What's So Bad About Being an Only Child? ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

What's So Bad About Being an Only Child?
By Cari Best
Pictures by Sophie Blackall
(Melanie Kroupa Books; Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2007)

That's a great question. What is so bad about being an only child? Said the person who is one of four children. Not that I want to be an only child! No, I love my siblings.

Poor Rosemary Emma Angela (that's my name!) Lynette Isabel Iris Malone was an only child and desperately wanted to have siblings. For she knew that friends came over, played, ate, told secrets, and all other sorts of fun friend activities - even sleep overs - but friends went home to their own families. And REALIIM (her initials) knew the stress of being the focus of all attention. She longed to share that attention and her life with a sister.

Today's Wacky Wednesday book feature is What's So Bad About Being an Only Child?. This charming (and sometimes alarming) picture book tells the tale of Rosemary as she seeks to convince the parents to give her a sibling. When that fails, Rosemary finds her own siblings. In most unusual ways.

Readers with and without sisters and brothers will enjoy the antics of Rosemary as she is naughty, creative, inventive, adventurous, loving, caring, and kind.

KID KANDY:

Play with Your Brother or Sister (or friend if you are an only child like Rosemary)

Rosemary loved playing with her friends. Here are some ideas.

~ play freeze tag

~ pretend to be pirates (like Rosemary)

~ toss a softball, Frisbee, balloons, or beach balls

~ shoot some hoops

~ pretend the jungle gym is surrounded by HOT LAVA!

~ dig out the dolls or trucks or farms or dollhouses (pretend play)

~ ride bicycles (race)

~ become chalk artists

~ climb some trees and go exploring

Make up your own game! (Remember to take turns choosing what to play.)

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose
By Stephanie Stuve-Bodeen
Illustrated by Linzie Hunter
(Little, Brown and Company, 2010)

Oh, what an adorable book! A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose is the perfect marriage between words, story, humor, and illustrations. This Wacky Wednesday feature is fun for readers - even adult ones like myself.

Amelia wanted a dog. Not just any dog, but a small brown dog with a wet pink nose.

Her parents said no.

Amelia did not give up. She finally pretended that she had a small brown dog with a wet pink nose named Bones. Amelia taught her parents to live with a dog. Imaginary though he was, Bones and Amelia trained the parents. All went well until one day Amelia woke up and found that Bones was lost! Remember? Bones is imaginary.

As her parents had previously promised that they would help her look for Bones until he was found, they searched high and low. Bones was nowhere. The family finally ended up at the animal shelter.

Did Amelia find her dog? Yes. Her parents finally realized that they might not be ready for a dog, but Amelia was.

Dog lovers and every other type of reader will love this clever book. Funny, kid-true, and delightful, A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose is a must read. Don't forget to check out the inside book covers!

KID KANDY:

Draw Your Dream Dog

Do you have a dog? If you do, you can draw your dog. If you don't, imagine what kind of dog you would like.

Use crayons, pencils, and markers to draw your dog.

Think about:

- fur
- ears
- tail
- nose
- eyes
- size
- colors
- nose and whiskers

What does your dog like to do?

Look at the pictures in A Small Brown Dog with a Wet Pink Nose to find ideas for dog treats, toys, and activities. Include those on your drawing.

Display your drawing. Take your dog (real or imaginary) for a fun walk.

Roof, roof!

The Baker's Dozen, A Counting Book ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Baker's Dozen, A Counting Book
by Dan Andreasen
(Henry Holt and Company, 2007)

Everyone knows how many treats are in a baker's dozen, right?

Maybe not. It is sort of wacky that a dozen equals 13 when it is used to describe baked goods. Of course, I would love one more bakery treat than 12 when I purchase a baker's dozen - oh, let's say of donuts or cupcakes or brownies or anything full of calories and flavor!

The Baker's Dozen, A Counting Book, is full of examples of delicious bakery chef created delectables. Each page gives descriptive vocabulary words for special desserts and places the number of goods on that page in a prominent location. Every illustration shows the baker performing a baker's task as he prepares yummy mouthfuls of joy.

Food is important to me and desserts are special treats. Readers who appreciate baked goods and young children who are learning about numbers will enjoy counting their way through The Baker's Dozen, A Counting Book.

KID KANDY:

What is a Baker's Dozen?

Materials: egg carton, variety of counting objects

Help your child place one item in each egg section of a carton. Count the objects together. Trade objects and count something else. Discuss that 12 is called a dozen, but in the baking world a baker's dozen is 13.

