Children’s Books

March 29 – Smoke and Mirrors Day

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The King and the Magician by Jorge Bucay and Gusti Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Abracadabra! With a puff of smoke and a few mirrors, I have made this blog post appear out of thin air! Okay, so maybe that’s not quite true, but today is the perfect day to try a little magic. On Smoke and Mirrors Day we celebrate the practitioners of this most mysterious art, who often extend and retract mirrors within a cloud of smoke to accomplish their deceptions. The term is also used generally whenever someone is trying to pull the wool over another person’s eyes. Whether you like sleight of hand, disappearing acts, or the magic of a soothing cup of tea, have fun, make a little mischief, and enjoy the day!

The King and the Magician

Written by Jorge Bucay | Illustrated by Gusti

 

In a faraway land there once lived a King who was very powerful. Not only does he love power, he commands that everyone in his kingdom obey and admire him. Trembling, his subjects reassure him every day that he is the most powerful man in the kingdom.

One day, however, the King hears a rumor that down in the village lives a Magician who can predict the future. The King fears that this man will become more powerful than he, and he sends his spies to learn more. The spies return and reveal that not only can the Magician tell the future, he is loved and admired by everyone.

The King becomes terribly jealous and plots to do away with his most hated enemy. He devises a plot to trick the Magician. He will host a party, and at the end will ask the Magician if he can truly predict the future. If the Magician says “No,” he will be exposed as a fraud, and the king will kill him. If the Magician answers “Yes,” the King will ask him to predict the date of the Magician’s death and will then kill him. The King is pleased with his scheme because either way, he will be rid of his rival.

On the night of the party, the King summons the Magician and asks him the fatal question. The Magician is more than just a seer or a sorcerer—he is wise. He looks at the King and states, “the Magician of this kingdom will die the exact same day as his King.

Now the King is in a terrible quandary. He does not want to risk the possibility that this old man’s prediction is true. He must now protect the Magician in order to save his own life. He quickly concocts a ruse and asks the Magician to stay the night in the castle, saying he wants to consult with him about some royal matters. In fact, he just wants to keep an eye on him.

The Magician agrees. The next morning the King goes to the Magician and asks his advice on some kingly decisions. The Magician offers good suggestions, and the king accepts them. As the months go by, the King continues to rely on the Magician for guidance, and slowly the King learns to be fair and wise. He becomes the respected and admired ruler he always wanted to be.

The King realizes that not only is the Magician a trusted advisor, he is a loyal and beloved friend. One day, wracked with guilt over his one-time plot to kill the Magician, the King reveals the story. The Magician listens to the King’s secret, and shares one of his own.

He relates that when the king questioned him on the night of the party, he saw the king reach for the hilt of his sword and realized his intentions. He then divulges that he made up the prediction of their shared death date to teach the King a lesson—one the King has learned. He says, “It is our lives that have become entwined, not our deaths.”

For many more years the King and the Magician live as friends and confidants. The kingdom grows stronger and the King kinder and more loved by his people. One day the Magician dies. The King is sad, and realizes he is no longer afraid of his own death. The King has learned the Magician’s lesson well, and even though his advisor is gone, he continues to make wise and beneficial decisions.

Ten years later the King writes a letter to his son and heir. In his letter, the King cautions his son that during his life he may come across someone or something that “will arouse fear and jealousy in your soul” and will want to destroy them or it to alleviate his fear. Instead, says his father, “open  your heart or your home” because “what you thought was your most feared enemy, is really your most powerful friend.”

Jorge Bucay has written a classic tale of wisdom verses power wrapped around a clever psychological trick that initiates the kind of thought which leads to true enlightenment. The straightforward storytelling and the pacing of the plot build suspense, while lyrical descriptions create a beautiful flow that depicts both the quandary of the King and the kindness of the Magician.

Gusti’s lavish illustrations, reminiscent of hieroglyphics and Medieval tapestries, are rendered in dark, rich brown, rust, black, olive and blue hues that gorgeously portray the splendor of the King and his castle, but also signal the somber weight in his soul. The regal tone even extends to the gilded text. The King is drawn as an imposing rounded figure, towering over everyone else in his kingdom, but his feet and hands are tiny, lending him a bit of a comical yet vulnerable air. The King’s eyes narrow with cunning as he plots his evil deed but widen in doubt and despair as the Magician works his special brand of magic.

