March 21 – International Day of Forests

About the Holiday

International Day of Forests was instituted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2011 to raise awareness of the importance of trees in vast woodlands or in your neighborhood or yard. Trees contribute to the quality of the air we breathe, improve the local climate, reduce noise pollution, shelter wildlife, and provide food for people and animals. This year’s theme is Forests and Sustainable Cities and aims to promote the integration of trees and vegetation within urban and surrounding areas. The benefits are many, from encouraging health lifestyles to providing fresh water to flood prevention to beautification. Clever architecture and infrastructure can create cities and towns that are healthy and happy to live in! For more information visit the UN International Day of Forests website.

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book

By Britta Teckentrup

In the midst of winter, the tree stands bare of leaves. Tucked away in a hole “Owl sits watching in his tree / No one sees as much as he.” He watches as the snow melts and young flowers, grass, and plants begin sprouting. Then bear cubs leave their hibernation and climb the tree where Owl sits.

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Young leaves and colorful blossoms cover the tree and flutter in the breeze as a spider spins her web and more baby animals come to frolic. In the branches, “squirrels scamper here and there. / Playful fox cubs sniff the air.” Birds stop by to rest and sing, while others build nests high in the treetop. The little fox has found a friend as summertime approaches.

“Now summer’s here, the sun is high, / Bees are humming in the sky.” Butterflies flit and ladybugs crawl, and the scent of “juicy apples, ripe and sweet” fills the air. Midsummer brings its own delights. The tree welcomes baby birds and the newborn foxes that sleep below under the starlit sky.

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The air turns cooler in early fall and “apples tumble to the ground. Grass is damp with morning dew. / Clouds drift across the skies of blue.” The green leaves turn red, orange, and yellow, and Owl watches as the animals begin gathering food for the long winter ahead. Soon, snow falls and the animals find shelter in the woods and underground.

A blanket of snow covers the earth, but in his nest Owl stays cozy. The forest is quiet, as if asleep. “The seasons have all come and gone. / Snow has fallen, sun has shone. / Owl sees the first new buds appear, / And so begins another year….”

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Britta Teckentrup’s Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book is an interactive triumph of design and story that begins with the cover where a little owl peeks out of his hole deep in the tree. As each season approaches, matures, and gives way to the next in Techentrup’s lovely verses, readers watch along with Owl as bear cubs, squirrels, birds, and bees also take up residence in the tree. With the turn of each page and as the seasons get warmer, die-cut holes reveal the animals, birds, and insects playing among the branches. When summer wanes and autumn and winter come, the die-cut holes decrease as each species goes off to spend the winter in their own way.

Young readers will love interacting with the holes in the sturdy pages, discovering the blossoming forest in such a tactile way. They’ll also enjoy watching the stories of the foxes, birds, and one industrious spider play out throughout the year. The jaunty rhymes are fun to read aloud and will entice children to read along as well.

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book is a delightful book for home and classroom story times as spring blossoms and throughout the year.

Ages 3 – 7

Doubleday Books for Young Readers, 2016 | ISBN 978-1101932421

Discover more about Britta Teckentrup, her books, and her art on her website.

International Day of Forests Activity

Your Special Tree

Every tree is unique—just like people! With this craft you can use your imagination to make a tree that’s as special as you are.

Supplies

Printable Tree Template
Two 8 ½ by 11-inch sheets of foam or heavy stock paper in whatever color you’d like your tree to be
Colored paper for the leaves,
Scissors
Glue or tape

Directions

Print and cut out 2 copies of the trunk template
Make a cut half way down the middle of the first trunk from the top of the trunk
Make a cut half way up the middle of the second trunk from the bottom of the trunk
Fit the two pieces of the trunk together

Personalize Your Tree

Cut leaves from colored paper, you can make a spring, summer, autumn or rainbow-colored tree!
On the leaves you can write some of your favorite books, the names of your friends, things you’re thankful for, your goals, or any special things about yourself. Your leaves could even make a poem!
Then glue or tape the leaves to your tree and display it

Picture Book Review

January 15 – It’s International Creativity Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Do you value craft store coupons more than the ones from the grocery store? When you look at math formulas, do you see brand new applications? Can you make a gourmet meal out of three leftover ingredients? If you think outside the box then you have a bright future! Whether you work in a traditionally creative field or not, the ability to think differently is a valuable asset. This month explore your creative side and share your ideas!