Help your child figure out how to put 13 things in the carton and count them.

Play a counting game. Ask your child to close his eyes. Place either 12 or 13 objects in the carton. Tell your child to count the objects and tell you if it is a dozen or a baker's dozen. Repeat the game again and make sure you take a turn closing your eyes!

After you are done, go to the bakery and buy a baker's dozen of a special treat to share for dessert. Your child will surely remember baker's dozen after that!

Up the Creek ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Up the Creek
by Nicholas Oldland
(Kids Can Press, 2013)

Up the Creek is a humorous tale of three wildlife friends - a bear, a beaver, and a moose.

One day, the three friends, who often disagreed with one another, decided to go for a canoe ride. That was when the arguing, adventures, disasters, and hilarity began.

Young readers will have fun and laugh as they enjoy Up the Creek. Anyone who has siblings or friends will recognize the squabbling and cooperation that takes place throughout Up the Creek. This book would be good to help children learn how to get along with others.

KID KANDY:

Go on a Canoe Ride

Summer is the perfect time for exploring a stream, river, or pond in a canoe. Many parks and recreation areas rent canoes. Maybe a neighbor, friend, or family member has one you can borrow.

~ Borrow or rent a canoe.

~ Make sure you have enough life jackets for all canoe riders.

~ Ask about safety instructions.

~ Wear plenty of sunscreen and bug spray. A hat and sunglasses would also be good.

~ Practice making the canoe move in calm or shallow water. Once your group has the hang of it, get on out there and start exploring.

~ Take pictures or click 'mental' photos with your mind to remember the experience.

Did you experience any of the situations that bear, beaver, and moose ran into on their canoe ride? What was the hardest part? The easiest part? What was your favorite thing about going on a canoe ride?

The Eraserheads ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Eraserheads
By Kate Banks
Pictures by Boris Kulikov
(Frances Foster Books, 2010)

Ha-ha, you laugh. The Eraserheads. What in the world are eraserheads?

Exactly what they sound like - erasers that are shaped like animals (including their heads).

In The Eraserheads, three friendly erasers shaped like an owl, a pig, and a crocodile lived with a boy and his collection of pencils, papers, and assorted art supplies. Each animal had a specific expertise of erasing. Owl helped correct letters and words. Crocodile was good with numbers. Pig liked to eat and would erase anything.

One day, as the boy drew, the eraserheads watched with delight. The beach scene changed into different settings as the road traveled around the paper. Suddenly, the paper was full and the boy had to stop. But wait! Crocodile decided to give the boy extra room by erasing part of the road. That was a great idea, until the eraserheads became stuck in the middle of nowhere.

How did the eraserheads get back home? The ending will delight imaginative readers and artists alike.

KID KANDY:

Gather Your Own Eraserheads and Use Your Imagination

Hint: Back-to-school sales are the perfect time to stock up on erasers.

1. Collect erasers, pencils, paper, and other art supplies.

2. Name your erasers! How much fun is that? Perhaps each eraserhead could have a specific job just like the erasers in The Eraserheads.

3. Put your erasers and pencils to work. Start drawing and writing. You don't have to worry about mistakes. You have eraser friends!

What did you draw? What will happen next? What did you name your erasers?

I'd love to hear about your adventures.

Telephone ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Telephone
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jen Corace
(Chronicle Books, 2014)

To begin with, I absolutely adore the illustrations found in Telephone! Watercolor is one of my favorite mediums for artwork.

Besides the great illustrations, Telephone is a story about the old game of telephone. Remember that game?

You start at one end of a line or circle, whisper something into someone's ear, and they whisper to the next person, and so on, until the saying gets to the last person, who then repeats the message aloud. Hysterical results are usually the case, with the ending message being nothing close to the original message.

Telephone takes place on a telephone wire and the message mixing is done by birds. A wide assortment of birds, in fact, are hanging out above apartment buildings when a mother requests the message be sent that Peter needs to fly home for dinner. The hilarity begins then, as each bird message gets wilder and more off course. Whoo-oo solves the problem? You will have to read the story.

Telephone will delight and give giggles to children who love to play with words and act silly.

KID KANDY:

Play the Telephone Game

~ Play telephone with a larger group of people (at least 5). Family reunions would be a great place to try the telephone game.

~ Choose a simple statement like Uncle Peter has no hair or Aunt Susie sat on her hamburger. Whisper the statement to the first person. You might want to write down the statement to keep it straight.

