RED, Colors in Nature - Terrific Tuesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

RED, Colors in Nature
By Rebecca Stromstad Glaser
(Bullfrog Books, Jump!, 2014)

Just looking at the vibrant, beautiful colors in RED, Colors in Nature makes me feel like I could touch the pages and feel the living nature items.

In RED, Colors in Nature, the text is simple yet engaging. A red object is pictured. A short sentence labels the photo. And then the question Why is it red? is included. The facing page answers the why question.

This nonfiction picture book will appeal to young readers and pre-readers. Nonfiction features are included, including a glossary, index, table of contents, and text boxes.

RED is not the only book in the Colors of Nature series. I have also found YELLOW and BLUE at my library and they are just as captivating.

KID KANDY:

Go Grocery Shopping

What better place to find a zillion colors on display in something near and dear to our hearts (and tummies) than our fruit and vegetables!

~ Choose one color (or decide to look for several) before you and your child hit the produce aisle.

~ Look for and label foods by color. Language building activities like learning color words and names of fruit and vegetables are essential for young children.

~ Let your child choose one or two foods from a color group to take home and taste. (Hint: This is a great way to get them to try NEW foods.)

~ Older children can make a chart and see how many different types of produce they can find for a chosen color. If your kids enjoy competition, let each choose a different color (in advance of the trip) and see who can find and write down the most of their chosen color.

~ Maybe you have a budding photographer? Let him or her use a digital camera to shoot pictures of colorful produce. Help make slide show of color on the family computer.

Whatever activity you chose, enjoy those beautiful colors of the grocery store produce section.

Art Lab for Kids - 52 Creative Adventures . . . ART Book & KID KANDY

Art Lab for Kids - 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media
By Susan Schwake
Photographs by Rainer Schwake
(Quarry Books, 2012)

I struck the jackpot with this art book!

Art Lab for Kids (add the 52 Creative Adventures part) is a fabulous book with easy to follow photographs. Budding artists or explorers will love paging through to find the perfect project.

Wonderful features make this book a complete volume with 52 different adventures in art. The author lists materials, gives detailed instructions, asks readers to "Think First," and includes photographs that illustrate key points. She also has a feature called "Meet the Artist" for each art lab adventure. Readers can read about and see the artwork of 52 different artists. And just when you thought she was done, Schwake added yet one more piece - "Go Further." This is provided for each art adventure and encourages readers to continue the process and go further with the project.

If you want to dabble in different art media projects, this book will suit you just right.

KID KANDY:

Peruse and Choose One of the 52 Creative Adventures

What's your art interest? Drawing, painting, making prints, using papers, or mixing up media? There are ideas for all of these areas.

Choose one that looks interesting to you.

Think first.

Gather your materials.

Follow the directions.

Read about the artist.

Go further.


Did you have a fantastic creative adventure in art?

Bunny Cakes ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Bunny Cakes
By Rosemary Wells
(Scholastic Inc., 1997)

Bunny Cakes is the perfect book for littles to give to grandmas or nanas.

Grandma's birthday is coming up. Max made her a mud cake. He wanted to help Ruby bake her cake for grandma, but Ruby sent him to the store instead. With lots of "oops" mistakes and repeat trips to the store, Max was finally ostracized to the yard and forced to watch the cake decorating through the window.

Never fear, for Grandma had two cakes for her birthday. All is well on the birthday cake front.

Bunny Cakes may give young readers ideas on what to bake for someone's special birthday!

KID KANDY:

Make a Birthday Cake

Figure out what you want to celebrate (or whose birthday to celebrate).

1. Bake a cake. Use a recipe from scratch or a box cake mix. Let your little help follow the directions. It's ok, just pick out the egg shells before mixing.

2. While the cake is cooking, decide how to decorate it.

3. Let your little help you spread icing and add decorations and candles. There will probably be a certain amount of licking of the butter knife. Perhaps your little can lick when the icing is complete.

4. Celebrate!

5. Don't forget to let your littles help clean up the messy kitchen!

Mrs. Wishy-washy ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Mrs. Wishy-washy
By Joy Cowley
Illustrations by Elizabeth Fuller
(Shortland Publications Limited, 1980)

Mrs. Wishy-washy lives on a farm. One day, the cow, the pig, and the duck found lovely mud and spent their time rolling and splashing about until Mrs. Wishy-washy found the mud splattered animals. Into the tub they went. And then Mrs. Wishy-washy cleaned them up. Wishy-washy, wishy-washy, wishy-washy.

When the animals were spotless, Mrs. Wishy-washy went back to the house. But the animals spied something fantastic. Mud!

