Brimful Curiosities

Wordless Wednesday - Year of the Dragon

2012-01-25T08:00:00.000-06:00

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

ALA Youth Media Awards 2012

2012-01-23T07:30:00.003-06:00

I'm very excited for today's ALA Youth Media Awards. Which books will earn the top awards? Soon we will all find out! For those that can't attend, make sure to tune into the live webcast starting at 7:45 A.M CT.

Before the announcements start, the kids and I would like to mention our favorites for the Caldecott. I personally think that Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is the most deserving of an award this year. As I wrote in my review, his book gracefully tackles the subject of aging and intergenerational relationships. With unusually lush, green illustrations, it's simply a beautiful book.

Of all the 2011 picture books, my daughter likes Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell the best. While we didn't review it, we did purchase the book last year after checking it out from the library twice. Usually that's a good sign it's a book we should own. Me...Jane tells the story of Jane Goodall's childhood and the illustrations have a scrapbook feel.

My son really likes Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage. It's a wordless picture book about a silly walrus and the book has an uncluttered, bold design. Searching for the walrus in the pictures is part of the fun.

Bears with Red Hats Picture Books - A Pointy Red Hat Craft

2012-01-19T12:30:00.001-06:00

Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back has stirred up quite a debate in the children's book world. I bought a copy sight unseen last fall after first reading reviews on There's A Book and A Fuse #8 Production. Even though we've owned Klassen's book now for several months, I've been putting off writing a review for reasons I can't entirely explain. It's not because I Want My Hat Back hasn't been a popular reread in our home. It's not because it isn't a clever, unusual story. Perhaps it is because I'm not sure I can offer anything more than what has already been said, and I know a lot of people have already formed their own well-thought-out opinions about the book. But I'm going to try anyway, if only so that someday, when my kids search through my posts for memorable books from their childhood, they'll find I Want My Hat Back mentioned. It's a book that certainly makes an impression though some will argue as to what sort of impression.

The best books provoke discussion and provide food for thought. They speak to the reader on another level and tell a memorable story. They appeal to a broad audience. I Want My Hat Back fits this mold. On the surface it's just a book about a bear that loses his hat, makes inquiries to other forest animals and takes measures to regain possession of said hat. But, it's the execution of the story and also what is implied that makes this book special. Klassen puts into play perfect pacing, deliberate repetition and appropriate build up. His polite, impassive bear gets a little out of character and something very unexpected happens. Through his illustrations, Klassen also successfully conveys a powerful emotion we are all familiar with -- furious, red hot anger, redder than the color of the pointy, red hat that has gone missing!

The unexpected ending isn't for everyone. Some people remark on the lies told in the book. Some remark on the actions. I have to admit that at first my kids didn't know what to make of the end. I'm not sure my 3yo would have even understood the implied ending if my 6yo hadn't pointed it out to him. In fact, after the first read, no one was really laughing. But, once they figured out the ending, boy oh boy, they wanted to read it again. And again. And again. For them, the story just gets funnier and funnier with each reread, not because of the ending but because they have fun making up voices for all the animals. Here are some other reasons why it's a keeper -- the story is simple enough for a beginning reader (my daughter) to read alone and read with gusto. It is simple and repetitive enough for my preschooler to memorize (he especially likes repeating the "Thank you anyway" lines.) The dialog between the characters is simple enough for kids to act out using puppets. And, of course, the book is very different from every other book in our collection.

I don't think we need to like the ending, to dissect it, to apply it to real life. A bear is not a human, and a bear that wears a hat, well that's the stuff of children's books. In fact, if left to themselves, young children will very likely develop their own non-violent opinions of what happened. But, the story can actually be a useful tool in teaching values. When we're in a store and see a toddler acting up, my children point out that the child is misbehaving. They know when someone is behaving inappropriately. Just like the book. They point out the bear's actions. Was this the best course of action? No. (Unless quite possibly you are a wild bear.) What would have been a better alternative? Should we tell lies? No. Lesson learned in a sly, wildly imaginative picture book way.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Candlewick (September 2011); ISBN 9780763655983; 40 pages
Book Source: Copy from personal library

Related Links:
Jon Klassen - Website
I Want My Hat Back Candlewick Story-Hour Kit [pdf]

David Melling's book, Don't Worry Douglas, also released last fall and provides a stark contrast to Klassen's book. If I Want My Hat Back doesn't sound like your sort of book, you might want to consider Melling's "bear with red hat" book.

A bear named Douglas receives a woolly, red hat as a gift from his father. He wears it proudly and shows it off to his friends. Unfortunately, he also gets a little carried away in showing it off and the hat unravels. His friends offer suggestions on what to do, but only rabbit gives him the advice he needs.

Don't Worry Douglas is all about making the right decisions when faced with a problem. Rather than lying or hiding something from his parents, Douglas owns up to his mistake and his parents forgive him. At times the text doesn't read smoothly, but Melling's adorably cute and sweet illustrations make up for it. A set of silly sheep add some humor to the story and there's a fun page spread in the back of the book that shows all sorts of wacky hats. It's a nice, feel good story for preschool-kindergarteners and is a title worth checking out from the library. While you're there, you might as well grab Melling's other Douglas book, too -- Hugless Douglas.

Don't Worry, Douglas! by David Melling. Tiger Tales Books (September 2011); ISBN 9781589251069; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Related links:
David Melling - Website

You can't properly tell the story of a bear and a red hat without a red hat. My kids decided to make red hats for their stuffed animals. We fashioned the red hats after the pointy one pictured in I Want My Hat Back. First Palette offers a nice tutorial on how to construct cone hats. If you'd like to make a paper one, consider downloading this hat activity pdf from Walker Books Australia.

1. Use a compass or circle pattern to draw a half circle onto a piece of red felt.

2. Cut out the half circle with a pair of sharp scissors. (My son did a really good job following the line. This is a wonderful cutting activity for preschoolers.)

3. Spread tacky glue onto one third of the hat and after forming the half circle into a cone, glue the hat together. Use a paper clip to hold the hat together at the bottom while it dries.

4. Dress up your favorite stuffed bear or rabbit! (My daughter decided that her rabbit needed to wear something other than a red hat for reasons that become clear after reading Klassen's book.)

A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. Wrote a post about play? Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up.

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Wordless Wednesday - Snow Tunnel

2012-01-18T10:06:00.008-06:00

The street department thoughtfully piled a large amount of snow in front of our house after the recent snowstorms. We decided to construct a short snow tunnel through part of the pile. It took us around a half an hour to dig out the tunnel. I ended up doing most of the digging work though the kids did help quite a bit with clearing. This was their first experience crawling through a snow tunnel, and it was worth all the work. Judging from their excitement and enthusiasm there will be more tunnels in the future!

Are you familiar with Wisconsin author Michael Perry? He's written several bestselling books including Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story. He also builds snow tunnels! Watch him dig one while also providing insightful narration in this WPT "In Wisconsin" video.

Watch Michael Perry: Snow Tunnel on PBS. See more from In Wisconsin.

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

The Schoolchildren's Blizzard by Marty Rhodes Figley - Temperature Charting Activity

2012-01-13T12:00:00.008-06:00

Until yesterday, my children's snowpants hung unused on hooks in our laundry room since the beginning of November. Such a long period in winter without large amounts of snow is unusual in our area. I can't say I minded in the least (50 degrees in January is fine by me), but my children like to play in the snow and were a bit upset with the weather. In fact, my daughter remarked to me a while back that her snowpants were feeling sad. Now our world is covered in white and the cold temperatures are back. Yesterday's snowstorm brought enough snow to make travel difficult, but not enough to result in a school snow day.

Even though the weather here was fairly moderate, several years ago, on January 12, 1888, schoolchildren in the Midwest plains endured one of the worst blizzards in our nation's history, "The Schoolchildren's Blizzard." The blizzard developed suddenly and without warning after a stint of warm weather. Despite many brave acts, hundreds perished that day including children walking home from their one-room schoolhouses.

One of more widely known accounts of The Schoolchildren's Blizzard is that of a school teacher named Minnie Freeman who led her students to safety. (In fact, a historical marker in Nebraska mentions Miss Freeman.) Marty Rhodes Figley's early reader historical fiction book, The Schoolchildren's Blizzard shares Miss Freeman's heroics with young readers. Though fiction, the book provides readers with an idea of what it might have been like to have been one of Miss Freeman's students when that dangerous January 1888 Blizzard hit.

