Pick of the Week: Lion's Lunch?

Lion's Lunch? by Fiona Tierney, illustrated by Margaret Chamberlain (Scholastic/Chicken House, 2010)

Sarah is happily strolling through the jungle when she meets Lion, King of the Jungle. He roars, "What are you doing in my jungle?" and quickly decides she should be his lunch. Sarah is determined to save herself by proving that there are things she can do better than the lion. This book is full of energy, bright illustrations, and is an excellent source for building those vocabulary skills. For instance, in the jungle, Lion declares, "Nobody here just sings. We roar, yowl, grunt, chatter, buzz, trumpet, hiss, growl, pant, and harrumph." Does Sarah find something she can do better than Lion? And can she use this skill to save her life and teach Lion a lesson?

Spelling Games

Do you have a child who is learning to spell or needing practice spelling? Here's a fun way to accomplish this outside, while getting some exercise, too! This idea from Family Fun magazine lets kids practice spelling by bouncing a ball on a telephone keypad with numbers and letters written in chalk on a driveway, sidewalk or playground.

Bounce Messaging Learning Game:

http://familyfun.go.com/playtime/language-learning-games/learning-game-bounce-messaging-707083/

This looks like a fun game. I also immediately thought that this game, with its telephone keypad look, could give kids a good practice run on their future text messaging skills (lol) , but a coworker reminded me that with the advent of so many smart phones with keyboards, texting will be looking different to many kids.

Pick of the Week: Sometimes It's Grandmas and Grandpas

 

Sometimes it's Grandmas and Grandpas Not Mommies and Daddies by Gayle Byrne, illustrated by Mary Haverfield (Abbeville Kids, 2009)

More than 6 million children are being raised by grandparents today, making this book a timely addition to picture book collections. The girl in this story tells us how she spends time cuddling, cooking, watching television, and reading with her grandma and poppy. Sometimes when they are reading stories together about mothers and fathers, she wonders about the differences in her life. But she also knows that her grandparents can give her the same things that other kids' parents give them - especially love and hugs. This story fills a much needed gap in books about grandparents raising children.

Children's Event Today at the Library

Today! Lemonade for Literacy 1-4 p.m.


Children ages 2-12 (and their families) are welcome to a storytime and book giveaway event sponsored by Corvallis High School students. Leadership students from Corvallis High School held a fundraiser this past week selling lemonade. The proceeds from their fundraiser were used to purchase used children's books from local bookstores to give away to children in our community. They will be giving away a free book to children and serving lemonade this afternoon at the library! Join us for "Lemonade for Literacy" today, Sunday, May 23rd, from 1-4 p.m. in the Youth Activity Room at the Corvallis Library. 

Pick of the Week: "Shwatsit!"

Shwatsit!: No one knows just what it means by Christin Ditchfield, illustrated by Rosalind Beardshaw (Golden Book, 2009)

This little baby girl knows just what she wants, but no one else in her family can figure it out. She eats breakfast,  sees her brother off to school at the bus stop, goes shopping with Mom, heads to the park, and more. All the while, her family is trying to guess just what "shwatsit" means! Young children will love trying to figure out what it means, and once they do, it's fun to look back through the book at the clues given. Parents and older siblings will appreciate what it's like to try to decode a baby's or toddler's first word attempts.

Pick of the Week: Milo Armadillo

Milo Armadillo by Jane Fearnley (Candlewick Press, 2009)

All little Tallulah wants for her birthday is a pink fluffy rabbit. All of her friends have one and so she must have one too! You'd think it would be easy to find one...but her parents look everywhere and still come up empty-handed. So Grandma knits her pink fluffy...well, armadillo! When Tallulah receives her gift she is less than pleased. This little armadillo is pretty amazing, but will Tallulah come to see that? Or will Milo Armadillo give up trying to please Tallulah and leave? This is a sweet picture book about giving new friends a chance and learning that sometimes what we never knew we wanted is just what we end up needing and loving.

Parenting Book Pick: Raising Happiness by Christine Carter

Raising Happiness: 10 Simple Steps for More Joyful Kids and Happier Parents by Christine Carter, Ph.D. (Ballantine Books, 2010)

Tired of always feeling overwhelmed and guilty after reading parenting advice books? Here's a new book by Christine Carter (author of the Half Full: Science for Raising Happy Kids Blog from the Greater Good Science Center) that focuses on raising happiness. Ask a handful of parents about what they wish for their children and raising a happy child is likely to be near or at the top of the list. Christine Carter's book brings science research and practical parenting (she's a mom of two girls) together in this book.

The table of contents: The art and science of raising happy kids -- Step 1, Put on your own oxygen mask first -- Step 2, Build a village -- Step 3, Expect effort and enjoyment, not perfection -- Step 4, Choose gratitude, forgiveness, and optimism -- Step 5, Raise their emotional intelligence -- Step 6, Form happiness habits -- Step 7, Teach self-discipline -- Step 8, Enjoy the present moment -- Step 9, Rig their environment for happiness -- Step 10, Eat dinner together.