Shapes, Shapes, Shapes - Non-Fiction Picture Book

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes
By Tana Hoban
(A Mulberry Paperback Book, Greenwillow Books, 1986)

Shapes, Shapes, Shapes is a wonderful nonfiction book about shapes.

In her book Shapes, Shapes, Shapes, Tana Hoban showcases photographs of everyday life and objects. Big city items becomes simple shapes behind her focused camera lens. Nothing is more challenging and appropriate than hooking what we want children to learn to real-life examples.

KID KANDY:

Make your own book about shapes. Enlist your child to be the content producer and locate items in your home, neighborhood, or community that showcase circles, squares, diamonds, triangles, rectangles, and ovals. Take photos of the "scenes" chosen by your producer child.

Print out the photos. Use double stick tape and attach them to cardstock. Ask your producer to decorate the cover page with the book title (his or her choice) and brightly colored shapes. Staple the left edge to make your own book. Read and have fun identifying the shapes.

Or make a computer slide show or Power Point show with the photos. Help your child producer arrange the slides in the desired order. Label them, add music, or program the show with special computer effects. Enjoy the show!

Angie Quantrell loves books that incorporate photographs. In one of the books she has written, I Can Be More Like Jesus, Angie took photographs for the illustrations. Her graphic artist, Clay Allison, used a watercolor program on the photos to create a special look. Angie loved the process of helping with book illustrating.

I Can Be More Like Jesus is available through Woman's Missionary Union in the preschooler resources tab. Go to http://www.wmustore.com.

Bear Shadow - Picture Book

Bear Shadow
Written and Illustrated By Frank Asch
(Scholastic Inc., 1985)

My young son Taylor (who now is 26 years-old) loved the Bear stories by Frank Asch. Since that time, I have had a special attachment to reading about Bear's adventures.

Bear Shadow is one such adventure. Bear decides to go fishing. But his shadow scares away the fish. To rectify the situation, Bear tries to lose his shadow. Readers will laugh at his attempts at running away, hiding, and tricking his shadow.

Not only is Bear Shadow an enjoyable read, it helps youngsters consider what we know about shadows. Shadows are a fun and interesting part of life! Me and my shadow . . .

KID KANDY:

1. Make your own shadows. This activity requires at least two participants. Get sidewalk chalk and head outside on a sunny day. Have one child stand frozen in a pose while the other traces the outline on the ground with chalk. Switch places and take turns tracing shadows.

2. Play shadow copycat. Explore what your shadow can do. Move, jump, dance, walk, and wiggle. Does your shadow copy you? Or are you copying your shadow?


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 likes to make her shadow tall and thin and silly. Her shadow likes to walk on the beach with the shadows of her friends.

I Can Draw Animals - Non-Fiction Picture Book

I Can Draw Animals - Usborne Playtime
By Ray Gibson
Illustrated By Amanda Barlow
Photography By Howard Allman
(Scholastic Inc., 1997)

I Can Draw Animals is a great little non-fiction book that gives simple examples and directions to children about drawing animals. Sixteen animals reside on pages filled with color and step-by-step instructions. Crayons and felt pens are the recommended art tools that are used on white paper. Budding artists can start with crayons and felt pens and branch out after they have figured out how to draw the different animals.

Artist in the family? I Can Draw Animals is the perfect title.

KID KANDY:

Supplies ~ crayons, felt pens, markers, white paper

~ Read the table of contents and choose an animal to draw. Follow the directions to create animal kingdom works of art.

~ Matte favorite drawings and display them in picture frames. Or stick artwork right on a bulletin board or the refrigerator.

~ No wall space? Staple one side of pages together to make a book of drawings. Or put in a binder in individual transparent protective sleeves.

Be sure to have the artist sign the pictures and add the date!


Angie Quantrell is not an artist. But she still loves drawing and experimenting with different types of art media. Directions help her to draw recognizable pictures!

Peter's Chair - Picture Book

Peter's Chair
Written and Illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats
(Scholastic Inc., 1967)

I discovered Peter's Chair after I fell in love with The Snowy Day. Two of my young grands are expecting a new baby brother in June. It seemed appropriate to feature a book about the adjustment to new siblings.

Peter is a young boy who discovers life is not the same after a new baby comes to live in the house. All Peter wants to do is play. But he soon finds out that he must play quietly. His crib has been painted pink and his high chair is soon to follow the pink trend. When Peter sees his blue chair, he realizes he must do something!

Peter runs away with a few of his prized possessions. With his dog, he attempts to sit down in his chair. But Peter does not fit. He has outgrown it.

Peter comes on new-baby-sister board with his own decision to make the chair work for his baby sister.

Peter's Chair is perfect for families with new babies.

KID KANDY:

Time to dig out the baby doll and crib. Set up a homeliving area with baby bed, doll, baby toys (bottle, high chair, stroller, baby backpack, and so on), blankets, and doll clothes. Engage your child or children in play that involves taking care of the baby.

~ If your doll is waterproof, set up a baby bathtub and let your child bathe the baby.

~ Sing lullabies and chat with your child and the baby as you play.

~ Rock the baby, put the baby to bed, change the baby diaper, and feed the baby.

