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!

The Curious Nature Guide, Explore the Natural Wonders All Around You

The Curious Nature Guide, Explore the Natural Wonders All Around You
Written and illustrated by Clare Walker Leslie
(Storey Publishing, 2015)

I first noticed the cover of this book while on vacation with some girlfriends in Coupeville, Washington. Hidden amidst a crowded display of books, toys, and souvenirs, the cover popped out and caught my attention. I wanted that book. But I resisted.

Fast forward to post-Christmas gift card shopping. As I perused my local Indie bookstore, Inklings, guess which book again popped out and grabbed my attention? Yes. The same book. And it was on a display of favs and book suggestions by staff.

I did not resist.

The Curious Nature Guide is a beautifully illustrated guide book written for children, teens, families, and others who love exploring the outdoors. I fell in love with this colorful edition.

I enjoyed this book so much, I used it as a reward. At the end of the day I would carefully read each page and inhale every photo, drawing, and illustration. Reading this book was almost as good as being outside.

While vocabulary will be difficult for young readers, they will love hearing it read aloud. The Curious Nature Guide contains nature information, suggestions of things to look for and do, maps, charts, plant labels, and more.

NO. It is not overwhelmingly encyclopedic.

The Curious Nature Guide is a nature journal filled with inspiration of both the exploring type and the creative sort. I want to go out and investigate the outdoors AND sit down with my art supplies and recreate what I find AND grab the camera to capture my nature.

Two thumbs up for The Curious Nature Guide, Explore the Nature Wonders All Around You.

Happy exploring!

Thanks for reading this blog. I'd love to hear what nature exploring you like to do.

My Pen ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

My Pen
By Christopher Myers
(Disney - Hyperion, 2015)

My Pen perfectly captures the artist imagination of Christopher Myers.

Within the black and white pages, detailed illustrations point to the power of expression that is held in the hand of someone with a pen. Oh, the dreams, ideas, and worlds that can be drawn with a pen.

Imagination is a big thing. Readers will love the creativity and ideas found in My Pen.

KID KANDY:

Draw With a Pen

Materials: sketch pad or paper, pen

Go ahead. Do it. Doodle. Draw. Scribble. Create. Imagine. Tell a story with your drawings.

It's ok to not be perfect. Even Mr. Myers says his work does not always do what he wants. Just turn those mistakes into something new.

Have fun!

P.S. What is your favorite drawing?

Leaf Man ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

 

 

Leaf Man

by Lois Ehlert

(Harcourt, Inc., 2005)

 

Can you see the leaf man?

 

Despite my difficulty in taking photos of library books with plastic covers, I can see him clearly. Leaf Man spreads across the book cover, composed of leaves, nuts, and seed pods. He is quite handsome for being made of things that have fallen off of trees.

 

Leaf Man is one of my favorite fall books by Lois Ehlert. With all of his vibrant colors, where does he go when the fall winds blow?

 

Leaf Man transforms into many other nature creations, compliments of the wind, colorful creative artwork by Ehlert, and cleverly cut and shaped pages.

 

Young children will be so entranced by Leaf Man, they will want to go directly and build their own leaf creation. Isn't that what we want? Readers engaged in reading books AND exploring nature is the perfect combination.

 

KID KANDY:

 

Leaf Creations

 

1. Head outside and find piles of nature things - leaves, pods, cones, sticks, rocks... Nature walks through parks and forests are perfect collecting spots.

 

2. Spread out your gatherings of nature items. What do you see? Who do you see?

 

3. Arrange your nature items into a creation.

 

Did you make a person? A dog? A cat? A tree? A house?

 

You can make anything!

 

P.S. I would love to see a picture of what you created!

Vincent and the Night ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Vincent and the Night
by Adele Enersen
(Dial Books for Young Readers, 2015)

Vincent has decided he is not sleepy. Anyone who has had a baby will know the trouble this can cause.

But not only is Vincent very smart, he is also naughty and imaginative.

Using clever and adorable photos with pen and ink illustrations, Enersen has crafted a wonderful story about the shenanigans Vincent enjoys as he avoids going to sleep.