The Book of Mistakes

By Corinna Luyken

The whole thing started while drawing a picture. The head of the child looks good—nice little ear and nose, a dot for the left eye. The hair goes on pretty well—a swoop on the right side, straight on the left. The eyebrows are tiny dashes, and the mouth the size of a chocolate sprinkle. Just have to add the right eye…Oh, no! The right eye is too big!! Okay, okay, this mistake can be fixed. The left eye just needs to be a liiittle bigger…Oh, good grief! “Making the other eye even bigger was another mistake.”

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Maybe…the perspective might just be right for…Yes! “the glasses—they were a good idea.” Okay on to the body. Hmmm… “The elbows and the extra-long neck? Mistakes. But the collar—ruffled, with patterns of lace and stripes—that was a good idea.” And elbow patches make the arms look a little less pointy.

Moving on to the background, a thick and leafy bush is just the thing to hide the animal. Animals? It could be a cat, a cow, or a frog. “Another mistake.” And why is the ground so far below the girl’s feet anyway? Oh! Because she’s wearing roller skates. Nice save! “Those were definitely not a mistake.” Let’s see, the “second frog-cat-cow thing made a very nice rock.” Now, what about the other girl with long hair and one very long leg? Got it! She “looks like she always meant to be climbing that tree” on the side of the page.

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The ink smudges at the top of the paper can be leaves, but back to the roller-skating girl. What to do with those awkwardly positioned arms? Oh dear—the pen should not have been hovering over the page. How to fix the splotch on the side of her head? Ah-hah! An old-fashioned aviator’s helmet. Or is it a swimming cap? No matter…she’s now holding a yellow balloon in her left hand and lots of strings in her right. Wow, tons of yellow balloons are at the ends of those strings!

She’s skating toward the tree with the long-legged girl, and there are a bunch of other kids playing in it too. Cool! They’re all wearing aviator helmets/swimming caps too. Some are wearing roller skates—good—and they’re erecting some kind of tent over a big branch. Wow! Look at the pink balloons and the green ones! There’s a kid riding a hot-air unicycle through the sky and a skateboarder is floating down to a ramp supported by springs in the top of the tree. Someone’s even tatting a lace banner.

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“Do you see?” They’re all waiting for the roller-skating girl to bring the yellow balloons. But let’s step back a little. “Do you see—how with each mistake she is becoming?” If we back up some more, she and the tree look so tiny and there’s a big, dark forest in the foreground. “Do you see—” Looking from way far away, doesn’t that forest look a bit like curly hair or…Oh! The top of the roller-skating girl’s cap! She’s so big now, and she’s gazing out of those green glasses at the white page where she’s drawing a small head with a nice little ear and nose and a dot for the left eye. “Do you see—who she could be?”

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Kids will be charmed by the start of the little head on the first page, begin giggling at the one too-big eye on the third page, and laugh out loud at the even bigger eye on the fifth in Corinna Luyken’s magically inventive The Book of Mistakes. As each mistake is adjusted for or inspires a new twist in the story, young readers will appreciate how creatively right the fix is and look forward to the next mistake and the next. The final pages presenting the tree full of children are so enticing that readers will want to linger over each one to find all the details. Luyken’s minimally colored drawings are funny and endearing and lead readers to question their own perspective and give free reign to their imagination.

The Book of Mistakes is a must for classrooms and highly recommended for home libraries for all those times when mistakes can be perfect conversation starters or the inspiration for…anything!