Seven-year-old Annie and her older sister, Sarah, walk across the Nebraska prairie to their sod schoolhouse on a relatively warm January day in 1888. Once inside the school they learn from their kind and smart teacher, Miss Freeman. Their day goes smoothly until lunch time. The school children spot ominous clouds and quickly head back into the schoolhouse. The roaring blizzard winds wreak havoc on the sod schoolhouse, and Miss Freeman decides they must walk together through the blizzard to her house if they stand a chance of surviving the storm.

Figley skillfully tells the gripping story of the terrible, historical blizzard in a way perfectly suited for young readers and, true to life, the story ends happily. Shelly O. Haas's muted watercolor pictures help in setting a gentle tone. Despite the subject, the story overall isn't too frightening or upsetting and it contains slightly subdued descriptions of possible events. The school door flies open, part of the sod schoolhouse roof blows off, and the children trudge blindly through knee-deep snow but positivity endures. In Figley's retelling, Miss Freeman remains calm, collected and encouraging -- a strong role model for her students and for the readers.

The Schoolchildren's Blizzard (On My Own History) by Marty Rhodes Figley, illustrated by Shelly O. Haas. Carolrhoda Books / Lerner Publishing (2004); ISBN 9781575056197; 48 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Related Links:
Marty Rhodes Figley - Website
Shelly O. Haas - Website
Mural depicting the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 - Nebraska State Capitol
Blizzard of January 12, 1888 - Nebraska State Historical Society Blog

"I am sure I only tried to do right. It was my plain path of duty in which I was led. I am thankful it has all ended so well. My sympathies go out to those who suffered so."
- "Minnie Freeman: The Little Girl by the Window in the Little Sod House" Omaha Bee, Feb. 24 [pdf via NYTimes.com]

Charting and comparing temperatures - The Schoolchildren's Blizzard

It's hard for a 1st grader to visualize just how cold it got during the January 1888 Blizzard so I decided to have my daughter chart a temperature comparison. We used the Daily Weather History information available at Weather Underground to determine the high temperature on Jan. 11 and the low temperature on Jan. 12 in our area (55° and 15°F). My daughter used a thermometer chart to compare these temperatures to the 1888 temperatures found on Marty Rhodes Figley's website (70° and -30°F).

Many children today don't know a lot about life in a one-room schoolhouse. Through books like The Schoolchildren's Blizzard they can learn more about pioneer life, America's history and the struggles and happy times that children experienced in the past. It is important to me that my children take the time to learn and inquire about such things. As part of our studies we found a neat picture of sod schoolhouse at the Library of Congress website.

Both my parents attended a one-room schoolhouse for a short time, as did my grandparents. This story prompted us to ask them more about their experiences. We learned that none of them had to remain overnight at school, caught in a storm. My grandmother also told us that the teacher boarded with her family. She and her siblings would ride with the teacher to school instead of walking. The teacher kept the horse in the school's horse shelter. I didn't realize some one-room schoolhouses had their own animal buildings, but it does make sense!

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Spelling Whiz

2012-01-11T08:00:00.003-06:00

My daughter's weekly first grade spelling lists typically contain fairly ordinary words. Often the lists focus on word families or include frequently used words. Normally my daughter breezes through the lists without much difficulty. However, last week during the pre-test, she struggled with the word "whiz." What a strange word! I can't recall the last time I used the term myself, and I'm sure that previously to the test, it was not a word in her own personal vocabulary. At least she made a gallant effort to spell the word phonetically.

Then, lo and behold, this weekend my daughter read aloud Cynthia Rylant's The Case of the Baffled Bear from The High-Rise Private Eyes series. Ironically, this wacky spelling word appears on page 21!

"I've seen you guys whiz through town on your bikes," said Bunny.

Perhaps the term is used more often than I thought. Whatever the case, my daughter now has the word down pat and is on her way to becoming a true spelling whiz!

Do you have any unusual spelling word stories to relate? Please do tell!

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

Who Lands Planes on a Ship: Working on an Aircraft Carrier by Linda Tagliaferro

2012-01-09T08:00:00.010-06:00

It's easy to interest a child in non-fiction books if you pick books on topics the child is already curious about. Start by looking at their toys and imaginative play for cues.

My son received an Imaginext aircraft carrier for Christmas from Santa. He's spent hours and hours playing with the toy. Unfortunately, he's never seen a real aircraft carrier. He doesn't have prior knowledge as to what actual aircraft carrier looks like or the technical terms used for the parts of the ship. I recently headed to the library in search of aircraft carrier books that would help enhance his imaginative play. When I brought the books home from the library it was like Christmas all over again. My son was so excited to learn more about his favorite toy and now uses the knowledge he's gained from reading the books in his play. Here's one of the books we enjoyed reading together this past weekend.

Who Lands Planes on a Ship?: Working on an Aircraft Carrier (Wild Work Series) by Linda Tagliaferro. Raintree / Capstone (2011); ISBN 9781410938534; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

This book provides a basic overview on what is like to work on a Navy aircraft carrier and also includes several facts pertaining to aircraft carriers. Jobs briefly mentioned in the text include pilot, air boss, captain, catapult officer, aviation fuels, doctors, firefighters, and mechanics. In addition, parts of the aircraft carrier highlighted include flight deck, catapult, hangar deck, island and hospital. Large color photographs accompany the text and factual insets explain some of the photos. The Did you Know? fact sections scattered throughout the book also provide factual information. Definitions for the words in bold are provided in the glossary and the last page includes a book index.

There's a lot of information packed into this attractively designed book, and we now have a much better idea of what goes on in a Navy aircraft carrier. It was a pleasant surprise to find as much information about the ship itself as the occupations of those working aboard. Considering the title, it's too bad the book doesn't include more information about how pilots land planes on the ship. While the book gives a basic insight into the catapult system used to launch, the author only briefly mentions the "wires" that help stop the plane (also known as arresting cables) and it's very hard from the one picture provided to understand how the plane uses the cables to land.

Linda Tagliaferro provides a limited but good starting point for early readers (1st-3rd grade) interested in learning more about basic terms pertaining to aircraft carriers and about the occupations of workers on board. My daughter (who is in 1st grade) read the book without much difficulty and now wants to read more books in this Wild Work series. Preschoolers and kindergartners will enjoy listening to the book read aloud. (Note: One of the two resource websites mentioned in the back of the book is a dead link - too bad as we really wanted to view the coloring book!)

Some interesting facts we learned:
Airplanes stop and take-off in just two seconds
The carrier can hold as many as 80 planes
Around 5000 people live on an aircraft carrier
People that pump fuel are called "grapes" because they wear purple shirts
The officers on the flight deck use body signals to communicate (this was my son's favorite part of the book ... see below his interpretation of the launch signal)

Other New(ish) Books about Aircraft Carriers

Aircraft Carriers (Built for Battle) by Valerie Bodden; Creative Education (2012) ISBN 9781608181223; 24 Pages

Aircraft Carriers: runways at sea (Vehicles on the Move) by Lynn Peppas; Crabtree Publishing (2011); ISBN 9780778727477: 32 pages

Nugget on the Flight Deck by Patricia Newman, illustrated by Aaron Zenz; Walker Children's (October 2009); ISBN 9780802797353; 40 pages

Aircraft Carriers (Amazing Ships) by John Sutherland and Diane Canwell; Gareth Stevens (2007); ISBN 9780836883763

Aircraft Carrier Websites, Activities and Educational Resources:
The US Navy Aircraft Carriers
Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum Kids Zone
Intrepid Museum Aviation Vocabulary Sheet
NOVA Aircraft Carrier Moving Targets Classroom Activity
Intrepid Take Flight Classroom Activities (3-8 Grade)
LooLeeDo Construct Your Own Paper Airplane Carrier
edhelper.com Aircraft Carrier Coloring Page

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner - Winter Birch Tree Art

2012-01-05T14:00:00.010-06:00

Every spring, when the snow thaws, we find zigzagging tracks in our grass. Tiny creatures, presumably mice or voles, make the tracks as they spend much of the winter scampering in the subnivean zone, the layer between the snow and the earth. Lots of different animals spend the winter under the snow, safely hidden from predators. Kate Messner, in her newest picture book, Over and Under the Snow, informs young readers of this "secret kingdom under the snow."

Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner, illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal. Chronicle Books (October 2011); 9780811867849; 44 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

"Under the snow is a whole secret kingdom, where the smallest forest animals stay safe and warm."

Winter picture books are easy to come by, but quality books, with well-written text, gorgeous illustrations, and educational components that appeal to a broad age range -- those books are few and far between. Kate Messner's Over and Under the Snow is a rare treasure, not only perfect for parent/child one-on-one reads, but also a useful addition to any elementary teacher's winter curriculum. The book presents the topic of animals in the snow in an interesting way, focusing on animals that live under the snow as well as touching on a few of the animals above.

As girl and her father ski across snow covered ground, they notice and remark on actions of animals over and under the snow. The daughter first sees a flash of a red squirrel as it disappears under the snow. The daytime sky slowly darkens to night while the pair continues their casual cross-country ski outing and they observe many other creatures including a shrew, an owl, a deer, voles, a chipmunk, a red fox and even beavers and fat bullfrogs near a reedy marsh. An author's note at the end explains the subnivean zone in detail and also provides further information on the various animals mentioned in the book.

Messner, in her poetic text, really captures the whole experience of skiing in a snow-covered forest as well as describing the animals. The sights, the sounds are all wonderfully expressed in her phrases. "Over the snow I glide. A full moon lights my path to supper. / Under the snow, a chipmunk wakes for a meal. Bedroom, kitchen, hallway -- his house under my feet." She creatively continues this "over the snow," "under the snow" pattern throughout the book.

Christopher Silas Neal's illustrations are an excellent complement to the text. His mixed media art skillfully portrays the hidden, under the snow world in a way children can appreciate. He applies his artistic license and presents a visually interesting, sleekly designed winter world that is realistic enough to look believable. His landscapes show many perspectives. Sometimes the father and daughter appear in the foreground and other times farther back as tiny profiles in the background. My kids greatly enjoy looking at and pointing out all the creatures tucked away under the snow and dirt. (They found the page where a fox scratches away at the snow to grab a mouse really interesting, though perhaps a little startling. That's real life in the winter forest, for sure!)

Related Links:
Kate Messner - Website
Christopher Silas Neal - Website
"PROCESS behind the art - Over and Under the Snow"

☆ ☆ ☆ Tape Resist Birch Tree Art ☆ ☆ ☆
Nearly all the illustrations in Over and Under the Snow include images of bare trees in winter with long trunks extending off the top edge of the pages. A couple of the pages show the daughter and father skiing through a forest of birch trees. I've been wanting to do a tape resist birch tree art project with my kids for awhile now, and the project is the perfect story stretcher to go along with this picture book.

Several elementary art teachers like to use tape resist birch tree art projects to demonstrate positive and negative space and contrast as well as composition relating to background, middle ground and foreground. While many birch tree art projects use watercolors, after reading a blog post at A Palette of Primary Grade Kids, we decided to experiment with paint and oil pastels. We also expanded our project to also talk about ways to picture cross-sections underground. This is a nice, multi-step art project appropriate for a variety of age levels.

Stick painters tape onto colored paper (we used card stock) to create tree outlines. (Make the tape less sticky by rubbing against your clothing first.) Also, leave a little extra tape at the top to make pulling off the paper easier. Paint tree outlines and the ground area with white paint.

While the paint is still wet, remove tape to reveal sky. (One of my son's favorite parts)

Use an oil pastel crayon to outline trees and create lines on the birch trees. This is a wonderfully challenging task for preschoolers,and my son was bound and determined to make all those lines! My daughter used a little heavier line in detailing her trees.

Glue coffee grounds to the bottom of the page to represent the dirt underground. (And enjoy the fragrance of the coffee.)

Finished Images: My son elected to use photocopied animals from the book. He chose the squirrel and chipmunk for his painting. He LOVES the coffee grounds dirt.

My daughter chose to draw all the animals in herself using pastels. Her drawing depicts a cardinal, red fox, mouse, bird in the hole of a tree and fish in a snow covered pond with a single reed. No coffee on her drawing!

Other Birch Tree Winter Art Project Ideas:
Textured Winter Birch Trees and Cardinals - ARTASTIC!
Birch Trees Watercolor Lesson - Deep Space Sparkle
Birch Trees in Winter Watercolors - A Faithful Attempt
Winter Birch Trees - Art Projects for Kids
Birch Trees - Got Art

A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. Wrote a post about play? Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up. Browse more book posts at Little Sprout Books' Feed Me Books Friday.

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Rose Bowl Cookie Cake - Go Badgers!

2012-01-02T16:00:00.001-06:00

Afternote: Ahh, if only they would have won! Even if the Badgers didn't have a sweet victory, at least we had a sweet treat!

"Little Lamb" Children's Song -- While Shepherds Watched by Jenni Fleetwood Book Review

2011-12-29T11:28:00.016-06:00

Some songs stay with you your entire life, the words forever embedded in your heart. When I was in kindergarten I, along with two of my friends, sang a song called "Little Lamb" for our class Christmas program. My mom liked the song so much that she also had me sing it in church that same year. The rhyming verses in the "Little Lamb" song tell of the first Christmas. A little lamb sees the bright star, hears the angels' voices and goes to see the baby in the manger, Christ the Lord.

Little lamb, little lamb, lying on a hillside,
Little lamb, little lamb, What did you see?
I saw the light of a bright star, Shining down on me.

Little lamb, little lamb, lying on a hillside,
Little lamb, little lamb, What did you hear?
I heard the song of the angels, Singing loud and clear.

Little lamb, little lamb, lying on a hillside,
Little lamb, little lamb, Where did you go?
I went to see baby Jesus, Born on Christmas Day.

I'm not sure who wrote this song or where or when it first appeared in print. My mom did speak to my kindergarten teacher who said she remembered the song and that it was in a book that she left at school when she retired several years ago. I've found other versions of Little Lamb mentioned online, with alternate lyrics for the last verse: “I went to see the dear baby, Born so long ago.” If anyone has a copy of a book that includes this song, I would love to learn the title. For those that want to hear the melody, you can listen to a class perform the song in this YouTube video recording: Lily singing Little Lamb. (This is not my video, nor do I personally know any of the performers.)

This year my daughter carried on tradition and sang "Little Lamb" during our church Christmas program along with one of her Sunday School classmates. She easily memorized the song and sings it at random times at home. Hearing her sweet little voice singing about our Savior fills my heart with joy.

Every year my daughter makes paintings to give as gifts for Christmas. This year she chose to paint a little lamb on a hill. I'm sure the paintings will be cherished by all who receive them and will serve as a reminder of the year she sang the "Little Lamb" song.

What must it have been like to be one of the "lowly" shepherds who first heard of Jesus' birth as described in Luke's account of our Lord's birth? Imagine the shock, the awe, the amazement at the sight of the angel and the joy the shepherds experienced after hearing news of the newly born Saviour. Jenni Fleetwood, in her book While Shepherds Watched, gives us a fictional look at Jesus's birth through the eyes of a shepherd boy.

While Shepherds Watched by Jenni Fleetwood, illustrated by Peter Melnyczuk. Lothrop, Lee & Shepard Books (1992); ISBN 0688115985; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

"It was just an ordinary stable, but the starlight was so bright that Matthias could see every detail. Ever afterward he could picture it clearly in his memory."

In this first Christmas story an eight-year-old shepherd boy named Matthias experiences a night of miracles on his own birthday. For the first time in his life, he watches on as a ewe gives birth to a lamb. Shortly thereafter an angel appears to him and the other shepherds and a bright star leads them to Bethlehem to see the Christ child.

Fleetwood's story is a tender one that also reminds me of "The Little Drummer Boy"-- the shepherd boy in While Shepherds Watched shares a special gift with Jesus. The author describes the shepherd boy's coat as a "sheepskin jerkin," a rather unusual term we hadn't heard before. The shepherd boy keeps the baby lamb warm by carrying it under his coat. Fleetwood incorporates Biblical text into the book, using portions from Luke 2:10-15 (KJV). The story is on the longer side and the book is probably best for ages 5 and up.

The illustrations in the book beautifully portray the miraculous starlit evening and the area of Bethlehem appears as one would expect with desert dwellings bordered by rocky fields. Melnyczuk adds interest and depth to his illustrations with a special scratch art technique that gives the drawings a crosshatched look. In one picture baby Jesus appears to be a little older than a newborn child, but overall the illustrations provide a nice insight into what it might have been like for those shepherds living in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night.

