April 23 – National Take a Chance Day

About the Holiday

Sometimes it takes a special nudge to get us to leave our comfort zone and try something new—even if it’s something we’ve been wanting to do for a long time. Today’s holiday provides that push by encouraging people to let go of the fears and doubts that hold them back. Whether you prefer to try new things a little at a time or decide to dive right in, you’ll feel happier and more excited by life if you reach for that gold ring when it comes around.

What Do You Do with a Chance?

Written by Kobi Yamada | Illustrated by Mae Besom

One day, a child says, they got a chance. The chance seemed to know them, but the child wasn’t sure why it was there or what to do with it. The chance was persistent, but unsure, the child “pulled back. And so it flew away.” Later the child thought about that chance and realized they “had wanted it,” but even now they didn’t know if they had the courage to take one.

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Image copyright Mae Besom, 2017, text copyright Kobi Yamada, 2017. Courtesy of Compendium.

The next time a chance came by, the child tried to grab it, but they “missed and fell.” They felt embarrassed, and “it seemed like everyone was looking at [them].” That was a feeling they never wanted again. Now whenever they saw a chance, “[they] ignored it.” They let so many pass them by that chances stopped coming. Then the child worried that they would never get another one.

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Image copyright Mae Besom, 2017, text copyright Kobi Yamada, 2017. Courtesy of Compendium.

Although the child acted as if they didn’t care, they really did. They just didn’t know if they “would ever be brave enough” to take a chance. But then the child had a new idea and thought that maybe being brave “for a little while at the right time” was what it too. The child decided that the next time a chance came around, they were going to grab it. The child even went out to search for it, and then on a regular day, a glow appeared in the distance. Could this be it?

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Image copyright Mae Besom, 2017, text copyright Kobi Yamada, 2017. Courtesy of Compendium.

The child was ready. Racing toward the light, they didn’t feel afraid; instead, they were excited. As the child got near, they saw that it was an enormous chance. As soon as they could reach it, they climbed aboard and soared wherever it took them. Now the child understands that when they ignore chances, they miss out on all the wonderful things they wants to learn and do and be.

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Image copyright Mae Besom, 2017, text copyright Kobi Yamada, 2017. Courtesy of Compendium.

Whether the reader is a natural risk taker or on the more hesitant side, a child or an adult, Kobi Yamada offers encouragement and inspiration for those times when doubt or fear interferes with taking an opportunities when they come along. Kobi’s use of a first person narrator provides a level of comfort as the focus isn’t on the reader, but on feelings shared with a kindred spirit.

Quiet children or those with anxiety will see that there are others for whom leaving their comfort zone is difficult. Kobi’s concrete language echoes the inner monologue of questioning, hope, embarrassment, and regret that can hinder people from trying something new or big. He also presents gentle, solid advice and reveals that small voice of determination and courage that does lie within most hearts. When the child finally grabs onto the greatest chance, readers will also feel emboldened and will be ready to soar too.

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Image copyright Mae Besom, 2017, text copyright Kobi Yamada, 2017. Courtesy of Compendium.

Mae Besom brilliantly depicts the child’s contrasting feelings to be free, spontaneous, and courageous on one hand and secure and protected on the other through her use of space and color. The mystical, medieval-type town the child lives in is crowded, with homes wall-to-wall and stacked one on top of the other. The friends or family the boy follows walk together tightly grouped, and these are all rendered in charcoal, white and dusty yellow. In contrast, the chances—origami butterflies with long tails—are golden yellow and fly away from the town, touching down on the child’s reflecting pool, over fields, and into the vast sky.

The child’s clothes are earthy brown, and the grass underfoot always green. As the child embraces bravery, animal companions also gain color, and as they all race toward the huge chance, they appear closer to the reader, filling the page. At last as the child soars on the wings of the chance, the town appears in the distance but is now also a place of color, light, and opportunity.

