In order to celebrate the launch of The Oxford Companion to Children’s Literature in March, we invited OUP staff to dress up as their favourite characters from children’s books. The result was one surreal day during which our Oxford offices were overrun with children’s literature characters, ranging from the Cat in the Hat to Aslan, from Pippi Longstocking to the Tiger Who Came to Tea, and from Little Red Riding Hood to the Very Hungry Caterpillar. It was a brilliant and brave effort by all those who attended. Particularly those who commuted to and from work in their costumes!
The post Who is your favourite character from children’s literature? appeared first on OUPblog.
Today’s guest blogger Donna Marquardt, a Registered Nurse with the Gaston County Department of Health & Human Services, talks about healthy habits for the new school year.
Back to School is just around the corner and that can mean a lot of different things to different people — a new classroom, new friends, new books. To me, a nurse at a local health department, it means educating kids on how to be healthy.
Healthy kids are less likely to miss days of school due to illness and better-equipped to learn throughout the school year. By engaging in simple healthy practices, like hand washing and eating healthy meals, and vaccinations, kids stay well, in school and learning.
Members of Gaston County Health Department with the books that will be given away at their immunization events.
Vaccinations are a big focus for our health department this year. They’re never fun, no matter your age, but are incredibly important. Thanks to a truckload of books we received from First Book this spring, we are excited to offer an incentive to kids receiving immunizations that will also help them be successful readers: a free book to take home!
Approximately 400 children will be receiving a brand new book at one of our major immunization events. Since kids who do well in school are more likely to live healthy lives, we are thrilled to promote literacy and make getting shots a little more pleasant.
It’s important to teach children healthy habits starting at an early age. And books can help kids learn those lessons in a fun way. Check out these great books that teach kids about healthy living, found on the First Book Marketplace:
“The Berenstain Bears Go To The Doctor” by Stan and Jan Berenstain
It’s time for a routine check-up with Dr. Gert Grizzly. Sister Bear is brave about her booster shot, and Brother Bear is fine, but—achoo!—is that Papa Bear sneezing? A light-hearted approach to the subject with straightforward information.
“Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library: Oh, the Things You Can Do that Are Good for You!: All About Staying Healthy” by Tish Rabe and Aristides Ruiz
With the help of the staff and equipment at a Seussian spa, the Cat in the Hat explains the basics of healthy living, from eating right and getting enough exercise and sleep, to having a positive body image, to the distance and speed of a typical sneeze!
“Germs Make Me Sick!” by Melvin Berger and Marylin Hafner
Germs are all around us every day – in the air, in food, on everything we touch. You can’t see them without a microscope, but they are there. Some germs are harmless, but viruses and bacteria can make you sick. Your body is constantly working to ward off germs, sometimes the germs win, and you get a cold or infection.
We hope you’ll help spread the word about the importance of starting the school year both well and well educated about simple healthy habits. Best wishes for a safe and healthy school year!
Work at a health center, school, or an after school program serving kids in need? Sign up with First Book* by August 11th to be eligible to receive five copies of each of these healthy living titles.
*All educators at Title I or Title I eligible schools, and program leaders serving 70% or more of children in need are eligible to sign up. One recipient will be selected to receive the set of 15 books (five copies of each title.) The recipient of will be notified the week of August 11th.
Donna Marquardt has been a Registered Nurse with the Gaston County Department of Health & Human Services in Gastonia, North Carolina for 12 years. She is currently the Charge Nurse over immunizations and is passionate about prevention and ensuring that children and adults receive protection against disease through vaccinations.
The post Three Books to Stay Healthy this School Year appeared first on First Book Blog.
photo by susansimon www.flickr.com
Today’s Timeless Thursday book is a classic for sure–Dr. Seuss Cat in the Hat. This book is loved by many–children and adults and even movie producers. 
Originally published in 1957, The Cat in the Hat was written when William Spaulding, the textbook publisher at Houghton Mifflin, commissioned Seuss to write a book that would get kids reading. And he had to follow one stipulation–they sent Dr. Seuss a 400 word list, and he could only use 225 of those words to write his book. Well, looks like he did a pretty darn good job with that stipulation. Oh, the creativity!
