Food Holidays

October 2 – It’s National Chili Month

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Armadilly Chili picture book review

About the Holiday

What could be more satisfying during a cool autumn month than a spicy bowl of chili?  Whether made with meat or veggies, combined with macaroni, or served in potato skins, the simmered flavors make for a scrumptious meal. Although the origins of chili are lost to history, it’s believed that the dish is a southwestern, specifically Texan, concoction. It began to attract attention in the early 1800s, and by the 1880s”Chili Queens” were selling “bowls o’red” at chili stands throughout San Antonio. In 1893 the San Antonio Chili Stand made an appearance at the Chicago World’s Fair. It’s popularity took off across Texas and throughout the west by the 1920s. When the Great Depression hit, chili became one of the only affordable meals for the hungry population. Today chili is a favorite dish of people all over the world. To celebrate this month’s observation why not whip up a batch of your favorite chili or discover some new recipes!

Armadilly Chili

Written by Helen Ketteman | Illustrated by Will Terry

What a hoot! The knee-slappin’, root-a-tootin’ phrasing in Hellen Ketteman’s Armadilly Chili is shor ‘nuf gonna make this a favorite on any child’s bookshelf. While the plot may be familiar, the southwest setting and Miss Billie Armadilly put a fresh, funny twist on it.

“Miss Billie Armadilly skit-skat-skittered down the lane. A blue-norther’s a-blowin’ and my old, cold bones are rattling for a pot of hot armadilly chili,” she says. She’s gathering ingredients when her friend Tex, a many eyed tarantula, tip taps by. Hey, Tex, she calls, how about tapping your toes this way and helping me gather a boxful of beetles?” But Tex just “wiggles his long jiggly legs and says, ‘Shucks, Miss Billie, I’m going dancing today.’” Miss Billie harrumphs and collects the beetles herself.

Next Miss Billie is picking peppers, and when Mackie the bluebird flies in she thinks she has an assistant. “‘How ‘bout whistlin’ up a tune and helping me pick a peck o’ peppers for my armadilly chili?’” Once again, though, she’s left on her own since Mackie says he is “‘shakin’ my tail feathers to the movies.’” When Miss Billie “scurries to the prickly pear cactus and begins chippity-chop-chopin,’” her friend Taffy, the horned toad, complains about the noise and then begs off from helping, saying she’s got plans to go skating.

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Image copyright Will Terry, courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company

At home, Miss Billie stirs her chili to a scrumptious bubble. The aroma entices first Tex, then Mackie, and finally Taffy to come a’knockin’ at her door looking for a bowlful, but Billie has something to say about that—specifically, “no workin’ with Billie, no sharin’ the chili!”

Billie’s friends hurry away sorry that she feels that way, and Billie sits down to her feast. But after all that work, the chili tastes as “flat as a Texas prairie.” What’s wrong? She realizes what the missing ingredient is just as the doorbell rings. She opens the door to find her friends standing there with bags in their hands. What’s in those sacks? Apologies! As well as hot apple cider, jalapeno biscuits, and homemade chocolate fudge. Now that the friends are all together, the chili tastes just right, and “they talked and laughed into the cold, blustery night.”

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Image copyright Will Terry, text copyright Helen Ketteman, courtesy of Albert Whitman & Company

What a hoot! Helen Ketteman’s fast-paced Armadilly Chili is a spicy take on the little red hen story  and what it means to be a good friend. Miss Billie is a sassy, no-nonsense heroine who values her work and talents and makes sure others do too. When anger and frustration bubble over, however, the four friends find a way to apologize and make up. The lesson, humorously conveyed as well as Ketteman’s knee-slappin’, root-a-tootin’ phrasing is shor ‘nuf gonna make this a favorite on any child’s bookshelf. 

Will Terry’s vivid illustrations washed with a palette of deep reds, oranges, greens, and yellows bring the Southwest setting to life. Miss Billie and her friends are enchanting versions of their natural counterparts, and kids will love the environmental and homey details on each page, where even the cacti display personalities. Billie’s facial expressions as each of her friends abandon her to her chores are priceless, and their final camaraderie is highly satisfying.

Ages 4 – 8

Albert Whitman & Company, Illinois, 2008 | ISBN 978-0807504581

Discover more about Helen Kellerman and her books plus fun accompanying activities on her website!

View a portfolio of Will Terry‘s books and artwork on his website!

While I take a few personal days, I am reposting earlier reviews updated with new links and interior art.

National Chili Month Activity

CPB - Chili Pepper Game

Hot, Hot, Hot! Chili Pepper Chili Game

Chili just isn’t chili without a little heat! But can you take 15 chili peppers in your bowl? If you want to win the Hot, Hot, Hot! Chili Pepper Chili Game you’ll have to!