~ Let everyone play. The crazier the message, the funnier the end results.

~ Let each person whisper the message to the person or child beside him or her until the last person is reached.

~ Ask the last person to repeat the message.

~ LOL. Share the original message. How far off was it?

Be prepared to play this funny game over and over.

Counting Crows ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Counting Crows
by Kathi Appelt
illustrated by Rob Dunlavey
(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015)

Let's count some crows on this Wacky Wednesday. That's better than eating crow, right?

Counting Crows is a funny picture book about counting crows. The author, Kathi Appelt, creatively adds rhyme and tasty snacks for the crows being counted. The counting goes up to a dozen crows. Do you know how many crows are in a dozen? (Think a box of donuts.)

Counting Crows has very amusing illustrations as well. Thank you, Rob Dunlavey. The pages are filled with black, white, and red. Crows wear red and white striped sweaters. One crow is sporting a red and white polka dotted scarf, which becomes very important by the end of the story.

Readers will love to count the silly crows and find out what happens to make the crows disappear. Wacky Wednesday loves Counting Crows.

PS Do you know what eating crow means?

KID KANDY:

Count Crows

Summer is the perfect time to count crows. They are loud, big, black and everywhere! But don't expect to find them wearing red and white striped scarves.

Crows are very smart. As you count, watch to see if you can find them doing something clever. The crows in my neighborhood love to fly up high and drop walnuts on the asphalt road to break them open. Then the crows fly down and eat the nut meat. Pretty smart, huh?

Lawn to Lawn ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Lawn to Lawn
By Dan Yaccarino
(Alfred A. Knopf, 2010)

Wacky Wednesday is when the yard ornaments take off on a journey to find their missing girl, Pearl.

Only Pearl knows that the lawn ornaments are real. When Pearl's family moves to Ritzy Estates, her friends are left behind. Using a dropped map, the lawn friends follow Pearl. Along the way, several tempting new residences lure the lawn ornament friends to stop and stay. But at the mention of Pearl, each remembers the goal.

The enemy? The garbage truck. If a lawn ornament is found by the curb, alas, it disappears for all times.

In Lawn to Lawn, lawn ornament friends face danger and excitement to find Pearl. The garbage truck surprise ending is a clever twist on how to solve a huge problem.

Readers will laugh at the flamingo, troll, deer, and jockey lawn ornaments as they complete their quest. Does your child know what a lawn ornament is?

KID KANDY:

I Spy a Lawn Ornament

Also called yard ornaments, lawn ornaments can be almost anything! Deer, trolls, flamingoes, jockeys, gnomes, chickens, statues, and wooden creations are some types of lawn ornaments.

Go on an I Spy a Lawn Ornament walk. Stroll through your neighborhood to see how many lawn ornaments you can find. Earn extra points if you find one of the lawn ornaments featured in Lawn to Lawn (deer, troll, flamingo, or jockey).

How many did you find? Are you ready to add lawn ornaments to your yard?

Bugs A to Z ~ Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Bugs A to Z
By Caroline Lawton
(Scholastic Inc., 2011)

It's that time of year. Bugs. Creepy crawlies. Insects. Spiders. Scorpions.

Bugs A to Z takes advantage of our natural interest and fascination (both positive and negative) with the insect world. Even those of us who shriek at the sight of particular six-legged versions (I'm raising my hand), this nonfiction picture book is fantastic.

Bugs A to Z is filled with high quality photographs of a wide variety of bugs - plenty to get you shuddering or running for high ground. This book is not limited to just insects, but other buggy types are included. Think spiders and scorpions in addition to the regular sort of rustling creepers.

Boys and girls will love to be grossed out by the pictures and information shared in Bugs A to Z. Each letter features one bug and a tidbit of information about that particular critter.

Prepare to be amazed.

KID KANDY:

Go on a Critter Hunt - Catch and Release

Materials: bug cage, magnifying glass, plastic container with a lid (for catching only)

Head on out. There are plenty of interesting creatures just waiting for us to observe them. Use the plastic container to scoop up a bug and quickly cover the top with the lid. Open the bug cage and dump in the critter. Use the magnifying glasses to closely inspect your captive creepy crawly.

What is it? How many legs does it have? Can you see the body parts, eyes, feelers, antennae, legs, or stingers? How do you feel about this bug?

Time for another hunt. Don't forget to release the bug in the cage before adding a new one, or who knows what could happen!

