacos)

~ Once you have meals for Monday through Sunday, sing the song! If you are not a musician, make up any silly tune. Kids won't care. Just have fun.


Angie Quantrell loves to make up silly songs. Today she was singing "Whining doesn't work at Nana's house, Nana's house, Nana's house. Whining doesn't work at Nana's house. She loves her kids." to the tune of "Here We Go 'Round the Mulberry Bush." The grands got the message and had fun.

Pancakes, Pancakes! - Picture Books & Circles

Pancakes, Pancakes!
Ready to Read Version
Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle
(Scholastic, Inc., 1990)



Circles
Welcome Books, City Shapes
By Jan Kottke
(Scholastic Inc., 2000)

Stuck on circles!

Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle is a pancake classic. While this version is simplified remake of the original book for early readers, it still gives children the excitement of reading about pancakes.

Pancakes, Pancakes! is the story of a boy who wants pancakes for breakfast. This is not as easy as one would think. Pancakes, Pancakes! takes place on an old-fashioned farm where meals are prepared the old way. So the boy, Jack, has to collect and gather all of the items necessary for pancakes - from milking the cow, making butter, and grinding wheat, to heading downstairs to the cellar to retrieve jam.

I love the way Eric Carle lets readers learn about the origins of a favorite meal. His signature style of illustrating shines through with beautiful colors.

And while we are talking about pancakes, how about those circles?

Circles is a simple non-fiction book that helps boys and girls identify circles in their surroundings. Circles includes important non-fiction characteristics, like a table of contents, bolded new words, a glossary, and an index.

You can't go wrong with pancakes and circles!

KID KANDY:

Circle Hunt

After reading the books, go on a circle hunt. You can hunt in two ways:

1. Ask your child to go around the house and find items that are round or circle-shaped. Make a pile of circle shapes. (A solid circle shape like a ball is called a sphere.) Compare the circle-shaped items.

2. Go for a circle walk. Point out all of the circle shapes you find in nature and man-made constructions.

IF you are really energetic, take photographs of some of the circle shapes. Make your own book of circles by printing out photos and adding them to a memory book (the little photo album books with sleeves for photos) or taping on cardstock. Read!

Learning about shapes (and eating them in the form of pancakes) is a necessary skill for young children. You can keep your (pan)cake and eat it, too!


Angie Quantrell loves challenging children to find shapes in their environment. She especially enjoys cooking with kids and making a mess while having fun and learning at the same time.