I love this book! The photos of Vincent are perfectly matched to what he is engaged in as he stays wide awake . . . until the very end where a worn out Vincent finally puts on his jammies and goes to sleep.

Vincent and the Night is a book about a baby, but also a book about creativity, art, expressions, bedtime, and family. Readers will love this book and be inspired to make their own version.

KID KANDY:

Draw Your Own Photo + Pen Illustration

1. Ask your parent for a photo of yourself as a baby (or a child).

2. Carefully trim around your body so only your body is in the photo. Use double-sided tape to attach your photo to cardstock.

3. Imagine. Daydream. Brainstorm.

What do you want your photo baby (or child) to be doing? Think about how that looks.

4. Use a pen (or pencil if you want to erase) to draw the background and props around your photo body. What are you holding? Eating? Sitting or standing on? What does the room (or yard) look like?

5. Add details so the entire page is filled.

There. Now you have your own Vincent at night. Except it's you, not Vincent.

You and the Night.

That was fun wasn't it? If you had fun, you can sign up to receive future posts in your email (or the email of your mom or dad) inbox. That would be awesome, wouldn't it?

Thanks! Good-night!

The Chalk Box Kid ~ Chapter Book & KID KANDY

The Chalk Box Kid
By Clyde Robert Bulla
Illustrated by Thomas B. Allen
(Scholastic, Inc., 1987)

The Chalk Box Kid is the perfect beginning chapter book for the readers you know. This book tackles many situations that face our children in modern society - moving to a new home, going to a new school, making friends, having no privacy, finding a personal space, and being oneself.

Yes, that's a big list. But I was delighted to read this book that encourages readers to be themselves and to keep on going when dealing with difficult issues.

Gregory is forced to move to a new home and school when his father gets a new job. He almost gets his own bedroom but immediately has to allow his uncle to share his room. Gregory has a difficult time making friends at school. When a guest speaker at school talks about gardening and brings plants so students can choose one to take home, Gregory is inspired to make his own garden.

Except Gregory's garden is not the sort you would imagine. Behind his home, he discovers a burned down building. But the surprise is what type of business it used to house and what supplies he uncovers in the dirt.

The magic of this story is how Gregory uses his imagination to create a space for himself. Gregory's garden opens the door to new friends and acceptance at his school and within his own family.

Read The Chalk Box Kid to inspire young artists and children in transition.

KID KANDY:

Chalk Art

Any kind of chalk will do, but for finer detailing, use the thin, old school chalk. Fat sidewalk chalk works great for filling in large spaces.

Get permission before you do any chalk art on sidewalks or patios.

Can you make your own chalk garden?

What kind of plants so you want? Flowers? Trees? Vegetables? Herbs? Rocks and birds? Insects?

Include garden beds and pathways. Remember how Gregory wanted a fountain in his garden? Add a water fountain to your garden.

Don't forget to make a hangout spot for visiting friends.

Home ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Home
By Carson Ellis
(Candlewick Press, 2015)

Home is where you lay your head or where your heart takes up residence. Home is usually where you reside or where you grew up or where your loved ones live.

Welcome to Home by Carson Ellis.

In her book, Ellis simply and beautifully shows many of the places we call home. Reality and whimsical as well as fairy tale and modern pop culture all have a part in the meaning of home. Ellis even makes up a few words, just to surprise and delight readers. Home is one of my new favorite books.

Home would be a great book to use at the beginning of school to get students to share about their own homes. What a fun Open House art project!

Where is your home?

KID KANDY:

Draw Your Home

Do you live in a house? A log cabin? A mobile home? An RV? An apartment?

Get out the pencils, markers, crayons, or paints. Draw a picture of your house. Color it in. Decorate the outside so that it looks just like your house. Sign your name and put the date on your drawing. Display it so others can see your home as it looks on paper.

Take a walk. How do other homes in your neighborhood compare to your home? Don't just look at people homes - check out animal, plant, and other nature type homes.

How do you feel about your home?

The Eraserheads ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Eraserheads
By Kate Banks
Pictures by Boris Kulikov
(Frances Foster Books, 2010)

Ha-ha, you laugh. The Eraserheads. What in the world are eraserheads?