The book was first published in Great Britain by J.M. Dent and Sons. A revised 1999 edition by Broadman & Holman is also available.

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Simple Block Nativity Craft for Kids

2011-12-22T08:00:00.003-06:00

After reading a few picture books about nativity sets this past week, my kids wanted to make their own nativity sets for their bedrooms. Since they are welcome to play with our complete nativity set at any time, I thought that it would be easier for them to make a simple all-in-one nativity craft. The single block doesn't take up very much room, and it's something the kids can play with and display year after year. (Plus it's easier to store since it's only one piece as opposed to many.)

Our focus for this nativity craft is specifically on the Holy Family -- Joseph, Mary and baby Jesus. It's a fairly simple Christmas project that uses materials that are easily found around the home.

All-in-one Nativity Block Craft

Materials:
Construction paper - various colors
Glue
Scissors
Scrap lumber (wood block)
Mod Podge (optional)

All-in-one Nativity Pattern [pdf] (may have to resize to fit your block shape)

1. Print out the pattern pdf, cut out the pieces and trace onto your choice of construction paper colors. (For a personalized craft, those more artistic may want to freehand the family shapes instead of using the pattern).

2. Glue the construction paper pieces to the block of wood, starting with Joseph's body and face, then Mary's and finally baby Jesus. Place and glue the star to top left-hand corner of the wood block.

3. (Optional) Using a sponge brush, apply Mod Podge over the entire top of the block to seal the block and collage work.

Here are our finished Holy Family blocks. I traced and cut out the construction pieces for my preschool-aged son. He glued them to his block himself (left). My first grader daughter freehanded all of her pieces and completed the project entirely on her own (right). It only took her about 15 minutes to make this craft. Both kids are very proud of their nativity blocks.

Later on in the day I noticed my daughter busily at work in her bedroom. She created a stable out of wooden building blocks and added a few other figures to complete her own personal nativity set! It's more special than anything we could ever buy!

A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up.

Children's Books that portray Nativity Sets - A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck; Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson

2011-12-20T10:01:00.022-06:00

One of the things we like to do as family during the holidays is drive around our community and look at all the Christmas lights and displays. Some people really put a lot of effort into their decorations, and it's really neat to see houses lit up from top to bottom. But, my very favorite displays are ones that include a nativity scene. Last week, our pastor's sermon spoke of the importance of keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus. With all the hustle and bustle during Christmas, it's easy to lose focus. However, every time I see a creche, I am reminded of the true meaning of Christmas and the best gift ever, the birth of Jesus, our Savior and redeemer.

This week we are reading a couple picture books that portray nativity sets. Both books would make neat gift companions to a child's nativity set.

A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck, illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright. Katherine Tegen Books / HarperCollins (September 2011); ISBN 9780061664915; 24 pages
Book Source: Copy from our personal library

On a snowy Christmas Eve, a little child's family wishes baby Jesus and all the visitors to the manger goodnight, one by one. "Goodnight to the baby in the hay. Goodnight to the doves, coo coo. Goodnight to the sleepy mother. Goodnight to Joseph, too." The simple story, told in rhyming verse, helps introduce young children (toddlers and preschoolers) to the Biblical Christmas story and encourages them to name all those who played a part in witnessing the glorious birth.

Sarah Jane Wright's adorably cute illustrations put the past and present into prospective, first showing images of the holy family and visitors at Bethlehem and then switching focus to a present day family who lovingly place baby Jesus in their Nativity set manger before getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve. The last image on the copyright page shows only a swaddled baby Jesus, a nice touch alluding to the central focus of Christmas. My kids especially like to point out the stuffed animal lamb the child in the book holds while sleeping and the little church in the final landscape illustrations. Due to the simplicity of the text, the book is best for very young children.

A Goodnight Christmas is Sarah Jane Wright's first picture book. If you are not familiar with the illustrator, I recommend that you read some of the posts on her well-written blog: http://sarahjanestudios.com/blog/. She also sells all sort of lovely items in her online studio shop. She recently posted a couple of free downloadable activity packs to go along with her book:
A Christmas Goodnight Activity set [pdf] and Nativity Puppet Theater [pdf].

Mortimer's Christmas Manger by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman. Margaret K. McElderry Books / Simon & Schuster (October 2005); ISBN 9780689855115; 40 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

A little mouse named Mortimer is unhappy with his dark, dismal home underneath the stairs. He sees a perfect little "house" set up near the Christmas tree. He makes himself at home and settles down to sleep on a bed of hay after pushing the statues out of the way. Unfortunately, day after day, when he is out and about, someone replaces the statues in the house. Eventually, on Christmas Eve, he learns more about the statues and Jesus, a baby "born to save the world." Mortimer makes room for Jesus, remarking, "There was no room for you in the inn. But I know where there is room." After praying, Mortimer discovers a suitable home for himself. Wilson's sweet story shows that everyone is important to God and focuses on the true story of Christmas, by spreading the word about the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Karma Wilson also paired together with Jane Chapman to create the popular "Bear" books, and the illustrations in Mortimer's Christmas Manger are similar in style, full of lovely details and warm scenes. Mortimer is such an adorable mouse; he couldn't possibly be any cuter! My kids especially like to remark on all the decorations pictured on the Christmas tree (some of which Mortimer knocks down while trying to reach the creche.) This is a longer, but well-told story that keeps a child's interest and helps teach about the birth of Jesus.

Related links:
Karma Wilson - Website
Jane Chapman - Website

Looking for a book that portrays a live, outdoor nativity? Last year I featured Lauren Castillo's book, Christmas is Here on Brimful Curiosities. It's a beautifully illustrated version of the Biblical text, Luke 2:8-14. Click the link for my full review.

What other books featuring nativity sets do you recommend? We'd love to read more picture book stories like the ones above.

Other children's books including images of or mentioning nativity sets: (we have yet to read these titles)
The First Christmas Present by Marilyn Sommerer, illustrated by Johanna Van Der Sterre
Angela and the Baby Jesus: (Children's Edition) by Frank McCourt, illustrated by Raul Colon
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski, illustrated by P.J. Lynch

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Calico Critters Margaret and Halley’s Dress Shop - Growing Tree Toys

2011-12-16T08:00:00.005-06:00

Do you have all your holiday shopping finished? During a last minute shopping trip yesterday I noticed many families in search of last minute stocking stuffers. If you are buying stocking stuffers and gifts for a little girl, she might enjoy a Calico Critters set. My daughter adores playing with these small, fuzzy animal figures. She received her first set at age four and continues to request new sets every year.

Earlier this fall Growing Tree Toys sent my daughter a new set to review: the Calico Critters Margaret and Halley’s Dress Shop. This mother/daughter bear set is very cute! My daughter was so excited to see that the set includes a change of clothes for both of the bears, plus tons of accessories! Having extra clothes available makes imaginative Calico Critter play a whole lot more enjoyable. In fact, Mother Bear was kind enough to share some of her wardrobe with my daughter's other Calico Critter animals!

Calico Critters Margaret and Halley’s Dress Shop includes the following items:
• 2 Bear Figurines
• 4 Clothing Sets
• 2 mannequins
• Mother Bear Necklace and Purse
• Baby Bear Headband and Hat
• Tiny Hand Mirror
• Mini animal toy for Baby Bear
• Framed wall portrait

The Dress Shop set retails for $18.95. The mother bear figure has poseable arms and legs, but the baby bear is not poseable. My daughter is finally old enough that she can dress her animals herself so this set with all the mini accessories and dresses is perfect for her. She has spent many hours playing with her bears and other animals (she also owns the Calico Critters Dalmatian Dog Family and the Calico Critters Norwood Mouse Family).

Isn't it just the cutest thing how Mother Bear's tail sticks out of the back of her dress? The detail in all the Calico Critter products is remarkable. I can't imagine how hard it must be to manufacture such small clothes for the animals. All the clothing and items in this set live up to the high quality we expect in the Calico Critters lines. Because the set include very small parts, I would recommend you also purchase a storage container to keep everything together. Some of the items are easily lost. My daughter keeps her Calico Critters collection in a large, lidded container.

