Valarie Budayr's Blog, page 99

Weekend Links: Weekly Recap of Book-Related Fun

Welcome to weekend links! This is my opportunity to share all the wonderful links and book-related ideas I have come across along with a sprinkling of JIAB news. First, here’s some fun ideas and links from my wonderful blogger friends:

How many times have you had to remind your kids to “pick up their books!” Nicolette from Powerful Mothering has a great post on How To Teach Kids To Care for Books.

The Owl’s Skull has a wonderful and unique post that explores maps from our favorite children’s books: Sketching the Imagined World: Maps in Our Favorite Children’s Books

Dolen Diaries has a great Halloween Booklist to help your kiddies get in the mood for the season.

And if you care to have a fun snack while you are map readin and book readin, Frogs and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails has an adorable Yogurt Cup Monsters idea!

This week has been a super busy month at Jump Into a Book as usual and I have some fun things I’d like to share.

This week I was lucky enough to be a contributor at Library Adventures! My post was inspired by one of my favorite fictional characters Pippi

Longstocking so I shared an activity to make …..

LONG STOCKINGS! Read more of this fun guest post and activity on Library Adventures.

Bloggers Unite! Don’t forget yesterday was the kick off of yet another Saturday Book Club Linky Party! If you have book-related or Halloween-related crafts, activities and recipes, feel free to link them up on our Linky Page. The more the merrier!

Be sure and visit BookBoard this week as well. BookBoard is a excellent book subscription service with over 400 unlockable books, Bookboard’s goal is to create motivated readers — as kids read, they’re rewarded by unlocking new books to add to their collections. This system is carefully designed, and proven to motivate and engage. In the words of one parent, it’s “shockingly effective,” so take a look at some of our favorites below and start reading, today or check out their latest bookshelf.

Looking for a fun “Book-ish” twist on Halloween? Try Book-or-Treat! For more details on how you can create your own Book-or-Treat event, grab our free Community Kit that includes how to enjoy “Book-or-Treat” at your house, ideas on spreading the word in your community and even a FREE download of our bright and colorful Book or Treat poster! Sign up below and bring the joy of book-giving to your Halloween festivities!

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Published on October 13, 2013 04:55

Saturday Book Club October Children’s Book Linky Party

A huge THANK YOU to all that linked up last week and shared their fun and wonderful book-inspired crafts and activities.

Since it’s October and Halloween is on the way, we would love it if our readers linked up their book activities, spooky crafts, ghoulish recipes and creepy activities. If you have nothing to link up-that’s OK! Enjoy the suggestions and ideas included in the linky for your own family.

If you are linking up, be sure and read the guidelines below and check out our upcoming dates and themes HERE. Happy linking!

*********************************************************************************************

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Published on October 12, 2013 02:17

Creepy Castles and Dark Dungeons: Haunted Histories

My dear friend Marilyn Scott Waters has teamed up with J. H. Everett and created a fun book for middle readers called Haunted Histories: Creepy Castles, Dark Dungeons, and Powerful Palaces!

“Sure to lure reluctant readers.” —School Library Journal

“Reluctant historians may find Virgil’s ghost story appealing.” —Kirkus Reviews

Virgil is my new favorite Ghostorian. Taking us on a time tour, Virgil introduces us to the incredible world of castles, dungeons , and palaces. Included are amazing facts of resident ghosts, timely traditions such as how are castles really built, what are the best means of torture, and what are palaces really for as well as having a look at life as a working child and a few grave yard tips.

Happily, this book is creepy but not scary. A perfect read for boys especially ages 8-12, but girls will like it too however. I just like to point out those books which boys will just absolutely love.

Excerpt From The Book:

REAL LIFE IN CREEPY CASTLES: WERE THEY PINK OR DID THEY STINK?

Some kids think that castles in the old days were pink and filled with princesses and ponies. Guess what? Life back then was no fairy tale. I know ghosts who can prove it.

Filled with great amounts of history told in a very entertaining way. I adored this book and we read it in one sitting. I can always tell when a book is a big hit at our house because it just sort of floats from one person’s room to another. And you can hear questions such as; “are you through with that yet?” and “when will you be done?”