Ages 4 – 8

Abbeville Kids, 2014 | ISBN 978-0789212047

Smoke and Mirrors Day Activity

CPB - Magic Word Scramble II

 

Say the Magic Word! Word Scramble

 

Magic is all about mystery—and so is this scrambled word puzzle! Print the Say the Magic Word! word scramble. Then unscramble each magic-related word and, using the letters in the circles, discover the mystery phrase. Here’s the Solution!

March 28 – Music in Our Schools Day

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Music Class Today by David Weinstone and Vin Vogel

About the Holiday

The National Association for Music Education sponsors Music in Our Schools Month each March to promote greater awareness of the benefits and enjoyment high-quality music education brings to students and the community. Beginning in 1973 as a single Advocacy Day in New York, this celebration grew to include the entire month in 1985.

During the month special music programs, education, concerts, and classes take place to get kids and adults excited about the joys of music in schools.

Music Class Today

Written by David Weinstone | Illustrated by Vin Vogel

 

A little boy and his froggy toy join a music class full of other boys and girls led by a guitar-strumming teacher. The class starts with a song welcoming everyone by name and a verse inviting all to shake their musical eggs high and shake the eggs low. “One rolls away—where did it go?”

The new boy peeks around his mom’s back to watch the action, and when it’s time for a song he says, “I think I’ll just watch…But I’m listening!” The teacher gently sings, “That’s all right, that’s okay. / Whenever you’re ready, / come on over and play. / That’s all right, there’s no rush. / Whenever you’re ready, / come play with us!” These verses become a chorus repeated throughout the book, reassuring the little boy that he’s welcome, but that his own speed of acclimation is okay too.

The class continues with the kids kicking up their feet, drumming, and moving around the room in time with the music. The little boy comes out from behind his mom to sit on her lap and watches the fun. The teacher’s chorus brings the boy a little closer—to the edge of his mom’s feet—while clinging tightly to his froggy. He giggles as the kids swirl with scarves, getting dizzy, and falling down.

Now everyone’s dancing, being silly, and having a ball. Froggy joins in, dangling and wiggling at the ends of the boy’s hands. As dancing evolves into free-play time, the little boy accepts the teacher’s invitation to “come join the fun,” and leaves froggy at his mom’s feet with one more request for assurance—“Wait here till I’m done!”

“Good for you, that’s the way. / Everybody’s in the band!” the teacher sings as the little boy takes up the cymbals and leads the parade behind him. All too soon it’s clean-up time and class ends with a good-bye song. The boy is having so much fun that he tells the teacher he and froggy want to stay. The instructor knows just what to say to his happy, excited student: “That’s all right, that’s okay. / We’ll see you soon another day!”

In this cross-genre picture book, David Weinstone brings the musicality and movement of a toddler and preschool music class to the page. His song, also available as a free download, serves as the text of the story about a reluctant joiner who overcomes his apprehension to become a member of the group. The repeated chorus, that calmly and sincerely explains that it is okay for children to wait and watch until they feel comfortable, can be used for many situations and is a welcome message.

Vin Vogel’s sweet illustrations of a wide mix of kids kicking up their heels (literally, as a flying shoe bonks the instructor on the head in one giggle-inducing scene) and having fun are inspired in their focus on the children. The kids play instruments, dance, and cavort across the pages, filling the white space with joy. The view of the classroom changes from page to page to show other mother-child pairs, which helps emphasize that hesitant children are common, as well as baby siblings, toys, instruments, storage bins, and other sights familiar to children.

Ages 1 – 4

Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2015 | ISBN 978-0374351311

Music in Our Schools Day Activity

CPB - Music in Schools Day game

It’s Instrumental! Game

 

Play this fun game to gather all the instruments you need to create a music group. The first person to collect all 6 instrument cards is the winner!

