Woodpecker Wham! ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Nonfiction picture book that delights and informs!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Woodpecker Wham!
By April Pulley Sayre
Illustrated by Steve Jenkins
(Henry Holt and Company, 2015)

Woodpecker Wham! is a delightful book told in rhyme. Readers will enjoy wonderful, bright illustrations about the life cycle and habits of woodpeckers that fill the pages of this picture book. Text written with descriptive words and words of sounds made by woodpeckers imparts information in a simple and clean way.

I loved reading the end notes that gave interesting facts and explanations about woodpecker habits. Why do woodpeckers 'ant'? Where do woodpeckers nest? How do they secure their homes? Fascinating.

Learning about birds? Woodpecker Wham! is the perfect book to read with children.

KID KANDY:

Bird Hunt

1. Look at the illustrations of Woodpecker Wham! Remember the colors, shapes, and habits so you can use them to help you locate woodpeckers.

2. Find a pair of binoculars and put on sturdy shoes.

3. Ask a parent or older sibling to go with you.

4. Walk around your yard, neighborhood, or in a wooded area and scout for woodpeckers. You may need to listen for their calls or 'pecking,' check tree trunks for nesting cavities, or watch for their particular flight patterns. Once you see them, you will figure out how to easily spot them in the future.

5. Take photos with your mind! When you get home, check out the book again and see if you saw one of the featured woodpeckers. Or look in a bird identification book to find the bird you saw.

6. Draw a picture of the bird you saw and where you spotted it. If you didn't find any, don't give up. Draw a picture of the birds you want to find.

7. Keep looking.

Birds are amazing! I can always tell when woodpeckers (we have flickers in our neighborhood) are racing around. Both woodpeckers and jays are loud! 

Happy bird hunting.

Every Day Birds ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Beautiful, nonfiction book about birds we see each day.

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Every Day Birds
By Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
Cut Paper Illustrations by Dylan Metrano
(Orchard Books, 2016)

Birds you see each day are the stars of this book, Every Day Birds.

Simple text, colorful fonts, beautiful cut paper illustrations, and one characteristic or behavior of each featured bird make this book a keeper. Twenty common North American birds are pictured in Every Day Birds. A picture identification and additional information section is included at the end of the book.

Young readers and budding bird lovers will treasure reading Every Day Birds. Reading will be followed up by time outdoors searching for the birds who live among the book pages.

Check out this brand new book. Every Day Birds.

KID KANDY:

Bird Watching

Materials: Every Day Birds, binoculars, hat

1. Read and study the birds found in Every Day Birds.

2. Put on your hat and head outside to look for birds.

3. Use the binoculars to see details of different birds without having to get too close.

4. Compare the birds you found to the ones in the book. How many did you find? Which was your favorite?

5. Some bird enthusiasts keep a lifetime list of the birds they see. You could make your own list by using a notebook for a bird journal. Draw or list the birds you observe.

Are you having fun yet? I'd love to hear which birds you saw on your bird hunt.

Tweet, tweet!

You Nest Here With Me ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

You Nest Here With Me
By Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple
Illustrated by Melissa Sweet
(Boyds Mills Press, 2015)

You Nest Here With Me is the perfect picture book for a bedtime story that allows readers to learn about birds and their nests.

I love this book! The illustrations are adorable. The story is told in peaceful rhyme and shares details about common birds.

You Nest Here With Me is a lullaby and a gentle learning tale.

KID KANDY:

Make a Reading Nest

Materials: pillows, blankets, stuffed animals, books

1. Curl the blankets into a nest shape.

2. Add pillows and stuffed animals to make the nest soft and cozy.

3. Curl up in the nest and read books.


When I was little, I loved building a nest of toys and books all around me as I played. How about you? Where do you like to read books?

Good-night, little bird.

Telephone ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Telephone
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jen Corace
(Chronicle Books, 2014)

To begin with, I absolutely adore the illustrations found in Telephone! Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums for artwork.

Besides the great illustrations, Telephone is a story about the old game of telephone. Remember that game?

You start at one end of a line or circle, whisper something into someone's ear, and they whisper to the next person, and so on, until the saying gets to the last person, who then repeats the message aloud. Hysterical results are usually the case, with the ending message being nothing close to the original message.

Telephone takes place on a telephone wire and the message mixing is done by birds. A wide assortment of birds, in fact, are hanging out above apartment buildings when a mother requests the message be sent that Peter needs to fly home for dinner. The hilarity begins then, as each bird message gets wilder and more off course. Whoo-oo solves the problem? You will have to read the story.

Telephone will delight and give giggles to children who love to play with words and act silly.

KID KANDY:

Play the Telephone Game

~ Play telephone with a larger group of people (at least 5). Family reunions would be a great place to try the telephone game.

~ Choose a simple statement like Uncle Peter has no hair or Aunt Susie sat on her hamburger. Whisper the statement to the first person. You might want to write down the statement to keep it straight.

~ Let everyone play. The crazier the message, the funnier the end results.

~ Let each person whisper the message to the person or child beside him or her until the last person is reached.

~ Ask the last person to repeat the message.

~ LOL. Share the original message. How far off was it?

Be prepared to play this funny game over and over.

Little Bird Takes a Bath ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Little Bird Takes a Bath
By Marisabina Russo
(Schwartz & Wade Books, 2015)

Little Bird did not like the rain. Which is funny, because he loved the puddles left behind when it rained. When he woke up, it was another perfect day of no rain. Time for a bath!

Little Bird soared high and low, searching for puddles for a bath. Finally, he found a perfect, unoccupied puddle in the park. Just right for his bath. But many big things interrupted his bath and splashed away his puddle until he was forced to find a different place to wash.

Little Bird fluttered around the city searching everywhere for his bathtub. A city fountain becomes his final bathing spot, which he finds just in time for heading home to his nest for the night.

Little Bird Takes a Bath is a cute picture book for young readers. Preschoolers will enjoy thinking of places little bird can go to find his bathtub.

KID KANDY:

Make a Bird Bath

Birds love to bath themselves in water. When the weather gets hot, birds need fresh water to live. You can help them out!

1. Talk with your parents and ask them to help you make a bird bath.

2. Look for a good spot in your yard, especially one that you can see from a window when you are inside the house. Birds need a quick escape (in case a cat decides to try and catch them), so nearby bushes and maybe some shade will help the birds feel safe in the birdbath.

3. Buy a birdbath at a store. Or make one from a wide, low sided container like a metal garbage can lid or glazed plant tray. The birds need a rough surface to hold on to the birdbath, so avoid really slippery surfaces.

4. Place the birdbath in your chosen spot. Secure it so it doesn't tip over and make sure it is high enough that the birds can keep watch.

5. Fill the birdbath with fresh water. Place a large rock or two in the middle for resting places.

6. Stand back and watch what happens. It might take a few days for the birds to find the water. They won't come while you are close.

7. Wash out the birdbath once a week. Fill it with fresh water every day.

Thanks for giving the birds a place to have a bath!