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Hippo and Gorilla are two loveable characters, (remember The Odd Couple?) who face problems children will be all too familiar with–things like crashing model airplanes (Airplanes), eating too many donuts (Donuts), and a rainy day birthday (Bathroom Beach) . Illustrator and author Bryan Langdo has created cute, humorous picture books for children. But what makes these different than the thousands of picture books at your library?

These are made for your e-readers! Right now, they are best for an iPod Touch or iPhone or iPad with the program iBooks. I didn’t have this (my iPod Touch is a 2nd generation–I can’t get iBooks on it, oh my!), and so Bryan sent them to me for my Kindle and then the MP3 files, so I could listen to the wonderful readings of the stories by Billy Bob Thompson (he does great voices for Hippo and Gorilla!). I listened to them at Panera Bread, and I found myself giggling out loud. What are the people around me thinking?

Okay, so as a preschool/kindergarten/first grade teacher or parent, what should you know about these cute books and how you can use them with children?

1. Brian and I exchanged a few e-mails, and here is what he said, “The bells and whistles are basically the audio narration, sound effects, incidental music, and read-along feature.” (Kids will LOVE this–my daughter at 2 loves ANYTHING on the iPod Touch or Kindle. She actually says this sentence, “I need the iPod Touch.” I’m not sure if I should be proud? )

2. Here’s what Brian said about his own series (and by the way, I COMPLETELY agree with him!): “I’m hoping to share with you and your readers my new series of early readers titled Hippo & Gorilla. It’s about two best friends who are total opposites. Hippo is a great friend, but he has a tendency to make bad decisions. He breaks things, he eats too much, and he makes big messes. Gorilla, however, doesn’t do enough of those things. Together, they make a great team!

These eBooks for young readers explore the joys—and the pitfalls—of friendship, using simple vocabulary and sentence structure. Each book contains audio narration along with original music and sound effects. They’re available for iPad, Kindle, and Nook.”

3. GET HIPPO AND GORILLA IN DONUTS FOR FREE! Go to this link. This will only work if you have access to iBooks on your iPad or other Apple device. But here’s the link if you are lucky to have one of these: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/donuts/id585686738?mt=11

4. There are 5 individual books about Hippo and Gorilla. One is free as stated above, and the others are only 99 cents (again, right now for Apple devices). All 5 stories can be purchased together for $1.99!

5. These are the perfect books to start important conversations with our little ones–in the classroom or at home. You can ask questions like: Was Hippo a good friend? Should Gorilla fly his airplane again? What else could Hippo and Gorilla do on Gorilla’s birthday? How can Gorilla and Hippo compromise? and more.

6. Bryan has a website and blog for you to check out more details. You can see these at: http://www.hippoandgorilla.com OR http://www.hippoandgorilla.blogspot.com/ .

If you have any questions, please leave them in the comments–Bryan can stop by and answer them!

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+Brian Burton loves reading children’s books and running the blog at childrensbookstore.com. He often writes on the topics of kids books and parenting.

It’s never too early to begin instilling positive attitudes about acceptance and tolerance in your children. The important thing is to expose your child to those who might be different than him or her, and children will often sympathize with others that they’ve become familiar with. It’s also important, however, to simply encourage the idea that accepting differences is important and that hateful behavior is not beneficial for anyone. Here are some books that do both: expose children to differences in others that they might not even know exist and show that tolerance and kindness can benefit not only the one who needs it, but also the one who gives it.

How Willy Got His Wheels
Full of lovely, full-page watercolors, How Willy Got His Wheels by Deborah Turner is the funny and inspirational children’s book about a disabled Chihuahua and the woman who tries to help him walk. Based on a true story, the book is an easy but touching way to introduce children to the value of helping others and how fun helping others can actually be.

Little Blue and Little Yellow
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni is a highly imaginative, inventive work, full of stark, solid colored shapes that tell a surprisingly complex and appealing story. This simple picture book is a wonderful way to introduce very young children to the idea that people are different, that there’s value to our differences, and that when our strengths are combined, we can become something more than we were by ourselves, something special.

I Wish I Had Glasses Like Rosa
This bilingual book shows with cute, humorous watercolor illustrations the bond between two young friends that goes beyond skin color. As they try to emulate each other and play together through the simply written book, the reader can learn what is important about friendship, and what is not.

Woolbur
In her delightfully illustrated book, Leslie Helakoski and illustrator Lee Harper tell the story of Woolbur, a “black sheep” who runs into trouble when he wants to play with the dogs and refuses to cut his wool. A book that encourages being yourself and accepting the differences of others, Woolbur is a great book for any mother or father trying to teach their children tolerance, creativity, and kindness.

