Love, Laughter, and Life

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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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The Perfect Dog ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

by Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

The Perfect Dog

By Kevin O’Malley

(Crown Books for Young Readers, 2016)

Her parents have finally said she could get a dog. The perfect dog.

But what makes a perfect dog? Big, bigger, biggest? Maybe or maybe not.

Humorously written and brightly illustrated, The Perfect Dog shares the tale of a young girl who is searching for the perfect dog companion. All goes well, until a dog chooses her.

I enjoyed this funny book and the comparative language used to tell the tale. Readers will laugh and begin to predict before the story is told.

KID KANDY:

Compare Your Toys

Materials: variety of toys, at least 3 different sizes of each type (3 dogs, 3 cars, 3 blocks, and so on)

Can you line up your toys by comparing them to each other?

Get 3 dogs. Put them in order of big, bigger, and biggest. Or maybe they are small, smaller, and smallest!

How about 3 blocks? Tall, taller, tallest? Or long, longer, longest?

Do you have 3 dolls? Tiny, tinier, tiniest?

3 instruments? Loud, louder, loudest? Quiet, quieter, quietest?

There are all sorts of ways to compare objects! See how many different words you can use to show comparisons. I’d love to hear your favorite!


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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!


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This Is My Dollhouse ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

This is what a homemade dollhouse looks like.

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

This Is My Dollhouse

By Giselle Potter

(Schwartz & Wade Books, 2016)

I’ve always loved dollhouses, so I was instantly attracted to This Is My Dollhouse.

A young girl uses an old box, craft materials, and toys to create and decorate her own dollhouse. Her imagination is in full swing as she makes food, clothes, and props for the little family that lives in her dollhouse.

Her friend, Sophie, also has a dollhouse. It is a fancy store-bought dollhouse with pretty furniture and a family. When the girl goes to visit Sophie and play with the dollhouse, their imagination is stilted and comes to a stand still.

After seeing Sophie’s dollhouse, the girl is afraid of showing her own dollhouse to her friend. But one day, when Sophie came to play, Sophie discovered the hidden house and was delighted. Many hours of creative play followed and the girl was once again pleased with her own dollhouse.

I don’t think this book is against store-bought dollhouses at all, but rather This Is My Dollhouse celebrates creativity and ingenuity of those who build from scratch.

It was so much fun to see the creativity of the young girl and the way she used her imagination to create scenarios and adventures for her little family. This book will inspire little ones to create from miscellaneous materials found around the house.

This is a little sewing room I made in a wooden box. Can you find the tiny mouse?

KID KANDY:

Make A Dollhouse

Materials: box (any size will work), cardboard, paper scraps, fabric scraps, ribbon, markers, scissors, tape, glue, toy figures, wood scraps or blocks

1. Make a dollhouse. You can use ANY type of container to make a little house. I once made one from a teapot! Cut cardboard and paper to make walls and floors. Ask for help in cutting a door and windows.

2. Use craft scraps and other materials to decorate your house. Add curtains, rugs, furniture, and whatever else you want. Use markers to add color.

3. Make your little family comfortable. Cut blankets, clothes, and other household necessities from your supplies.

4. Give your family (and their pets) names. You are now ready to imagine adventures for them!

P.S. This would be a fun activity to do with a sister, brother, or friend!


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The Typewriter ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

What a vibrant cover!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

The Typewriter

By Bill Thomson

(Two Lions, 2016)

There are not many words to read in The Typewriter, but oh, what a story they tell!

Three children out riding bicycles discover an old-fashioned typewriter on the back of a merry-go-round bee (the merry-go-round is not working). Fascinated, they place the typewriter on the ground and start to type out words. Very few words.

That’s because each word that is typed instantly becomes reality.

Beach. Ball. Ice Cream. Crab…

Each word does not come to life in the size one would imagine. Some are much larger. Imagine what would happen if a crab the size of an elephant appeared?

The children discover the ways of the typewriter and finally decide enough is enough.

I was enthralled by the illustrations and story line of this simple yet complex picture book. Readers will be surprised and enchanted as they read The Typewriter.

KID KANDY:

Typewriter Exploration

Materials: an old typewriter (the kind with a ribbon, not a printer), paper, crayons

Hint: Borrow an old typewriter or find one at a thrift store.

Welcome to old-fashioned computers!

1. First, you have to roll a piece of paper between the rollers on top. Turn the knob on the right side to advance the paper.

2. Now you are ready to type words or write a story. Start by typing your name.

3. Explore what each key does. Can you find the shift key? Punctuation marks?

4. To go to the next line to continue typing, you have to advance the paper again with the handle on the right side.

Fun, isn’t it?

5. Try typing single words like in The Typewriter. Use your crayons to illustrate your own story.

Dog. Cat. Cactus. Bee. Rain. Lightning. Car. Wind. . .

Anything could happen!


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Chester ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

Chester

By Melanie Watt (and Chester)

(Kids Can Press, 2007)

Chester is a cat.

Not just any cat, but a very talented, imaginative, and creative cat.

Chester loves to be in the limelight. He also has ideas about what type of limelight and focus he wants.

And while Chester is all of the above, he is also – gasp – somewhat NAUGHTY!

Meet Melanie Watt, the author who is trying to tell the story of Chester, a very large calico cat who carries his own red correcting pen. At all times.

Meet Chester, the star of the book, who repeatedly hijacks the story and turns it to his own purposes.

Chester and Chester’s Back! are delightful, funny, and imaginative picture books. The voice of Chester interacts seamlessly with the author’s voice of Melanie. Kids will love Chester and his antics.

But beware, kids might get some ideas from Chester!

KID KANDY:

Make a Paper Plate Chester

Materials: wax-free paper plates, construction paper, scissors, glue, markers, crayons

1. Draw a cat face on your paper plate. Include eyes, nose, whiskers, and mouth.

2. Color your cat Chester colors (or any color you like – that’s what Chester would do).

3. Cut ears, paws, and a tail from construction paper. Glue them in place.

4. Cut a pen from construction paper. Make sure it is red! Glue it to Chester’s paw.

Now you have your own Chester. Both of you can make up your own stories!

Meow!

Chester’s Back!

(Kids Can Press, 2013)


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There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight ~ Picture Book & KID KANDY

Instead of an old lady, a dragon swallows everything!

By Angie Quantrell @AngieQuantrell

There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight

By Penny Parker Klostermann

Illustrated by Ben Mantle

(Random House, 2015)

 

There used to be an old lady who swallowed a fly. I don’t know why, but she swallowed that fly. Kids love to read and sing this silly song.

Now we can enjoy There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight.

A dragon, not a lady. A knight, not a fly.

I love this book!

Part nursery rhyme song, part fairy tale, part humor, part adventure. This picture book has it all. Sure the knight gets swallowed (along with many other fairy tale sorts), but what happens in the dragon’s belly is quite comical.

Told in rhyme, There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight is a delightful and inventive take on the old stand-by. Never fear, the dragon does not die at the end.

KID KANDY:

Make-Believe Castle Fun

Materials: connecting blocks, horse, people figures, blue felt, dragon (or a large sock)

Make up your own story or use the items to retell There Was an Old Dragon Who Swallowed a Knight.

1. Build a castle with connecting blocks.

2. Choose people figures to be the knight, cook, squire, and lady. Add the horse and blue felt water.

3. Retell the story and let the dragon pretend to gobble up the other characters in the story. Or put your arm in the sock and pretend it is the dragon grabbing things to eat.

What other things could the dragon eat? Make sure he burps at the end and spits out everyone!