Ages 4 – 8 and up

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017 | ISBN 978-0735227927

To find a portfolio of artwork and more information about Corinna Luyken and her books visit her website.

International Creativity Month Activity

Creativity is Magnetic! Fun Cantainer

A can with a lid can make a creative kit if you fill it with magnetic pieces that can be used to make scenes, faces, or even poems. Make the magnets yourself and you can create a kit that is uniquely yours! Make a kit to put in the car too!

Supplies

Can with a lid, available at craft stores or with various types of tea
Small craft magnets and/or magnetic strips
A variety of small items such as:

Foam or felt shapes
Scrap booking stickers
Googly eyes in various sizes
Felt or heavy paper
Small charms
Small toys

Directions

To Make Scenes

Attach magnets to shapes, stickers, or small items
Arrange them into a scene or design on the side of the can

To Make Faces

Attach magnets to googly eyes
Make noses and mouths out of the felt or heavy paper
Attach magnets to facial features

To Make Poems

Use Magnetic Sheets, leaving the white paper on
Write words on the white paper
Cut out words
Arrange them into a poem on the side of the can

Store your magnetic pieces inside the can

Picture Book Review

January 14 – Organize Your Home Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Sometimes it seems that clutter multiplies while you’re not looking. The beginning of the year offers an opportunity to clean out those closets, pantries, and basements that can be breeding grounds for mess. Getting the house back in shape can be fun if you get the whole family involved. Kids will appreciate being asked for their suggestions on organizing their rooms and may have some pretty creative ideas—just like the boy in today’s book!

If I Built a House

By Chris Van Dusen

While Jack’s mother digs in the garden and their dog snoozes in the sun, Jack is reconsidering his house. It’s just like the others in the neighborhood, he says—“boxy and boring and basically bland. / It’s nothing at all like the house I have planned.” Sure, his house will have function and flow, but the rooms inside are where his real genius will show. Then with the flair of an HGTV host, Jack invites his mom in to see what he means.

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First up is the kitchen that has a mind—and arms—of its own. In this “Kitchen-O-Mat,” Jack tells his mom, “You don’t have to cook and you don’t have to clean. / It’s done by a space-age robotic machine. / It makes all the meals, and the food is deeelish. / Then it washes and puts away every last dish.” The living room is every kid’s dream of an indoor playground, with furniture that spins, a ball pit, and two trampolines.

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The bathroom is built assembly-line style with no shower or tub—just an ingenious “Scrub-a-Dub-Dub. / Just step on the belt and it washes you clean— / Even the places that you’ve never seen!” Jack’s bedroom’s a penthouse of glass in the round, with a 200-feet long twisty slide that deposits you into the Art Room through a round door in the wall. The wall is great for drawing on too, but “…don’t worry, it’s cool. / Hung way up high, on a big giant spool, / Is a huge roll of paper that hangs to the floor. / Just draw till you’re done, / Then pull down some more.”

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If you’ve ever wanted to explore outer space, Jack’s Flying Room is the place for you. With just a flip of the switch on the wall, you’re floating here and there, totally free. In Jack’s house you’d go from flying to racing in the Racetrack Room, which “features a racetrack that loops all around / with superfast go-karts that don’t make a sound.”

Are you more of a swimmer? Well, Jack’s thought of that too with a Fish Tank Room where you can snorkel and dive with turtles, stingrays, an octopus, and all sizes of fish. Tired of houses that just sit in one place? Then you’ll love the room that Jack’s left for last. “Literally speaking, this room is a BLAST! / “So welcome. Sit down, I’ll seal up the hatches. / This Plexiglass Playroom completely detaches!” Powered by jets, you can soar all around the neighborhood. For Jack, “this room is as good as it gets!”

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With all of these features and incredible rooms, Jack tells his mom, “My house will be nifty. My house will be neat. / My house will stand out as the best on the street.” Wistfully dreaming of his modern design, Jack says, “If I built a house, that’s just what I’d do.”

