January 10 – It’s Book Blitz Month

About the Holiday

Do you love to binge watch your favorite TV shows? Then why not binge on favorite books too?! It’s easy during Book Blitz Month! Just make a pile of new titles or old favorites and dig in! This month is also a great time to create a library for your child so that they have a shelf, a crate, or even a whole bookcase of stories they can enjoy again and again. If you’re looking to to get you started, today’s book lets you blitz through a bunch of stories all at once!

Short Stories for Little Monsters

By Marie-Louise Gay

Open the cover of Short Stories for Little Monsters and you immediately enter the mind of a child with all of its imagination, dreams, fears, questions, and quirky philosophies. Nineteen two-page stories told in comics-style panels populated with rakish kids, pointy-nosed snails, talking trees, and lots and lots of color will have readers giggling from beginning to end.

The first story—When I Close My Eyes—gives a glimpse of the antics to come as a little girl walking with her older brother asks him to “guess what I see when I close my eyes?” Her brother just wants to move on faster and tells her she can’t see anything with her eyes shut. Finally given the “Ok! Ok! Sigh,” the little girl closes her eyes and with a wide grin reveals a bear thinking about a fish, pink polka dot and plaid elephants, kites, eyes, balloons, a stopwatch tree, and flowers to swing from. Her brother’s reaction? “That’s impossible.” Perhaps he’s just too old….

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-short-stories-for-little-monsters-worms

In The Incredible Invisible Boy, a pillowcase-covered boy joins a soccer game in progress, moving from position to position while exclaiming “I have superpowers!…I can become invisible!” But the other kids never take notice as they pass the ball over his head, scramble to kick it first, move the ball up field, and finally run off the page, leaving the covered figure to sigh, “The incredible invisible boy strikes again.”

Kids aren’t the only ones who have weird dreams. In Snail Nightmares, thee little shelled guys suffer night terrors too. One dreams of slithering too fast to stop at the end of the panel without hitting its head, another conjurs the embarrassments of losing its pants, and the third has its tail stretched waaaay out by a tricky bird.

Nobody Nose catches a girl tightrope waking on the clothesline, only to be told by a passing boy, “You’re going to fall. You’ll break your nose into a thousand pieces.” He wanders off but not before he instills a deep doubt in her mind: “I wonder what you’ll look like without a nose…or with a new nose?” She then imagines herself gazing in the mirror at her noseless face and trying on a series of fake noses, including a carrot, a pig snout, and an elephant trunk. She finally resorts to covering her head with a cardboard box. The little boy peeks around the last panel to say he likes the carrot nose the best because it goes with her shoes. And indeed it does.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-short-stories-for-little-monsters-what-do-trees-talk-about

Remember when you could find dangerous adventure anywhere? The two girls in Monster! run shrieking from “a monster from outer space” who drools “poisonous slime,” sports “enormous fangs…and sharp pointy horns,” and is set on devouring the girls alive. As the two cower in safety behind a thick tree trunk, the object of this horror slides by with a sly nod to “snail power.”

Other stories introduce lowly worms that “rule the world,” a zombie mom who can see through walls and ceilings, the “secret life of snails,” mispronounced words, artistic renderings, and faces ungainly stuck in place during a bad wind. And as these stories wind down, readers will want to follow the bunny down its rabbit hole to uncover not only The Secret Life of Rabbits, but another world of whimsy, eccentricities, and fantasy that enhances life no matter how old you are.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-short-stories-for-little-monsters-zombie-mom

Both kids and adults will love Marie-Louise Gay’s funny tribute to childhood. Her vivid pencil-and-watercolor drawings perfectly expose the moments of a day that bring joy, triumph, and, yes, maybe even a touch of consternation to life. Short Stories for Little Monsters would make a delightful gift and a book that would be opened again and again for home libraries.

Ages 5 – 8

Groundwood Books, 2017 | ISBN 978-1554988969

Check out more great books from Groundwood Books on their website.

