JOIN ME FOR WORLD READ ALOUD DAY!

 

Hello, Readers! I'm reading my book Waiting for Ice (Charlesbridge).  This is also to help you celebrate International Polar Bear Day on February 27th. Now, get comfy and listen. 💝

International Polar Bear Day on February 27, 2023 

is a good time to stop and think about how global climate change is challenging these bears. They are the top of their food chain, big, strong and able to survive almost anything except not having enough ice.

CELEBRATE PENGUIN AWARENESS DAY!

 

THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE
(Millbrook/Lerner, 2017) is about African penguins. 

This is one of 4 books I've written about penguins. Here are the other three.

A MOTHER'S JOURNEY (Charlesbridge, 2005) is about Emperor penguins.

PENGUINS: GROWING UP WILD (Available on Amazon Kindle) with my photos from camping out with Adelie penguins.

AND COMING SOON! 

COULD YOU EVER WADDLE WITH PENGUINS!?

I love penguins because I had the wonderful opportunity twice to live with 60,000+ Adelies in Antarctica during the summer while they raised their chicks. I also watched Emperors from an icebreaker while they were riding on icebergs (off duty from wintertime egg hatching). And I  saw two more kinds of penguins when I lived in New Zealand: Fairy Blue penguins and Yellow-eyed penguins. 

There I am recording Adelie penguins in action in Antarctica. 

HOW PENGUINS STAY DRY

First, use the link to download a printable picture of an African penguin. You will need two pictures for this activity.  

The picture tells how to correctly color an African penguin with one exception. 

Check out the photo of an African penguin on the cover of THE GREAT PENGUIN RESCUE. African penguins always have that pinkish area by their eyes. Be sure to color the white areas of the penguin too.

Next, you will need a glass of water and aneyedropper. Drip 5 drops of water on the uncolored African penguin. Then drip 5 drops on the colored African penguin. What difference do you see?

The water soaks into the uncolored penguin and beads up on the colored on. African penguins, like all penguins, have a special gland that lets them spread an oily coat over their feathers. Like the crayon wax, that lets their feathers shed water. 

Penguin feathers are incredibly small. I know because I've held some in my hand. But the tiny feathers tuck tightly over each other, like roof shingles, to form a thick, watertight coat. In fact, penguins have more feathers than most birds--as many as 100 feather per square inch.

What looks pink above the penguin’s eyes is a specialbody part that keeps it from overheating. As the penguin’s body warmsup, blood flow increases to that area. The lack of feathers over that area lets heat radiate away as the blood flows through it. That cools the penguin.

PENGUINS ARE AMAZING! 

Celebrate PENGUIN AWARENESS DAY on January 20th!

DON'T MISS THIS!

 

WOW! Don't miss this chance to gift a teacher or yourself with my award-honored book now at an incredible discounted price on Amazon! Just $4.37 for the library binding--usually $31.99

Order here!

OCTOBER IS DINOSAUR MONTH!

What if one day you woke up with dinosaur feet!? What would be cool about having dinosaur feet?

What problems might you have with dinosaur feet? 

It's the perfect month to imagine having dinosaur parts.

TELL A DINO-TALE

Make up a story about what's going on in this picture...

WHOA! First, read about this dinosaur's special feature. That will help you tell your story.

PICK YOUR DINO-PART

What if you could have one of these dinosaur parts for a day. Which would you choose?

Brachiosaurus neck?

T. rex teeth?

Parasaurolophus crest?

Spinosaurus sail?

WAIT! 

Read about each of these dinosaur's special features before you decide.

Now, convince at least 2 other people they should like having that dinosaur's special part too! 

What are 2 reasons you can tell them that dinosaur part is right for them?
 

For even more DINOSAUR fun read the whole book. You are sure to smile from beginning to end! 

I know I did!

HAVE A WILD HAIR DAY!

 

WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!? 

Imagine what it would be like if you had wild animal 

hair? My cat Beau knows which of the two types of 

animal hair below he would choose. Just imagine 

him with polar bear hair or pangolin hair!

What animal hair would you choose?

If you could only choose between POLAR BEAR hair and  PANGOLIN hair, which would be right for you!? Read about each of the two animals and decide. THEN see if you can get two people to agree to have that kind of hair too. Be ready to give them at  least two reasons they should!

Polar Bear

And PANGOLIN

You will find even more HAIRY fun in WHAT IF YOU HAD ANIMAL HAIR!? 

WHAT CRAYON IS YOUR HAPPY COLOR!?

 

If you can pick any color, what color means HAPPY to you?

 Once you decide which color is your "Happy Color", call it that from now on. And use it to do each of these fun, ways to be creative.

1. Make an entire picture of anything--your pet, your home, your family, ANYTHING--just using that color. But use it lightly, brightly, in dots, and stripes.

2. Write a 1 paragraph story that uses the word "HAPPY" a lot. Only instead of the word put a big splotch of that color. Just see how HAPPY that story makes you!

Here are a couple of my favorite color stories! Have you read these?

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall (Greenwillow Books)

Red has a bright red label, but he is, in fact, blue. His teacher tries to help him be red (let's draw strawberries!), his mother tries to help him be red by sending him out on a playdate with a yellow classmate (go draw a nice orange!), and the scissors try to help him be red by snipping his label so that he has room to breathe. But Red is miserable. He just can't be red, no matter how hard he tries! Finally, a brand-new friend offers a brand-new perspective, and Red discovers what readers have known all along. He's blue! This funny, heartwarming, colorful picture book about finding the courage to be true to your inner self can be read on multiple levels, and it offers something for everyone.

The Day The Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt (Philomela Books)

Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking—each believes he is the true color of the sun.

What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?

Now make up a fun short story about crayons having an adventure!

Who will be the star? Your HAPPY color, of course!

I'M READING FOLLOW THOSE ZEBRAS!

 

READY FOR A MYSTERY STORY!?

Then don't miss joining me as I read FOLLOW THOSE ZEBRAS! It's a mystery that science detectives tackle. 

And there is more...For the rest of the story check out the book.