Growing Tree Toys offers a large selection of Calico Critters, as well as many other popular toy brands. A family-owned retail shop, Growing Tree Toys has been in the toy business for over 30 years. Their online site is easy to navigate, and they offer suggestions for toys based on age groups. Don't miss out on holiday savings: 15% OFF all orders over $79! For the holiday season, consider asking Santa to deliver the Calico Critters Christmas themed set featuring animal twins, Magnolia the Mouse and Comfrey the Rabbit, plus an adorable Santa Claus Cat!

Thanks to Growing Tree Toys for sending along a Calico Critter set for my family to review. Learn about the latest Growing Tree Toy developments at the following social networking sites: Twitter or Facebook or stay in touch by reading the Growing Tree Toys Blog.

Elf Christmas Countdown Calendar Craft

2011-12-14T08:00:00.004-06:00

How many days until Christmas? Our Elf on the Shelf continues to move around the house and my kids are wondering how much longer he'll stay. According to the book, he returns home on Christmas Eve with Santa.

My son had a friend over yesterday, and they made elf countdown calendars to help keep track of the days until Christmas. This craft is perfect for preschoolers because not only do the kids learn about patterns (red, green, red, green leggings), they work on number recognition and practice counting backward. In addition, the craft provides a good introduction to the concept of even/odd numbers.

(Thanks to Musings of Me for the inspiration).

To make the Elf Christmas Countdown Craft, you'll need the following:

• 12x12" scrapbook paper for background
• red, green, and black construction paper
• glue
• scissors
• pom pom balls
• stickers

1. Precut the elf shoes out of black paper. (Sorry, I don't have a shoe pattern. I freehanded the shoes. It isn't too hard to draw shoes.)
2. Cut 2" wide x 1-1/4" long pieces of red and green paper for the stockings. (The kids can help with this part if you'd like. It's a good way to practice scissors skills.)
3. Help the kids glue their feet to the bottom of the background paper.
4. One leg at a time, encourage kids to make a red-green pattern for their elf stockings by gluing the pieces of paper above the shoe. (Each leg is made of 6 pieces of paper.)
5. After the glue dries a bit, help them number the pieces of paper (even numbers on the left, odd numbers on the right leg). Practice counting down the days.
6. Glue a pom pom ball to each of the shoes.

I glued the "Days Until Christmas" header on after the kids were finished with the craft. Older kids could write their own words on the header.

Place a sticker each day on the corresponding number to countdown the days until Christmas!

My son isn't the only one counting down. My daughter's music teacher taught her class a cute countdown song this week. Here are the lyrics (I'm not sure where this song is from as I couldn't find any additional information about it online):

Countdown to Christmas, it's getting very near
Countdown to Christmas, the best time of the year!
Candy canes and holly and a sparkling Christmas tree
Lights upon the housetop and a present just for me!
Countdown to Christmas, it's getting very near
Countdown to Christmas, the best time of the year!
10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1 Christmas time is here!

Full to the Brim - Kid's Book Giveaway List (12/9/11)

2011-12-09T12:00:00.001-06:00

Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble - Star Twig Ornament Craft

2011-12-08T12:00:00.006-06:00

If I were to write up a list of my very favorite Christmas picture books, Trinka Hakes Noble's Apple Tree Christmas would appear near the top. I found her picture book quite by accident at the library last week while searching for books with a "holiday" sticker, though I'm beginning to think that it was rather not by circumstance but by providence.

As each year passes I desire more and more for my family to escape the commercialism surrounding Christmas and focus on family, traditions and meaningful gifts including the true gift of Christmas, Jesus. While Apple Tree Christmas is not a religious book, it is a work of historical fiction that harkens back to simpler times, modest gifts from the heart and family togetherness.

Apple Tree Christmas by Trinka Hakes Noble. Dial Books for Young Readers (October 1984); ISBN 0803701020; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from our public library

Noble's story is set in the late 1800's. The Ansterburgs, a close-knit family, reside in one side of an old barn and live a simple, rural life. They cherish their beloved apple tree -- the tree provides a bountiful crop of apples every fall, and the family uses the apples to make applesauce, cider, apple butter and Christmas tree decorations. The tree also serves a special play space for the two Ansterburg kids, Katrina and Josie.

"Now that all the apples were picked, Katrina and Josie could climb the tree as much as they wanted. The snowy weather didn't stop them. Every day after school they would play in its branches.

On one side Papa had pulled a thick vine down low enough to make a swing for Josie.

The other side of the tree belonged to Katrina. One limb made the perfect drawing board."

Unfortunately, a blizzard comes in with a vengeance and a terrible ice storm knocks down the apple tree. The whole family feels awful about losing the tree. Katrina especially morns the loss of her favorite tree and her drawing perch. Christmas day arrives, but to Katrina "it just didn't feel like Christmas." However, her parents have a surprise in store. The apple tree, though in different form, continues to spread warmth and joy in a new way.

The lovely watercolor paintings in Noble's book provide children with a glimpse into a rural 1880s life, and this emotion-filled family story is similar to those found in Laura Ingalls Wilder's much-loved books. The story also provides a great example of how to craft thoughtful, handmade gifts with determined resourcefulness and shows how to make the most of what you are given even when faced with difficult situations. The suspense of the storm and the aftermath are particularly heart-wrenching and powerful. My daughter sat tightly against my side, her forehead scrunched up with a worried expression that changed into one of happiness as the book ended. Inspired from Tinka Hakes Noble's memories of growing up in Michigan, this is a story of resilience, joy and, most of all, family love. It leaves a deep impression. In my opinion, it is a Christmas book every library should own, especially libraries in rural midwest locations.

The copy we borrowed from our library is the original book published in 1984. This version is now out-of-print, but in 2005 Sleeping Bear Press republished Apple Tree Christmas with a new cover. Trinka Hakes Noble is also the author of the well-known picture book, The Day Jimmy's Boa Ate the Wash.

Related Links:
Trinka Hakes Noble - Website

☆ ☆ ☆ Star Twig Ornaments ☆ ☆ ☆
Like in Apple Tree Christmas, we decided to make something special for Christmas out of a tree. We recently lost our pussy willow tree during a windy storm. I saved a few of the tree branches to use for crafting. The smooth, straight branches of the pussy willow make lovely twig star ornaments.

We broke the branches into six inch pieces. The kids practiced making stars out of the twigs, using a star drawing as a guideline. We talked about how stars have five points and it takes five twigs to make a star. I challenged my daughter to make a star without using the guide, but that task proved a little difficult for her skills. We also made stars using popsicle sticks and talked about how popsicle sticks are uniform and straight unlike twigs from trees.

I used a hot glue gun to glue the twigs together into the shape of a star. This is not a project for kids because even I didn't manage to escape touching the hot glue with my fingers. I made a star template to use when gluing the stars together. We could have tied the ends of the branches together with string, but I thought that sounded like even more work than using the hot glue gun. While I glued the twig stars, the kids worked on painting their popsicle stick stars (I hot glued those stars together beforehand).

When we recall Christmas past, we usually find that the simplest things -
not the great occasions - give off the greatest glow of happiness.
- Bob Hope

A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. Wrote a post about play? Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up. Browse more book posts at Little Sprout Books' Feed Me Books Friday.

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Wordless Wednesday - Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Building Block Trees

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

We're in Christmas construction mode! My son and I spent the morning building Christmas trees out of blocks -- DUPLO and wooden alphabet block trees.

Earlier in the week, we built a tree out of picture books. We topped the tree with a bright star -- "What Star is This" by Joseph Slate and Alison Jay.

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

In the Library - MEGA Bloks Party

2011-12-05T08:00:00.010-06:00

Building block clubs are all the rage in libraries. But why should the big kids have all the fun? What about the youngest patrons? Last month, thanks to Mega Bloks, some area tots in our community had a chance to play with blocks at the library just like the older kids!

Mega Bloks recently invited me to host a Mega Bloks party and sent me a huge party kit. What better place than a library to have a building block party? Our library offers a parent/child lapsit storytime for the little kids. Each week, kids and parents sit together on the floor, sing songs, have fun with fingerplays and read a board book. Afterwards, there's an unstructured playtime for the kids and chat time for the parents.

Both my kids are graduates of the program, my son just recently. The Mega Bloks party gave me a reason to go back for one last tot storytime and gave the other parents and kids a chance to try out some Mega Bloks toys for tots - specifically the MEGA Maxi Blocks. After the storytime party, I donated the Mega Bloks farm that came with the party kit to the library for use at their playtimes. Additionally, ten kids at storytime got to take home their very own Garden Friends or Jungle Friends block set. It was like Christmas a month early!

