Children’s Books

March 19 – National Poultry Day

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Chicken Big by Keith Graves Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Perhaps someone’s too chicken to publish much information about this holiday, but even without the details, it’s certainly an eggsellent day to remember our feathered friends of the barnyard variety, who also happen to feature prominently in picture books of all kinds.

Chicken Big

By Keith Graves

 

Something big is hatching at the teeny little farm. Not only big, but humongous! Chicks aren’t supposed to be that big, so what is it? The small chicken agrees that whatever it is, it’s big; the smaller chicken goes so far as to call it enormous; and the smallest chicken declares it’s an elephant, and warns that indoor elephants are dangerous! The chickens all concur on one thing, though—this creature is too big to stay in the itty-bitty coop. The newly hatched chick, listening to all this squabbling, doesn’t feel like an elephant and wishes he were a chicken.

The next day an acorn conks the smallest chicken on the head, causing the familiar “the sky is falling” panic to hit the teeny farm. While the chickens are running around like chickens with…well, you know, the big chick discovers that acorns are tasty. Seeing the chick eating acorns convinces the smallest chicken that their coopmate is indeed a…squirrel!

When the rains come, the big chick protects the others under his wing, so the smallest chicken decides this barnyard biggie is an….umbrella! It doesn’t take long for the smallest chicken to realize she is wrong, and that the yellow fellow with the chilly wind blocking skills is a…sweater!

When the chickens return to the coop for naptime and discover their eggs have been stolen, they boo hoo hoo into their feathers while the humongous chick scouts out the fox, who is carrying the precious cargo into his den. With a hop and a jump the big chick spans the mile and peeps into the fox’s home just as he is about to fry up some lunch. Frightened by the “hippopotamus,” the fox scampers away.

Big chick brings back the eggs and is proclaimed a hero. Finally the chick’s intelligence, kindness, and bravery convince the chickens that he is one of them (well, most of them believe so anyway), and they welcome him into the coop. There’s just one problem…. But the smallest chicken is the first to say they’ll make room.

Keith Graves has hatched up a crazy tale of mistaken identity that will keep kids giggling and groaning with delight as the possible aliases grow more and more ridiculous. The feather-brained chickens are drawn with comic masterstrokes as they frantically try to determine who or what has invaded their farmyard. The big chick is indeed big—dominating the page and towering over his coopmates. Incorporating comic-style conventions on some pages, such as speech bubbles and small panels, as well as mixed typefaces adds to the humor.

Ages 4 – 8

Chronicle Books, 2014 | ISBN 978-1452131467

National Poultry Day Activity

CPB - Chick single

Hatch a Chick of Your Own

 

Chicks are so cute and fluffy—you just wish you could have one of your very own! Now you can! Hatch your own chick with this craft.

Supplies

  • Cotton balls
  • Yellow chalk
  • Orange paper
  • Black paper
  • Egg shell
  • Paper grass
  • Cardboard or poster board
  • Cheese grater
  • Bowl
  • Green paint
  • Glue
  • Scissors

CPB - Chick triple

Directions

To make the shell

  1. Crack an egg and save the two halves
  2. Soak the eggshells in soapy water or wash gently with soap
  3. Dry eggshell

To make the chick

  1. Grate the chalk with the cheese grater into the bowl
  2. Roll the cotton balls in the chalk dust until they are covered
  3. Choose one cotton ball to be the head
  4. Make the beak from the orange paper by folding the paper and cutting a small triangle. The triangle’s base should be along the fold.
  5. Cut two small eyes from the black paper
  6. Glue the beak and eyes to the head cotton ball
  7. Glue the head cotton ball to the body cotton ball
  8. Set the chick into one of the eggshell halves (you can glue it in if you wish)

To make the stand

  1. Cut a 3-inch by 3-inch square from the cardboard or poster board
  2. If you wish, paint the square green
  3. Glue green paper grass to the square
  4. Glue the eggshell halve to the stand.

March 18 – World Sleep Day

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I'll See You in the Morning by Mike Jolley Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Established by the World Association of Sleep Medicine, World Sleep Day raises awareness of sleep problems and the remedies and ongoing research focused on helping adults and children get good, healthy sleep every day. This year’s theme is “Good Sleep is a Reachable Dream.”  The day will be observed with publicity, workshops, and speeches around the world on the important issues related to sleep—including medicine, education, social aspects, and driving—and better prevention and management of sleep disorders.