Funny story: I had a bug cage at church and had captured a jumping spider. The preschoolers loved looking at it. Suddenly, I noticed that it had escaped and was racing across the floor. I quickly snatched it up and dumped it back in the cage. Where it was attacked and killed by the first jumping spider that I had put it there! The first one had not escaped like we thought. The second spider was a new intruder in our room.

Poor spider. Maybe that was a sad story.

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.

The ARK, the REED, & the FIRE CLOUD ~ Wacky Wednesday Chapter Book & KID KANDY

The ARK, the REED, & the FIRE CLOUD
By Jenny L. Cote
(Living Ink Books, 2008)

Maybe not wacky, but more wonderful.

Have you ever wondered how God did it?

All of those animals, the few people, and the sheer number of days. How did they all fit in the ark? How did they get enough to eat? What about the polar bears needing ice and the lions needing heat? How did all of those climate, food, and space requirements work in the ark?

The ARK, the REED, & the FIRE CLOUD is an interesting story that considers the possibilities of the hows that perplex this modern day mind. Not that Jenny L. Cote is saying this is how it all happened, not at all. But she does pen some scintillating ideas of how it could have taken place.

Now, I don't want to ruin the surprise, because I had no idea what would happen once all were in place on the ark. THE ark (the one with Noah and his wife and his sons and their wives, THAT ark)and THE flood.

So let me just say, from the imagination of a writer and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, some potential ideas are given voice in The ARK, the REED, & the FIRE CLOUD. This book - the 2009 Readers Favorite Award Winner - is the beginning of a series of books from The Amazing Tales of Max & Liz.

Upper elementary and middle school readers will enjoy this chapter book. Younger elementary children will love to hear about Max and Liz as the book is read aloud to them.

KID KANDY:

Make Your Own Ark

Yes, let's pretend! Any age will enjoy the challenge of creating a boat that floats.

Materials: milk cartons or shoe boxes, foil and assorted decorative paper, masking tape (or duct tape), scissors, cardboard scraps, paper towel tubes, stapler, plastic toy animals, markers

1. Cover the sides of your ark with foil. Tape the edges closed.

2. Use the rest of your supplies to customize your ark. Build a ramp, make a roof, decorate the inside, tape on walls for animal stalls, and so on.

3. Load up the animals and get ready to test the "floatability" of your ark.

4. Fill the bathtub or a plastic tub with water. Put that ark in and get it floating!

The story of the flood and the ark is found in the Bible. Read the original version in the Old Testament in the book of Genesis (the very first book in the Bible), chapters 6-9.

Chicken Cheeks - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Chicken Cheeks
By Michael Ian Black
Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes
(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2009)

This Wacky Wednesday is really, well, WACKY! I stumbled upon Chicken Cheeks at the public library. After one read-aloud to my grandson, I was hooked and we were both in giggles.

Chicken Cheeks is about bums. Backsides. Buttocks. The "B" word, though I use the word buttsy with my grands.

The entire book is a story of animals, their cheeks (not the ones on their faces), and their attempts to work together to reach a honeybee hive at the top of a very tall tree. The results (and illustrations) are hilarious.

Readers will come away from Chicken Cheeks with a whole new list of words to use for butts. Think vocabulary building while having a good time.

Too much fun and smirking are involved in Chicken Cheeks. So get your buns on out there and find a copy.

KID KANDY:

Word Games: Implement New Words & Build Vocabulary

~ Silly, but yes, children will love to start using their new words in daily life. Maybe you will get tired of the hilarity, but just crack a grin and go with it.

~ Learning never comes to an end . . . try and drum up some new words that were not in Chicken Cheeks. Add those to your conversation (in appropriate circles, of course).

Make sure to read the book jacket and blurb. The play on words is hysterical!

Chicks & Salsa - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Chicks & Salsa
By Aaron Reynolds
Illustrated by Paulette Bogan
(Scholastic Inc., 2005)

LOL. The chickens are tired of chicken food. So Rooster decides he will solve the problem. Unbeknownst to Mrs. Nuthatcher, the farmers' wife, Rooster is also watching the cooking channel when she is glued to the set.

Guess who learns to cook?

The chickens! Homemade salsa is their first dish, which leads to a lovely meal for the chicks - chips and salsa.

What follows in this silly book is a feast for the eyes and the funny bone. All of the animals begin to grumble about their boring food. Each group makes their own Mexican dish. The cooking fun comes to a crashing halt when the farmer and his wife decide to make tamales for the fair.