Whether you’d like to teach your child that disabilities do not mean a person can’t do things like everyone else, or that it’s okay (and good!) to be different, or the importance of friendship, there are many lovely children books that will help you with the task, of which these four are just a few of my personal favorites.

Thank you, Brian, for this insightful post! Readers, please check out these books on Brian’s site!

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*Picture book, non-fiction, humorous, rhyme for preschoolers through 3rd graders
*Topic is Poop!
*Rating: Poopendous! is a hysterical look at a bodily function everyone can relate to from the smallest bird to the largest human. It’s a clever way to show children that pooping is no big deal and can actually be quite helpful.

Short, short summary:

Artie Bennett, author of The Butt Book, has written a new book, in rhyme about poop! He starts out acknowledging that poop is gross, especially when we step in it. But then he shares that everyone poops from “aardvarks to the humped zebu” and that it is “simply part of life’s routine.” After assuring readers that it’s natural to poop, he goes on to state all the ways it is used–this is the best part of the book and surely to get some “EWWWW!” out of readers. He talks about manure, which most of us know, but what about people in other countries that actually build their houses out of it? Love it! In the end, he sums up his feelings on poop–it’s, of course, “Poopendous!” Mike Moran’s illustrations are super cute. If you have a preschooler who is reluctant to go number 2 in the potty, get this book!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. There are sure to be giggles abound when you share this book in a classroom. It goes perfect with a unit on digestion with a health curriculum or even in science with a plant unit. You can try to answer questions after reading the book and do further research, “Why does manure help plants grow better? Why does everyone poop?” This book will catch children’s attention; and from it, you can teach these objectives in health and science!

2. For younger children, you can list all different materials that houses are made out of and you could create a “house” book. Start with the materials listed in Poopendous, and this sentence for a shared writing activity: “Houses can be made out of ___________________.” You can even bring the story of the three pigs into the discussion and ask children if they think a house made of poop could be blown down. (In Bennett’s book, he shares that a Mongol yurt (shack) is often sealed with yak dung and that a Masai tribesman has cow-dung huts.)

3. For a very silly activity at home or school–what other words could you make into “poop” words like the author did with stupendous? Poop-riffic, etc.

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*Non-fiction chapter book for kids 7 to 10 years old
*8-year-old girl is the focus of the book
*Rating: What an inspirational book! Kids will love Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courage. It’s one of those stories that teachers/parents can use to help children who are struggling with almost any self-esteem issue. Besides, who doesn’t love a dolphin story?

Short, short summary:

Katrina and Winter: Partners in Courage by Nancy Stewart is the true story of a young girl, Katrina, who was born with a birth defect and therefore had a “helper” leg. She felt self-conscious about it and about being different than other kids her age. When the book begins, Katrina is on her way to Disney with her family. But before they go, her parents take her to an aquarium where rescued sea animals live. One of the animals is a dolphin named Winter, who has a prosthetic tail after losing his in a fishing accident. Immediately, Katrina is drawn to Winter and realizes they have a lot of similarities. But even better, Winter motivates Katrina to try activities she would have NEVER tried before. Instead of having an “I-Can’t” attitude, she does an almost 180, and she has an I CAN DO ANYTHING attitude. Katrina credits Winter as being her inspiration. For anyone who has seen the movie Dolphin Tale, Winter is the subject of that movie with Morgan Freeman, Harry Connick Jr., and Ashley Judd. (Winter did her own stunts in the movie! LOL) Nancy Stewart’s book focuses more on Katrina than on Winter, but it’s interesting that Winter is again “starring” in a story.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. After reading this book, ask children to journal about something that bothers them about themselves and how they can face this head on like Katrina and Winter did. What is something children have been afraid to do, but they did it anyway? Or what is something they are going to try? Children who are not good writers can use pictures to explain their thoughts.

2. Explore The Pier Aquarium website, which is where Winter lives. If possible, ask someone with a prosthetic leg to come to your classroom and speak about it. Bring the world of the book into your classroom.

3. Ask students to write a letter to Katrina and/or Winter, explaining what they liked about their stories and what children now feel inspired to do.

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*Picture book, (contemporary concept book), for preschool to first graders
*Boys as main characters
*Rating: If Waffles Were Like Boys (illustrator: Scott Magoon) is an interesting book that really captures children and their imagination. It is obviously targeted toward boys, but girls could read it and write their own version!

Short, short summary:

If Waffles Were Like Boys, “breakfast would be a battlefield” is how this book begins. This is the text pattern throughout the entire book. If________________ were like boys, ____________________________________________. Another example from the book, “If hot dogs were like boys, picnics would be rodeos!” There are very few words on each page and bright and colorful illustrations.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This book is perfect for a shared writing activity, such as If _______Were Like Girls, then ____________________________. Or you could even do animals: If _________________-Were Like Dogs, then _______________________________________________. Children can illustrate their own sentence.