Supplies

Directions

  1. Print the Paper Cube Template, cut it out and assemble the cube die.
  2. Print the Musical Instruments cards, cut out cards, and separate the instruments into piles
  3. Players take turns rolling the die cube to collect musical instrument cards
  4. The first player to collect all 6 instrument cards is the winner

 

 

 

March 27 – Easter

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When Spring Comes by Kevin Henkes and Laura Dronzek Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

On this day we celebrate renewal—both personal and seasonal. Spring is officially here and new life is beginning. All around trees are budding, flowers are blooming, and baby animals and birds are being born and learning to make their way in the world. As the sun rises on warmer days, be inspired to discover new happiness.

When Spring Comes

Written by Kevin Henkes | Illustrated by Laura Dronzek

 

This beautiful tribute to spring is as surprising as new buds pushing through the earth or tiny hatching eggs. Using repeated phrasing, lyrically expressed facts, and poetic rhythms, When Spring Comes echoes the anticipation that sunnier days bring after a long winter. The book opens with a simple, evocative sentence: “Before Spring comes the trees look like black sticks against the sky.” Children will immediately agree—they see trees in this way out their windows and draw them like this in art class.

The following sentence is equally as true: “But if you wait Spring will bring leaves and blossoms.” The book’s contrasting lines that explore conditions “before Spring comes” and “If you wait” gradually reveal more and more of springtime’s wonder, like the melting snows that usher in rainy days: “Spring comes with sun and it comes with rain and more rain and more rain. Do you like mud? Do you like puddles? I hope you like umbrellas.”

As Spring wakes more fully, it takes on a personality of its own: “Spring will call out the pussy willows and new kittens too. Spring can come quickly or slowly. It changes its mind a lot. But when Spring is finally here to stay, you will know it…There will be buds and bees and boots and bubbles.”  And there is much more to discover about this season of rebirth as well as the future within these pages.

When Spring visits it brings many wonderful smells, sounds, activities, and creatures, all of which are gorgeously depicted in Laura Dronzek’s radiant illustrations. The early gardens, blooming cherry trees, frolicking kittens, and profusions of flowers are as bright and welcome as the springtime sun. As the sweet-faced boy and girl in the book play, they are surrounded by birds, bunnies, dogs and kittens, and even ponder a little worm poking its head from the garden. Brilliant blues, pinks, greens meld with lush browns to create a joyful celebration of the newness of the season.

When Spring Comes is not only a book about a particular season or even for a particular age. It is a wonderfully gentile and uplifting way to introduce or discuss the idea of waiting for good things to happen. Everyone, even the smallest child, has “winter days” when life doesn’t look so bright. But if you wait, spring comes with new life and surprises.

Ages 4 – 8

Greenwillow Books, HarperCollins, 2016 | ISBN 978-0062331397

Easter Activity

CPB - Paper Flowers

Paper Flowers

 

These paper flowers will brighten any room and come in a rainbow of colors. Make a bouquet for yourself or share them with a special friend.

Supplies

  • Tissue paper in many colors
  • Green paper
  • Green wire for stems
  • Scissors
  • Tape or glue
  • Pliers

CPB - Paper Flowers II

Directions

To make the stem

  1. Bend a 1 ½ -inch loop in the top of the wire
  2. Squeeze the wire together so it will fit tightly over the tissue paper

To make a flower

  1. Cut 6 or more 7-inch squares from tissue paper, mixing colors (you can make various sizes of flowers by making the squares larger or smaller and adding more squares)
  2. Gather all the squares together and fold them together accordion-style in 1-inch folds
  3. Slide the folded tissue paper under the wire loop, and tighten the wire
  4. Gently fan the tissue paper out on each side
  5. Beginning on one side, gently pull each sheet of tissue paper up toward the center
  6. Repeat step 5 on the other side

To make leaves

  1. Cut leaves from green paper, leaving a stem to wrap around the wire flower stem
  2. Fold the leaf stem around the wire and tape or glue

 

March 26 – Noodle Day

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Noodle Magic by Roseanne Greenfield Thong and Meilo So Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Noodle on this: what’s the difference between noodles and most other dry pastas? Noodles contain eggs! It’s just this kind of fascinating fact you can learn during noodle month. Whether you like spinning the long strands around your fork or slurping them right from the bowl, noodles make the perfect comfort food whether they’re mixed with sauce, pesto, or meat and veggies. People make some pretty awesome crafts from them too! Did you know that 13th century bakers made their dough into birds, stars, words, and other shapes? Too bad Pinterest wasn’t around then! So boil up some water and get cookin’ on a delicious day!

