The Valentine Bears - Picture Book

The Valentine Bears
Written by Eve Bunting
Illustrated by Jan Brett
(Scholastic Inc., 1983)

Reading The Valentine Bears aloud for children is fun for both the reader and the listener.

Mr. and Mrs. Bear are hibernating for the winter. Mrs. Bear is very sad that they always miss Valentines Day, which happens during their long sleep. But not this year. She decides to wake up early and surprise Mr. Bear on Valentines Day. But who really gets surprised?

Reality and make-believe mix together in this cute holiday book. Bears really do hibernate and eat all sorts of things suggested in the book. But they don't really wear clothes or celebrate holidays. The Valentine Bears is the perfect way to begin a discussion about animals - fiction and nonfiction.

KID KANDY:

Mrs. Bear wrote two Valentine poems for Mr. Bear. She used the Roses are red, violets are blue poem as her pattern. Reread her poems for Mr. Bear.

Choose an animal and brainstorm words that come to mind. Make a big list.

Use the format for Roses are Red to make up your own poems. Use silly words and rhyming words. It's all in fun. Rhyming is an important skill for preschool, kindergarten, and first graders.

For example:

Animal - DOG

Brainstorm - furry, slobbery, teeth, tail, wagging, jumping, bark, eat, sleep, digging, muddy, hairy, smelly

Roses are red, Violets are blue,
The dog is hairy, and so are you!

OR

Doggies are smelly, They jump so high,
Mud is their favorite, I wonder why?

Provide crayons and paper so your child can draw pictures about their silly poem.


Angie Quantrell loves using silly words in her writing. She loves animals and spends lots of time watching her crazy kitties make messes in the house.

Trouble with Trolls - Jan Brett Week - Winter Picture Books

Trouble with Trolls
Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992)

Treva and her beautiful dog, Tuffi, live in a majestic mountain area that suspiciously looks like Switzerland or Norway or any one of those gorgeous northern European countries. But none of those locations have . . . trolls.

Specifically, trouble with trolls, many of which Treva has had. Trouble with Trolls tells the story of how Treva and her quick thinking saved Tuffi from being taken by trolls. The trolls in this book are not too smart and are somewhat naughty and sneaky. In this story, all they wanted was a dog. First one troll, then the next, and the next, grabbed Tuffi (kidnapped). How Treva gets her dog back, repeatedly, shows how resourceful Treva is - and how gullible the trolls are.

Jan Brett again uses the borders of the book pages to tell what else is going on in the story, behind the scenes. Boys and girls will enjoy helping Treva rescue Tuffi. Read a few pages, and then brainstorm to see how many ways Treva might try to get her dog back. That is a part of the fun in reading a new book.

Can you find a hedgehog in Trouble with Trolls?

KID KANDY:

Fly Like Treva & Tuffi

Cut long, narrow ski shapes from cardboard. Use masking or duct tape to add foot bindings. Let your child slip his feet into the bindings and ski inside the house. But where is Tuffi? Dig out a stuffed dog or favorite animal for your child to carry as he skies. Away they go!

KID KANDY is a book extension feature for kids and their families. If a child has a fun activity to do after reading a book (or before reading a book), the ideas and information in the book are more likely to stick. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.

The Hat - Jan Brett Week - Winter Picture Book

The Hat
Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(Scholastic Inc., 1997)

Animals and kids seem to be Jan Brett's gift.

Everybody knows that animals don't wear clothes. Or do they?

Meet Lisa, a young girl who resides on a snow-covered farm. One day, she has to do laundry. Lisa proceeds to hang up her woolens on the clothesline to dry. One piece falls off and the sock becomes stuck on poor Hedgie, an inquisitive and adorable hedgehog. Much to his dismay, and the delight of other farm animals, the stocking becomes stuck tight.

Journey with Hedgie as he tries to remove the stocking. Watch the sidebars for clues about what is happening elsewhere (in true Jan Brett fashion). Will Hedgie get out of his stocking? How?

Readers will be delighted with the antics of the animals in The Hat.

Hint: Jan Brett likes to include a hedgehog in many of her books. Can you find one in The Hat?

KID KANDY:

Hang up the Laundry!

Secure a rope between two solid objects. Adjust it to the height of your child. Dig out the socks, hats, mittens, and small items of clothing and put them in a basket. Provide clothes pins. Now it's laundry day!

If you do not want to use (and supervise) the rope clothesline, use a free standing clothes dryer. I have one from IKEA that folds when not in use. It's wonderful.

This activity is excellent for fine motor control and coordination. Plus fun.

Feel free to share the ideas found in this blog. I would love to hear how your KID KANDY escapades work out.

Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.

Jan Brett Week - Annie and the Wild Animals - Winter Picture Books

Annie and the Wild Animals
Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(Houghton Mifflin Company, 1985)

Annie loves her cat, Taffy. But Taffy has not been interested in playing. So Annie goes out to find new friends. Forest animal friends. Using corn cakes as bait, she lures potential friends in order to find the prefect friend.

One can imagine that it does not work. Readers will enjoy both the illustrations and the outcome of Annie and the Wild Animals.

KID KANDY:

Corn Muffin Mayhem

- Children love to cook and help in the kitchen. Why not make corn muffins (i.e. cakes) together after reading this book? They are perfect for snack or a meal. Together, search a cookbook for a recipe. Gather ingredients, follow the directions, and taste the success.