I’ll See You in the Morning

Written by Mike Jolley | Illustrated by Mique Moriuchi

 

Somehow the world seems different in the dark, making sleep elusive—especially for children. Are Mom and Dad still there if I can’t even see my toys? When will the sun come up again? How long is the night? I’ll See You in the Morning is a lyrical little book about nighttime and sleeping that answers these questions in soothing words that are both concrete and metaphorical and at all times familiar to a child. The reader becomes the comforter with such lines as “Don’t be afraid of darkness. / Don’t be afraid, my sweet. / The night is just a blanket / That helps the earth to sleep.”

The sleepy child can be reassured knowing that they are not alone in closing their eyes and drifting into dreamland: “Creatures great and / Creatures small / Will all be sleeping soon. / Under the same blanket… / Under the same moon.” Elsewhere, the child learns that a loved one, only steps away, stays with them until they go to sleep, and that through the night the twinkling stars keep watch.

The floating rhythm of Mike Jolley’s poem will quickly become a favorite part of any child’s bedtime routine. Mique Moriuchi’s soft, dreamy illustrations of a bright, smiling moon lighting the darkness where sheep frolic, kittens watch, bunnies sleep, and a child snuggles happily with his teddy bear are interspersed with all of these characters dancing and soaring together under the same moon. The palette of blues, purples, greens, and yellows unifies the story and creates a visual environment that invites the best, deepest slumber.

Ages Birth – 3

Chronicle Books, 2008 | ISBN 978-0811865432

World Sleep Day Activity

CPB - Pillowcase

Personalized Pillowcase

 

A Pillowcase all your own makes for a good night’s sleep or a fun storage bag for toys, clothes, or other stuff!

Supplies

  • Pillowcase
  • Fabric markers
  • Cardboard, as large as the pillow case or area you will decorate

Directions

  1. Iron the pillowcase
  2. Slip the cardboard inside the pillowcase to keep the markers from bleeding through to the other side
  3. Decorate your pillowcase in any design you like

March 17 – Absolutely Incredible Kid Day

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The Incredible Book Eating Boy by Oliver Jeffers Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Every kid is incredible! This special day, established by Camp Fire USA in 1997, gives adults an opportunity to tell the kids in their life how much they mean to them. Whether you write your special young person a letter or just sit down and have a heart-to-heart talk, your words of encouragement and appreciation will make a difference.

The Incredible Book Eating Boy

By Oliver Jeffers

 

Henry is a little boy who loves books. He loves them for dinner, he loves them with French fries…Wait! What? Yup! Henry loves to eat books! This quirk all began by mistake when Henry isn’t paying attention. But his love of words grows until he’s eating a sentence then a page and finally a whole book!

Henry doesn’t have a favorite kind of book either. He’ll eat anything—even math books and dictionaries. And he’s eating them as if they’re going out of style! Henry discovers something amazing about his diet—with every book he devours, he gets smarter. He digests every bit of information, which comes in handy when helping his dad with the crossword puzzle or his teacher in school.

If a few books can make him smart, thinks Henry, then a lot of books can make him smarter—possibly the smartest person in the world! And so he tests his hypothesis. He eats every book he sees. But things begin to go wrong. He has nightmares; his stomach hurts; and in a frightening twist everything he knows gets jumbled up. Suddenly, Henry doesn’t feel so smart anymore.

After getting some advice, Henry gives up books cold turkey. He feels lost and out-of-sorts. Then he spies a half-eaten book on the floor of his room and picks it up. Instead of eating it, though, he opens it and begins to read. And that book tastes was sooo good! Henry discovers that he loves to read, and figures if he reads enough he may still become the smartest person on earth. Besides…broccoli is actually pretty tasty.

In this picture book about the love of reading, Oliver Jeffers has created a feast for the eyes as well as an extended pun. The story of Henry devouring book after book in the quest for brilliance is played out in typewriter text on a backdrop of various colors of notebook paper, book pages, graph paper, book bindings, maps, ledger pages, and more. Henry is as adorable as all of Jeffers’ kids, and the story is funny and as satisfying as your favorite meal. The page (and cover) cut at the end of the book leaves the reader happy that maybe, just maybe Henry didn’t give up his favorite snack entirely.

Philomel Books, Penguin Young Readers, 2006 | ISBN 978-0399247491

Absolutely Incredible Kid Day Activity

CPB - Bookend 1

 Absolutely Incredible You Bookend

 

Do you devour so many books that they’re falling off your shelves? Keep them neat with a bookend that’s as incredible as you are!