Exactly what they sound like - erasers that are shaped like animals (including their heads).

In The Eraserheads, three friendly erasers shaped like an owl, a pig, and a crocodile lived with a boy and his collection of pencils, papers, and assorted art supplies. Each animal had a specific expertise of erasing. Owl helped correct letters and words. Crocodile was good with numbers. Pig liked to eat and would erase anything.

One day, as the boy drew, the eraserheads watched with delight. The beach scene changed into different settings as the road traveled around the paper. Suddenly, the paper was full and the boy had to stop. But wait! Crocodile decided to give the boy extra room by erasing part of the road. That was a great idea, until the eraserheads became stuck in the middle of nowhere.

How did the eraserheads get back home? The ending will delight imaginative readers and artists alike.

KID KANDY:

Gather Your Own Eraserheads and Use Your Imagination

Hint: Back-to-school sales are the perfect time to stock up on erasers.

1. Collect erasers, pencils, paper, and other art supplies.

2. Name your erasers! How much fun is that? Perhaps each eraserhead could have a specific job just like the erasers in The Eraserheads.

3. Put your erasers and pencils to work. Start drawing and writing. You don't have to worry about mistakes. You have eraser friends!

What did you draw? What will happen next? What did you name your erasers?

I'd love to hear about your adventures.

Art Lab for Kids - 52 Creative Adventures . . . ART Book & KID KANDY

Art Lab for Kids - 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media
By Susan Schwake
Photographs by Rainer Schwake
(Quarry Books, 2012)

I struck the jackpot with this art book!

Art Lab for Kids (add the 52 Creative Adventures part) is a fabulous book with easy to follow photographs. Budding artists or explorers will love paging through to find the perfect project.

Wonderful features make this book a complete volume with 52 different adventures in art. The author lists materials, gives detailed instructions, asks readers to "Think First," and includes photographs that illustrate key points. She also has a feature called "Meet the Artist" for each art lab adventure. Readers can read about and see the artwork of 52 different artists. And just when you thought she was done, Schwake added yet one more piece - "Go Further." This is provided for each art adventure and encourages readers to continue the process and go further with the project.

If you want to dabble in different art media projects, this book will suit you just right.

KID KANDY:

Peruse and Choose One of the 52 Creative Adventures

What's your art interest? Drawing, painting, making prints, using papers, or mixing up media? There are ideas for all of these areas.

Choose one that looks interesting to you.

Think first.

Gather your materials.

Follow the directions.

Read about the artist.

Go further.


Did you have a fantastic creative adventure in art?

Art & Max - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Art & Max
By David Wiesner
(Clarion Books, 2010)

Explosions of color and detail fill the picture book Art & Max.

Art (the lizard, not the subject) and Max are exploring art (the subject, not the lizard) while out in the desert. Art (short for Arthur) is quite good at painting portraits. All Max wants to do is to try and do the same thing. Art finally agrees to allow Max to begin experimenting with paint.

Literal Max creates quite the scene with his interpretations of painting. Readers will be engaged in imagining what happens next as they read Art & Max.

Bright colors, imaginative illustrations, and simple text combine in Art & Max to make a fascinating book. Color mixing, techniques, and a variety of drawings are perfectly used to not only entertain but to educate readers about art.

I give Art & Max two thumbs up.

KID KANDY:

Art (the Subject, not the lizard) Time

There are several art techniques shown in Art & Max. Choose one to explore.

~ painting with acrylics on an easel

~ painting on an object with acrylics

~ using rainbow colors to paint

~ adding water to paint to thin the colors

~ watercolor painting

~ charcoal (pencil) drawings

~ string art

~ pointillism art (dots of paint)

~ splatter technique of painting


Use Art & Max for ideas of what you would like to try. Maybe you better paint outside. It could get messy!

Ten Black Dots - Picture Book + KID KANDY Activity

Ten Black Dots
By Donald Crews
(Scholastic Inc., 1968)

Ten Black Dots is an oldie but a goodie.

