Dear readers,
Shannon’s Book Nook is on a brief hiatus while Shannon recovers from a medical emergency. Don’t worry – she’ll be fine soon and will be back to work!
Thanks for your support. Please keep coming back.
by William McCleery
Michael’s father tells a story about a wolf and a hen with the help of Michael and his friend, Stefan. It’s a story you won’t want to miss!
*Michael’s father encourages him to make decisions about how the story will go
*Warm, close relationship between Michael and his father
*Anything can happen in a story
Michael chooses a hen with colorful feathers for his story. Make Rainbow the Hen.
Draw a hen shape, or click here for this template.
Cut different colors of paper about 1″ x 8 1/2″. Maybe red, pink, purple, lavender, violet, yellow, orange, green, dark green, and light green–or whatever colors you have. (Or use more white paper and color the feathers any color you like–remember the point is to have fun together, not to create a perfect project!)
Trim one end to a point and make small slits down both sides.
Glue the feathers together and then to the tail of Rainbow. You might also like to cut out a hat, a beak, and legs and feet. Use a marker to color in the eye.
She’s beautiful and brainy!
Michael, his father, and Steffie play “Bunnies and the Wolf!” Michael’s father doesn’t want to be a wolf. Play Bunnies and the Wolf/Fox.
Put a blanket or towel on the floor to be the Wolf/Fox house.
The bunnies cavort around the outside edge of the blanket singing, “Ya, ya, ya, you can’t catch me!”
The person playing the the Wolf/Fox stands on the blanket, reaches out and grabs for bunnies, pulls them onto the blanket, and stuffs them in the icebox (designate a spot on the blanket for the icebox).
The bunnies can escape saying, “Ya, ya, ya, you left the door unlocked!” when the Wolf/Fox looks away.
Michael’s father made a very complicated box kite that was heavy and hard to get off the ground.
For instructions to make this super simple, but good kite go to More Floating Fun in Princess Hyacinth (the Surprising Tale of a Girl Who Floated).
*Fireflies communicate with each other with light; usually to help a female firefly find a male firefly.
*Fireflies are earth friendly. They make “cold light.” All of the energy they emit is light, with no heat. In contrast, an incandescent light bulb’s energy emits 10% light and the rest heat. The wolf was smart to catch some fireflies in a jar for his light.
*Firefly eggs and larvae also glow.
*Fireflies live on every continent but only where it is warm and humid. In the summer they come out and glow to each other, sometimes looking like flickering Christmas lights in the trees!
*Fireflies who are threatened shed drops of blood that taste bitter and are poisonous to some animals. This mechanism helps protect them from predators.
(Special thanks to www.learn-malayalam.com for three of the pictures above.)
Michael’s father gets Cracker Jack for the boys. Make Homemade Cracker Jack.
You’ll need:
4 quarts popped corn (I used 2 pkgs. microwave popcorn, popped)
1 c. Spanish peanuts (or any kind of nut you like or no nuts at all!)
4 T. butter (half a stick)
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup
2 T. molasses
1/4 t. salt
Preheat the oven to 250 degrees Fahrenheit.
Combine the popped corn (pick out any un-popped kernels), and the nuts on a lightly greased cookie sheet and put them in the oven.
Put the rest of the ingredients in a heavy sauce pan. Bring to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes.
Remove the popcorn and nuts from the oven and drizzle the hot liquid over the hot popcorn–be careful because everything is very hot!
Put it back in the oven for 5 minutes. Remove and stir again to get everything well mixed.
Continue baking another 55 minutes (1 hour total) checking and stirring every 5 to 15 minutes. The popcorn will darken and become crunchier like Cracker Jack.
Yum!
*Why do you think Michael always insists on a wolf in his stories? What would you choose if you were telling the story? Why?
*Why was Michael’s father surprised when Michael replied,”A fence”, when asked what went all around the chicken yard? What do you think Michael’s father was thinking went around the yard?
*When Michael’s father has so much trouble with the kite, Michael tells him, “With courage and patience you can fix anything.” What does that tell you about Michael’s confidence in his father? Do you agree that a person can fix anything with courage and patience? Why or why not?
*After Jimmy saved Rainbow, his family cheered and shouted. Jimmy thought he would rather have their help than their accolades, but “when you love people you do not go around finding fault with them. Or at least you shouldn’t.” What do you think of Jimmy’s comment? Do you agree or disagree? Why or why not?
*Why did the boys think Waldo skinning his nose was so funny? Did you think Waldo skinning every part was funny? Why?
