May 22 – It’s National Family Month

About the Holiday

In the weeks between Mother’s Day and Father’s Day we celebrate National Family Month. The holiday was established by KidsPeace to encourage families to spend more time together. It also gives us the opportunity to honor everything that makes a group of people a family. Common experiences, shared memories, and unconditional love create that unique feeling in the heart that defines family. This year, the bonds of family have taken on a whole new meaning. To celebrate, gather your family together, talk about some things you’ve learned about each other, what you love about each family member, and, of course, have some fun!

I received a copy of Otis P. Oliver Protests for review consideration. All opinions about the book are my own.

Otis P. Oliver Protests

by Keri Claiborne Boyle and Illustrated by Daniel Duncan

By Jakki Licare

Otis has no interest in taking a bath now or anytime in the future. In fact, he believes no one should have to take a bath, but with three big sisters no one really listens to him. Otis has to take four baths every single week, “…especially when he’s excessively grubby. And since worm farms aren’t going to build themselves, Otis is usually excessively grubby.”

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Image copyright Daniel Duncan, 2020, text copyright Keri Claiborne Boyle, 2020. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Otis’s family insists he should take a bath. So Otis decides that if he wants people to listen to him, he needs the right look and the right speech. At the playground Otis calls out to his friends that they must unite together for “bath-time rights.” Together they march through the streets until they all plop down on Otis’s front lawn. They will not move until they have been heard.

Otis’s oldest sister passes him a note from their mom who is wondering what is going on. Otis responds: “No More Baths! Love Otis (P.S. What’s for dinner? I don’t like mystery meatloaf.)” Otis’s middle older sister brings out another note from their mom who doesn’t understand why he doesn’t want to take a bath. She also reassures him that it is lasagna night. Otis explains that he hates how his pajamas cling to him after his bath. Otis’s youngest older sister delivers a new note. Their mother tells him he doesn’t have to wear pajamas if he doesn’t want to. After consulting his group he finally agrees to his mother’s terms.

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Image copyright Daniel Duncan, 2020, text copyright Keri Claiborne Boyle, 2020. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

After Otis’s friends head home, the family dog brings Otis another note. “My lil grub worm, So glad we reached a compromise. Now get in the tub before you’re grounded for life! Hugs and kisses, Mom. (P.S. No dessert on school nights.)” Otis hurries in to take his bath, but before he jumps in he writes his mom one last note. He tells her that he is all set to take his bath, but he won’t be using soap. But if he was allowed to have dessert tonight, then he would be happy to negotiate.

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Image copyright Daniel Duncan, 2020, text copyright Keri Claiborne Boyle, 2020. Courtesy of Sleeping Bear Press.

Otis P. Oliver is a smart, charismatic little boy who will walk right off the page and demand admission into your heart. Children will sympathize with his problem of not wanting to take a bath and will cheer him on as he takes on the parental establishment. The notes passed between mother and son through Otis’s sisters add to the hilarity. Each note has a post script discussing what’s for dinner which will make young readers giggle.

Keri Claiborne Boyle’s detailed attention to her characters makes each page a pleasure to read. Each sister’s distinct personality comes through as she stomps or rolls her eyes or pirouettes off the page. Boyle uses the rule of three to trick the readers into thinking that the negotiations are over after the third sister delivers her note. However, Boyle then sends a fourth note out with the dog, proving that Otis’s mom is a master negotiator. Otis still has one trick up his sleeve, though, as he points out the loophole that he never agreed to use soap.

Daniel Duncan’s colorful pencil-lined characters are amplified by his detailed attention to each character’s personality. Otis P. is charming as he wears his father’s oversized coat with dirt patches on his cheeks and knees and wavy stink lines steaming off of him. The illustrated details of fishnet stockings for the oldest sister, bubble gum blowing for the middle older sister, and ipod-carrying and tutu-wearing youngest sister perfectly compliment Boyle’s text and make each sister’s personality pop. Children and adults will giggle at the hilarious signs that Duncan adds to Otis’s sit in: “I feel bath wrath” & “Occupy Dirt.” The entire family dynamic is perfectly illustrated through a simple picture of the family’s stairway. The three sisters each have their pictures hung perfectly in descending order while Otis’s picture is propped on the second step at the same level as the family dog.

