The Scarecrow’s Hat, “We All Need Somebody To Lean On”

Posted on November 13, 2014 by hendersonintraining
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“I’ve been standing here for years now, and my arms are so tired. I’d love a walking stick to lean on.”

The Scarecrow’s Hat

As the song says, “We all need somebody to lean on”.  We also need to be the “somebody” to lean on. But, sometimes you don’t have what your friend may need most. This tale teaches that by using some creative problem solving, you may be able to do more for others than you initially think.

Introducing Our Featured Friend: The Scarecrow’s Hat
Written and Illustrated by Ken Brown

“That’s a nice hat,” said Chicken to Scarecrow.
“Yes, it is,” replied Scarecrow. But I’d rather have a walking stick.
I’ve been standing here for years now, and my arms are so tired.
I’d love a walking stick to lean on. I’d swap my hat for a walking stick any day.”

Now Chicken didn’t have a walking stick, but she knew someone who did. 

So, chicken begun her journey to help solve her friend’s problem. Her first stop: Badger. Now Badger did have a walking stick, but he was using it to prop open his front door. However, he wanted a ribbon to tie the door open instead so he wouldn’t trip over the stick. So, all chicken had to do now was find a ribbon and make a trade . . .

Next stop: Crow. Now Crow did have a ribbon, but she wanted wool instead to line her nest. So, Chicken knew where to go.

Next visit: Sheep. Now sheep definitely had wool, and she was ready to trade some for a pair of glasses. She needed to keep a lookout for the wolf and her eye sight wasn’t as good in her older age.

So off Chicken headed to Owl’s place. Now Owl readily had a couple of pairs of glasses, but what he really needed was a blanket to cover his window so he could sleep during the day.

That left Chicken with one final stop: Donkey. Donkey had the perfect blanket covering his back, but he really needed some feathers to swat away the flies irritating him. Now feathers was something Chicken did have!

Quick as a flash, Chicken pulled out one, two, three
of her longest feathers and tied them to Donkey’s tail.

So, donkey traded his blanket for Chicken’s feathers and off she set to settle the trades:
Owl traded his glasses for Donkey’s blanket;
Sheep traded her wool for Owl’s glasses;
Crow traded her ribbon for Sheep’s wool;
Badger traded the walking stick for Crow’s ribbon;
and finally, Chicken gave the walking stick to her friend, Scarecrow. . . .
who gave Chicken his hat.

His problem was solved as now he had a walking stick to lean on, all because a friend helped him. And Chicken, well, she couldn’t be happier to make a cozy nest in her hat.

“That’s a nice nest,” said Duck.
“Yes, it is,” said Chicken. “And I wouldn’t swap it for anything!”

When I introduced this story to my daughter’s class this week, I had them interact with the second half of the story by asking them to recall what animal would receive the item for a trade before I revealed the answer by turning the page. For example, I’d say, “Chicken has the blanket. Whoo is she going to take it too? (The “whoo” hint helped!) . . . and so on. They really had to recall the first half of the story in order to unfold the second half. Great problem solving skills! Good activity for a circular story like this one.

Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with The Scarecrow’s Hat:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share

Select a couple of questions or activities to do with your children or class.

F- How does it make you feel when you help a friend?

R- Can you relate to Scarecrow when he needed help from a friend? When did a friend help you?

I- Imagine what it’s like to be a scarecrow. Write a letter to the farmer from the Scarecrow. Select a season and put a correlating date on the letter (June/summer). Then tell the farmer what he sees everyday in that season. Tell the farmer  what he likes and dislikes about his job.

E- Explore different solutions that Chicken could do to get the Scarecrow a walking stick.

N- Navigate your way back through the story after reading it through once by making a timeline of events that shows what item each animal needed and how they got it.

D- Develop reading and math activities correlating with our Friend by checking out an experienced, creative teacher’s cool blog site: http://goldengangkindergarten.blogspot.com/2012/10/the-scarecrows-hat-reading-and-math.html

S- Share with others this Thanksgiving by donating items, money and/or time to people who are in need. Opportunities are ample. YOU may be the somebody they need to lean on, even if it’s just for a little while.

Illustrations by Ken Brown:

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and visit http://www.kidsbookfriends.com to subscribe via e-mail.
Looking forward to connecting with YOU!

