The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring {The Children's Bookshelf}

The other night, Sprout came home from preschool and over a plate of noodles and cheese, announced, "Ninja turtles have guns and they will shoot you dead."

Ohhh-kaaay.

It would appear we have entered that stage of the game, where what the oh-so-alluring older boy at preschool tells you absorbs into your consciousness fully. For the record, we aren't in favor of guns for our kiddo, play or otherwise. We're firm on that. And so this off-the-cuff ninja turtle comment elicited a response from Mama and Daddy, after a suitable period of non-commentary, where we talked with Sprout about guns and knives and how we don't feel that kind of play is appropriate, and why. It's not going to be the last conversation we have on the subject, and we aren't so naive as to think that he won't play guns and shooting and so forth. But we want to make our no-tolerance position clear from the beginning.

So it seemed fitting that a book we recently checked out move its way up to the top of the book stack. The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring is a wonderful book for many reasons: it's colorful, fun to read, and has some of Sprout's favorite things in it (knights! dragons! fire-breathing!). But what we like most is the narrative: a young boy wants to go fight dragons as he sees the grown-up knights do. He longs to swing his mighty blade and vanquish the dreaded beasts on his own.

Trouble is, Mom won't let him have a sword. Instead, she gives him -- a sunflower.

Well, what's a guy to do with that? Sure, it swishes through the air pretty fine, but fighting seems out of the question. Sighing, our little would-be knight makes his way up to Dragon Hill, making the best use he can out of his sunflower by sparring with imaginary dragons. But then, he runs into -- you guessed it -- a real dragon. Now how will a sunflower help our hero stand up to this fearsome beast?

Sperring's got an important message here, which wraps up with a satisfying conclusion. I appreciate that the conflict isn't resolved too easily - the knight doesn't warm to his mother's suggestion until he considers how it could best be used, and it works. That message, coupled with adorably snaggle-toothed dragons created by illustrator Miriam Latimer, brings the whole point home in a way that's subtle and yet powerful.

Whether you want to encourage nonviolent play or work on resolving conflicts creatively, The Sunflower Sword makes a great addition to bookshelves at home and in the classroom. [Sunflowers not included.]

The Sunflower Sword by Mark Sperring, published by Andersen Press
Ages 3-7
Source: Library
Sample: "Then he whooshed and swooshed it, just to see how well it whooshed and swooshed. / It whooshed and swooshed very well. 'But,' said the little knight, 'it won't be any good for fighting dragons.' 'No,' sighed his mother, 'I don't suppose it will, but keep it anyway.'"
Recommended

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This post is part of The Children’s Bookshelf, a weekly linky party with the goal of connecting parents with great books for their kids. Do you have a book review, literacy or book-related post that you think will be helpful for parents? If so, please add your link below.

NOTE: By linking up you are giving permission for any of the co-hosts to pin and/or feature a your photo on a future The Children’s Bookshelf post. Kindly link up to an individual post, not your blog’s homepage. The hosts reserve the right to delete any links to homepages, commercial links, repeat links or otherwise inappropriate links. Thank you for your understanding.

You can also follow The Children’s Bookshelf on Pinterest or visit TCB’s co-hosts: Sprout’s Bookshelf, What Do We Do All Day?, No Twiddle Twaddle, Smiling Like Sunshine, My Little Bookcase, The Picture Book Review, MemeTales and Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns. You can find more details here.

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Picture Book Review - We March by Shane W. Evans

Today marks the first day of Black History Month here in the United States. While I have mixed feelings about this type of observation -- Black history is ongoing, and our discussions about the history of people of color in our nation shouldn't be confined to one 28 day period -- I do appreciate every attempt to bring diversity into the spotlight. I also applaud efforts like that of The Brown Bookshelf, which sponsors the 28 Days Later series featuring profiles of African American authors and illustrators of children's literature.

These sorts of events bring even more opportunities for Sprout and other children of color to learn about heroes who look like them. And that's important to me, as a parent, because role models are so crucial, both in terms of people you know in your everyday life and those you read and hear about. Because, let's face it: our country was not forged through the efforts of white males alone, but through the blood, sweat, tears and hopes of people of all colors, genders, religions, backgrounds, classes, nationalities, livelihoods, sexual orientations, abilities and ages -- whether or not the history books mention them.

I was thrilled to read today's pick not only because it's by a tremendous author/illustrator but because it takes a pivotal event in African American history -- the March on Washington -- and translates it into a picture book that is accessible and appealing to preschoolers. Shane W. Evans's We March accomplishes this by honing in on one family, relating their experience in participating in this historic event from August 28, 1963.