Without gender pronouns and a child with neutral clothing and hairstyle, What Do You Do with a Chance? is universal for all children.

The final book in the series, which includes What Do You Do with an Idea? and What Do You Do with a Problem?, What Do You Do with a Chance? is a must-own for home and classroom libraries to inspire discussions about overcoming fear, taking chances, and being yourself. The book will be an often-read addition to any bookshelf.

Ages 5 – 10 and up

Compendium, 2017 | ISBN 978-1943200733

National Take a Chance Day Activity

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Colorful Clothespin Butterfly Craft

Butterflies are a lot like chances. They don’t start right off fully formed, but go through different stages, waiting times, and some amazing changes on their metamorphosis from caterpillar to butterfly. Chances also take time, practice, and spreading your wings to be fulfilled.

With this easy Colorful Clothespin Butterfly Craft, you can make your own butterfly that will always remind you to take a chance when it flies your way.

Supplies

Wooden pin clothespin
Tissue paper in a choice of colors
Craft paint in a choice of colors
Black craft paint
Paintbrush
Toothpick
Scissors
Fishing line, thread, or string for hanging (optional)
Adhesive magnet for hanging (optional)

Directions

To Make the Body

Paint the clothespin, let dry
When dry add accent dots or lines and eyes. I used a toothpick with the point cut off to make the dots on the purple butterfly. I used the pointy end of a toothpick to make the eyes and the lines on the pink butterfly.

To Make the Wings

For the top wings, cut a 6 ½ -inch circle from tissue paper
For the bottom wings, cut a 5 ¼ – inch circle from tissue paper
With the head of the clothespin facing down, insert the larger circle into the split in the clothespin so that half of the circle shows on either side.
Gently pull the circle down tightly into the split, pulling it as far in as possible—about half way
Next insert the smaller circle into the split and repeat the above step.
Gently fan out the wings if necessary

If hanging the butterfly, attach fishing line, threat, or string

If making a magnet, attach the adhesive magnet to the back of the butterfly.

Picture Book Review

March 9 – It’s National Reading Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Hosting Read across America Day, March is the perfect month to celebrate reading! Reading is one of life’s great joys! Reading with children every day is one of the best ways to develop language and literacy skills that promote future success in school and beyond. Even if your child isn’t talking yet, they’re listening and learning about their language as you read to them. You can get kids enthusiastic about reading by setting up a bookcase specially for them and letting them choose the books they want to read. To celebrate this month, why not go on a book hunt and bring home some new books to enjoy together?

Somewhere Else

By Gus Gordon

There are birds that fly north and those that fly south. There are birds that take the bus and those that don’t care how they travel just so long as they go somewhere. And then there’s George Laurent. “George never went anywhere.” He told himself that he liked his home and his garden and, especially, the pastries he baked in his oven better than anything or anywhere else.

It wasn’t like he never saw anyone. His “friends were always dropping by on their way to somewhere else” to enjoy his delicious treats. And they often invited George to fly away with them. When Penelope Thornwhistle was reminded of the Andes while eating one of his éclairs, she asked George to go with there with her. But George had potentially award-winning brownies in the oven. When Walter Greenburg tasted George’s apple strudel and thought about Paris, he was ready to take George to see the city of lights, but George had ironing to do. And a trip to the Alaskan tundra with a flock of other ducks had to be postponed because of yoga class.

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As time went on, everyone stopped asking George to share their adventures. They knew he was too busy anyway. When winter came, “George found himself alone.” At least until Pascal Lombard, came knocking, looking for a place to spend the snowy months. When the bear wondered why George wasn’t sunning himself on some Caribbean beach, George said he was learning Flamenco songs on his guitar, catching up on the TV series Lost in Space, and typing out his memoirs.

But Pascal reminded George that he didn’t have a guitar or a television and that he hadn’t yet done anything worthy of a memoir. It was then that George made his confession: he didn’t know how to fly. When all the other ducks had learned to fly, he said, he had been too busy with something else. “He had been making excuses not to fly, ever since.”

