Eat Your Peas

It was dinnertime again and Daisy knew just what her mom was going to say, before she even said it.

"Eat your peas," said Mom.

Daisy looked down at the little green balls that were ganging up on her plate.

"I don't like peas," said Daisy.

Mom sighed one of her usual sighs.

"If you eat your peas, you can have dessert," said Mom.

"I don't like peas," said Daisy. 

What will it take to make Daisy eat peas?

Mom promised dessert, a later bedtime, no bath, and then, in increasing desperation, a baby elephant, a chocolate factory and much, much more.

This dinnertime battle of wills is sure to amuse children and parents like myself. It shows the power of vegetables to turn a meal into an epic struggle. A funny outcome and determined little Daisy make this book super fun and entertaining to read.

The author, Kes Gray has been called one of the top ten children's authors in the UK by THE INDEPENDENT. 

Eat Your Peas is the first book among the Daisy series, has won the coveted overall prize at the 2001 Children's Book Awards.

Eat Your Peas is available to order online via Book Depository. 

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Manners in the Lunchroom

Mr. Coleman's class heads to the lunchroom to eat. Leah and Carlos wait patiently in line.
Leah and Carlos are using good manners.

"May I please have some corn?" Alex asks the lunch servers.
He thanks her when she puts the corn on his tray.
He is using good manners.

Manners in the Lunchroom is a fantastic book with brilliant illustrations by Chris Lensch. The book is easy to read for the 5 years old, showing nine great practical examples of using good manners in the lunchroom. 

One of the page showing a girl enjoying lunch with her friend, it said:

Morgan takes a bite of her apple. 

She chews with her mouth closed. 

She waits to talk until she is finished chewing.

She is using good manners.

Both me and my girl laughed right away. She knows how many times I have told her to finish chewing with her mouth closed before she talks and this is now a good example for her to follow.

Then she asked, "Mommy, why this girl sitting on a wheelchair?"

I seized the opportunity to tell her it is common that some people might have difficulties walking, so they need help with a wheelchair.

She then pointed to children with different skin colors, why some have darker and some have fairer skin? 

So we talked about people in different races having different colors of skin tone and hair ... And this will be a fantastic opportunity for them to sharing amazing stories around the world.

Home is always the best school for teaching moral behaviors. 
You might want to refer to my older post on the book Words Are Not for Hurting, that's another great book on the must-read list.

Happy reading!

Manners in the Lunchroom is available at The Book Depository

Princess Pig

One windy day - 

during the Picawash County Farm Show Parade - 

a peculiar thing happened ...

Pig woke from her afternoon nap.

She saw the sash.

"Am I a princess?" she squealed.

Goat shook his head. "You can't be a princess. A princess wears a crown."

So Pig made herself a crown ... 

Like many fairy tales, an ordinary girl suddenly becomes a princess. That's many girls' dreams, including this little PIG. 

It is a very windy day ... 

A parade princess's sash get caught up in a gust of wind and lands on a sleeping little PIG. Suddenly, it makes her dream come true.

Now She is a Princess! A Princess Pig!!

Although wearing the sash, not every creature in the farm agrees Pig is now a princess. Goat thinks a princess should wear a crown. Cow thinks a princess should have a gold necklace.

Pig tries very hard to make herself look like a princess and smell like a princess, yet she's not too happy.

She finds herself gradually losing the mud she enjoys, the sleep she desires and the ordinary party she loves ... 

This is another great book I enjoy reading with children to help themselves appreciate how special they are.

Every ordinary little girl should know they are SPECIAL and what makes them extraordinary!

Princess Pig is available online at The Book Depository

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad

Look who is visiting!

Hi Ellie! 

Hello, Milo!

I feel HAPPY.

We play explorers.

We feel BRAVE.

Where is Ellie hiding? 

Ellie?

I feel PUZZLED ...

Milo and Ellie are two little dogs whom are good friends. They have a play date at Milo's house and like many play dates, the two puppies have happy times, angry times and sad times. 