MEGA Maxi Bloks are appropriate for kids ages 1 and up. The blocks are large sized (even bigger than the DUPLO size), making them easy for little hands to manipulate and stack. What I really like about the Maxi Bloks is that while they are perfect for the very young, unlike many baby toys, kids never really grow out of MEGA Bloks. All ages of kids enjoy building with these blocks and using their imagination to construct colorful creations. Plus, the large size of the blocks allows kids to quickly build a nice sized structure, giving them a sense of accomplishment.

Mega Bloks sent us a Mega Bloks Maxi Farm to play with at the party. The 95 piece Maxi Farm set comes in a large tub and includes a tractor, farmer, farm animals and a swinging gate. The container lid doubles as a building foundation (though the flexibility of the lid makes it a rather unstable surface). The set also includes a sticker sheet kids can use to decorate and customize their blocks to go along with the farm theme. The set works with other Maxi Mega Bloks sets. My kids played with it at home before we took it to the party and they really didn't want me to donate the set to the library (good lesson for them on charitable giving). My son really likes the tractor the best of all and prefers building structures for the tractor - it's nice that Mega Bloks included a vehicle with the set to add to the imaginative farm play value. The farm retails for $44.99.

Many families own block sets for home play, but the versatility and durability of the Mega Bloks sets also makes them an especially good choice for childcare centers, schools and libraries. The plastic blocks are easy to keep clean and sanitized so it doesn't matter if they accidentally end up in the mouth! Plus the nice sized blocks don't pose a choking hazard and are not easily lost. Thanks to Mega Bloks for giving me the chance to host a party and donate the farm set to our library. I know the set will receive years of use and hopefully all the families will enjoy their new block sets!

Many thanks to BSM MommyParties and Mega Bloks for providing the Mega Bloks Maxi Party set. Also thanks for providing ten Mega Bloks sets for the storytime families to take home. Learn about the latest Mega Bloks developments at the following sites: Twitter or Facebook. Join the Mega Bloks Family Club to receive coupons, learn about new products and lots more!

New 2011 Holiday / Winter Children's Picture Book Titles

2011-12-04T06:00:00.008-06:00

I recently watched an awesome video that shows how to build a Christmas tree out of picture books. David Maybury posted the video on his blog last week and several people linked to it on twitter.

Over the last few years I've added several Christmas picture books to our collection so I decided to take them off the shelf and involve my family in a Christmas tree book pyramid building project. We sorted our books by size to determine which to use in our structure. Luckily, several of our hardcover books were the same height. We started with a base of seven books and placed our holiday paperback books horizontally in between the upright levels. Our finished picture book Christmas tree stands six levels tall and we used a total of 39 books. Our pyramid isn't as wide as the one in the video but it's still a pretty spectacular tree. Can you guess what book we used on top? (Hint: Star appears in the title.)

Do you need to add a few more holiday titles to your book collection? I compiled a list of several new 2011 Christmas / Holiday / Winter picture books. I hope you'll make sure there are a few books under your Christmas tree this year -- books make the perfect holiday gift! Any new titles I missed?

Amazon.com Widgets

2011 Christmas Holiday Winter Picture Books
Amazon.com

A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (picture book edition) by Barbara Robinson, illustrated by Laura Cornell
Chanukah Lights by Michael J. Rosen and Robert Sabuda
The Christmas Cats by Nancy Wallace, illustrated by Cathren Housley
The Christmas Coat: Memories of My Sioux Childhood by Virginia Driving Hawk Sneve, illustrated by Ellen Beier
A Christmas Goodnight by Nola Buck, illustrated by Sarah Jane Wright
Christmas Eve Good Night by Doug Cushman
Christmas in the Mouse House by Maggie Kneen
A Christmas Spider's Miracle by Trinka Hakes Noble, illustrated by Stephen Costanza
A Christmas Tree for Pyn by Olivier Dunrea
The Christmas Tree Ship by Carol Crane
The Carpenter's Gift: A Christmas Tale about the Rockefeller Center Tree by David Rubel, illustrated by Jim LaMarche
Elmer's Christmas by David McKee
The Flying Canoe: A Christmas Story by Eric A.Kimmel, illustrated by Daniel San Souci and Justin San Souci
The Gingerbread Girl Goes Animal Crackers by Lisa Campbell Ernst
The Golem's Latkes by Eric A. Kimmel, illustrated by Aaron Jasinski
Grace at Christmas by Mary Hoffman, illustrated by Cornelius VanWright
The Hanukkah Hop! by Erica Silverman
Hanukkah, Oh Hanukkah by Olga Ivanov
The Happy Elf Book and CD by Harry Connick, Jr., illustrated by Dan Andreasen
Home for Christmas by Jan Brett
It's Snowing! by Gail Gibbons
Jingle Bells: How the Holiday Classic Came to Be by John Harris, illustrated by Adam Gustavson
Lighthouse Christmas by Toni Buzzeo, illustrated by Nancy Carpenter
The Lighthouse Santa by Sara Hoagland Hunter and Julia Miner
Listen to the Silent Night by Dandi Daley Mackall, Lou Fancher and Steve Johnson
Little Bunny and the Magic Christmas Tree by David Martin and Valeri Gorbachev
The Little Shepherd’s Christmas by Carol Heyer
The Littlest Evergreen by Henry Cole
The Loneliest Christmas Tree by Deborah Allen and Molly Brooks
The Magical Christmas Horse by Mary Higgins Clark
Making a Friend by Alison McGhee
Mary Engelbreit's Nutcracker by Mary Engelbreit
Michael Hague's Treasury of Christmas Carols by Michael Hague
The Money We'll Save by Brock Cole
Nathan Blows Out the Hanukkah Candles by Tami Lehman-Wilzig
The Night Before Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore, illustrated by Charles Santore
No Two Alike by Keith Baker
Oh, What a Christmas! by Michael Garland
One Starry Night by Lauren Thompson
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
The Perfect Christmas by Eileen Spinelli, illustrated by JoAnn Adinolfi
Red Sled by Lita Judge
S Is for Snowman by Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Richard G. Johnson
Santa's On His Way: A Changing-Picture Book by Ruth Martin and Sophy Williams
The Snow Angel by Glenn Beck, Chris Schoebinger and Brandon Dorman
The Snow Blew Inn by Dian Curtis Regan and Doug Cushman
A Stork in a Baobab Tree: An African 12 Days of Christmas by Catherine House, illustrated by Polly Alakij
The Story of Christmas by Pamela Dalton
Strega Nona's Gift by Tomie dePaola
Song of the Stars: A Christmas Story by Sally Lloyd-Jones and Alison Jay
The Tale of Baboushka: A Traditional Christmas Story by Elena Pasquali, illustrated by Lucia Mongioj
The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Laurel Long
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jane Ray
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Accord Publishing and Jade Fang
The Worst Twelve Days of Christmas by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, illustrated by Ryan Wood

*Thanks Cheryl Rainfield for bringing the picture book Christmas tree video to my attention via twitter!

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links.

Disney: Prep & Landing - DVD Review (This is Soooo Tinsel!)

2011-12-02T21:00:00.008-06:00

Our personal Elf on the Shelf, Larch, arrived in the wee hours of the night to keep an eye out for good and/or naughty behavior. He is here to stay until Christmas Eve. So far he has spent most of his time lingering near the TV. That location gives him a pretty good vantage point of the proceedings in our home, but I'm pretty sure he chose the location so that he could watch movies at night when we're sleeping, namely the newly released Disney DVD, Prep & Landing.

In this short, animated Disney flick, Santa's "prep and landing" unit (comprised of a team of talented elves) readies homes for Santa's arrival on Christmas Eve. The elves scan for creatures stirring with a nifty gingerbread detector, perform cookie assessments, measure the tree and prep the landing zone. Santa's top "prep and landing" guy Wayne has been at the job for 227 years. Peeved at Santa for not giving him a promotion, he nearly botches a stealth operation at poor little Timmy's house. Wayne's rookie partner, Lanny, reminds him why his job is so important, and the two work together to right the "figgy pudding" situation and save Timmy's Christmas.

Really, I can't blame our elf for wanting to watch the DVD over and over (he's not the only one who has watched it multiple times in our family). After all, Prep & Landing is certainly a very funny and very entertaining holiday special, and it just so happens to star several awesome elves. The show originally aired in 2009 on ABC and is the first animated television special produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. An immediate hit, Prep & Landing has since won several awards including an Emmy® Award in 2010 for Outstanding Animated Program. What can I say, our elf has good taste!