Object of the Game

The object of the game is to collect 15 chili peppers in your bowl before any other player.

Supplies

Rules

  1. Any number of players can play at one time. Print 1 Chili Bowl game board and 1 set of 15 Chili Pepper cards for each player
  2. Give 1 Chili Bowl Game Board to each player
  3. Place the Chili Pepper Cards in a pile or in a bowl
  4. Roll the die to see who goes first. The person with the highest roll goes first
  5. To begin play, the first player must roll a 1, 2, or 3. They should roll until they get one of these numbers.
  6. Players roll the die and collect or lose chili pepper cards by the number of dots on the die. If you roll a:
  • 1 – Pick up 1 chili pepper card and place it on your chili bowl game board
  • 2 – Pick up 2 chili pepper cards and place them on your chili bowl game board
  • 3 – Pick up 3 chili pepper cards and place them on your chili bowl game board
  • 4 – Get a chili pepper card from the player on your left
  • 5 – Give a chili pepper card to the player on your left
  • 6 – Lose a turn

     7. If a player does not have chili pepper cards to give to another player or if the player on           their left has no cards to give, the player rolls again.

    8. Continue play until one player has filled their Chili Bowl with chili peppers!

Picture Book Review

September 13 – Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day

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celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-there's-a-lion-in-my-cornflakes-cover

About the Holiday

Today’s holiday gives kids an opportunity to get into the kitchen and help prepare meals—or perhaps create the whole meal themselves. By being involved, kids learn about nutrition and healthy eating habits. Planning menus, shopping for ingredients, preparing the food, and presenting it can be a fun family activity and may inspire some kids to be regular participants in the kitchen. Today, invite your child or children to take some time out from their schedule to bake up some terrific treats!

There’s a Lion in my Cornflakes

Written by Michelle Robinson | Illustrated by Jim Field

 

Who could resist clipping coupons to receive a free lion? Nobody, that’s who! I mean, it would be so cool, right? A lion to take on walks, ride to school, and open tin cans—awesome! So a little boy and his brother Dan take a year’s worth of their allowance, make “a million” trips to the grocery store, and start cutting.

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Image copyright Jim Field, courtesy of jimfield.co.uk

But all those boxes of cereal squeeze out the other food on the pantry shelves, so Mom says the boys have to eat cornflakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner until it’s gone—and, oh yeah, they don’t get an allowance until then either. It’s all worth it, though, because they’re going to get a real live lion.

There’s just one hitch—every other kid in town has the same idea, and while the brothers wait for their lion to arrive, everyone else is out playing with their new pet. Finally, the delivery truck pulls up in front of the house, and out walks…a grizzly bear?! That’s not right, and it’s even delivered to the wrong house. Well, the bear’s not too crazy about the situation either, and shows it. The kids and the bear have to clean up the neighbor’s yard and apologize.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-there's-a-lion-in-my-cornflakes-pantry

Image copyright Jim Field, courtesy of jimfield.co.uk

A letter of complaint to the cereal company brings resolution in the form of…a crocodile?! The crocodile spends all its time in the bathroom, and the grizzly bear is still causing havoc. Dad calls the cereal company and to make up their mistake they send…a gorilla?! The gorilla stomps on Dad’s car and rips the door off, but the whole crew piles in so Dad can “give those cereal people a piece of my mind.”

The cereal people sure are sorry for the mix-up. They make amends by letting the family keep the grizzly bear, the crocodile, and the gorilla, AND the company gives them…a lifetime’s supply of cornflakes! But really, what good are they? The boys can’t walk them or ride them or even open cans with them.

You know what, though? Mom’s discovered the crocodile has some pretty sharp, can-opening chompers. The grizzly bear can walk forever and even wear a fanny pack. And the gorilla makes a very cool chauffeur. Why bother having a lion when everyone else has one?

But what are those cereal people offering now—a free tiger?! Hmmm….

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-there's-a-lion-in-my-cornflakes-cutting-coupons

Image copyright Jim Field, courtesy of jimfield.co.uk

Michelle Robinson has taken the lure of free stuff to its ridiculous best.With comical flair she aptly portrays the consternation on all sides, from the earnest kids to the flummoxed parents, that grounds this story in the recognizable while also providing hilarious suspense. The silly, over-the-top scenario of There’s a Lion in My Cornflakes serves up the benefits of individuality and drawbacks of consumerism that will have kids laughing at every page and escalation of the brothers’ problem.