Discover more about Marie-Louise Gay, her books, her art, and her TV show as well as printable materials on her website!

Book Blitz Month Activity

Books to Love, Books to Read Book Bag

This is the perfect week to fill up a bag with books you’d like to read! Here’s an easy craft for making your own unique bag!

Supplies

Printable Templates: Books to Read Template | Books to Love Template
Small cloth bag, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the bag that sheet sets now come in
Cloth trim or strong ribbon, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the cloth handles from shopping bags provided from some clothing stores
Scraps of different colored and patterned cloth. Or use quilting squares, available at craft and sewing stores
Pen or pencil for tracing letters onto cloth
Scissors
Small sharp scissors (or cuticle scissors) for cutting out the center of the letters
Fabric glue
Thread (optional)
Needle (optional)

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-books-bag-craft

Directions

Print the sayings and cut out the letters
Trace letters onto different kinds of cloth
Cut out cloth letters
Iron cloth bag if necessary
Attach words “Books to Read” to one side of bag with fabric glue
Attach words “Books to Love” to other side of bag with fabric glue
Cut cloth trim or ribbon to desired length to create handles
Glue (or sew) handles onto the inside edge of bag

Picture Book Review

June 26 – It’s Adopt a Cat Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Just as it sounds, this holiday celebrates all the benefits of owning cat. With so many beautiful breeds of cat to choose from, there’s a perfect pet waiting for you! If you’ve been considering adding a cat or kitten to your family, why not visit an animal shelter and give one – or even two – cats a purr-fect home?

The White Cat and the Monk

Retold by Jo Ellen Bogart | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

In the nighttime a white cat approaches a monastery. He slips through a window and pads along a darkened corridor and down stone steps. He creeps behind a barrel, a vase, and a pitcher standing in a row and adds his shadow to the black mosaic on the floor. He leaps the last few steps and hurries along to the doorway that is leaking a bit of light.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-white-cat-and-the-monk-candle-light

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Jo Ellen Bogart. Courtesy of Groundwood Books.

He slips his paw under the door. This a secret signal alerts the occupant of the room, who opens the door to this playful feline. “I, monk and scholar, share my room with my white cat, Pangur,” the old man explains. He lifts Pangur into his arms and strokes him before releasing him to pursue his “special trade.” The monk also returns to his trade—studying ancient manuscripts to understand their meaning.

celebrate-pciture-books-picture-book-review-The-White-Cat-and-the-Monk-books

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-white-cat-and-the-monk-in-window

The monk is a dedicated scholar, revealing, “Far more than any fame, I enjoy the peaceful pursuit of knowledge. I treasure the wealth to be found in my books.” Pangur is a dedicated scholar of another kind, studying “the hole that leads to the mouse’s home.” In that moment both man and cat become hunters—one for meaning and the other for prey.

The two do not disturb each other for each is content in his pursuit. Pangur at last “finds his mouse” as the monk finds “light in the darkness.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-the-white-cat-and-the-monk-in-window

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Jo Ellen Bogart. Courtesy of Groundwood Books.

Jo Ellen Bogart’s quiet and graceful retelling of Pangur Bán, a beloved Irish poem from the 9^th century is a welcome respite in this age of multitasking and mega-activity. With sparse, but compelling and lyrical language, Bogart uncovers the companionable relationship between the monk and his cat as each follows their heart together.

The fine textured pages of Sydney Smith’s illustrations recall the beauty of parchment as the smooth gray-and-gold line drawings of the monastery’s architecture and characters give way to the vibrant colors of ancient manuscripts and the natural environment. The contentment and friendship of the monk and the cat are sweetly drawn in the characters’ mirrored actions as well as in the depictions of a long-held affection between man and beast in the panels of the manuscript the monk studies. As the monk states, “Ours is a happy tale.”

Reassuring and reaffirming, The White Cat and the Monk honors the individual challenges and quests that make us who we are and would be a wonderful addition to regular quiet-time reading.