The adventure features the quality animation you'd expect from Disney and appeals not only to elves, but children and adults of all ages. The show cracks me up every time I watch it with memorable quips like, "This is so tinsel" and "Oh, Frostbite!" All of Santa's crew have code names or call signs. Santa goes by "Partridge" and the reindeer are the "Eight maids a-milking," a nickname they clearly don't appreciate.

It's really too bad the "Prep and Landing" feature show is only 22 minutes long! The story is so cute, Disney could have easily made it into a much longer feature. Short is OK with us, though. Prep & Landing, a modern day classic, lives up to the standards set by other family holiday television classics like Rudolph, The Grinch and Frosty!

For those that want more, the DVD does offer a couple amusing bonuses:

"Operation Secret Santa" - In this sequel to "Prep and Landing," Mrs. Claus (Betty White) asks Lanny and Wayne to secretly retrieve a special object in Santa's office while he's sleeping. She later surprises Santa with a one-of-a-kind gift. (7-minute animated short)

"Tiny's Big Adventure" - Tiny, a small assistant elf, tries to make a pot of coffee. (1-minute animated short)

The "Kringle Academy - Elf Training Videos" aren't quite as interesting. Three very short, military-like training reels give instructions on how to become a skilled elf. Afterward, North pole newsreels and commercials (reminiscent of WWII war-time propaganda) air.

Don't miss out! An all-new, 1/2 hour Prep & Landing episode, Prep & Landing: Naughty vs. Nice airs this Monday, December 5th, 2011, at 8:30|7:30c on ABC. Here's a brief synopsis: Wayne and Lanny must race to recover classified North Pole technology which has fallen into the hands of a computer-hacking Naughty Kid!

Related Links:
Disney Prep & Landing Website (includes games, activites and more)
Prep & Landing Crafts & Recipes
Prep & Landing on Facebook

(DVD Source: DVD provided for review purposes by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. All opinions expressed are my own. I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Full to the Brim - Kid's Book Giveaway List (12/2/11)

2011-12-02T06:00:00.007-06:00

Welcome to this week's edition! Full to the Brim is a weekly list I compile by hand of children's book giveaway online contests. Please check out my other "Full to the Brim" posts as well. Many contests are still underway. I *try to* publish "Full to the Brim" every Friday. If I missed your book giveaway, feel free to mention it in the comment section or send me an email.

My giveaways:
The Family Storybook Treasury with CD Book Giveaway - Ends 12/5/11
Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express Book Giveaway - Ends 12/12/11

Other Book giveaways:
The Children's Book Review - Book Giveaway Ends 12/13
Kusikiy: A Child from Taquile, Peru by Mercedes Cecili
Metropolitan Mama - Book Giveaway Ends 12/7
Miss Nelson is Missing and Miss Nelson Has a Field Day by Harry Allard and James Marshall
Kindred Spirit Mommy - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
The Odyssey Pop-Up Book from Sterling Publishing
Kindred Spirit Mommy - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
THREE (3) Felt Activity Books from Betty Lukens
Hope in Every Season - Book Giveaway Ends 12/12
My Favorite Bible Children's Bible Story Book
Foreign Language Fun - Book Giveaway Ends 12/6
El Mundo, published by Barefoot Books
3 Boys and a Dog - Book Giveaway Ends 12/15
Chippy Chipmunk by Kathy M. Miller
Take It From Me - Book Giveaway Ends 12/5
LEGO NINJAGO® #1: The Challenge of Samurkai!, The Smurfs #8: The Smurf Apprentice and Garfield & Co #4: Caroling Capers
Moms Own Words - Book Giveaway Ends 12/6
Lego Ideas Book and the Lego Star Wars Character Encyclopedia
Smart and Trendy Moms - Book Giveaway Ends 12/12
LEGO NINJAGO® #1: The Challenge of Samurkai!, The Smurfs #8: The Smurf Apprentice and Garfield & Co #4: Caroling Capers
Mom's Own Words - Book Giveaway Ends 12/5
The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Andersen, retold by Sara Lowes and illustrated by Miss Clara
Jump Into a Book - Book Giveaway Ends 12/2
Huge 30 Book Jan Brett Giveaway
Grinning Cheek to Cheek - Book Giveaway Ends 12/4
10 Great Books from ZonderKidz
My little Me - Book Giveaway Ends 12/6
Colors by Charley Harper
A Nut in a Nutshell - Book Giveaway Ends 12/12
Hallmark Recordable Storybook Bundle
Five Minutes for Books - Book Giveaway Ends 12/6
Three Cups (published by Thomas Nelson)
Crunchy Beach Mama - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
Zonderkidz Books: S is for Snowman God’s Wintertime Alphabet, Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition and The Berenstain Bears Get Ready for Christmas
3 Garnets & 2 Sapphires - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
Green Lantern Figure plus 4 DC Comics and Big G Cereal
Janet Halfmann - Book Giveaway Ends 12/13
5-Book-Bundle Holiday Giveaway: signed copies of Seven Miles to Freedom, Good Night, Little Sea Otter, Star of the Sea, Little Skink's Tail and Fur and Feathers by Janet Halfmann
Katydid and Kid - Book Giveaway Ends 12/7
Klutz: Stamp Art and Drawing the DC Universe
Life in the Lost World - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
Rainforest Scratch and Sketch by Peter Pauper Press
Geek Mom - Book Giveaway Ends 12/8
Puff, the Magic Dragon Pop-Up Book
No Time for Flash Cards - Book Giveaway Ends 12/4
It’s Christmas, David! by David Shannon

Can You See What I See? Toyland Express by Walter Wick Book Giveaways
The Children's Book Review Ends 12/19
Mundie Kids Ends 12/5
Book Dads Ends 12/11
Moms Favorite Stuff Ends 11/5
A Nation of Moms Ends 12/7
On Our Minds At Scholastic Ends 12/2
There's a Book Ends 12/11
Nana Poppins Ends 12/14

The Family Storybook Treasury with CD (published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) Book Giveaways
The Children's Book Review Ends 12/12
Resourceful Mommy Ends 12/2
Mundie Kids Ends 12/5
Book Dads Ends 12/11
Mark it with a B Ends 12/5
My Four Monkeys Ends 12/12
Mommy Mandy Ends 12/12
There's a Book Ends 12/4
Go Graham Go Ends 12/7
Super Mommy to the Rescue Ends 12/4

Scholastic Storybook Treasures DVD Giveaways:
A Nation of Moms - Ends 12/7 (Giving Thanks DVD Set)
Frugality is Free - Ends 12/14 (Caldecott)
A Mom's Take - Ends 12/16 (Choice of “Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog” or “Giving Thanks”)

Richard Scarry’s Busytown Giveaways:
Five Minutes for Mom - Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset with DVD - Ends 12/12
Chasing Supermom - Richard Scarry's Busytown Roadway Starter Set - Ends 12/3
She Scribes - Richard Scarry's Roadway Starter Set and the Fire Station Play Set - Ends 12/14
Southern Bella's Ways to Save - Richard Scarry’s Busytown Town Hall Deluxe Playset with DVD, Roadway Starter Playset, AND Town Fire Station Playset - Ends 12/12
Thoughts of a Mommy - Caillou or Richard Scarry playset - Ends 12/6
Baby Loving Mama - Richard Scarry's Roadway Starter Set and the Fire Station Play Set - Ends 12/5
Go Graham Go - Busytown Town Hall Playset and DVD - Ends 12/6

Fish for more children's book giveaways at Lori Calabrese's Fish for a Free Book linkup each Friday

Don't miss the Book Lover's Holiday Giveaway Hop 12/2-12/6 hosted by Kid Lit Frenzy and I'm a Reader Not A Writer. Lots of book giveaways and blogs to visit!

Toyland Express by Walter Wick - Giveaway and Review

2011-12-01T08:00:00.013-06:00

When passing by all the toys on the store shelves, do you ever wonder about where they were made and where they'll end up? Just think of all the stories toys could tell! From the factory, to home, to an attic or basement and beyond, tracing the journey of a toy is an interesting thought. Walter Wick takes readers on the life journey of a toy train in his newest picture book, Can You See What I See? Toyland Express.

