Love, Laughter, and Life

Adventures With a Book Lover

Category Archives: Family


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Little Red Gliding Hood ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Doesn’t that title sound vaguely familiar?

Little Red Gliding Hood

Story by Tara Lazar

Pictures by Troy Cummings

(Random House, 2015)

Little Red’s skates are worn out and ready to fall apart. Without her trusty skates, she won’t be able to visit Grandma every Sunday. But the upcoming skating competition first prize is a pair of brand new gold skates!

Little Red is a great skater, but she doesn’t have a partner. Everyone else is matched up, but who will Little Red find to join her for the competition?

Fairy tale characters and stories abound in this fractured tale. Readers will laugh and enjoy the antics of Little Red and her friends as she finds an unexpected partner. Dare we say the bad guy turns good?

Delightful text and imaginative illustrations come together to make one great picture book. Both adults and children will love Little Red Gliding Hood.

KID KANDY:

Make Up Your Own Silly Fairy Tale

1. Choose a favorite fairy tale. Think of the characters and the problems they encounter in the story.

2. Now, choose one thing to change. You can:

– change a name

– change the problem

– change the setting (where the story takes place)

– add new characters

– mix two fairy tales together

3. Make up your own fairy tale.

4. Tell your new silly fairy tale to a friend or a sibling. Did they laugh?

Storytelling is fun, isn’t it?


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Fun with Friends – A Look Back in Time

LOOK! We both had more hair! Ah, the good old days. . .

A recipe for fun: Take a good measure of great friends, a scoop of laughter, a cup of silliness, 5 T. of craziness, a dash of daring, and add to this a mud pit and questionably upright 3 (or 4)-wheelers, and you have a guaranteed over-the-top serving of fantastic fun!

let the games begin!

Let the games begin!

I almost fell off!

I almost fell off!

It begins when they are so young...

It begins when they are so young…

We’re only missing Carmel, but someone had to stay dry and clean! And take photos.

What fun things do you enjoy doing with your friends?


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The Power of Words

Word sources

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Words.

Words are amazing.

The entire process of how we learn to speak and use words in intelligent conversation awes me. And the fact that we learn to write and read and utilize words is fantastic.

What can words do?

They can be used to:

~ encourage

~ affirm

~ express emotion

~ praise

~ tear down

~ build up

~ destroy

~ curse

~ forgive

~ add fuel to or put out the fire

~ share dreams

~ explain

~ teach

~ condemn

~ inform

~ question

~ make choices

~ create

~ stand firm

~ call for help

~ offer assistance

~ distribute faith, hope, and love

Words can be our best friend or our worst enemy. We can use them with kind regards towards others in our society.

Or we can abuse and pirate our words to wound, pillage, and plunder the hearts and lives of those around us.

How do you use your words?

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.  ~ Psalm 19:14 ESV

Read 99 more verses about the power of words here.


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The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten

One of the most distressing characteristics of education reformers is that they are hyper-focused on how students perform, but they ignore how students learn. Nowhere is this misplaced emphasis mor…

Source: The Disturbing Transformation of Kindergarten

Play is vital for every child!


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The Threat – Can Cats Read?

The experiment – Can cats read?

By Angie Quantrell Angie Quantrell

My husband walked into the kitchen with a guilty grin on his face.

“What?”

“Nothing,” he smirked.

Seeing I wasn’t convinced, he added, “I’m just laughing at your book on CD.”

Ok. Weird. But I let it go.

After dinner, I went out to tidy up the patio and harvest strawberries. And then I saw why he was giggly.

On the chalkboard we have mounted to a wall (for the grands, of course), someone had drawn and written a message.

To our neighborhood bully cat, Mr. Mustache, or Stache. From our gray girls, Mabel and Monet.

Can cats read? Do they understand a threat? Is humor lost on them?

It seems my husband thinks so.

Did his threat work?

I’m sorry to say, but no, Stache has still been around spraying on our windows and chasing the girls inside.

