National Day of the Cowboy
July 23, 2022
Recognized on the fourth Saturday in July, National Day Of
The Cowboy is a holiday that honors the work of the American cowboy.
Thursday, July 21, 2022
National Cowboy/Cowgirl Day!
Friday, July 15, 2022
Book Review #77
Nature Activity Book for Little Ones: 100+ Activities for
Everyday
Outdoor Fun
Author: Samantha Lewis
ISBN:978-0593435441
Reading Level: 2 - 5 years
Publisher: Z Kids, 2022
Topic: Nature
I Gave This Book 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
I Gave This Book 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
Why 5 Roars? This is a smart, simple, activity book that reminds me to connect with nature. More importantly, it reminds me of the need to help children connect with nature.
Critical Analysis: During the summer months, it is so valuable to help children
get outdoors and discover their surroundings. This book of simple activities is
a wonderful way of reminding us of the importance of nature. Simple ideas like
cloud watching, something I had never thought of doing with my grandkids,
became a reminder of how much we miss when we are constantly indoors.
The illustrations are charming, the ideas are fun and easily modified to fit the needs of the reader, and the author includes suggestions to make the activities more meaningful.
Connections: Outdoor Activities Video
Saturday, July 2, 2022
Book Review #76
Don McLean's American Pie: A Fable
Author: Meteor 17 Books
Publisher: Meteor 17 Books, 2022
ISBN: 978-1957317014
Reading Level: 6 to 9 years
Main Characters: A newspaper
delivery boy (Inspired by childhood memories of Don McLean).
Plot: The story is based on the childhood memories of Don McLean as a lonely paper boy. It has a picture book style with poetic notes of his childhood.
Settings: The
late 1950s.
Genre/Theme/Style: Children's Picture Book, American History, Childhood in the 1950s.
I Gave This Book 4 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁
Why 4 Roars? I love the song "American Pie" and its rich
connection to American history. The original recording was selected for
preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress, so
It has a solid, stable place in American history.
However, I am not sure that children
will understand the connection between the song and this story. The story offers
some links to the song, but it might be hard for children to recognize them. I
think they would need an adult to explain the connections. Older readers will love sharing this book and its significance with younger readers.
Critical Analysis: The illustrations are lovely, and the story has a nostalgic feel
to it. The book is celebrating Don McLean’s childhood, his iconic song “America
Pie,” and its fiftieth anniversary.
“As ‘American Pie’ celebrates 50 years, I’m very happy to
have a children’s book based on the premise of the song. Everyone has a
different interpretation of it. Releasing this fable brings another perspective
to the lyrics, along with some backstory for when I wrote it. I hope every
child gets to imagine in their own mind what ‘American Pie’ means to them and
know that dreams can become reality.”
~~ Don McLean
Friday, June 17, 2022
Friday, June 10, 2022
Book Review #75
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Author: Judith Kerr
Publisher: Candlewick;
Reprint edition (August 6, 2019) - first published in 1968.
ISBN: 978-1536209624
Reading Level: 3 to 7 years
Main Characters: Sophie, her mummy, her daddy, and the tiger who came to tea.
ISBN: 978-1536209624
Reading Level: 3 to 7 years
Main Characters: Sophie, her mummy, her daddy, and the tiger who came to tea.
Plot: Just a normal day for Sophie and her mummy, when the doorbell rings and a tiger comes to tea! The tiger eats and drinks everything in the house.
Settings: Sophie's house
Genre/Theme/Style: Children's classics, tigers, teatime, tea, children's humor.
I Gave This Book 5 Roars! 🦁🦁🦁🦁🦁
Why 5 Roars? What kid wouldn’t want a tiger to show up for teatime? It’s
cute, farfetched, and loads of fun. I loved how Sophie and her mummy went to the store and bought a big can of tiger food, just in case he came back for teatime again. Smart thinking!
Critical Analysis: I love this style of whimsical humor. Everything is going
along like a normal day and then a tiger shows up for tea! The story never addresses
the reason the tiger shows up for tea. I think it is fun to ask kids why they think a tiger
showed up for tea. Do tigers like tea? I get a lot of creative answers and I
often ask them to write or draw about their ideas. The backstory for the tiger can be a terrific writing/drawing
session.
When Sophie and her mum explain to
daddy that a tiger came to tea and ate and drank everything in the house, daddy
seems quite undisturbed. They all go out to a café for a lovely dinner.
It’s
cheeky and a little absurd, but really quite good fun for kids. (I also enjoyed the audio
version of the book read with a British accent.)
Illustrations: The illustrations are very nostalgic for me. They portray childhood
as a simpler time.
Awards: Judith Kerr was awarded an OBE in 2012 for her services to
children’s literature and Holocaust education, the BookTrust Lifetime Achievement
Award in 2016, and in 2019 was named Illustrator of the Year at the British
Book Awards.
If you can not find a single copy of the above story, it can be found in The Judith Kerr Treasury.
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ISBN: 978-0007586530
Featuring:
The Tiger Who Came to Tea
Mog the Forgetful Cat
One Night in the Zoo
The Other Goose
When Willy Went to the Wedding
Mog the Forgetful Cat
One Night in the Zoo
The Other Goose
When Willy Went to the Wedding
National Iced Tea Month!
Photo taken from Lipton
June is National Iced Tea Month!
Join the fun and grab a glass.
Presweetened southern "sweet tea" or without the sugar, it's great served on a
hot summer day.
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