Jim Field’s bold, vibrant illustrations are the perfect accompaniment to this boisterous tale. The boxes of cornflakes and clipped coupons are piled high, the boys are excited, nonplussed, shocked, and finally accepting as day after day brings new and unexpected results of their actions, and the parents are perfectly perplexed. Kids will love the funny details on every page that highlight the story.

Ages 3 – 7

Bloomsbury Children’s, 2015 | ISBN 978-0802738363

There are books, games, and coloring pages galore on Michelle Robinson‘s website! 

Discover the vast array of work by Jim Field on his website!

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.

There’s a Book Trailer in this Review!

Kids Take Over the Kitchen Day Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-wooden-spoon-lion-craft

Spoon Lion Puppet

 

Spoons are just the thing for eating cereal! But with this craft you can make a ROARingly cute lion puppet!

Supplies

  • Wooden mixing spoon
  • Yellow Fleece
  • Brown felt
  • Colorful Fleece or felt
  • Fabric glue
  • Light brown marker
  • Dark brown marker
  • Hot glue gun or super glue

CPB - Spoon Lion with stuff

Directions

To make the lion’s face

  1. Draw a nose, mouth, and eyes on the front/bowl of the spoon

To make the mane

  1. Measure the rim of the spoon from one side of the handle to the other
  2. Cut a strip of yellow fleece as long as rim measurement and 4 inches wide
  3. Fold the piece of fleece in half long-ways
  4. Glue the open edges of the fleece together
  5. Along the folded side cut a fringe, leaving the loops intact

To make the ears

  1. Cut round ears from the brown felt.

Assembling the lion

  1. Glue the ears to the back of the spoon
  2. Glue the mane to the back of the spoon

To make the bow

  1. Cut a 3-inch x 1 ½-inch piece of colorful fleece or felt
  2. Cut a long thin strip of fleece or felt
  3. Pinch the bow in the middle and tie with the longer piece of cloth. Trim as necessary
  4. Glue the bow to the handle

To make the tail

  1. Cut three thin 4-inch-long strips of yellow fleece
  2. With fabric glue, glue the tops of the strips together
  3. Braid the strips
  4. At the bottom, glue the strips together, leaving the ends free
  5. Fold the top of the tail and push it into the hole in the handle of the spoon

Picture Book Review

August 5 – It’s National Peach Month

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celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-each-peach-pear-plum-cover

About the Holiday

Is there anything as delicious as a perfectly ripe peach? Native to China and classified with the almond, the peach is peachy in pies, tarts, fruit salads, and just on its own. To celebrate today pick some peaches from a local farm, farmer’s market, or grocery store and enjoy!

Each Peach Pear Plum

By Janet and Allan Ahlberg

 

This perennial children’s favorite “I spy” nursery rhyme book is a perfect read any time, but especially during the summer when it can be tucked away in a travel bag or picnic basket and enjoyed on the go. After the first introduction of “Each peach pear plum / I spy Tom Thumb,” in which readers are invited to find Tom who is happily reading high in a peach tree nearly hidden by leaves and fruit, every page offers another double challenge.

Building on the discovery in the preceding page, kids are given a hint as to the current whereabouts of the previous character and are also urged to find another nursery rhyme or literary favorite: “Tom Thumb in the cupboard / I spy Mother Hubbard” followed by “Mother Hubbard down the cellar / I spy Cinderella.”  This structure creates anticipation in even the youngest readers as they begin to recognize the pattern and wonder who is coming next.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-each-peach-pear-plum-interior-art-mother-hubbard

Copyright Janet and Allan Ahlberg, 1999, courtesy of Viking Books for Young Readers

Besides Tom Thumb, Old Mother Hubbard, and Cinderella, the Three Bears, Baby Bunting, Little Bo-Peep, Jack and Jill, the Wicked Witch, Robin Hood, and a deliciously plump Plum Pie are hidden in the book. What makes Each Peach Pear Plum a classic is the Ahlberg’s artistic magic, which is on gorgeous display in every illustration. The vivid, fine-line drawings spare no details in bringing the short text fully to life.

Humor abounds, especially in the depiction of the “hidden” character or characters, whose only appearance is an arm dusting a shelf, faces at a window, feet sticking out of tall grass, a camouflaged archer, and more. And perhaps the clumsy baby bear could use a bit of assistance! Kids will love pointing out the birds and bunnies, dog, cat, and other animals that also follow from page to page.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-each-peach-pear-plum-interior-art-picnic

Copyright Janet and Allan Ahlberg, 1999, courtesy Viking Books for Young Readers

Each Peach Pear Plum is also a wonderful introduction to the literature alluded to and will entice kids to hear all the stories contained in this forever favorite. Each Peach Pear Plum makes a fantastic gift for new babies or young readers and belongs on every child’s bookshelf.