Ages 4 and up (this book will be enjoyed by both children and adults)

Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2016 | ISBN 978-1554987801

You’ll find a gallery of artwork by Sydney Smith on his tumblr!

Adopt a Cat Month Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cat-toy

Fishing for Playtime Cat Toy

Cats love to chase after bouncing, sliding objects, and they love fish. While this toy may not taste as good as fish, it sure smells better and doesn’t require worms or hooks to attain!

Supplies

Old or new child’s sock
Fiber Fill
Yarn or string
Fabric paint or markers
Small bell (optional)
Catnip (optional)

Directions

Paint or draw fins and eyes on the sock
Fill the sock with fiber fill
Add a teaspoon of catnip (optional)
Add a small bell (optional)
Use the yarn or string to close the opening with a strong knot
Leave a long section of yarn or string to pull or dangle the toy

Picture Book Review

June 2 – It’s National Oceans Month

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

The world’s oceans offer beauty, resources, and mystery. This month we celebrate these vast wonders while committing ourselves to their preservation. Pollution, climate change, and habitat destruction all threaten the fragile ecosystems that exist in and near the sea. We also remember the communities that rely on the oceans for economic stability as well as the men and women who work to protect the oceans and their unique creatures.

Town Is by the Sea

Written by Joanne Schwartz | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

A little boy introduces readers to his home by the sea. It is so close that “it goes like this—house, road, grassy cliff, sea.” Early in the morning, his father leaves home and rides the tram that takes him underneath the ocean to his job as a coal miner. The little boy wakes later to the sounds of town—cars on the road, a dog barking, seagulls calling as they soar overhead. He rises from bed and gazes out the window at the vast sea, knowing that his “father is already deep down under that sea, digging for coal.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-town-is-by-the-sea-morning

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Joanne Schwartz. Courtesy Groundwood Books.

After breakfast he goes next door to his friend’s house. They run to the playground where only two swings are left—“one for big kids and one for babies.” They swing so high they can see far in the distance where the “waves have white tips. And deep down under that sea,” he thinks, “his father digs for coal.” The boy returns home for lunch—a baloney sandwich, carrots, and milk—and then takes the grocery list his mother gives him and goes to the store, which is only a couple of blocks away.

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-town-is-by-the-sea-miners

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Joanne Schwartz. Courtesy Groundwood Books

On the way back home, past the sparkling sea, the boy thinks about his father digging coal. He stops off at the graveyard to visit his grandfather, who was also a miner. The boy says, “The air smells like salt. I can taste it on my tongue. My grandfather used to say, Bury me facing the sea b’y, I worked long and hard underground.” The grandfather’s stone is so close to the water that during storms, waves batter it. But the boy says, “That’s okay. My grandfather is used to storms.”

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-town-is-by-the-sea-sunny

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Joanne Schwartz. Courtesy Groundwood Books.

In the evening “it goes like this—” the boy’s father comes home from work with “black smudges on his face from working the coal.” Even though he is tired, he gives his son a smile and a hug. The little boy is happy to have him home “safe and sound.” The family eats dinner together and later the boy’s mother and father sit on the porch, talking. The boy falls asleep to the sound of the waves washing the shore. He thinks about his father and “the bright days of summer and the dark tunnels underground, knowing that one day, it will be his turn.

celebrate-pciture-books-picture-book-review-town-is-by-the-sea-porch

Image copyright Sydney Smith, text copyright Joanne Schwartz. Courtesy Groundwood Books

In Joanne Schwartz’s graceful tribute to a coal-mining town settled on the coast, the sea is as much a character as the little boy and his family. Sustaining the townspeople over generations, the sea wakes them, feeds them, provides beauty and challenges, and in its fluid consistency mirrors the love and security of family. The repetition of the boy’s thoughts that wander to join his father in the dark tunnels throughout the day demonstrate both the strong bond between father and son and also the developing identity of the boy, who is also destined for those underwater tunnels. Schwartz’s sure, straightforward storytelling provides details that are familiar to all readers, making it a universal tale, rooted in the heart.

