Wordless Wednesday - No Sleds Needed

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

Red Sled by Lita Judge - Popsicle Stick Sled Craft

Children beware -- you may not want to leave your sled outside at night. Or maybe you should. A forest creature might snatch the sled up one winter evening, take it for a joy ride and return it with a thanks, leaving only a few tracks outside to tell of the adventure. One can hope!

Lita Judge is one of our newest favorite author/illustrators. She grew up enjoying wintery weather and, according to her latest book, Red Sled, as a child she often wondered about the tracks left behind by the woodland animals. Judging from the animals' expressions in the book it appears she also knows a thing or two of the joys (and perils) of sledding downhill.

Red Sled is a nearly wordless picture book that shows the events that occur when a child leaves a red sled propped against the side of a home. A bear wanders by, notices the sled and sneaks away with it, scrunch, scrinching through the snow. The bear invites a rabbit friend for a fun, moonlight ride. As the sled flies downhill, other animals pile on one-by-one, gadung, gadunging on the snowy surface together while making gleeful noises. The impromptu sledding party results in smiles shared by all.

The illustrations in this endearing book are truly remarkable, from the animals' exuberant expressions to the little boy's wonderment at the tracks found near his sled. My kids giggle with delight at all the silly sledding antics and the faces the animals make. The adorable, bundled-up, red-hatted child reminds us of the classic character in Keats' The Snowy Day. The text consists only of a few joyful utterances and onomatopoeias like "sssssffft" for the sound the sled makes as it glides across the snow. The wordless silence punctuated by random sounds is a perfect textual interpretation of a sledding experience. Judge's Red Sled so beautifully captures the exhilaration of a sledding adventure that you'll want to immediately head to your favorite sledding hill!

Red Sled by Lita Judge. Atheneum Books for Young Readers (November 2011); ISBN 9781442420076; 40 pages
Book Source: Copy from public library

Lita Judge spent part of her childhood living with her grandparents in Wisconsin. In an interview with Jules at Seven Impossible Things before Breakfast she tells how this experience helped partly inspire her to write Red Sled. There's also an adorable photograph of a grizzly bear she grew up watching (apparently her parents are wildlife photographers).

Related Links:
Lita Judge - Website




❄ ❄ ❄ ❄ Popsicle Stick Sled Craft ❄ ❄ ❄ ❄

My kids, like many nowadays, think that all sleds are made of plastic. In fact, after reading this book I realized my kids had no firsthand knowledge of the flexible flyer or runner type of sled. This became even more evident when we tried constructing some popsicle stick sleds. My daughter thought the runners belonged on top of the sled for the rider to hold onto! Too funny!



We followed the Family Fun Classic Sled directions to make our popsicle stick sleds. The craft is fairly simple and child-friendly, except for the part that involves cutting the popsicle sticks. I could barely hack through the sticks with our tin shears, so adult-assistance is definitely required for the cutting part of the craft!


The little red sleds are the perfect size for miniature animals. My kids used some mounting putty to attach small toy animals to the tops of the sleds. They had a lot of fun helping the animals careen down the wooden sledding ramp!



I think perhaps we'll leave the sleds outside overnight and see if any real animals want to give sledding a try. Maybe the mourning dove that leaves tracks around our patio door is hankering for a new pastime. :)



Link up your Monday book posts at Teach Mentor Text's meme: It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA! or Book Sharing Monday at Smiling like Sunshine.

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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.

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.)

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.