Ages Birth – 5 and up

Viking Books for Young Readers, Penguin, 1999 | ISBN 978-0670882786 (Board Book Edition)

It’s National Peach Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-picnic-find-the-differences

Peachy Picnic Find the Differences Puzzle

 

These two friends are enjoying a picnic and took two selfies. Can you spot the 12 differences between the two pictures in this printable Peachy Picnic Find the Differences Puzzle?

July 15 – It’s National Ice Cream Month

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celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-ice-cream-summer

About the Holiday

Ice cream has a long and elite history, dating back to Ancient Greece when the confection was made of snow, honey, and fruit. Catherine de’ Medici introduced the treat again in the 16th century. Charles I of England, using his royal clout, proclaimed ice cream to be the prerogative of the crown. He kept the recipe secret and forbid the common people to eat it. The first recorded recipes for ice cream are reported in the 18th century.

This favorite dessert received its true recognition in 1984 when President Ronald Reagan established July as National Ice Cream Month. Today indulge in your favorite flavor or sundae!

Ice Cream Summer

By Peter Sís

 

A little boy writes a letter to his grandpa telling him about his summer. “So far it’s been a delicious summer,” he says of his ice cream extravaganza. The boy reports that he’s very busy, but is also paying attention to school work every day. He knows how to read big words like tornado and explosion, and he is even creating his own book. He can solve math problems—even word problems—lickity split on his own and sometimes with his family’s help.

At day camp he and his friends are involved in all sorts of activities, such as sports, cartography, and field trips. The boy tells his grandpa that he’s poring over the encyclopedias he sent, learning about world history from Ancient China to Europe and America. He is discovering fabulous inventions and designing some of his own.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-ice-cream-summer

Image copyright Peter Sís, courtesy of scholastic.com

He assures his grandpa that he has “been working hard all summer (though I always take a break on sundaes)” and has earned the special trip his grandpa mentioned. As the two meet it’s obvious that Grandpa understands his grandson very well. They both sport ice cream shaped backpacks, and the trip they are embarking on is a hike to the tip of Ice Cream Peak.

Peter Sís’s celebration of ice cream is a perfect mixture of text and art. While the boy’s letter is kid-like bare bones, the ice-cream hued illustrations humorously and cleverly portray the boy’s delicious obsession. His room, with its scoop-shaped window overlooking an ice cream factory, is filled with a bed, bookshelves, desk, and toys that are all familiarly conical. The boy builds his sandcastle, complete with cone turrets, at the edge of multi-colored scoop waves, and the family’s beach umbrella is a wavy sundae top.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-ice-cream-summer

Image copyright Peter Sís, courtesy of scholastic.com

At day camp all roads lead to flavorful sites where skyscrapers, attractions, and transportation are all seen through a sweet ice-cream cone lens. Even the Statue of Liberty holds aloft a vanilla soft serve cone. The boy’s travels through history encompass fascinating facts about the invention of ice cream, how it spread across Europe and to America as well as innovations of and improvements to this favorite treat.

The final reveal of Ice Cream Peak, with its sprinkles-covered tip will delight ice cream aficionados of all ages. Kids and adults will want to linger over each page to scoop up all the visual pleasures.

Ages 4 – 8

Scholastic Books, 2015 | ISBN 978-0545731614

To view more books by Peter Sís and discover fun title-related activities, visit his website!

National Ice Cream Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-ice-cream-maze

Ice Cream is A-maze-ing! Puzzle

 

Sometimes you’d walk forever and through any kind of obstacle to get your favorite flavor ice cream cone. Have fun following the path through this printable Ice Cream is Amaze-ing Puzzle! 

Picture Book Review

July 13 – National Culinary Arts Month

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celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hole-story-of-the-doughnut-cover

About the Holiday

July is a great month for celebrating culinary arts. With kids home from school it’s fun to spend time together in the kitchen learning new skills and making experimental or favorite recipes. On-the-go meals or vacations can also take you to new and enticing restaurants, where you may try regional cuisine and discover exciting flavors.

The Hole Story of the Doughnut

Written by Pat Miller | Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch

 

In 1844 at the tender age of 13, Hanson Gregory left the family farm and went to sea as a cabin boy on the schooner Isaac Achorn. He quickly became the cook’s assistant and also learned how to rig the sails and “steer a ship over trackless waves by sun and stars.” By the age of 19 Gregory had become the captain of the schooner Hardscrabble, and within a few more years was racing “his cargo from Maine to California as commander of a clipper, the fastest ship on any ocean.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-hole-story-of-the-doughnut

Image copyright Vincent X. Kirsch, courtesy of vincentxkirsch.com

Hanson Gregory may have been one of the best captains to sail the seas—once awarded a medal for heroism for rescuing seven shipwrecked Spanish sailors even though his own ship and crew were endangered. But his greatest achievement was not attained because of his seafaring skills—it was his ingenuity in the galley that people remember.