Chris Van Dusen knows how to tap into the mind of a child with all of its fantastic imaginings and anything-is-possible daring. Young readers will love seeing what Jack dreams up in his kid-perfect house that combines the best of features of their favorite playgrounds and attractions. Dusen’s sprightly verses pair uncommon words amid complex sentences, and the jaunty rhythm is a joy to read aloud.

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Dusen’s retro illustrations are bold and vibrant with plenty of cool and ingenious details in each room to fascinate kids. The snaking arms that busily cook in the kitchen, merry-go-round coffee table, replaceable wallpaper, and loop-de-loop racetrack offer the kinds of playful pandemonium that kids crave. If only all smart houses looked this cool.

Funny and imaginative, If I Built a House would be a lighthearted choice to inspire creativity at home or in the classroom.

Ages 3 – 7

Dial Books, 2012 | ISBN 978-0803737518

To learn more about Chris Van Dusen, his books, and his illustration work, visit his website.

Organize Your Home Day Activity

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Shark Organizer Jar

Does your room need a little organizing? This fun Shark Organizer Jar will take a bite out the messiness and make your room look awesome too!

Supplies

Wide-mouth plastic jar, like a peanut-butter jar
Gray craft paint
White craft paint
Black craft paint
Paint brush

Directions

Find a point in the middle of the jar on opposite sides of the jar
Mid-way between these points on the other sides of the jar, find a point about 1 1/2 inches above the first points
From the first point draw an angled line up to the higher point and down again to the lower point to make the shark’s upper jaw
Repeat Direction Number 3 to make the shark’s lower jaw
With the gray paint fill in the jar below these lines to make the shark’s head
Along the jawline, paint jagged teeth with the white paint
Add black dots for eyes on either side of the shark’s head
Let dry

Picture Book Review

August 5 – National Oyster Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today we celebrate the oyster—that mysterious ocean mollusk that many find delicious and that can hide a most precious gem. While some of you may honor the day with a plateful of fried or raw oysters, I’m choosing to highlight the bit of grit—that little mistake—that when it becomes embedded into the animal, creates a pearl of surprising value and uniqueness.

The Book of Mistakes

By Corinna Luyken

The Book of Mistakes is a must for classrooms and highly recommended for home libraries for all those times when mistakes can be perfect conversation starters or the inspiration for…anything!

Ages 4 – 8 and up

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017 | ISBN 978-0735227927

To find a portfolio of artwork and more information about Corinna Luyken and her books visit her website.

National Oyster Day Activity

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Secret Pearls Coloring Page

Finding a pearl in an oyster is a lucky thing! Here are two oysters brimming with shiny pearls. Grab your crayons, markers, or pencils—maybe even some glitter—and have fun with this printable Secret Pearls Coloring Page!

Picture Book Review

May 25 – National Tap Dance Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Starting out as an assignment on Congressional legislation for George Washington University graduate student Linda Christensen, Tap Dance Day has become an international celebration of this quick-stepping, staccato-rhythmed art form that is a favorite in movies, on the stage, and in dance schools. Established in 1989, Tap Dance Day brings together professionals and amateurs in shows, workshops, and tap jams around the world. Why not take in—or even perform in—a tap dance show to celebrate?

Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing

Written by Marilyn Singer | Illustrated by Kristi Valiant

The rhythms of dance and the cadence of poetry create a natural pairing as these seventeen poems that celebrate the moves, music, and thrill of dances from around the world demonstrate with toe-tapping joy.

In Cha-Cha a boy attending his Uncle Nate’s birthday party learns the cha-cha from his grandma. At first he says “I don’t / know these moves. / My fee / feel like hooves.” But then “something clicks! / Okay, it’s old school. / I say, / cha-cha’s cool!”

