{Virtual Book Club For Kids} Jan Brett: Annie and the Wild Animals

Independence Building Boredom Busters

In our house there are a few “bad” words that the kids are absolutely and completely forbidden to say, like “I hate,” “I can’t,” and “I’m bored.” But that doesn’t mean they don’t ever say say it - in other creative ways - or feel that way when we don’t have scheduled activities. How do […]

{Review} Amazon Prime Now

The joke around here is that our house could double as a shipping facility with all the packages continuously coming in and going out. But after heading back to work full-time, the freedom to shop in person just isn’t a luxury I enjoy anymore, so I am completely unapologetic about my dependency on online shopping and […]

Glue Resist Batik T-Shirts

If you thought DIY Batik Shirts were difficult to make - like I did before we tried this new activity - you are so wrong! Making Glue Resist Batik T-Shirts is actually super easy, super fun, and super cheap, especially if you already have glue and painting supplies handy. This is the perfect weekend activity you can […]

DIY Memory Box Display

We just returned from one of our summer vacations and oh how much we will miss the good times together. To capture our memories, one of the things we do is a bedtime ritual called, “Review the Holiday,” where we recount the highlights of our vacation. A hands-on way to cement our happy memories is with […]

Easy Homemade Play Town

Glitter, upcycling, and independent play: these are a few of my favorite things. When we received a box brimming with Glitter Glue, Painters Markers, School Glue and Glue Sticks from Elmer’s last weekend, I knew EXACTLY what we would do - get our craft on and create a homemade play town with items straight from […]

Top Ten Tips For Disneyland With Preschoolers

After our maiden voyage to Disneyland was such a magical success, we can’t wait to visit again. Short and sweet, here are our Top Ten Tips for Disneyland With Preschoolers. Don’t forget to check out our detailed post on Planning for Disneyland with Preschoolers, with tips on when to visit the park, what attractions not to […]

Planning for Disneyland with Preschoolers

Disneyland is truly the happiest place on Earth. I hadn’t visited the park since 1987, so I was excited to take the kids (4 and 5 years old) on their maiden voyage, but I had no idea how absolutely magical the experience would be. Watching the children’s hearts nearly explode with joy was the best part […]

Easy Kitchen Math: Counting By Tens

Keeping the kids occupied (meaning, not putting them in front of the TV and making sure they’re safe and not killing one another) while we prep dinner is sometimes challenging for us. A fun way to turn what can be a difficult time into an opportunity for learning is this simple Counting by Tens math […]

December 18, 2012 in All Posts, First Grade Literacy, Kindergarten Literacy, Preschool Literacy, Toddler Literacy

Welcome to December’s Virtual Book Club For Kids blog hop!

This month we are featuring book reviews, activities, crafts, and recipes inspired by the works of children’s author and illustrator Jan Brett. (All book links, including images, are Amazon Affiliate links).

Let’s give a big YAY! for two months in a row that my kids and I really enjoyed the featured author and books we checked out at the library!

For Book Club, we chose Annie and the Wild Animals.

Annie and the Wild Animals is a relatable story about missing a pet and trying to fill that winter loneliness with a substitute, only to find that no other companion will do. The story has a happy ending and Annie is reunited with her cat, who had disappeared to have her kittens but returns with the first spring breeze. The illustrations are unbelievably amazingly intricate and pleasant to flip through.

My review: This book was great to read with the kids and not a bother at all when they requested it over. and over. and over. and over. again. The theme is appropriate for little ones and I didn’t have to alter any of the language. The only dilemma was whether to read the narrative as a script or take long breaks noticing the detailed illustrations woven into the borders on every page.

The children’s review: The kids - my 2.5 year old in particular - fell head over heels for this story. It has been his favorite book for weeks now. Both the kids love when the moose sticks his nose in Annie’s window and we all pretend to shake like “the little house shook.” The illustrations really capture their imaginations and I can see them getting lost in some of the scenes.

To go along with the book, we made - of course - Corn Cakes! Really, they were just corn muffins. I have to say (sorry, Jiffy), but you should definitely not use the Jiffy cake mix and made a homemade batch instead. My son, who will eat everything and the packaging it comes in, wasn’t even thrilled with the “corn cakes” we made. But, we did have a lot of fun offering the corn cakes to our plastic animal friends in a play acting session of the story.

Did you read any books by Jan Brett this month and come up with your own craft, activity, or recipe inspired by one of her books? Please link up your post here!

LEARN! Literacy

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Chrissy – who has written 426 posts on The Outlaw Mom® Blog - Creative Living in a Conventional World.