This read-together book is catchy and funny. Readers will love to sing-song wishy-washy, wishy-washy, wishy-washy and laugh at the ending.

KID KANDY:

Play in the Mud

1. Get permission to play in the mud.

2. Put on old play clothes.

3. Dig a hole in the dirt.

4. Fill the hole with water.

5. Splash about and mix up the dirt and water. Make some fantastic mud! Paint your legs and hands. Make mud pies. Walk on cement to make mud footprints.

6. Hose off before you go into the house.

7. Take a bath. As you scrub, sing, "wishy-washy, wishy-washy, wishy-washy."

Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette
By Frank Asch
(Kids Can Press, 2004)

Welcome to Wacky Wednesday. Let me tell you, Monsieur Saguette is a bit wacky after he purchases a fresh baguette at the boulangerie to go with his carrot soup.

It turns out that Monsieur Saguette is quite the hero. He and the baguette solve all sorts of problems in very unusual ways.

Cat in a tree? Here, climb down the baguette, kitty. Escaped alligator about to eat a baby? Here, prop open the alligator's mouth with the baguette and save the baby. No baton for the bandleader? Here, use the baguette!

Silly and imaginative, Monsieur Saguette and His Baguette easily qualify for Wacky Wednesday status.

And Monsieur Saguette still goes home and eats the overused baguette with his soup. He even shares the crumbs.

KID KANDY:

Visit La Boulangerie

If you are lucky enough to live in a French speaking country, you will know exactly what la boulangerie is. But for the rest of us, we will have to go to a bakery. (But we can still call it la boulangerie.)

Look at the display case for breads made at the bakery. What types of bread are there? Do you see a baguette? Which is your favorite type of bread?

Some places will give tours, providing arrangements are made in advance or it is not rush hour for shopping.

Purchase some tasty bread to have for dinner. But I suggest you don't use your bread like Monsieur Saguette.

One Child, One Seed, A South African Counting Book - Terrific Tuesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

One Child, One Seed, A South African Counting Book
Written by Kathryn Cave
Photographs by Gisele Wulfsohn
(Henry Holt and Company, 2002)

One Child, One Seed, A South African Counting Book is a beautifully photographed counting book based on children, families, and people in South Africa.

Nothando lives in South Africa with her aunt and grandmother. The story tells the tale of Nothando planting a pumpkin seed. Each subsequent page continues counting higher and higher and show many scenes in South Africa. Sidebars tell more about the lives of Nothando, her family, and her friends.

One Child, One Seed, A South African Counting Book is filled with interesting cultural information. A pumpkin seed graph, numbers, and number words are features in this picture book. Children who are learning to count will enjoy this book. Anyone who wants to learn more about other countries and the lives of other children will learn much from reading One Child, One Seed, A South African Counting Book.

KID KANDY:

Make a seed graph.

1. Find some seeds (pumpkin, sunflower, or other large seeds).

2. Print numbers 1-10 down the left side of a piece of paper.

3. Print the number words (or ask a parent or older sibling to help you) beside each number.

4. Place the correct number of seeds in a row beside each number.

5. Read your graph! Count the seeds, read the number words, and have fun sharing your graph.

What Will You Be, Sara Mee? ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

What Will You Be, Sara Mee?
By Kate Aver Avraham
Illustrated by Anne Sibley O'Brien
(Charlesbridge, 2010)

What Will You Be, Sara Mee? is a story about Sara Mee and her brother. Sara Mee is celebrating her first birthday. In Korea, babies who turn one have a tol, or the first-birthday celebration that includes many guests, gifts, and the ritual event of the toljabee.

Toljabee is a prophecy game where items symbolizing different careers are placed in front of the child. Whichever item the baby chooses first supposedly indicates what he or she will become when he or she grows up.

Sara Mee celebrates with her older brother, who helps with the toljabee.

What Will You Be, Sara Mee? teaches readers a little about cultural practices in Korea. Sara Mee lives in America with her family, but the family still enjoys Korean traditions.

If you want to learn about other cultures, and maybe about some of your own neighbors, What Will You Be, Sara Mee? is a good place to begin.

KID KANDY:

What tradition does your family have?

~ Think about the things you like to do with your family.

~ What is one thing you do the same, every year, week, month, or holiday? Is that your family tradition?

~ Choose one family tradition. How did it begin? What does it mean? Did other generations have the same tradition or is it new for your family? What do you like about the tradition?

~ Think about What Will You Be, Sara Mee? What did you find interesting about the toljabee? What was different to you? What was the same?


Traditions are often passed down from parents to children to grandchildren. Families, cultures, and countries have different traditions. But the important thing is that celebrated traditions help us become who we are and understand our family.

And it is so much fun to learn about other traditions, isn't it?