Family

February 11 – It’s Bake for Family Fun Month

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About the Holiday

Mid-winter is a perfect time to get out your favorite recipes, gather yummy ingredients, and bake with your kids! Not only does baking together teach valuable cooking skills, but it can bring a family closer. Talk about old family recipes and find new favorites. Of course the best part of baking together is eating the delicious treats afterward!

Baking Day at Grandma’s

Written by Anika Denise | Illustrated by Christopher Denise

 

Three little cubs bundle up in their winter coats, hats, scarves, and mittens and head out over the snowy hills to Grandma’s for baking day. Soon they see “past the pond so smooth and clear / little cottage drawing near.” A knock on Grandma’s door brings her closer, and when she opens the door the trio give her a kiss before entering the snug home.

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Image copyright Christopher Denise, courtesy of Philomel Books

After warming their toes by the fire, the young bears grab the cookbook, a mixing bowl, a spoon, and a whisk because “It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / at Grandma’s!” As her little bakers stand on chairs to reach the table, Grandma passes out aprons and reads the recipe. Happily crowded around the bowl, the cubs with “wooden spoon and measuring cup, / mix the batter; stir it up. / Fold it gently in the pan, / lick the spoon because we can.”

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Image copyright Christopher Denise, courtesy of Philomel Books

While they wait for their treats to bake, Grandma pours tummy-warming mugs of hot chocolate and one little bear draws a smiley face on the frosty window for a little chickadee to see. Grandma puts a record on her old Victrola, and as she sings the “soft and sweet skippy notes,” the cubs tap their feet. At last the kitchen timer rings, and the little bears dance arm in arm because “It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / at Grandma’s!”

The chocolate goodies pop from the pan, and with icing and sprinkles are ready to be wrapped and tied with a red ribbon. Other treats get pretty bags, “each one marked with little tags.” The cubs are also bundled nice and warm, and with final hugs for Grandma, they are soon “Walking home under the moon. / Back to visit Grandma soon.”

celebrate-picture-book-picture-book-review-baking-day-at-grandma's-music

Image copyright Christopher Denise, courtesy of Philomel Books

Anika Denise’s sweet, rhyming story is as heartwarming as a cozy kitchen on a cold day. The buoyant rhythm is a joy to read, and Denise’s infectious repeated verse, “It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / It’s baking day! / at Grandma’s!” invites little ones to join in the story. The bond between the three cubs and their grandma is full of love and hugs, and just like the young bears, readers will want to return again and again to Grandma’s house.

Christopher Denise infuses his winter landscapes and Grandma’s house with rich, warm colors that welcome readers into this special family baking day. The three cubs, wrapped in green coats and red knit caps, march with their sled over brilliant white snowy hills between their house and Grandma’s tidy log cabin. Inside, the rooms glow with golden sunshine, and it’s easy to see why the cubs love their attentive grandma so as she gently guides them in baking.

Newly available as a board book, Baking Day at Grandma’s is a book that young children will love to hear over and over at story time, naptime, or bedtime. It would also make an appreciated gift to or from a grandmother.

Ages 2 – 5

Philomel Books, 2016 | ISBN 978-0399171574 (board book) / 978-0399242441 (hardcover)

Learn more about Anika Denise and her books and find Reader Engagement and Activity Kits on her website!

Discover the illustrated world of Christopher Denise on his website!

Spend time baking with Grandma with this sweet book trailer!

Bake for Family Fun Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cupcakes

Very Vanilla Cupcakes

 

This delicious vanilla cupcake recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction would definitely please Grandma—and they’ll become your favorite confection too!

Vanilla Cupcakes

  • 1 and 2/3 cup (210g) all-purpose flour (spoon & leveled)
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
  • 2 large egg whites
  • 1/4 cup (60g) vanilla Greek yogurt (or plain; or regular yogurt; or even sour cream)
  • 3/4 cup (180ml) vanilla almond milk (or cow’s milk; or soy milk; or plain almond milk)
  • 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract seeds scraped from 1/2 split vanilla bean1

Vanilla Bean Frosting

  • 1 cup (230g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 4-5 cups (480-600g) confectioners’ sugar
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream2
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract seeds scraped from 1/2 split vanilla bean1
  • Salt, to taste

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Line muffin tin with 12 cupcake liners. Set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside. In a large microwave-safe bowl, melt butter in the microwave. Whisk in sugar – mixture will be gritty. Whisk in egg whites, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract until combined. Split 1 vanilla bean down the middle lengthwise. Scrape seeds from half of the vanilla bean into batter. Reserve other half.
  3. Slowly mix dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until no lumps remain. Batter will be thick.
  4. Divide batter among 12 cupcake liners (or 24 mini) and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Bake for 8-9 minutes if making mini cupcakes. Allow to cool.
  5. To make the frosting, beat softened butter on medium speed with an electric or stand mixer. Beat for about 3 minutes until smooth and creamy. Add confectioners’ sugar, cream, vanilla extract, and vanilla bean seeds with the mixer running. Increase to high speed and beat for 3 minutes. Add more powdered sugar if frosting is too thin or more cream if mixture is too thick. Add salt if frosting is too sweet (1/4 teaspoon). Frost cooled cupcakes (I used Wilton 1M piping tip). There may be leftover frosting depending how much you use on each cupcake.
  6. Store cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days and in the refrigerator up to 7.

