Courage

February 4 – Take Your Child to the Library Day

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About the Holiday

What better way to spend a Saturday than by stopping by your local library and picking up a few books to while away the hours on a cold winter day? While you’re there thank the librarians for all they do to keep libraries open and books accessible to all. Consider donating to your local library today!

The Librarian of Basra: A True Story from Iraq

By Jeanette Winter

 

Alia Muhammad Baker, oversees the library of Basra in Iraq, where all those who love books and learning come to “discuss matters of the world and matters of the spirit.” Now, though, their talk is full of the war around them. Alia is afraid for her books, worried that the fires of war will destroy them, so she petitions the government for permission to move them to a safe place. Her request is denied, so Alia secretly fills her car each night with as many books as it can carry and takes them home.

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Image copyright Jeanette Winter, courtesy of post-gazette.com

As rumors of war continue to swirl, the library becomes a shelter for government offices. When the battles reach Basra, “the city is lit with a firestorm of bombs and gunfire.” The government officials, soldiers, and library workers abandon the library, leaving Alia alone to protect the books. She summons help from Anis Muhammad, the restaurant owner on the other side of the library wall, and together they remove the rest of the books in crates and sacks and wrapped in curtains. Other shopkeepers and neighbors join in, removing the books and hiding them in Anis’s restaurant.

The war rages, but the books’ whereabouts remain a secret. “Then, nine days later, a fire burns the library to the ground.” “At last, the beast of war moves on,” but the books are still in danger. While the city is quiet, Alia “hires a truck to bring all thirty thousand books to her house and to the houses of friends.” Alia’s house is stacked floor to ceiling with the books she loves. They fill every cabinet, teeter on every shelf, and sit in piles under tables, chairs, and Alia’s bed. There’s hardly room for Alia herself.

But Alia is patient. She waits and “dreams of peace” and a time when a new library will be built to replace what has been lost.

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Image copyright Jeanette Winter, courtesy of Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers

Jeanette Winter’s story of one woman who risked her own safety to protect the books she loved, including an ancient biography of Muhammad, reminds all readers of the importance of these storehouses of our collective history, culture, imagination, and knowledge. The gripping true-life story abounds with suspense as war grows closer but also with hope as friends and neighbors make Alia’s mission theirs too. In these days when so many libraries are threatened with closure, The Librarian of Basra, asks the question: what would we do to protect our books?

In square framed acrylic paintings on solid colored backgrounds, Winter reveals the day-to-day wartime events and the actions Alia takes to save the library’s collection. She is seen visiting a government official, sneaking books into her car by night, and watching as soldiers are stationed on the library roof. When the battle comes to Basra, silhouetted jets fly in a rust-colored sky as orange flames dwarf the buildings and people below. Under the threat of bombs, Alia and her neighbors are portrayed packing up the books and carrying them over the wall to safety. Readers will marvel at the image of Alia’s house stacked with books and may wonder how many their own homes could hold.

Ages 4 – 8

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Books for Young Readers, 2005 | ISBN 978-0152054458

Take Your Child to the Library Day Activity

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I Love the Library! Coloring Page

 

If the library is one of your favorite places, print out this I Love the Library! Coloring Page and enjoy!

Picture Book Review

September 14 – It’s Chicken Month

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About the Holiday

It’s as simple as this – Chicken Is Good!  Chickens Are Good!? Hmmm…I guess it’s a little more complex than I thought.

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 farm’s small chicken agrees that whatever it is, it’s big; the farm’s smaller chicken goes so far as to call it enormous; and the farm’s smallest chicken declares it’s an elephant, and warns that indoor elephants are dangerous! The chickens all agree on one thing—this creature is too big to stay in the itty-bitty coop. The newly hatched chick doesn’t feel like an elephant and wishes he were a chicken.

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Image copyright Keith Graves, courtesy of keithgravesart.com

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 new 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!

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Image copyright Keith Graves, courtesy of keithgravesart.com

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 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 big chick’s intelligence, kindness, and bravery convince the chickens that he is one of them, and they welcome him into the coop. There’s just one problem…he doesn’t quite fit. Showing compassion and uncharacteristic understanding, however, the smallest chicken is the first to say they’ll make room.

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Image copyright Keith Graves, courtesy of keithgravesart.com

Keith Graves has hatched up a manic 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

Like the best children’s museums, Keith Grave‘s website is a colorful and crazy compendium of his work!

While I take some personal days over the next couple of weeks, I am re-blogging some earlier posts with updated interior art and links.

Chicken Month Activity

CPB - Chick single

Hatch a Chick! Craft

 

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 or large pom-pom
  • Yellow chalk
  • Orange paper
  • Black paper
  • Egg shell
  • Paper grass
  • Cardboard or poster board
  • Cheese grater
  • Green paint
  • Glue
  • Scissors

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 a bowl
  2. Roll the cotton balls in the chalk dust until they are covered
  3. Make the beak from the orange paper by folding the paper and cutting a small triangle
  4. Cut two small eyes from the black paper
  5. Glue the beak and eyes to one cotton ball or pom-pom
  6. Glue the head to the body
  7. Set the chick into one of the eggshell halves

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 to the stand.