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad is a toddler story book for young children identifying emotions and a tool for parents explaining the feelings of happy, brave, puzzled, scared, glad, kind, excited, proud, angry, hurt, jealous, lonely, ashamed, sad and shy.

Introducing emotions to young children is an important part of a child's development. Preschoolers experience a wide range of emotions like us, but are not always able to identify or control them. Teaching young children about emotions will help them expressing their own in a more positive and productive way. It will also help them to understand others' feelings and show empathy when someone is sad.

While reading story book like this, it is always useful to ask your children, "If you were Milo, how would you feel?" Let the children talk and express their feelings. From this exercise, your children will also learn to understand others' feelings in return.

I Feel Happy and Sad and Angry and Glad is available online at:

Stanley the Stinkbug Goes to Camp

Camp Bug-a-Boo buzzed with busy bugs.

This year Hermie the caterpillar and his friend Wormie were counselors ...

Meanwhile, Stanley waited to catch the last bus to Camp Bug-a-Boo.

"Oh, it's going to be awful," he said to himself. 

"Why did I promise my mom and dad I'd go? I'm afraid no one will like me because I stink."

Stanley's eyes filled with big tears. "God, why did You made me stinky?"

Max Lucado is a Christian writer. He has a book and video series named Hermie and friends especially designed for children, with one common theme, Everyone is special in the eyes of God. This is a story about friendship and learn to appreciate each other's difference and uniqueness.

The story started with the setting at the garden's Summer Camp. There's a problem with a newcomer, Stanley the stinkbug, he stinks.

Everyone in the Camp tries their best to put up with the unusual odor, but things don’t go so well. But then God helps the summer camp to realize that the reason Stanley stinks is because he's afraid and the thing he is most afraid of is others not liking him and accepting him the way he is. Our garden friends soon learn that God created each of us for very special reasons and that, even though Stanley is different, they need to show him love.

You don't have to be a Christian to read this book. 

This is an inspirational book for children from ages 5 and up. I recommend parents read this together with children and use it as a tool for discussion.

Max Lucado's Hermie & Friends series is also available on DVD:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Stanley-Stinkbug-Max-Lucado/9781400307203

Kindle Edition is available at:
 

Words Are Not for Hurting

Do you know it takes only 26 letters to make millions of words?

You know lots of words. 

Who listens when you talk?

Your family, your friends, your teachers ... And pets too.

This is a great book among Elizabeth Verdick's Best Behavior series, especially for children between 4 to 7 while building up vocabularies and increasing awareness of how much words matter.

The book highlights the power of words, why children should take responsibility for what they say, as well as thinking before speaking. 

It also illustrates the connection between hurtful words and feelings of anger, sadness, and regret. And the solution of using simple, yet powerful phrase, "I'm sorry!" to help.

This is a great coaching tool to teach children why words matter and how to use them in a positive way. 

I strongly recommend this book to every child from K2 and up.

Words Are Not For Hurting is available online at:

http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Words-are-Not-for-Hurting-Elizabeth-Verdick/9781575421551

Kindle Edition is available at:

Boo! Made You Jump!

I have this little sister, Lola. 
She is small and very funny.

I am always making her jump ...

But she can NEVER make me jump. 

So Lola says, "But I really want to make you jump, Charlie."

And I say, "Okay, Lola, but that will NEVER happen."

Charlie and Lola are characters created by Laura Child.

Lola is an energetic, imaginative little girl; Charlie is a patient and kind older brother who is always willing to help Lola learn and grow.

In this book, Boo! Made you jump!, Lola tries everything she could think of , including dressing up like a creepy ghost, telling a really scary story in order to make Charlie jump. But it doesn't seem to be working. Will Lola ever make Charlie jump?

This is a fun book for my five years old to read by her own. And the Charlie and Lola series is just fun to read and very educational on social skills building, especially for those who have siblings.

Charlie and Lola: Boo! Made You Jump! is available online at:
http://www.bookdepository.co.uk/Charlie-Lola-Lauren-Child/9780448446967