Supplies

  • Wooden initial of your first and/or last name, available at craft stores
  • Chalkboard paint in your favorite color
  • Paint brush
  • Chalk

CPB - Bookend 2

Directions

  1. Paint the wooden letter with the chalkboard paint
  2. Let dry
  3. With the chalk, write words that describe what makes you absolutely incredible!

March 16 – Freedom of Information Day

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Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Freedom of Information Day is observed today to honor James Madison, who was born March 16, 1751 in Port Conway, Virginia. Madison is widely regarded as the Father of the Constitution and was the 4th President of the United States. He was a leading proponent of openness in government. The Freedom of Information Act, which took effect on July 4 1967, was enacted to promote transparency in government, but the idea of openness and inclusion can pertain to all aspects of society and relationships.

Today we remember all those who work to provide free and honest information and portrayals of government as well as other conditions and situations around the world.

Gordon Parks: How the Photographer Captured Black and White America

Written by Carole Boston Weatherford | Illustrated by Jamey Christoph

 

When the 15th child of the Parks family is born, he has neither a heartbeat nor a name. But the doctor is able to revive the nearly dead infant in an ice bath, and the appreciative mother gives her child his name—Gordon. Gordon Parks’ dramatic entry into the world may have given him the unique perspective he used in becoming a renowned photographer and the first black movie director in Hollywood.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-gordon-parks-how-the-photographer-captured-black-and-white-america-gordon-works

Image copyright Jamey Christoph, 2015, text copyright Carole Boston Weatherford, 2015. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

Gordon rides a horse across the wide open fields of Kansas to school, but once there his prospects narrow with a white teacher who tells her all-black class that their education will go to waste as they are destined to work as waiters and porters. When he is 14 Gordon’s mother dies, and Gordon moves to Minneapolis. He soon must make his own way, and he finds jobs as a busboy, a piano player, and the predicted waiter and porter.

At the age of 25 Gordon reads about the plight of migrant workers and, inspired, buys a camera. Gordon has discovered his natural talent—a unique eye on the world. After only a month he exhibits his photographs in a camera store and is soon engaged in fashion and portrait photography. His work takes him to Chicago, where he documents the struggling families living on the South Side and wins a job with the government in Washington DC. Encouraged by his boss to find a subject for his work, Gordon focuses his lens on the black families living in the back alleys and in the shadows of the Capitol’s great monuments.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-gordon-parks-how-the-photographer-captured-black-and-white-america-gordon-sees-a-camera

Image copyright Jamey Christoph, 2015, text copyright Carole Boston Weatherford 2015. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

Through his photographs Gordon vows to expose the racism blacks face in housing, shops, restaurants, and other institutions. Looking for a personal subject, Gordon talks to Ella Watson, a cleaning lady in his office building. Ella supports five children on only $1,000 a year and knows hardship. Gordon accompanies her and her grandchildren, taking pictures wherever they go and of whatever they are doing. They become the inspiration for his greatest work.

Over his lifetime Gordon Parks will break barriers in the publishing and entertainment industries, becoming the first black photographer for Vogue and Life magazines and the first black director in Hollywood. He writes novels and poetry and composes music. But the work that becomes his most famous is a photograph of Ella Watson standing in front of the American flag, with her broom in hand. Called “American Gothic,” this picture fulfills Park’s determination to expose segregation and the hopes of all people struggling under its inequality.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-gordon-parks-how-the-photographer-captured-black-and-white-america-gordon-in-washington

Image copyright Jamey Christoph, 2015, text copyright Carole Boston Weatherford, 2015. Courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company.

Carole Boston Weatherford’s portrayal of Gordon Parks’ life is as starkly revealing as her subject’s photographs. With her writer’s skills, however, she deftly contrasts the facts of his life and turns his story into a universal metaphor for freedom and the struggle to attain it: “When young Gordon crosses the prairie on horseback, nothing seems beyond reach. But his white teacher tells her all-black class, you’ll all wind up porters and waiters. What did she know?” Weatherford’s pacing also adds to the story’s power. Although Parks attained wide acclaim, this biography ends with one of his earlier photographs—a picture of Ella Watson, a cleaning lady, who inspired Parks and came to symbolize the hopes of her generation and beyond. This is not only Parks’ story, but the story of millions of others.

Jamey Christoph continues and strengthens the metaphorical force of this biography in his illustrations. Readers first see Gordon Parks as a much-loved, smiling infant. He goes to school and grows up, his expression changing, slightly but importantly. He acquires his camera, and the pages are filled with drawn representations of his black-and-white photographs. Alternating dark and light pages further emphasize Parks’ world. The darkroom contrasts with Parks’ new bright office and prospects; the shadowed back alleys of Washington DC contrast with the city’s gleaming white marble monuments. Later photographs are also depicted, and “American Gothic” is represented on two pages. Christoph provides readers with much to see and ponder.

