My new favorite picture book easy readers are written by author and illustrator Jan Thomas.

Here Comes the Big, Mean Dust Bunny! is the perfect book — rhyming, bold illustrations, and funny as heck!

It follows the also hilarious book, Rhyming Dust Bunnies.

One dust bunny (the blue one) has rhyming issues — but it turns out he’s got his reason which you’ll find out at the end.

Wait!  There’s more . . . What Will Fat Cat Sit On? is an awesome early reader that kids will want to read.  (As opposed to the terrible early readers that make no sense but are filled with the sight words.  Bluck.)

Mouse asks, “What will Fat Cat sit on?” and wonders about each of his animal friends.  But, no, Fat Cat won’t sit on cow or chicken or dog or mouse.  Fat Cat will sit on a chair.  Until he wants to eat . . .

You’ll love these books as much as my girls and me.  Enjoy!

P.S.  I’m NOT an Amazon affiliate – just linked to them today. 

Guest post by Geoffrey Hayes, author of award winning Benny and Penny Toon Book, The Big No-No and over 40 picture books.

Having spent many years working in the traditional picture book arena, I am now writing and illustrating children’s comics as well. Although I have been a longtime comics fan, doing comics for kids has given me a finer appreciation of the educational benefits this medium has to offer.

Comics have much in common with picture books in that the text and illustrations work in concert to tell the story, neither being complete enough to stand on their own. But whereas picture books are primarily for young children, comics utilize the same principals to speak to all ages and can be instrumental in transcending age barriers. A bookseller in Miami recently told me that she has sold my Benny and Penny books to young teenagers with reading difficulties, which I find amazing considering that my protagonists are preschoolers! There is something about the comic format that appears “cool” and accessible. We live in a visual age after all, and children can find reading pictures more natural and less daunting than dealing with blocks of type.

1. Comics Encourage Re-reading

Information contained in the pictures, eliminates the need for lengthy descriptions, allowing comics to be read quickly. During the initial reading, the words are read first, with the visual component acting as a subliminal counterpoint. The reader then re-reads in order to seek out information glossed over on the first run-through to (unconsciously) discover how the words and art support one another.

Studies in cognitive reading skills have shown that while a good reader, if lost or unclear about something, will return to the place where they faltered, a poor reader will return to the beginning of the paragraph. This is less likely to happen when reading a comic story as the reader has the option of studying the art to catch what they have missed.

2. Comprehension Aides

Visual clues are found not only in objects or backgrounds, but encompass a range of symbols, which together form a comics vocabulary; cloud-like speech bubbles denote thought, jagged ones, alarm, etc. Other clues might include facial expressions, body language, bolded words, movement lines around figures, “surprise” lines, beads of sweat, and puffs of dust to show that a character is in a hurry.

Mood and pacing are expressed through the use of color (somber colors for somber moods/ bright colors for happy moods) and panel layout. Large panels can be effective when pulling back to show location, open a scene, emphasize a key story point or a defining moment for a character. A tilted panel might communicate disorientation, a small one, claustrophobia. The size and shape of panels should not be haphazard, but should work to communicate what is taking place.

Although, a sequential medium, comics can’t illustrate every action, which allows the reader to fill-in the blanks between pictures, much as a film viewer fills in the blanks between edits, particularly during time shifts. It is a shorthand technique that is understood by contemporary audiences.

3. Eye Movement

In comics, movement across a page is inferred. The art and text are stationary; only the reader’s eyes are moving.  The comic writer/artist guides the reader along the page or spread through the placement of word bubbles, text boxes, and composition of images, that not only assists the reader but also stimulates their sense of sight.

Children are introduced to the standard reading direction of left to right and top to bottom. For emerging readers, difficult to read words can be illustrated close to the word itself, allowing for clearer understanding. It’s manipulation in the service of a positive result. Film and stage productions employ similar techniques to get the viewer to look in a specific direction, or experience a desired mood.

