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Tag Archives: KID KANDY


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TRAINS DON’T SLEEP ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

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TRAINS DON’T SLEEP

By Andria Rosenbaum

Illustrated by Deirdre Gill

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2017

 

I won a beautiful autographed copy of TRAINS DON’T SLEEP from KIDLIT411.com. After our family success last November with my birthday trip to The Polar Express train ride (it was my birthday, after all – I love books and Christmas!), I knew this train book was sure to please my train-loving grands! I was right.

TRAINS DON’T SLEEP tells the tale of many different working trains. Trains don’t rest, but chug and pull to carry people, goods, and animals. The story begins while families sleep and trains wake the day with their bustling work. As the day goes on, the trains continue their work in all sorts of environments like big cities, plains, mountains, and forests. Tucked into bed, families go back to sleep while the trains keep racing towards the next brand new day. This picture book makes a great bedtime read-together.

What I loved about this rhyming story is the train vocabulary! Readers will enjoy the rhythm of the words and hear language specific to trains. Fluid gorgeous illustrations perfectly compliment the tale of trains. A picture glossary identifies different trains and train-related fixtures.

If you know a train lover, share TRAINS DON’T SLEEP and see how quickly it becomes a favorite.

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KID KANDY

Here are some fun train activities you can do with your family.

*Visit a train museum.

*Play with train toys and cover the floor with tracks and make-believe adventures.

*Stand in a line. Show each person how to hold a hand on the shoulder of the person in front of him or her. Use the other arm, hand, and feet to shuffle and move like a train. Make sure to chug-chug-choo-choo!

*Dig out the markers, crayons, and paper. Draw train tracks, engines, and rail cars. Add your favorite scenery.

*Flatten play dough and use toy trains to make train tracks across the dough.

*Take a ride on a train!

 


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You Nest Here With Me ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

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by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

 

You Nest Here With Me

Written by Jane Yolen and Heidi E. Y. Stemple

Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

(Boyds Mills Press, An Imprint of Highlights; 2015)

 

I recently was given a copy of You Nest Here With Me. Thanks, Heidi Stemple!

That free gift, however, did not influence the fact that I had already fallen in love with the lyrical story and gorgeous illustrations of this picture book, having borrowed it from the library.

I see You Nest Here With Me as a good night story told by a mother to her daughter. The mother shares the nesting habits of many fascinating and captivating birds. Eggs, nests, habitats, birds, nestlings (is that a real word?) – and a human mama and her little girl. This is a perfect, calming, getting-ready-for-bed book.

While this picture book does not read like a science text, readers will still learn amazing bird facts. Readers can learn even more when they take the time to peruse the final pages where the authors share interesting information about each type of bird.

Readers will love You Nest Here With Me. I love You Nest Here With Me. Birds of a feather flock together. Tweet tweet!

KID KANDY

Look for Nests & Build a Nest

  1. Go on a nest hunting walk with your family. Spy high and peek low to find nests. Trees, shrubs, empty containers, bird houses, grasses…birds are very creative when they build a nest. How many nests can you find?
  2. Pull out some blankets and wrap them around yourself to build a nest. Grab some books, curl up in your snug nest, and read away!

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First Steps in Missions ~ Activity Ideas: Shaving Cream

 

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Welcome October, perhaps one of my absolute favorite months! Ok, I also love November and December. And January. Just give me fall and winter and I’ll be good.

Thailand is the focus for Chapter 2 in First Steps in Missions, Ideas for Preschoolers and Teachers, Volume 22. Each month this year (academic or church), I would like to choose one activity I’ve written for First Steps, and give extension ideas.

Mirror Painting is found on page 14. For this activity, I suggested placing a large mirror flat on a table and inviting preschoolers to paint on it with unscented shaving cream and food coloring to symbolize the beauty found in Thailand. Do you know how much fun it is to paint with shaving cream?

Shaving cream is a favorite creativity ‘tool’ of mine.

Ways to Play and Create with Shaving Cream

About shaving cream:

The cheapest brands work just fine. Avoid those that begin as a gel. They just don’t foam as well. But feel free to experiment. If you don’t have any kids with sensitive noses, use your favorite fragrance to spice up the room. Have a tub of water and plenty of wash cloths available for cleaning up.

1. Shaving cream  is not only for mirrors. Squirt shaving cream directly onto a table and let children draw and write to their hearts’ content. Extra benefit: shaving cream helps loosen stuck on tape, markers, and glue. The table will be much cleaner when you are done with the shaving cream.

2. Paint with shaving cream. Squirt shaving cream mountains on large paper bags or construction paper and let little artists sprinkle on powdered tempera or drops of food coloring. Mix, spread, and create. It would be fun to experiment with water-based markers and shaving cream.

3. Blocks and shaving cream in a big plastic tub? Go ahead, admit it. You’ve always wanted to play in the shaving cream! Who has never squirted shaving cream on the bathroom mirror to write messages? What? No? Me neither.

