Welcome to PICTURE BOOK CLUB – WEEK FOUR

How to participate in Picture Book Club …

1. Get the suggested books from your library or bookstore (local or online). See PICTURE BOOK CLUB BOOK LIST for the complete list of books for each week.

2. Before reading each of the weekly books to your child, READ FIRST “What Adults Can Learn from This Story.”

3. Read one or both books to your child as many times through the week as your child wants to hear them and you have time to read.

4. Consider doing whatever activities you think are appropriate for the age and maturity of your child from “Make This Story Come Alive for Your Child.”

WE WELCOME FEEDBACK ABOUT YOUR PARTICIPATION. YOU CAN LEAVE A COMMENT BY USING THE “WHAT DO YOU THINK?” BUTTON AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS POST.

PICK A PUP by Marsha Wilson Chall

(a story about kids and pets)

In PICK A PUP, “Sam can’t wait to pick a pup, but which one will he pick? Is there a way to know the one – a clue, a sign, a trick?” Many types of pets were described: “… sit-in-your-lap…sound asleep…runs-right-up…woolly…loves-to-sniff…kissy….” Sam wondered how he would pick a pet and wished he “… knew the trick.”

 “What Adults Can Learn from This Story …”

• Many choices are required to add a pet to the family.

  • What type of animal – dog, cat, bird, hamster, fish, farm animal, etc.?

  • What type of cleanup is required?

  • How much space is needed?

  • What will travelling be like?

  • What are the costs for health care and food?

  • How much people-attention will the pet need?

  • What do you expect to get back from the pet (cuddling, protection, playtime)?

• People all are different and so are pets. Various breeds and species tend to act differently. Consider a good fit between how a pet acts and your child’s personality – sleepy, big, small, noisy, fast, slow?

• Pets show that they like their caregivers. They give attention to a child enthusiastically.

• Picking and caring for a pet is about establishing a relationship between child and pet and encouraging that relationship to keep growing stronger.

• The pet and the child are equal participants in the relationship. Sometimes the pet shows love first which invites the child to give love back. Sometimes the child shows the love first which invites the pet to give love back.

• As the child/pet relationship grows stronger, children can develop a sense of responsibility for the pet.

“Make this Story Come Alive for Your Child …”

• Ask your child:

  • What does he think about the different types of animals?

  • What does she think it would be like to have a pet?

  • What would be fun about having a pet?

  • What would be yucky about having a pet?

  • What will he be able to do to help take care of a pet?

• Ask your child how he would want his pet to act – busy, quiet, fast, slow, playful, lovey, etc.?

BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE by Michael B. Kaplan

(a story about a child learning to wait)

In BETTY BUNNY LOVES CHOCOLATE CAKE, “Betsy Bunny loves chocolate cake so much that she vows, ‘I am going to marry chocolate cake.’” Betty Bunny refused to eat a healthy dinner because she only wanted chocolate cake. After throwing her food at her brother and sister, Mother sent her to bed where Betty Bunny had a noisy, angry tantrum. Mother gave Betty Bunny a second chance to get her chocolate cake. She saved Betty Bunny a piece of cake for the next night that she could have after a healthy dinner. Her hope was that knowing she would have a piece of cake waiting for her, Betty Bunny would be patient and follow the rules about dinner first and then cake. Rather than waiting for dinner the next night, Betty Bunny took her cake first thing in the morning. She put it in her pocket and took it to school with her. So, after her heathy dinner that night, when it was OK for her to have her cake, she found that the cake in her pocket all day long had become a “brown, goopy mess.” Once again, Betty Bunny decided not to wait for the right time to have her cake.

“What Adults Can Learn from This Story …”

• Children need to know what they want and how much they want it before they can learn to wait.

• Children start letting you know what they want and how much they want it around two-years-old when “no” becomes their favorite word. As frustrating as the “no stage” is, remember tantrums are a sign of a child’s determination which is what will help them not give up on goals, be patient, and wait as they grow older.

• Learning to wait requires planning for how to reach goals.

• Children can figure out acceptable ways to get what they want when adults hold the line, don’t give in to disobedient behavior, and give them lots of chances to figure out obedient ways to get what they want.

“Make This Story Come Alive for Your Child …”

• Tell your child you are glad that Betty Bunny knows she really, really wants chocolate cake. How would she ever get chocolate cake unless she lets people know how much she likes it?

• Talk about how Betty Bunny is not reaching her goal of getting chocolate cake because her behavior was not in line with Mom’s rules.

• Tell your child that you hope Betty Bunny will keep trying to get her cake and figure out a Mom-approved way to get it. Share examples of times when you had to try over and over again to get things you wanted.

• See if you and your child can think of some Mom-approved ways that Betty Bunny could get her chocolate cake. Could she have had it for breakfast, if she ate a healthy breakfast Could she carry a picture of her cake to school with her and wait for dinner to get it out of the fridge and eat it?

Past PICTURE BOOK CLUB postings:

PICTURE BOOK CLUB – WEEK ONE

PICTURE BOOK CLUB – WEEK TWO

PICTURE BOOK CLUB – WEEK THREE