Other Related Blog Posts:
The Lonely Scarecrow, http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-t3
The Pumpkin Cat, http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-ru
Pumpkin Soup, http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-sE

 

Posted in fall, Friendship, problem solving | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Lonely Scarecrow, “Cold Snow Warms Hearts”

Posted on November 6, 2014 by hendersonintraining
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“And all the time, the animals watched the scary scarecrow. But they never came near.”

The Lonely Scarecrow

The Lonely Scarecrow has kept us company for three years as we discovered this book when my older son was in Kindergarten. We read it over and over again, intrigued by seeing the world from a scarecrow’s point of view, engaged by touching the beautifully embossed pictures and entertained by trying to paint our own rendition of the scarecrow. Each year we look forward to fall, partly for putting this book in a special place among our autumn décor where we can pick it up to read often. We’ve introduced this scarecrow to many friends and now it’s your turn to meet him!

Introducing Our Featured Friend: The Lonely Scarecrow
by Tim Preston, Illustrated by Maggie Keen

 In the middle of a field,
under a sky the color of cornflowers,
stood a scarecrow.
He had a scary face but a kindly heart.
More than anything, he wished
that the animals and birds
would be his friend.

 The animals feared the scary scarecrow. As seasons passed and the animals played, always keeping their distance from him, he grew lonelier. The wheat soon grew taller than his view, and he lost sight of ever making friends.

When the combine monster came to harvest the wheat, the scarecrow stood in an empty field while the animals hid. The first snow of winter soon fell and the animals came to play on the frozen earth.

The scarecrow
seemed to have vanished, too.
In his place
stood a jolly snowman!

The animals played around and all over the happy scarecrow. He was no longer lonely, but he was afraid. He was afraid that when he lost his snowy coat, the animals would no longer be his friends. But as the snow melted, the animals looked up in wonder at him.

Could the friendly snowman be the same
scary creature they had feared for so long?

The birds, mice, rabbits, fox, raccoons and squirrels nestled in close on his long arms, black hat, and in the pockets of his ragged, blue coat. And the scarecrow knew that he would never be lonely again.

 The beautiful, poetic words of this story along with the endearing, embossed pictures make us readers come ironically close to the scarecrow. And somehow by the end of the book, any loneliness lingering in our hearts seems lessened by the warmth and hope of friendships that can surround our lives when people see a kindly heart in us.

Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with The Lonely Scarecrow:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share

Select a couple of questions or activities to do with your children or class. Begin by answering the questions yourself so your kids can understand the concepts and relate more to you and the story:

F- What are some things (like appearance or personality traits) that make you feel afraid to be friends with someone? Talk about ways to see beyond these hindrances and reach out.

R- We all can relate to the scarecrow’s feeling of loneliness in some way. Describe a time when you were lonely and what you did to be friendly and how others reached out to you.

I- Imagine that you can be any of the animals in this story. Which one would you want to be and why?

E- Explore the process of the wheat harvest from seed to plant to product. Create a timeline with pictures showing the process.

N- Navigate your way through the seasons from the view point of your favorite animal from this story. Take your paper and fold it in half twice, creating four squares. Then sketch and color what the animal does in each season. Include pictures of its food, home, growth and more.

D- Develop scarecrow crafts: http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/scarecrowscraftsideasdecorationskids.html

S- Share your favorite illustration from the book. My favorite part is the animal’s footprints up the scarecrow’s snowy coat. The little bird footprints are precious.

 Illustrations from The Lonely Scarecrow:

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Interacting with The Lonely Scarecrow:

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Thankful to introduce The Lonely Scarecrow to our daughter’s 1st grade friends.

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My rendition of the scarecrow (3 years ago) while creating memories with our older son.

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A beautiful children’s book is a piece of art with a story,
and therefore featured as a centerpiece in our home décor.

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Posted in fall, Friendship, garden, winter | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Pumpkin Soup, “Stir the Pot”

Posted on October 30, 2014 by hendersonintraining
2014-10-29 11.10.20

Then the Duck trotted back to the bedroom held up the spoon and said, “Today it’s my turn to stir the soup.”