Ages 6 – 9 years old

Sleeping Bear Press, 2020 | ISBN 978-1534110434

Discover more about Keri Claiborne Boyle and her books on her website

To learn more about Daniel Duncan, his books, and his art, visit him on The Drawn Chorus Collective website.

Budding politicians, bath-averse children, and everyone in between should have this book on their shelves. Otis P. Oliver Protests is the perfect book for kids and adults to share giggles and talks about compromises either at home or in the classroom. A top pick for public libraries too.

National Family Month Activity

Recycled Bathtub Catapult Battleship

If your kiddo isn’t interested in taking a bath like Otis P. Oliver then you should give this craft a try! Blast the bubbles away as you sail your battleship in the tub.

Supplies

Applesauce or yogurt cup
Skewer
Plastic spoon
Popsicle stick
10-15 pennies
Rubber band
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Paper
Crayons (are best since they are waterproof)
Tape

These supplies are just suggestions. Play around with different recycled materials and see what works!

Directions

To Make the Mast

Cut the bottom of the popsicle stick off so the end is flat
Take the cut-off part of the popsicle stick and hot glue the flat side to the popsicle stick, one inch down from the top. This will help hold the rubber band in place
Hot glue the popsicle stick to the center of your yogurt or applesauce cup.

To Make the Catapult

Cut off the pointy ends of skewer
Hot glue the handle of the plastic spoon to the skewer
Hold the catapult at an angle and hot glue the skewer next to the popsicle stick

To Make the Flag

On paper draw a triangle and color in.
Cut out triangle and tape to popsicle stick as a flag

To Finish

Place pennies in front of popsicle stick to balance it out for floating (mine needed 12 pennies to keep it from tipping over backwards)
Attach rubber band around popsicle stick and skewer
Float in bathtub and attack those bubbles!

**You can find Otis P. Oliver Protests at these bookstores**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

To support your local independent bookstore, order from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

May 14 – National Dance Like a Chicken Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

You know what this holiday is all about! You can hear the tune taking over your brain, can’t you? And your elbows – they’re bending and bouncing just a little bit, aren’t they? Then jump up, gather the kids, and… Na na na na na na na. / Na na na na na na na. / Na na na na an na NA. / clap, clap, clap, clap….

A Little Chicken

Written by Tammi Sauer | Illustrated by Dan Taylor

“Dot was a little chicken…who, let’s face it, was a little chicken.” There weren’t many things Dot wasn’t afraid of, including garden gnomes. Even though “Dot tried to be brave,” even the simplest things and the gentlest creatures frightened her. One day, though, while she was adding making their coop more secure, Dot knocked one of her siblings off the nest. All she could do was watch it roll away.

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Image copyright Dan Taylor, 2019, text copyright Tammi Sauer, 2019. Courtesy of Sterling Children’s Books.

Or was there something else she could do? She plucked up her courage and ran after it. The egg was just within reach when it bounced away and took two hops across lily pads into the middle of the pond. Dot swung over the egg on a tall strand of grass and was just about to grab it when it was catapulted into a tall tree.

Dot climbed the tree and inched out onto a long branch. “She was this close when…” the branch broke and the egg broke away too—”into the deep…dark…woods.” She took one look and…decided “this was no time to be a little chicken.” She ran down the path in pursuit of her little brother or sister and finally caught that egg just as it began to crack. These days, while Dot is still afraid of many things, her little sister and the other chickens think she’s a hero—just “a big hero” who’s “just a little chicken.”

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Image copyright Dan Taylor, 2019, text copyright Tammi Sauer, 2019. Courtesy of Sterling Children’s Books.

Tammi Sauer’s upbeat story of a timid chicken who overcomes her fears in order to save her sibling is suspenseful, fast-paced, and sprinkled with humor. The story will have even the most cautious little ones cheering Dot on her quest and finding their own brave along the way. Dot’s sense of responsibility sparks the action and serves as a second gentle lesson in this well-conceived story. The ending, which embraces Dot’s wary nature while also revealing her heroic accomplishment, is a welcome message for hesitant children who are courageous in their own way.

Dan Taylor’s sweet Dot, with her oversized glasses and bright red overalls, will charm children looking for a hero who’s just their size. As Dot sets in motion her unhatched sibling and the story while installing a huge security camera and monitor in the coop, kids will alternately gasp and giggle at the suspenseful and humorous details on each page. The other chickens are delightfully supportive of Dot, which lends a sense of inclusiveness as they all rush out to cheer her heroic catch. Dot scrambles over a green meadow, hangs perilously over a lily pad covered pond, scurries up a tall tree, and flaps her way through a dark forest populated with a wolf, bears, and—most frightening of all—three garden gnomes.

