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.

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 Autumn Book ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

My Autumn Book
By Wong Herbert Yee
(Christy Ottaviano Books, Henry Holt and Company; 2015)

My Autumn Book simply and beautifully encapsulates the essence of fall, my absolute favorite season.

A young girl joins the joy as nature races towards winter. Is it really fall?

In gentle verse, the story of fall as seen through the eyes of a child is shown through her exploration and enchantment with the natural world.

My Autumn Book is a great book to read together with young children.

KID KANDY:

Make a Fall Picture Book

Just like the girl in the story, you can make your own fall picture journal.

1. Ask an adult to help you use a camera.

2. Go on a fall nature walk. Take pictures of the signs of fall you see.

3. Print the photos.

4. Tape or use a glue stick to attach fall photos to cardstock or construction paper.

5. Label your photos - spider, leaf, rain, tree, and so on. Decorate the pages around the photos.

6. Staple pages together on one side to make a book.

Now you can read your own fall book!

What is your favorite fall book? I'd love to hear.

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie
By Jill Esbaum
(Scholastic, Inc., 2009; National Geographic Kids)

Pumpkins are one of my favorite signs of fall. I adore pumpkins and cannot wait for the season of my dreams to roll around and please me with the smells, sights, and sounds of leaves, pumpkins, and cooler temps.

Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie is a beautifully photographed nonfiction picture book about the pumpkin life cycle. The pumpkin life stages are shown through photos. Examples of ways we use pumpkins (carving, eating, baking, floating, etc.) are shown in full color. There is such a wide variety of seasonal sights featured in this book, I love reading it just for ideas that get me in the mood for pumpkin hunting.

Young readers will be inspired to hit the pumpkin patch and choose a favorite pumpkin - be it orange, yellow, green, white, smooth, lumpy, tiny, or enormous.

KID KANDY:

Grow Pumpkin Vocabulary

1. Visit a pumpkin patch or even just the grocery store fall display.

2. Check out the pumpkins and squash. There are so many wonderful and varied types of both.

3. Touch, smell, and compare the pumpkins.

4. Use all the words you can think of to describe the pumpkins - smooth, lined, warty, bumpy, striped, fat, flat, huge, petite, and so on. Make a long list.

5. Let your child choose a favorite pumpkin to take home.

6. Describe the pumpkin using vocabulary words. Make it exciting!

7. Happy pumpkin day!

I can't wait to go visit a pumpkin patch and find pumpkins to use for decorations.

A Tree for All Seasons ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

A Tree for All Seasons
By Robin Bernard
(National Geographic Society, Scholastic Inc., 1999)

Some books you just keep. Forever. Because they are beautiful.

A Tree for All Seasons is one of those keeper books. That front yard on the cover is what I want my front yard to look like. The trees, the picket fence, the falling leaves, the children playing . . .

A Tree for All Seasons contains fabulous photos of nature in the fall. Winter, spring, and summer are also included in this book - all the seasons of a tree.

This nonfiction picture book will excite young readers to go outside and enjoy nature, no matter what the season.

KID KANDY:

Tree Journal

This is so much fun. I used to do this with my preschoolers. There was a huge, giant, enormous tree right next to our classroom. I marched them all out and took photos of each during the three seasons of school. We were not there during the summer, so I couldn't feature that season. But the other three seasons became nature books about our tree.

1. This project will take a year to complete, but it is so cool to look back and see the changes! It is worth the long wait.

2. Take a photo every season with your chosen tree (your yard, at school, at a park, or in a forest - just make sure to use the same tree each time).

3. I loved having the children sit in a wagon - one at a time - and smiling for the camera. The wagon also became a great carrier of leaves, seed pods, and pumpkins.

4. Print out each photo for the seasons. Display on the refrigerator or bulletin board. Add every new season. When you get photos from all 4 seasons, tape them to cardstock and make a book with them. Now you can check out the seasons and your tree all the time!

5. Compare that tree. What changes do you see between seasons? How did you change over one year? Which is your favorite season? Why?

Isn't nature grand? I'm so glad that God created such a wonderful world for us to enjoy.

Thanks for visiting. If you would like to get future blog posts delivered right to your email inbox, sign up below. Thank you!