Of course, above all it helps if the story one is telling engages the reader’s interest. The comics medium opens the way for more challenging subjects, such as history or biography, as well as the classics. Just because children are introduced to Greek Mythology or Shakespeare via comics doesn’t mean they will be sated. If anything this first taste can lead to a desire to explore the works in greater depth. This certainly happened with me. I loved reading “Classic Illustrated” and followed up with many of the titles in hardcover, titles I would have found daunting had I not experienced them first in a visual format. If comics are done well, with conscious intention, they can give the reader a multi-leveled experience, as instructive as it is pleasurable.

Links:

Geoffrey’s Benny and Penny Blog

Benny and Penny Printable Puppets

Toon Books Website

Melissa’s Interview with Geoffrey Hayes

Melissa’s Review of The Big No-No on Bookmarkable

ENTER TO WIN!  Do you want to win a copy of Geoffrey’s book, The Big No-No?  Click here to enter.

Melissa’s Note: Heartfelt thanks to Geoffrey for this thoughtful guest post on comic book literacy!  If you don’t know his recent work, please click on the links above.  His Toon books are the best, most entertaining early readers I have ever read. I highly, highly recommend all the Toon books as a MUST for your home (or school) library.

]]> http://imaginationsoup.net/2010/07/building-reading-skills-through-the-language-of-comics/feed/ 2 http://imaginationsoup.net/2010/07/parent-child-book-club-newsletter-july-2010/ http://imaginationsoup.net/2010/07/parent-child-book-club-newsletter-july-2010/#comments Fri, 23 Jul 2010 01:08:42 +0000 Melissa Taylor http://imaginationsoup.net/?p=2798

View Original Newsletter HERE.

Secret Science Alliance and the Copycat Crook

Written and drawn by Eleanor Davis, inked by Drew Weing
Bloomsbury Kids, 2009

Winner of 2009 Graphic Novel Cybil Award

Kids who save the world from bad-guy adults?  What’s not to love about a story like that?  In this case,

three (eleven and twelve year old) kids – Julian, a genius geek, Ben, a jock and Greta, a punk – form an unexpected friendship and science club called “The Secret Science Alliance”.  They meet in an underground hide-out where they invent things like a Stinkometer and a Kablovsky Copter.

But, when their inventor’s notebook is stolen by the evil scientist Dr. Wilhelm Stringer, they must not only get it back but stop him from robbing the museum.

You’ll enjoy how the kids use their inventions to save the museum from robbery and rescue their notebook.

Book Club Activities and Questions:

• Why are smart kids considered nerds?
• Can three very different kids be friends?  Is this realistic?
• What is different about reading a graphic (comic) novel than a novel with no pictures?
• Have a comic drawing party where you all work on your own comic short story.

A Whole Nother Story

written by Dr. Cuthbert Soup
Bloomsbury Kids, 2010
Ages 8 – 12

In this hilarious story, our opinionated narrator, Dr. Cuthbert Soup, President for the National Center for Unsolicited Advice, tells the adventurous tale of the Cheeseman family –  an inventor and his kids who are hiding from rival inventors and government spies.

While on the move, the family renames themselves, finds new friends, stays in new places, all the while working on their prized invention, a time machine. Lucky for them, their psychic dog, Pinky, warns the family when the villains are near.

You’ll find out why they must go back in time and how they outwit the government spies.  It’s a fun read.

My favorite unsolicited advice from the narrator:
“A wise man once said, “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it,” and that would be a terrible thing because, as a wise man once said, “Those who forget the past are condemned to repeat it.”

My favorite new name for Barton: Joe Smith spelled “Jough Psmythe.

Book Club Activities:

• What is your favorite unsolicited advice from the narrator?
• Who is Dr. Soup?
• Make your own sock puppet characters and have a book club discussion with them.

Parent-child Book Club Tips

1. Serve snacks.
2. Get the kids to write discussion questions.
3. Allow the host to pick the book club book.

WIN a set of The Secret Science Alliance or A Whole Nother Story. Enter to win HERE.

This summer, try telling mixed-up fairy tales!  Recommended for road trips, plane trips, camping trips, bedtime and waiting rooms.