The book follows father, mother and two children as they rise in the wee hours of the morning, gather at their church and prepare for the day's events. The family paints signs and prays with others, then joins their leaders in a peaceful march through the nation's capital. The crowd Evans depicts is diverse, with young and old, male and female, well and infirm, black and white. "We walk together," writes Evans, picturing the family walking alongside the other marchers. "We sing."

The final spreads in the book shows the family listening to the words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Evans's last illustration of the great leader is a stirring one, with the brilliant sun shining behind him and Dr. King's powerful words, "Free at last! Free at last! Thank God Almighty we are free at last!" shimmering in the distance. In an afterword, Evans provides an historical context for the events of the day, a nice addition for those planning to use this title in a larger unit on African American history.

What makes We March so memorable, for me, are the simplicity of Evans's narration, and his outstanding illustrations. Every time we pull this off the book stack Sprout just pores over it - not because of intricate detail, because these spreads are very clean and focused, but because of the urgency of the pictures. You feel the excitement radiating from the family, not just from the words but from the images themselves. You feel caught up in the spirit of the march, feel the pull of the enormity of the event as Evans pushes back to feature the crowd gathered at the Lincoln Memorial. Though the events they depict are fifty years gone, Evans's illustrations give the March on Washington an immediacy that brings readers right into the moment, and keeps them there.

As you choose books to read with your children this month, consider how you'll present African American history. Do we remember because it has happened, or do we remember because it is still happening, today, unfolding around us? The history of African Americans, like that of all citizens, affects us all in deep and profoundly moving ways -- and by sharing excellent titles like We March, we can make that history as much present as it ever was past.

We March by Shane W. Evans, published by Roaring Brook Press
All ages
Source: Library
Sample: "We are hot and tired, but we are filled with hope. / We lean on each other / as we march to justice, / to freedom, / to our dreams."
Highly recommended

Winter Fun with Kiwi Crate + Giveaway!

If you've read this blog much, or if you know me in my real life, you know I am anything but a crafty mom. I just don't have it in me. I aspire to be one of those awesome Pinterest folk who can turn a few bottle caps and some macaroni into a masterpiece du jour, with their toddlers no less, but alas, I fear it's not to be.

But my kid's another story. Sprout loves him some craft time. And when he started at preschool and began bringing home fantastic art projects one a regular basis, I knew we needed to step up the creativity around Casa de Kinser.

So what's a craft-challenged mama to do? Just so happens that I found the perfect answer for our situation in the form of one little green box. Kiwi Crate is a arts-and-crafts subscription service designed for kids ages 3-7 that is really beyond all my expectations. Really.

Here's the scoop: you sign your kiddo up, and every month a box of awesome arrives on your doorstep. It's tempting right from the get-go. You'll have to just let the dishes pile up and jump right into the fun.

Then you open it up and see all kinds of wonderful stuff. (You might lose your mind a little.)

Each Kiwi Crate contains all the supplies needed for two craft projects, tied together with a theme.

And when I say all the supplies, I mean *everything*. Ours came with high-quality watercolors, scissors, and pastels - score!

Sprout didn't have any trouble deciding which project he wanted to tackle - penguin bowling. As in, decorate your penguins and then use them as bowling pins, naturally. Right down a preschooler's alley, har har har.

We all got into the decorating fun. The Kiwi Craters not only sent us multiple penguins to decorate, they also included plenty of stickers for the perfect amount of flair for each one.

 

Sprout loved doing the decorating and using his imagination. We cracked out our markers to put on some finishing touches and give each penguin his or her own persona.

Sprout didn't let Daddy sit on the sidelines - he had to put down the camera and "make your penguins Daddy!". Unlike some of the stuff daddies have to do, this activity was pretty darn entertaining.

You will be very proud of your creation. You'll want to show it off to your family, your friends, the blogosphere.

This is the chance for us non-creatives to tap into our undiscovered artistic side. In our case, each of our penguins got a back story and a very original name. Like the one with the Rasta hat who Sprout named "Food-Bacon" (which, in retrospect, is just weird enough to be a celebrity baby name - you heard it here first.)

So then we had to try out the bowling aspect. . . first we did a bit of warmup with tabletop bowling.

It took tremendous focus and concentration to get those penguins flying. You gotta get your head in the game -- be the ball.

After a few warmup rounds, we were ready to go pro. STRIKE!

 

Coming soon to ESPN-3 -- Full Body Penguin Bowling! This might just be the next big thing, people.