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Image copyright Kristi Valiant, courtesy of kristivaliant.com

While the kids at school brag about their parents’ jobs, one boy has them beat in Hip-Hop: “No fumbling, no bumbling, / my pops is tops at tumbling. / He’s elastic, so fantastic. / Papa’s so gymnastic!” But while Dad “will swipe and windmill” and “slide on his knees, / do lots of flares and coin-drops” and “boomerang and freeze,” the boy adds “…wait / until you see my mom!”

Is it meringue or Merengue? Maybe a bit of both…because doing it right means “Moving sideways, / turning wrists, / while we do / our pretzel twists. / We sway our hips, we shift our legs, like we’re whipping / lots of eggs.”

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Image copyright Kristi Valiant, test courtesy of Marilyn Singer. Courtesy of kristivaliant.com

It’s fun to let go when learning the Salsa. All you need is to “Feel the beat / in your feet, / in your heart. / Then you start.” So “Don’t be shy. / Come on try. / In this class, / show some sass.” If only shopping could be so entertaining…. But, wait! Maybe Conga is the solution. “We’re at the MALL. / I’m very BORED. / I hate the STORES, / I hate the HORDE…. / ‘Just one more SHOP’ / turns into FOUR. / I’m gonna SCREAM, / I’m gonna ROAR.” Then music starts and a line grows long—“Uh uh uh, KICK! / You cannot WHINE / when you are ON / a conga LINE! / Uh uh uh, KICK! / A flash mob BALL! / Keep shopping, MOM! / I love the MALL!”

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Image copyright Kristi Valiant, courtesy of kristivaliant.com

The library may be a quiet, staid place most of the time, but Swing Dance takes over one special library. “On the plaza in July, / underneath the summer sky / where you can get to hear good bands, / kick your feet, wave your hands, / we’re gonna swing. / That’s our new thing / We’re gonna swing!” A boy and his mom have joined lots of other dancers having fun on the square— “We step…step… / rock step. / we’re full… / of pep. / We Lindy hop. / Bibbidy-bop! / We Lindy hop!”

And for those kids who look at the Square Dance unit in PE with trepidation, this girl feels the same: “Got a partner, lost my shoe. / Allemande left? I haven’t a clue….Did that caller give a cue? / Don’t promenade me. Shoo, boy, shoo!…Bow to Francisco, bow to Sue. / One more swing. It’s over! Whew! / I tried real hard, but alas, it’s true. / I’m flunking out of square dance!”

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Image copyright Kristi Valiant, courtesy of kristivaliant.com

Other poems introduce the Foxtrot, Hora, Samba, Two-Step, Argentine Tango, Waltz, Bhangra, and Polka. Notes about each dance, giving a description, a bit of history, and basic rhythms and steps, follow the text. A CD of dance music is also included.

Marilyn Singer begins her exuberant celebration of dances from around the world with a pair of the reverso poems for which she is well known: All Over the World, Dancing is Joy and Joy is Dancing All Over the World. With this start, Singer invites readers to put on their dancing shoes and enter ballrooms, classrooms, and outdoor spaces filled with music. From birthdays to bar mitzvahs to weddings to spontaneous parties, Singer imbues each experience with the beats, steps, and sometimes missteps of dance with expressive vocabulary and humorous asides. Reading the poems aloud offers its own special treat as the meter of each poem reflects the rhythm of the dance described.

Kristi Valiant’s vibrant two-page spreads put kids in the center of the action where individuals, couples, and groups enjoy groovin’ to the music in their own style. Dancers swirl, stomp, hop, twirl, sway, dip, and kick up their heels on sunny days and under glowing nighttime light. So join in—no experience or partner necessary!

For kids who love music and dance and for those who love poetry of all kinds, Feel the Beat; Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing is a fun addition to home libraries—and may spark an interest in learning how to perform these dances.

Ages 5 – 9

Dial Books, 2017 | ISBN 978-0803740211

Discover more about Marilyn Singer and her books on her website!

View a portfolio of artwork by Kristi Valiant on her website!

Tap Dance Day Activity

Toe-Tapping Word Search Puzzle

People all around the world love to dance! Can you find the names of twenty types of dances in this printable Toe-Tapping Word Search Puzzle? Here’s the Solution!