To conclude this experiment in cat communication skills, we may assume that:

1. Cats cannot read.

2. Cats don’t care if you threaten them.

3. Cats don’t get humor.

 

Stache, boldly making his visit

Or maybe, cats just don’t read message boards.

Read more about Stache, the Bully, here.


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My Two Blankets ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

A perfect book to foster empathy for those new to our country

by Angie Quantrell Quantrell Quips

My Two Blankets

By Irena Kobald

Illustrated by Freya Blackwood

(Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014)

She used to be called Cartwheel. And then there was a war.

My Two Blankets is the story of a girl who moved to a new country where everything was new, different, and confusing. She loved her old blanket of the sounds and words she grew up with. It was warm and made her feel safe.

In her new country, the girl had nothing. Then she met a friend at a park. The girl befriended her and slowly gave her new words to learn and new experiences. As the girl learned to speak a new language, she realized she was creating a new blanket of sounds and words. By the end of the story, she was comfortable with both blankets.

My Two Blankets is a wonderful picture book. Readers who are new to this country or readers who want to learn how it feels to live in a completely different home with a strange language will find this book insightful and refreshing.

KID KANDY:

Do a Cartwheel and Listen to a New Language

1. The girl in this story was called Cartwheel by her auntie because she loved to do cartwheels. Do you have a nickname?

Go out on the grass or playground and do cartwheels. If you don’t know how, ask a friend to teach you.

2. To see how the girl felt when she first moved to a new country, listen to a different language. You could:

– listen to a radio station

– check out a book in a different language from the library (look for books that have listening CDs)

– watch a television show featuring actors speaking a different language

– ask an adult to help you find an online video of someone speaking or singing a different language

How did you feel when you couldn’t understand the words?

What would you do if you had to move to a place where no one spoke your language?

Can you think of a friend at school or in your neighborhood that speaks a language different from yours? Maybe he or she needs a friend!


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Container Gardens

Baby kale and lettuce mix win the mobile garden location

By Angie Quantrell Angie Quantrell

Container gardens are the way to go this year.

It’s funny how I go through fads in my garden.

Last year, I didn’t want many containers other than the raised beds and strawberry garden. I relished the empty patio space that left ample room for the grands to race wheeled vehicles around without crashing.

Previous growing seasons bloomed and produced according to my every whim and decorating idea. I loved grouping pots and plantings according to heat and watering zone. Notice I say heat instead of sun requirements. My afternoon garden is all a heat zone and any container has to be mostly in shade or capable of handling the crippling sun rays.

Baby kale

This year is once again a container garden year. But my reasoning is fresh and experimental.

This year I want to win against the garden predators. Slugs. Sow bugs. Earwigs. Aphids. And whatever else is chewing its way through my fresh veggie crop.

For instance, radish is languishing in an old turkey roaster pot that has holes in the bottom, mainly because every time I have planted them in the past, the sow bugs and slugs have eaten holes and rings around each beautiful radish.

Radish seedlings popping through the soil

Lettuce and kale are making a new home in a little red wagon and a washtub. This is my attempt to avoid the slugs and aphids.

Chives and a random sunflower are living in yet another washtub.

Chives and a sunflower plant

Germination has commenced and plants are popping through the soil. What has yet to be found is how successful the plants will be in growing to full-size and giving me tasty treats.

Kale? Check. We’ve already had baby leaves.

And that’s all I know for now. We shall see. Let the experiment commence.

Until then, kale, strawberries, and herbs it is.

Spring strawberries


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One Word from Sophia ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Clever and engaging tale of a loquacious young lady

One Word from Sophia

By Jim Averbeck

Illustrations by Yasmeen Ismail

(Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2015)

 

All Sophia wants for her birthday is a pet giraffe.

But she faces four critics to her dream come true. As Sophia tries to convince family members to side with her for a pet giraffe, each tells her she is using too many words. You could say that Sophia is loquacious, much to her detriment in this case.

With each failure (and the discovery of a new word that means too many words), Sophia edits down her responses until her final plea.