It took Seuss nine months to write this book, (I am getting all this information from a wonderful book titled: Your Favorite Seuss: A baker’s dozen by the one and only Dr. Seuss) and he actually only used 223 words. Go on, go to your child’s bookshelf or to the school library and count–it’s true–you’ll find 223 different vocabulary words.
Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat, has a great message that you can discuss with children, especially children who tend to get bored easily. Be careful what you do when you are bored–as you don’t want to get into trouble or cause trouble. And it is very important to learn to say NO! especially when parents are not home. But of course, Dr. Seuss teaches these lessons in such a fun way that children don’t even know they are learning.
The end is just priceless and can lead even the youngest children in a discussion about right and wrong. The cat in the hat has cleaned everything up, and so their mother would never know what happened while she was gone. Should Sally and her brother tell her? As Dr. Seuss says in his last line: “What would YOU do if your mother asked YOU?”
So, hats off to Dr. Seuss and the cat. And even though, this book started as a limited assignment for Seuss–he worked his magic and turned this story into something that I’m sure will be around for many, many more generations.
photo by librarianjill www.flickr.com
Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss’s birthday, and children across the United States will be involved in Read Across America activities. But before I get into this, I want to announce the winner of the book giveaway contest I held on this blog last week. The winner is. . .Clara Gillow Clark. Thank you to everyone who left comments! I will be hosting another contest next week for a YA book as part of a WOW! blog tour, so stay tuned.
I love Read Across America day. When I taught remedial reading at David Barton Elementary School in Boonville, MO, we had a great celebration for Dr. Seuss. We all had these really cute t-shirts from NEA (and I swear to you that I am wearing mine as I type this post). Some teachers went a step farther and dressed up as Dr. Seuss’s characters such as the Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 and Thing 2–even making their own blue wigs out of blue Easter grass. (Some people are just so creative–it makes you sick! ) We read Dr. Seuss books to kids that day, talked about his funny rhymes, voted on our favorite books in our classrooms, did Dr. Seuss activity sheets, and just celebrated reading. What a great day and a great message–celebrate reading!
It might be too late at your school, in your classroom, or with your home school to plan a big event for tomorrow like this, but you can still celebrate Dr. Seuss’s day and reading with simple activities like taking more time than usual for silent reading, sharing a favorite Dr. Seuss book with your students or children (even if they’re high schoolers), asking students to write a poem or story in Dr. Seuss style with silly made-up words, watching a Dr. Seuss movie and comparing/contrasting it to the book, or even asking children to write about their favorite Dr. Seuss book and why.
The National Education Association has some free resources on their website to use tomorrow. You can find bookmarks, a Read Across America poem, posters, booklists, and even information for parents (if you click on “For Parents” in the sidebar). Here are some Dr. Seuss books to check out, and you can find activities for some of his books on my blog by clicking on his name in the category list on the right-hand side bar. It’s super easy–just look under PICTURE BOOKS and then click on DR. SEUSS!
Happy birthday, Dr. Seuss!
by regeniabrabham www.flickr.com
Who doesn’t love Dr. Seuss? I do, and the kids do. My stepson wanted me forever to read Green Eggs and Ham to him at bedtime–even though we had tons of other books. I can say it by heart now. “That Sam I am. That Sam I am.”
My stepson had a terrible time with rhyming words for the longest time. And some people may think this is no big deal. So, a child can’t tell you a word that rhymes with goat or Sam. But the thing about rhyming words is that they teach children about patterns, sounds, and spelling. When children can recognize word patterns, pairs of letters that make certain sounds, and learn to spell these, they are on their way to becoming fluent readers and writers. So, rhyming words, in my opinion, are a big deal.
With my stepson, we used Green Eggs and Ham and The Cat in the Hat to peak his interest about rhyming words. When we used these Dr. Seuss books with the wonderful photos and loveable characters, he didn’t mind picking out the words that had -at at the end. When we tried to do a “rhyming game” in the car, he wanted no part.