Ages 5 – 8

Albert Whitman & Company, 2015 | ISBN 978-0807530177

Ages 5 – 8

Albert Whitman & Company, 2015 | ISBN 978-0807530177

Freedom of Information Day Activity

CPB - New Professionals Picture

News Professionals Clothespin Figures

Make one of these clothespin figures that honors the men and women who work to keep the world informed.

Supplies

Directions

  1. Draw a face and hair on the clothespin
  2. Cut out the clothes you want your journalist or photographer to wear
  3. Wrap the clothes around the clothespin. The slit in the clothespin should be on the side.
  4. Tape the clothes together
  5. Cut out the camera
  6. Tape one end of a short length of thread to the right top corner of the camera and the other end of the thread to the left corner. Now you can hang the camera around the figure’s neck.

Idea for displaying the figures

  • Attach a wire or string to the wall and pin the figure to it
  • Pin it to your bulletin board or on the rim of a desk organizer

 

March 15 – National Shoe the World Day

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Shoes by Elizabeth Winthrop Illustrated by William Joyce Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Today’s observance was begun in 2014 by Donald Zsemonadi and the United Indigenous People in Fontana, California to raise awareness of the more than 500 million people around the world who have no shoes to wear. These children, teenagers, and adults must walk barefoot wherever they go, enduring harsh terrain and long distances without relief or protection. Such conditions lead to further problems, which can be lifelong and life-threatening.

Some national and international organizations and companies provide ways you can help by donating new and gently worn shoes or through buy one/give one programs.

Shoes

Written by Elizabeth Winthrop | Illustrated by William Joyce

Kids love shoes—especially if their squeaky new or completely destroyed. In this classic picture book by Elizabeth Winthrop and William Joyce, an incredible array of feet coverings are introduced in a jaunty, bubbling perfectly rhymed poem that makes the reader look at shoes in a new and appreciative way.

Kids who are often stuck behind tall adults or seemingly sky-high counters will recognize “shoes too low.” And all kids know that wearing “Shoes to skate in, shoes to skip in, shoes to turn a double flip in” or “shoes for fishing, shoes for wishing, rubber shoes for muddy squishing” means the day is going to be awesome.

A fun-to-read rhyme at the end of the book sprints to an unexpected and completely satisfying twist.

Interpreting all of these shoes is William Joyce in his inimitable style. The rakish children ponder tangled laces; tower over friends with stilts; tumble, jump, and turn somersaults; skate, climb, and perform for an audience all while shod in the finest of shoes. Joyce’s adorable children make this a book kids will want to read and/or hear again and again.

Ages 4 – 8

Harper Collins, 1988 | ISBN 978-0064431712

National Shoe the World Day Activity

CPB - Shoe Day Maze

Tangled Laces Shoe Match

Four kids think today’s a perfect day to go swimming, stomping in the mud, roller skating, and climbing trees. But they can’t find the right shoes for their favorite activity! Can you untangle the shoelaces and help each kid have a fantastic day? Print the Tangled Laces Shoe Match puzzle and get started!

March 14 – National Pi Day

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Bedtime Math The Truth Comes Out Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

What would we do without pie, huh? The flaky crust, the delicious filling….What? Oh, how embarrassing! It’s Pi Day! Well, what would we do without pi, huh? All those circles would go unmeasured, the world just wouldn’t fit together quite right…

Pi Day recognizes the usefulness of the mathematical constant Pi, the first three numbers of which are 3.14. In 1988 Larry Shaw noticed the correlation to March 14 and organized the first Pi Day celebration at the Exploratorium in San Francisco, California. In 2009 The U.S. House of Representatives officially named March 14 as National Pi Day. The day is celebrated by schools and other organizations with math projects, pie-eating contests, and other fun events.

Bedtime Math: The Truth Comes Out

Written by Laura Overdeck | Illustrated by Jim Paillot

 

Bedtime has never been so numerical! Oh sure, kids might count the stars out their window or sheep leaping a fence, but how about flavors of astronaut ice cream or towns named for food? Wouldn’t it be fun to figure out how far a marshmallow shot from a rubber band will go? Or how to stop a charging rhino? Or whether a snake can lose its tongue? You bet it would! And that’s the genius behind the Bedtime Math series, which also includesBedtime Math: A Fun Excuse to Stay up Late and Bedtime Math: This Time It’s Personal.

