Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

May your fur be thick enough, the fire warm enough, and the food dish always filled!
 
Purrs, snuggles, and furballs!

Snow Party - Winter Picture Books

Snow Party
Written by Harriet Ziefert
Illustrated by Mark Jones
(Scholastic, Inc., 2008)

It finally snowed today and I am ready for some winter fun. Not that we had any accumulation of snow, but it was so beautiful falling down in big tufts of white.

Snow Party takes place on a frozen pond. After a snowfall, snow families appear out of nowhere, carrying all sorts of boxes and bags. An especially tempting box draws the attention of children, but they are not allowed to peek. All day long, snowmen moms, dads, boys, and girls work hard to prepare for the party. By nightfall, the snow party is perfectly ready. Will the special box be opened? What is inside?

Join Ziefert and Jones as they share a magical story about snowmen at a snow party. This book is great for those who want to know what snowmen do when we are not looking.

KID KANDY:

Act out Snow Party.

Almost every page of Snow Party has snowmen doing something. After reading the book together, reread the pages and encourage your child to act out the same thing she sees the snowmen doing - carrying heavy boxes, sweeping ice, decorating, dancing, and so on. Ask her to think of a few new ideas of things for the snowmen to do. Act those out as well.

Turn the tables and let your child tell you what to act out! Come on, it will be snow much fun.

Pip & Squeak - Winter Picture Books

Pip & Squeak
Written and Illustrated by Ian Schoenherr
(Scholastic Inc., 2007)

What do mice love? Cheese.

Join Pip and Squeak, two adorable mice, as they race to make it to a birthday party for their friend, Gus. But guess who forgot the present of cheese? Pip! Now what to do?

Pip and Squeak find a solution and continue to the party. Read Pip & Squeak to find out if the make-do gift was successful. Readers will love the world as seen through the eyes of tiny mice.

KID KANDY:

Schoenherr does a fabulous job of illustrating this book from the viewpoint of the mice. What does it look like to be small in a big world? Hint: Most children are already aware of this, as their viewpoint of life is from a height of below our waist!

~ Hit the floor, everyone. Crawl around on hands and knees to see how things appear from down low. What can you reach? What do you see that you don't normally see? How hard is it to get around?

~ Go even lower. Wriggle worm style on the floor. Now what can you see? What can you reach (or not)?

~ Dig out a dollhouse and play with little people figures. Imagine you are as small as Pip and Squeak.


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.

Cat and Mouse in the Snow - Winter Picture Books

Cat and Mouse in the Snow
By Tomek Bogacki
(Scholastic Inc., 1999)

Cat and Mouse in the Snow is the story of two animal families, natural enemies, that meet up in a snow covered meadow. There, in the no longer green meadow, the cats and mice explore and enjoy snow, all the while playing with friends. But they have one big question - where is the green meadow now?

Younger readers and listeners will enjoy this picture book. Preschoolers who love animals will have fun watching the snow play. Read Cat and Mouse in the Snow and see if your child can figure out the answer to their question.

KID KANDY:

Do you live in an area with snow? Visit a favorite summer park. Encourage your child to share how the park is different in the winter - sights, smells, sounds, and feel. Compare the two seasons. Find a hill or a slide and enjoy the ride.


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.

Sadie and the Snowman - Winter Picture Book

Sadie and the Snowman
By Allen Morgan
Illustrated by Brenda Clark
(Scholastic Inc., 1985)

Meet Sadie. A perfectly cute and ordinary little girl who loves her snowman.

In Sadie and the Snowman, Sadie builds a lovely snowman as her kitty cat companion looks on. That night, forest animals visit the snowman and gobble up his facial features. Sadie doesn't let that stop her. She rebuilds the snowman with a new face. And the animals revisit for a snack. Sadie is undaunted and continues to rebuild her snowman each day as the animals eat his food parts every evening. This pattern continues until the weather changes and her snowman begins to melt.

How does Sadie save her snowman then? For a little girl, she is very clever. I won't spoil the ending. Needless to say, the snowman visits Sadie the following winter.

Sadie and the Snowman, a fictional picture book, teaches about seasons, perseverance, and inventiveness. I love reading it every winter.

Kid Kandy:

Snowless? Never fear. Here is how to build a snowman when there is a lack of snow (which is happening in my area of the northwest as I write!).

~ Purchase a large piece of white felt at a fabric store. Also buy several colorful rectangles (single sheets) of felt.