Summer Birds, The Butterflies of Maria Merian ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Summer Birds, The Butterflies of Maria Merian
By Margarita Engle
Illustrations by Julie Paschkis
(Henry Holt & Company, 2010)

Summer Birds, The Butterflies of Maria Merian is a fascinating, historical picture book.

Maria Merian lived in the Middle Ages. Born in 1647 in Germany, she was enthralled by nature. Being observant, she studied and noticed that insects were not evil as was commonly believed. Maria learned that they did not spring up unaided from mud puddles, but they actually grew from eggs and transformed into adult insects.

Summer birds was the name used for butterflies and moths that sprang up in warm weather.

This beautiful picture book will engage readers of all ages. I was very interested to learn about old beliefs and superstitions as well as a young girl who worked hard to dispel and change the incorrect assumptions of those around her. In a time where witchcraft was prevalent, Maria had to study in secret during her younger years. Maria later went on to become an artist, scientist, and explorer.

Summer Birds, The Butterflies of Maria Merian is a great book to read. Extra information about Maria's life is given on a page at the end of the story. Nature lovers will enjoy this book and want to learn more about Maria and the nature she studied.

KID KANDY:

Observe a Summer Bird

Materials: magnifying glass, butterfly net, sketch pad and pencils

~ Go out on a sunny day and look for butterflies. Observe them as they flutter their way through flowers and gardens.

~ Gently capture a butterfly. Use the magnifying glass to look very closely at the summer bird you have captured.

~ Quickly sketch the butterfly. Release the butterfly and watch it go off in search of more flowers.

In the spring, it is fun to purchase butterfly eggs and watch them develop and transform into adult butterflies. Ask your parents to help you order a set. I like to use www.insectlore.com. They sell all kinds of insects that you can watch grow up.

Being a scientist like Maria is fun, isn't it?

big bug ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

big bug
By Henry Cole
(Little Simon, 2014)

big bug is an adorable book that simply and smoothly shows the comparative sizes of things found in our world. The fun part is all in the perspective of the reader (and the author/illustrator).

What begins as a big ladybug suddenly becomes a little bug because it is on a big leaf. The big leaf becomes a small leaf when compared to a big flower. And so on goes the story in big bug, moving from smaller to larger items. Towards the end of the book, Henry Cole reverses directions and starts with a big thing (the sky) and shrinks items down to little things.

Young readers will love seeing how the little things become big and the big things become little. big bug is the perfect book for talking about sizes.

KID KANDY:

Get Outside - Find Big and Little Things

Can you find your own examples of big bug in your yard?

1. Find an object - spider, rock, leaf, toy, plant.

2. Find a bigger object - grass, flower bed, tree, sandbox, garden.

3. Label each as little and big. Little spider. Big rock.

4. Change perspective. Little rock. Big yard.


Have fun playing with sizes!

Everything Spring - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Everything Spring
Written by Jill Esbaum
(National Geographic Society and Scholastic Inc., 2010)

Think spring!

Spring has arrived early in the northwest. It's been so warm that fruit trees, bulbs, flowers, bushes and animals are about 2 weeks ahead of schedule. Nest building, buds, flowers, bugs, babies, and all sorts of spring signs are in great evidence.

Everything Spring is a beautifully photographed book about spring. As I look out the windows and walk through the mild air, I have been reminded how much I enjoy spring.

The senses are very much involved in Everything Spring. "Spring tiptoes in, . . . earthy smells, . . ., color." Just reading the book makes me want to get outside and search for those signs of new life, big and small.

Children will love and identify with the many signs of spring found in this non-fiction picture book. Welcome spring by reading about the season and then exploring nature.

KID KANDY:

Go for a spring nature walk.

1. Choose a nearby park or wooded area. Walk slowly, noticing all the signs of spring you see.

2. Record your observations. Use a journal and pencils or a camera.

3. Sit a few minutes in silence. What do you see? Hear? Smell? Close your eyes and see how much better you can hear and smell.

4. Tell a friend what you saw and learned.

5. Go back to the same spot every season. Compare the seasonal differences in what you see, feel, smell, and hear.

Nature is pretty amazing!

Angie Quantrell loves living in the Pacific Northwest where four seasons makes for an abundance of beauty. You can find her enjoying the outdoors of her backyard, neighborhood, and lots of other nature areas.

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.