From three different fairy tales, pick a character, a setting and a plot.  Put it all together in your own unique way and voila — you have a mixed-up fairy tale.  You are now a storyteller. 

For example:

- Goldilocks

- in a candy house

- big bad wolf wants to blow her house down

Hmmm . . . what will happen?

Here’s a printable list of fairy tale characters, settings and plots you can cut up and mix up.  I’ve done this with my writing classes and it’s lots of fun.  The more you practice telling stories, the better the stories get.  It’s fun to write the best stories down and illustrate them!

Fairy Tale Characters,  Settings and Plots:
Mix and Stir for a Good Story!

Artist Date guest post by Mary-Frances Main, writer, crafter, blogger and mama.

We’re enjoying a warm summer but spending a lot of it inside in the air conditioning. If you think about it, it’s a lot like being snowed in – but lazier! Of course there are the rainy days, too where you must find something NEW to do around the house. So, why not get out the crafting supplies and do something fun with your kids? (aka. artist’s dates with your kids?)

Here are some of my favorite “go-to” ideas that I return to again and again.

Homemade play dough

I love this because it’s a budget helper AND the world’s most fun thing.  The dough is non-toxic (although it tastes disgusting) and you can use any brand unsweetened drink mix.

Yes, you can buy the little tins of play dough at the store, but I’ve had this Kool-Aid recipe for years and it smells fantastic and costs pennies to make:

Ingredients:

• 1 c flour, sifted
• 1/2 c salt
• 3 T cooking oil
• 1 pkg Koolaid (unsweet)
• 1 c boiling water

1. Mix together flour, salt, and Kool-aid (picking the kool aid is half the fun – smell and color!) in a medium size saucepan.
2. Then add the oil and stir until the ingredients are well mixed.
3. Turn on the heat.
4. Add the cup water.
5. Stir with a metal spoon until the dough starts to pull away from the side of the pan.
6. Pull out of pan
7. Knead the mixture until it forms a soft dough.
8. Have fun!
9. Store in a sealed container in the refrigerator.

Stitch a simple pencil case (5 years plus):

This requires a few supplies, but if you have tons of fabric around (yes, I do),  some pinking shears and optional quilt batting, it’s simple and fun. It’s really simple and fun to pick out fabrics. Draw out 2 long triangles of fabric, making the short length (the width) about the length of a pencil, plus an inch (for the seam).  Then stitch a “quilt sandwich” – this isn’t hard, just two pieces of fabric with a piece of batting in the center (cut the batting a bit smaller than the fabric if you don’t want it to show out the sides.

Fold one third up into a pocket and the other third down into a little flap (see picture).

You can put Velcro, a button or a snap or whatever you want to close it shut.

Have your little one do the stitching all around and they will feel a HUGE accomplishment! My daughter still uses hers!

Paper/Felt Dolls.

This is a new one for us, but I recently found these dolls that I grew up with.

The idea is so simple and so creative, I can see a little fashion designer getting very “into” decorating the clothes etc.

Hint: The Goodwill or ARC carries bags of little trims (lace, etc) so you don’t have to spend any money on the extras for these dolls. And felt is really inexpensive at your local fabric or craft store.

I’ve attached a .pdf to trace, but have some fun with the faces and clothes. My doll (from the 1970’s I might add) is backed with a cereal box – so again, recycle, recycle! Trace, the doll out on the cereal box, if your kiddo is old enough have them cut out the felt pieces and help you glue to make the doll.

The second .pdf is the clothes. I’m hoping the picture will get your creativity started, but again, use any buttons, felt, lace or ric rac you have around the house to make your clothes as cute as you want!

If  you come up with something adorable, I’d love to see the results!

Have fun and enjoy the hot or rainy days as much as the gorgeous summer days and of course, have fun creating!

Bio: In 1999, my husband crossed the ocean from Australia to meet me for the first time after corresponding for 14 years. We were married after 10 days – his visit was supposed to be 2 weeks. Ten years later, we have two wonderful kids….Missy C and Matey Moo, both in Elementary school and our pride and joy! I adore my kids and would rather spend time with them than anything else.