Noodle Magic

Written by Roseanne Greenfield Thong | Illustrated by Meilo So

 

The emperor’s birthday is coming, and everywhere excitement fills the air. Mei’s Grandpa Tu will no doubt be making his famous noodles for the celebration. Mei loves to watch her grandfather work, slapping and kneading the dough and pulling the strands of noodles. He is so creative with his cooking that everyone marvels, even the Moon Goddess. In fact, Grandpa Tu is such an extraordinary artist that he makes noodle jump ropes and kite strings for Mei and her friends. They are as “simple as a sunflower” and as “easy as a sea breeze” to make, says Grandpa Tu.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-noodle-magic-playing-with-noodles

Image copyright Meilo So, text copyright Roseanne Thong. Courtesy of meiloso.com

But Mei thinks there is more to his talent and wishes that she had his magic. Her grandfather believes she does possess it. One afternoon the pair watch animal-shaped clouds fill the sky, and Mei asks if her grandpa can catch them with noodles. That night he makes a batch of noodles, and in the morning the two collect clouds as the sun appears.

On the day before the emperor’s birthday, everyone is busy making something special—everyone except Grandpa Tu. The villagers are perplexed. On such an important day, they will all want to enjoy noodles—and what about the special long-life noodles for the emperor? It is time, Grandpa Tu tells Mei, for her to make the noodles.

Mei is surprised and terrified. She slaps and kneads the dough as she has seen her grandfather do, but it remains ordinary. Where is the magic? “‘Trust in yourself,’” Grandpa Tu tells her, but Mei is doubtful. She decides that perhaps if she gives the Moon Goddess a gift, she will get magic in return. “‘You have all the magic you need,’” her grandfather assures her. Still, he helps Mei make enough dough to form an enormous ball of noodles.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-noodle-magic-making-noodles

Image copyright Meilo So, text copyright Roseanne Thong. Courtesy of meiloso.com

Mei throws the ball to the Moon Goddess and calls out for the Goddess to give her magic. Wisely, the Goddess reminds Mei that magic must come from inside. Mei closes her eyes and thinks very hard. She tussles with the Moon Goddess in a noodle tug-of-war, and suddenly…Snap!…the noodles break. The sky rains noodles of all shapes and sizes, Mei has discovered the magic that was in her all along!

With the charm of a Chinese folktale, Roseanne Greenfield Thong tells the universal tale of self-discovery. Her lyrical language adds a magic of its own to the tale, as when Mei watches her grandfather make dough: “she loved the powdery flakes that hung in the air and freckled the morning light.” The relationship between the little girl and her grandfather is lovingly portrayed, offering a gentle depiction of the wisdom and reassurance provided by extended family members.

Meilo So brings the story to vibrant life with her colorful paintings of village life, Mei and Grandpa Tu’s home, and the Moon Goddess. The magic of Grandpa Tu’s noodles is cleverly shown in the transparent animals, dragons, and birds outlined in noodles that frolic across the pages. The two-page spreads of Mei’s village are particularly captivating, as packed with interesting scenes and details as any bustling town.

Ages 4 – 8

Orchard Books, 2014 | ISBN 978-0545521673

Noodle Day Activity

CPB - Noodle Puzzle

Noodle on This Puzzle

 

Everyone has their favorite kind of noodles! Help these noodles get to the right plate, bowl, or pot in this printable Noodle on This puzzle that’s as wiggly as a wet noodle!

Picture Book Review

March 25 – International Waffle Day

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Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast by Josh Funk and Brendan Kearney Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

When someone made a spelling error, turning the Swedish holiday “Our Lady’s Day” (Vårfrudagen) into Waffle Day (Våffeldagen), a brand new culinary celebration began! Waffle Day also ushers in spring and offers the perfect excuse to enjoy these crispy concoctions whether you like them sweet, with syrup or confectioner’s sugar, or savory, as a base for meat and other toppings. So mix up some batter and pull out your favorite waffle maker and enjoy a delicious day!

Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast

Written by Josh Funk | Illustrated by Brendan Kearney

 

You know those strange noises you sometimes hear coming from your refrigerator? And how you could have sworn the leftovers were on the top shelf? Well, Josh Funk’s Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast may solve those mysteries and more in this rambunctious tale about what happens when relationships grow frosty.

One day Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast are hanging out at the back of the fridge when they learn the syrup is almost gone. Lady Pancake claims it as her own, but Sir French Toast replies, “Not if I get there first!” And so off they race! “Through Broccoli Forest, past Orange Juice Fountain, they climbed to the top of Potato Mash Mountain.” But the race takes a turn as the two meet obstacles that are no fun at all: at the edge of a shelf “Toast couldn’t quite stop, plummeting down into jam with a plop.” And “Chili Lagoon slathered Pancake in muck and then at a fork in the road she got stuck.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-lady-pancake-and-sir-french-toast-interior-art

The one-time friends call each other names and taunt each other with boasts of being the best breakfast food. As their competition upends the peace of the whole refrigerator from shelf to shelf, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast find their energy wilting, and by the time they reach that sweet sought-after prize, they are “battered and soggy, exhausted and crumbling, too tired to push, they were limping and stumbling.”

With the bottle in sight, they are shocked to discover that the last drop of syrup is already gone. Who could have done this dastardly deed? None other than the sneaky Baron Von Waffle! With nothing to gain, Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast no longer have a reason to fight. In fact they realize that they lost out on the syrup because they were fighting. When they see that there is a little butter left, they decide to use the lesson they learned and share it.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-lady-pancake-and-sir-french-toast-interior-art

There are so many fantastic rhymes in this book that kids will want to hear again and again. One of my favorites comes as Sir French Toast catches up to Lady Pancake: “He scraped himself off and yelled up, / ‘You’re a meanie!’ / as Pancake rappelled / down a rope of linguini.” With such laugh-inducing verses, kids may never look at food the same way again. Josh Funk has created a tale about friendship that is both boisterous and unique and sure to quickly become a favorite.

The refrigerator world as envisioned by Brendan Kearney is as colorful as the food rainbow and as active as a playground in summer. It’s also stacked with the cutest array of legumes, yogurt, cake, juices, fruit, and veggies you’ll find anywhere. The final fold-down page of the entire refrigerator is a delight that kids of all ages will want to linger over even after the story of The Great Race between Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast is over.

Ages 5 and up

Sterling Children’s Books, 2015 | ISBN 978-1454914044

Visit Josh Funk’s Website to download a free Lady Pancake and Sir French Toast Activity Kit and to learn about more upcoming titles!

Discover more art and books by Brendan Kearney on his website!

Watch the trailer for this amazing race – you’ll be singing the Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast theme song in no time!

International Waffle Day Activity 

 

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-lady-pancake-and-sir-french-toast

Sweet as Syrup Figure

 

Fun shouldn’t be kept bottled up! Well…maybe just this once. Make your own figure to display or play with from a syrup bottle with this craft. It’s sure to be as sweet as you are!

Supplies

  • Small plastic syrup bottle with a narrow squeeze fliptop and without a handle, empty
  • 1 ½-inch wooden ball with ½-inch hole in bottom
  • 16-inch to 18-inch square piece of cloth
  • Ribbon or strip of material
  • 12 to 14-inch long medium-gauge craft wire
  • Gel pens, black, blue, brown, red (Gel pens work well on the wood as the ink doesn’t bleed into the wood and are easy to control)
  • Poly fill or needle-felting wool
  • Scissors
  • Strong glue

CPB - Syrup Bottle Figure II

Directions

To prepare the bottle

  1. Remove labels from syrup bottle
  2. Cut the flip top in half, keeping the narrow nozzle part

To make the head

  1. Holding the wooden ball with the hole at the bottom, draw a face on the wooden ball with the gel pens
  2. Glue a small handful of poly fill or needle-felting wool to the top of the wooden ball for hair. You can make the hair has long, short, or poofy as you wish.