Sydney Smith’s ink and watercolor illustrations gorgeously depict the dual nature of this town built solidly on a rocky coastline and surviving on the dusty, back-breaking work of coal-mining while overlooking the constantly flowing wash of the sea. The sunny sky and daily activities of the boy give way every so often to two-page spreads of the black tunnel, where the miners push carts, drill, and recoil from a sudden rock slide. The ocean, rendered in sage and blue with pearlescent waves, is always in sight, the lifeblood of this special town.

Town Is by the Sea is a beautiful reminder of both the constancy and change inherent in life and would be a lovely addition to home libraries for quiet times and family time.

Ages 4 – 9

Groundwood Books, 2017 | ISBN 978-1554988716

View a portfolio of artwork by Sydney Smith on his tumblr!

National Oceans Month Activity

Kinetic Sand

Sand is so much fun to play with at the beach that you just wish you could bring it home. Now you can! With this easy recipe you can create your own kinetic sand to form or let run through your fingers. It makes a great anti-stress reliever too!

Supplies

1 cup sand
½ tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dish soap
Water as needed – about ¾ cup
Bin or bowl for mixing dry ingredients
Bowl for mixing dish soap and water

Directions

In the bin combine the sand and cornstarch and mix well
In the bowl combine the dish soap and water until the water is bubbly
Slowly add the water mixture to the dry ingredients, mixing and adding water little-by-little until the desired consistency is reached. The grain of the sand will determine how much water is needed.
The sand can be formed with cookie cutters, molds, hands, etc. and is strong enough to stack. Or its loose consistency makes it fun to drip, drabble, and let run through your fingers.

Picture Book Review

May 1 – It’s Children’s Book Week

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Established in 1919, Children’s Book Week is the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country. Running from May 1 – 7 under the theme of One World, Many Stories, this year’s Children’s Book Week offers events nationwide at libraries, bookstores, schools, and other venues. Kids and young readers are also invited to vote in the Children’s and Teen’s Choice Book Awards. To find plenty of downloadable activities, bookmarks, and other fun stuff as well as to discover events in your area, visit Every Child a Reader!

Short Stories for Little Monsters

By Marie-Louise Gay

In The Incredible Invisible Boy, a pillowcase encased boy joins a soccer game in progress, moving from position to position while exclaiming “I have superpowers!…I can become invisible!” But the other kids never take notice as they pass the ball over his head, scramble to kick it first, move the ball up field, and finally run off the page, leaving the covered figure to sigh, “The incredible invisible boy strikes again.”

Ages 5 – 8

Groundwood Books, 2017 | ISBN 978-1554988969

Discover more about Marie-Louise Gay, her books, her art, and her TV show as well as printable materials on her website!

Children’s Book Week Activity

Books to Love, Books to Read Book Bag

This is the perfect week to fill up a bag with books you’d like to read! Here’s an easy craft for making your own unique bag!

Supplies

Printable Templates: Books to Read Template | Books to Love Template
Small cloth bag, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the bag that sheet sets now come in
Cloth trim or strong ribbon, available from craft or sewing stores—Recyclable Idea: I used the cloth handles from shopping bags provided from some clothing stores
Scraps of different colored and patterned cloth. Or use quilting squares, available at craft and sewing stores
Pen or pencil for tracing letters onto cloth
Scissors
Small sharp scissors (or cuticle scissors) for cutting out the center of the letters
Fabric glue
Thread (optional)
Needle (optional)

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-books-bag-craft

Directions

Print the sayings and cut out the letters
Trace letters onto different kinds of cloth
Cut out cloth letters
Iron cloth bag if necessary
Attach words “Books to Read” to one side of bag with fabric glue
Attach words “Books to Love” to other side of bag with fabric glue
Cut cloth trim or ribbon to desired length to create handles
Glue (or sew) handles onto the inside edge of bag

Picture Book Review

June 4 – Hug Your Cat Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Just as it sounds, this holiday celebrates all the benefits of snuggling with your cat. While some cats may be cuddlier than others, today gives cat owners the opportunity to show just how much they love their feline friends. If you don’t happen to have a cat, why not consider visiting an animal shelter and showing some love to homeless kittens—you may even want to bring one home!