We love our 1950’s ranch, which exists – out of sheer dumb luck – in a really cool neighborhood in Denver – we blog about it at Midcenturystyle.net. My husband now works with me at my company Widget Inc . . . and so we work out of our cool house doing web design and programming!

Seven years ago, I found my grandmother’s worn crazy quilt and started researching “fixing” it. This started my long exploration of embroidery, quilting, crazy quilting and all things fiber arts – as well as my blog, I Am Not a Handbag. For more information, please visit IAmNotaHandbag.com

Melissa’s Note: I’m so in awe of Mary-Frances’ crafty ability! As most of you know by now, I’m a word crafter NOT a materials crafter.  But, oh, I do wish and hope that some day the craft fairy will bless me like Mary-Frances.  I promise I will try the dolls because I’ll try anything and of course, the play-dough can’t go too wrong if I just follow the directions.  Right?  (M.-F., please come over and hold my hand!?)

THANK you so much, Mary-Frances!  I excited to try these ideas!!

Artist Date guest post by mom and author of Spilling Ink and other books, Anne Mazer.

Years before I read Julia Cameron, I was doing artist dates with my kids. It was called “writing with mom” and for years, it was a nightly ritual. Like many good things, it happened by accident, almost unconsciously, and without any intimation of how important it would become in our family life.

It began with my six-year-old son watching me at the computer. I don’t remember what inspired me to say, “Want to write a story? You tell it to me and I’ll type it up for you.” But my son immediately began to dictate a story that borrowed heavily from his favorite television show. I was astonished by his ability to play with and embellish a structure, to juggle ideas in his head. And he came back the next day to dictate more, picking up seamlessly where he had left off.  Short pieces turned into story cycles, starring his classmates. His little sister also dictated some very memorable poems and short stories. Sometimes we wrote with their friends.  Eventually, years later, one of my son’s best friends became his writing partner, allowing me to “retire” from my role as typist.

Here are the basics that made this work for all of us:

1. Respect their authorship.

Your kids have the right to explore their ideas in any way they see fit. Unless they asked (which they usually didn’t), I didn’t suggest endings or approaches, or try to direct their imagination. They were in charge of their own stories.

2. Feed their imaginations.

We read lots of books together. I was fascinated to see how my son incorporated ideas from them. For example, we all loved Sid Fleischman’s McBroom books, which inspired him to begin a whole story cycle of tall tales.

3. Celebrate their stories.

I always printed out their stories, so they could see them typed up like real books and illustrate them, if they wished.

We also shared the stories – giving copies to friends and relatives, reading them out loud, and bringing them to school.

And here are a few more ideas to get started…

1. Try an “I Dare You” from Spilling Ink: A Handbook for Young Writers, or check out one of the free downloads at www.spillinginkthebook.com
2. Make it special! For my kids, “special” was writing on a computer like Mom. But “special” could also mean a designated writing notebook, or a favorite pen or a cozy writing chair.
3. And make it fun. Your kids might like to pretend to write in blood (red ink) on a scroll of parchment, or on charcoal on a large piece of drawing paper. Or in colored chalk on a sidewalk. Or write on napkins. Or on a large white t-shirt.
4. If your child gets stuck in the middle of a story, ask questions. Recap what they’ve already written and ask them what happens next. Be curious about the world they’ve created.

Bio: Anne Mazer is the author of 44 books, including The Salamander Room, The Amazing Days of Abby Hayes (series) and the Sister Magic series. She co-authored Spilling Ink with her friend Ellen Potter. Her kids are adults now and they’re both fabulous writers.

Melissa’s Note: Wow!  Thanks, Anne! I’m going to try the t-shirt writing this week — my girls might not like the blood one but I bet I have some students who would!  Thanks for mentioning letting kids be totally in charge of the story, even if it’s from a t.v. show or needs some work. MANY times I need to remember that. Sigh.