About The Authors

J.H. Everett :J.H. Everett is an artist, visual storyteller, writer, and creativity expert. He is currently Senior Partner of EverWitt Productions, LLC. A multimedia studio in Encinitas, CA. J.H. thinks his official title should be “get’s paid to have more fun than he should be allowed to have.” Read more about J.H HERE.

Marilyn Scott Waters: Marilyn Scott-Waters loves making things out of paper. Her popular website, www.thetoymaker.com, receives 2,000 to 7,000 visitors each day, who have downloaded more than six million of her easy-to-make paper toys. Her goal is to help parents and children spend time together making things. Her first self published book, The Toymaker: Paper Toys That You Can Make Yourself, was a best-selling paper toy book on Amazon.com, sold out two print runs, and was picked up as a series by Sterling Publishing in 2010.

Haunted Histories: “Haunted Histories came out of my desire to help kids experience history closer to the approach and point of view of a professional historian,” says J.H. Everett, who himself has a PhD in history, apart from being a multi-media artist. “History is not just one thing after another in a textbook or dates in a timeline. It is connections, mutations, accidents, trivialities, and everyday life. In short, history is messy. History is about people…History is fun!”

Not only does the book have a great deal of fun embedded in its pages and its images, however, this book also aims to talk up to kids. “The most important thing was to write the best possible book that we could for kids,” says Co-Author/Co-illustrator, Marilyn Scott-Waters, “children deserve our best and highest work.”

Something’s To Do
Timeline:

In the back of Haunted Histories is a timeline. We used this as a gauge as to what was happening in the castles, dungeons , and palaces. Using a continuous strip of paper we placed dates and events. Since this timeline focus’ on buildings, we looked up each castle, dungeon, and palace online and printed out a photo to paste onto our timeline. We also took a moment to read more about each place. The following places were investigated for our timeline.

Himeji Castle
Krak Chevaliers
Tower of London
Newgate Prison
Castle Neuschwanstein
the Bastille
Hampton Court
Hellbrun
Jag Mandir

How about a little castle-creating fun? Here’s a fun craft from InCreations

Cardboard Fort with Escape Chute from What I Made.

Haunted Histories gives us loads of ideas on how to attack a castle. For us, the best way is to use a trebuchet. Here’s a fun and easy design made out of popsicle sticks which will have those castle walls coming down quickly….. or at least in our imaginations they will. For throwing purposes we use marshmallows or cotton balls.

How to Make a Popsicle Stick Catapult

Go To Jail

In the French prison called the Bastille, telling a bad joke could land you in prison plus some not so nice punishments. Gather your family and friends. Everyone is to bring a large collection of jokes. Divide into two teams, toss a coin to see which team goes first, and then start telling those jokes. After each joke is told, those that don’t get laughed at will land the joke teller in “jail”, that is until his team-mate gets a laugh to get him or her out. Remember to try not to laugh, no matter how funny the joke is. Good luck with this one. We are a bunch of corn balls that laugh at just about anything, especially really, really stupid jokes. The stupider the better.

Some fun and clean joke sites for kids

101 Kidz Jokes Great and plentiful animal jokes on this one.

Az Kids Net: -Knock-Knock Jokes

Scatty: See if you name has it’s own knock-knock joke. There are literally thousands of great jokes on this site.

What is Gruel ?

I’ve always wanted to know and now Haunted Histories has ended that mystery for us. In work houses and in cruel boarding schools, gruel was served as the one meal of the day. Gruel is a water downed version of porridge made with any grain that was on hand, for example, Rye, wheat, corn, etc., also known as groats. Groats is a combination of grains. For those of you who are really brave here’s our best gruel recipe.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of groats or oatmeal

2 tablespoons of cold water

1 pint of boiling water

Cooking Instructions

First put the oats, together with the cold water, into a saucepan and mix together until smooth. Then, over this, stirring all the time, pour one pint of boiling water. Now stirring frequently boil for 10 minutes. Serve.

P.S. : If this is a bit too thin for you add more groats or forget this whole idea and make oatmeal.

Create a Coat of Arms: Here is a great site which shares a wonderful wealth of information about the symbols and messages used in a coat of arms. It also provided free templates and other activities to do with your newly designed Coat of Arms.

