Posts Tagged ‘book projects for kids’

A Picture Book & A Project: “Little Red Writing” and Pencil People!

"Little Red Writing" by Joan Holub, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

“Little Red Writing” by Joan Holub, Illustrated by Melissa Sweet

Isn’t this a cute gift idea for a kid?! I wish we had a birthday party to go so I could give this :) Valentine’s Day is coming up, too. Not bad for a $22 surprise. I found the pencil toppers and pencils in the dollar section at Target, the composition book at the grocery store, and the book at the bookstore.

Okay, back to the picture book and project!

One day, Little Red and her classmates get to write their own stories. As Little Red begins to write, she finds that there are many challenges she has to overcome to make an exciting story. She even has to face a scary pencil sharpener with quite big teeth!

Photo Feb 08, 10 12 56 AM

Photo Feb 08, 10 11 29 AM

Shanda: This book had me at Melissa Sweet- one of my favorite illustrators! And she does not disappoint! Of course I also can relate to the perils of writing a story. There are many layers to this book, so that kids of ALL ages can enjoy it. HJ is 3 years old, and she loved the excitement of the story. Older kids can really see nouns, adjectives, adverbs, EXCLAMATIONS!, and run-on sentences come to life. This would be fantastic to use in a classroom before a writing challenge.

HJ: It’s really awesome when the mean wolf came! (She likes to say the “GRRRRR!” parts.)

Photo Feb 08, 10 10 56 AM

The project for older kids: Write you own story (with illustrations) in your very own composition book, just like Little Red!

The project for younger kids: Attempt to write your own story in your own composition book, just like Little Red! I think HJ enjoyed just playing with the pencil people best :)

Photo Feb 08, 10 13 57 AM

She started off saying she was writing a SCARY story!

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Busy, busy! But in the end, things got epic when some of the pencil people took something from the other pencil people…

Thanks for stopping by! This post is dedicated to the new life and new story of Ellie Pearl Jones! Born yesterday! (She’s the daughter of my cousin, who is really like a sister to me :)

Also, sorry I haven’t posted in quite a while. I’ll tell you why soon…

Love,
Shanda & HJ

A Picture Book & A Project: Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad (by David Soman and Jacky Davis) and painting rocks like bugs!

 

A Picture Book & A Project: Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad (by David Soman and Jacky Davis) and painting rocks like bugs!

A Picture Book & A Project: Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad (by David Soman and Jacky Davis) and painting rocks like bugs!

Ladybug Girl is so excited to have the perfect playdate planned with her friends (the bug squad). She wants everything to be just the way she imagined! But when an unexpected catastrophe arises, Ladybug Girl has to deal with it like a hero.

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman and Jacky Davis DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS, 2011

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad by David Soman and Jacky Davis
DIAL BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS, 2011

SHANDA: I like this book because it has a female super hero, and it shows that even good girls make mistakes, and heros don’t run away when things get hard. Lots of character building built into this fun adventure!

David Soman and Jacky Davis (husband/wife team) hit a home run with introducing the Bug Squad characters! These characters have the potential for many different adventures (and still room to maybe meet new friends/squad members in the future.)

I am awed by the beauty of the artwork! The painted/fine art-like backgrounds with the comic/inky characters on top is a lovely and exciting combination throughout all the Ladybug Girl books. It meshes painting and illustration in a new way for me.

This book is longer than most modern picture books, but it absolutely works. HJ (3 yr old) is captivated all the way through! She asks to read Ladybug Girl series books more than any other books these days.

HJ: My favorite part is when Kiki gets mad.
SHANDA: Why?
HJ: Because I like her!

Well there you have it! Our project is a scene right from the story…

Ladybug Girl and the Bug Squad

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We hope you enjoyed this very first “A Picture Book & A Project”! Now go have a blast reading and creating with your sweet peas :) Also, I’d love to see the art you create from this post- email me if you like, and I’ll them on the blog!

Love, Shanda & HJ!

Shanda McCloskey, Children's Illustrator & Author