BRAND NEW LOOK!! BRAND NEW NAME!!

As you may have noticed, this blog is no longer called The Very Hungry Bookworm.  Why?  Well, I noticed there were quite a few bookworm-themed children's blogs out there and apparently a couple of readers were getting confused.  So the answer was a facelift!

Introducing Penelope Panda & Friends!

Changes you will notice:

• Penelope Panda and her animal friends are now going to be introducing our children's book reviews and other bookish posts!  
• Most of the posts will be interactive for you and your kids.  Ask your child questions and show them images related to the post.
• A new look here on the blog and also on the Facebook page.
• Quotes, questions, relevant children's news stories, and interesting facts for kids on our Facebook page.
• Our URL has changed, so please make note of that, as well.

I hope you enjoy the new blog!!

Let me know what you think by leaving me a comment below! 

Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook by Michael Garland

Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook is a kind of "Magic School Bus" story.  Instead of the kids going places, however, Miss Smith's storybook brings storybook characters to life right in the classroom!  

Each time Miss Smith read a story the characters would come to life and when she finished the story the characters would return to the book.  Of course, the class becomes immersed right in the story (I would, too!)  

One day, Miss Smith gets stuck in traffic and is late to school so the kids start passing around the book to one another and reading different stories from it.  However, since no one read an entire story to its completion, the classroom became very crowded with storybook characters!  Miss Smith can't even get in the door when she arrives.  The whole scene is chaotic and you have to read on to see if Miss Smith can save the day and how!

This is a very adorable and magical book.  I highly recommend it for its wonderful characters, crisp illustrations, and for its ability to hold even the squirmiest child's attention.

This isn't a great photo, but this is one of the scenes in which a story is being read about a knight on a white horse and a dragon:

The Very Hungry Bookworm asks:

• What do you think of Miss Smith's storybook bringing characters to life?
• What story would you like to see brought to life if you could?

Tell Bookworm in the comments!

BOOK BRIEFS:
F = Funny  
O = Open-Ended
SF = Science Fiction & Fantasy 
X = X Marks the Spot (Adventure)

Cultural Diversity Saturday: In Lucia's Neighborhood by Pat Shewchuk and Marek Colek

This is Lucia and this is Lucia's neighborhood.  There are people playing in the park and kids on the way home from school. Mothers are shopping and Grandmas are soaking up the sun.  There are lots of things about the neighborhood that are like Portugal, such as the Senhar Da Pedra Festival every summer.

The book is written for an early grade audience for readers or as a picture book for preschoolers.  I really like how Shewchuk and Colek describe all aspects of a neighborhood.  The illustrations reflect ethnic diversity as well as all age groups, gender roles, and style of dress.  I am very impressed.

I also like how there are a good sprinkling of vocabulary words thrown in but they are not overdone (see short list below).  Good questions to ask during a reading with your child might include: Do you see/do this in your neighborhood? What do you like about Lucia's neighborhood?  What do you like about your own community?  Can you help me locate Portugal on a map?  Why do you think the neighborhood celebrate Portuguese festivals?  


Vocabulary words include: sculpture, Tai Chi, trimmed, olive trees, decorations, daydreaming, teenagers, average.

Read this book if:

• You would like to take a walk around Lucia's neighborhood with her.
• You enjoy stories about families and/or communities.
• You like learning something new.
• You respect differing cultures and want to celebrate them and learn about them.

BOOK BRIEFS:

Ages: 4 to 9

CD = Cultural Diversity
H = Holidays & Celebrations
I = Insightful
V = Vocabulary Enhancement

This book gets a 5 BOOKWORMS rating!!

I Wish I Knew That: U.S. Presidents: Cool Stuff I Need to Know, edited by Patricia A. Halbert

EDITED BY: Patricia A. Halbert
PUBLISHER: Reader's Digest

Do you know who the youngest President was?  How about the oldest, at age 69?

Do you know which President never married?

Any idea who loved books so much that their 6,000 volume collection became the first Library of Congress?

Do you know who was the first and only president to command the military on the field while he was president?

What about which President the Teddy Bear is named for?

Do you know which president had a pet alligator?

You can learn all these facts and more in this thorough volume all about the U.S. Presidents and their lives.


Each President is mentioned in order, starting with their full name, when and where they were born, their political party, their vice president, and their family members (including their pets!).  There is also a picture of the president and a quote underneath it.

The rest of the chapter includes information on their time in office, fun facts, and sometimes information on the First Ladies.