Things to Do with your Coat of Arms:

Create a shield
Make a flag to hang from your castle or front door of your home
Place it on a sweat shirt or Tee Shirt
Make a badge to place on your back-pack

Test Your Haunted Histories Knowledge

Here are some super cool trivia cards made by the creators of Haunted Histories. The online versions are animated but you can print them out as well.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the world of Haunted Histories. Please feel free to share your experiences in the comment section below or share your photos with us on the Jump into a Book Facebook Fan Page.

ALSO, looking to add a fun twist to Halloween and Trick-or-Treating?

Join the Jump Into a Book Book-or-Treat Community Project! JIAB has devised away to combine a much-loved holiday with the gift of book giving.

FREE Book-or-Treat Community Kit
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Published on October 10, 2013 04:22

The Witches by Roald Dahl

“This is not a fairy tale. This is about real witches.” -The Witches by Roald Dahl

Grandmamma loves to tell about witches. Real witches are the most dangerous of all living creatures on earth. There’s nothing they hate so much as children, and they work all kinds of terrifying spells to get rid of them. Her grandson listens closely to Grandmamma’s stories—but nothing can prepare him for the day he comes face-to-face with The Grand High Witch herself!- Amazon

Did you know (according to Mr. Dahl via his grandmother) that witches could be anyone in disguise? Anyone at all.

“REAL WITCHES dress in ordinary clothes and look very much like ordinary women. They live in ordinary houses and they work in ORDINARY JOBS.”

How do you spot a witch? Rumor has it they wear wigs and gloves as a disguise, have a purple tint to their eyes, square feet, have a keen sense of smell and hate children (so much in fact, they would love to rid the world of them!)

The beloved Roald Dahl spins a tale that will send shivers up your spines and make everyone truly terrified these creatures…..but we love that!

The Witches plans are to rid the world of children through chocolate. Little did they know that it could be used on them as well. Never knowing when we might run into a witch, I’ve uncovered their secret chocolate ball recipe which can turn anyone who eats them into a mouse! I won’t disclose my sources, but all said we’ve had lots of success with these fantastically magical chocolate balls.

Something To Do:

Click the link below to download your FREE download for Mouse-Turning-Chocolate-Balls recipe!

These are so easy to make and often the first recipe my children do on their own. But be careful who you feed them to! (squeak*squeak*!)

DIY Witches Costumes

Witches try to hide themselves with disguises involving hats and gloves, but how about some fun for those of us who want to dress like a witch!

And all good witches need a “mode of transportation”...5 minute witches broom tutorial- great for a prop or Halloween costume

And don’t forget the witches brew! It might come in handy if you meet a thirsty witch who needs something to wash her down Mouse-Turning-Chocolate-Balls !

Want to add a fun twist to Trick-or-Treating?

Join the Jump Into a Book Book-or-Treat Community Project! JIAB has devised away to combine a much-loved holiday with the gift of book giving.

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Published on October 08, 2013 04:41

Weekend Links: All Hallows Eve

I know it’s a little early to be talking Halloween…but I am seeing SO MUCH fun activities, great booklists and wonderful ideas for Halloween I juts need to share some of my favs!

Pumpkin Booklist! KCEdventures shares their pumpkin round-up — fiction & nonfiction titles — what do you read before you carve?

http://www.kcedventures.com/blog/kids-books-about-pumpkins

Check out the spooky spider at Hands On As We Grow made with a PomTreeKids Mega Kit!

What better way to have some family time fun and get in the mood for Halloween than with a rousing game of Halloween Bingo from Boy Mama Teacher Mama.

This isn’t Halloween related, but I noticed this Berenstain Bears series on a BookBoard bookshelf this week. This series is among my favorites for great kids books with a great message.

With Halloween fast approaching I wanted to also share a “Fun Flashback” to a year ago when Jump Into a Book first created Book-or-Treat. Book-or-Treat is a fun twist on trick-or-treating that combines Halloween candy-giving fun and books! Read the full post HERE.

I’d like to encourage you to create your own Book-or-Treat project in your home and even community. Grab my free Book-or-Treat Community Kit below and start a new tradition in your neighborhood!

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Published on October 06, 2013 04:10

Angels by Alexis York Lumbard

Angels, angels fill the air, c oming down from way up there.

Award-winning author Alexis York Lumbard along with world- renowned artist Flavia, transport the reader on a journey to see how angels work behind the scenes weaving their graces throughout the world in this non-denominational picture book aptly called Angels.