Additional Notes

  1. If you can’t get your hands on vanilla beans, add an extra ½ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract instead.
  2. Strongly urged to use heavy cream. You may use milk or half-and-half, but heavy cream will give the frosting a thicker texture. I recommend it!

For ways to adapt this recipe and more scrumptious recipes, visit Sally’s Baking Addiction. I guarantee you’ll go back again and again!

Picture Book Review

February 10 – It’s Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week

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About the Holiday

Today I’m celebrating Children’s Authors and Illustrators Week with a humorous book by a debut author whose story embodies the universal themes of Multicultural Children’s Book Day. Her story is a bright reminder that life is better when we embrace the wonderful diversity all around us.

Anything But Pink

By Adelina Winfield

 

Not long ago in a nearby city—it might even have been yours—a couple was waiting for their little girl to be born. One night under a starlit sky, her mommy and daddy were inspired to call their precious one Starri. Starri’s “parents had big dreams about what she would be like,” but none of those things involved the color pink. In fact, when guests were invited to Starri’s baby shower they were told, “‘Please don’t bring anything Pink. Nope, Not one thing!’”  

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-anything-but-pink-baby-shower

Image and text copyright Adelina Winfield, courtesy of Adelina Winfield

They were encouraged to bring “‘blue gifts, green gifts, purple gifts, yellow gifts, and rainbow gifts,’” but nothing pink. Why? Starri’s mom said, “‘all baby girls wear pink, and we want our baby girl to be different.’” So the decorations and cupcakes were “red, green, purple, and aqua, and friends and family brought a rainbow of blankets, bouncers, bassinets, toys, clothes, and diapers. But there was not one dot of pink. “Nope. No pink at all.”

Mommy and Daddy took all those presents home and decorated their baby girl’s nursery in “yellow, grey, aqua, and orange.” Pretty soon Starri was born, and she was “as bright as her name.” As an infant Starri was wrapped in green and yellow; she crawled in lavender onesies; she took her first steps in peach and blue; and she greeted the world in a bold red dress. But she never, ever wore anything pink. “Nope. Not one thing.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-anything-but-pink-starri

Image and text copyright Adelina Winfield, courtesy of Adelina Winfield

But one day Starri told her mom and dad that she wanted to wear a pink dress. Their astonished faces said it all. And Starri didn’t want just one pink dress, she wanted a pink tutu, “pink nail polish, pink shoes, pink ice cream, pink cake, pink leggings, and pink sunglasses. A pink room with pink walls, and a pink dresser with a pink lamp on a pink night table.” Yep, she wanted everything pink. And so it happened.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-anything-but-pink-starri's-pink-bedroom

Image and text copyright Adelina Winfield, courtesy of Adelina Winfield

There was not one inch of Starri’s life that was not pink. She wore pink at playtime, somersaulted in pink, sat on the pink spot on the classroom reading rug, and “of course had a pink birthday party.” One day as Starri once again clothed herself head to toe in pink, her mom stopped her. “‘Wearing all pink is boring,’” she said. But Starri didn’t believe it. How could pink be boring when there was “bubble gum pink, candy pink, magenta, rose, fuchsia, flamingo pink, watermelon pink, and hot pink?” Pink was not boring. “Nope, not one bit!”

“‘But honey,’” her mom and dad said, “‘variety is the spice of life,’” and they showed her how all the beautiful colors of the rainbow could “live together with pink.” Starri loved this idea, and so now when you see her, she’s still wearing pink, but she’s welcomed other colors into her life as well!

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-anything-but-pink-starri's parents

Image and text copyright Adelina Winfield, courtesy of Adelina Winfield

If you have ever been a little girl, had a little girl, or even just known a little girl, Adelina Winfield’s Anything But Pink will resonate and make you smile. Despite parent’s preferences, protestations, and prohibitions, pink creeps then gallops into girls’ lives in a million different ways. Winfield’s repetition of a rainbow of colors and the fervently hopeful “Nope, no pink at all. Not one thing” makes her story all the funnier as adults surely know what’s coming and young readers will cheer when Pink finally makes its appearance. I laughed out loud when I turned to the pages after Starri embraces pink as it took me back to when my own daughter, who having earlier rejected pink for green, suddenly wanted a pink room, pink lamp, pink clothes, and even wall stickers exactly like the colorful circles that dot Winfield’s endpapers.

There is a joyous quality to Winfield’s stylish illustrations as Starri’s parents prepare for their baby amid vibrant images that express the dreams they share for their child. When adorable, curly-haired Starri comes along, she happily wears what her parents give her until the moment when she asserts her independence and with personality and flair enters the monochromatic world of pink. The story is infused with a sweet tone shown in the loving relationship between Starri’s parents as they stand close together, walk with their arms around each other, and even have priceless matching expressions the first time the dreaded P word is uttered. Their relationship with Starri is likewise affectionate. When their daughter does discover pink, they support her, only later guiding her to consider a more global perspective.

Anything But Pink is a cute story for all lovers of the color pink and would make an appreciated baby shower or birthday gift and a much-asked-for story time or bedtime read.