*Do you like Jimmy’s solution for Waldo? What would you do with Waldo if you were Jimmy? See if you can get your dad or mom to tell you a wolf story with an ending that you pick!
Find this book at your local library or buy it here. (I couldn’t find this at my local library, so I bought it. I have NO regrets!)
by Patricia Wrede
Because Princess Cimorene finds her royal life constrictive, she follows the advice of a frog and runs away to a new set of challenges as a dragon’s princess.
*Cimorene is resourceful and loves to learn
*Kazul is powerful but reasonable
*All the loose ends are tied up neatly by the end
Cimorene deals with dragons. Make a Dragon Head.
You will need:
Egg carton
Paint or markers
Colored paper
Tissue paper
Cut two egg cups from one end of the egg carton for the eyes. Paint or color the front of the egg carton and the eyes.
Staple, glue or tape the eyes onto the head.
Cut a nose, side scales, horns, and ears from colored paper. Attach to the uncut end of the egg carton.
Draw scales on the tissue paper and attach it to the back of the head and around the sides.
This is one dragon you should be able to deal with easily!
The dragons participate in a trial to determine which will be the next king. Try these Dragon Trials.
Carry the Colin’s Stone
Divide into two teams. Establish start and finish lines.
Players put their hands in their armpits, creating “wings”. An inflated balloon (Colin’s Stone) is placed between the knees.
Each “dragon” must flap her wings and race from the start line with the balloon between her knees to the finish line.
Catch the Dragon’s Tail
Everyone stands in a single line with her hands on the waist of the person in front of her.
The person at the front (the head) tries to tag the person at the end of the line (the tail). All players must stay together during the chase.
Cimorene makes gallons of chocolate mousse. Make Chocolate Mousse.
You will need:
4 egg yolks
2 c. heavy cream
1/4 c. sugar
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, melted
1 t. vanilla
Separate the eggs and put the yolks in a medium sauce pan. Add the sugar and 3/4 c. of the heavy cream.
Whisk together and cook on medium heat 3-4 minutes until your finger leaves a track on the back of a spoon. Don’t boil.
Melt the chocolate by microwaving for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for an additional 10 seconds stirring in between each additional cooking, until the chocolate is melted. Don’t overheat or the chocolate will “seize” which means it turns into a yucky mess that is not smooth or useable. Add the melted chocolate to the cooked mixture.
Cover and refrigerate until cool; 1-2 hours.
When the chocolate mixture is cool, with a mixer, whip the remaining 1 1/4 c. heavy cream until stiff peaks form. Add the vanilla part way through whipping.
Drop a big spoonful of whipped cream into the chocolate mixture and blend well. Then gently fold in the rest of the whipped cream. (Or save a little whipped cream for putting on top just because it makes it pretty!)
Spoon into individual serving bowls. Cover and cool for about 30 minutes. (Or eat immediately if you can’t wait–it’s good as soon as it’s mixed!)
Top with additional whipped cream and grated chocolate if you like.
This doesn’t make gallons of mousse, but it does make six good-sized servings, or eight smaller servings.
*Cimorene says, “Nothing interesting seems to be proper.” That might translate into, “Nothing fun seems to be okay.” Running away isn’t really an option, so how do you handle this problem?
*When Cimorene tells the frog about who she has talked to about not marrying, he says, “Nine times out of ten, talking is a way of avoiding doing things.” What does he mean? Do you agree or disagree? Think of an action you can take concerning something about which you’ve only talked.
*Kazul tells Cimorene that having a princess is a minor mark “of high status among dragons.” What is a mark of status among your friends? Why is it a mark of status? Should it make a difference? Why or why not?
*After making gallons of chocolate mousse, Cimorene was exhausted but “once she was clean she felt much better.” Why do you think being clean makes a person feel better?
*Cimorene thought through trying to disenchant the stone princes and realized that “she would probably get into a lot of trouble if she tried.” So she didn’t try. But when she was at home, she did lots of things that are “not done.” What do you think the difference is between the two situations? Why did Cimorene do things at home that she shouldn’t, but not with Kazul? How can you relate that to things that you do or don’t do?
*The black pebble and the three feathers are hints that something will happen later. How do you think those items will be used? What do you think will happen? (Did you guess correctly?)
*When Woraug turned into a toad, Kazul explained, “That’s what happens when a dragon stops acting like a dragon.” You won’t turn into a toad, but what happens to you when you stop acting like a human being?
Find this book at your local library or buy it here.
February 23rd, 2013 at 3:14 pm
Oh! Take care and be well Shannon! Love to you!
May 8th, 2013 at 11:07 am
Can’t wait for you to be back!