2. Let students make predictions on what the author wrote before turning the page. So, after reading a few to get the pattern, state: “If cars were like boys, then __________________________.” Ask students to fill in the blank with some statements that makes sense and see if anyone can guess what the author wrote.

3. The illustrations by Scott Magoon are so cute in this book and clever, too. For example, check out the hot dog and rodeo section. What is making up the rodeo animals in the illustrations? Why? Discuss as many pages as you can.

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*Picture book for preschooler through second graders (fantasy–talking animals
*Young jellyfish as main character
*Rating: Super cute illustrations make this sweet picture book appeal to kids. Even better, if your children/students love this book or sea creatures, Kristen and Kevin Collier have a website where you can meet each character closer and download FREE activity and coloring pictures with Joy and her friends. A DVD is coming soon, too, according to the website. Check it out here:

Short, short summary: Joy the Jellyfish is swimming around the Great Barrier Reef. All she wants is a friend. But since she is nearly invisible, the other creatures have a hard time seeing her. Joy doesn’t understand what she is doing wrong. She finally gets some advice from a little white whale–”You have to be a friend to make a friend.” Joy and Bella become friends, but they can’t live in the same place due to that darn water temperature. However, Bella gives Joy the confidence she needs to learn to make new friends! This is the perfect book for our little guys who are shy and want to make friends. It’s always easier to see these cute creatures struggle and overcome their fears than humans doing it.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is a great introduction to different sea creatures. You could even do a KWL chart with students before reading it about animals they know live in the sea, animals they wonder about, and then animals they learn about. You could also find real photos of these animals to compare to the illustrations.

2. What is a friend? How do you make friends? How does Joy finally make friends? These questions and more can be discussed after reading the book. However, you should realize EVERY child will want to share a story about their best friend. So, have plenty of time for this discussion!

3. This is also a great book to talk about problem and solution because it is very apparent what the problem in the story is: Joy wants a friend but doesn’t know how to make friends. Solution: she learns she has to step outside her comfort zone/shyness. There aren’t a lot of subplots or anything in the way of these important story elements.

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*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Young male fish as main character
*Rating: The Pout-Pout Fish will soon become one of your family’s or classroom’s favorites. Perfect for Valentine’s Day, too!

Short, short summary:

The pout-pout fish has a pout-pout face and is always down in the dumps in the ocean. Several happy sea creatures come by to offer some positive words of wisdom, so Mr. Fish will turn that frown upside down. But each time he explains that he is a pout-pout fish and he spreads the “dreary-wearies.” Readers will think there is no hope for Mr. Fish until a silent silver shimmer fish comes by and gives Mr. Fish a big old SMOOCH! This turns the pout-pout fish into a kiss-kiss fish!

So what do I do with this book?

1. This is a great book to talk about emotions and feelings! Why is Mr. Fish pouting? Is he sad or just stuck in a rut? Children can compare themselves to the creatures in the book and talk about when they’ve felt similar ways.

2. Have fun reading this book aloud! Do some echo reading–maybe even let children pretend to be different parts from the book–almost like reader’s theatre.

3. Pictures tell a lot of this story. Challenge students to tell a short story using only illustrations. Partner students up and have them trade their picture stories with each other.

Tune in Thursday for a picture book giveaway about a mouse violinist!

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*Funny, realistic picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Preschool boy as main character
*Rating: Parts by Tedd Arnold can easily become your favorite book–as a kid and as an adult.

Short, short summary:

This poor boy thinks the glue that is holding him together is not working. He find pieces of hair in his comb. Something fell out of his nose, and he is sure it is his brain. Then there’s the skin on the bottom of his foot, and the last straw–his teeth–how will he eat? He gets some masking tape to try to hold himself together; but finally, his parents remember to tell him that this is a normal part of growing up!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. The first time you read it to children see if they think something is really wrong with him or if this is just the body’s way of growing. Ask children if these similar things have happened to them, and give them a chance to tell their stories (so allow for some extra discussion time when reading this book aloud!).

2. We all know at the end of the book that the boy has found ear wax, but can your students make a creative story about what he really found in his ear? For preschoolers, you can do this as a shared writing activity and each student can draw their own illustration. For first graders, they can write a short ending to the story. Encourage them to be creative with what the boy found in his ear!

3. Use this book in a health unit to talk to students about what is really holding our body together–bone, muscles, skin, blood vessels, etc. etc. For younger students (such as two or three-year-old kids), you can talk about the parts they can see!