Seriously, though, this was a way cool activity for all of us. Sprout loved having a creative outlet on a rainy winter day. Daddy loved the silliness aspect of the theme. Mommy loved not having to spend an hour in the craft store gathering up a bunch of supplies we'd only use once. It was all in that crazy Kiwi Crate ready and waiting for us. And Sprout was over-the-moon excited to hear he'd be getting another fun crate next month (the suspense is killing us).

Naturally we had to read some books to go along with our penguin-themed afternoon. We found three terrific stories to read, all about penguins, of course, but also about what it means to be a friend. (And not just a bowling pin!)

Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester - Tacky uses his unique talents to save the perfect penguins from danger, even though they've never quite appreciated him.

Little Penguin by Patrick Benson - Everybody's bigger than Pip, even the other penguins! But she soon discovers that even the big guys don't measure up to a very cool new friend.

Penguin and Pinecone by Salina Yoon - Penguin loves his friend Pinecone, enough to give him up when the two must part. But love doesn't go away so easily - instead it grows into something more.

And here's the best part - you too can get into the fun with your very own Penguin Bowling Set! The kind folks at Kiwi Crate have graciously provided us with a sample Crate to give away to one lucky winner. It comes complete with everything you need to bowl with penguins, plus a second activity of making postcards inspired by the Aurora Borealis. And there's other fun suggestions and surprises included also. You're going to love it!

(Photos provided by Jacob Kinser Photography. Prize provided by Kiwi Crate. Cuteness provided by Sprout.)

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A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith {The Children's Bookshelf}

Yikes, life can get busy, can't it? With grad school, work, social commitments, swim lessons, family time and all the other stuff we try to squeeze in, it just feels sometimes like there's not enough week to go around. Lately it's our library trips that have suffered - we used to be diligent about going every week, but these days we're lucky if it's once a month. I still bring books home from work quite often, but even so we all miss this time. Lesson to me - we need to get better about prioritizing so that we can make it happen.

One of the reasons I miss library visits is the serendipity of pulling something off the shelf and finding a gem. Sure, you can scope out books online, do keyword searches and read blogs to find what's new and great. But those oldies, the ones that are no longer at the forefront of every reviewer's list? Those are the kinds of books I love to stumble across. And for those encounters, there's really no substitute for an in-person shelf browse.

Sprout found today's pick himself on one of our last library trips. What's interesting is that even though I'm familiar with the publisher and the illustrator, Laura Freeman, I'd never heard of this one: A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith. And it couldn't have been a better choice on Sprout's part because he's right in the thick of an imaginative phase, where "I'm a dinosaur" and "I'm a fireman" are everyday occurrences for us. So this tale of a young boy casting himself in the role of a cowboy was spot on.

Our hero is off for a visit at Grandma's with his little brother. Pretty straightforward, right? No way, pardner! Because our narrator is a "real live buckaroo", and as he describes his day it's all about cowboy life. There's blazing a trail (walking to Grandma's), rounding up the herd (chasing Grandma's puppies around the yard), eatin' grub (popcorn and juice boxes). This is a real serious gig for our cowpoke, who takes his duties and his cowboy leisure time quite seriously.

Smith's use of wild west lingo paired with Freeman's winsome illustrations makes for a very sweet reading experience. Sprout loved pointing out the silliness, like when the cowboy rides on his mama's back, pretending she's his horse (Sprout thought that was hilarious). I loved that the family in question is multiracial -- as I've said many times, there's a real need for depictions of diverse families in everyday settings, and this title fills the bill nicely. Best of all, this is a title that little ones will clamor to hear, with its steady rhymes and comforting yet interesting pictures. And moms and dads will find it just as fun too. After all, who wouldn't want to go along on this trail ride?

We'll be on the lookout for Smith and Freeman's other title, A Brave Spaceboy, during our next library trip - which I think I'm going to make an appointment for, so we don't miss it!

A Wild Cowboy by Dana Kessimakis Smith, published by Jump at the Sun/Hyperion
Ages 2-5
Source: Library
Sample: "We set up camp, this cowboy's home / A fire flickers and pops / I find some grub, some cowboy food / I eat till the rumblin' stops"
Recommended

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This post is part of The Children’s Bookshelf, a weekly linky party with the goal of connecting parents with great books for their kids. Do you have a book review, literacy or book-related post that you think will be helpful for parents? If so, please add your link below.

NOTE: By linking up you are giving permission for any of the co-hosts to pin and/or feature a your photo on a future The Children’s Bookshelf post. Kindly link up to an individual post, not your blog’s homepage. The hosts reserve the right to delete any links to homepages, commercial links, repeat links or otherwise inappropriate links. Thank you for your understanding.