Pumpkin Soup

Whether our kids are working on Engaged Learning Units (ELUs), cooperative learning, or finding their place in our family units, they are constantly being asked to work together with others. Finding books that help them see what teamwork, friendship, and unity look like is a great way to encourage our kids in their work and relationships. Pumpkin Soup is one of my FAVORITE books ever and accomplishes this endeavor sweetly.

Introducing Our Featured Friend: Pumpkin Soup
Written & Illustrated by Helen Cooper

Deep in the woods there’s an old white cabin
with pumpkins in the garden.
There’s a good smell of soup . . .
Pumpkin Soup.
The best you ever tasted.

Made by the Cat who slices up the pumpkin.
Made by the Squirrel who stirs in the water.
Made by the Duck who scoops up a pipkin of salt, and tips in just enough.

This trio seems happy each doing his own job, until . . . the Duck decides HE wants to use Squirrel’s spoon. He wants a turn at being the Head Cook. After a tug-of-war between the Duck and Squirrel, the spoon flies through the air and hits Cat on the head.

Upset, Duck sets off on his own, feeling hurt that his friends will not let him try a new job. Cat and Squirrel were equally upset, until . . . Duck didn’t come back. Then instead of being upset with Duck, they became upset with themselves:

“We should have let him stir the soup,” sniffled the Squirrel.
“He was only trying to help,” wept the cat.
“Let’s go out and look for him.”

Fearful for the Duck, they set off into the dark woods to rescue him, but couldn’t find him. Concluding that Duck may have found better friends, they return home even sadder than when they had set off.

Their hope is renewed when they near their home and see the light coming from their cabin window! Duck is happy to see his friends again and even though it is late, they celebrate by making . . . Pumpkin Soup. Duck gets a chance to use the spoon, and he teaches Squirrel how to measure the salt. . . And even though Duck stirs too fast, spilling the soup out of the pot, the soup is the best they ever tasted.

What a great story to share with a class before doing an ELU or with your family as you try to teach your kids to kindly compromise and be considerate of their siblings. Next time they are tempted to “stir the pot”, they may remember how much better life is when they work together as a team!

Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with Pumpkin Soup:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share

Select a couple of questions or activities to do with your children or class:

 F- How do you feel when a classmate or sibling gets to do the job you want to do or gets the part in the school play that you wanted? How can you best handle these situations?

R- Which character can you best relate to: Duck, who wants to try something new, Squirrel, who doesn’t want to share his favorite job, or Cat, who is caught in the middle of two friends? Tell your experience.

I-  Imagine that you are one of the characters in this story. How would you feel experiencing the events in this story from his perspective?

E- Explore yummy pumpkin recipes from pumpkin dip to pumpkin dump cake. Find a few that fit your Halloween and Thanksgiving festivities. Better Homes and Gardens:
http://www.bhg.com/thanksgiving/recipes/pumpkin-recipes/

N- Navigate through some soup recipe until you find the one that hits the spot.
25 Best Soup Recipes from Cooking Light:
http://www.cookinglight.com/food/top-rated-recipes/best-soup–

D- Develop a project (cooking, cleaning, creating) where three or more friends or family members come together to make or do something special for another person. Develop a plan of how to accomplish this job as a team and get started!

S- Share your favorite part of this book and tell why you like it.

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Enjoyed sharing Pumpkin Soup with my son’s third grade class. Cat, Duck and Squirrel loved meeting them too!

Illustrations from Pumpkin Soup:

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*For future blog posts, “Like” Kidsbook Friends on Facebook
and visit http://www.kidsbookfriends.com to subscribe via e-mail.
Looking forward to connecting with YOU!

Posted in fall, garden, Halloween, Mealtime | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Creepy Carrots, “Consider the Carrots’ Point of View!”

Posted on October 23, 2014 by hendersonintraining

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When you get a super-creative writer to tell a story and a super-talented artist to draw the pictures, you get a book like Creepy Carrots. Two of my favorites come together, making this unique tale creepy-cool! A perfect treat for Halloween!