Spilling Ink, Anne’s book with co-author Ellen Potter, is an amazing resource for all ages and levels of writers.  Read my review and enter to WIN SPILLING INK!

Spilling Ink, a Young Writer’s Handbook isn’t what I expected, it’s MORE!  I loved it – and think it’s appropriate for us older young writers, too!

*The only books for young writers I like are well, very few — Ralph Fletcher and Victoria Hanley’s books come to mind in addition to my new favorite, Spilling Ink.

Here’s why I recommend this book for your kids (and you):

• Encourages writing anything and breaking the rules.
• Broken into manageable sections, making it easy to read.
• Helpful ideas.
• Memorable - love the stories of writing shared by both authors.
• Relatable – all writers stumble and grow, Anne and Ellen show how they’ve failed and succeeded.
• Inspiring!
• “I Dare You” ideas.

If you haven’t bought this book for your kids or yourself, it’s time. (Okay, if your child is only two, maybe wait a few years.  I’m just saying . . .)

Spilling Ink is written by two experienced children’s book authors — Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter who, besides having lots of books, host a great blog on writing. Today, Anne Mazer shares on Imagination Soup ideas for writing dates with your kids.

GIVEAWAY! Do you want to win a copy of Spilling Ink? Comment below and tell why you’d like to win.  Contest ends July 31, 2010. (U.S. and Canada only.)

Guest post by Melanie Sklarz of A Dose of Creativity.

Part II:  Encourage Your Child’s Creativity

As I mentioned in my last post (Part I), creativity allows children to develop skills for life. So how can you encourage creativity in your child?

First of all, you don’t even have to consider yourself creative. Raising a creative kid is more about the attitude you have toward your child than your actual skills as an artist or innovator. Some of the attitudes that parents can focus on include, respecting the freedom to think and question, valuing creativity, appreciating creative achievements, and encouraging independent ideas.

So, if we were to sum up these, it would seem that the most important role as a parent to supporting your child’s creativity would be to encourage curiosity and openness.

Here are some examples of specific creative activities divided by discipline that work well with children of all ages. I encourage you to make it an entire family event.

Art

Create an art studio in your home: It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. It could just be a box of crayons, pencils, markers, and paper. You could keep it in their room or a spare corner. Encourage them to spend some time each day just creating for the fun of it.

Go on a color/texture/pattern scavenger hunt: This could be done at home, while shopping, or outside. Ask kids to find and identify different types of each of these. It helps kids to become more observant.

Collect the work they create: You can hang it on your refrigerator to create a mini-gallery. Encourage them to look over previous works to see how far they’ve come creatively. Plus, looking back at prior works gives them inspiration for future art.

Music

Play instruments: Recycle household materials to make instruments. For instance, plastic tubs can be cleaned out, turned over, and used as drums. Or try filling empty plastic jugs with dried beans.

Sing together: Find music you can sing along to. Or create your own silly songs by having kids choose rhyming words.

Theater

Make a stage in your home: This can be as simple as hanging a curtain or a blanket over some chairs. Encourage kids to act out stories from their favorite books or tv shows.

Put on a puppet show: Using the already created stage, decorate old socks by adding a face with markers.

Dance

Designate a dance studio: Use a small space to allow kids to express themselves through movement. Provide them with scarves and music to encourage their creativity.

Discover new movements: Have kids make shapes or animals with their bodies.

Move to music: Encourage kids to run, skip, or walk to music. This allows them to increase their listening skills and physical creativity.

Other

Play the “what if” game: Ask children fun questions to stimulate their creativity, like ‘what if our clothes were edible?’ See what creative answers they come up with.

———————————————————————————————

Melanie Sklarz leads innovative programs for museums as a teacher and curator, most recently in Washington, DC. Also an informative speaker, she has facilitated workshops for creative women entrepreneurs and led a parent workshop on raising creative kids.

Melanie is also a mixed media artist specializing in collage. Her artwork has been exhibited at the FAVA Gallery in Oberlin, Ohio, the Dialogue Gallery in Buffalo and The Cultural Arts Center at Glen Allen, Virginia.