Alexis has done something very special in her book “Angels” by showing us that the “angelic realms” are most empowering through their interactions here on earth.

Alexis shows us the gentle wonder, beauty, and comfort in her lyrical text. Flavia’s illustrations are done in delicate, overflowing water colors, inviting every reader into a magical place with caring and kindness.

It is a beautiful book and one that sits on our coffee table or the old radio in the kitchen. I see many people picking up the book to glance at it before they are drawn into it’s beauty and must sit down to read the whole thing.

A Little Bit More About Alexis York Lumbard:

Maybe you remember Alexis from the book-jump we did last winter into her book The Conference of the Birds. She is mom to 3 sweet little girls, and started telling them stories in 2005. She has a B.A. in Religious Studies from George Washington University and it is her sincere hope to bring the wisdom and beauty of the world’s religions to the eager and gifted minds of young children.

A Little Bit More About Flavia Weedn:

Flavia is a prolific award-winning artist and illustrator. She has written and illustrated 17 books, including 10 for children, and her line of greeting cards, translated into many different languages, are sent by over 18 million people each year.

A big “thank you” to Wisdom Tales Press for sending us a copy of Angels to review.

Something To Do: Time to create your own Angels!

Paper Muffin Liner Angel Craft:

Paper Cup Angel Crafts:

Pink Angel Food Cake

Family Pretzel Cookies:

Roving Angel

Coffee Filter Angel Wings:

Music Sheet Angel Wing Ornament:

Tulle Angel Wings:

Have you found any creative angel projects lately?

**Don’ forget our next Saturday Book Club Linky Party is October 12th! And as you may imagine, the theme is witches and Halloween Book-related crafts, recipes and activities! Be sure and mark your calendars and join the fun!

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Published on October 03, 2013 04:34

Paris Booklist and a Journey to France with Little Passports

Little Passports World Edition for 5-10 year olds” target=”_blank”>Little Passports wonderful global learning experience you will know that month four is a visit to France!

Quick recap of Little Passports:

Little Passports is your child’s ticket to an exciting global adventure. Inspire a love and understanding of the world as your child learns about a country’s geography, history and culture in a fun and memorable way. This winner of the Parent’s Choice Awards they introduce country and culture to kids every month. It’s a way to offer the world to your kids within a budget that most parents can work with.

Little Passports intro package includes an adorable suitcase, a large and colorful world map, a postcard and letter from Sophia and Sam (the little explorers who are taking a magical adventure around the globe on a transporting scooter) explaining what Little Passports is all about, a passport to document our travels, stickers, and a fun worksheet (called a boarding pass) filled with letter puzzles and activities to learn more about Sam and Sophia’s adventure.

This month’s boarding pass has a France concentration game that could work well for a number of ages, France trivia game, and a map activity with a tour of France (which includes a printable photo album). The online activities are recommended for ages 5-10, although younger child could easily be included in the France concentration game and photo album activities.

Something To Do

I’ve put together an ooh-la-la booklist that, even if you’re not planning to go to Paris, you will wish you were! Included are some great travel guides and very fun stories. So my friends, it’s off to Paris !

Fun and Helpful Travel Guides~

Foder’s Around Paris with Kids:Plan 68 great days with kids! Local moms Jennifer Ditsler-Lerdonne and Emily Emerson LeMoing have handpicked 68 simply fabulous things to do and places to eat in and around Paris, with a child in tow. You’ll look at old favorites in a new light, from the Arc de Triomphe to the Musée du Louvre—and blaze new trails all over town, from Paris Canal to Les Égouts. Every page is loaded with fun facts and helpful information.

There’s a Place in France, A kid’s Guide to Paris by Penelope Dyan:Paris is a fun place for kids if you know where to look. And our photographer and writer certainly do know where to look for things kids will really like to see. After all, it is all in the presentation! So whether you want to travel vicariously though Paris or prepare for a trip, this is the book for you.Enjoy the photographs of John D, Weigand and the poetry of Penelope Dyan and see Paris through their eyes and camera lens.

Lonely Planet Not for Parent Paris by Klay Lamprell:This is a fantastic book. It covers a mighty 199 countries, grouped by region/continent: every country you can think of, from North Korea to San Marino, Saint Lucia to East Timor. Each country gets one full colour page which contains a small map, some key facts (size/population/language/currency) and then interesting facts about that country.