July 7 – Tell the Truth Day

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About the Holiday

While the truth may sometimes seem elusive, today’s holiday provides an opportunity to clear the air and resolve any misconceptions that might be lingering. If there’s a truth—either positive or a little harder to say—consider taking a chance today. You never know—the truth doesn’t always get you into trouble and it can lead to unexpected opportunities or relationships!

Tell the Truth, B. B. Wolf

Written by Judy Sierra | Illustrated by J. Otto Seibold

 

The Villain Villa Senior Center is getting a makeover. The Big Bad Wolf and his equally evil friends are doing the repairs. Suddenly, the air hums with the tune “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf.” “‘Quiet!’” the wolf shouts, “‘I have to answer my phone.’” It turns out that Miss Wonderly at the library wants B. B. to come in and tell the story of how he met the Three Little Pigs. He’s excited to take part, but one thing worries him: He wasn’t a hero in the story.

Rumpelstiltskin tells B. B. Wolf to spin the story; the crocodile advises a happy ending. B. B. Wolf changes into his best clothing and, vowing to try these suggestions, hurries over to the library. Ensconced in a cozy chair, B. B. begins with a song: “Hard luck always follows me, and Trouble is my middle name.” But this ploy doesn’t fly with one little attendee (a pig with the number 1 on his hat) who reminds B. B. that his middle name is B-A-D.

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Image copyright Jotto Seibold, courtesy penguinrandomhouse.com

Undeterred, B. B. Wolf launches into his story after amending his song to include that he is always blamed for any crime that occurs. It seems that one day B. B. Wolf was out innocently picking dandelions. While blowing on the puff to make a wish, he inadvertently blew down the straw house of a little piggie. The poor wolf was on the run as the piggie chased him. This version of events brings an oinkburst from the back of the room: “‘Tell the truth, B. B. Wolf!’”

As he ran, B. B. Wolf continues, he suddenly smelled smoke and dashed over to help. He found a little piggie playing with matches next to a pile of sticks that were on fire! He only blew on the sticks to put out the fire. From his place on a shelf Pinocchio thinks he sees the wolf’s snout growing bigger. Charged by this second piggie, B. B. Wolf says, he kept running until he collapsed at the door of a little brick house. Tired and thirsty the wolf begged to be let in. But the mean porker merely said, “‘Climb up on the roof and slide down my chinny-chin-chimney.’”

That ridiculous fib causes an uproar in the children’s section. “‘No one is falling for your story,’ cracked Humpty Dumpty.” And the Gingerbread Boy added, “‘It’s a cooked-up, half-baked tale.’” “Tell the truth, B. B. Wolf,” orders Pig 3. Deflated, B. B. Wolf lets out “a dismal huff and a small, sad puff.” He admits that he hasn’t told the truth because the truth is so embarrassing. But “‘what’s important is that I’ve changed. Really I have,’” he says. The three pigs demand that he apologize, and B. B. stutters over the words. Try as he might, B. B. cannot say it. But he can sing it!

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Image Jotto Seibold, courtesy of penguinrandomhouse.com

Down on his knees, he sings a heartfelt and perfectly rhyming apology. The Three Little Pigs take pity on their former enemy and give him a second chance. “‘But your middle name is still Bad,’” the third pig reminds him. Taking advantage of where he is, B. B. grabs a dictionary from the shelf and flips through the B words. He finds many to his liking, and before he leaves the library with an armful of books, he’s changed his name and even added a B! “‘From this day forward, I am the one and only Big Bodacious Benevolent Bookish Wolf,’” B. B. B. Wolf announces on his way out the door.

The wolf was even better than his word. Once home he straightaway began designing a big, beautiful house for his new friends, and when it came time to build it, all the villains helped. The Three Little Pigs were so thrilled with their “piggyback mansion” that they composed a song to thank B. B. B. Wolf: “The wolf was mean and vicious. / He thought piggies were delicious. / Then he lied and told a story / that was wrong and he was sorry. / Now he’s changed. He’s not pretending. / That’s a very happy ending!”

Judy Sierra writes a hilarious and enchanting story of personal reinvention which reveals that while people may not be able to escape their past, they can make up for it. Through fast-paced, clever dialogue and characters with a compelling stake in the action, Sierra’s howler of a story will have kids wondering what excuse the wolf will devise next. The circular plot line ties up the beginning and ending neatly and is a satisfying resolution to this favorite fairy tale in fractured form.

J. Otto Seibold has drawn the Big Bad Wolf as he has never been seen before. Sporting a kitschy plaid suit and green top hat, B. B. Wolf grows more and more disheveled as his falsehoods fall flat. The wolf’s tall tales are vividly illustrated to comic effect, bridging the wolf’s attempt to refurbish his reputation and the absurdity of his invention. Kids will love to point out the many storybook characters that populate the pages and will giggle throughout at the wolf’s misadventures.