There are also information boxes that include notes such as how the White House was built, which presidents feature on U.S. currency, and monuments to the presidents.

My only problem with this book, and it is a big problem, is that it assumes the reader already knows a lot, like, for example, what electoral votes are or what it means to be impeached.  If the three branches of the government need to be explained right away than I am pretty sure electoral votes and impeachment do, too.  Electoral votes are first mentioned in George Washington's chapter, but are not explained until George W. Bush.  It makes no sense.  You've read the entire book before any explanation is given for something that they talk about at the beginning of the book.  Have a dictionary handy if you read this one.


BOOK BRIEFS:
AGES: 9 and up
HIS = Historical/History
I = Insightful
INFO= Informative
L = Long Book (139 pages)
LC = Language Concepts
R = Reference
V = Vocabulary Enhancement

Lucy the Wonder Weenie by Nina Clark, plus Giveaway!

Lucy is a dachshund, or weenie dog, and Lucy is notorious for being a diva and also for licking.  Lucy licks everyone, any time of day, during any activity.  One day Lucy eats some beans in the front yard she found.  They were not just beans, but some kind of magic beans and they turned Lucy into a Wonder Dog.  She had a cape and everything.

Well, Lucy discovered that her licking "problem" was actually a good thing.  She found distressed children and licked them to make them feel better.  They would giggle and feel better instantly from whatever slight they had endured.  Lucy vowed to never neglect her responsibilities to the neighborhood children just to be a diva in her house.

This is a cute book.  I love, love, love the concept that a child (or a weenie dog!) can take a personality quirk or "problematic" fault in herself and turn it into something helpful for others.  What a great lesson for kids!

It never explains why there were magic beans in her yard.  That would have been interesting to discover.  Of course, I can see many children scouring the yard every day to see if they can find a pile of magic beans!

Read this book if:

• You always wanted to be a superhero.
• You like helping others and want to read about a dog who helps others.
• You enjoy silly books with good lessons.
• You are looking for a book to inspire you.

BOOK BRIEFS:
AGES: 3 to 8
A = Animals
E/S = Emotional & Social Development
F = Funny
L = Long Book (for preschoolers- 12 pages, but lots of words on each page)
V = Vocabulary Enhancement
W = Win! (Book Contests)

The giveaway ends April 15th, 2013. 

Creative Ideas for Easter Eggs - Part 1

It's that time of year where the fun of egg dying/decorating and hunts are upon us!  I used to create many different egg dying/decorating projects for my students and I have listed the most popular ones here.  

This is the first of a two-part post.  The second one will be fun games to play using plastic eggs.



DYING EGGS
Tissue Paper Dyed Eggs

Lace Dyed Eggs
Tea Dyed Eggs
Sponge Paint Dye Eggs
Paint-Splattered Easter Eggs
Natural Egg Dye Recipes

DECORATING EGGS

Hand Drawn Eggs

Twine Tyed Eggs
Sprinkle Easter Eggs
Craft Thread Eggs
Black and White Eggs
Polka Dot Eggs

Willow Finds a Way by Lana Button

AUTHOR: Lana Button
ILLUSTRATOR: Tania Howells
PUBLISHER: Kids Can Press



Kristianne comes in to school with an announcement that she is having a fantastic birthday party and everyone is invited.  But then Kristianne begins to exploit her position as party-thrower by requiring everyone do everything she says or they cannot come to her fantastic birthday party.  Marco won't let her be line leader so she ceremoniously draws a line through his name on her birthday invite list.  Julian won't wear pink the next day so she kicks him off the list, too.  Willow wants to speak up, but nothing comes out.

Then she gets an idea.  She draws a line through her name on the list, too.  Soon everyone else follows suit and no one has to do what Kristianne says anymore.  Then Willow notices Kristianne doesn't eat her lunch and she doesn't have anyone to play with at recess and she gets stuck at the back of the line at the end of the day.  Willow decides to walk back to be the last one and Kristianne apologizes to Willow and then to the whole class.  She announces everyone is invited to her fantastic birthday party.  Everyone goes and has a fantastic time.

This adorable story serves as a reminder to kids to 1) be brave and stick up to a bossy peer, 2) stand up for your friends, and 3) being a bully means not having any real friends, and maybe not any friends at all.

Read this book if:

• You need to know how to stand up to a bully or a bossy friend.
• You have been bossing your friends around lately.
• You want to know how to be brave like Willow.

BOOK BRIEFS:
AGES: 3-7
E/S = Emotional & Social Development
I = Insightful