A Real Moms Guide: Paris with Kids:“Paris in a nutshell so you don’t go nuts” approach to traveling with your family from infants to teens. This book strives to help you navigate your trip to create a less stressful and more joyful time in the city of lights with your family. With over 13 years of experience traveling with my own family and with many trips to Paris with our children throughout the years, learn a few of my tricks to help you manage time, money and more.This book contains suggested family friendly hotels, restaurants, main attractions and out of the normal activities for a family of all ages.

Timeless and Classic Tales of Paris

Madeline by Ludwig Bemelmans: Nothing frightens Madeline-not tigers, not mice, not even getting sick. To Madeline, a trip to the hospital is grand. A true classic, Madeline continues to enchant readers more than sixty years after its first publication.

Madeline’s Rescue by Ludwig Bemelmans: One day on a walk through Paris (a “twelve little girls in two straight lines” kind of walk), Madeline slips and falls off a bridge right into the Seine. Everyone feared she would be dead, “But for a dog / That kept its head,” saving her from a “watery grave.” What choice do Madeline and the girls have but to take the heroic pooch home, feed her biscuits, milk, and beef, and name her Genevieve?

Madeleine says Merci: The Always-Be-Polite by John Bemelmans Marciano: Madeline loves adventure and is not afraid of mice. She loves winter, snow, and ice. And she also knows the secret of being polite is simply to be kind to others. With help from her friends–Miss Clavel, the girls, and even Pepito-Madeline introduces basic ideas such as please and thank you, sharing, cleaning up, and so much more. With its charming illustrations and humorous verse, this new book is a must-have for Madeline fans of all ages.

The Three Musketeers (Illustrated Young Reader’s Edition) by Clarissa Hutton: When daring young swordsman d’Artagnan travels to Paris seeking honor and fortune in the king’s Guard, he quickly befriends the famed three Musketeers—Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. Loyal servants to the crown, the four friends cross swords with street criminals, face the cardinal’s Guards in duels to the death, and save the honor of the queen by unraveling treasonous schemes in a race against time. It will take epic courage, chivalry, and skill to thwart the plots against them and achieve victory at last.

Anatole by Eve Titus: Anatole is a most honorable mouse. When he realizes that humans are upset by mice sampling their leftovers, he is shocked! He must provide for his beloved family–but he is determined to find a way to earn his supper. And so he heads for the tasting room at the Duvall Cheese Factory. On each cheese, he leaves a small note–”good,” “not so good,” “needs orange peel”–and signs his name. When workers at the Duvall factory find his notes in the morning, they are perplexed–but they realize that this mysterious Anatole has an exceptional palate and take his advice. Soon Duvall is making the best cheese in all of Paris! They would like to give Anatole a reward–if only they could find him…

Adele and Simon by Barbara McClintock: When Simon’s older sister, Adèle, picks him up from school, he has his hat and gloves and scarf and sweater, his coat and knapsack and books and crayons, and a drawing of a cat he made that morning. Adèle makes Simon promise to try not to lose anything. But as they make their way home, distractions cause Simon to leave something behind at every stop. What will they tell their mother?

Charlotte in Paris by Melissa Sweet:It’s 1892. Charlotte and her family have lived abroad in the famous artist colony in Giverny, France, for a year, when an exciting invitation arrives. The celebrated impressionist Mary Cassatt is having an exhibition in Paris. While in Paris, Charlotte dines at a cafe on the Champs-Elysees, watches a marionette show in the Tuileries gardens and celebrates her birthday at the Eiffel Tower.

Eloise in Paris by Hilary Knight: Why is Eloise, 6-year-old resident of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, going to Paris? She and Nanny were summoned by a cablegram from Eloise’s mother, and, as we all know, “If you are going to Paris France / you have to turn into French and absolutely go wild / and put adhesive tape on you / and fall down a lot and sklathe the window / and stretch into the curtain and…” Ahh, the deliciously mad logic of Eloise. She promptly gets on the phone to tell everyone–including room service–that she is Paris bound.