Picture Book Review

May 7 – Lemonade Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Lemonade Day was established in 2007 in Houston, Texas by Lisa and Michael Holthouse to encourage kids to discover their inner entrepreneur and set up their own businesses. Lisa was inspired by her own experience of setting up a lemonade stand as a child to buy a pet turtle that her father refused to pay for. The main character in today’s book has similar motivations with an altruistic bent.

Caterina and the Lemonade Stand

By Erin Eitter Kono

Summertime has finally arrived, and Caterina is ready for fun. As she passes a store window, she is captivated by the shiny new scooter in the window. A quick check of her kitty bank, however, reminds her that “buying new things isn’t always so easy.” Caterina knows that money doesn’t grow on trees, but is also happily aware that lemons do. Caterina has a brainstorm: “a lemonade stand would be the perfect way to earn money for the scooter!”

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So Caterina, “a little brown bird with great big colorful thoughts,” puts her mind to the task. As she loves to do, she makes a list of what she’ll need—“lots of lemons, sweet sugar, icy-cold water, and of course…a super stand!” But Caterina looks around her. It seems that everyone has a lemonade stand, including her friends Patrick the bear, Paul Peacock, and even Dig Dig the hampster, her little brother Leo’s best friend.

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Caterina realizes that if she “is going to earn enough money to buy the scooter, her stand must stand out.” She begins to think creatively. To make her stand the most attractive and inviting, she decorates it with handmade crafts that are cozy and colorful, studs the lemons with cloves to make them aromatic, fills her booth with the music of Leo’s violin playing, and experiments with flavors.

Soon, she has a stand that is unique. A rainbow mobile fluttering with multicolored ribbons hangs next to a banner that reads: “Color your own lemonade.” Nearby sits a basketful of delicious fruit that thirsty customers can add to their glass to create an individual taste sensation. In no time, her stand has earned her “an entire bank full of coins. Just enough to buy a shiny new scooter…for Leo!”

Following the story, Caterina gives some good advice for ways to stand out that include being creative, planning well, working hard, and finding the best assistant.

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Erin Eitter Kono’s Caterina is a cutie of a role model for young readers who think differently or who want to stand out in other ways. She shows kids that by using their talents they too can reveal their own unique abilities and personalities. Adults and children will appreciate her loving relationship with her little brother, who is Caterina’s helpful assistant and the beneficiary of the money they earn. Caterina’s clever solution to her dilemma is hinted at throughout the cheery illustrations, and readers will enjoy watching Caterina’s lemonade stand come together with her handiwork.

For kids full of ideas, Caterina and the Lemonade Stand would make an adorable addition to their home home bookshelves.

Ages 3 – 5

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2014 | ISBN 978-0803739031

Learn more about Erin Eitter Kono and her books and view a portfolio of her illustration and design work on her website!

Spend more time with Caterina, Leo, and their friends on Caterina’s Corner!

Lemonade Day Activity

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Yummy Lemonade Stand Coloring Page

There’s nothing more refreshing than a glass of lemonade on a hot summer day! Enjoy coloring this printable Yummy Lemonade Stand Coloring Page—and drink a cold lemonade while you work.

Picture Book Review

April 4 – It’s National Humor Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Humor month was established to promote all things funny and to raise awareness of the benefits of laughter and joy. The health benefits of an optimistic outlook are well documented. Lightheartedness also improves communication skills and boosts morale. Reading funny books is a fantastic way to find the humor in life—for kids and adults—and to encourage a love of literature. In fact, there’s even a Funny Literacy Program that can get you started! Click here to learn more and to find a list of funny books to celebrate with. You’ll notice that the Jon Agee—the author of today’s reviewed book—is at the top of the list.