You can also follow The Children’s Bookshelf on Pinterest or visit TCB’s co-hosts: Sprout’s Bookshelf, What Do We Do All Day?, No Twiddle Twaddle, Smiling Like Sunshine, My Little Bookcase, The Picture Book Review, MemeTales and Mouse Grows, Mouse Learns. You can find more details here.

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Mad, Mad, Mad! - 4 Picture Books for Taming Tantrums

Whoever dubbed them "the terrible twos" must have never have spent time with a three-year-old. I'm here to tell you that two has nothing on three when it comes to testing, challenging and fighting for control over every.little.thing. Seriously! And because Mama can't, or won't, give in to the incessant demands for things to be done Sprout's way, we inevitably run smack into the dreaded temper tantrum.

(And to the nice elderly lady who smiles and says "Enjoy every moment" when my kid is melting down in the checkout line at Target - surely you didn't mean this particular moment, right?)

Anyway, in an effort to give Sprout words for his emotions, and to help him understand that his feelings are all part of life as we know it, I of course turned to books. There are, thankfully, a number of picture books about anger and tantrums, but here are a few that especially resonated with us, and maybe helped a little with that anger management too.

First up is Rachel Vail's Sometimes I'm Bombaloo, a great springboard for discussion about the changeable nature of moods. Katie is a pretty easygoing kid, usually. She loves her family and she has great manners, even at the table. But every so often Katie gets pushed to the edge - and that's when she becomes Bombaloo, an angry monster who acts first and thinks later. Vail does a great job of exploring Katie's emotions, even hinting at what might have driven Katie to go Bombaloo (her brother knocking over her block tower. Sprout understands this one completely.) Bombaloo has consequences, as Vail demonstrates, but just as quickly as she disappeared, Katie is back to herself again. I love that there are apologies and hugs after the Bombaloo phase, showing that being sorry for your actions is an important part of the process. And it's given us a great new term for expressing our anger, which we now call "going Bombaloo".

Finn Throws a Fit by David Elliott follows a household through the rages and stages of one little boy's tantrums. Again, we have a generally mellow kid who, when his mommy offers him his favorite peaches, is suddenly overcome by a temper fit resulting in all kinds of crazy consequences. There are storm clouds in the nursery, then lightning in the kitchen, and before you know it Finn's hapless parents are trying to survive a storm of apocalyptic proportions. But it all passes soon enough, and Finn is back to his sweet self. Though Elliott doesn't delve into as deep an examination of mood as Vail does, he does chart the escalation of the temper tantrum effectively (Sprout says, "uh-oh, he's getting really mad now!"). And the messy, sketchy artwork by Timothy Basil Ering suits the varying moods of a tantruming toddler to the T. Peaches, anyone?

In Linda Urban's Mouse Was Mad, the title character is peeved from the get-go. We never do find out what set him off, but the more Mouse tries to act out his frustrations, the more angry he gets. He's hopping mad - but he can't hop near as well as Hare. He's stomping mad - but Bear's the king of stomping. And with each successive failure to properly demonstrate anger, Mouse gets more and more explosive. Finally Mouse is so mad that he can't even move. . . and he finds that in standing still, his anger suddenly evaporates. We talked about the solution Mouse comes to at some length as we read this book, and even tried it once, with shockingly effective results. Of course, the trick is getting Sprout to stand still, but Urban's incredibly important lesson - that sometimes you need to step away and just cool off - seems to be sticking with him. And anyway, it's better than being "rolling on the ground" mad!

I usually limit these quick review posts to three titles, but I just have to mention one of my favorites, Norton Juster's Sourpuss and Sweetie Pie. Readers will recognize the multiracial family from Juster's earlier book The Hello Goodbye Window, one of our all-time favorites. This time our little girl shows off her dual personalities, the contentious Sourpuss and compliant Sweetie Pie, as she visits her grandparents. It's hard to know just what makes one show up and the other disappear, but it's very clear that these two couldn't be more dissimilar. Sprout loves to pick out which one is Sourpuss (she of screwed-up face and crossed arms) and which one is Sweetie Pie (smiles and laughter, of course). And sometimes both girls are there at once, to Nanna and Poppy's great consternation. Tracking the evolution of moods isn't easy, but Juster and illustrator Chris Raschka give us one especially genius spread that does just that, as our heroine turns from angry to happy in the space of a few sentences. Parents especially will identify with the exhausted Nanna and Poppy, who hope for nothing more than to see just Sweetie Pie at the breakfast table.

What are your favorite titles for coping with emotions? Drop me a line and we'll check them out - we can always use one more!