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*Fiction picture book for preschool to third graders
*3 boys as main characters
*Rating: Edgar, Allan, and Poe and the Tell-Tale Beets is a cute take on Edgar Allan Poe’s scary story, “Tell-Tale Heart.”

Short, short summary:

Edgar, Allan, and Poe are brothers who aren’t crazy about their mom’s cooking. Well, who would be when she serves things like beets and liver? But they do love her dessert. The problem is they can’t get any dessert until they finish all their dinner, and that’s impossible until. . .they discover the loose floorboard. The brothers decide to cause a distraction and then put the disgusting food in the floorboard. The plan works perfectly, and they get to eat all kinds of delicious dessert until . . .they start hearing Beet. Beet. Liver. Liver. And the smell! The food stinks under the floor board, and finally, they confess everything they’ve been doing right before a huge explosion occurs.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. You can use this book when also studying nutrition. Talk to students and children about why the boys’ mother was making and serving this food. Discuss alternative healthy foods she could serve. For example, what could she serve instead of liver or beets that have the same vitamins but are tastier? Ask students to write a letter to the mother and suggest these alternative foods.

2. Natalie Rompella does a great job with word choice in this book. There are tons of description words and strong action verbs. Make a list of the strong word choices in this book and post it on the wall. Point it out to students when they are busy writing.

3. Older primary students would be able to learn about Edgar Allan Poe and some of his work. Then talk to students about how this version is similar and different from “Tell-Tale Heart.”

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For today’s Monday post, where I like to highlight a book or organization that is spotlighting or helping girls and women around the world, I have chosen Extraordinary Girls (Charlesbridge Publishing). The photos alone are fantastic, showing girls of different ages and races, smiling and doing amazing things. It targets girls in the upper elementary/lower middle school grades and speaks directly to them, which I love!

Extraordinary Girls is divided into different topics such as “Different Ways to Learn,” “Making a Difference,” “Religion and Spirituality,” “The Arts,” “Sports and Play,” and “Friendship.” Within each of these sections are photographs of real live girls doing something positive related to the topic. Also, each section highlights a girl who is active in this field/topic in the real world. Take for example in the “Making a Difference” section, young girls can read about Arlys Endres, from the United States, whom when she was 10 years old became an advocate for “herstory.” This means she wanted to fight for women’s stories–women who were important to American history–to be heard such as Susan B. Anthony. She joined the Susan B. Anthony campaign to reinstall statues of Anthony and two other feminists in the Rotunda (U.S. Capitol building). She wrote more than 2000 letters and raised almost $2,000!

In “The Arts,” Alexandra Nechita is highlighted. She is from Romania and has been painting since she was four years old and creates abstract art where she tries to express herself. By age 11, she published a book of her art work.

The book reminds me a little of a magazine format–which young girls should really like. They can skip to the sections that they are most interested in or read the book from cover to cover. This would be a perfect non-fiction selection for a mother daughter book club or for a fourth grader to do a book report on. I found my copy at our local library or you can order one online! Teachers and homeschoolers, you will LOVE the list of adjectives in the two-page spread after the title page. I would love to see a poster of it hanging in every classroom and library!

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photo by chefranden www.flickr.com

*Chapter book, contemporary fiction
*Elementary-school aged girl as main character
*Rating: Amber Brown Sees Red by Paula Danzinger is a terrific book for children in first through third grade who love a series and love a quirky character like Amber!

Short, short summary:

Amber Brown is seeing red! She’s mad–she’s madder than mad. Why can’t everything just stay the same? She doesn’t want to like her soon-to-be stepfather, Max, but he’s always there for her. She misses her dad–but where is he? Living in France! However, she gets a call from her dad, and he’s moving back. Plus, he wants joint custody. So, what’s her mom going to think about that? She’s not going to be happy. On top of all these “serious” issues, Paula Danzinger doesn’t disappoint by mixing into the story a school full of skunks, a new student, a best friend who always says: “Bulletin, bulletin, bulletin,” and 1,282 points at the arcade. Amber Brown Sees Red reaches young readers who may also be dealing with a parents’ divorce while making us all laugh and become huge fans of Amber Brown.

So, how do I use this book?

1. Do your children or students ever feel like Amber Brown? They could relate to her in many ways: if their parents are going through a divorce, if they have a best friend, if they are going through a growth spurt, if there’s a new student in their classroom, and so on. The great thing about Paula Danzinger’s book is that even though it’s fiction, she deals with real life, kid issues. Kids can write about Amber in their reading response journals, or you can lead them in class discussions. Personal connections also help students improve comprehension skills.