 Introducing Our Featured Friend: Creepy Carrots
Written by Aaron Reynolds, Illustrated by Peter Brown

Okay, we’ve all read Peter Rabbit and seen what it’s like to rummage through a garden from a rabbit’s perspective. We’ve read The Runaway Bunny and loved the ending when bunny and Mother are nestled safely together in their cozy den sharing a carrot. But, no one has yet to ask, what about the carrots? Until Aaron Reynolds thought about life from the view point of the carrots!

When Jasper Rabbit goes into Crackenhopper’s field anytime he wants and takes as many coveted carrots he wants, he begins pay for it. The carrots start following him . . .he thinks!? While brushing his teeth, while walking past their shed, and while trying to sleep, he sees and hears “the soft . . . sinister . . . tunktunktunk of carrots creeping.” But, every time he turns around to confirm the reality of his fear, they aren’t there. At first he thinks it’s his imagination; then his parents think it’s his imagination, but,

By the end of week Jasper was seeing creepy carrots creeping EVERYWHERE.
Jasper knew his parents were wrong. Creepy Carrots were real. And they were coming for him! But they couldn’t get him . . . if they couldn’t get out.

Jasper goes to Crackenhopper Field and builds a fence so high, so strong, and so secure, that no creepy carrot could ever get out again. He hops away from the field,  happy that his plan has worked. But he’s not the only happy one:

And as the sun finally set, the carrots of Crackenhopper Field . . .
cheered!
Their creepy plan had worked. They were sure of it.

Jasper Rabbit would never get into that carrot patch ever again.

Inviting You to Become FRIENDS with Creepy Carrots:
Feel, Relate, Imagine, Explore, Navigate, Develop, Share

Select a couple of questions or activities to do with your children or class:

F- How did you feel the first time reading the story? Where you scared, excited, entertained, or creeped-out?

R- Can you relate to Jasper being afraid? What makes you afraid? Are there any fears that you could turn into something funny because they can’t really happen?

I- Imagine you were a carrot in Crackenhopper Field. Write a note to Jasper warning him to keep away! Try to convince him why he should stop eating your friends . . . or eventually, you!

E- Explore children’s books you are currently reading by looking at the stories from a different point of view. For example, take books about falling leaves or pumpkin patches and look at some scenarios together from the perspective of the leaves or pumpkins.
*Also, check out Aaron Reynolds, Carnivores, as he shares another unique point of view!

N- Navigate your way through lesson plans and author and illustrator interviews on http://www.teachingbooks.net/ql5iyjz

 D- Develop your own drawing of a creepy carrot and make it creepy-cool!

S- Share how you would try to stop the creepy carrots from coming out to follow Jasper? Check out what these kids said: http://polkadotkinders.blogspot.com/2013/04/creepy-carrots-and-lets-get-aquainted.html

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Interact with Kidsbook Friends:
To receive more children’s book reviews with correlating activities, “Like” Kidsbook Friends on Facebook and subscribe to http://www.kidsbookfriends.com

Other Related Posts:
Interview with Author, Aaron Reynolds: http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-rU
The Curious Garden by Peter Brown: http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-5l
The Pumpkin Cat by Anne Mortimer: http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-ru

 

Posted in garden, Halloween, rabbit | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Kidsbook Friends Exclusive Author Interview with Aaron Reynolds

Posted on October 21, 2014 by hendersonintraining

Aaron Headshot 2, cropped

 Aaron Reynolds

Last month, I had the privilege of meeting and learning from Aaron Reynolds at the North Texas Regional SCBWI Conference (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators). His humor, authenticity, and straight-forward talk captivated his audience. I am still processing all he taught us that weekend. One tip he gave us writers is that we need to write, write, and write. He said one of the errors writers seeking publication make is doing “writerly” things instead of investing time and focus on actually working on their craft. Seems basic, but he’s right. Lately, I’ve spent less time talking about my ideas and writing on social media and more time on writing my original works. He also inspired me to persevere as his writing journey has been a long process. I’m learning to appreciate the process and see where it takes me! Thank you Aaron for all you taught us.

Now it’s your chance to meet Aaron Reynolds and see why he is such a coveted guest speaker in local schools and conferences. Enjoy his relatable personality, authentic insights and valuable experiences.

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Influences:

What experiences, people, and/or books were influential in your life, leading you to write your own children’s books?

