First the Egg ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

First the Egg
By Laura Vaccaro Seeger
(Roaring Brook Press, 2007)

First the Egg is a clever cut out book about what comes first. The egg, then the chicken; the tadpole, then the frog; and so on. Holes in one page become part of the picture on the next page. I love the illustrations and simplicity of First the Egg.

Readers who enjoy nature books and want to think and predict as they read will love First the Egg.

KID KANDY:

Play the "What Came First?" Game

Brainstorm different things: person, cat, dog, house, tree, apple

Figure out what came first.

"First the baby, then the child."

"First the kitten, then the cat."

"First the puppy, then the dog."

Continue with other ideas. This game could get really silly! Have fun!


I hope you enjoyed this blog post. Please do share. Thanks!

Moon Rabbit ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Moon Rabbit
By Natalie Russell
(Viking, 2009)

Moon Rabbit is a story about being lonely and finding a friend.

Little Rabbit lives in a busy city, where she loves her life. But one night, as she looks at the moon, she begins to wonder if there is another rabbit like her, one that could be her friend. Hearing music, she follows the sound into the park, where she does indeed find a new friend. I won't tell you what happens next, for you will enjoy the tale.

Adorable illustrations and a simple story about friends will endear Moon Rabbit to readers.

KID KANDY:

Play with a Friend

Do you have a friend? Maybe this KID KANDY will help you have fun with a friend or a friend you haven't met yet!

~ Find a friend to play with. What do you love to play with? Blocks, cars, sports, dolls, bikes, books, art, and music are just some of the fun things you can enjoy with a friend.

~ Look in your neighborhood or classroom or church for a friend. Ask your parents for a playdate. Eat lunch together and play in the backyard. Is there a park nearby? Ask an adult to walk with you to the park to play.

~ Play with your dog or bunny or kitty. Be gentle. Many friends enjoy pets and will love to play with you and your pet.

~ Play a game at recess. If you go to school, recess is the perfect time to play tag or climb the jungle gym. Invite others to join your fun.

Friends make life fun, don't they? Just like Little Rabbit, we can look for and enjoy friends.

The Kids' Nature Book ~ 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences

The Kids' Nature Book, 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences
By Susan Milord
(Williamson Publishing, 1989)

This awesome book is full of KID KANDY ideas! 365 ideas to be exact.

The Kids' Nature Book, 365 Indoor/Outdoor Activities and Experiences is a year-long, chronological activity book for children. Month-by-month and day-by-day, this idea book is filled to the brim with tons of great nature experiences.

Some of the activities include books to read, cooking projects, experiments, projects, and all sorts of other fun experiences involving plants, animals, and the environment. Children young and old, as well as their families, will love looking for which idea to pursue next. Some activities are completed quickly, while others will take a longer time to finish. There will be something on every page that your child will want to try right now.

If you love nature and want your children to appreciate and explore our wonderful world, this book will be a great resource for years to come.

Do Princesses Make Happy Campers? ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Do Princesses Make Happy Campers?
By Carmela LaVigna Coyle
Illustrated by Mike Gordon
(Taylor Trade Publishing, 2015)

Do princesses make happy campers? That is a wonderful question.

Do Princesses Make Happy Campers? is a book about camping complaints - and how to look at the bright side of all of the aspects of camping. The princess in this book is impatient, helpful (?), wet, inventive, imaginative, adoptive, adventurous, hungry, and inquisitive. Told in rhyme, Do Princesses Make Happy Campers? points young readers towards the excitement of camping and how to make do and enjoy the adventure in whatever form it takes.

Campers and parents of princesses will love reading about camping and talking about family camping trips. Maybe readers will even be inspired to plan one last camping trip before school starts and the weather gets too cold. Happy camping!

KID KANDY:

Make a Tent

If you have a two-person tent, set it up in a shady area of the yard or right in the middle of the living room.

If you don't have a tent, make one by spreading a flat sheet over a table (first move the chairs).

Make a pretend campfire with wads of newspaper and orange and red construction paper.