One Word from Sophia is a wonderful picture book. The text challenges readers with excellent vocabulary and an engaging story. The illustrations are unique and fabulous.

One Word from Sophia will help readers learn the importance of one very special word.

KID KANDY:

What Do You Want for Your Birthday?

1. Think hard. What is your one true desire of the gift you want to receive for your birthday?

2. Now think of 5 excellent reasons you could use to convince a parent or grandparent to get that present and give it to you.

3. Practice telling your family what you would like and why.

Did you use your manners? Were you successful?

It might not be your birthday yet, but Happy Birthday! Way to use your very own words.


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Four Feet, Two Sandals ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Four Feet Two Sandals is the perfect book to read when learning about new families moving to our country

Four Feet, Two Sandals

By Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed

Illustrated by Dough Chayka

(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2007)

Lina and Feroza met at a refugee camp after traveling to escape war torn countries.

One day, while gathering clothing from a relief truck, two girls secure one sandal from the same pair. Eventually the girls decide to take turns wearing both sandals and they become good friends.

Everyone at the camp is waiting for a new home. Life goes on as they wait. Finally, the day came when Lina’s family reads their names on the list of those who get to travel to America.

What to do with the sandals? The friends figure it out in time to say good-bye.

Four Feet, Two Sandals is a story about current events. This picture book tackles a difficult subject in a realisic yet simple way. Almost everyone has heard about refugees, wars, and relief work. Read this book to help children discuss the challenges and transitions that some families face.

KID KANDY:

Donate Outgrown Clothing

Many families in America, both newly arrived and those who have lived here for a long time, need help. You can help by giving clothes to agencies that help families.

1. Ask mom or dad to help you go through your clothes. Put everything that doesn’t fit anymore in a box or bag. Shoes, coats, pants, shorts, shirts, dresses, and other items are all needed.

2. Help mom or dad find a nearby organization that collects clothes for families in need.

3. If you can, go with your parent to deliver the clothes. If you can’t go, I’m sure they will tell you how the clothes will help other boys and girls.

Way to go! You just helped families that need our help.

I always have a bag or box ready to go. As I find clothes I can’t wear anymore, I place them in the bag. When the bag is full, I donate it to a place that helps others.

I’d love to hear where you gave your outgrown clothes!


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The Bird

The window

By Angie Quantrell Angie Quantrell

I had just finished reading two separate blog posts.

The first post was about clean windows and how they look great – until the sun streams through and we can still see the smudges and streaks left despite our efforts. You can read this Lynn Austin post here. A Clear View

The second post asked the question “Just How Big is God?” The author encouraged readers to consider how God knows every little detail, even down to when a sparrow falls to earth. Every sparrow! Read this post by Leslie A. here. Just How Big is God?

A few mere moments after completing these readings, I heard a loud thunk.

In our house, a thunk usually means a bird has flown into our large picture window.

This window, speaking of clean windows, streaks, and smudges, defies my every attempt to make it clean and sparkling.

I raced towards the front window, glancing down into the flower bed beneath the brick ledge.

Sure enough, a stunned sparrow twitched on the bark. I went out and saw that it barely breathed. I gently picked it up and stroked its back, watching for signs of being stunned or on the edge of death. Some birds survive our window. After a few moments of being knocked out, they flip over and fly away.

This little guy did not. He didn’t take more than 2 or 3 breaths as I held him cupped in my hand. I watched the still breast, hoping that I just couldn’t see the ribs move. But the glass wall was too much for his tiny body.

And there I was. Crying for a tiny sparrow who died from smashing into my window. Even though I could see the dirt and smudges on it, it looked clear and invisible for my feathered friend. There was nothing I could do.

But God knew. He knew the exact moment the sparrow crashed into the window and the second it took its last breath. And He cared that it happened.

God knows all things. He cares about everything in our lives, down to the tiniest detail. Though He is the God of the Universe, He knows and cares.

About us. About that poor sparrow. About me crying when the sparrow died. About my frustrations with daily life or big events or fears that seem silly. He cares.

God cares.