Children's Book Review: A String of Hearts

A String of Hearts
Written by:  Laura Malone Elliott
Illustrated by: Lynn Munsinger
Published by: Katherine Tegen Books, 2010
32 pages

from goodreads.com:
Valentines come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Some are homemade and some are store-bought. Some are funny and some are not. Sam wants to give just the right valentine to the most popular girl in the class, Tiffany. But what kind is the right kind? Mary Ann helps Sam figure out how to make all sorts of valentines. But will Tiffany even notice Sam if he gives her a special valentine?

Laura Malone Elliott and Lynn Munsinger's charming story shows how the best friends are often the ones you may not know you have--until Valentine's Day --and even a simple string of hearts can show a friend how special he is.

* As we were reading this, part of the story reminded us of Roses are Pink, You're Feet Really Stink where the teacher wanted the students to write something nice about each classroom, and Sam couldn't find something nice to say about some of his classmates.  For a story geared towards 4-7 year olds, I wasn't a fan of the use of the "popular" girl in the story or the fact that Sam had somewhat of a crush on Tiffany, yet she barely acknowledged him.  I do like how Sam realizes how important his true friends are to him, but even the ending hints at possible romance?!!  Overall, not a big fan of this story.

Family Rating:  Thumbs down!

Kid Craft: Birdseed Biscuits

Over the years I've gotten various Parenting and Family magazines.  I'd see lots of great craft ideas and recipes, rip them out, and stick them in a folder.  I've gotten semi-organized recently but sorting the articles into folders.  Finally, I decided to actually make one of the crafts with the kids!  Since the weather in New York has been unseasonably warm for winter, and we see and hear the birds outside, I thought it might be nice to make these heart-shaped birdseed biscuits. I ended up doubling the recipe.  We used various sized heart-shaped cookie cutters that I have, as seen below, to make six biscuits.  After all was said and done, we ended up with four good ones.  They are pretty fragile/crumbly and when I was trying to thread the ribbon through the hole two crumbled.  We have one hanging on a tree on the front lawn, but have yet to see any birds actually eating the seed.  We are giving the others to the grandparents as small Valentine's Day gifts.

Birdseed Biscuits
FamilyFun, February 2009

Materials:
3/4 cup of birdseed
1 tablespoon flour
Water
Cookie cutter
Oil
Foil
Cookie sheet
Straw
Ribbon

Instructions:
1.Our recipe makes two 3-inch biscuits or a single 4-inch biscuit. Mix together the birdseed, flour, and 2 tablespoons of water.

2. Spray or wipe a cookie cutter with oil and place it on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Pack the mixture into the cutter, inserting half a straw near the top to create a hole for hanging.

3.Bake the biscuit (with the straw) in a 170º oven until the biscuit is hard, about one hour. Let it cool.

4.Remove the straw, thread a ribbon through the hole, and hang it outside in a sheltered spot.

Children's Book Review: Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine

Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine
Written by:  Herman Parish
Illustrated by:  Lynne Avril
Published by: Greenwillow Books, 2009
32 pages

from goodreads.com:
Amelia Bedelia is sure she will love everything about Valentine's Day.

The sweet surprises
Cards to give and receive
A party at school
A big, long family hug

 Amelia Bedelia can't wait.
What could be better?
Valentine's Day
Hooray for Valentine's Day

* As a special education teacher, I often used Amelia Bedelia books to help with teaching idioms and literal meanings.  Since the passing of Peggy Parish, the original author of the Amelia Bedelia series, her nephew Herman has continued writing books in the series.  I have to say that I don't think that they are as good.   Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine looks like it's geared towards young children, as it's written in a hardcover, picture book type format, and the inside jacket says ages 4-8.  The book did not hold the interest of my 3 year old son and I think my daughter was drawn to the book because of it's pink cover and heart/Valentine's theme.   I would question my daughter, what do you think that really means, when we came to some expressions that Amelia took literally and she looked at me totally confused.  I tried explaining them to her, but it seemed to be a little over her head. 

Family Rating: So-so.

Children's Book Review: Panda's Valentine's Day

Panda's Valentine's Day
Written by: Tara Jaye Morrow
Illustrated by: Aaron Boyd
Published by:  Sterling, 2011
24 pages

from goodreads.com:
For Panda, Valentine's Day means making the best card ever for his Mama-one that's pretty and fun and with lots of love inside, just like her. But nothing he does works out quite right: the heart's uneven, the red ribbon tears, and the beads won't glue. Then Mama shows him: it's the love you share that really makes a card-and Valentine's Day-special.

* Panda and Mama always exchange Valentine's cards, but he can't seem to make the perfect valentine.  He ends up throwing out his work, minus the words for the inside.  When he goes out to play he doesn't realize that he's made a valentine.  Paired with his words of love (which I loved!) Mama shows him how he unexpectedly has the perfect valentine for her.  Overall, a cute, sweet, Valentine's Day story. 

Family Rating: 1 thumb up.

Children's Book Review: Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink

As much as I was never a big fan of Valentine's Day, having kids changed that. It's a lot of fun watching the kids write out their valentines and bake special treats for class parties. Valentine's Day is approaching soon and we are busy reading lots of Valentine's Day books to get us in the spirit of the holiday!  Here is our first read:



Roses are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink
Written by: Diane deGroat
Published by:  HarperTrophy, 1996
32 pages

from goodreads.com:
When Gilbert writes two not-so-nice valentines to his classmates, his prank quickly turns into pandemonium. But there's always time for a change of heart on Valentine's Day.


* Although this book is an oldie (published more than 15 years ago), I was pleasantly surprised to find out it is a goodie!  The valentine poems that Gilbert writes to his classmates are cute, although two are not so nice.  I think that this book also has a good message that if you do something mean, other people may find out and may not like it.   When Gilbert's friends found out that he wrote the mean poems no one wanted to eat lunch with him or play with him at recess.  It also shows that if you make a mistake you can be forgiven, as Gilbert finds out when he makes two nicer valentines.  The kids enjoyed this book.

Family Rating:  1 1/2 thumbs up.