~ Reassure your child by offering plenty of love and cuddles. Talk about the baby coming and some of the changes that will take place. Let your child express his or her feelings about the new baby.

~ Prepare your child for the new sibling by listening, talking, and reassuring. A new baby is a big and wonderful deal!

Angie Quantrell loves her grands, children, books, and reading. She loves building connections between them all.

Froggy Gets Dressed - Winter Picture Book

Froggy Gets Dressed
By Jonathan London
Illustrated By Frank Remkiewicz
(Scholastic Inc., 1999)

Boys and girls love Froggy!

Froggy wakes up from a good sleep to see snow falling outside. Of course, being Froggy, he wants to go out and play in the winter white flakes. Even after his mother reminds him that frogs need to sleep all winter, Froggy struggles on with his clothes. The fun comes when his mother calls him back inside to put on missing clothing items. The very last piece will draw howls of laughter.

Once I have read Froggy Gets Dressed to a group of children, they always remember the cadence of the story and the funny ending. And they immediately begin to dress up and reenact Froggy.

KID KANDY:

The best fun thing to do after reading Froggy Gets Dressed is to play dress up.

Arrange quilts and pillows on the floor for beds. Dig out the winter clothes (or retrieve them from the drying rack). Choose who gets to be Froggy the first time around. Or better yet, everyone can be Froggy. Let the mom or dad of the family be the one who calls, "Frrroooggggyyyyyy!"

Angie Quantrell loves picture books that have kid humor in them. Talking animals just add to the fun.

Redwoods - Nature Picture Books

Redwoods
Written and Illustrated By Jason Chin
(Flashpoint, Roaring Brook Press, 2009)

I discovered Redwoods while perusing the library in the children's area. And what a delightful find it was!

Redwoods, written and illustrated by Jason Chin, is a beautifully illustrated and very informative book about the giant redwoods. Not just educational, but entertaining.

A young boy sitting on a bench discovers a book about redwoods. This book in fact. He begins reading the book Redwoods (while he is in the book Redwoods). He is soon joined by a tiny squirrel (look for the squirrel in every page) as he learns all he can about the giant redwoods.

I love how Chin shows the importance and excitement of learning through books. I also love how the cycle begins anew when the boy leaves the book on a bench. A girl soon picks it up and begins reading about redwoods.

This is the perfect book to read if you are planning a trip to see the redwoods. Or even if you are not.

KID KANDY:

Visit a Forest

Take your child for a walk in the forest. Truly experience the forest.

~ Smell the trees, soil, plants, and all there is that tickles your nose.

~ Touch the tree bark, ferns, moss, and other forest inhabitants. (Avoid mushrooms and wild animals!)

~ Close your eyes and listen. What can you hear? Wind? Animals? Airplanes? Cars? Your breathing?

~ How far can you see through the trees? Look at forest plants up close. Count how many nature items you can see.

~ Take pictures or draw pictures of what you find in the forest.

~ Go to the library or bookstore and find more books about the forest and redwoods.


Angie Quantrell has visited the amazing redwoods many times. They never cease to amaze and thrill her.

Pancakes, Pancakes! - Picture Books & Circles

Pancakes, Pancakes!
Ready to Read Version
Written and Illustrated by Eric Carle
(Scholastic, Inc., 1990)



Circles
Welcome Books, City Shapes
By Jan Kottke
(Scholastic Inc., 2000)

Stuck on circles!

Pancakes, Pancakes! by Eric Carle is a pancake classic. While this version is simplified remake of the original book for early readers, it still gives children the excitement of reading about pancakes.

Pancakes, Pancakes! is the story of a boy who wants pancakes for breakfast. This is not as easy as one would think. Pancakes, Pancakes! takes place on an old-fashioned farm where meals are prepared the old way. So the boy, Jack, has to collect and gather all of the items necessary for pancakes - from milking the cow, making butter, and grinding wheat, to heading downstairs to the cellar to retrieve jam.

I love the way Eric Carle lets readers learn about the origins of a favorite meal. His signature style of illustrating shines through with beautiful colors.

And while we are talking about pancakes, how about those circles?

Circles is a simple non-fiction book that helps boys and girls identify circles in their surroundings. Circles includes important non-fiction characteristics, like a table of contents, bolded new words, a glossary, and an index.

You can't go wrong with pancakes and circles!

KID KANDY:

Circle Hunt

After reading the books, go on a circle hunt. You can hunt in two ways:

1. Ask your child to go around the house and find items that are round or circle-shaped. Make a pile of circle shapes. (A solid circle shape like a ball is called a sphere.) Compare the circle-shaped items.

2. Go for a circle walk. Point out all of the circle shapes you find in nature and man-made constructions.

IF you are really energetic, take photographs of some of the circle shapes. Make your own book of circles by printing out photos and adding them to a memory book (the little photo album books with sleeves for photos) or taping on cardstock. Read!

Learning about shapes (and eating them in the form of pancakes) is a necessary skill for young children. You can keep your (pan)cake and eat it, too!


Angie Quantrell loves challenging children to find shapes in their environment. She especially enjoys cooking with kids and making a mess while having fun and learning at the same time.