A Penguin Story

Today's highlighted story is: A Penguin Story by Antoinette Portis

This adorable winter tale is all about a young penguin's search for something new and different. It seems his whole world is white, black and blue, but he senses there must be something more out there and so goes in search for it. Children will enjoy the endearing illustrations, and it may open up a great conversation about favorite colors and new discoveries.




Similar Titles:

• Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
• Not a Stick by Antoinette Portis
• 365 Penguins by Jean-Luc Fromental
• Tacky and the Winter Games by Helen Lester
• Tacky's Christmas by Helen Lester

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, One and All!

I found a wonderful craft activity that would be great for children 2+ to share with their parents. Here are the directions for creating your own "Tree of Thanks".

Creating a Tree of Thanks

Supplies:

• Naked branches (Note: it would be a nice activity to go on a walk with the kids and let them pick the branches for themselves)
• String or yarn
• Construction paper or card stock for leaves (Note: these could also be prefab dye cuts, pre-cut by a grownup or with older kids you could make a leaf stencil for them to trace and then cut out the leaves for themselves)
• Terra cotta pot or basket
• Floral foam, gravel and or decorative marbles to support the branches in the container
• Hole punch

Instructions:

• First create the leaves, if they are already cut out then you can jump straight to the next step, otherwise trace a leaf shape (I recommend oak or maple) on your paper and cut out as many leaves as you'd like, at least 3 per person.

• Next put the gravel into your chosen container and then add the branches in such a way that they are well supported, not slumping over and look like a small tree or shrub.

• Then write what you are thankful for on each leaf. Older children can write this for themselves and younger kids may be encouraged to try. Parents can also take dictation for younger children and should of course add their own contributions of gratitude to the leaves. (Note: this portion of the activity helps develop print awareness and fine motor skills in pre-school aged children and written communication skills in older kids).

• Finally, punch a hole in the end of each leaf and thread it with the yarn. To help with fine motor skills parents may wish to have the children tie their own knots in the strings before allowing the kids to put each of their blessings on a branch, being sure to share with every one else what it is they are thankful for as they do. Again, care givers should definitely include their own blessings on the tree.

In the end you will have a Tree of Thanks that not only has helped develop fine motor and communication skills, but more importantly makes a great centerpiece for your Thanksgiving table that focuses on gratitude and the true meaning of the holiday.

Now here are some great books to share with your family this Thanksgiving:

• The Thanksgiving Bowl by Virginia Kroll
• Thanksgiving at Our House by P.K. Hallinan
• The Thanksgiving Door by Debby Atwell
• Thank You, Thanksgiving by David Milgrim

May your family have a blessed and wonderful holiday!

Be sure to check back here a week from today for the first installment of A Story A Day 'Til Christmas.

Life Lessons

When I was little my mom was pretty sneaky. I didn't really realize it at the time, at least not as much as I do now, but she would use books to teach us values and common sense. One of her favorite series to use was the now classic Berenstain Bears. When my baby brother was going to be born, we read Berenstain Bears, when she wanted to teach us about stranger danger, we read Berenstain Bears, when we were afraid of the dark, Berenstain Bears . . . they are still in publication and, in my opinion, as useful as ever when it comes to disseminating important information to children. They are entertaining and explain important topics in ways that kids understand. What follows is a list of some of my favorite titles, though there are many more:

• The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers
• The Berenstain Bears Forget Their Manners
• The Bird, The Bees and the Berenstain Bears
• The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need
• The Berenstain Bears and the Bad Dream
• The Berenstain Bears Get the Gimmies
• The Berenstain Bears Count Their Blessings
• The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Junk Food

Check out their home at PBS Kids!

Happy Father's Day

My local library had a great display of books up for Father's Day at my last visit, so I grabbed the one with the most interesting title. They say you can't judge a book by its cover, but title's are usually pretty telling and this one did not disappoint: The Day I Swapped My Dad For Two Goldfish by Neil Gaiman (who also happens to be the brilliant author of the Newbery Award winning The Graveyard Book - someday I'll do a whole post of Neil Gaiman books, but today is not that day).

The illustrations, by Dave McKean, are wonderful and the story is engaging. I hope you will check out a couple great Dad's Day books this year to share as a family. Dads, reading to your children is one of the bests gifts you can give them, and will insure that you will be knee-deep in ties, soap-on-a-rope and "World Greatest Dad" mugs, paperweights and mouse pads for years to come!

Belated Christmas

I had very good intentions of posting a Christmas-themed reading selection BEFORE the holiday. But alas and alack, things at work got quite busy and I missed my window of opportunity before the holiday.

Still, I did want to give a shout out to the book How Santa Really Works by Alan Snow. This is a great picture book for sharing, or for older readers (2nd grade and up) to tackle on their own. The basic story is laid out pretty simply, but there are extra hilarious tid-bits in speech bubbles from the elves on each and every page. While it is a truly fun and whimsical read, it is subversively educational because the North Pole, it turns out, runs very much like a large business with its departments and divisions of labor. Somehow, it's more interesting when one is learning how Santa does it than how Wells Fargo Bank does.

I hope you had a Merry Christmas!

Thank you for reading, and keep an eye out in the New Year, for new posts and new ideas for taking adventures with books!