My point is this. . .if you have a child who has trouble noticing or hearing rhyming words, then try Dr. Seuss with them. Get him or her engaged in a story. Put smiles on their faces. Then talk about the rhyming words in the story–even the ones that Dr. Seuss made up! If your child or your students still have smiles on their faces, then why not make a list of the words. Show them how the end of the words are spelled the same and only the beginning letter is changing.
Dr. Seuss was brilliant. Let’s use him and his books with our children to improve their literacy skills!
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the SCBWI Houston Editor’s Day, where five editors — Simon & Schuster’s Alexandra Penfold, Beach Lane Books’ Allyn Johnston, Golden Books/Random House’s Diane Muldrow, Egmont USA’s Elizabeth Law and Sleeping Bear Press’ Amy Lennex — talked about what they look for when they’re considering a book to publish, and the theme that came out of the day was books that resonate. Everyone seems to want books that kids will want to read over and over again, even when they become adults.
So what are these books that resonate? CNN yesterday posted an article offering some excellent examples: Children’s books: Classic reading for fans. The article talks about The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Dr. Seuss’ Cat in the Hat, the Madeline books and Where the Wild Things Are.
The interesting thing is, the article says that often these books weren’t shoe-ins to publication. Dr. Seuss, perhaps one of the most famous picture book writer, was rejected 25 times before his first book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, was picked up. And Where the Wild Things Are, although a Caldecott Medal winner, was controversial for its artwork.
For all of you who have gotten rejections, remember, DON’T GIVE UP.
If you have a story that you love with all your heart, even if it’s a little unorthodox for the genre — within reason, of course, in the case of children’s books — don’t let rejections get you down. Keep sending it out. One day, you’ll find the right editor and/or agent who will be the book’s champion, just like these books did.
Another interesting point of the CNN article is a quote by Alida Allison of the San Diego State University, who says all these classic books describe stories that follow a pattern of “home, away, home.” hmm Here are some other classic books that follow that pattern: Peter Pan; The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (in fact all the Narnia books); and Wizard of Oz. Maybe there’s something in that.
In the CNN article, Allison says: “If you think of all those stories, there’s a loving parent … allowing a transgressive kid a leash to investigate the world and come back.” And through the child’s eyes, parents find their sense of wonder renewed, she adds.
When I was a kid — and still now, I have to admit — any book is exactly that: an opportunity to investigate the world, any world, and come back.
What are your favorite classic children’s books?
Write On!
You've probably already read that today is the 50th birthday of the Cat in the Hat. Happy birthday Cat! You can send a birthday card to the Cat in the Hat and help literacy; Random House will donate a book to First Reads for every card sent. To send a birthday card, go to www.catinthehat.com. If you're at work, you might want to turn off your speakers first, unless you want your co-workers to wonder why the happy birthday song is blaring out of your computer!
Tags: Dr Seuss | children's books | literacy | cat in the hat
Random House is celebrating the Cat in the Hat's 50th birthday in grand style.
Please visit www.catinthehat.com to send the Cat a birthday e-card. For each e-card received, Random House will donate a book to First Reads to support literacy.
Comment back and let me know how many e-cards you sent.
California currently ranks 45 out of 52 people! Get the rank up!
I'm back in Smalltown and my computer problems have been resolved. The hard drive survived!
It's going to take me awhile to dig out--especially from Forest and Carnival submissions. In the meantime, check out this article by Peter Mandel in the Chicago Tribune. Turns out The Cat in the Hat is no longer current. Here's the setup:
- "You may know that Dr. Seuss' real name was Theodor Geisel. But bet you didn't know this: The Cat in the Hat could not be published today. Repeat: It couldn't make the cut....For starters, anyone need a reminder on the basic premise here? Two little kids of maybe 6 or 7 are being harassed by a large, threatening animal and its accomplices. Worse, the two have been left for an entire day without adult supervision. 'Sally and I did not know what to say. Our mother was out of the house for the day.' Get the cops. Bring in a social worker and quick."
One more for Cali!