I would not be a writer if it weren’t for a teacher who read aloud to us in class. As a kid, I hated books. I was never read to aloud, that I remember, at all. I had never been to a library. That all changed in fifth grade, because I had a very special teacher named Mr. Hunter. Mr. Hunter LOVED books and he read a chapter out of a chapter book to us every day of fifth grade. I still remember the first week of fifth grade and I still remember the first book Mr. Hunter read aloud to us. It was RAMONA THE PEST. I couldn’t believe what I was hearing…that THIS was books, that THIS is what I had been missing out on all this time. I was mesmerized by the story. I immediately went from being a kid who hated books to being a kid who was obsessed with books. I went to the library for the first time and read EVERYTHING. Mr. Hunter did so much more than teach us that year. He INSPIRED me to LOVE BOOKS. And I truly believe that it is because of Mr. Hunter that I transformed from a kid who hated books to an adult who creates books for a living.

Beginnings:

When did you begin writing children’s book manuscripts?

Probably around 1998. I was 28 years old, was working full-time writing scripts and plays and sometimes curriculum for kids. I loved kids books and decided I would try to write one. My first efforts were terrible…I made all the classic first-timer blunders and the rejection letters gushed forth!

What was the first book you got published and with which publishing agency?

My first published book was CHICKS AND SALSA, published by Bloomsbury Children’s Books in 2004.

How many books have you written that are published?

Almost 30.

Which of your books is your favorite and why?

While CREEPY CARROTS is my most popular book, I’m very partial to CARNIVORES. It has a dark and unexpected turn that delights me and makes me laugh every time. I love to watch the faces of kids as they read it. You can always tell when they get to the page with the owl.

Inspiration:

What was the inspiration for your main character of your favorite book?

In CARNIVORES…not sure. I guess me. It’s about three meat-eaters who get a bad rap for just being themselves. I’ve felt like that sometimes. I’ve had bosses, even in creative fields, who have said to me “You just need to think smaller. You just need to reign it in. You’re too big with your creativity.” Thankfully, I feel like I’ve had a clear idea of who I am and what I’m in a job to do, and I was able to say “If you want somebody who thinks small, you should fire me, because that’s not who you’ve hired.” But I’ve never understood that kind of thinking…think small. So I relate to the Lion and Wolf and Shark who are just trying to be who they were made to be, and sometimes get slack for it.

Where do you get your ideas for your books?

I honestly have no idea. I think we are surrounded by ideas. They fill the air like butterflies…they are all around us, just waiting to be snatched up by anyone with eyes to see.

Process:

How long did it take you to write, edit, and publish your first book?

I wrote CHICKS AND SALSA over the course of a few weeks. But then I sent it out to publishers and received rejections for a couple years. When I heard back from Bloomsbury, it was 9 months after I sent it to them, and they rejected it. They felt like it wasn’t finished, but they liked it and gave me a bunch of suggestions for revision. I revised within two weeks and sent it right back. It was another 12 months before I got a call that it had been accepted. We didn’t do much revision after that, and about a year later, the book was on shelves.

What’s that add up to? A long time, that’s what.

Advice:

What advice can you share with children reading your books?

Read like crazy. And read things you LOVE. Reading is meant to be fun. Us grownups have a terrible habit of judging what you read…of telling you to put that book that you love down and go pick up a book WE think is worth your time. That’s nonsense. If you love sports magazines, read them by the boatload. If you love graphic novels, read every one you can get your hands on.

And never, NEVER watch a movie of a book before you read the book. That’s just a sad sad thing.

What advice can you give to those of us who are working to write and publish children’s books?

As long as you still love the process of writing, don’t give up. Keep learning, keep growing, keep getting better. It took me five years of rejections to get published. But through it all, I fell MORE in love with the writing, MORE in love with the world of children’s publishing, and I could see myself getting better.

Interests:

What are three hobbies/interests  you have besides writing?

  1. Reading.
  2. Video games
  3. Cooking

Quote:

Please leave us with a quote from one of your books!

I’m not bad. I’m a CARNIVORE. Eating meat is just what I do.

Thank you!

Carnivores rawr.AR

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For More Kidsbook Friends Exclusive Author Interviews, Check Out:
Janee Trasler: http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-qv
Julia Rawlinson: http://wp.me/p4m4Tu-pL

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