Mother Bruce ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Funny and adorable book!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Mother Bruce
By Ryan T. Higgins
(Hyperion, 2015)

I'm sure you've heard of Old Mother Goose. Or you've seen a goose trailed by a parade of her goslings. This is not a story about Mother Goose.

Or maybe it is. Except Mother Goose is a he, not a she. And his name is Bruce. Bruce is a bear.

Bruce jumps from the frying pan and into the fire of motherhood after the goose eggs he had collected hatch on the stove while he is gathering firewood.

Bruce, Mr. Grumpy himself, does everything he can to get rid of the goslings. But alas, he is stuck being Mother. Bruce.

Mother Bruce is funny and clever. I loved it!

KID KANDY:

Play Bear, Bear, Goose

Have you heard of Duck, Duck, Goose?

This is the same game, only the one who is IT should tap others on their heads and say "Bear, Bear, Bear, Bear, . . . Goose!" The goose should chase IT around the outside of the circle until he/she reaches the empty spot and sits down. Then goose becomes IT.

Bear, Bear, Goose is an outdoor (or a gym) game. So invite those friends, make a big circle, choose someone to be IT, and have fun!

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!

The Bear in the Book ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Bear in the Book
By Kate Banks
Illustrated by Georg Hallensleben
(Frances Foster Books, 2012)

Who doesn't love books about bears?

The Bear in the Book is a story of a boy, a book, and bedtime. Oh, and of course a big black bear features prominently in this tale of a mother convincing her child to go to sleep.

As the mother reads about the bear in the book, the little boy learns all about winter and hibernating bears and seasons. Winter turns to spring and the bear awakes, ready to cross the pages of the book to get into sunshine.

But the boy has fallen asleep.

Young readers will love the muted illustrations (though brightly colored), the snoozing bear, and all that goes on outside the den while the bear sleeps away the winter.

KID KANDY:

Make a Den

Bears spend winter hibernating in caves or dens. Make your own den.

Use a sheet or blanket (or several). Spread it over a table and let it hang over the edges. Or you can push furniture together to make the walls and use the sheet over the top. Clothespins will help hold the edges down.

Turn yourself into a bear. Creep around on your hands and knees. Pretend to eat lots of nuts and berries and fish to get fat for the winter (bears don't eat all winter long!). Fat enough? Now it's time to hibernate.

Crawl into your den. Make a cozy nest with pillows and blankets. Scooch around until you are comfy.

Shhh. Good-night, little bear. Good-night.

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.