Life on Mars

By Jon Agee

A little boy travels in a rocket all the way to Mars to find life on this mysterious planet. He strolls confidently away from his ship, past craters and mountains, singularly focused on his mission even though he knows that everyone thinks he’s crazy and “nobody believes there is life on Mars.” The boy is so focused, in fact, that he doesn’t notice a head pop up from inside a crater.

As he weaves his way around the planet, the boy decides that Mars is “pretty gloomy,” and begins to doubt that anything could live there. He’s disappointed, too, because he brought chocolate cupcakes, and now it seems he’ll never get to share them. By now the pink creature is is following along behind, completely intrigued.

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The boy stops with the Martian only a half step away. I was wrong,” the boy thinks. “Mars is nothing but miles and miles of rocks and dirt! It’s obvious. Nothing could possibly live here!” Disillusioned, the boy drops his bakery box and heads back to his rocket ship, determined to return to Earth. The Martian picks up the box, the size of a chocolate chip in his four-fingered hand.

The boy wanders and wanders, but can’t find his ship. Suddenly, as the Extraterrestrial looks on, the awful truth hits him—he’s lost! “Lost on Mars, where there is no life.” In that moment, though, something catches his eye. High up in the crag of a cliff, the boy spies a yellow flower. He climbs to the top and gazes at his “amazing discovery.” As he picks the flower and turns to go, he sees his cupcake box sitting on a nearby ledge.

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He picks up the box, ignoring the fleeting conundrum of how it got there, and resumes the search for his space ship. He climbs higher onto the cliff, where an even taller rock juts skyward. “I bet I’ll get a good view from the top of that mountain,” he tells himself. He steps up onto the Martian’s backside, and happily locates his ship.

With his flower and box in hand, the boy settles into the rocket. As it roars off into space, he unties the string, thinking that he “deserves a treat” after his adventure. But where did the cupcakes go?!

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Jon Agee has such a wonderful way with quiet books in which the humor sneaks up on readers much like the alien in Life on Mars. Kids will love being in on the joke as the little astronaut wanders around the dark, lonely planet unaware that the very thing he seeks is right behind him. His discovery of the yellow flower and the moved cupcake box add suspense, and the final scene of the box full of crumbs is deliciously surprising.

The barren Martian landscape, set against the blackness of space, provides the perfect setting for the simple comic touches that propel the story. The first glimpse of the pink creature’s head in the crater sets the stage for the giggles to come, as single objects lead to the final joke. Readers will feel for the adorable creature as it copies the little astronaut’s expressions, scratches its head in bewilderment, and unwittingly becomes the stepping stone to the resolution of the boy’s search.

Ages 4 – 8

Dial Books for Young Readers, 2017 | ISBN 978-0399538520

Check out more books and illustrations by Jon Agee on his website!

Begin the humorous adventure of Life on Mars in this book trailer!

Humor Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-alien-coloring-page

Happy Alien Coloring Page

This alien is enjoying a funny joke, and you’ll enjoy coloring this printable Happy Alien Page!

Picture Book Review

About the Holiday

Tree: A Peek-Through Picture Book

By Britta Teckentrup

International Day of Forests Activity

Your Special Tree

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About the Holiday

The Book of Mistakes

By Corinna Luyken

International Creativity Month Activity

Creativity is Magnetic! Fun Cantainer

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About the Holiday

If I Built a House

By Chris Van Dusen

Organize Your Home Day Activity

Shark Organizer Jar

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About the Holiday

The Book of Mistakes

By Corinna Luyken

National Oyster Day Activity

Secret Pearls Coloring Page

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About the Holiday

Feel the Beat: Dance Poems that Zing from Salsa to Swing

Written by Marilyn Singer | Illustrated by Kristi Valiant

Tap Dance Day Activity

Toe-Tapping Word Search Puzzle

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About the Holiday

Caterina and the Lemonade Stand

By Erin Eitter Kono

Lemonade Day Activity

Yummy Lemonade Stand Coloring Page

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About the Holiday

Life on Mars

By Jon Agee

Humor Month Activity

Happy Alien Coloring Page

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