~ Cut three different sizes of circles from the white felt, as large as can be. Cut smaller circles, rectangles, and triangles from the colored felt pieces.

~ Attach the snowman circles to a wall (staples or thumb tacks work well) or fleece blanket (static will keep the snowman in place).

~ Let your child decorate the felt snowman with colored shapes of felt. Want a new snowman? Take him apart and make a new one.

~ This felt snowman can stay as long as you want. Done? Store the pieces until next winter.

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. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow in the life of kids. Feel free to adjust the suggestions to fit your circumstances.

You are welcome to share the ideas found in this blog.

Happy reading and exploring!

The Biggest, Best Snowman - Winter Picture Book

The Biggest, Best Snowman
By Margery Cuyler
Illustrated by Will Hillenbrand
(Scholastic Inc., 1998)

The Biggest, Best Snowman has the funnest characters! Little Nell is adorable and faces the problem of being the baby of the family. Consequently, she is usually told that she is too little to do anything for or by herself.

Unfortunately, Little Nell believes the hoopla passed on by Big Mama, Big Sarah, and Big Lizzie.

Enter the forest friends of Little Nell. With their encouragement and teamwork, Little Nell makes the biggest, best snowman. Ever.

I love the characters and the repetitive language used in this picture book. The story is enjoyable and lets little ones believe that they can do anything, even though they are small. The illustrations are delightful. This is a perfect book for preschoolers and kinder-aged boys and girls.

Kid Kandy:

Snowman Glitter Play Dough

Recipe:

3 cups white flour
1 cup salt
1/4 cup silver or white glitter
1 T. alum
2 T. baby oil

3 cups boiling water

1. Mix dry ingredients in large bowl.

2. Add baby oil and boiling water.

3. Stir with wooden spoon until cool enough to handle. Pour out on counter and knead until well mixed. Warning: This dough is very hot. Only an adult should knead it.

4. Cool and store in a lidded container.

To Play:

Roll glittery snowballs. Stack on top of each other to make snowmen. Provide chenille stems, twigs, and buttons to use on snowmen. Or dig out the rolling pins, roll the dough, and use snowman cookie cutters to make a snowman family.

The Snowy Day - Winter Picture Books

The Snowy Day
By Ezra Jack Keats
(Scholastic Inc., 1962)

I don't have snow. I really, really want snow. But it just hasn't happened yet.

So let me give you a favorite book about snow.

The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats is a Caldecott Medal winner, so I know I am not alone in my love for this book.

Peter. Meet Peter, a young boy who wakes up to a brand new world covered with mountains of snow.

After breakfast, Peter puts on his adorable snowsuit and heads out to explore. Just as any child would do when confronted with fresh snow, he makes tracks, drags sticks, makes a snowman (who looks suspiciously like Peter), makes a snow angel, and watches big boys throw snowballs. Peter even makes his own snowball and puts it in his pocket to keep for later.

The story is perfect. The illustrations are simple yet speak volumes. The Snowy Day is a classic. And a must for any reader.

Kid Kandy:

~ If you have snow, go outside! Copy the things that Peter did in The Snowy Day.

~ Make a snowball. Where can you keep it so that it stays frozen? Experiment. Make three snowballs. Put them in different places. Which one stays frozen the longest? Which melts the quickest?

~ No snow? Get out the white tempera paint and a big piece of dark paper. Use fingers to make your own snow prints.

The Snow Globe Family

Looking out the walls of my own private snow globe residence...

The Snow Globe Family
by Jane O'Conner (Puffin, 2008)

Current winter conditions make me think about a favorite picture book, The Snow Globe Family, by Jane O'Conner.

We recently read this lovely winter story at school. A family living inside the snow globe on the mantle is waiting for a snowstorm so they can play in the snow. They wait and wait. Meanwhile, a life-sized family enjoys a winter storm and heads out to play.

The baby is the one who notices the tiny family in the globe. Knocking it down causes a huge blizzard to appear for the family inside the globe.

Both families enjoy winter wonderlands.

After receiving snow globes for Christmas, several girls shared them with the class. Just last week, we had heavy snow days. It looked like we were living inside a snow globe while at school! The students loved the connection to the story and our real life weather event.

Make this delightful picture book a family winter favorite! It is perfect for inspiring the imagination of children as they create their own pretend snow globe worlds.