2. One of the less serious problems in Amber Brown Sees Red is that skunks have invaded the school. The way the administration solves this problem is to hold school on the school bus. What does Amber think of this solution? What other problems does it cause? Ask students to come up with alternative solutions to this problem in the novel. Students can also name other problems and solutions in the novel, also.

3. Amber gets a haircut in the story, and it’s too short for her. Some of the students make fun of her. How does Amber deal with this problem? You can use this event in the book to start a discussion with students or your own children about teasing and bullying.

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photo by soulshine20_05 www.flickr.com

The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister is the Timeless Thursday choice this week. In looking over some information for this book, I discovered that it was originally published in Switzerland! It was published in the United States by North-South Books just under 20 years ago. Can you believe it? The Rainbow Fish is almost 20 years old. When I saw a copy of the board book this past week, I couldn’t believe that it was so old–that’s what made me think it would be a good Timeless Thursday pick since children are still enjoying it today.

If you aren’t familiar with the story, it’s a about a little fish who is just absolutely beautiful on the outside with sparkly scales. But he’s not such a nice little fish and is actually pretty greedy. Another fish comes up to the rainbow fish and asks him to share one of his sparkly scales, but the rainbow fish is like, “NO WAY. I’M NOT SHARING.” (If you are around any preschoolers, this might sound familiar to you.) Rainbow fish soon finds out that in order to have friends, he has to share; and so he gives away his sparkly scales–keeping one for himself. Since he shared, he now has friends. Oh, and the sea is much more sparkly!

Besides the first book by Marcus Pfister, there are some rainbow fish sequels such as Rainbow Fish Finds His Way or Rainbow Fish Counting and much more. The reason why the rainbow fish is still around, and he has all these sequels is because the concepts in the stories are things that young children are dealing with on a daily basis. They can learn about their world and how to deal with problems through the rainbow fish’s world. When you finish reading this cute book with great illustrations, then talk with children about sharing and friendship, using the fish as an example.

Do your kids or students love The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister?

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Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag is near and dear to my heart because I starred as the old woman in a play my first grade class did about this book in 1978. (Okay, now I know you are all adding up my age!) Anyway, I remember my teacher, Mrs. Burney, reading us this book, choosing the parts, creating the scenery–including the old man and woman’s house, dressing up in costumes, and inviting our parents and other classes to the performance. This memory stands out in my first grade year, and so I thought I had to share this book for a Timeless Thursday post.

Here’s a brief synopsis of the book from Amazon.com Review:
“Millions of Cats is a wonderful tale of vanity versus humility, written and illustrated by the singular Wanda Gag. An old man and his wife decide to get a cat, so the old man goes out in search of the prettiest cat of all. When he is forced to choose from “hundreds, thousands, millions and billions and trillions” of cats, he (naturally) brings them all home. When the wife points out their inability to support the legion of felines, it is left to the cats to decide who among them is the prettiest. Anyone who has ever owned more than a single cat can tell you what happens next.

Gag’s simple, appealing black ink drawings are perfect for the story, somehow capturing at least the idea of millions of cats in a single page. Repeated lines and the sing-song title refrain make this a read-aloud natural.(Ages 4 to 8)”

Millions of Cats won a Newbery Honor award in 1929; and according to Wikipedia (so check your sources), it is the oldest picture book still in print.

This book can really get you and your students (or children) thinking. You can ask several questions such as: “What does it mean to be the prettiest?” “Who should decide who is the prettiest?” “Is being the prettiest most important?” “What can be more important than being pretty?” The end of the book is wonderful when the old man and woman find a skinny cat that survived because it didn’t consider itself pretty. Discuss with children why this cat survives, why the man and woman take it back in, and what happens to the cat with some love.

In a world where children are often exposed to the over-importance of material objects and beauty in the media, Millions of Cats, from 1929, reminds us what is really important. It’s great to read a book that can do that!

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photo by lel4nd www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders, contemporary fiction
*Little girl as main character
*Rating: Smile by Leigh Hodgkinson will make you smile. One of the cutest picture books I’ve seen recently–I think kids and adults will love it!

Short, short summary:

Sunny is usually happy! But today, she can’t find her smile. Where could it have gone? She can’t find it under her bed or in her room, so she cleans her room to look for it better. She wonders if somebody took it, but who would do that? Her goldfish? No way! The twins? Nope! Maybe she lost it in the big, wide world somewhere. So, she continues looking for it and gets caught up in having fun with her dog along the way. And then the twins point out–she found her smile!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Ask students to draw a picture of what makes them smile. Then ask them to bring in a photo of them smiling. Attach the photo to the illustration, and post these on a bulletin board that says: “What Makes Us Smile!”

