big bug ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

big bug
By Henry Cole
(Little Simon, 2014)

big bug is an adorable book that simply and smoothly shows the comparative sizes of things found in our world. The fun part is all in the perspective of the reader (and the author/illustrator).

What begins as a big ladybug suddenly becomes a little bug because it is on a big leaf. The big leaf becomes a small leaf when compared to a big flower. And so on goes the story in big bug, moving from smaller to larger items. Towards the end of the book, Henry Cole reverses directions and starts with a big thing (the sky) and shrinks items down to little things.

Young readers will love seeing how the little things become big and the big things become little. big bug is the perfect book for talking about sizes.

KID KANDY:

Get Outside - Find Big and Little Things

Can you find your own examples of big bug in your yard?

1. Find an object - spider, rock, leaf, toy, plant.

2. Find a bigger object - grass, flower bed, tree, sandbox, garden.

3. Label each as little and big. Little spider. Big rock.

4. Change perspective. Little rock. Big yard.


Have fun playing with sizes!

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.

Previously ~ Terrific Tuesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

Previously
Written by Allan Ahlberg
Illustrated by Bruce Ingman
(Candlewick Press, 2007)

Previously is one of those picture books that make you think. First, one has to figure out what the title means. Previously means just that. What happened previously?

Previously picks up where Goldilocks and the Three Bears ended. Goldilocks arrived home hot and sweaty. Because, previously she had been running in the woods. Because, previously she had climbed out of someone's window.

The previous events continue to go backwards in time. Previously also takes the main fairy tales and shows what happened previously, right before the fairy tale happened. Backwards, backwards, backwards in time and events, several stories are thought about in a different context. The why's of the stories make for very interesting reading! Though I was confused at first, I truly enjoyed the connections built between the different tales, all in the form of previously.

Previously would be a great book to read after a round of fairy tales. It is the perfect book to encourage readers to think deeper and more outside the box about characters, stories, and even real life events.

Previously, the cat was helping me read the paper, leaving a worm and mud as evidence. Previously, she had been outside where she spied something to attack. The worm, who previously had been happily eating dirt and assorted stuff, was thinking about his Aunt Fanny . . .

KID KANDY:

Think Backwards

Choose an event - birthday, holiday, vacation trip

Start discussing the event by going backwards in time. Discuss what previously occurred. Make fun connections with others at the same event and what they had been doing previously. Use the phrase, "Previously, (fill in the blank)."

Provide paper and crayons. Draw a picture of one of the previous happenings in your tale.


Previously, I was sipping tea.

Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK It's Spring! ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK It's Spring!
By Marion Dane Bauer
Illustrated by John Shelley
(Holiday House, 2015)

I know it's a little bit late for the crinkle crackle of spring, especially in the northwest where we did not have much crinkling or crackling this winter, but I couldn't help it. I just found this great NEW picture book about spring and I had to share it. It is after all, still spring for another 2 months or so.

Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK It's Spring! is a wonderfully illustrated picture book with an imaginative child finding out what Bear is talking about when he says, "Come. It is time."

A child wakes to the sounds of crinkle, crackle, CRACK. This child then goes to the door where Bear is spotted in the middle of the yard. As the two walk through the woods (I'm not sure where the parents are, and perhaps this would be a good time to talk about leaving the house alone in the middle of the night), other animals join the walk saying the same thing, "It is time."

Time for what? Loosely interpreted, it is time for spring to burst forth with glorious flowers, insects, birds, animals, and green. The child and the animals witness the crinkle, crackle, CRACK explosion of the spring egg. (Really, a giant egg explodes, wiping out all of the muddy, icy, snowy evidences of a cold winter.)

Crinkle, Crackle, CRACK It's Spring! provides vocabulary and opportunities to discuss the changing of the seasons.

KID KANDY:

Compare Two Seasons

Just for fun, divide a large paper or chalkboard in half. Print winter on one side, spring on the other.

~ Think back to winter, maybe as far back as January. What did you see, hear, feel, touch (and maybe taste)? List what you remember under winter.

- ice, mud, snow, no leaves, no flowers, snowflakes, frost, cold air, crows

~ Jump forward to spring. How did you know it was spring? What did you see, hear, feel, touch (and maybe taste)? List those things under spring.

- daffodils, tree buds, mud, rain, warm air, asparagus, bees, grass, birds


~ Compare the two seasons. Which is your favorite? Why?

Go outside and play in the spring weather!

Quiet in the Garden ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Quiet in the Garden
Written and illustrated by Aliki
(Greenwillow Books, 2009)

Such is my love of gardens and green spaces that I have a special soft spot for books about gardens. I particularly enjoy picture books for boys and girls that encourage them to want to explore, plant, and embrace gardens as a wonderful feature of nature.

Quiet in the Garden is one such book.

A young boy goes out to the garden. He knows that if he is very still and very quiet, he will see and hear many wonderful things. He does such a fantastic job of both observing and listening that his imagination takes hold and he notices the meanderings of garden animals as they eat and visit with one another.

In the end, the boy harvests and shares produce with the animals at a picnic. There is plenty for all.

P.S. I love his fenced garden which comes complete with a pond, fruit trees, shade trees, and pathways between garden beds. I know you will, too.


KID KANDY:

Visit a Garden

~ Does your community have an arboretum or rose garden? Maybe a neighbor or grandparent has a nice garden. Ask to go on a visit.

~ Take only yourself, and maybe a little notepad and colored pencils (and a parent to drive you).

~ Sit very still and be extremely quiet.

~ What do you see? What can you hear? Who is in the garden? What busy insects are around you? Are there any other animals? What plants are growing? What do you smell?

~ Lie down on your tummy. Watch for awhile. Close your eyes. Did you notice new things that you missed when you were sitting up tall with your eyes open?

~ Move to a rock or bench. Sketch some of the things you see in your notepad.


Aren't gardens awesome?

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!

The Lottie and Annie Upside-Down Book ~ Terrific Tuesday Picture Book & KID KANDY

The Lottie and Annie Upside Down Book
By Cara Lynn Vogel
Illustrated by Loretta B. Adkins
(Woman's Missionary Union, 2003)

Today's Terrific Tuesday book is a wonderful book about two inspiring women. Similar to those dolls that you flip over and turn the skirts to see a different doll (one on each end, two total), The Lottie and Annie Upside Down Book features Annie Armstrong and Lottie Moon in the same book. Without the skirt flipping.

Readers do need to flip the book over after they finish reading about Annie's life of caring and telling about Jesus. After the book is flipped, one can then learn about Lottie Moon, a missionary who gave her life to tell about Jesus in China.

A Christian biography, The Lottie and Annie Upside Down Book, inspires readers and offers ways they can care about and help others and tell about Jesus. This book would be great for anyone who loves to read and learn about the lives of different people.

KID KANDY:

Help Someone

Both Annie and Lottie found creative ways to help others in need.

Look around you. Who do you see that has a need for special help or supplies? Brainstorm and find a way to help.

Neighbors? Family? Friends? Someone at school or church? Someone in your community? Maybe there is someone who needs help that you read about in the newspaper or heard about on TV. Let the Lord guide you to choose the one who needs your help right now.

Always ask a parent or adult to help you find the right person or situation to help. I know they would love to help you!

Some ideas (though the situation you are thinking about may have special needs and you will have to be wise to figure the best way to offer help):

bake cookies
gather diapers and baby supplies
give money
deliver food
help with yard work
collect books
ask neighbors for baby and kids clothes
sit and visit
invite to church
take out the trash
give flowers
send a card
make a phone call and chat


Happy Helping!