Ages 3 – 8

CreateSpace Independent Publishing, 2016 | ISBN 978-1541103672

Anything But Pink is available on Amazon

You can follow Anything But Pink on Instagram

About Adelina Winfield

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-Adelina-Winfield-picture

Adelina is an all around artist and an eternally creative spirit. She spent several years as a Fashion Designer in New York’s garment district, designing children’s clothing for labels such as Guess Jeans, JayZ’s Rocawear brand, and Tina Knowles’ Dereon line. This design experience allowed her to globe trot, where she spotted the latest trends throughout Europe and Asia. Her eclectic upbringing in Brooklyn, NY, worldwide travel, and many years in the fashion business has served as a canvas for her current creative expression: writing. Now living in another creative city, Austin, Texas, Adelina has married her artistic and writing talents in her first children’s book, Anything But Pink. 

Children’s Authors & Illustrators Week Activity

CPB - Rainbow Crayon Art 3

Crayon Rainbow Art

 

With this cool project you can create an art piece that’s as colorful as a rainbow and as unique as you are! Adult help is needed for children.

Supplies

  • Box of 24 crayons
  • White foam board or thick poster board, 8 inches by 17 inches
  • A small piece of corrugated cardboard, about 5 inches by 5 inches (a piece of the foam board can also be used for this step)
  • A small piece of poster board, about 5 inches by 5 inches
  • Scissors
  • X-acto knife (optional)
  • Hot glue gun
  • Hair dryer
  • Old sheets or towels, newspapers, a large box, or a trifold display board

CPB - Rainbow Crayon Art 2

CPB - Rainbow Crayon Art 1 (2)

Directions

  1. Remove the various red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and violet hued crayons from the box of crayons
  2. Strip the paper from the crayons by slicing the paper with the x-acto knife, or removing it by hand
  3. Line them up in order at the top of the white foam board
  4. Glue the crayons with their tips facing down to the board with the hot glue gun
  5. Cut an umbrella or other shape of your choice from the poster board
  6. Trace the umbrella or other shape onto the corrugated cardboard or a piece of the foam board and cut out
  7. Glue the poster board shape onto the corrugated cardboard, let dry
  8. Glue the umbrella or other shape to the foam board, about 4 ½ inches below the crayons
  9. Set up a space to melt the crayons. The wax will fly, so protect the floor and walls by placing the art piece in a large box or hanging newspapers, old sheets or towels on the walls and placing newspapers on the floor. A trifold display board and newspapers works well.
  10. Stand the art piece upright with the crayons at the top
  11. With the hot setting of the hair dryer, blow air at the crayons until they start to melt
  12. Move the hair dryer gently back and forth across the line of crayons from a distance of about 6 to 12 inches away. The closer you are to the crayons, the more they will splatter
  13. The crayons will begin to melt and drip downward
  14. You can experiment with aiming the hair dryer straight on or at an angle to mix colors
  15. Wax that drips onto the umbrella or other shape can be chipped off after it dries or wiped off to create a “watercolor” effect on the shape
  16. Once the hair dryer is turned off, the wax cools and dries quickly
  17. Hang or display your art!

About Multicultural Children’s Book Day

Multicultural Children’s Book Day 2017 (1/27/17) is its fourth year and was founded by Valarie Budayr from Jump Into A Book and Mia Wenjen from PragmaticMom. Our mission is to raise awareness on the ongoing need to include kid’s books that celebrate diversity in home and school bookshelves while also working diligently to get more of these types of books into the hands of young readers, parents and educators. 

Despite census data that shows 37% of the US population consists of people of color, only 10% of children’s books published have diversity content. Using the Multicultural Children’s Book Day holiday, the MCBD Team are on a mission to change all of that.

Current Sponsors:  MCBD 2017 is honored to have some amazing Sponsors on board. Platinum Sponsors include Scholastic, Barefoot Books and Broccoli. Other Medallion Level Sponsors include heavy-hitters like Author Carole P. Roman, Audrey Press, Candlewick Press,  Fathers Incorporated, KidLitTV, Capstone Young Readers, ChildsPlayUsa, Author Gayle Swift, Wisdom Tales Press, Lee& Low Books, The Pack-n-Go Girls, Live Oak Media, Author Charlotte Riggle, Chronicle Books and Pomelo Books

Author Sponsors include: Karen Leggett Abouraya, Veronica Appleton, Susan Bernardo, Kathleen Burkinshaw, Delores Connors, Maria Dismondy, D.G. Driver, Geoff Griffin,  Savannah Hendricks, Stephen Hodges, Carmen Bernier-Grand,Vahid Imani, Gwen Jackson,  Hena, Kahn, David Kelly, Mariana Llanos, Natasha Moulton-Levy, Teddy O’Malley, Stacy McAnulty,  Cerece Murphy, Miranda Paul, Annette Pimentel, Greg Ransom, Sandra Richards, Elsa Takaoka, Graciela Tiscareño-Sato,  Sarah Stevenson, Monica Mathis-Stowe SmartChoiceNation, Andrea Y. Wang

We’d like to also give a shout-out to MCBD’s impressive CoHost Team who not only hosts the book review link-up on celebration day, but who also work tirelessly to spread the word of this event. View our CoHosts HERE.