Bedtime Math goes way beyond simply presenting math problems for kids to solve. Each problem begins with fascinating facts or trivia about topics kids care about, such as space, animals, food, themselves, and the world they live in. Adults will find as much to like about these revealing tidbits as kids.

Reluctant math students will respond to this series, as the presentation is light-hearted, humorous, and educational in the best way. They may not even realize they’re doing higher math as they try to solve these brain ticklers.

Each mind boggler comes with three difficulty levels—Wee Ones, Little Kids, and Big Kids—plus a bonus question that’s more advanced so that everyone can join in the fun. An extensive introduction gives tips and suggestions for using the book and answers any questions readers may have about the approach.

Of course, these cool calculations don’t have to wait for bedtime. They’re a smart way to fill those “I’m bored” moments or to just spend time together no matter when it is. Bedtime Math has expanded to include its own website and a nation-wide afterschool math club, Crazy 8s.

Author Laura Overdeck began using this technique to math learning with her own children and with a BA in astrophysics is well-qualified to take your child’s math skills to the stars and beyond!

Jim Paillot enhances each page with colorful exaggerated and humorous takes on the math teaser at hand, which increase kids’ interest in and even understanding of the concepts being “taught.”

Ages 3 – 8

Feiwell & Friends Publishers, 2015 | ISBN 978-1250047755

National Pi Day Activity

CPB - Pi Day Pie Match

 

Pi Day Pie Match

 

All this talk about math has made me hungry! You too? Well, just put these pies together and then you can enjoy a snack! Print the Pi Day Pie Match game here.

March 13 – National Earmuff Day

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Earmuffs for Everyone! by Meghan McCarthy Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

On March 13, 1877 Chester Greenwood—a 19-year-old inventor—received a patent for “improvements in ear-mufflers” and forever sealed his place in history—as well as making winter more comfortable for millions of freezing ears! Today we honor Chester and his invention that brought attention to Farmington, Maine and jobs for many people in the area. So if you live in an area where the cold winds are still blowing, wear your earmuffs in pride!

Earmuffs for Everyone! How Chester Greenwood Became Known as the Inventor of Earmuffs

By Meghan McCarthy

 

In the mid-1800s inventors were trying to solve the problem of winter’s chill effects on tender ears. William Ware designed an “ear, cheek, and chin muff” that one wore somewhat like a false beard. Ear protecting hats, ear “slippers,” high collars, and other designs followed. But it wasn’t until Chester Greenwood and his sensitive protruding ears came along that earmuffs became practical. While the exact steps Chester took in creating his earmuffs aren’t known, he eventually perfected his invention and received a government patent on March 13, 1877—when he was only 19 years old!

Chester was no one-invention wonder, though. Always on the lookout for clever ways to make money, he went on to improve other products. He applied his foresight to the tea kettle, rounding the edges of the bottom to reduce wear; constructed an interchangeable-tooth rake; and built a collapsible, if cumbersome, tent.

His inventions brought him a comfortable life—a beautiful house for his family in Maine, the first steam car in his town, and a bicycle shop on the bottom floor of his workshop—that he shared with others. His wife, also a progressive thinker, worked for women’s suffrage, and inspired her husband to hire women in his workshops.

After Chester passed away, some people, most notably Mickey Maguire, thought he deserved more acclaim—even a day dedicated as Chester Greenwood Day. Maguire was so excited about this that he became a kind of inventor himself—an inventor of tall tales. Over time he told some whoppers and they were printed, making it hard to separate fact from myth. But even without the made-up stories, it’s easy to say that Chester Greenwood had a very remarkable life

Earmuffs for Everyone goes beyond the story of Chester Greenwood to include other inventors, a discussion of the patent system (using products well-known to today’s kids), and how an inventor’s legacy grows. Meghan McCarthy writes with verve and humor, making the story of Greenwood’s invention as well as others’ creations inviting, accessible, and fun. Her illustrations of the first attempts at earmuffs and other1800s products are sure to delight kids and make them curious about the time period.

In her author’s note at the back of the book, McCarthy expands on the story of Chester Greenwood and the process of applying for and earning a patent.

Ages 4 – 8

Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2015 | ISBN 978-1481406376 

National Earmuff Day Activity

CPB - Earmuff Maze.png

Here’s to Warm Ears! Maze

 

One muff on each side of the head—Genius! But it took inventors a lot of trial and error to make the perfect warming headgear. Use your own creative thinking on this Here’s to Warm Ears!earmuff-shaped maze. Solution included.