2. You can have a great discussion with young children about this book. Why does Sunny lose her smile? How does she find it again? Have children ever lost their smile like Sunny does? You can even get into discussions such as: “What does it mean to be happy or sad?”

3. One of the cutest illustrations in Smile! by Leigh Hodgkinson is when Sunny makes a wanted poster for her smile. Ask students to make a wanted poster for something–it can be Sunny’s smile, a friend, a pet, or so on. This activity can also be a bulletin board or classroom display.

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photo by hdptcar www.flickr.com

Currently, I am reading a very powerful book that is touching my life deeply and calling me to action. The book is called Half the Sky written by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn,and it’s about women’s oppression around the world and how to combat it. I plan to start another blog in late spring or early summer about this subject targeted to teens and college students, but I wanted to tell you about an organization I found out about while reading this book. It was started by a seventh grade student, Zach Hunter, and is geared toward children and teens helping the fight against human trafficking and slavery around the world. It’s perfect for a class service learning project or even a year-long project for a home school group. So, let’s go. . .

Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains has a Facebook Cause page that anyone can join with a Facebook account. This organization is also connected with the International Justice Mission, which is relentless in fighting slavery that still exists in the world today. If you don’t believe me or think–there’s no way slavery exists in the 21st century, I encourage you to find a copy of Half the Sky at a bookstore, library, or online, and start reading.

If you are interested in finding out more about how you can do a service learning project with Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains, then you can email [email protected] with your snail mail address and get a tool kit. You can also visit Free the Slaves website for information on what slavery looks like around the world today. You can share some of these stories with students–depending on the age of your students or your children, you can decide how much detail to go into. However, in my opinion, even the youngest child can understand that taking away someone’s freedom based on religion, race, or sex is wrong; and they don’t need all the gory details but can still understand that some 10-year-old girl living her life in a brothel without being able to go outside and play or even go to school is not right.

On the Loose Change 2 Loosen Chains Facebook Cause Page, Zach Hunter has written that: “27 million people are still in slavery today. It’s estimated that 50 % are children. They may be tricked with the promise of a good job, deceived or sold, working in brothels, brick kilns, on plantations and in many industries.”

On the International Justice Mission website, it is written: “According to Real Simple magazine there is $10.5 billion in loose change lying around American households. Imagine what you could do if you were to collect even just a fraction of this amount and use it for a good cause!”

So contact Loose Change to Loosen Chains either through [email protected] or at [email protected] and get your starter kit today. Your life and your children’s or students’ lives may be changed forever with this service learning project.

Finally, I would like to announce that Cinda B. won the Aries Rising book by Bonnie Hearn Hill from last week’s giveaway contest. Thank you to everyone who left a comment and even came back once the technical difficulties were fixed!

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photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*A skateboarding cow and other critters as main characters
*Rating: A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe is a fun, crazy read that will leave kids laughing and wanting more. Cute ending!

Short, short summary:

In rhyme and with super illustrations, Barbara Odanaka and Lee White tell the story of the critter cafe. The cook and the waiter are relaxing on a quiet morning when a bus full of critters breaks down and in walks five raccoons. You might think five raccoons are bad enough at a restaurant, but they aren’t even the half of it. There are elephants playing instruments and Skateboard Cow as well as macaws, turtles, lizards, lambs, and penguins (and more!). As you can imagine, all these animals are very demanding when they are hungry and make quite a mess of things at the Critter Cafe! How do the waiter and cook survive this onslaught of customers? You’ll have to read the ending to find out–and to find out what happens to Skateboard Cow!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Let students choose their favorite animal from the cast of characters, draw a picture, and write two sentences about it–something it does in the book and something it does in real life. For older students who are starting to research, you can ask them to find three facts about the animal to share with classmates. These can be displayed on a bulletin board (or on your kitchen refrigerator if you home school) with the title: “Here’s Our Crazy Critter Cafe.” You can use a checkered tablecloth as the background paper for your bulletin board.

2. The rhyme in A Crazy Day at the Critter Cafe is wonderful, and some of the words aren’t usual, familiar rhyming words for your students or children. For example: tunes rhymes with raccoons, grub rhymes with Bub, and fritters rhymes with critters. Ask students to put their thumbs up every time they hear a rhyming pair. Make a list of rhyming pairs on chart paper. Ask students to add their own words to the list. Talk to students about why words rhyme. Older students can attempt their own rhyming poem with 4 to 6 lines.

3. This is a great book to talk with students about how to act at a restaurant, the dinner table, and/or a friend’s house for supper. The animals have TERRIBLE manners, so children can have fun correcting the animals’ behavior without the book seeming preachy or a guide to “This is what you are supposed to do. . .” Students can even draw pictures illustrating one half of their papers with a picture of an animal behaving rudely, and the other half of the picture with themselves using their manners.