MCBD Links to remember:

MCBD site: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/

Free Multicultural Books for Teachers: http://bit.ly/1kGZrta

Free Kindness Classroom Kit for Homeschoolers, Organizations, Librarians and Educators: http://multiculturalchildrensbookday.com/teachers-classroom-kindness-kit/

Free Diversity Book Lists and Activities for Teachers and Parents: http://bit.ly/1sZ5s8i

Picture Book Review

February 8 – Kite Flying Day

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About the Holiday

If you live in a cold climate and cabin fever has set in or if you live in a warm climate and want to get out and enjoy the day, why not take the opportunity of today’s holiday and go fly a kite? Whether you’re steering a simple diamond or a fancy dragon, watching a kite dip and soar through the sky is an exhilarating experience!

Red Kite, Blue Kite

Written by Ji-li Jiang | Illustrated by Greg Ruth

 

“I love to fly kites,” young Tai Shan relates, but not he’s while standing on the ground. Instead, because his city is so crowded, his Baba and he climb to the peak of their triangular roof where they are “above but still under, neither here nor there. We are free, like the kites.” While they fly their kites—red for Tai Shan and blue for Baba—Baba tells stories, and Tai Shan feels as if he is soaring through the clouds, “looking down at the dotted houses” and wanting to stay up there forever.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-red-kite-blue-kite-Tai-Shan-and-Baba-fly-kites

copyright Greg Ruth, courtesy of Disney-Hyperion

But one day dark times descend. Tai Shan’s school and many others are shuttered. Baba is taken away by men in red arm bands and sent to work in a labor camp. Tai Shan is sent to live with Granny Wang, a farmer who lives in a village next to the labor camp. A thick forest separates Tai Shan and Baba. During the day Granny Wang teaches Tai Shan how to make straw grasshoppers and spin cotton and lets him ride her buffalo. At night Tai Shan dreams of flying kites from the rooftop with his father.

On Sundays Baba walks for hours to visit Tai Shan. He spends time telling stories and playing with his son and his friends. Then they climb the hill and fly kites, Tai Shan’s red one following Baba’s blue. “The kites hop and giggle as they rise and dive, soaring and lunging together.” At the end of the day, Baba returns to the labor camp for another week. In the autumn Baba tells Tai Shan that he won’t be able to visit for a long time. But he has a clever plan—a way that he and Tai Shan can see each other.

Baba gives his son a new red kite and tells him to fly it from the hill each morning. He will see it from his camp. In the evening Baba will fly his blue kite so that Tai Shan can see it. Tai Shan likes the idea of this “secret signal.” The next morning Tai Shan runs to the hill and launches his kite, knowing that “Baba is smiling as he watches the red kite dancing.” In the evening he returns to the hill, and after a long wait “Baba’s blue kite sways into the white clouds.”

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copyright Greg Ruth, courtesy of Disney-Hyperion

Every day Tai Shan sends his father a silent message—“‘How are you, Baba? I miss you.’” and “Baba’s blue kite swirls and circles, replying, ‘I miss you, too, little Tai Shan.’” Autumn is coming to a close, but still Baba does not visit. One day no blue kite appears in the sky. The next day and the next no kite appears either. Tai Shan asks Granny Wang to take him to the camp to see Baba. If there is no kite on the fourth day they will go, Granny Wang promises.

That night Tai Shan dreams about the thick forest and hears Baba whisper, “‘Tai Shan, I saw your red kite fly so high.’” But these words are not in a dream, Baba is there. But Baba is not home to stay. Hurriedly, he gives Tai Shan his blue kite, telling him that he will not be able to fly it for a while. He asks Tai Shan to fly both kites and know that he is looking up and thinking about his son. Suddenly, men with red armbands rush in and take Baba away. Tai Shan tries to run after him, but Granny Wang holds him back.

Tai Shan cries and does not understand. Granny Wang explains that Baba is being sent to another labor camp far away because the authorities don’t agree with his ideas. During the three days when he didn’t fly his blue kite, Granny Wang says, Baba had been imprisoned. He had escaped and run all the way to see Tai Shan before he was taken away. Now Tai Shan flies the two kites every day and thinks of being together with Baba.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-red-kite-blue-kite-Baba-gives-kite

copyright Greg Ruth, courtesy of Disney-Hyperion

One summer afternoon, Tai Shan dozes while he allows his red kite to dip and soar in the clouds. When he opens his eyes, he sees dozens of red and blue kites in the sky. Tai Shan jumps up. He sees Baba smiling at him and “holding the string of a huge blue kite dancing in the sky.” Tai Shan’s friends are also smiling and flying their new kites. Tai Shan runs to Baba, and Baba runs toward Tai Shan. The sky “is filled with kites—red and blue. They hop and giggle and cheer as they rise and dive, soaring and lunging together. They are free, flying everywhere.”

An Author’s Note about the Chinese Cultural Revolution follows the text.

Inspired by the story of a family friend whose father was sent to a labor camp during the Chinese Cultural Revolution between 1966 and 1976, Ji-li Jiang wrote Red Kite, Blue Kite “for the many fathers and sons who suffered during that turmoil.” Jiang’s story is a universal and relevant reminder of the precious freedoms of thought and speech that need constant and vigilant protection. Through her sensitive storytelling and lyrical language, Jiang offers a story of understanding, hope, and infinite love that will fill readers’ hearts.