Can You See What I See?: Toyland Express: Picture Puzzles to Search and Solve by Walter Wick. Scholastic / Cartwheel Books (October 2011); ISBN 9780545244831; 40 pages
Book Source: Review copy provided by publisher

Wick is a genius at creating and capturing incredible, imaginative scenes -- so many fabulous trinkets and toys are all captured in his photographs. The beauty of a Walter Wick search and find puzzle book lies in the dizzying variety of objects and the impressive sets. What my kids wouldn't give to live in his studio and play with all those elaborate sets!

Like Wick's other books, Toyland Express is full of all sorts of delightful finds. Besides the Toyland Express train, readers get a chance to search for more than 250 hidden objects in this fun, photographic adventure that portrays the life of a little blue toy train. The train is created and painted in a workshop. Then it goes from store window display on to become a beloved birthday gift. Later, forgotten in the attic, it finally ends up in a yard sale and finds another loving home. The toy train storyline unites all the photographs in the book and gives the book an interesting fictional depth.

Toyland Express is the first Can You See What I See? series book my family has read though we've read many of Wick's I Spy books together. We really enjoyed watching the story of a toy train unfold in the photographs. We also learned about a new-to-us Wick character, a "bead boy" named Seymour! Seymour is a cute character that Wick hides in all the Can You See What I See? books. (Here's a little fun tidbit: Seymour is *gasp* "naked" (devoid of paint) in parts of the Toyland Express book!)

So where did Wick get the fabulous wooden train in the book? According to the endnotes, he designed the train himself and his workshop team created the models. For those kids with interlocking wooden train sets of their own, the layouts in the book provide a ton of track layout inspiration. We wish we had a set of Tinkertoys so we could try creating our own Tinkertoy train bridge like the one shown on the Mountain Pass page. The Toyland page (shown in the photograph to the right) depicts a really neat city layout using blocks and cardboard box buildings. See the word "Toyland" under the tracks spelled out with alphabet blocks? Amazingly creative!

My son and I couldn't resist creating our own wooden train toyland. Here's our version, inspired by the book:

By the way, the book would make a perfect gift companion to a train set. Snatch up your own hardcover copy right away -- it's selling for an unbeatable price of only $6.99 (MSRP $13.99) at Amazon.com.

Related Links:
www.walterwick.com
www.facebook.com/walterwick

Scholastic has kindly offered to give away a SIGNED copy of Can You See What I See? Toyland Express to one very lucky Brimful Curiosities reader! (We're a tad jealous!)

For a chance to win, leave a comment relative to this post or answer the following question: What is your favorite book by Walter Wick?

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Wordless Wednesday - Circling the Tree

2011-11-30T08:00:00.004-06:00

(Note to Santa: Please remember to take the toys out of the package and make sure they work before delivering them on Christmas Eve.)

Our tree is up! Underneath the tree my son's Geotrax Christmas train makes its rounds. He received the train last year as a present from Santa. Santa must have forgotten to do a final quality check because he delivered a non-working train - a dud! Those elves need to do a better job making the toys! Luckily my son didn't seem to mind in the least and played with it manually. Oh, to be a innocent young child, glad for all gifts, even non-working ones! Even so, a few weeks later Santa had a new, working train delivered to our home. We're enjoying watching and listening to it chug around our tree this year and hope it continues to work year after year after year.

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Vote for your favorites!

2011-11-29T15:35:00.003-06:00

2011 Goodreads Choice Awards: Best Picture Books
Vote now for your favorite books!

Are you a Goodreads member? Don't forget about the 2011 Goodreads Choice Awards. There's only one more day to vote in the final round! ( Voting ends November 30. )

This year's picture book list includes several great titles. We've read seven out of the 10 books and reviewed three. (* titles we've read)

Cat Secrets by Jef Czekaj
Little White Rabbit by Kevin Henkes *
I Want My Hat Back by J. Klassen *
Cloudette by Tom Lichtenheld *
Blackout by John Rocco *
Grandpa Green by Lane Smith *
Queen of the Falls by Chris Van Allsburg *
Scaredy Squirrel Has a Birthday Party by Melanie Watt
Hooray for Amanda & Her Alligator! by Mo Willems *
When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic and Wes Hargis

Pumpkin Time!! Pumpkin Soup by Helen Cooper - Book and CD Set Review

2011-11-23T21:00:00.006-06:00

What savory foods are you preparing for Thanksgiving? Any recipes made with pumpkin? Pumpkin pie is a perennial favorite at our fall gatherings, but this year we're also experimenting with something new -- pumpkin soup!

Why pumpkin soup you ask? We just finished reading and listening to a cute story all about pumpkin soup.

Pumpkin Soup - Book & CD set by Helen Cooper, read by Kathleen McInerney. Macmillan Young Listeners (August 2009); ISBN 9781427207401; 32 pages; paperback and CD
Book source: Review copy received from publisher

Is there such a thing as too many cooks in the kitchen? Duck, Cat and Squirrel enjoy making pumpkin soup together. Each animal has his own specific task -- Cat slices the pumpkin, Squirrel stirs in water and Duck adds the salt. Happy with this set-up, they cook up delicious batches of pumpkin soup. But one day Duck decides to take a turn at stirring the soup and ends up stirring up a mess of trouble instead. Luckily friendship reigns and the trio eventually sort things out. Soup makes everything better, especially when prepared together with thoughtful, sharing friends!

Cooper's Pumpkin Soup won the prestigious Kate Greenaway medal in 1998. The illustrations of the animal friends and surrounding woods are top-notch and completely adorable. Cooper doesn't scrimp on the details. Readers who look closely are awarded with little treats like pumpkins on the china, a pair of tiny bugs that watch the story unfold and other interesting carvings on the furniture. It's worth a re-read just to have a chance to stare that the pictures! The book is the first in a trilogy, preceding A Pipkin of Pepper and Delicious!

Pumpkin Soup is a book that's a lot of fun to read-aloud. The liveliness, drama and pacing of the text also makes it the perfect choice for the audiobook format. Kathleen McInerney skillfully uses her voice to play up the dialog between the friends and bring life to the characters. She even makes slurping noises! Early on in the book, readers learn that the animals like to perform music and the audiobook background tunes add to the musical flavor already alluded to in the book. We did notice a few differences between the written and spoken text (trudged is trotted in the book and the narrator substituted the word pleased for happy), but the changes didn't detract from the listening experience. Also, for those with beginning readers should be aware that this audio version does not include page turn signals. It's not a big deal for us, but I know those page turn signals matter to some listeners.

We had read Pumpkin Soup together in the past before we received the review copy, so it was especially interesting to hear it narrated by a professional. After listening to this audio, I think I need to work a little more on my own read-aloud performances! Now that my daughter is able to read herself, she loves following the words, discovering new words and learning the correct pronunciation of those she does not know. It's great for her to have the chance to listen to skilled narrators use voice inflection and other narration tricks. Her enthusiasm for audiobooks rubs off on her little brother, too. Listening to audiobooks is an activity that both my kids can enjoy together, at home and in the car.

Macmillan Audiobooks for Young Listeners offers several other titles for children including Snow by Uri Shulevitz, Shrek by William Stieg and James Herriot's Treasury for Children. I'm hoping to bring home a few more of Macmillan's audio titles soon for my kids to enjoy.

Related Links

Helen Cooper - Website
Macmillan Audiobooks for Young Listeners

❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ ❧ In the Kitchen: Making Pumpkin Soup ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙ ☙
We felt a little hungry for pumpkin soup after reading this story. The Pumpkin Soup paperback version provided with the CD did not include a pumpkin soup recipe so I turned to other blogs for suggestions. The most enticing recipe I found was one on Brown Eyed Baker that includes apples (although The Pioneer Woman also recently published one that looks delicious, too). While it was tempting to try a recipe made out of an actual pumpkin, I had a few older cans of pumpkin in my cupboard that I wanted to use in a recipe, so I opted for Pumpkin Soup with Apple & Spices recipe.

It turns out the book was a bigger hit than the soup. While my husband and I thought the recipe turned out OK, after one bite our kids refused to eat it! I can't say I can completely blame them. I didn't like pumpkin-y foods when I was a kid either -- not even pumpkin pie!

Let me know if you have a to-die-for pumpkin soup recipe you think we'd enjoy. I'd like to give pumpkin soup another try sometime. Our house did smell delightful while we were making the soup!

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)