Out of supplies, there is only one way for the animals to supplement ordinary animal food with exquisitely prepared meals. Rooster learns to read so he can follow cookbook directions.

Wacky to the end, Chicks & Salsa is engaging and entertaining. Readers will certainly want to head to the kitchen to make their own special meal.


KID KANDY:

Make Your Own Salsa

Gather the supplies that the animals used in Chicks & Salsa.

~ tomatoes
~ onions

Chop up the tomatoes and onions. Add other ingredients the family will enjoy.

Optional:
~ a small pepper
~ cilantro
~ lime juice
~ corn kernels
~ oregano

Mix together. Serve with corn chips. Ole!

Duck on a Bike - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Duck on a Bike
By David Shannon
(Scholastic Inc., 2002)

Have you seen a duck on a bike? Sounds like a Wacky Wednesday feature to me. Let's read Duck on a Bike, shall we?

Duck got a wild idea and decided to go on a bicycle joy ride around the farm. As Duck passed other farm animals, each one mentally expressed varying opinions of duck on the bike. But after a group of children arrived on their bikes, dashed inside, and left the bicycles unattended, well . . . one can only imagine what happens next!

I've never seen a duck on a bike. But wouldn't that be a fun thing?

KID KANDY:

Go for a Bike Ride

After reading Duck on a Bike, put on your helmet and go out for a bicycle ride. Consider the thoughts of the different animals. Do they apply to your bike ride? Which animal are you most like? Why?

Pretend for just a bit. If you could see ANY animal riding a bike, which one would it be? Draw me a picture. I would love to see that, too!


You are welcome to share ideas and book suggestions found on this blog. Happy trails to you!

Thanks for sharing!


You can find me at:

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Z is for Moose - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Z is for Moose
By Kelly Bingham
Pictures by Paul O. Zelinsky
(Scholastic Inc., 2012)

Z does not normally begin with M, as in moose. But Moose will do anything to get in on the alphabet action play.

In Z is for Moose, Moose is so excited to get in on the alphabet fun, he is willing to jump in anywhere. Moose sneaks into many pages, interrupting the flow and annoying the zebra director and other animal actors.

What is wackier than a Moose impatient with waiting his turn for alphabet representation?

The fit that same Moose throws when he is not listed under the letter M. M is for mouse.

Read all about Moose and his alphabet mayhem in Z is for Moose. Totally wacky.


KID KANDY:

Sing the Alphabet Song (Wrong)

My students LOVED it when we sang the ABC song and I messed up. Your child will love it as well.

~ Look at an alphabet book or chart.

~ Sing the song, pointing to each letter as you go.

~ Make mistakes. Be dramatic. Mess it up big time.

~ Act innocent when you are accused of being wrong. Who me? What? Couldn't be!

~ Begin again, progressing past the first mistake. Sing the wrong letter and make more mistakes.


Really. Your child will not let you stop singing. By the end, both of you will be laughing and having so much fun, neither of you will notice that someone is learning about the alphabet.

P.S. My kinders had so much fun with this silly activity, we literally disturbed all of the other classes on our wing!

Angie Quantrell loves singing silly songs with kids. The sillier, the better. A, B, C, F, G, H, J, . . .

Counta Block - Wacky Wednesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Counta Block
Written by Christopher Franceschelli
Art by Peskimo
(Abrams Appleseed, 2014)

Today's Wacky Wednesday pick is Counta Block. Not that this awesome counting and thinking book is wacky, but the size and heft is pretty unusual and amazing.

Counta Block, shaped like a block, is solid and will last for many readings by the younger crowd. It's a counting book from 1-10.
Counta Block then goes on counting with the 10's (10, 20, etc.). The final number, 100, is a fold out page with a 100-piece puzzle illustration.

I love this counting book! Not just for the board book quality and number cut-outs, but the thinking component. Each number begins with a certain item, and then the counting page is what those things become . . . ten pails of sand become . . . ten sand castles! Readers are encouraged to figure out what the initial objects transform into on the next page.

Love this concept book! Other than it potentially being used as a weapon (being thrown at a sibling), every family with young preschoolers would benefit from reading Counta Block.


KID KANDY:

Do Your Own Counta Block Project

1. Make it easy. To begin, do only numbers 1-5.

2. Choose 5 simple things from the home. For example:

~ 5 pieces of paper become . . . 5 paper hats

~ 2 eggs become . . . 2 Easter eggs (or boiled or fried)

~ 1 bulb becomes . . . 1 flower

3. Have fun counting and thinking about numbers!

(P.S. Take digital photos of each number set, print out pictures, and glue them to cardstock to make your own family number book.)

