Sunday, March 22, 2009

If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff


Synopsis: "If you give a pig a pancake, she'll want some syrup to go with it. You'll give her some of your favorite maple syrup. She'll probably get all sticky, so she'll want to take a bath." You get the idea. Baths lead to bubbles, bubbles lead to rubber ducks, rubber ducks lead to wanting a trip to the farm. If You Give a Pig a Pancake is a delightful exploration of the scenario "if you give an inch, they'll take a mile." But who could refuse the whims of this adorable piglet? Not us, and certainly not the pig's young caretaker. Parents will feel a familiar twinge as they witness the pig's increasingly elaborate demands, and kids will be delighted that the story circles back around to the original pancake.

Sunday, March 8, 2009

Miko: No Bath! No Way! by Brigitte Weninger


Synopsis: After Miko's exciting day, the last thing he wants to do is wash away all the fun things he did! Mom says he doesn't have to take a bath-but then he will have to endure tickly clothes, sticky ice cream on his face, and sleeping on the hard floor! How far will Miko go to remember his special day?

Activity: Pick out some new words from the book for the kids to learn. Write the new words on pieces of paper and hide it, before sending the kids on a treasure hunt for these words. Teach them the meaning of the words, and help with sentence formation.