A story of finding one’s courage at eggs-actly the right moment, A Little Chicken would be a heartening addition to home, classroom, and public libraries.

Ages 3 – 7

Sterling Children’s Books, 2019 | ISBN 978-1454929000

Discover more about Tammi Sauer and her books on her website.

To learn more about Dan Taylor, his books, and his art, visit his website.

National Chicken Dance Day Activity

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Egg Carton Chickens and a Basket Full of Games

With twelve little chickens you can come up with lots of games to play! This fun craft and game activity is eggs-actly what you need to start hatching some real fun!

Supplies

Cardboard egg carton
White craft paint
Markers: red, yellow, black for the face; any colors you’d like for wings and eggs
Paint brush
Scissors
Glue
Construction or craft paper in white and a color of your choice

Directions

Cut the notched flap off the egg carton and set aside
Cut the top off the egg carton
Cut apart all the egg cups and trim slightly so they sit flat
Paint the egg cups with the white paint, let dry
Add the face, comb and wings to the chicken with the markers. Make six chickens with one color wings and six chickens with another color wings.
From the egg carton flap cut thirteen small egg-shaped playing pieces
With the markers, decorate twelve of the eggs in pairs—each egg in the pair with the same design
Color one egg yellow and add a beak, eyes, and wings to make it a chick

Games to Play

Tic-Tac-Toe (2 players)

On a 8 ½” x 11” piece of paper draw a regular tic-tac-toe board or make it fancy – like the picket fence-inspired board in the picture
To make the fence-inspired board on a colored background, cut 2 9-inch-long x 3/4-inch wide strips of white paper, cutting a pointed tip at one or both ends. Cut 2 white 8-inch x 3/4-inch strips of paper with a pointed tip at one or both ends. Glue the strips to the background.
Each player chooses a set of chickens with the same colored wings
Play the game as you usually do

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Find the Matching Eggs (2 or more players)

Have one player hide one egg under each chicken
Shuffle the eggs around and form them into three lines of 4 chickens each
Another player lifts one chicken at a time to find matching eggs. If the eggs don’t match, put both chickens back and start again

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Where’s the Chick?

Use as many chickens and eggs as you want (fewer for younger children, more for older)
One player hides the chick under one of the chickens and eggs under the others.
Another player has three chances to find the chick

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I’m sure you can also design your own games for your adorable chickens to play! With more chickens you can even make a checkers set or replicate another of your favorite board games!

**You can find A Little Chicken at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million

You can support your local independent bookstore, by ordering from

Bookshop | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

April 28 – National Superhero Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

Today, we celebrate superheroes—both fictional and real—who make the world a better place. While fictional superheroes have uncommon strength, endless courage, and powers that defy nature, it doesn’t take super abilities to make a difference. Especially now, nurses, doctors, first-responders, teachers, and workers at grocery stores, pharmacies, factories, and so many other places are on the front lines of the pandemic response with the commitment and dedication of superheroes. Moms, dads, grandparents, caregivers, and kids all over the world are also stepping up whenever and however they’re needed. Celebrate today by thanking the superheroes in your life.

I received a copy of Superheroes Don’t Babysit for review consideration. All opinions about the book are my own.

By Jakki Licare

Superheroes Don’t Babysit

Written by Amber Hendricks | Illustrated by Kyle Reed

Has this ever happened to you? “You’ll be saving the city from the evil Emperor Zog when…your dad asks for a favor.” That is what happened to the little girl in this story. All she wanted to do was to play superheroes when she was asked to watch her little brother. Of course, she doesn’t want to because she has important world-saving plans for her day. “Plans that don’t include little brothers.” And who has ever heard of a superhero babysitting anyway?

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Image copyright Kyle Reed, 2020, text copyright Amber Hendricks, 2020. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

After receiving “the look” from her father, though, she agrees to watch her brother. Of course, immediately after her father leaves, her brother is starving! She consults “the list of Dad-approved snacks (because superheroes follow the rules)” and makes him a healthy “plate of cheese and crackers.”

But her brother has already pulled out all the ingredients for an ice cream sundae and is determined to have one. She just knows “he’ll want to measure and pour, squirt and scoop,” and he does. Resigned, the girl helps him and feels proud for assisting a fellow citizen. That is until she sees how messy the kitchen has become! Just before she begins to wipe everything down, she notices something smells awful. She investigates, looking just where you would look, you know: “the normal places—the trash can, the bathroom, your socks—before realizing the smell is coming from” her brother!

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Image copyright Kyle Reed, 2020, text copyright Amber Hendricks, 2020. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

She gears herself up for the dangerous battle. Diapers are challenging even for superheroes, but she manages to get one on him (with the help of some extra tape). Her revelry is short-lived, though, because her brother decides to play with her action figures and breaks one! Then he cries and she feels like crying too. She might even feel like yelling “‘I wish you weren’t my brother!’”

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Image copyright Kyle Reed, 2020, text copyright Amber Hendricks, 2020. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

But, instead, she closes her eyes and slowly counts to ten. By the time she gets to ten, her brother apologizes and hugs her. He offers her his favorite teddy bear as a replacement, and “that icky feeling inside” melts away. So when he asks her “to read him his favorite story,” she does—“six times.” He falls asleep and even drools a little on her. It doesn’t bother her, though, because “EVERY SUPERHERO NEEDS A SIDEKICK.”

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Image copyright Kyle Reed, 2020, text copyright Amber Hendricks, 2020. Courtesy of Beaming Books.

Amber Hendrick’s use of the 2nd person point of view gives this story a fresh spin and will pull young readers immediately in. Young readers will relate to the main character’s problems of making messes and having her favorite toy broken. Hendrick’s humor will make readers giggle as they watch the girl outfit herself in safety gear just to change a diaper. The fact that the girl wants to yell and rant at her brother and chooses not to is a wonderful teaching opportunity. Adults can point out how boy’s sister takes a moment and counts to ten before reacting. It’s a terrific lesson for readers of any age.

Kyle Reed’s bright primary-colored illustrations make this a superhero theme that’s out of this world. The paneled frames of the father-daughter face off and the girl’s measured count to ten are a nice nod to comic books. Throughout the story, the sister and brother’s facial expressions clearly show readers their feelings as sibling rivalry gives way to their loving bond. When the two siblings make up, the black-and-white pixelated photos that Reed adds in the background are a nice touch to show the connections of family.

For kids who love superheroes or are superhero siblings themselves, Superheroes Don’t Babysit would be a fun and thoughtful addition to family storytimes.

Ages 4 – 7

Beaming Books, 2020 | ISBN 978-1506458762

Discover more about Amber Hendricks and her books on her website.

To learn more about Kyle Reed and see a portfolio of his work, visit his website.

National Superhero Day Activity

Superhero Mask Craft

You can be a superhero too by making your own SUPERHEROES DON’T BABYSIT mask

Supplies

Printable Superhero Mask Template
Paper Plate
Pencil
Scissors
Paint or Colored Pencils
String or elastic or ribbon

Directions

Print out template.
Cut out template and eye holes.
Trace template onto paper plate. Don’t forget to trace the eye holes too!
Cut out masks and eyeholes.
Cut a slit towards the top left of the mask for string. Then, make another slit on the top right side.
Paint or Color your mask
Tie string, elastic or ribbon through slits
Go and save the world!

**You can find Superheroes Don’t Babysit for preorder at these booksellers**

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-a-Million | IndieBound

Picture Book Review

April 1 – National Siblings Day

Posted by Kath Carroll

About the Holiday

National Siblings Day gives people a chance to honor the special bond they have with their brothers and/or sisters. Whether you come from a big family or small, are the oldest, youngest, or somewhere in between, your siblings have had a big influence on your life. Today, take a little time to text or call and do a little reminiscing. At home, engage in some special sibling-bonding fun!

Elsie

Written by Nadine Robert | Illustrated by Maja Kastelic

Elsie Filpot had six siblings—“Francis, Florian, the twins Flavie and Franzi, Fernand, [and] Felice.” They loved to go fishing on sunny Sundays. On this Sunday, each brother and sister gathered something for the trip. But little Elsie didn’t feel like going. She had “better things to do.” But her siblings shouted, “‘YOU ARE COMING ALONG, ELSIE!’” So Elsie tagged along.