Xander's Panda Party

The Family Dinner Book Club selection for April is Xander's Panda Party by Linda Sue Park.

Xander's Panda Party
by Linda Sue Park

                             Xander planned a panda party.  Yes, a dandy whoop-de-do!

                             But Xander was the only panda.  Just one panda at the zoo.
                                       ~from Xander's Panda Party

Xander's Panda Party is such a lovely book.  I love the story line and the rhyming text.  (You can watch the book trailer here.)

However, I had to think twice about purchasing the book.  This is one conversation between two of the animals in the book:

          The crocodile asked Xander, "You've invited all the birds.  Birds and reptiles—long ago,
          we were related, don't you know?"

Evolution.  I will choose to omit that sentence when I read the book to T.  Regarding that portion of the book's content, the author noted in the back of the book:

        Most evolutionary biologists believe that some of the reptiles commonly known as
        dinosaurs evolved into birds during the Mesozoic era.  Today's reptiles and birds
        share common ancestors that lived more than one hundred million years ago.  The
        evolution of life on our planet continues to be a complex and wondrous mystery.

This is not what I (or we, as a family) believe.  That's why I had to think twice.

I am planning to do several fun activities with T, including the following:

• panda bear paper plate craft
• panda bear puzzle
• "P is for panda bear" magnet page
• bears 1:1 game

Although I have found a slew of ideas on the Internet for panda bear activities, crafts, and foods, I think I will start with these four!

The Day the Crayons Quit

The Family Dinner Book Club selection for February is The Day the Crayons Quit by Drew Daywalt.

The Day the Crayons Quit
by Drew Daywalt

     Poor Duncan just wants to color.  But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing:  We quit!
     Beige is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown.  Blue needs a break from coloring all that water, while Pink just wants to be used.  Green has no complaints, but Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking to each other.
     What is Duncan to do?
        ~from The Day the Crayons Quit book jacket

We read The Day the Crayons Quit, and T colored this page.

We also read these books...

The Crayon Box that Talked
by Shane DeRolf

     Once upon a time in a toy store, there was a box of crayons.  The crayons in it just couldn't get along.  Yellow did not like Red, and neither, for that matter, did Green.  And no one at all seemed to like Orange.  As Blue pointed out, something was very wrong.
     But something very right begins to happen when a little girl takes these crayons home and starts coloring with them.  They realize that the big picture they make together is ever so much more exciting and varied — yes, even dazzling! — than the small pictures they make alone.
        ~from The Crayon Box that Talked book jacket

My Crayons Talk
by Patricia Hubbard

     Crayons do talk — they also shout, swing, scream, and hoot in this exuberant celebration of color and feeling.
        ~from My Crayons Talk book jacket

Bad Day at Riverbend
by Chris Van Allsburg

     Welcome to Riverbend, a sleepy Western outpost where nothing ever happens and, it seems, nothing ever will.  But one fateful day the stagecoach rolls into town, its team of horses covered with an unidentifiable substance.  As the strange stuff spreads its devastation, the terrified townspeople turn to their leader.
     Whatever this evil is, Sheriff Ned Hardy aims to put an end to it.  He mounts his horse and leads a posse to hunt down the source of the curse, but just as they close in on their suspect, the cowboys are frozen in a mysterious light that suddenly fills the sky.
        ~from Bad Day at Riverbend book jacket

Not in the House, Newton!
by Judith Heide Gilliland

     Newton's mom is pleased that he wants to draw quietly while she is busy cleaning house for company.  On ordinary days, Newton is a very good artist.  Today, though, is no ordinary day, and Newton's pictures cause quite a ruckus, enough for Mom to keep warning, "Not in the house, Newton!"
        ~from Not in the House, Newton! book jacket

Purple, Green and Yellow
by Robert Munsch

     While at the 1990 Toronto Storytelling Festival, Robert Munsch noticed a girl named Brigid who was painting her fingernails with colored markers.  He had just the right story for her.
        ~from Purple, Green and Yellow book back

From Wax to Crayon
by Robin Nelson

     How are crayons made?  Follow each step in the production cycle in this non-fiction book.

and, we also watched this DVD....

Harold and the Purple Crayon —
Let Your Imagination Soar!

     Based on the classic book, these adventures star Harold, an inventive and curious toddler with thoughts, desires, and feelings typical of any child his age.  In his Crayon World, Harold can muse on questions that all young children naturally wonder about, and he can come up with his own answers.  But it is not the crayon that is magic.  The crayon is merely the key to unlock the power of Harold's imagination.
     The DVD features these episodes:  Harold's Birthday Gift, A Blast from the Past, Harold the Artiste, Harold's Walk on the Wild Side, Harold in the Dark, Future Clock, and Cowboy Harold.
        ~from Harold and the Purple Crayon — Let Your Imagination Soar! DVD insert

Winnie-the-Pooh Supper

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's supper today.

• Baked Hunny Chicken
• green beans (from Rabbit's garden)
• hunny butter biscuit
• tossed salad (from Rabbit's garden)
• baby carrots (from Rabbit's garden) with ranch dressing
• mashed potatoes (from Rabbit's garden)
• Winnie-the-Pooh glass of milk

Wasn't that nice of Rabbit to provide so many wonderful veggies for T's meal?!  ;-)

The Baked Honey Chicken recipe is from Daisy at Home.  It's a food suggestion for the Family Dinner Book Club selection for January, Winnie-the-Pooh.

I made the Piglet, Winnie-the-Pooh, and Eeyore picks from a printable for pencil toppers.

Tomorrow is the big day for our Winnie-the-Pooh family dinner celebration...if I can finish getting it together!  :/

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch

Winnie-the-Pooh Breakfast

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's breakfast today...for T to enjoy while he waits for our Family Dinner Book Club celebration tomorrow!  ;-)

• bear pancake with banana slices (ears and nose) and
  chocolate chips (eyes and nose)
• Hunnycomb cereal
• hunny butter biscuit with orange marmalade
• applesauce with bear sprinkles
• hunny Teddy (bear) Grahams with blue balloon pick
• Winnie-the-Pooh glass of milk

     "When you wake up in the morning, Pooh," said Piglet at last, "what's the first thing you say to yourself?"
     "What's for breakfast," said Pooh.  "What do you say, Piglet?"
     "I say, I wonder what's going to happen exciting today?" said Piglet.
     Pooh nodded thoughtfully.
     "It's the same thing," he said.
          ~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Inspiration for the bear pancake:
   spunkydiy
   minieco
   kidssoup

Linked to:
   I Heart Lunch
   What's for Lunch Wednesday

Winnie-the-Pooh Lunch

I made this Winnie-the-Pooh muffin tin meal for T's lunch today...for T to enjoy while he waits for our Family Dinner Book Club celebration later this week!  ;-)

• bear-shaped sandwich on hunny wheat bread with mini m&m's for the facial features
• pretzel sticks (to resemble a tree trunk) with a blue balloon pick
• baby carrots (from Rabbit's garden) with ranch dressing
• applesauce with bear sprinkles
• hunny roasted peanuts
• hunny Teddy (bear) Grahams

     "It's like this," [Winnie-the-Pooh] said.  "When you go after honey with a balloon, the great thing is not to let the bees know you're coming.  Now, if you have a green balloon, they might think you were only part of the tree, and not notice you, and if you have a blue balloon, they might think you were only part of the sky, and not notice you, and the question is:  Which is most likely?"
     "Wouldn't they notice you underneath the balloon?" [Christopher Robin] asked.
     "They might or they might not," said Winnie-the-Pooh.  "You never can tell with bees."  He thought for a moment and said:  "I shall try to look like a small black cloud.  That will deceive them."
     "Then you had better have the blue balloon," [Christopher Robin] said; and so it was decided.
          ~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

Winnie-the-Pooh

We read the book, Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne last week.

Once upon a time, a very long time ago now,
about last Friday, Winnie-the-Pooh lived in a forest
all by himself under the name of Sanders.

~from Winnie-the-Pooh by A.A. Milne

The book has 10 chapters.  I started on Monday and read a chapter at breakfast and/or a chapter at lunch while T was eating each day.  We finished the book over the weekend.

Now...on to the special dinner celebration!  I'm planning it for one night this week...maybe Thursday or Friday?  (Stay tuned!)

Family Dinner Book Club

Jodie at Growing Book by Book has started a Family Dinner Book Club.  It debuted on January 1, 2014.

Each month this year, these three women:
     Jodie at Growing Book by Book,
     Jill at Enchanted Homeschooling Mom, and
     Sarah at Daisy at Home
will share a book to read, conversation starters, dinner menu ideas, and arts and crafts ideas.

On the 1st of each month, the title of the featured book is revealed.  On the 15th of each month, all of the details for the special dinner celebration is shared.

The selection for January is Winnie-the-Pooh by A. A. Milne.

Winnie-the-Pooh
A. A. Milne

You can view Jodie's conversation starters for the family dinner celebration here.
You can view Jill's arts and crafts ideas for decorating the dinner table here.
You can view Sarah's menu ideas to complement the book here.

I purchased this classic children's book last weekend, and we will be reading about this lovable bear all week.  :)