Greg Ruth’s stunning paintings show all the emotion of Jiang’s story through exquisite, realistic portraits of Tai Shan, Baba, and Granny Wang. The distinctive landscapes of China are rendered in colorful foregrounds set on gauzy backgrounds of rising hills. Smoky images of the followers of the Cultural Revolution mirrors the darkness and destruction of the time in a way that is understandable for the young audience. The final two-page spread of Tai Shan and Baba’s reunion amid dozens of red and blue kites is inspiring and full of the strength of the human spirit.

Red Kite, Blue Kite is a must for school and public libraries and makes an excellent addition to home libraries as well.

Ages 5 – 9

Disney-Hyperion, 2013 | ISBN 978-1423127536

For a downloadable Educator’s Guide click here.

Learn more about Ji-li Jiang and her books on her website!

Find galleries of books and illustration for children and adults plus lots more on Greg Ruth’s website!

Kite Flying Day Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-kite-maze

Soaring Kite Maze

 

The dips and rises your pencil takes through this maze is a little like the way a kite flies through the sky! Print your Soaring Kite Maze and enjoy!

Picture Book Review

February 5 – National Weatherperson’s Day

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About the Holiday

When you flip on the weather report in the morning, do you ever wonder who the first weather reporter was? Well, In America that honor may well go to native Bostonian John Jeffries, who was born on this date in 1745 and who in 1774 began measuring the weather and making others aware of its importance. In 1784 he became the first to gather weather information during a hot-air balloon flight over London. If meteorological science is your thing, enjoy this day—and this poem by an anonymous British poet:

Whether the weather be fine
Or whether the weather be not,
Whether the weather be cold
Or whether the weather be hot,
We’ll weather the weather
Whatever the weather,
Whether we like it or not.

When the Wind Blows

Written by Linda Booth Sweeney | Illustrated by Jana Christy

 

A little boy peeks out of his rattling window as the wind sends chimes ringing and doors creeaaaking. Jumbled into their jackets the boy’s mom, baby sister, and grandmother go out to enjoy the day. They fly a kite while nearby bells clang and walkers stroll hand in hand. In the sweeping wind “Trees dance. / Spiders curl. / Mice shiver. / Leaves swirl.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-when-the-wind-blows-chase

Image copyright Jana Christy, text copyright Linda Booth Sweeney. Courtesy of G. P. Putnam Sons

When the wind snatches the kite, the boy and his grandma chase after it amid clouds racing across the sky and seeds scattering to and fro. Running after the kite through waving beach grass, the family sees “Sails puff. / Boats wobble. / Gulls float. / buoys bobble.” Their pursuit takes them into town where they track down their kite lying on a sidewalk. When the wind blows on these narrow seaside village lanes, “Signs shake. / Lights jiggle. / Puddles splosh. / We giggle.”

With the kite safely in hand the foursome ventures to the park for some rolling, swaying, whirling play. But the day is graying—“Skies darken. / Thunder BOOMS. / Rain falls. / We zoom!” Back at home all is cozy as the family dries off and the little boy takes a bath. Tucked into bed the little boy and his mom cuddle while their pets curl up on the blankets. As they sleep, “Skies clear. / Stars gleam. / Earth sleeps. / We dream.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-when-the-wind-blows-city

Image copyright Jana Christy, courtesy of G. P. Putnam Sons

Linda Booth Sweeney’s charming tale of a day spent in the midst of a windy day perfectly captures the sights and sounds of such a gusty natural event. Sweeney’s eye for detail and talent for evocative verbs elevate the two-word lines in these short verses, letting readers fully experience the effects of a wild squall. Kids will appreciate the original imagery and love repeating the lyrical lines.

The blustery wind is evident in Jana Christy’s vibrant pastel illustrations, where clouds swirl in scribbles, flowers bow, and buffeted grasses protect small creatures. Everywhere, the wind flutters head scarves and clothing, bends signs, and tears hats and kites from unsuspecting hands. As rain approaches Christy’s skies acquire a gray, gauzy texture, and when the family again reaches home, the colors turn warm and bright, as comforting as a cup of tea or hot chocolate. Readers will be rewarded for lingering over the beautiful pages by seeing details and people carried over from page to page, uniting the story.

Ages 3 – 6

G. P. Putnam’s Sons, Penguin Group, 2015 | ISBN 978-0399160158

Meet Linda Booth Sweeney and find fun activities to extend the fun of When the Wind Blows on her Children’s Books website. You can find detailed information as well as videos, podcasts, and activities about her Systems work on lindaboothsweeney.net.

Learn more about Jana Christy and view galleries of her children’s books and illustration and sculpture work on her website.

Watch this windblown book trailer by animator Xin Xin and Linda Booth Sweeney.

National Weatherperson’s Day Activity

CPB - Windsock

Catch the Wind! Windsock Craft

 

You can feel the wind in your hair and see it blowing through the trees, but can you actually catch it? You can with this easy-to-make windsock!