Cook dinner over the campfire with toy pots and pans. Don't forget the s'mores!

Use a sleeping bag or folded blanket for resting.

Put on a backpack, load a bottle of water, grab the binoculars, and head out to explore the great outdoors (your backyard).

Who's ready to go camping?

Extra Yarn ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Extra Yarn
By Mac Barnett
Illustrated by Jon Klassen
(Balzer + Bray, An Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, 2012)

Annabelle found a little box that was filled with yarn of every color. Actually, the box looked like a lunch box.

So Annabelle knitted a sweater for herself and Mars, her dog. She had leftover yarn, so she made sweaters for . . . well, lots of people. And animals. And buildings. And trees.

Because, no matter what Annabelle knitted, she always had leftover yarn.

The entire town began to look decidedly cozy and rumors of her yarn spread far and wide. In fact, one day, an archduke demanded that Annabelle sell him the box of yarn for horribly huge amounts of money.

But Annabelle said no.

So the archduke stole the box in the middle of the night and sailed away.

Never fear, though. The yarn box once again found itself in the hands of Annabelle. And she was happy.

Extra Yarn is a Caldecott Honor Book. Both the story and the illustrations are perfect and tell the story simply but captivatingly. Readers will enjoy Extra Yarn very much.

KID KANDY:

Extra Yarn

Here are some things you can do with extra yarn:

1. Roll a skein of yarn into a ball. It's fun!

2. Use heavy paper, white school glue, and pieces of extra yarn. Make a design with glue and put yarn right on top of the glue. Let it dry. This is a fun way to make wall hangings.

3. Cut long pieces of extra yarn and use them when you create a city with blocks and toy vehicles. The yarn can outline the roads or parks or buildings. If you make a farm, the yarn can corral all the animals and fence in the crops.

4. Cut three long pieces of yarn. Tape one end of all three together. I like to tape them to a table to keep them still. Braid the three pieces into a long braid. Tie knots at each end. Use the braid for a bookmark, a headband, or a backpack decoration.

5. If you really, really love yarn, ask someone to teach you to knit or crochet. Be patient! It takes lots of practice. Before you know it, you will be making hats and scarves and blankets.


Happy yarning!

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!

At the Edge of the Woods, A Counting Book ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

At the Edge of the Woods, A Counting Book
By Cynthia Cotten
Illustrated by Reg Cartwright
(Henry Holt and Company, 2002)

What first attracted me to this book was the illustrations. They are vibrant, nature-based, colorful, and big! My next thought about checking out At the Edge of the Woods, A Counting Book was that this book is about nature, the woods, animals, and counting! Sounds like a perfect picture book to me.

At the Edge of the Woods, A Counting Book is written in rhyme. I can hear the singsong chant rhythm when I read the words. Numbers and number words are highlighted and featured on each page. Readers will enjoy counting up to ten and seeing what animals come next in the story. At ten, a big burly bear comes out from his lair, which leads to a countdown from ten as all the animals scatter away to hide.

Early readers and preschoolers will love At the Edge of the Woods, A Counting Book. I think even my grandson will enjoy it, though he is going to first grade and can count beyond 10. He loves to go camping, so this book will remind him that bears live in the woods and may sneak out while he is camping.

I suppose we shall have to discuss how bears most often stay far away from humans, unless they leave out tasty garbage and food. But it will be worth the talk to enjoy this book.

KID KANDY:

Counting and Singing Fun

Dig out 10 toy animals. They don't have to be forest animals. Hide all the animals under a dish towel. Bring out one at a time, counting animals as you go. How many do you have?

Play this counting game with a friend or sister or brother. Choose the scariest animal and make it be the last one to line up. Pretend that it scares all the other animals and they run away and hide! Count down from ten as they run away.

Now you can count from 1 to 10 and back down again.


You can also sing and count at the same time. Here are some silly songs to sing.


"One, Two, Buckle My Shoe"

"Five Little Ducks"

"Five Green and Speckled Frogs"