To make the dress

  1. Cut a 16-inch diameter circle from the material

To assemble the figure

  1. To make the arms, wrap the wire around the neck of the syrup bottle, crossing it in the back and pulling tight
  2. Center the material over the opening of the syrup bottle
  3. Cut tiny slits in the material at the location of the wire on each side of the bottle, and pull the arms through the material
  4. Bend the ends of the wire into a small loop to form hands
  5. Screw the cap with the narrow nozzle over the material
  6. Tie the ribbon or strip of material around the narrow part of the bottle to make the figure’s waist
  7. Place the hole in the wooden ball over the nozzle in the cap and glue into place

Make up your own story with your new figure!

March 24 – National Button Day

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Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons by Eric Litwin and James Dean Picture Book ReviewAbout the Holiday

You have to admit it—those little round things that hold our clothes and bags shut are indispensable. Sometimes tiny works of art in their own right, buttons are fascinating. Antique buttons made of glass, metal, or even bone and decorated with intricate paintings, engraved designs, or gemstones offer a glimpse into history, both American and International. Today’s buttons, fashioned into engaging shapes or brightly colored, have stories of their own and enhance whatever garment or item they adorn.

Button collecting was recognized as an organized hobby by the National Button Society in 1938, and National Button Week – which I’m celebrating today – was founded in 1989. The goal is to promote awareness of the fun of button collecting and to recognize the study and display of antique and collectible buttons. Button collecting is a fun hobby that is exciting for all ages.

Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons

Written by Eric Litwin | Created and Illustrated by James Dean

 

It’s 8:00 in the morning and Pete the Cat is ready to start the day wearing his favorite shirt – the one with 4 groovy buttons. Those buttons are big, they are round, they are colorful, and they inspire him to sing a song: “My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons. My buttons, my buttons, my four groovy buttons.”

Soon, however, one of the buttons pops off! That leaves Pete with how many buttons? 3! Right! Does Pete cry? “Goodness No! Buttons come and buttons go.” Fortunately for readers buttons continue to GO…inviting kids to do the math and sing the infectious song with each “Pop!”

As Pete sits atop his surfboard atop his VW Beetle looking very beachy, his last button goes sprooiiing and rolls away. What does Pete see then? Why, the only button that won’t desert him—his belly button!

Eric Litwin’s short, fast-paced text contains plenty of exciting opportunities for read-along, shout-along fun on every page. The subtraction problems offered as Pete loses buttons provide early learners with confidence-building moments, and Pete’s easy-going attitude is just right for these hyper-busy times.

James Dean’s illustrations are as big, bold, colorful, and groovy as Pete’s buttons. Vibrant primary colors rivet readers to the page, and—Watch out! That popping button is swirling right at you! But through it all Pete the Cat remains his nonchalant self.

Ages 4 – 8

HarperCollins, 2012 | ISBN 978-0062110589

National Button Week Activity

CPB - Button Coat

Pin the Button on the Coat Game

 

Pin the Button on the Coat is a fun game you can make yourself and play anytime! It’s great for a button-themed party or on any day that you’re holed up and just poppin’ to do something! The game is played like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey,” and the object is to get the buttons as close to the center of the coat as possible. Have fun!

Supplies

CPB - Button Coat II

Directions

  1. Cut out the coat, sleeves, and collar following the printable patterns
  2. With the fabric glue, attach the sleeves to the edge of the coat, and the collar to the top of the coat.
  3. Let dry
  4. Cut circles to represent buttons from the other colors of fleece or felt, as many as you need
  5. With the marker make dots to represent holes in the “buttons”
  6. When the glue on the coat is dry, attach it to the clothes hanger with the clothespins

If you like buttons and button crafts, pop on over to February 29—Haiku Writing Day for Guyku—a fun book of poetry—and directions to make a bookmark with colorful buttons!