Supplies

  • 1 large yogurt container (32 oz) or 1-pound deli salad container
  • 1 long-sleeve T-shirt
  • Strong glue
  • Dowel, 5/8 diameter x 48-inches long or longer
  • String
  • Rubber band
  • sewing seam ripper or cuticle scissors
  • X-acto knife
  • Scissors

Directions

  1. Remove the sleeve from a long-sleeve t-shirt with the seam ripper or cuticle scissors
  2. Cut the shoulder off the sleeve by cutting straight across from the underarm seam
  3. Cut 2 inches from the bottom of the yogurt container OR cut the bottom out of the deli container with the x-acto knife or scissors
  4. With the x-acto knife or scissors, make a hole a little smaller than the diameter of the dowel about 1 inch from the rim of the container
  5. Slide the container into the large opening of the sleeve
  6. Fold about a ¾ -inch edge over the rim of the container and attach all along the rim with strong glue
  7. Put the rubber band around the outside edge of the opening
  8. Tie the bottom of the sleeve’s cuff together with the string
  9. To attach the dowel: Option 1: leaving the t-shirt in place, push the dowel and material through the hole in the container. The t-shirt material will hold the dowel in place (I used this option).  Option 2: cut a small hole in the t-shirt at the location of the hole in the container. Push the dowel through this hole and the hole in the container. Secure with strong glue
  10. Stick your windsock in the ground in an open area where it can catch the wind. As the wind changes direction, you can turn your windsock so the opening faces the wind.

Picture Book Review

January 27 – It’s Creativity Month

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About the Holiday

January is a time for reflection and new beginnings. What better time to start thinking creatively and finding your inner artist, scientist, inventor, thinker? Go ahead and do the thing you’ve always wanted to do!

Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt

Written by Patricia C. McKissack | Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera

In this story told through poems, a little girl begins telling of her life, starting with a recitation on Gee’s Bend Women: “Gee’s Bend women are / Mothers and Grandmothers / Wives / Sisters and Daughters / Widows.” They are every kind of woman you know, doing every type of work and activity. “Gee’s Bend women are / Talented and Creative / Capable / Makers of artful quilts / Unmatched. / Gee’s Bend women are / Relatives / Neighbors / Friends— / Same as me.”

In Who Would Have Thought, the girl muses on how perceptions change. “For as long as anyone can remember,” she says, the women of Gee’s Bend, Alabama have created quilts that were slept under, sat on, and wrapped around the sick or cold. But now those same quilts are “…hanging on museum walls, / their makers famous….”

When she was just a tot “Baby Girl” reveals in Beneath the Quilting Frame, she played under the quilting frame, listening to her “mama, grandma, and great-gran / as they sewed, talked, sang, and laughed / above my tented playground.” She remembers the “steady fingers  /[that] pieced together colorful scraps of familiar cloth / into something / more lovely / than anything they had been before” as her mother sang her a lullaby.

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Image copyright Cozbi A. Cabrera, courtesy of Random House Books for Young Readers

In Something Else, “Baby Girl” is growing too big to play beneath the frame. Her legs becoming longer and her mind full of “recipes for eleven kinds of jelly…how to get rid of mold…and the words to a hundred hymns and gospel songs” while she waits her turn at the frame. Finally, in Where to Start? her time comes. The girl asks her mama how to begin and she answers, “‘Look for the heart. / When you find the heart, / your work will leap to life… / strong, beautiful, and… / independent.’”

In Remembering, the girl thinks about how her mama has told her that “cloth has a memory.” As she chooses the cloth that will become her quilt she sees the life and the history in each. 

Nothing Wasted sees Grandma pulling apart a red-and-white gingham dress stitch by stitch to become a quilting square that the girl suddenly knows “will be the heart of my quilt.” In Puzzling the Pieces the girl and her grandma stand over the quilting frame fitting the squares together in the perfect way to tell the girl’s story. Her quilt comes together piece by piece to tell the history of Gee’s Bend in The River Island. The brown strips along three sides mirror the muddy waters surrounding her town. The fourth side is a green strip—“a symbol of the fields where my ancestors / worked cotton from can to can’t— / can see in the morning until / can’t see at night.” Lined up next to the green strip are six squares representing the small communities “where families with / the same name / are not kin by blood / but by plantation.”

Being Discovered is portrayed with “a large smoke-gray square”—the color of the Great Depression and the 15 minutes of fame Gee’s Bend garnered when discovered “by sociologists, historians, / educators, and journalists” who came and went, leaving Gee’s Bend “the way it had been / before being discovered.”

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Image copyright Cozbi A. Cabrera, courtesy of Random House Books for Young Readers

In Colors, the girl’s grandma explains the meanings and feelings behind each colored cloth. “Blue cools. / Red is loud and hard to control, / like fire and a gossiping tongue.” Green, orange, yellow, white, pink, and all the others have their own personalities. “Grandma says, / ‘Colors show how you / feel deep down inside.’”

In Pinky, the harrowing facts of the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama frame the story of one marcher, Mr. Willie Quill who broke horses for the Alabama State Mounted Patrol and was saved from the Police attacks when one of the horses he’d trained knew his voice. In Dr. King Brings Hope, the little girl adds a “Patch of bright pink / to remember Pinky’s story. / Next to it I sew / a spotless white patch for the hope Dr. Martin Luther King / brought to the Bend” and goes on to tell how her grandma saw Dr. King at Pleasant Grove Baptist Church and what it meant to her.

By and By follows the girl as she adds “golden thank-yous, for James Reeb,” a “bright blue piece of velvet for Viola Liuzzo,” and a “big plaid people circle of white, black, brown, yellow, and red for Reverend Dr. King, all “killed for believing in justice.”

In the 1960s, The Sewing Bee tells, Gee’s Bend quilters were once again discovered. There were buyers for the handmade quilts, but stipulations. The girl asks her grandma if she was part of the Bee, to which she replies, “‘Yes, / more money. Less freedom. I chose to stay free.’”