Everybody Bonjours! by Leslie Kimmelman: Shop a fancy France-y store. Eat a pretty petit four. Discover! Sightsee! Explore! On this fun and friendly tour, everybody says “Bonjour!” Whether at a soccer stadium (“players scoring”), a crêpe stand (“batter pouring”), or strolling the Champs d’ Elysee (where folks “bonjour” in every store), a little girl and her family are welcomed everywhere with the signature French greeting. Jump into these pages and enjoy the trip! Through lilting words and lively images, Everybody Bonjours welcomes young reader-travelers to a Paris that isn’t just for artists, grown-ups, and dreamers– it’s for kids!

This is Paris by Miroslav Sasek: This book, and the entire series of books by Miroslav Sasek, are just wonderful. The story introduces children (ideally from ages of about 3 – 7) to the magic of Paris. The book evokes a sense of wonder, while relaying facts about Paris that children will find very captivating.

Dodsworth in Paris by Tim Egan: Dodsworth and his (crazy) friend the duck have just arrived in Paris. It is their first time in the City of Lights, and they are ready for some adventures magnifique! Right away they see mimes, painters, and people wearing berets. They climb the Eiffel Tower, and the duck even finds some bent-over guy who rings bells for a living. It looks like it is going to turn out to be a great vacation in Paris . . . but trouble is never far from a misbehaving duck!

Has anyone read any of these titles? If so, which are your favorites and what about them did you like the best?

Don’t forget you can subscribe to the JIAB blog and never miss out a story, update or contest Look at the top right sidebar of this page for our “Subscribe to Receive our Latest Blog Posts” area. Enter your name and email, wait for the confirmation to pop up in your Inbox, confirm, and DONE.

If you are using Gmail’s new filtering for your emails, don’t forget to drag your confirming email to your “Primary” tab to ensure you don’t miss any of the information you subscribed to

Easey Peasey.

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Published on October 01, 2013 04:00

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony Di Terlizzi

We are huge fans of the Spiderwick Chronicles, so when Tony DiTerlizzi’s book Kenny and the Dragon hit our book basket, a great time was had by all.

This charming and adorable book is about a little rabbit named Kenny who befriends a peace loving dragon named Grahame. The only problem is that the villagers seem to have preconceived ideas about dragons and call on George, the ever famous dragon slayer to exterminate the dragon problem and save the village. Kenny has to figure out a way to make the villagers see the truth about this kind and loving dragon.

Kenny is a little rabbit with a very big problem. His two best friends are heading into a battle of legendary proportions—with each other! In one corner there’s Graeme, a well-read and cultured dragon with sophisticated tastes. In the other there’s George, a retired knight and dragon slayer who would be content to spend the rest of his days in his bookshop. Neither really wants to fight, but the village townsfolk are set on removing Graeme from their midst and calling George out of retirement. Can Kenny avert disaster?

Tony DiTerlizzi puts a fun-filled, thoroughly theatrical spin on Kenneth Graeme’s classic tale of subterfuge and showmanship with this lighthearted romp of a retelling.- Amazon.com

Something To Do:

To celebrate the story of Kenny and the Dragon let’s have a little dragon fun of our own.

Have you tried our incredible dragon bread ?
Ingredients:

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
3 3/4 cups flour
3/4 cup warm water
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar

Mix together the yeast and warm water. Let it rest. In another bowl, mix eggs, oil, salt, and sugar. Add flour. Add yeast and water mixture and mix until blended. Knead the dough on a floured surface until it’s firm and smooth, then round it into a bowl coated in a little oil. Turn the ball over once to coat both sides of dough with oil. Let the dough rise in a warm place until it has doubled in size. Now place your dough on a greased cookie sheet or use parchment paper and shape it into a dragon.

Shaping your Dragon:

Make your dough into a long rectangle.

Take a section off on the left hand side of the dough for the head.

Take a little section off of the right hand end of the dough for the mouth, and feet.

Pull the end of the right hand side of the dough to make a tail.
Attach the head.
Place a ball of dough under the head for the mouth. Feel free to add almond slivers for the teeth.
Place the feet under the dragon body.

To decorate your dragon you can use dried fruit, almond slivers as spikes or do as we have and use your scissors to make dragon scales.
Cut down the middle of the body first and then another row on down on each side of the dragon’s body.

Do the same to the head. As much or as little as you’d like.

Add raisins or craisins for the eyes.

Some people cover and let their dragon bread rise again for about 30 minutes. We do not however ,as our children like the shape of their dragon to remain the same. Bake at 350 degrees until done, about 25 minutes.