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photo by digitalART2 www.flickr.com

Before I write about this super cute book, Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo, I want to announce the winners of Clara Gillow Clark’s Hattie books from the contest I held on Tuesday and Wednesday. And the winners are. . .

*1st place: Tami R.
*2nd place: Shelby S.
*3rd place: Bailey

Thank you to everyone who left such thoughtful comments. If you didn’t win, you can purchase the Hattie books right from Tuesday and Wednesday’s posts! They are a great way to teach children about this time in United States history. Now on to Felicity. . .

*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders, contemporary, fantasy (sort-of:)
*Young girl as the main character
*Rating: Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo has great rhyme and a good message about why we really need to wash our hands–even at the zoo.

Short, short summary: Do you know why we call that cold-sniffling-body-aching-high-temperature-illness the flu? Well, if you don’t, then you need to read this book and meet Felicity Floo. One day, Felicity decides to go to the zoo. Right before, she sees all the animals, including a blue-footed booby and rare jabiru, she wipes her nose without a tissue! Her hand becomes sticky with a green, gloppy goo, which she gets all over the animals when she pets them and hugs them. Then she leaves the zoo, and the animals are all sick with flu symptoms. E. S. Redmond does a wonderful job with her humorous rhyming text and cute illustrations. This is her first book.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. This is an excellent book to talk with your child or your students about why it is so important that they wash their hands after they sneeze or why they should use a tissue. Felicity Floo Visits the Zoo gets this point across without preaching. You can also talk about flu symptoms and how to take care of yourself during flu season–using hand sanitizer, staying home when you are sick, getting plenty of rest, and so on.

2. Make a list of all the animals that E. S. Redmond mentions and illustrates. Divide the animals up among your students (or if you home school allow your child to pick one or two animals). Depending on the age of your students, you can have them draw a picture of the animal and write a sentence if they are young. If they are in elementary school, they can do a mini-report, such as find five facts about the animal and make a poster to hang on the classroom wall.

3. As children are listening to you read the book, ask them to give you a thumbs-up anytime they hear a pair of rhyming words. After you read the book twice, see if they can tell you some of the rhyming pairs. Put these pairs on chart paper. Then students can brainstorm other words that rhyme with these, and you can discuss what makes words rhyme.

Come back to this blog on Tuesday, January 26 and Wednesday, January 27 as I am having another book contest giveaway. This time, it is a young adult fantasy called Watersmeet!

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photo by Southern Foodways Alliance www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through second graders
*Strega Nona as the main character
*Rating: Another clever Strega Nona book by Tomie dePaola, perfect for plant lesson plans

Short, short summary: Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona are planting seeds with Strega Nona’s direction in the latest installment by Tomie dePaola. This book is perfect for plant lesson plans because Strega Nona starts at the beginning of the planting process–working with the soil and watches her plants grow until harvest time.

While Big Anthony and Bambolona are preparing to plant the seeds, Bambolona scolds Big Anthony and says that he can’t do anything right or perfect like she and Strega Nona. Big Anthony decides to show them by planting his own secret garden. Wait until you see all the crops in that garden and how Big Anthony solves his problem! Tomie dePaola has another hit, and you have a fun resource for plant lesson plans during science class.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Tomie dePaola puts some Italian vocabulary in this book when Strega Nona, Big Anthony, and Bambolona are talking to each other and the names of the crops in the garden. So besides plant lesson plans, you can also teach your students or your children a little Italian. Words like la luna, mio caro, and libro di giardino are included in the text. For older students, you can discuss how some of the English words are very similar to the Italian words. Students love to learn about and show off another language.

2. Tomie dePaola uses full-page illustrations to tell some of this story instead of including text on every page. During a plant lesson plan, ask students to draw a picture of a plant cycle in Tomie dePaola’s style and without using any words.

3. After Strega Nona has harvested the vegetables, Tomie dePaola writes about how she incorporated the fresh foods into her meals. Another book about using fresh foods from gardens is Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie by Robin Gourley. This book focuses on the childhood of the famous chef, Edna Lewis, and the way her childhood on her grandma’s farm affected her entire life and her cooking style. You can compare and contrast these two books with a Venn diagram or discuss with students eating fresh fruits and vegetables during a nutrition unit.

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photo by Swami Stream www.flickr.com

*Picture book, contemporary urban fable, for preschoolers through first graders
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: How to Heal a Broken Wing’s beautiful illustrations tell this heartwarming story along with a few simple words.