- Save a few corn muffins to crumble on the ground outside near a window. Dig out the binoculars and watch who comes for a yummy snack. Birds? Cats? Your dog?

- Pack some corn muffins and water bottles in a backpack. Head out for a nature walk. Stop to rest in a spot with plenty of nature to observe. Share the snack. Listen for the sounds of nature. Try and identify what is happening around you.

And you thought making corn muffins would just make dinner. There is fun to be had, even in corn muffins.


Feel free to share the ideas found in this blog. I would love to hear how your KID KANDY escapades work out.

Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.

Jan Brett Week - The Mitten - Winter Picture Books

The Mitten
Adapted and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1989)

Meet one of my all-time favorite winter books. I usually focus on snow and winter during the month of January, and Jan Brett has many wonderful winter-based picture books.

The Mitten is an old, old story. But Jan Brett has adapted and illustrated The Mitten in her own way.

Nicki wanted his new mittens made from snow white wool. Baba knew what would happen to white mittens in the white snow. But how could she resist when Nicki was so excited to have beautiful, warm, snow white mittens?

The expected happens. Nicki loses a mitten. And then things get exciting. When I read this book aloud to children, I love showing them the last page and illustration of The Mitten. This illustration is a perfect prompt for getting readers (or listeners) to consider what the character is really thinking. They love it.

I always draw attention to the illustrations when I read. But in any Jan Brett book, I point out the cool text and illustration features - sidebars, recipes, the story beside the story hints, what comes next shapes, and so on. Once I have taught a Jan Brett book and we have noticed what is happening on the sides of the pages (in addition to the main illustration) it's all I can do to keep them from leaping to conclusions before everyone has had a chance to figure it out for themselves!

This week I will feature a different Jan Brett book each day. Have fun reading the story and the pictures.

KID KANDY:

Make your own decorated mittens!

~ Show your child how to hold her hand as if she is wearing a mitten. Trace two mitten shapes on cardstock.

~ Cut out the mittens.

~ Use markers to make matching designs on both mittens - dots, zig zags, stripes, hearts, flowers, snowmen, swirls, or anything else that sounds interesting.

~ Hook the mittens together by punching a hole in the top of each and tying yarn through the holes. Or punch holes around the sides and bottoms of the mitten shapes (not the wrist). Sew the mitten together with yarn.

The Mitten Game:

Give everyone mittens to wear. Play catch with foam balls. Or try to build towers while wearing mittens. Adding mittens to an indoor activity will ease boredom and create the sillies.

TIP: To protect favorite books and magazines from scissors in little hands, create a designated cutting tub. Add magazines, old greeting cards, scrap paper, comics, junk mail, and so on. Teach your child to cut only items in the tub.

KID KANDY is a book extension feature for kids and their families. If a child has a fun activity to do after reading a book (or before reading a book), the ideas and information in the book are more likely to stick. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

Angie Quantrell writes picture books, blogs, takes photos, and chases her naughty kitties off of the counters. Books come to life in her imagination and litter all spaces in her home. If it weren't for all of her books, Angie could live in a one room house.

Gingerbread Baby - Christmas Picture Books

Gingerbread Baby
By Jan Brett
(Scholastic, Inc., 1999)

I love naughty characters. Meet the Gingerbread Baby. He reminds me of my kitties. Naughty but adorable and delicious.

Jan Brett works her book magic in both the story and the illustrations found in Gingerbread Baby. Borders give clues about what happens next, a feature that captivates my listeners when I am doing a read aloud. As always, I adore her detail and intricate illustrations.

One might expect the Gingerbread Baby to meet the same fate as gingerbread cookies worldwide. No spoilers here. But don't expect the expected.

Gingerbread Friends
By Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 2008)

And after reading this book, look for Gingerbread Friends to find out what happens next.

In her second book about gingerbread, Brett includes the recipe for gingerbread. But instead of a one page recipe, she adds the recipe, page by page, in border illustrations. Lovely.

So get going. Make some gingerbread cookies. And follow the recipe exactly.

Or you never know what might happen.

The Twelve Days of Christmas - Christmas Picture Books You Can Sing

The Twelve Days of Christmas
Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1986)

Move over Youtube. It's time to sing some books. You know, those paper things with words and pictures?

Welcome to a favorite version of a much loved Christmas carol. The Twelve Days of Christmas, illustrated by Jan Brett, offers delight for the mouth and the eyes.

I may have mentioned previously on this blog how much I enjoy books that can be read - with words and by illustrations - and books that can be enjoyed through song. Kids love that stuff!

Jan Brett is one of my favorite illustrators (just ask my students). Not only does she do an excellent job telling stories with her drawings, she adds so much detail that one is always finding something new. Her love of complete illustrations is obvious, as is her love of the Christmas and winter season. Animals and fantasy characters are evident in most of the books she has illustrated.

But her borders! I adore the way she gives story hints and adds complexity to the storytelling process by what she includes in her decorative borders included on most pages.

The Twelve Days of Christmas is a beautiful example of her signature artwork.

Sing, read, and look at The Twelve Days of Christmas. And while you are at it, check out Jan Brett as an author. She has quite the list of excellent books.

Extension Activity:

Do your own 12 days of Christmas. Count back from December 25 (that should be the 12th). On each day, make an ornament that matches the verse in the song (and book). Or add store bought ornaments that match. For example, add or make a partridge (or any bird) and a pear for day 1. Continue daily through the song. You will have a beautiful tree.

Have fun singing the song!