4. Hot weather fun begins with cans of shaving cream and a swimming pool. Seriously. Let kids paint themselves with shaving cream and then dunk into the pool to rinse it off. I’d avoid using the big in-ground pools as they require chemicals and lots of care. Any small inflatable or plastic pool will work great.

5. Wash outside toys (tricycles, wagons, construction equipment, etc.) with shaving cream. Use a hose to rinse thoroughly and let dry. This is one cleaning project where you’ll have plenty of help.

Safety Tip: Only use shaving cream with preschoolers old enough to not eat it. Older children are fine, though you may be surprised at what they put in their mouths. It’s for playing, not eating, right? Unless you have a beard or hairy legs.

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If you would like to order your own copy of First Steps in Missions, call 1-800-968-7301 or visit www.wmustore.com. Thanks!

 

Thanks for visiting! Have a fabulous time playing with shaving cream!


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Hello, Friends!

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Welcome!

I should say (to myself) welcome back!

Here is a photo of what’s kept me from my KID KANDY and picture book posts. It has been THAT crazy.

So, forward and onward.

Let’s read some books!

Happy Autumn!


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The Right Word – Roget and His Thesaurus ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

The Right Word – Roget and His Thesaurus

By Jen Bryant

Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

(Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2014)

Fantastic illustrations reminiscent of vintage nature journals fill the pages of this wonderful book.

Meet Roget and discover his love of list making. After losing his father at a young age, Roget began his lists with his father’s death. Moving often did not allow Roget to make and keep friends, but books made great friends and he didn’t have to leave them behind. Making lists kept Roget’s world in order. Organized word lists helped those searching for just the right word.

The Right Word – Roget and His Thesaurus is the perfect book to engage young readers in the study of words.

KID KANDY:

Make a List

1. Grab a notebook or pad of paper.

2. Think of a theme for your list of words. Some ideas are animals, food, places, sports, school, or toys.

3. Make a list of all things that relate to your theme. You can include how they sound, look, smell, taste, or feel. Think of words that mean the same thing as words you list.

4. Stuck? Ask for help looking up your word in a thesaurus. You will find word lists that could have possibly originated back when Roget was making his lists. How cool is that?

I love making lists. It helps me organize my to-do’s and helps me remember what needs attention. Making grocery lists seems to take up most of my time. Maybe you can help your parents make their shopping list!

P.S. This is the perfect way to add chocolate or ice cream to the grocery list.


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School’s First Day of School ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

This is the perfect book for back-to-school!

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

School’s First Day of School

By Adam Rex

Pictures by Christian Robinson

(Roaring Brook Press, 2016)

School was new.

He was so new that he didn’t realize children would soon come pouring through his doors. Gasp! Janitor was his confidant and friend and tried to tell him things would be great.

But School was anxious.

And the children came to school. Some were bored (that hurt School’s feelings), some cried and were afraid to stay at school (School was that bad?), and School even had an accidental fire drill the first day!

Would School enjoy being School?

I LOVED this story! Who would have thought about first-day-of-school-new-building story from the viewpoint of the school!

Funny, imaginative, and realistic. School’s First Day of School will lighten the hearts of all readers.

KID KANDY:

Draw a Picture of Your School

Materials: paper, pencils, markers, crayons

1. Use the pencil to outline your school. Maybe you go to a huge elementary school, a small private school, or homeschool. Whichever type of school you attend, draw a picture of it.

2. Decorate your school. Maybe you could name your school, or print the name it already has on the top of the building.

3. Share your picture.

How do you think School felt before the first day? How did the boys and girls feel about going back to school? How do YOU feel about going to school?

I love school! Now that I am a writer and I work from home, I don’t get to enjoy the first day of school as a teacher. I miss school! But I hope to visit again soon and read books with my favorite people – the students.


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A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School)

By Mike Boldt

(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016)

When Anya woke up one morning, her first day of school, she discovered that she had grown a tiger tail overnight!

One can imagine how embarassing it would be to trot into school with a tiger tail trailing along behind! Anya was devastated. Would she even be allowed to go to school with a tiger tail?

Anya, being a very creative and problem solver type of girl, tried several different avenues to take care of the situation. NONE of which worked.

Which meant, Anya had to go to school, tiger tail and all.

Once Anya made it to school, she discovered that having a tiger tail was not so bad after all.

A Tiger Tail (Or What Happened to Anya on Her First Day of School) is a hilarious cleverly illustrated and written picture book. Problem solving, anxiety over the first day of school, and seeing how others are different are some of the issues found in this delightful book.

Readers both young and old will love Anya’s tale. Er, tail.

KID KANDY

For Fun: Make a Tail to Wear Around the House

Materials: a long sock, newspaper, safety pins

1. Crinkle newspapers into small balls and stuff the sock. Leave an inch or so at the top.

2. Ask for help! Pin the sock to the waistband of your pants. Now you have a tail. Try and wear it all day. How did you do? Any problems? Would you like to go to school with a tail?

For Real: Plan for the First Day of School

What makes you really nervous about the first day of school? Some things that made me anxious were new classmates, a new teacher, not knowing where my class was, wearing new clothes, and getting on the right bus to go home.