Rhythm of the Home has the cutest felt dragon. Every home should have one.

Grahame the dragon especially loved Austrian Lattice Pie. Have you ever tasted Austrian Lattice Pie ? Well I think it’s about time.

Known as Linzer Torte, this is one of the oldest pies in the world.

Linzer Torte

Serves 12

Ingredients

1 3/4 cups sifted all- purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 tsp. dry cocoa ( not the drink mix)

3/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cloves

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

1 egg, beaten

3 1/2 oz whole blanched almonds, ground ( 1 cup)

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp. lemon juice

1 jar (10 oz) red raspberry jam

Powdered sugar

Instructions

Sift flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, salt and cloves into a medium size bowl.
Cut in butter with a pastry blender or two knives.
Stir in egg, ground almonds, kirsch, lemon rind and juice until mixture is well blended. Chill 1 hour, or until dough gets firmer.
Cut the dough in half. Fit the bottom of a 10 inch greased and floured springform pan with first half of dough. Spread 1/2 cup jam over dough.
Sprinkle a pastry board lightly with flour and roll finger-thick strips of dough with second half of dough. Arrnage strips, lattice-fashion, over preserves. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 50 minutes, or until pastry is firm.
Cool in pan on a wire rack.
Remove cake from pan.
Fill lattices with additional raspberry jam.
Sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Has your family ever read Kenny and The Dragon? If so, what was your favorite part of the story?

Don’t Forget!

Our Saturday Book Club Linky Party starts October 12th! If you are a blogger who has some book-inspired crafts we’d love it if you joined us and shared your activities! Our theme for is any Halloween/Fall related book reviews and crafts! Be sure and stop back to join the fun.

**Some of these links are affiliate links.

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Published on September 29, 2013 04:25

The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry Review and Giveaway!

Brilliant teacher, poetry compiler and editor David Kennedy has done it again with his new release The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry.

This delightful book reads like a true literary Noah’s Ark and as I was reading this anthology, I was re-introduced to some of my childhood favorites, while discovering new poems. I was completely awestruck by this collection of animal poetry.

“Celebrate and honor our furred, feathered, and finned friends with the world’s largest collection of animal poetry ever published. The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry brings the animals of the forests, mountains, jungles, deserts, rivers, seas, and even your own backyard to life on every page. An essential companion for teachers at every level from kindergarten to college. Parents, children, and animal lovers alike will discover old favorites, make new friends, and revel in over 425 animal poems by classic and modern authors.”

David has a great sense of flow when he edits. None of the poems blindside you but instead gently catches your eye as if it has always sat on that page since the beginning of time.

I have to share with you that this book has a stellar fox section! Which, as you know, would be important to a family like ours who has had four generations of foxes in the backyard. On pg 73 of The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry you will find my favorite fox poem/song. I’ve decided to add a little video of our foxes playing to this very fun song which you can now sing along to because the words are on page 73.

The book is well organized into 12 sections making it easy to peruse and find exactly what you’re needing. Another attribute I really like in this book is there is an index listing the title, author, and the first line of each poem.

This collection of poetry is a “must have” if you are a teacher. It accommodates all age groups and will be an asset to your classroom and lesson planning. As a parent I love using this book as a living testament to the world of poetry. It’s fun to pick a poem and read to the children or have them read it to me while I’m cooking. It becomes another way of sharing our living language without it being “official.”

To have a look inside it’s pages or to order yourself a copy have a look here or Amazon .

GIVEAWAY!

Today David Kennedy has been so kind to offer a copy of The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry for us to give away to one lucky winner! This giveaway runs from September 26 to September 30th. One lucky winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on October 1 and win a copy of The Waldorf Book of Animal Poetry.

A huge thank you to David Kennedy for providing a review copy for us to look at. The music in The Fox video is by Laura Viers from her incredible album Tumble Bee.

Giveaway Guidelines

Must be 18 years or older to enter
One entry per household.
Staff and family members of Audrey Press are not eligible.
Grand Prize winner has 48 hours to claim prize.
Contest runs from September 26 to September 30 and one Winner will be chosen via Rafflecopter on October 1
Please remember to white list Jump into a Book and if you are using Gmail’s new filtering, move your JumpIntoABook emails to the your Primary tab so you don’t miss any updates or winning announcements.
Giveaway sponsor is responsible for shipping the prize.

Using Rafflecopter To Enter to WIN:

Mandatory: Visit and Like David’s Waldorf Today Facebook

Mandatory: Visit and Like Jump Into A Book’s Facebook Page.

Extra Entry: Tweet about the Giveaway

Extra Entry: Follow ValarieBudayr on Twitter

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Published on September 26, 2013 03:55

My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George (Creating Your Own Outdoor Survival Adventure!)

“I am running away from home, and this is just the kind of forest I have always dreamed I would run to. I think I’ll camp here tonight.” I hopped out of the cab.

“Well, now, ain’t that sumpin? You know, when I was your age, I did the same thing. Only thing was, I was a farm boy and ran to the city, and you’re a city boy running to the woods. I was scared of the city–do you think you’ll be scared of the woods?”

“Heck ,no !” I shouted loudly.

— My Side of the Mountain

Recently we took out an old favorite My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George, and read it aloud.

This is an extraordinary book which has been read for the last couple of generations in our family. It’s the amazing story of successful survival by a boy named Sam Gribley. How many of us thought of running away as young kids? I tried it once but stopped at my grandmother’s on the way out. She was making my favorite soup so I stayed the weekend. Bottom line is, I didn’t make it any farther than that

Where this story takes a turn is that Sam Gribley makes it past the first block and keeps on going all the way up to his grandfather’s land in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York. There he makes a house in a huge hollow tree, steals a baby falcon who he trains to hunt, collects and gathers berries, roots, and nuts, makes a weasel into a companion and uses his wits for survival. This is a touching account of learning to live off the land and growing up in the process. By the end of this book no one in my house nor the visiting friends were immune to the need to get out there and start surviving. In lieu of running away, our boys got out the tools, went into the woods on our property and built themselves a proper lean to shelter.

Jean Craighead George passed away last year but left all of us with over 100 titles to love and cherish. She also has the most amazing website which is so inviting. Please stop by and get to know her better.

Something To Do
How to build a shelter

” I decided to make a bed before I cooked. I cut off some boughs for a mattress, then I leaned some dead limbs against the boulder and covered them with hemlock boughs. This made a kind of tent. I crawled in, lay down, and felt alone and secret and very excited.”

— My Side of the Mountain

At the break of dawn, …….

…three young boys and a cat named Oscar met in the backyard to spend a day surviving “in the wild.”

They went for a walk in the woods and gather long sticks and branches that they could saw and tie into a shelter frame.

Once they had the sticks at the length they needed they tied it into a square frame.

They put their frame under a tall monkey pine tree and secured it to the thick branches. Afterwards they gather leafy branches and tied them onto the shelter frame.

While some were finishing the shelter. Others were creating pottery from our ever ending supply of red clay.

After coming inside the house for a nice warm meal, they ventured back out to spend the night under their shelter. It started raining and surviving in the wild entered the back recesses of their minds as they came inside for “movie night and a pizza.”

How to Hit the Trail

If you should want to run away to the wild, you need to think of where you’re going and what you’ll need. For us in the Smoky Mountains, weather changes quickly and we need to be ready for anything.

Unlike Sam Gribley, I’m not anticipating anyone playing “survivor man” in our house anytime soon. I will share with you however, that it is a secret dream of my son and husband to sneak off into the wilderness and live off the land.

For the times we do venture into the wild, here’s what we always include in our backpacks.

Enough water for each person about 2 quarts a day.
A Flashlight
Molskin to cover blisters
Band-aids
Wear broken-in comfortable shoes (never wear new shoes hiking)
Insect repellant
Sunscreen
A map
Multi-purpose pocketknife
Water Purifying tablets
Sweater or Jacket
Extra pair of socks
Magnifying glass
Binoculars
Waterproof matches
Notebook & pen/pencil

If you’re spending the night

Sleeping bag
Tarp and Cord
Hatchet
Cooking pot, Sierra cup
Fork and Spoon or a spork
Toothbrush/Toothpaste
Biodegradable soap

Before you leave always let someone know where you’ll be going and when you’ll be back.

Check the weather before you leave.

What kind of outdoor adventure have you had lately?

**some of these links are affiliate links

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Published on September 24, 2013 04:27