 

March 23 – National Puppy Day

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The Octopuppy by Martin McKenna Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

National Puppy Day was founded in 2006 by Colleen Paige to recognize the joy and companionship that puppies bring to people. The day also promotes puppy rescue and adoption as well as education about puppy mills, and is quickly becoming an international observance. To celebrate consider donating to your local animal shelter or if you have room in your life for a new friend, adopt a puppy!

The Octopuppy

By Martin McKenna

 

Edgar wants a puppy for his birthday, but what he gets is so NOT a puppy. Out of the gift box pops Jarvis, a goggle-eyed octopus ready to party. Disappointing doesn’t even begin to describe it. Jarvis can’t do anything a dog could do. Sure, he might be clever—Jarvis buys Edgar an ice-cream cone instead of staying on his leash tied to the lamppost, for example—but Edgar wants a pet he can enter in the upcoming dog show.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-octopuppy-dog-show

Copyright Martin McKenna, courtesy of http://www.storycorner.scholastic.com

Perhaps with training Jarvis can learn to be more like a dog. But when Edgar tells him to lie down, Jarvis goes to sleep wearing PJs and socks, holding a teddy bear and surrounded with books. Edgar’s command to “play dead” elicits a surprise lunge from a wardrobe in a toilet-paper mummy costume. It’s just too much, and drives Edgar crazy! Finally, however, Jarvis learns to sit like a dog, and off they go to the dog show.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-octopuppy-lie-down

Copyright Martin McKenna, courtesy of http://www.storycorner.scholastic.com

At the dog show things go…well…Jarvis just can’t help being himself. He wears a tutu, plays the piano, does card tricks, and plays the drums—all at the same time. The other entrants are not amused, and Edgar is sooo embarrassed.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-octopuppy-sleeping

Copyright Martin McKenna, courtesy of http://www.storycorner.scholastic.com

Jarvis decides to leave, and after penning a note apologizing for being a bad dog, he slips down the toilet and out to sea. When Edgar discovers Jarvis is missing, he realizes he has been wrong. He remembers all the great things Jarvis did and thinks that Jarvis was the best Octopuppy in the world! Suddenly, he wants his pet back. He looks everywhere, but Jarvis is nowhere to be found.

As a last resort Edgar yells his apology into Jarvis’s escape route. His message is carried through the plumbing by various pipe and underground creatures until Jarvis hears it. Before Edgar can turn around, Jarvis is back! To celebrate his being home, Edgar’s family and friends throw Jarvis the kind of wild party he was looking for all along.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-octopuppy-edgar-has-change-of-heart

Copyright Martin McKenna, courtesy of http://www.storycorner.scholastic.com

This endearing story has just the right mix of craziness and sincerity to make it a favorite on any child’s bookshelf. Martin McKenna hits all the right notes in his tribute to friendship and the idea that true friends accept and appreciate each other the way they are. Jarvis is a sweetie doing very un-doglike things. He rescues a cat instead of chasing it, cooks sausages instead of stealing them, and performs surgery instead of biting the mailman. These vignettes make Edgar’s rejection all the more heartrending and his ultimate realization very satisfying. McKenna’s illustrations are loaded with silly and profound details that kids will want to linger over, and the two-page spread of Edgar leading Jarvis home after the dog show is an emotional marvel.

Ages 3 – 6

Scholastic Press, 2015 | ISBN 978-0545751407

National Puppy Day Activity

CPB - Dog Toy

Braided Puppy Toy

 

Your puppy or full-grown dog will love playing with you and this easy-to-make toy that’s perfect for tug-of-war, fetch, or any kind of fun.

Supplies

  • Fleece in two or three colors or patterns
  • Scissors

CPB - Dog Toy II

Directions

  1. Cut 3 strips of fleece 15 inches to 20 inches long. You can use just one color, two, or three!
  2. Holding all three strips of fleece together, make a knot by looping them at the top, feeding the ends through the loop, and pulling tight.
  3. Braid the 3 strands of fleece until there are 3” to 4” left at the end
  4. Holding all three strands together, knot them as before
  5. Your puppy or dog toy is ready to play with! (Cats and kittens like these too, just don’t tell your puppy—Shhh!)

Picture Book Review