Wacky Wednesday - The Gas We Pass - Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Gas We Pass, The Story of Farts
Written by Shinta Cho
Translated by Amanda Mayer Stinchecum
(A Curious Nell Book; Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 1994)

Wacky Wednesday once again tackles a bodily function - gas.

Blunt. That is the way Shinta Cho (translated from the original Japanese) penned The Gas We Pass, The Story of Farts. The illustrations are pretty comical but tie in perfectly with the subject matter. The truth about how our bodies make gas as a by-product of the digestive process is simply explained. Graphs help readers understand and visualize how much gas we pass and how normal farting is for humans and animals alike.

Bathroom humor makes this a perfect book for any age - the serious and curious minded preschoolers, the potty talking elementary boys, and even adults who love to joke about passing gas.

If toots are a common subject at your home, this just might be the book for your family.

KID KANDY:

Ok. Tough one here. Hmmmmm...

Passing Gas Household Survey

~ Make a list of all of the animals and people in the household.

~ Turn into a super sleuth to catch each one passing gas.

~ Chart the results.

1. Fart? (yes or no)

2. Smelly? (yes or no)

3. Noisy? (yes or no)

4. Diet? (What types of food does the subject eat? Cho describes the difference between meat eaters and mainly vegetarian diners.)

~ Do your results match with what you read in The Gas We Pass, The Story of Farts?


Angie Quantrell likes books that teach about how our bodies work, even if the subject matter is sometimes embarrassing. She would rather use the old saying that girls fluff, not pass gas.

Wacky Wednesday - Everyone Poops

Everyone Poops
By Taro Gomi
(Kane/Miller Book Publishers, 1993)

Everyone Poops. It's a book about potty matters.

You know it's true. Everyone does poop. The animals and the people - anyone or anything that eats must eventually, well, go potty.

Colorful yet easy to understand illustrations makes Everyone Poops a classic for potty training. Sure, potty humor hits a little later in the developmental cycles of humans, but the honest discussion of going potty is for the youngest of children.

Be warned, there are plenty of poopy pictures in this book. Read in a matter-of-fact way, young children will gain understanding of a natural bodily function. Later, you may catch the older children reading and giggling. No way around that one!

Everyone Poops - a truly Wacky Wednesday wonder.

KID KANDY:

Take a walk.

This activity will be especially beneficial in a forest or woodsy area or on a farm. There is plenty of poop in both of those habitats.

Look for poop. Kids would love to use a magnifying glass to look closer at discovered specimens. Try and figure out who did it - the cow? the horse? a bear? a duck?

Just watch where you step!


Angie Quantrell loves books that help explain nature and the way things work. Even if some people think talking about poop is gross, it is a very real topic of conversation for kids. The best way to answer questions children may have? Answer just what they ask in a matter-of-fact way. Don't worry. If they have more questions, they will keep on asking. And you keep answering by adding tiny bits of information.

Wacky Wednesday - Pete's A Pizza - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Pete's A Pizza
By William Steig
(Scholastic Inc., 1998)

What's wackier than a boy turning into a pizza and his dad cooking him up for dinner?

Preschoolers and early elementary students love Pete and the pretend play he has with his dad. It was a rainy day, after all. What was Pete to do? He couldn't go out and play baseball. So dad decided to turn Pete into a pizza.

All goes well until after Pete is nice and hot and the pizza maker wants to cut him into pieces. That's when the pizza runs away.

Pete's a Pizza cracks me up. Don't worry, there is no actual cutting, cooking, or eating of a child. Just pretend play and simple props.

But do beware. Reading this book to a child will turn you into a pizza maker because your child will want to be a pizza!

KID KANDY:

Make a pizza!

1. Dramatic Play Pizza

~ Use Pete and his father as role models for acting out pizza makers and pizzas. Props like checkers, powder, and pieces of paper will complete the imaginary play.

2. Make English Muffin Mini-Pizzas

Ingredients:

English muffins, pizza sauce, pepperoni, shredded cheese, and any other toppings you like (olives, green peppers, onions, mushrooms)

Layer ingredients on open-faced English muffins. Top with cheese. Put on a cookie sheet and bake in a 425 degree oven until cheese is melted and pizza is hot.

Be careful! It's hot! Mmmm. Tasty pizza.