At last all of the patches are laid out and the time comes to stitch the girl’s quilt. Five women stand at the frame “all stitchin’ and pullin.’” They work “in a slow and steady rhythm” relaxing and enjoying being together until the quilt is finished. In Finished, the last stitch is sewn, and the thread bitten and knotted. The girl has hundreds of ideas for future quilts. “Quilts that are about me, / the place where I live, / and the people / who have been here for generations.”

Further poems unite the history of “Baby Girl,” her family, and neighbors, and an Author’s Note about quilting and the women of Gee’s Bend follow the text.

Patricia McKessack’s free verse poems capture the close relationships and camaraderie of the generations of women who join around the quilting frame to share and pass down their art and their heart. McKessack’s conversational verses, on page after page like the patches of a quilt, reveal the complexity of this handmade art form in the way intimate talks between friends unveil a life. Readers learn not only about the little girl and her own thoughts, but the history and influence of her immediate family, world events, inspirational figures, and deeply held beliefs that make her who she is and ties her to the other Gee’s Bend women.

Cozbi A. Cabrera’s stunning acrylic paintings take readers inside the heart of the Gee’s Bend women, depicting the girl’s home, the table-sized quilting frame where the women collectively work, the plantations, the protests, and the changes that came but did not unravel the convictions, values, and love of the little girl’s family. Readers can almost hear the talking and singing of the Gee’s Bend women as they stitch their quilts, and the comforting, embracing environment is evident on every page. Cabrera’s portraits of the little girl, her mama, and her grandma are particularly moving. For What Changed, Cabrera depicts a yellow school bus appearing on the dirt road from the right hand corner of the page. In the side mirror a dot of a house comes into view, reminding readers that no matter how far these women are from home, Gee’s Bend is always with them.

Children—and adults—will find Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt inspirational and uplifting. This volume of poetry can be read at one sitting and delved into again and again, making it a wonderful choice for home libraries and a must for school, public, and other libraries.

Ages 5 – 12

Dragonfly Books, Random House, 2016 (paperback edition) | ISBN 978-0399549502

View a gallery  of fashion designs, dolls, and other handmade art work by Cozbi A. Cabrera on her website!

Creativity Month Activity

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Design a Quilt Coloring Pages

Quilts are so much more than pieces of material sewn together—they’re life stories! Here are two quilt coloring pages for you to design and color. What does each piece mean to you? As you color each section, write a sentence about an event or thought that is important to you.

Quilt Template 1 | Quilt Template 2

Picture Book Review

January 6 – Cuddle Up Day

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About the Holiday

As the cooler days of December turn into the colder days of January, Cuddle Up Day reminds us that snuggling up with someone you love warms us and warms our hearts. Children especially love the comfort and security that close hugs bring. Today, get your comfy clothes on, pour a mug of hot chocolate or tea, and cuddle up together with a good book!

You Belong to Me

By Mamoru Suzuki

 

The emotions of parents and other caregivers of children escape from the heart on the very first page of this gentle, spoken lullaby: “I love you so much.” On the second page, listeners discover why: “You are my favorite person in the whole world.” As the pages flow, the reader continues to reassure the child of the constancy of their love. Devotion is shown when the adult spends time with their child, watches out for them, and takes them to activities, play dates, and even, perhaps on flights of fancy.

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Image and text copyright Mamoru Suzuki, courtesy of Museyon Press

Through the words on the pages, the reader encourages the child to “come to me whenever you are lonely” or “whenever you can’t sleep” and promises that “I’ll hug you when you are sad.” Comfort comes in many forms—from drying tears to stroking hair—and from the many people who love the child.

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In fact, all of the people in the child’s life agree that “we all love you” and that they will be there “whenever,” “wherever,” and “however” the child needs them. But the deepest love of all is found in the heart of the reader who confirms “I love you most of all, because…you belong to me.”

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Mamoru Suzuki’s sweet hug of a book gives parents and caregivers the tender words that overflow in their hearts coupled with endearing illustrations of various animals nuzzling, snuggling, protecting, and comforting a small child. The mellow colors and chiffon texture of the images are at once soothing and stirring, wonderfully mirroring the mixture of emotions that make love for a child so profound.

You Belong to Me is a cuddle to keep on your child’s bookshelf for those times when you want to tell them how much you love them.

Ages birth – 5

Museyon, 2016 | ISBN 978-1940842127

Cuddle Up Day Activity

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Snuggle Buddy Craft

 

It’s easy to make your own snuggle buddy with a few pieces of fleece, some fiber fill, and a needle and thread or fabric glue. The great thing about creating your own friend is you can personalize your pal anyway you want!