Choose 1 thing that makes you nervous. Plan how to take care of it before school begins.

1. New classmates? Look for one person you know from last year. Or your neighborhood. Walk up and say hi. Plan to play together at recess. Now you have at least one friend!

2. New teacher? Some schools host a meet-the-teacher day. Ask your parents to take you to meet your teacher. Whew! Now you know what he/she looks like. You might even find your desk.

3. Find your class. If you visited the teacher, you will already know. Otherwise, a parent can walk you in the first day, you can ask an adult at the school for help, or you can ask an older student to help you. Don’t be afraid to ask for assistance. I’ve noticed that most people love to help!

4. Choose your first-day-of-school clothes and hang them out, ready for the big day. Now you don’t need to worry about what to wear.

5. Riding the bus? Your teacher will help you. Or any of the other adults who work at your school. You can even ask the bus drivers. If you are going to kindergarten, you will probably wear an address tag with a bus number. Learn that number! But remember, there are many people just waiting to help you find the right bus!

Now – go out there and enjoy your first day of school.


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Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming! ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!

By Patricia Hubbell

Illustrated by Megan Halsey and Sean Addy

(Marshall Cavendish Children, 2006)

I love the vintage illustrations of Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!

This fun picture book is about all sorts of vehicles. And the drivers are not necessarily human!

Told in rhyme, Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming! features things vehicles do as well as places they go and specific information about them (like the parts of a car).

I enjoyed the feel of this book. Any child who loves things that GO will have fun reading Cars Rushing! Honking! Zooming!

KID KANDY:

Masking Tape Highways

Materials: toy vehicles, blocks, masking tape

1. Stick masking tape on the floor or carpet (or furniture) to create winding roads on the floor.

2. Use blocks to build homes, businesses, and community features.

3. Drive those vehicles along the roads and use your imagination to pretend you are really in a car. Isn’t that fun?

4. Pull up the tape as soon as you are done playing so it doesn’t stick on the floor!

Zoom, zoom!


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It Came in the Mail ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

It Came in the Mail

By Ben Clanton

(Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2016)

Who doesn’t love mail and wish for something exciting to show up in the mail box?

Liam does, that’s for sure. But, as he put it, after checking daily (and more), he got diddly-squat.

After an idea brainstorm, Liam decided he needed to write some mail in order to get some. So Liam wrote a letter to his mailbox and asked for something BIG.

The mailbox delivered.

And delivered. And delivered. Until finally, Liam had so much mail, he had a different problem to solve.

I love It Came in the Mail. Lots of wonderful illustrations filled in the blanks and added details for readers to enjoy. Liam and his buddy, Jamel, were fun characters. The common thread of a childhood wish (to get mail, just like a grown-up) was solved in a very inventive way!

Readers will love It Came in the Mail. Who knows? Maybe your child will even want to write a letter to the mailbox. Just be prepared for an answer.

KID KANDY:

Write a Letter

Materials: writing paper, pencil, crayons, envelope, stamp

1. Choose the person (friend, aunt, uncle, grandma, grandpa, dad, mom, or the mailbox) for whom you want to write a letter.

2. Write a letter to that person.

3. Decorate the letter.

4. Fold the letter and place it in the envelope. Ask an adult to help you address the envelope and place the stamp in the correct place.

5. Mail the letter.

6. Wait.

7. Check the mailbox for an answer. Every day.

P.S. You can write more letters while you are waiting. Or draw pictures of what you think you will get in the mail. Or use your imagination to think of things you’d like to see come out of the mailbox.

Getting mail is so much fun! I’d love to hear what showed up in your mailbox!


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Agatha ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Agatha

By Anna Pignataro

(Little Bee Books, 2015)

Agatha did not fit it.

With a bear and a pig for parents, Agatha did not look like her parents. Other kids resembled their parents. But not Agatha. When the family got together, both sides of the family looked like each other, but Agatha didn’t quite match anybody.

When it was time for kindergarten, Agatha felt out of place. Until one day, her teacher said that everyone was special in their own way.

Agatha’s classmates told why they were special. But when it was Agatha’s turn to share, she had disappeared! The subsequent Agatha-hunt led Agatha to see her specialness through the eyes of her friends. Agatha was special at being Agatha.

I love this book! Agatha would be perfect for anyone who feels different from others or for a child who is going to kindergarten.

Everyone is special!

KID KANDY:

Specialness Survey

Materials: toy microphone (or something you can pretend to use as a microphone)

Think for a minute. How are you special? Maybe you can list several things that make you special.

1. Hold a specialness survey. A survey is when you ask questions for others to answer. Use the microphone as you interview your family. Go to each member and ask them to tell how he or she is special. Tell why you are special.

2. Ask neighbors, friends, or classmates to tell why they are special.

3. Think again. Are all of the people you interviewed the same? Do each of them have something special that makes them unique?

I enjoy making greeting cards with rubber stamps. That makes me special. I’d love to hear what makes you special!