On June 22, 1847 as a 16-year-old cook’s assistant, Hanson was rustling up the crew’s breakfast—coffee and fried cakes, the same as every morning. While the pot of lard bubbled on the stove, Gregory formed balls of sweetened dough and dropped them in. They sizzled and crisped—at least around the edges. The centers were raw, heavy with grease, and they dropped like cannonballs in the stomach. “Sailors called them Sinkers.” But this morning Gregory had an idea. He removed the lid from the pepper can and cut out the center of the balls. “Then he tossed the rings into the bubbling lard.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-hole-story-of-the-doughnut

Image copyright Vincent X. Kirsch, courtesy of vincentxkirsch.com

The cook and the sailors took one look at this odd concoction and…ate them up! “The cakes were brown, and sweet, and fully cooked. Sighs of delight rose above the noisy sea. A new breakfast tradition was born.” Gregory told his mom about his invention, and she fried up large batches of these ‘holey cakes’ that were a sensation at a friend’s store and on the docks.

You might think this is a pretty interesting tale in itself, “but sailors like their stories bold” and so they “spun legends worthy of such a delicious treat.” One tale had Captain Gregory inventing the doughnut while he saved his ship from disaster. Another told how Gregory, distraught over the drowning of five sailors pulled to the ocean floor by of their “sinker” breakfast, punched holes in every cake to make them look like life rings and vowed, “‘Never again!’”

Captain Gregory had a sense of humor about his accomplishment. During an interview he once stated that “he had invented ‘the first hole ever seen by mortal eyes.’” Gregory lived to be 89 and is buried “overlooking the sea where stormy weather can be spotted as readily as it once was from the quarterdeck of the Hardscrabble.”

An author’s note expanding on the story of Captain Gregory, the doughnut, doughnut shops, a timeline, and a selected bibliography follow the text.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-hole-story-of-the-doughnut

Image copyright Vincent X. Kirsch, courtesy of vincentxkirsch.com

Doughnuts have never been so evocative! In Pat Miller’s humorous, informative history of this favorite pastry treat, readers can smell the salt air, feel the ocean swell and roll under their feet, and even ache a little for those poor sailors forced to eat “sinkers.” Seamlessly interwoven into this foodography is a fascinating look at the early days of sail. Miller’s language is immediately stirring: the Ivanhoe bucks and plunges, the sea becomes a monster, and Captain Gregory spears a sinker on the wheel spoke. Kids will marvel at a 13-year-old going off to sea and becoming an inventor at 16.

Vincent X. Kirsch provides just the right touch to this captivating true story with his cartoon-inspired watercolor and cut paper artwork. Ingeniously incorporating Hanson Gregory’s innovation of removing the center of the fried cakes, Kirsch’s illustrations are “cored” to allow for text, while the extracted section appears on the facing page as a glimpse through a porthole. The maritime atmosphere—from ship to shore—of the mid-1800s is beautifully represented in the folk-style sketches, and the humor that is so intrinsic to this story is wonderfully embraced.

The Hole Story of the Doughnut will delight foodies and history buffs alike and would make a fun gift and a delectable addition to personal libraries for all ages.

Ages 5 – 12

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016 | ISBN 978-0544319615

Vincent X. Kirsch’s website is full of illustrations from his books for children—take a look at his portfolio!

Spend some time with Pat Miller on her website that offers activities, tips, resources and many more books!

Culinary Arts Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cd-doughnut-craft

CD (Compact Doughnuts) Decoration

 

Are some of  your CDs a little passé? Not if you can turn them into cute décor like this doughnut hanging.

Supplies

  • Unused CDs
  • Craft paint in tan, black, pink, yellow, white (or any colors you want for the doughnut and the icing)
  • Ribbon, any color and length you want
  • Fine-tip markers in bright colors
  • Glue
  • Glue dots (optional)
  • Paint brush

Directions

  1. Paint a wavy edge around the CD, let dry
  2. Paint the center of the CD, leaving the clear circle unpainted
  3. When the icing paint is dry, draw sprinkles on the icing with the markers
  4. With the ribbon make a loop hanger and attach it to the back of the CD with glue or glue dots
  5. Hang your decoration

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-hole-story-of-the-doughnut-cover

You can find The Hole Story of the Doughnut at these booksellers

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound