Square Cat ABC ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

 

Square Cat ABC

By Elizabeth Schoonmaker

(Aladdin, Simon & Schuster; 2014)



 

Square Cat ABC is the story of Eula and her friends, Mouse and Porcupine.

 

Mouse finds Square Cat digging in dirt. After discovering that Eula is planting a garden, Mouse begs Eula to plant spinach. Eula detests spinach and resists, only to find that Porcupine loves it as well. After finally being convinced to try the spinach, which Eula deems yucky, Mouse suggests that zucchini is included in the garden.

 

This story is told over the course of the alphabet. Giant letters on each page (beginning and middle of words) highlight which letter is being included. The alphabet is not the focus (though it really is), but the story is what is totally fun and engaging.

 

Readers will love meeting Square Cat Eula and her friends. Simple, bright and clever illustrations add the perfect touch to Square Cat ABC.

KID KANDY:

Chalk Alphabet Song

Materials: sidewalk chalk and a sidewalk or driveway (cement)

Write the alphabet letters in order along a sidewalk or driveway. Give plenty of space between each letter. Make sure you don't forget any letters!

Sing the "ABC Song" as you jump from one letter to the next. You can also be creative as you sing the song. You can:

~ dance
~ spin
~ ride a bike or tricycle
~ skip or gallop
~ jump on one leg
~ hold hands with a friend and go together
~ crawl
~ roll
~ kick a ball between your feet
~ toss a beanbag to the next letter as you go
~ use a stick for a pointer

OR you can make up your own way to move along the alphabet.

What did you do? I'd love to hear.

A B See ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

A B See is an engaging alphabet board book.

Embossed and sturdy, A B See shows one or two letters of the alphabet on each page. The letter (bumpy for touching) is composed of small illustrations of things that begin with that letter.

For instance, the letter Q is made up of a quilt, question marks, a queen, a quetzel, a quarter, a quarterback, a quacker, quartz, and a quill. The short line that goes over the oval part is a quail.

The intricate and fascinating illustrations capture attention. Each letter also has a simple sentence with most words beginning with the letter.

Delightful! I know my Donavyn will love this book. He is two-years-old and loves to see the 'etters!

Preschoolers and early readers will learn and enjoy A B See. Any way you can engage young readers in books and the alphabet is worth the effort!

KID KANDY:

Find the Letter of Your First Name

1. Go ahead. Read A B See. Sing the "Alphabet Song." Enjoy the pictures.

2. Find the page with the first letter of your first name.

3. Look at all of the pictures and words that begin with that letter and are a part of the illustration.

4. What is your favorite thing that begins with the same letter as your name? Can you think of anything else that begins with that letter?

5. Can you bend your body to make the first letter of your name? Try and spell out your whole name with your body! Maybe mom or dad can take pictures of you making each letter.

Thanks for reading and loving books!

G is for Goat ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

G is for Goat
By Patricia Polacco
(Philomel Books, Penguin Putnam Books for Young Readers, 2003)

I'm back! The internet is once again in working order. Thanks for being patient.

G is for Goat is a delightful alphabet book that consists of cavorting goats. Now, that doesn't sound too exciting, but it really is cute. If you know anything about goats at all - say, how naughty they can be, how they love to nibble on everything in sight, how they leap and act goofy - you will laugh when you read this picture book.

G is for Goat is wonderfully illustrated. The main character, a young female, certainly has her arms full with wayward charges. The alphabet incorporated into the story is wonderful. As an early childhood educator, I am always looking for clever alphabet books with which to reinforce letters, language, and reading fun, all experienced within the pages of a good book.

Farmers, readers, young children, animal lovers - all will love reading G is for Goat.

KID KANDY:

Make Your Own Alphabet Page

1. What does your name begin with? Find that page and reread it.

2. Make your own alphabet page. It doesn't have to be with goats. Choose something you love that begins with the first letter of your name.

3. For instance, my first name is Angie.

Looking at the Aa page, I see that Patricia Polacco (the author and illustrator of this lovely book) shows apples that begin with Aa.

On my page, I can print the letters - Aa - and choose something that begins with Aa to put on my page. Hmmm, let's think: apple, aardvark, ant, automobile, author, anthill, avocado, ape...

4. Illustrate your alphabet page.

5. Show your alphabet page. Choose another letter and make a second page!

Sing the alphabet song. Don't you love letters and words and reading and singing and drawing?

Me, too.

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.

Tomorrow's Alphabet - Picture Book & KID KANDY

Tomorrow's Alphabet
By George Shannon
Pictures by Donald Crew
(Greenwillow Books, 1996)

Welcome to one of my favorite alphabet books!

Tomorrow's Alphabet may be a bit confusing until the reader realizes what George Shannon and Donald Crew have done. The beginning of each alphabet page does not even make sense until readers figure out the pattern.

For instance, "G is for bulbs-" (from the Gg page).

How does work with the alphabet that we know?

The answer lies in TOMORROW. "G is for bulbs- tomorrow's garden."

Fantastic!

The simplicity of challenging readers to figure out what end result could come tomorrow from what is shown on today is what makes Tomorrow's Alphabet such a fun book. Once a child has heard the book read aloud, he or she will want to continuously reread it. They gain success each time the new alphabet is conquered.

Add Tomorrow's Alphabet to your library.

KID KANDY:

Play Tomorrow's Alphabet Game

~ Play this game as you go about your daily routine.

~ Choose something that could be changed tomorrow. For instance, an egg.

~ Ask your child to say what the item could be changed into. For instance, scramble.

~ Make up a phrase similar to the pattern in Tomorrow's Alphabet. Ss is for eggs, tomorrow's scramble.

~ Let your child choose items and play the game. It is a good thing when your child can see the relationship between what something is and what it will become.

Dog = Pp is for dog, tomorrow's pet.

Lettuce = Ss is for lettuce, tomorrow's salad.

Milk = Ii is for milk, tomorrow's ice cream.


See the pattern?

Playing letter and word games helps build and strengthen your child's literacy skills.

Letter games = Rr is for letter games, tomorrow's readers.

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, . . .