This edition of Ten Black Dots is redesigned and revised (1986). Donald Crews has bold yet simple illustrations for this counting book.

Throughout the book, children are encouraged to consider things that can be made with black dots. Each number (and number word) are used in one or two different ways. Readers can and should add their own ideas for how the spots could be used. The end of the book shows a stair step chart from 1-10 using black dots.

Ten Black Dots is a nice picture book that ties in to kindergarten and preschool math concepts. Try it. You will like it.

KID KANDY:

Make your own black dot pictures.

~ Use paint or bingo daubers. You may need to make (any) color dot pictures. Or you could use a circle stamp on black ink, a round lid on black paint or ink, or a thumb print to make dots.

~ Brainstorm first. What do you want to make? You can use a pencil to sketch out your idea and then add dots.

~ Or do the opposite. Make a dot design first. Now what does it look like? Name your design.

~ Make a stair step chart like Donald Crews. Count the dots!


Angie Quantrell loves it when picture books can be used when teaching math concepts. She wonders how many good books about math are out there? The only way to find out is to start looking and counting. 1, 2, 3 - let's go!

White Rabbit's Color Book - Picture Book + KID KANDY Color Mixing Activity

Rabbit's Color Book
By Alan Baker
(Scholastic Inc., 1994)

Rabbit's Color Book is one of my favorite books. I know. I say that a lot. But it's true! I have many, many special books.

Rabbit learns all about color mixing when he becomes the paint brush, er, experimenter with his furry white body. Rabbit is adorable. He makes me want to get a bunny.

Rabbit's Color Book is the perfect introduction to color mixing, art projects, painting, rainbows, and free exploration of color. Way to go, Alan Baker!

KID KANDY:

Do Your Own Color Mixing Experiments

~ As shown in the photos below, nothing much is required for color mixing. You can be as elaborate or as simple as you wish.

Materials: white ice cube trays (colors show better in white), liquid food coloring dyes, plastic containers, water, pipettes (plastic are best, similar to eye droppers), towels

I usually begin color mixing by making only the primary colors of water - red, blue, and yellow. Children figure out pretty fast how to make purple, orange, and green.

My grandson is 5 and had no problem with the pipettes. Khloe is 3 and had some trouble, but kept at it. I eventually gave her a spoon and she was quite happy with that.

The towel on the table kept spills to a minimum. But in the summer, this could go outside with complete disregard to messes. This activity will keep children occupied as long as there is colored water to use!

Other suggestions:

~ clear plastic candy mold trays are WONDERFUL for eye-hand coordination and fine motor control

~ suction cup soap holders require even more finesse and make cool designs on paper towels that are laid on top after each suction cup has one drop of colored water on it

~ for older children, I like to use baby food jars so each child can mix with the 3 primary colors and be in control of the outcomes

Angie Quantrell loves simple science and art projects. Kids need to play and experiment as they have learn. Play is the work of a child. Put those kids to work.

I Can Draw Animals - Non-Fiction Picture Book

I Can Draw Animals - Usborne Playtime
By Ray Gibson
Illustrated By Amanda Barlow
Photography By Howard Allman
(Scholastic Inc., 1997)

I Can Draw Animals is a great little non-fiction book that gives simple examples and directions to children about drawing animals. Sixteen animals reside on pages filled with color and step-by-step instructions. Crayons and felt pens are the recommended art tools that are used on white paper. Budding artists can start with crayons and felt pens and branch out after they have figured out how to draw the different animals.

Artist in the family? I Can Draw Animals is the perfect title.

KID KANDY:

Supplies ~ crayons, felt pens, markers, white paper

~ Read the table of contents and choose an animal to draw. Follow the directions to create animal kingdom works of art.

~ Matte favorite drawings and display them in picture frames. Or stick artwork right on a bulletin board or the refrigerator.

~ No wall space? Staple one side of pages together to make a book of drawings. Or put in a binder in individual transparent protective sleeves.

Be sure to have the artist sign the pictures and add the date!


Angie Quantrell is not an artist. But she still loves drawing and experimenting with different types of art media. Directions help her to draw recognizable pictures!