Finally, as a blogger, she has been a panelist on a women bloggers discussion and her blog has been added to Creativity-Portal.com’s creative journey blogs.

———————————————————————————————-

Melissa’s Note: Aren’t you so glad I convinced Melanie to guest blog?  She’s so encouraging for us as parents who seek to develop young creative spirits, isn’t she!?  Thanks so much, Melanie for your creative inspiration!

Guest post by artist, educator and blogger, Melanie Sklarz.

Part I: 3 Reasons for Creativity

Did you know that as humans we have the unique ability to make connections between different ideas and things, understand symbols and metaphors, and use our imagination? By tapping into our personal creativity and imagination we help our brain and positively affect our heart and spirit.

So why should you encourage creative expression in your child? Here are my top 3 reasons.

Reduces Stress

Creating art or engaging in some other form of creativity, even if done poorly, reduces stress. At the core of the creative act is flow, an automatic and effortless yet highly focused state known to reduce stress and tension. This state includes a complete awareness and lack of self-consciousness. If you’ve ever lost yourself engaging in a creative pursuit then you’ve experienced flow.

Let me give you a specific example of how this works. In 2003, a study followed 16 singers. Half of them were professional singers with a natural talent. The other half were amateurs with just an interest in signing. Both groups were given singing lessons and both groups reported that they were more relaxed afterward because of the lessons, even though half of them had never sung before!

Boosts Self-Esteem

When you take a chance and learn something new and then look back at your creative progress, your self-esteem naturally increases.  This also gives you the confidence to look for new solutions in all aspects of your life. Basically, it gives you a sense of self-pride.

According to Sandra Russ, a professor who specializes in early-childhood play at Case Western Reserve University, “Self-expression feels good and it’s reinforcing.” She added, “When kids play creatively and make up things they are expressing who they are and learning social skills.” Creative activities help children to communicate and express themselves in new ways to build self discipline which leads to an overall improved self-image.

Increases Success

Creativity helps children understand and appreciate other cultures, people, and the past and increases tolerance to new ideas and thoughts. When kids study the arts, for instance, they learn about difference in a non-threatening, often enjoyable way. Studying art or engaging in another creative pursuit encourages critical thinking and problem solving. These learned skills can be used to create everyday solutions to common problems. When combined they are an asset to the new global economy. Because technology connects us to all parts of the world now, these skills will be needed in the future in order to succeed.

In 2002, the National Governor’s Association issued a brief indicating that arts education and the skills gained from engaging in creative pursuits offers states a good way to build their workforce. Today, now more than ever we must use imagination and creative thinking to succeed.

Read Part II: 3 Ways to Encourage Creativity in Kids.

Melissa’s Note: Wow!  Melanie, I’m thrilled to know how important creativity is for our lives.  You’ve inspiring us all with this post — I can’t wait to read Part II!

Her husband got the news last week– cancer.  (Again.)  Their boys are one and four.

When she told me, I taught her boys a bad word.

Somehow it just slipped out.

Sorry.

Cancer is scary and big and inconvenient.

Not knowing what to do I asked another friend, Michelle, a breast cancer survivor with two young kids. She told me, “Support her by taking care of the kids so that she can take care of her husband and not worry. Take care of snacks, toys, babysitting.”

Here is my list of ideas. What else can I do?

• Food: Care Calendar for meals
• Communication: Caring Bridge for a blog
• Babysitting
• Coffee chats
• Set up a fund for donations
• Toys and books for the kids (Cancer Gifts, Busy Kits)

Books for the kids about parents with cancer:

• Butterfly Kisses and Wishes on Wings
• My Book about Cancer
• Becky and the Worry Cup
• Once Upon a Hopeful Night
• The Paper Chain
• Someone I Love is Sick
• MyMommy Has Cancer — Michelle says, “It’s critical.  It helped her understand what is happening.” Her daughter was three.
• Books on the American Cancer Society website.

Can you continue my list of ideas or books and make this a community project that will not only help my friend but others as well?  Comment with any thoughts, please!