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Well, Pascal was ready to remedy the situation. Fortunately, he had an “uncanny knack for solving tricky problems.” They tried reading books, taking wing on a kite, and using a crane. But nothing worked. “It turned out Pascal Lombard didn’t have much of a knack for solving tricky problems after all.” Both George and Pascal felt disappointed as they read by the fire, until George happened to peek at Pascal’s newspaper and see an announcement for a hot air balloon ride in Paris.

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George was intrigued. And Pascal said, “‘I am remarkably good with my hands! We can build it!’” So they set to work, but it was harder than they thought, and “it took all winter (it turned out Pascal Lombard wasn’t actually very good with his hands).” Finally, though, they were flying! They flew their red patchwork balloon for months, seeing the Eiffel Tower, floating over the Arctic Circle, soaring through Madagascar, and experiencing places that were “more exciting than they had ever imagined.” But still, they missed George’s homemade pie. So they flew home, enjoyed tea and pie, and planned next year’s “anywhere somewhere else” adventure.

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Gus Gordon’s tenderhearted and funny story about missed opportunities that can lead to more missed opportunities, excuses, and sometimes isolation tackles a common predicament not often seen in children’s books. George’s amusing tales of loads of laundry, Flamenco lessons, and yoga classes as well as his real talent for baking will endear George to readers, making his admission a moment for true empathy and encouragement. More silliness ensues as Pascal tries to help out, and kids will cheer when the two finally get off the ground.

Gordon’s reassurance that there’s no shame in making mistakes or not knowing something is also found in Pascal’s bravado and subsequent asides to the contrary. As George and Pascal work together to teach George to fly, kids see that help can be as close as a good friend—and as fun. A welcome undertone to the story is the idea that it’s also okay to be yourself: the first page abounds with very unique birds flying here and there; for Penelope an éclair reminds her of the Andes and for Walter, strudel reminds him of Paris—and who’s to say they’re wrong?; and when George and Pascal miss home and homemade goodies, they return to their favorite place.

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Gordon’s illustrations are a treat too. Full of visual humor and word play, the mixed-media, collage-style images bring together snippets of old advertising, photography, and traditional mediums and invite readers to linger to catch all the humor included. The page on which George finally makes his confession is worthy of special note. Here, in contrast to the other pages, the background is white, a saddened George is simply sketched with a blue outline, and the stack of firewood he was carrying lies haphazardly at his feet. The image gives children and adults an opportunity to talk about feelings of embarrassment, doubt, or uncertainty.

Somewhere Else is an original story with heart, humor, and an uplifting lesson that would make a sweet and meaningful addition to classroom and home libraries.

Age 4 – 8

Roaring Brook Press, 2017 | ISBN 978-1626723498

Discover more about Gus Gordon and his books on his website.

National Reading Month Activity

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Reading is Super! Maze

A boy wants to bring books to his friends so they can all read together. Can you help him get through this printable Reading is Super Maze to reach his friends?

Picture Book Review

October 12 – It’s National Seafood Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Love seafood? Me too! This month seafood takes center stage as a delicious, healthy, and versatile dietary choice. With so many types of seafood—each with its own distinct flavor—it’s easy to create dishes that satisfy every taste. Seafood has played a part in cuisine around the world since earliest history. Why not explore some recipes from other cultures while you celebrate this month?

There Might Be Lobsters

Written by Carolyn Crimi | Illustrated by Laurel Molk

Suki may have liked going to the beach, but there were many things there that scared her. Eleanor encouraged her puppy to come down the stairs and join her on the sand, but Suki sat at the top overwhelmed with doubt. She was such a small dog, “and the stairs were big and sandy, and she hadn’t had lunch yet, and she might get a shell stuck up her nose.” She might even “tumble down on her head…and need stitches, and, besides, there might be lobsters.”