Trouble with Trolls - Jan Brett Week - Winter Picture Books

Trouble with Trolls
Written and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1992)

Treva and her beautiful dog, Tuffi, live in a majestic mountain area that suspiciously looks like Switzerland or Norway or any one of those gorgeous northern European countries. But none of those locations have . . . trolls.

Specifically, trouble with trolls, many of which Treva has had. Trouble with Trolls tells the story of how Treva and her quick thinking saved Tuffi from being taken by trolls. The trolls in this book are not too smart and are somewhat naughty and sneaky. In this story, all they wanted was a dog. First one troll, then the next, and the next, grabbed Tuffi (kidnapped). How Treva gets her dog back, repeatedly, shows how resourceful Treva is - and how gullible the trolls are.

Jan Brett again uses the borders of the book pages to tell what else is going on in the story, behind the scenes. Boys and girls will enjoy helping Treva rescue Tuffi. Read a few pages, and then brainstorm to see how many ways Treva might try to get her dog back. That is a part of the fun in reading a new book.

Can you find a hedgehog in Trouble with Trolls?

KID KANDY:

Fly Like Treva & Tuffi

Cut long, narrow ski shapes from cardboard. Use masking or duct tape to add foot bindings. Let your child slip his feet into the bindings and ski inside the house. But where is Tuffi? Dig out a stuffed dog or favorite animal for your child to carry as he skies. Away they go!

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. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

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.

Jan Brett Week - The Mitten - Winter Picture Books

The Mitten
Adapted and Illustrated by Jan Brett
(G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1989)

Meet one of my all-time favorite winter books. I usually focus on snow and winter during the month of January, and Jan Brett has many wonderful winter-based picture books.

The Mitten is an old, old story. But Jan Brett has adapted and illustrated The Mitten in her own way.

Nicki wanted his new mittens made from snow white wool. Baba knew what would happen to white mittens in the white snow. But how could she resist when Nicki was so excited to have beautiful, warm, snow white mittens?

The expected happens. Nicki loses a mitten. And then things get exciting. When I read this book aloud to children, I love showing them the last page and illustration of The Mitten. This illustration is a perfect prompt for getting readers (or listeners) to consider what the character is really thinking. They love it.

I always draw attention to the illustrations when I read. But in any Jan Brett book, I point out the cool text and illustration features - sidebars, recipes, the story beside the story hints, what comes next shapes, and so on. Once I have taught a Jan Brett book and we have noticed what is happening on the sides of the pages (in addition to the main illustration) it's all I can do to keep them from leaping to conclusions before everyone has had a chance to figure it out for themselves!

This week I will feature a different Jan Brett book each day. Have fun reading the story and the pictures.

KID KANDY:

Make your own decorated mittens!

~ Show your child how to hold her hand as if she is wearing a mitten. Trace two mitten shapes on cardstock.

~ Cut out the mittens.

~ Use markers to make matching designs on both mittens - dots, zig zags, stripes, hearts, flowers, snowmen, swirls, or anything else that sounds interesting.

~ Hook the mittens together by punching a hole in the top of each and tying yarn through the holes. Or punch holes around the sides and bottoms of the mitten shapes (not the wrist). Sew the mitten together with yarn.

The Mitten Game:

Give everyone mittens to wear. Play catch with foam balls. Or try to build towers while wearing mittens. Adding mittens to an indoor activity will ease boredom and create the sillies.

TIP: To protect favorite books and magazines from scissors in little hands, create a designated cutting tub. Add magazines, old greeting cards, scrap paper, comics, junk mail, and so on. Teach your child to cut only items in the tub.

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. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

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.

Introducing KID KANDY

Welcome to a new feature that will be found on Book Blab - Blithering By a Book Lover. KID KANDY.

Due to my love of children's books, children, and their families, I often blog about great picture and chapter books. But recently, I grew interested in adding extra ideas for fun with kids that tie in to the theme of the book that is being featured. Over time, I realized that I need to make it a part of every blog about kids books. Read a book. Have some fun.

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. We know that the more kids love books, the more they read. And the more they read, the more they internalize things like story structure, character development, language, conflict, and creativity. And the love of both reading and exploring is encouraged to grow deep and rich in the life of kids.

Some things that will help you use KID KANDY:

~ Not every idea will appeal to you or your child. Make up something else fun!

~ Let your child be the leader in making the KID KANDY activities work or evolve. They love being in charge.

~ Adjust the suggestions to fit your circumstances. We don't all have the same resources, experience, or chunks of time.

~ Be flexible. Some things might not work out. Laugh and go on. I bet kids will remember the mistakes and flops more than the perfect endings.

~ Above all, read books together. Shared love will run all over those dog-eared, food-smeared, mangled and torn pages. Books are like the Velveteen Rabbit. The books that show the most signs of wear and tear are the ones that are most loved. They are the ones that become real in your child's heart.

Enjoy KID KANDY.

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!

Winter Wonderland -Winter NF Picture Book

Winter Wonderland
By Jill Esbaum
(Scholastic Edition, 2012; National Geographic Society, 2010)

I wish I had written this book!

Winter Wonderland is a beautifully photographed nonfiction picture book for children. Both text and photos tell about winter and the things we might see, do, hear, feel, and smell in the season of cold.

What is interesting is the point of view - Winter itself is telling the story about winter. The narrator, Winter, explains how it might be gentle or sneaky or decorative. Throughout the book, descriptive words share the look and feel of winter.

For a different point of view, and good information about winter, read Winter Wonderland.

Kid Kandy:

Winter Collage

~ Take a walk in your neighborhood, noticing the signs of winter. Take digital photos of what you see.

~ Gather poster board, glue sticks, scissors, markers, and cutting magazines.

~ Cut out pictures of things found in the winter. Glue them on the poster board.

~ Print some of the winter photos you snapped. Add them to the collage.

~ Use colored markers to add winter words such as frigid, melt, icicle, snow, and so on.

~ Display your winter collage!

For you writers, how about penning a winter poem or writing a story that takes place in winter? See how many winter words you can use as you write. How about sharing it with us?