Supplies

  • 1 8-inch by 11-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the body (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project). A larger piece of fleece can be used to make a larger buddy
  • 1 5-inch by 8-inch piece of fleece in the color or your choice for the hair (or scraps if you have some from an earlier project)
  • 1 small piece of fleece or other material for a pocket, clothes, or blanket
  • Small scraps of fleece or other material for the face
  • Fiber Fill
  • Thread and sewing needle OR fabric glue
  • Scissors

Directions

To Make the Body

  1. Fold the large piece of fleece in half lengthwise and sew along the open side and along the bottom. Alternatively, if using a larger size piece of fleece, fold upward and sew or glue the two sides closed.
  2. Turn the form inside out

To Make the Hair

  1. Cut a piece of fleece as wide as your buddy and about 7 – 8 inches long
  2. Fold the fleece lengthwise
  3. Insert both ends of the fleece into the opening at the top of the body
  4. Sew or glue the opening shut, securing the hair
  5. Cut strips about ¼-inch wide from the top of the hair to close to where the hair is sown into the body

To Make a Pocket or Clothes

  1. Cut a piece of fleece in the shape of a pocket, shirt, pants, diaper, or blanket
  2. Sew or glue the pocket or clothes to the buddy

To Make the Face

  1. Cut eyes, a nose, and a mouth in whatever way you would like your buddy to look. (My buddy is sleeping.)
  2. Sew or glue the face to the buddy
  3. Snuggle up!

Picture Book Review

December 26 – Kwanzaa

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About the Holiday

Today’s holiday is celebrating it’s 50th anniversary this year. Kwanzaa was established in 1966 by Dr. Maulana Karenga, professor and chairman of Black Studies at California State University, Long Beach as a way to unite African-Americans as a community. Derived from the Swahili phrase matunda ya kwanza, which translates as “first fruits,” Kwanzaa incorporates aspects of several African harvest celebrations. The seven-day holiday is observed from December 26 through January 1, and as the little boy in today’s book relates, offers excitement, togetherness, and meaningful reflection.

Kevin’s Kwanzaa

Written by Lisa Bullard | Illustrated by Constanza Basaluzzo

 

Surrounded by red, green, yellow, and black paper and his craft supplies, Kevin is excited to be making decorations for his family’s Kwanzaa celebration. “Mom says it celebrates our African American culture,” Kevin says. Together, Kevin and his mom set the table. First, his mom lays down a mat. Then Kevin adds the candleholder and the special Kwanzaa candles while his mom adds a bowl of fruit and vegetables. “There’s an ear of corn for each kid,” Kevin explains. “Next comes the unity cup. Didn’t I do a great job decorating it? We put out presents too! Now we’re ready for Kwanzaa,” he adds with pride.

On the first night of Kwanzaa, Kevin’s family gathers at the table as Kevin’s grandfather lights the first candle—the black candle in the center of the candleholder. Each night another candle will be lit. Kevin can’t wait for his turn on the last night. After the candle lighting, “Grandpa explains the Kwanzaa word for the first day. Every day has a special word in Swahili,” Kevin says. The first word is Umoja, which means unity, or “sticking together as a group.”

Grandpa explains that “sticking together is why Kwanzaa began.” The holiday was created by Dr. Maulana Karenga in 1966, who wanted African Americans to “feel proud of their shared African background.”  Each night another family member lights candles, so Kevin watches closely to be ready for his turn. On the third night, Kevin’s mom lights the candles, and the principle word is Ujima or “collective work and responsibility.” The family talks “about helping one another solve problems”—like Kevin’s “messy bedroom problem.” The fifth night belongs to Kevin’s brother, and the family discusses their goals to help the community. Kevin says that he has two goals: to become a teacher and to light the Kwanzaa candles.

The sixth night is Kevin’s favorite. His family attends a big party, and because the day’s word is Kuumba, which means “creativity,” there will be homemade decorations, presents, and drums. Kevin loves to “boom, boom with the drummers” and “stomp, stomp with the dancers” and “eat and eat!” At last, it is the seventh day of Kwanzaa! Kevin is excited to open his presents, but he says he “likes lighting the candles even more!” Grandpa tells Kevin his special word Imani means “faith,” and that he “should believe in our people every day.” Kevin agrees, thinking “that will be like living Kwanzaa all year long!”

Each two-page spread of Kevin’s Kwanzaa also presents facts about the holiday. Readers learn how the holiday began, where it is celebrated, and that it incorporates parts of African harvest festivals. They discover that the one black candle, three red candles, and three green candles are lit in a special order and learn the Nguzo Saba or “Seven Principles” of Kwanzaa. Shared activities, such as drinking from the unity cup, are also discussed.

Lisa Bullard’s story, told by a young boy proud to be celebrating Kwanzaa and lighting the candles for the first time, is an engaging introduction to the holiday. Through the narrator’s enthusiasm as he prepares for and takes part in the family celebrations, Bullard reveals the principles and traditions that make Kwanzaa so meaningful. Kids will also appreciate the sentiments expressed in the gentle bits of humor. Divided into short chapters, Kevin’s Kwanzaa allows young readers to feel more grown up—just as Kevin does as he joins the family in lighting the candles.

Through her vibrant illustrations, Constanza Basaluzzo brings the traditions and ceremonies of Kwanzaa to life for children. As the family gathers each night, the joy and pride they feel is clearly depicted. Images of the decorations, clothing, and homemade items as well as portrayals of the seven principles and the founding of Kwanzaa make the concepts easily understood.

Ages 4 – 7

Millbrook Press, Lerner Books, 2013 | ISBN 978-0761385882

Discover more about Lisa Bullard and her books as well as fun activities on her website!

Kwanzaa Activity

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Kwanzaa Word Search

 

Kwanzaa is a holiday of fun as well as family and community togetherness. Discover 25 words related to the holiday in this Kwanzaa Word Search puzzle! Here’s the Solution!

Picture Book Review