Short, short summary: A little boy finds a bird with a broken wing in the middle of the city. He convinces his mom to let him take the bird home and fix its wing. With his parents’ help and a lot of time and patience, the bird heals. The family takes the bird back to the spot where they found it and let it fly away. Here’s what Bob Graham (author and illustrator) has to say about his book How to Heal a Broken Wing: “I wanted to show that there is still hope in a coming generation of children who have curiosity and empathy with the world around them, and that care and attention can sometimes fix broken wings.”

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Books like How to Heal a Broken Wing where illustrations tell a large part of the story are perfect for use in the classroom or with home school students. Your children or your students can provide the text for the illustrations that Bob Graham did not. You can work on dialogue and punctuating dialogue as a shared writing activity. What are the parents and the little boy saying to each other about the bird’s broken wing? Children can also write about what the boy or even the bird might be thinking in their reading response journals.

2. How to Heal a Broken Wing is considered an urban fable. So a good discussion to have with children about this book is, “What should you do if you find a wild animal hurt? Who should you call or tell?” It’s always a good idea to call your local humane society even if they can’t help because they will have numbers for who to call. Children should NOT touch these animals, and adults should always wear gloves. Use Bob Graham’s book to start a safety discussion.

3. What else can time and patience do? Although you will be reading this book to younger children, you can still talk to them about how this book has a message that time and patience can do remarkable things in our world–look at the Grand Canyon. Make a list with your students. If they are having trouble getting started, you could help them think about things that grow–such as time and patience to get a seed to grow into a seedling OR time and patience to teach a dog to sit and so on.

Have you read this book?

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I love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!

Children love Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (still after 50+ years) and how can parents and teachers not love her practical ways and advice! I am so very excited about this Timeless Thursday post because I hope if you haven’t shared Mrs. Piggle Wiggle (written by Betty MacDonald and illustrations by Hilary Knight) with your children or students yet, this post will remind you to go to the library and check her out or visit a bookstore and grab her up!

What can we learn today from Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books? Besides being fun (since Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle lives in a mostly upside-down house and she was once married to a pirate), children and parents can learn about manners, responsibilities, imagination, and good old-fashioned fun. For example, in the first one of the Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books, Mary Lou Robertson hated doing dishes. She couldn’t believe her mother had the nerve to make her do dishes. So, she is complaining and whining to Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle until Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tells Mary Lou that she loves to do dishes. She always pretends she is a princess and a mean old witch is coming to inspect her work in the kitchen. Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle gets Mary Lou caught up in the creative play; and all of a sudden, Mary Lou doesn’t mind doing dishes so much anymore. And this is only the beginning. As a matter of fact, someone on Wikipedia actually made a chart of the behaviors that Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle tackles in her books. Check it out! Behaviors like talking back, not picking up toys, and bickering with siblings are no match for Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle!

Have fun with this book! (or any of the other Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books) Ask your students or your children what chore they hate doing. Imagine Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle was here, and figure out how she would make it more fun. How can you and your child make the task more fun? Also, you can discuss with your children or your students why it is important to do chores, take a bath, and so on–why it is important to have responsibilities and fun in life–a balance. Why do we have rules? Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle books can open up this discussion with your students and children!

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photo by Theresa Thompson www.flickr.com

*Picture book for preschoolers through first graders
*Young boy as main character
*Rating: Friday My Radio Flyer Flew is a simple, sweet story with absolutely amazing, amazing illustrations. Your young readers will LOVE it!

Short, short summary: A young boy finds his dad’s Radio Flyer red wagon in the garage. His dad takes him for a ride in the wagon, and a boy notices a plane. He gets an idea that he can make his wagon fly, but the week isn’t working out so great. Rain and several failed attempts bring him to Friday. And by the title, you can tell that somehow on Friday My Radio Flyer Flew. By the way, I am in love with Zachary Pullen’s illustrations!

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Let students tell you if they think the boy is actually flying on Friday or if he and his dad are pretending to fly. Ask students to support their answers with clues from the illustrations.

2. This is a good time to talk with students about safety! On Thursday, the boy takes several tumbles in his Radio Flyer. Is it a good idea to build a ramp and try to make the wagon fly without adult supervision? I hate to dampen the spirit of adventure and all, but you can work in some safety education here–especially wearing a helmet with bicycles, skateboards, and roller blades.

3. Since there are so few words in Friday My Radio Flyer Flew, after a few readings, students could read some or all with you–especially when you get to Friday. Here’s the text: “Finally on Friday. . .I focused. . .and my Radio Flyer. . .flew. . .and flew. . .and flew!” With each “flew,” students could read louder!

I am telling you–you have to check out this book and its illustrations, especially if you are a Radio Flyer lover. Are you a Radio Flyer lover?

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