The White Cat and the Monk

Retold by Jo Ellen Bogart | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

In the nighttime a white cat approaches a monastery. He slips through a window and pads along a darkened corridor and down stone steps. He creeps behind a barrel, vase, and pitcher standing in a row and adds his shadow to the black mosaic on the floor. He leaps the last few steps and hurries along to the doorway, leaking light.

His secret signal alerts the occupant of the room, who opens the door to this playful feline. “I, monk and scholar, share my room with my white cat, Pangur,” the old man explains. He lifts Pangur into his arms and strokes him then releases him to pursue his “special trade.” The monk also returns to his trade—studying ancient manuscripts to understand their meaning.

A dedicated scholar, the monk reveals, “Far more than any fame, I enjoy the peaceful pursuit of knowledge. I treasure the wealth to be found in my books.” Pangur is a dedicated scholar of another kind, studying “the hole that leads to the mouse’s home.” In that moment both man and cat become hunters—one for meaning and the other for prey.

The two do not disturb each other for each is content in his pursuit. Pangur at last “finds his mouse” as the monk finds “light in the darkness.”

The fine textured pages of Sydney Smith’s illustrations recall the beauty of parchment as the smooth gray and gold line drawings of the monastery’s architecture and characters give way to the vibrant colors of ancient manuscripts and the natural environment. The contentment and friendship of the monk and the cat are sweetly drawn in the characters’ mirrored actions as well as the depictions of a long-held affection between man and beast in the panels of the manuscript the monk studies. As the monk states, “Ours is a happy tale.”

Reassuring and reaffirming, The White Cat and the Monk honors the individual challenges and quests that make us who we are, and would be a wonderful addition to regular quiet-time reading.

Ages 4 and up (this book will be enjoyed by both children and adults)

Groundwood Books, House of Anansi Press, 2016 | ISBN 978-1554987801

Hug Your Cat Activity

celebrate-picture-books-picture-book-review-cat-toy

Fishing for Playtime Cat Toy

Cats love to chase after bouncing, sliding objects, and they love fish. While this toy may not taste as good as fish, it sure smells better and doesn’t require worms or hooks to attain!

Supplies

Old or new child’s sock
Fiber Fill
Yarn or string
Fabric paint or markers
Small bell (optional)
Catnip (optional)

Directions

Paint or draw fins and eyes on the sock
Fill the sock with fiber fill
Add a teaspoon of catnip (optional)
Add a small bell (optional)
Use the yarn or string to close the opening with a strong knot
Leave a long section of yarn or string to pull or dangle the toy

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
			1	2	3	4
5	6	7	8	9	10	11
12	13	14	15	16	17	18
19	20	21	22	23	24	25
26	27	28	29	30

About the Holiday

Short Stories for Little Monsters

By Marie-Louise Gay

Book Blitz Month Activity

Books to Love, Books to Read Book Bag

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

The White Cat and the Monk

Retold by Jo Ellen Bogart | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

Adopt a Cat Month Activity

Fishing for Playtime Cat Toy

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

Town Is by the Sea

Written by Joanne Schwartz | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

National Oceans Month Activity

Kinetic Sand

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Like this:

About the Holiday

Short Stories for Little Monsters

By Marie-Louise Gay

Children’s Book Week Activity

Books to Love, Books to Read Book Bag

Share this:

Like this:

About the Holiday

The White Cat and the Monk

Retold by Jo Ellen Bogart | Illustrated by Sydney Smith

Hug Your Cat Activity

Fishing for Playtime Cat Toy

Share this:

Like this: