Wordless Wednesday - Year of the Dragon

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

ALA Youth Media Awards 2012

I'm very excited for today's ALA Youth Media Awards. Which books will earn the top awards? Soon we will all find out! For those that can't attend, make sure to tune into the live webcast starting at 7:45 A.M CT.

Before the announcements start, the kids and I would like to mention our favorites for the Caldecott. I personally think that Grandpa Green by Lane Smith is the most deserving of an award this year. As I wrote in my review, his book gracefully tackles the subject of aging and intergenerational relationships. With unusually lush, green illustrations, it's simply a beautiful book.

Of all the 2011 picture books, my daughter likes Me . . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell the best. While we didn't review it, we did purchase the book last year after checking it out from the library twice. Usually that's a good sign it's a book we should own. Me...Jane tells the story of Jane Goodall's childhood and the illustrations have a scrapbook feel.

My son really likes Where's Walrus? by Stephen Savage. It's a wordless picture book about a silly walrus and the book has an uncluttered, bold design. Searching for the walrus in the pictures is part of the fun.

Bears with Red Hats Picture Books - A Pointy Red Hat Craft

Jon Klassen's I Want My Hat Back has stirred up quite a debate in the children's book world. I bought a copy sight unseen last fall after first reading reviews on There's A Book and A Fuse #8 Production. Even though we've owned Klassen's book now for several months, I've been putting off writing a review for reasons I can't entirely explain. It's not because I Want My Hat Back hasn't been a popular reread in our home. It's not because it isn't a clever, unusual story. Perhaps it is because I'm not sure I can offer anything more than what has already been said, and I know a lot of people have already formed their own well-thought-out opinions about the book. But I'm going to try anyway, if only so that someday, when my kids search through my posts for memorable books from their childhood, they'll find I Want My Hat Back mentioned. It's a book that certainly makes an impression though some will argue as to what sort of impression.

The best books provoke discussion and provide food for thought. They speak to the reader on another level and tell a memorable story. They appeal to a broad audience. I Want My Hat Back fits this mold. On the surface it's just a book about a bear that loses his hat, makes inquiries to other forest animals and takes measures to regain possession of said hat. But, it's the execution of the story and also what is implied that makes this book special. Klassen puts into play perfect pacing, deliberate repetition and appropriate build up. His polite, impassive bear gets a little out of character and something very unexpected happens. Through his illustrations, Klassen also successfully conveys a powerful emotion we are all familiar with -- furious, red hot anger, redder than the color of the pointy, red hat that has gone missing!


The unexpected ending isn't for everyone. Some people remark on the lies told in the book. Some remark on the actions. I have to admit that at first my kids didn't know what to make of the end. I'm not sure my 3yo would have even understood the implied ending if my 6yo hadn't pointed it out to him. In fact, after the first read, no one was really laughing. But, once they figured out the ending, boy oh boy, they wanted to read it again. And again. And again. For them, the story just gets funnier and funnier with each reread, not because of the ending but because they have fun making up voices for all the animals. Here are some other reasons why it's a keeper -- the story is simple enough for a beginning reader (my daughter) to read alone and read with gusto. It is simple and repetitive enough for my preschooler to memorize (he especially likes repeating the "Thank you anyway" lines.) The dialog between the characters is simple enough for kids to act out using puppets. And, of course, the book is very different from every other book in our collection.

I don't think we need to like the ending, to dissect it, to apply it to real life. A bear is not a human, and a bear that wears a hat, well that's the stuff of children's books. In fact, if left to themselves, young children will very likely develop their own non-violent opinions of what happened. But, the story can actually be a useful tool in teaching values. When we're in a store and see a toddler acting up, my children point out that the child is misbehaving. They know when someone is behaving inappropriately. Just like the book. They point out the bear's actions. Was this the best course of action? No. (Unless quite possibly you are a wild bear.) What would have been a better alternative? Should we tell lies? No. Lesson learned in a sly, wildly imaginative picture book way.

I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen. Candlewick (September 2011); ISBN 9780763655983; 40 pages
Book Source: Copy from personal library

Related Links:
Jon Klassen - Website
I Want My Hat Back Candlewick Story-Hour Kit [pdf]



David Melling's book, Don't Worry Douglas, also released last fall and provides a stark contrast to Klassen's book. If I Want My Hat Back doesn't sound like your sort of book, you might want to consider Melling's "bear with red hat" book.

A bear named Douglas receives a woolly, red hat as a gift from his father. He wears it proudly and shows it off to his friends. Unfortunately, he also gets a little carried away in showing it off and the hat unravels. His friends offer suggestions on what to do, but only rabbit gives him the advice he needs.

Don't Worry Douglas is all about making the right decisions when faced with a problem. Rather than lying or hiding something from his parents, Douglas owns up to his mistake and his parents forgive him. At times the text doesn't read smoothly, but Melling's adorably cute and sweet illustrations make up for it. A set of silly sheep add some humor to the story and there's a fun page spread in the back of the book that shows all sorts of wacky hats. It's a nice, feel good story for preschool-kindergarteners and is a title worth checking out from the library. While you're there, you might as well grab Melling's other Douglas book, too -- Hugless Douglas.

Don't Worry, Douglas! by David Melling. Tiger Tales Books (September 2011); ISBN 9781589251069; 32 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Related links:
David Melling - Website

You can't properly tell the story of a bear and a red hat without a red hat. My kids decided to make red hats for their stuffed animals. We fashioned the red hats after the pointy one pictured in I Want My Hat Back. First Palette offers a nice tutorial on how to construct cone hats. If you'd like to make a paper one, consider downloading this hat activity pdf from Walker Books Australia.

1. Use a compass or circle pattern to draw a half circle onto a piece of red felt.


2. Cut out the half circle with a pair of sharp scissors. (My son did a really good job following the line. This is a wonderful cutting activity for preschoolers.)


3. Spread tacky glue onto one third of the hat and after forming the half circle into a cone, glue the hat together. Use a paper clip to hold the hat together at the bottom while it dries.


4. Dress up your favorite stuffed bear or rabbit! (My daughter decided that her rabbit needed to wear something other than a red hat for reasons that become clear after reading Klassen's book.)




A Mommy's Adventures hosts the "stART" meme (Story + Art) each week. Add your kids craft post to the Kid's Get Crafty linky at Red Ted Art's Blog. Join in Read Aloud Thursday at Hope is the Word. Wrote a post about play? Join the It's Playtime party! Find more great book tie-ins at JDaniel4's Mom Read, Explore, Learn link-up.

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Wordless Wednesday - Snow Tunnel

The street department thoughtfully piled a large amount of snow in front of our house after the recent snowstorms. We decided to construct a short snow tunnel through part of the pile. It took us around a half an hour to dig out the tunnel. I ended up doing most of the digging work though the kids did help quite a bit with clearing. This was their first experience crawling through a snow tunnel, and it was worth all the work. Judging from their excitement and enthusiasm there will be more tunnels in the future!




Are you familiar with Wisconsin author Michael Perry? He's written several bestselling books including Population 485 and Truck: A Love Story. He also builds snow tunnels! Watch him dig one while also providing insightful narration in this WPT "In Wisconsin" video.

Watch Michael Perry: Snow Tunnel on PBS. See more from In Wisconsin.

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.

The Schoolchildren's Blizzard by Marty Rhodes Figley - Temperature Charting Activity

Until yesterday, my children's snowpants hung unused on hooks in our laundry room since the beginning of November. Such a long period in winter without large amounts of snow is unusual in our area. I can't say I minded in the least (50 degrees in January is fine by me), but my children like to play in the snow and were a bit upset with the weather. In fact, my daughter remarked to me a while back that her snowpants were feeling sad. Now our world is covered in white and the cold temperatures are back. Yesterday's snowstorm brought enough snow to make travel difficult, but not enough to result in a school snow day.

Even though the weather here was fairly moderate, several years ago, on January 12, 1888, schoolchildren in the Midwest plains endured one of the worst blizzards in our nation's history, "The Schoolchildren's Blizzard." The blizzard developed suddenly and without warning after a stint of warm weather. Despite many brave acts, hundreds perished that day including children walking home from their one-room schoolhouses.

One of more widely known accounts of The Schoolchildren's Blizzard is that of a school teacher named Minnie Freeman who led her students to safety. (In fact, a historical marker in Nebraska mentions Miss Freeman.) Marty Rhodes Figley's early reader historical fiction book, The Schoolchildren's Blizzard shares Miss Freeman's heroics with young readers. Though fiction, the book provides readers with an idea of what it might have been like to have been one of Miss Freeman's students when that dangerous January 1888 Blizzard hit.

Seven-year-old Annie and her older sister, Sarah, walk across the Nebraska prairie to their sod schoolhouse on a relatively warm January day in 1888. Once inside the school they learn from their kind and smart teacher, Miss Freeman. Their day goes smoothly until lunch time. The school children spot ominous clouds and quickly head back into the schoolhouse. The roaring blizzard winds wreak havoc on the sod schoolhouse, and Miss Freeman decides they must walk together through the blizzard to her house if they stand a chance of surviving the storm.

Figley skillfully tells the gripping story of the terrible, historical blizzard in a way perfectly suited for young readers and, true to life, the story ends happily. Shelly O. Haas's muted watercolor pictures help in setting a gentle tone. Despite the subject, the story overall isn't too frightening or upsetting and it contains slightly subdued descriptions of possible events. The school door flies open, part of the sod schoolhouse roof blows off, and the children trudge blindly through knee-deep snow but positivity endures. In Figley's retelling, Miss Freeman remains calm, collected and encouraging -- a strong role model for her students and for the readers.

The Schoolchildren's Blizzard (On My Own History) by Marty Rhodes Figley, illustrated by Shelly O. Haas. Carolrhoda Books / Lerner Publishing (2004); ISBN 9781575056197; 48 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Related Links:
Marty Rhodes Figley - Website
Shelly O. Haas - Website
Mural depicting the Schoolhouse Blizzard of 1888 - Nebraska State Capitol
Blizzard of January 12, 1888 - Nebraska State Historical Society Blog

"I am sure I only tried to do right. It was my plain path of duty in which I was led. I am thankful it has all ended so well. My sympathies go out to those who suffered so."
- "Minnie Freeman: The Little Girl by the Window in the Little Sod House" Omaha Bee, Feb. 24 [pdf via NYTimes.com]

Charting and comparing temperatures - The Schoolchildren's Blizzard

It's hard for a 1st grader to visualize just how cold it got during the January 1888 Blizzard so I decided to have my daughter chart a temperature comparison. We used the Daily Weather History information available at Weather Underground to determine the high temperature on Jan. 11 and the low temperature on Jan. 12 in our area (55° and 15°F). My daughter used a thermometer chart to compare these temperatures to the 1888 temperatures found on Marty Rhodes Figley's website (70° and -30°F).


Many children today don't know a lot about life in a one-room schoolhouse. Through books like The Schoolchildren's Blizzard they can learn more about pioneer life, America's history and the struggles and happy times that children experienced in the past. It is important to me that my children take the time to learn and inquire about such things. As part of our studies we found a neat picture of sod schoolhouse at the Library of Congress website.

Both my parents attended a one-room schoolhouse for a short time, as did my grandparents. This story prompted us to ask them more about their experiences. We learned that none of them had to remain overnight at school, caught in a storm. My grandmother also told us that the teacher boarded with her family. She and her siblings would ride with the teacher to school instead of walking. The teacher kept the horse in the school's horse shelter. I didn't realize some one-room schoolhouses had their own animal buildings, but it does make sense!

I am an Amazon affiliate and may receive a very small commission for products purchased through my Amazon links. (View my full disclosure statement for more information about my reviews.)

Spelling Whiz

My daughter's weekly first grade spelling lists typically contain fairly ordinary words. Often the lists focus on word families or include frequently used words. Normally my daughter breezes through the lists without much difficulty. However, last week during the pre-test, she struggled with the word "whiz." What a strange word! I can't recall the last time I used the term myself, and I'm sure that previously to the test, it was not a word in her own personal vocabulary. At least she made a gallant effort to spell the word phonetically.



Then, lo and behold, this weekend my daughter read aloud Cynthia Rylant's The Case of the Baffled Bear from The High-Rise Private Eyes series. Ironically, this wacky spelling word appears on page 21!

"I've seen you guys whiz through town on your bikes," said Bunny.

Perhaps the term is used more often than I thought. Whatever the case, my daughter now has the word down pat and is on her way to becoming a true spelling whiz!

Do you have any unusual spelling word stories to relate? Please do tell!

Find more of this week's Wordless Wednesday (or Wordful) posts at 5 Minutes for Mom.