Ages 3 – 8

Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2010 | ISBN 978-0375856204

Tell the Truth Day Activity

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Dot-to-Dot Coloring Pages

 

After the Big Bad Wolf admitted the truth, he and the Three Little Pigs made up! Here are two printable dot-to-dot coloring pages that bring them together for fun!

Picture Book Review

February 15 – Susan B. Anthony Day

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About the Holiday

On February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts a girl was born who would grow up to set the world afire with her belief in women’s rights. Her name was Susan Brownell Anthony. An early feminist, her father believed it was as important for his five daughters to receive an education as for his two sons. After graduating from school, Susan Anthony became a teacher—at the age of 14—making $2.50 a week compared to the $10.00-per-week salary of the male teachers. Anthony later became active in the abolition and temperance movements. She recognized that the inability to vote limited women’s influence in these causes and began promoting women’s rights. She worked tirelessly to change the voting laws until her death on March 13, 1906 without seeing her greatest wish fulfilled. It was not until 1920, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment, that women were allowed to vote.

Susan B. Anthony has been honored for her dedication with commemorative stamps, and her portrait appears on the dollar coin. We also remember her work on behalf of all women on her birthday with memorial services at her gravesite in Rochester, NY and in Washington DC. Susan B. Anthony Day is a legal holiday in Florida, West Virginia, Wisconsin, New York and California.

Heart on Fire: Susan B. Anthony Votes for President

Written by Ann Malaspina | Illustrated by Steve James

 

It’s November 1, 1872 and only four days until the presidential election. Everywhere people are being urged to register to vote. Knowing how important voting is, Susan B. Anthony races to the registration office with her sister and a friend in tow. The men in the office stare at her in confusion.

They know that women can’t vote—only men! What is Susan B. Anthony trying to do? But Anthony argues that the new 14thAmendment, which says “all persons born in the United States have the same rights as citizens,” gives women the right to vote. Some inspectors think she is right, some disagree. Finally they allow Anthony to sign the registration card.

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Image copyright Steve James, courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company

On November 5, Voting Day, Anthony and 15 other women cast their ballots. Thirteen days later, however, a deputy federal marshal shows up at Anthony’s door with a warrant for her arrest. The charges? Voting illegally! The other women and the men who had allowed them to register and vote are also arrested.

In January word comes that unless Anthony pays a $1,000 fine, she will have to spend the time until her trial in prison. Anthony is adamant about not paying, but her lawyer sends the money. People in the country are split over whether she is right or not, but Anthony knows she’s right. Without being able to vote, women will have no voice in government.

She gives speeches, trying to rally people to her cause, and when her trial begins on June 17, 1873 the courtroom is packed. After Anthony’s lawyer and the prosecutor speak, the judge decides that Anthony has broken the law. He proclaims her guilty. When the judge asks if she has anything to say, Anthony answers, “You have trampled under foot every vital principle of our government. My natural rights, civil rights, political rights….” The judge stops her and does not allow her to continue speaking. He fines her $100, plus court costs. Susan B. Anthony refuses to pay, and she never did.

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Image copyright Steve James, courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company

Through action, dialogue, and the metaphorical theme of fire, Ann Malaspina has written an exciting biography of Susan B. Anthony. Readers will understand and, more importantly, feel the opinions and determination that fueled Anthony’s crusade for women’s rights. The final pages follow the history of the women’s suffrage movement until the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920 and provide photographs from the time. The text of the 14th and 19th Amendments is also included.

Opening the pages of Heart on Fire is like walking into a city of the 1800s. The lush colors and intricate details of Steve James’ illustrations immediately immerse readers in the time and place of Susan B. Anthony’s world, depicting the reality of her struggles. This is a perfect book to share with children, especially in this election year when they can see how far women have come—from being denied the vote to running for president.

Ages 5 – 9

Albert Whitman & Company, Chicago, 2012 | ISBN 978-0807531884

Learn more about Ann Malaspina and her books on her website!

View a gallery of illustration by Steve James on his website!

Susan B. Anthony Day Activity

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Vote For Me! Campaign Poster and Frame

 

If you were running for President, what would be important to you? Here’s a Vote For Me! Poster and Picture Frame to get your campaign started!

Supplies

Directions

  1. Print Vote For Me! Poster and Picture Frame templates
  2. Take a selfie or use your school picture
  3. Cut out the Picture Frame and the circle or rectangle in the middle
  4. Tape or glue your picture in the circle or rectangle
  5. If you are using a clear magnetic frame, slip the template inside and hang on your refrigerator or any metal object.
  6. If you are using a magnetic sheet, peel the paper off the adhesive side. Stick the Vote For Me! Picture Frame template with your picture attached to the adhesive. Cut around the edges. Hang!
  7. On the Vote For Me! Poster, list the things you would do if you were President. Talk to your family and see if you might be able to do some of them now! Hang your poster in your room or in the house where others can see it.